10 Songs is a weekly list of ten songs that happen to be on my mind at the moment. The lists are usually dominated by songs played on the previous Sunday night's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. The idea was inspired by Don Valentine of the essential blog I Don't Hear A Single
This week's edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1335
THE GREENBERRY WOODS: The One That Makes You Happy
If you thought the release of another new single by long-standing power pop idols the Greenberry Woods would automatically occupy the lead-off slot in this week's show, you were correct in your thinking. You're pretty good at this thinking stuff. "The One That Makes You Happy" lives up to its titular hype, and we're happy to play it. "The One That Makes You Happy" serves as a sneak peek at the new Greenberry Woods album It's All Good, Sugar..., which is due out May 29th.
And that should make everyone happy. That's what we think.
T. REX: Cosmic Dancer
When T. Rex singer Marc Bolan was killed in a car accident in September of 1977, I was a college freshman and I was pissed that no one else in my dorm knew who Marc Bolan was. It's not like I was an expert on all things related to T. Rexstasy--at the time, I only knew "Bang A Gong (Get It On)"--but I did have at least an inkling of Bolan's importance, and I was disappointed to discover how alone I was in that setting. (Later, "20th Century Boy" assumed the permanent role of my favorite T. Rex track, as detailed here). I remain a Marc Bolan dilletante, and I owe myself a deeper Jeepster dive in the near future.
Although I've owned a copy of T. Rex's Electric Warrior album track "Cosmic Dancer" for decades, I didn't notice it until it popped up in an episode of the (now-cancelled) 2025 Amazon Prime TV series Étoile. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino (creators of Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Étoile details the dynamics of a pair of interconnected ballet companies, one in New York and one in Paris. Hijinks ensue, as they often do. The series is most definitely not for everyone, but one doesn't need any proper knowledge of ballet to follow what's going on here (nor in the Palladinos' previous ballet-set series Bunheads). For us rockin' pop enthusiasts, David Byrne makes a cameo appearance in one episode, and Sparks perform "I Married Myself" in the series finale.
In one episode, "Cosmic Dancer" plays in the background, the song's ethereal evocation of dance serving as accompaniment to the visuals while bellying up to the barre in its own right. That was sufficient inspiration to place "Cosmic Dancer" on this week's playlist.
SPECTRAFLAME: Yesterday (Jane)
Sometimes it take us time to get around to things. TIRnRR plays the music of Spectraflame with some frequency, as we oughta. We'd planned to program Spectraflame's "Yesterday (Jane)" a while back, but the track got lost in our self-inflicted shuffle. We're inept, but we're adorable. We got to it now! TODAY, Jane! Today!
GENERAL JOHNSON AND JOEY RAMONE: Rockaway Beach (On The Beach)
The Greatest Record Ever Made!
Segues are often capable of writing themselves, without much (if any) reliance on prior blueprinting. I had determined ahead of time that I wanted General Johnson and Joey Ramone's sublime beach-soul remake of the Ramones' "Rockaway Beach" to occupy this week's Greatest Record Ever Made! slot. This was the sum total of preplanning that went into the forging of what wound up being an entire beach-related set.
Dana followed Johnson 'n' Ramone with First Class and their first-class Beach Boys homage "Beach Boys," a lovely track that earns its own chapter in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). This prompted me to answer with Kirsty MacColl's "He's On The Beach," a fantastic track that I hadn't had any intention of playing this week. But...it fit! And so it played.
Game on.
Our Kirsty inspired Dana to play "Beatnik Beach," a vibrant li'l number that was the B-side of the Go-Go's' irresistible "Vacation" 45. HuzZAH! I was compelled to follow the Go-Go's with Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes, represented by an incendiary 1979 live performance of Paul Armstrong's "Muscle Beach" from the album Flashcubes On Fire. Dana wrote finis in the sand of this beach trip with the 'B' Girls and "Fun At The Beach."
Does big-time TIRnRR DJing seem easy to you? It IS! We always follow the can't-miss two-step formula to programming the best rockin' pop radio. STEP ONE: Know which rockin' pop songs are the best rockin' pop songs. STEP TWO: Play those. Hodads! Honeys! Fall in! The sound of the beach awaits.
THE CHELSEA CURVE: Ride
The same self-inflicted shuffle that delayed us in playing Spectraflame's "Yesterday (Jane)" nearly did similar disservice to the Chelsea Curve's recent single "Ride." But we love the Chelsea Curve, and we made damned sure to navigate that imposing shuffle and guarantee that "Ride" secured its rightful place on this week's playlist. The Chelsea Curve's new album The Rideout is available now. The single rides again on our next show.
THE RONETTES: Be My Baby
Also The Greatest Record Ever Made! Godspeed, Nedra Talley.
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I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.
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