10 SONGS: 1/24/2025

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 # 1269

BOB DYLAN: I Want You

I'm not a Bob Dylan fan to the extent that many of my peers are Bob Dylan fans. I respect him, and sometimes I even like him, but I don't listen to his work with any discernible frequency. My Dylan spin count would uptick slightly if we include his time as a Traveling Wilbury. Otherwise, it's a relative rarity for me to play a record by Bashful Bobby Dylan.

(That's my Marvel Comics name for the Bard of Hibbing, Minnesota: Bashful Bobby Dylan. Surely Stan Lee would approve.)

Don't let any of the above mislead you into thinking I don't appreciate Dylan's talent and (especially!) his impact. In my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), I devote a chapter to "Like A Rolling Stone," my favorite Dylan track:

"...Bob Dylan bulldozed the boundaries of what a pop song could be. He wasn't the first;
the folk tradition contains a rich history of social commentary, and Billie Holiday's 1939
rendition of the anti-lynching lament 'Strange Fruit' was as daring and incendiary as
any song ever released. But Dylan's ambitious lyrical rap and proto-punk arrogance
steamrolled the fences and rewrote the freakin' map. Like Chuck Berry and Elvis
Presley bringing R & B to white kids, Dylan brought a raised expectation of what pop
lyrics could or should be...

"...As a teenager in the '70s, I became a Dylan fan, though I claimed to be more

serious about it than I ever really was. I was supposed to like Dylan. The quest for

Dylanesque authenticity also led me to Arlo Guthrie, Woody Guthrie, and Phil Ochs,

though in each case I responded more viscerally to the innate pop appeal of specific

songs, all the while claiming I was connecting with the deep meaning of works of

substance. Or the deep substance of works of meaning. Or hoping to sleep with a folkie

chick.

"The onset of punk dealt a crippling blow to my interest in Dylan, and seeing a Dylan

concert in 1978 put that interest in its grave. I don't know what I was expecting, but I

didn't expect Bashful Bob to hit the stage wearing pants adorned with lightning bolts on

the legs. I resisted any urge to yell JUDAS! Coupled with Dylan's lackluster performance (exacerbated by my nosebleed seats), this wardrobe choice was off-putting. Yeah, even though it was less than two years after I saw KISS, the same year I saw the Ramones, the Runaways, the Kinks, the Flashcubes, and Elvis Costello and the Attractions. And Herman's Hermits. I wasn't opposed to a little pizazz, and I was eager for excitement. But it felt wrong--jarringly wrong--at a Bob Dylan show. Doesn't matter if that's unfair. How does it feel? It feels like I'd rather be at another Ramones show...."

With all that said, the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown prompted Dana to dip into the Zimmerman library on two consecutive weeks, and Dana's picks (Blonde On Blonde cuts "Most Likely You Go Your Way [And I'll Go Mine]" last week, "I Want You" this week) sounded absolutely aces on the playlist. I finally saw the film on Sunday, and it was fascinating, with flawless performances and a compelling narrative. I've been singing Dylan songs to myself ever since.

In the '70s, my sister Denise had a Dylan poster, and my brother Rob had some Dylan LPs (Greatest Hits, Self Portrait, possibly Blonde On Blonde) that I borrowed and played in my teen years. Dylan was on Top 40 AM radio with "Lay Lady Lay" and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." I didn't own any Dylan until I much later acquired a beat-up used copy of Greatest Hits. 

I still have that. Maybe it's due for another spin.

THE NON-PROPHETS: Alibi

The Non-Prophets' CBO (Chief Boppin' Officer) Allan Kaplon was thrilled to hear us describe "Alibi" as "their current hit single." We calls 'em as we sees 'em, my friend, and "Alibi" looks and sounds like a hit to us. It will return to TIRnRR on Sunday. That's what hit singles do.

JIM BASNIGHT: Gotta Get Straight

A new single from Jim Basnight? We play those! Always! We're fans. And like us, Jim is himself a fan of rockin ' pop music, his deep interest in all things a-thumpin' and a-janglin' informing his work as he creates more fine things that go a-thumpin' and a-janglin'. It's a process. Respect the process! Gotta get straight, man. And while we're at it, gotta get it on the radio again.

20/20: Remember The Lightning

20/20: Springtime Love Song

With the January 17th release of the fabulous new 20/20 album Back To California, it seemed a good time to program two-in-a-row from these Power Pop Hall Of Fame figures. 20/20 THEN....and 20/20 NOW!!! I...betcha we did the same thing when the album's first advance singles came out last year. 20/20 hindsight. But why re-invent the wheel? We have pop music to play!

"Yellow Pills" is considered 20/20's signature tune, but I like "Remember The Lightning" even more. Both songs inspired the titles of essential power pop publications, Jordan Oakes' well-remembered Yellow Pills (which has been preserved in book form, worth grabbing if you can track it down), and S. W. Lauden's current quarterly Remember The Lightning (and his Substack of the same name). Jordan may recall that I wasn't all that much of a fan of 20/20 initially, but lemme declare that I came around to the 20/20 vision years ago. Everybody's feeling groovy!

And I love the new album. "Springtime Love Song" is, I believe, the sixth different Back To California track to achieve TIRnRR airplay, with a seventh choice primed for a playlist berth this coming Sunday night. It may not be springtime yet, but love is in the air: 20/20 then, and 20/20 now. 

SORROWS: Out Of My Head

Speaking of long-established rockin' pop acts still serving up new releases: New York City's phenomenal pop combo Sorrows have an album called Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow due out in the near future, with advance single "Out Of My Head" released today. Today? Hooray! 

Both the single and album are new to us, but the material was recorded during Sorrows' 1981 hey-hey-HEYday, and unheard by the public until now. On the crunching and triumphant basis of "Out Of My Head," I'd say this stuff has been worth the 44-year wait. Repeat the mantra: Any record you ain't heard is a new record. I'm very much primed to lodge this new record into my head. We'll hear the single again on our next show.

(Word via the grapevine suggests that Sorrows will be recording at least one new track this year, a cover of a song originally recorded by the Flashcubes. If so, it provides a fitting symmetry for me: My introduction to the wonderful world of Sorrows came via my purchase of the "Jealousy"/"She's Got It" 45 by Sorrows precursors the Poppees, a single I bought from Sam Goody at Smithtown Mall a day or two after seeing a Flashcubes show on Bowery in 1979. The Flashcubes are in The Power Pop Hall Of Fame; one hopes that someday Sorrows will be in as well.)

THE DENTISTS: You Make Me Say It Somehow

Here again: Any record you ain't heard is a new record. I don't recall whether or not I'd ever heard the music of the Dentists before Brett Vargo rhapsodized about the group's 1985 album Some People Are On The Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now on a recent episode of the Only Three Lads podcast. Brett's recommendation and accompanying song snippet were sufficient inspiration to get me to buy the album (which I downloaded because I'm--in-joke!--a newfangled fancy-pants). Jeez, this record has TIRnRR written all over it, which is a neat trick for a digital album to have something written all over it. Thanks for the tip, Mr. Brett! We'll play another track from this long-titled album on our next show.

THE SMITHEREENS: Face The World With Pride

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE CYNZ: You Would Not Miss Me

Notwithstanding the considerable TIRnRR airplay accrued by the Cynz in 2024--they were our # 5 most-played artist, and two of their songs ("Just A Boy" and "Woman Child") were among our most-played tracks--I don't think I fully appreciated the sheer overall oomph of their 2024 album Little Miss Lost until it was kinda late in the game. That happens sometimes; we get caught up in individual tracks and lose sight of their magnificent brethren and sistren. We've recently started to pick up and play a few of the Little Miss Lost gems we missed before, including (fittingly) this fine number "You Would Not Miss Me." Little Miss Lost was definitely one of 2024's best albums, and we look forward to a new Cynz album due some time this year.

We will take great care not to miss that one.

SAM AND DAVE: Soul Man

It felt imperative to pay at least some tribute to the late, great Sam Moore this week. Sam and Dave--Moore with the late Dave Prater--were powerhouses of 1960s Stax Records soul, and I wish I could claim I was aware of them before the Blue Brothers covered "Soul Man" in the '70s. But I got there eventually. We played Sam and Dave's lesser-known hit "Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody" in our opening set, and circled back to the original classic "Soul Man" near the show's end. From my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

"...The song itself is an extended boast. But it's a boast backed up by its collective prowess. Responding to Sam and Dave's command Play it, Steve!, Steve Cropper's guitar work cuts and advances like an agile offensive line, its easygoing sway belying the force and efficiency of its piledriving advance. The Memphis Horns add bounce to spare. Resistance is futile.

"And, above it all, our soul men Sam Moore and Dave Prater testify.

"Isaac Hayes, who co-wrote 'Soul Man' with David Porter, said the song was inspired by the aftermath of a race riot in Detroit in 1967. An expression of defiant pride during troubled times, 'Soul Man' still resonates now as it did then, as an indomitable declaration of will and confidence. Close your eyes, right now, and let your mind conjure Cropper's distinctive guitar lick; you may suddenly feel more sure of yourself than you did just a moment before. 

"Most of are neither Sam nor Dave. I know I'm not. Hell, I'm not even Jake or Elwood. Nonetheless, as we listen to this great soul duo reign o'er the musical majesty the Stax studiomen have provided them, their determination...well, it doesn't quite become ours, but we feel it. It's 1967, and all points forward. Faith. Certainty. Walls are gonna fall, change is gonna come. Comin' to ya, on a dusty road. It ain't braggin' if you can do it. They're not called soul men for nothing."

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

10 SONGS: 1/15/2025

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 # 1268

THE NON-PROPHETS: Alibi

We're as punched as pleased to welcome the Non-Prophets back to the TIRnRR playlist. The Non-Prophets are the dba of our bud Allan Kaplon, who scored some significant airplay here with his solo album Notes On A Napkin. Our Allan returns to the collective Non-Prophets billing for "Alibi." For this track, the Non-Prophets also include Stacy Carson and Bruce Gordon (half of TIRnRR Fave Raves Pop Co-Op), it's produced by Don Dixon, and it's a match made in Heaven's boppin' li'l nightspot. "Alibi" opens this week's show, and it will be back next week. We believe this particular "Alibi."

THE OSMONDS: Crazy Horses

WONDERBOY: Down By The Lazy River

The passing of Wayne Osmond prompted us to program a few tracks by the Osmonds. I wasn't much of an Osmonds fan during my prime AM Top 40 era in the early- to mid-'70s, but I later came to appreciate some of the group's harder rock efforts.

It's no joke to combine "the Osmonds" and "harder rock efforts" in the same sentence. The title tune from the group's 1972 Crazy Horses proved that Led Zeppelin had nothing on them Osmonds. We've played "Crazy Horses" before, and we've played similarly head-bangin' Osmonds nuggets like "Yo Yo" and "Hold Her Tight." This week, it felt imperative to bang the noggin once again to the sturm und drang of "Crazy Horses," as This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio remembers Wayne Osmond.

(The Osmonds also opened our second set this week, with a spin of "One Way Ticket To Anywhere" from their 1973--ahem--CONCEPT ALBUM The Plan. We circled back to the Osmonds in the show's last hour, when we finally got around to one of their biggest hits, the superswell bubblesoul classic "One Bad Apple [Don't Spoil The Whole Bunch]." Oddly enough, of our three Osmonds selections this week, "One Bad Apple"--the best-known of that whole bunch, girl--is the only one we had never played before.)

One Osmonds hit that I did enjoy contemporary to its chart life was 1971's "Down By The Lazy River." I was eleven years old, and it may have been the first instance of me realizing that I liked a song or group that wasn't considered cool, but I didn't care--I liked it anyway. There's your blueprint for my life, right there, the precursor of when I was in college a few years later, with a Bay City Rollers poster tacked on my dorm room wall as a conscious act of defiance (and of many decades proudly sneering in the face of any sucker who tried to tell me I couldn't love the Monkees). Get thee behind me, hipsters!

"Down By The Lazy River" is represented on the playlist by a faithful, rollickin' cover performed by TIRnRR superstars Wonderboy. Wonderboy's ace rendition appeared on the fantastic 2002 various-artists set Right To Chews: Bubblegum Classic Revisited, and it's also available as a digital single.

THE COOLIES: Pathetica

THE FLASHCUBES: Pathetic

As experienced rockin' pop radio programmers, Dana and I know better than to shy away from a good segue, no matter how obvious the segue is. Sometimes the obvious choice is the unerringly proper choice. We pursued that notion in this week's show with a four-play of tambourine-related ditties by the Tambourine People, Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon, the Lemon Pipers, and ABBA, and again a bit later in the playlist, as Dana's selection of Amy Rigby's coiffure-related cut "Bangs" compelled me to follow with the Cowsills' follicly-focused gem "Hair." We are SO damned clever.

By the same literal-minded token, it seemed imperative to tailgate the paradoxically righteous self-doubt of the Coolies' "Pathetica" with the Flashcubes' disdainful dismissal "Pathetic." The former was written by the late, great Kim Shattuck, and is native to the Coolies' certified great EP Uh-Oh! It's...The Coolies, the latter penned by 'Cubes guitarist Paul Armstrong and featured on the Flashcubes' 2003 album Brilliant. Opposing POVs, but they go great together.

(Speaking of the Flashcubes' "Pathetic:" A persistent rumor--if not quite the Rumour--suggests we can look forward to a newly-recorded cover of "Pathetic," courtesy of a British singer, songwriter, and performer of some note. We must note that rumour...er, rumor is not yet confirmed.) 

ELVIS PRESLEY: Heartbreak Hotel

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE SPONGETONES: Nothing Really Matters When You're Young

As debuted on last week's show: The SpongeTones cover the Flashcubes. This track is not yet available to the general public. The same can be said of as-yet-unreleased Flashcubes covers by sparkle*jets u.k., the Kennedys, and Pop Co-Op, each of which we've already played here, and forthcoming dives into the Cubic songbook courtesy of such fabulous acts as...well, that would be telling. For now: [REDACTED]. But perhaps not redacted for very much longer. At some point, you've just gotta make something happen.

THE ON AND ONS: Been There

The On and Ons' new album Come On In is officially released this Friday, January 17th. Hey, Happy Birthday to ME!! I celebrate with pop music. And pop music from the On and Ons is for damned sure worth celebrating. Nonetheless: Get off my lawn, you kids. 

20/20: King Of The Whole Wide World

20/20's new album Back To California is officially released this Friday, January 17th. Hey, another Happy Birthday to me! I am indeed worth it. The celebration continues. Hell, I guess the kids can stay on my lawn if they really want to.

THE RAMONES: I Don't Want To Grow Up

As I near the completion of my 65th solar orbit, my thoughts on the strange concept of Growing up...?! remain resolute and unchanged:

Don't want to. 

Won't need to. 

Ain't gonna.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

10 SONGS: 1/11/2025

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 # 1267

EYTAN MIRSKY: This Year's Gonna Be Our Year

THE ZOMBIES: This Will Be Our Year

THE SMITHEREENS: Face The World With Pride

TIRnRR kicked off the new year with a hopeful spin of Brother Eytan Mirsky's "This Year's Gonna Be Our Year," followed by its benevolent forebear "This Will Be Our Year" by the Zombies. "Hopeful?" Maybe naive or even delusional would be closer to reality, but we're not quite ready to surrender just yet.

And so we followed that opening salvo with the Smithereens' "Face The World With Pride." I'll be returning to the subject of this fantastic track in the very near future. For now, we offer it alongside Eytan and Zombies alike: As manifesto, as line in the sand, as statement of stubborn, defiant intent. Hell, throw in a little Twisted Sister and O'Jays for good measure. Face front, true believers. With pride on our side, let's keep on kickin'.

SUGAR PIE DeSANTO: Soulful Dress

The ongoing reality of time elapsing and shadows growing longer brings a never-ending supply of goodbyes. Soul singer Sugar Pie DeSanto passed in December, and while she never became the household name she deserved to be, her music has been an occasional fixture of this little mutant radio show. I've gotta admit that, if not for Dana, I wouldn't be at all familiar with Sugar Pie DeSanto, but when he's played her, I've listened and enjoyed. I need to do a deep, deep dive into the DeSanto oeuvre, so I deferred to Dana as he made the essential Sugar Pie selections for our miniature tribute. 

"Soulful Dress" was the first track we played after the three-song opening HOPE?! barrage detailed above, and we circled back later in the show for DeSanto's "Witch For A Night" and "In The Basement (Part 1)," the latter side a collaboration with Etta James. Our encore spot presented two additional slices of Sugar Pie, "It Won't Be Long" and "Mr And Mrs." Sugar Pie DeSanto was a giant talent; more folks need to hear her stuff, just so they can fall in love with it like I fell in love with it.

THE SPONGETONES: Nothing Really Matters When You're Young

As we stumble forth into the potential morass of 2025, we do look forward to the September release of [REDACTED]. What, exactly, is [REDACTED]? If we could tell you, it wouldn't be [REDACTED]. It won't be [REDACTED] for much longer.

In the meantime....

"Nothing Really Matters When You're Young" is a song by Arty Lenin, guitarist and founding member of Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes. It was first performed by the Flashcubes in 1979, demoed by the 'Cubes, subsequently recorded and released by Flashcubes offshoot Screen Test, and eventually redone in this brightly-lit new century for the Flashcubes' 2003 album Brilliant. The song's lyrics are among the most effective expressions of teen alienation I've ever heard, a clique-inflicted miasma buoyed and ameliorated by the transcendence of its pop. Even now, listening to it with senior-citizen ears more years removed from high school than Beatlemania was removed from America's entry into World War I, "Nothing Really Matters When You're Young" can still make me feel the snub and the sting of my time serving that sentence in teen purgatory. Yet I love the song. That's the power of art, the power of music.

Power Pop Hall of Famers the SpongeTones have recorded an as-yet-unreleased cover of "Nothing Really Matters When You're Young," and their new rendition lives up to its incredible Cubic legacy. I'm stunned, I'm grateful, and I'm thrilled that Dana and I have the opportunity to play this on the radio. We'll play it again this Sunday night, and we look forward to the day you'll be able to add this great track to your rockin' pop library.

When, where, and how will you be able to snag your own copy of the SpongeTones' "Nothing Really Matters When You're Young?"

Well. That's [REDACTED].

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Shout (Part One)

Our passions help (or try to help) sustain us in troubled times. Our hobbies and interests can provide the distraction or involvement we need to function when we might feel tempted to just shut down. Music, movies, books, gaming, competitive napping, writin' a blog, et al. fall within the broad category of things that ease our efforts to get through the all-of-this of all of this. In the words of a former Beatle: Whatever gets you through the night. 

For me, my night- and day-clearing activities include listening to music, reading comic books and pulp fiction, watching TV, and following a few sports teams. One of those sports teams is the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills have had a pretty good season so far. As the playoffs commence, they have at least an outside shot at getting to the Super Bowl, which means they have a shot at winning the Super Bowl. 

That would be cool. It won't take away any of the tsuris and misery of the real world, it won't heal the sick, feed the hungry, or end the wars. A victory for Buffalo won't extinguish flames in California, nor prevent the national tragedy that will occur on January 20th. In schemes that are grand, the meaning of a sports competition will be small.

But it's something to cheer for. Those inconsequential somethings, however ephemeral, do have meaning in the moment. We take the win or endure the loss, and try to fight on through another day.

When the Buffalo Bills score a touchdown, fans sing along to a variation of the Isley Brothers' R & B touchstone "Shout," reworded The Bills make me wanna SHOUT! We can use some shoutin'. Primal scream! Big, BIG primal scream. Catharsis and comfort serve a purpose. Let's go, Buffalo. Survive and advance. Just like the rest of us.

(NOTE: If you're a Denver fan, it's okay; we can still be friends, win or lose. Cheers.)

20/20: Laurel Canyon

One guaranteed good thing about 2025 is the release of a new album by 20/20. 20/20 is one of power pop's defining acts, and their new stuff is just as compelling as the acknowledged classics they did so many decades ago. We've already played a couple of advance tracks from the group's forthcoming new album Back To California, and we'll have yet another one spinning on our very next show Sunday night. In between, we offer this debut TIRnRR airing of "Laurel Canyon," which is my early choice for the album's top track. 

AMERICA: Sister Golden Hair

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

WONDERBOY: Happy? That's Me!

The lads of Wonderboy react to the news that their splendid Hero Isle album cut "Girl Songs" was TIRnRR's # 1 most-played track in 2024: Happy? That's ME! We're ALL happy, lads. Or at least we're trying to be.

THE RAMONES: Blitzkrieg Bop

Happy or not: 1-2-3-4! This malevolent new year for damned sure won't cruise to higher ground if we don't provide a little course correction. Armed with pride, eyes on redemption, this year will be our year, or we will fall fighting back. Hey-ho. Let's go, goddammit. Let's go.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

10 SONGS: 12/14/2024

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 # 1263.

20/20: Spark

Any serious list of power pop's all-time definitive groups will include 20/20. Their 1979 track "Yellow Pills" is a recognized classic, and it inspired writer Jordan Oakes to start a cool power pop publication (and an essential subsequent series of various-artists pop anthologies) named after the song. In my exhausting...er, exhaustive history of power pop, I wrote of 20/20:

"20/20 was formed by guitarist Steve Allen and bassist Ron Flynt, both Tulsa natives who subsequently moved to L.A. They befriended fellow Tulsa expatriate Phil Seymour, and played on the demos that helped Seymour get his own record deal. Bomp! magazine’s Gary Sperrazza! recommended drummer Mike Gallo to the group, completing 20/20's initial configuration.

"The first 20/20 release was the Bomp! single 'Giving It All,' which was actually a Steve Allen solo track that predated the group. Guitarist Chris Silagyi joined 20/20 in time for the group’s eponymous debut album, released by Portrait in 1979.

"Though perhaps a bit too dominated by new wave synthesizer styles in spots, the 20/20 album was still a triumphant melange of catchy music with an occasional dark edge. The single 'Cheri' was pretty good, but 'Yellow Pills' and 'Remember The Lightning' were the real standouts. The album got no higher than # 138 on the Billboard chart, but it remains a pop classic.

"Mike Gallo had left the group by the time of 1981’s Look Out!, replaced on drums by Joel Turrisi. Look Out! was not quite the equal of the debut, but it came very close (and charted slightly higher at # 127). The leadoff track, 'Nuclear Boy,' offered a signal that the band was delving further into the dark side hinted at on the first album, while 'The Night I Heard A Scream' deftly mixed its downbeat tale with a gorgeous, buoyant melody.

"20/20 was dropped by Portrait after Look Out!, and released a final record, Sex Trap, on the Mainway label in 1982. Although the group itself faded away, its legacy didn’t...."

And now, 20/20's legacy includes a forthcoming new album, Back To California, brought to you by the combined rockin' pop forces of Big Stir Records and SpyderPop Records. The legacy stands, and I'm kinda tickled that its release date coincides with my latest in a long line of birthdays on January 17th.

We've already played the title track from Back To California a couple of times as an advance single, and we'll have much further airplay from this album as 2025 barges its way into being. This week, we couldn't resist opening the show with a new 20/20 track that shares its name with our own beloved radio station. Here on Spark Syracuse, we are delighted to present new music from 20/20. Legacies begin with a spark. Sometimes, legacies can continue with a spark as well.

SPARKS: The Decline And Fall Of Me

Also couldn't resist following a song called "Spark" with a track by Sparks. Humor ain't exactly rocket surgery, man. 

THE MIDNIGHT CALLERS: The Eraser

YouTube sensation Matthew Street recently granted a big ol' video thumbs-up to my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), so I figured we'd say Thanks, Matt! by spinning a little spin of one of Matt's favorite groups on the whole friggin' planet, the Midnight Callers. Matt, in turn, was so pleased with the reciprocal shout-out that he posted another video extolling the virtues of TIRnRR. Mutual admiration society here!

Our Matt requested another Midnight Callers gem for our next show. We'd already planned to repeat play of their single "The Eraser," but what the hell--TWO Midnight Callers tracks on the radio in Syracuse this coming Sunday night. It's the least we can do for a YouTube sensation.

THE CYNZ: Room Without A View

We've been playing the Cynz a lot this year, and I am dead certain they will have at least one track in our year-end countdown of TIRnRR's most-played tracks in 2024. We like the Cynz.

But somehow we never got around to playing this fantastic track from the group's current album Little Miss Lost until now. The precipitating event moving this onto our playlist was hearing Rich Firestone program it on Radio Deer Camp, right here on SPARK! I didn't even recognize that it was a song originally done by the Smithereens, 'Reens guitarist Jim Babjak's involvement in the remake notwithstanding. My brain no am function goodly. Thanks to Reechie for inspiring its play here, thanks to Dave Murray for pointing out That's a superb cover of A SMITHEREENS SONG, YOU DOLT!, and thanks to the Cynz and the Smithereens for being the Cynz and the Smithereens.

THE HUMBUGS: She's Not Sad

THE HUMBUGS: Be Careful What You Wish For

Two in a row by the Humbugs. The Humbugs THEN...and the Humbugs NOW!! "She's Not Sad" is an all-time TIRnRR classic, one of the defining tracks of this little mutant radio show's long and storied history, a gem introduced to eager listeners via the group's 2006 album Twist The Truth. LEGACY! 

Ah, but now the Humbugs have a new album, AM Operetta, and we've been playing its lead-off track "Be Careful What You Wish For." This calls for a two-fer! Then, now, always. Don't be sad. Your wish is granted with care.

JOAN ARMATRADING: Eating The Bear

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

ELENA ROGERS: Mercy Mountain

Like the Cynz, Elena Rogers seems a lock for an appearance on TIRnRR's year-end countdown. Also like the Cynz, it seemed high time to play something else beyond what we've already been playing. From Elena's current album Prelude To Whatever, "Mercy Mountain" is as audacious and accomplished as anything in pop music, stunning in both its inventive intricacy and its delightful accessibility. Yeah, just like the rest of Elena Rogers' work. Yet another example of the best of 2024.

SLYBOOTS: If We Could Let Go

THE best track of 2024. My favorite anyway. Buy it here.

THE FLASHCUBES: It's You Tonight

At the top of this week's 10 Songs, we celebrated the ongoing and expanding legacy of power pop heroes 20/20. We are so fortunate to have so many of our rockin' pop idols still active, still vital, still doing. In July, I finally got to witness a performance by the Rubinoos--dream come true! Paul Collins' 2024 album Stand Back And Take A Good Look is one of this year's best, the SpongeTones are working on new recordings, and for all of my fellow long-time fans of pop with power, our gods are in their Heaven and all is right with the world.

Syracuse's own power pop powerhouses the Flashcubes have always been at the toppermost of my poppermost, and they're still with us, too. Their 2023 all-covers album Pop Masters was my # 1 for that year, spinoff group the Half/Cubes (with 'Cubes bassist Gary Frenay and 'Cubes drummer/producer Tommy Allen) have their own exquisite 2024 covers collection Pop Treasures, and the Flashcubes (Gary, Tommy, and guitarists Paul Armstrong and Arty Lenin) have a few new tracks in the works. I've heard early mixes of two of those tracks, and I can't wait to share the finished versions on the radio in 2025.

I'm writing a book about the Flashcubes, Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES. Similar in format to my 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones, my Flashcubes book will be an oral history of the group, as recalled by the 'Cubes themselves and a few others who were there to witness and/or participate. There is yet another 'Cubes-related project percolatin' in the background. We'll hear more about that when we arrive at the right time to make something happen.

In the mean time, this week's radio rendezvous looks back to the spark--that word again--of the Flashcubes' resurgence. The Flashcubes formed in 1977, but the original line-up splintered in 1979 and the remaining 'Cubes retired the brand name in 1980. They came back in the '90s, all four of the founding members, and they've been with us ever since.

The first latter-day original Flashcubes recording was "It's You Tonight," a Gary Frenay song that dates back to the old days, but given a completely fresh full studio version circa 1993. The new recording was done at the request of Jordan Oakes for his first Yellow Pills compilation.

See how these power pop legacies interconnect?

From small things, Mama. We look back, we look forward, and we look at the splendor of all that dances around us in the here and now. Great records don't care what year it is. There's always room for something new. And there's always time to revisit a memory. It happens to me every time we meet. Legacy is its own reward.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.