10 SONGS: 11/22/2025

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 # 1311

SQUEEZE: Goodbye Girl

SQUEEZE: Vicky Verky

SQUEEZE: If It's Love

From a previous 10 Songs regarding "Goodbye Girl" by Squeeze:

"My favorite Squeeze song. Although I was a relative latecomer to Squeeze fandom, I fell hard for 'Pulling Mussels (From The Shell),' and also liked 'Annie Get Your Gun.' Then they broke up. Then they got back together! I didn't own any of Squeeze's stuff until the late '80s, when Singles--45's And Under became one of my early CD purchases. More purchases would follow. I now have many favorite Squeeze songs. 'Goodbye Girl' remains my # 1."

With the passing of former Squeeze drummer Gilson Lavis, it seemed imperative for a pop-obsessed radio show like ours to attempt some sort of proper salute and appreciation. We figured our best way to do that was to open the show with three Squeeze classics in a row, then circle back to one more Squeeze perennial near the end of the show.

And I wanted to start with "Goodbye Girl," not just because it's my top Squeeze track, but because Lavis's distinctive arrangement of the song's percussion stands as testimony to his talent and ingenuity. Squeezing our way forward, the 1980 Argybargy album track "Vicky Verky" has been a frequent fixture on TIRnRR playlists, and "If It's Love" (from 1989's Frank.) finally makes its long-overdue TIRnRR debut this week, as This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio remembers Gilson Lavis.

THE PEPPERMINT KICKS: Number One Record

"Number One Record?" Hey! We PLAY the hits! "Number One Records" is the latest single from the Peppermint Kicks' exquisite new album Pop Rocks In My Chewing Gum, and it's an exercise in needle-to-groove exuberance directed by a benevolent deity toward eager disciples of rock 'n' roll radio. Since this IS rock 'n' roll radio, it's our Heavenly obligation to play the Peppermint Kicks. Writhe with the tithe, baby. Like the Rutles before them, the Peppermint Kicks are number one, number one.

THE ARMOIRES: You're Not The Police

It was my great, great pleasure to curate the 2025 various-artists blockbuster Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. The album was released by our friends at Big Stir Records, and I'll piddle all over the sin of false modesty and tell you it's really, really good. As further evidence of the set's essential 'n' undeniable awesomeness, we offer another spin of Big Stir's de facto house band the Armoires and their irresistible channeling of Cheap Trick and the Byrds for this epic cover of the Flashcubes' "You're Not The Police."

THE LEMON TWIGS: Play On

My pal Ken Sharp is to the ace compilation Play On: A Raspberries Tribute as I am to Make Something Happen!, a passionate rockin' pop advocate eager to proclaim and celebrate the legacy of an all-time favorite combo. Among the many 'Berries-flavored treats Ken assembled for Play On, he recruited current pop buzzsters the Lemon Twigs to contribute a sublime rendition of the album's title track, a song which also happens to be one of my own top Raspberries tunes. We'll hear two more tracks from Play On: A Raspberries Tribute on our next show, including a Raspberries rocker by Ken Sharp hisself. Play on? Damned straight we will.

MATERIAL ISSUE: I'd Wait A Million Years

Material Issue's cover of the Grass Roots' hit "I'd Wait A Million Years" comes to us via Yellow Pills Volume 4, the beyond-fab 1997 chapter in Jordan Oakes's essential series of power pop compilations. I'm a little surprised to see we've never played it before, but its presumed million-year wait for TIRnRR airplay ends now, thanks to Dean Brownrout. 

Dean was the co-owner of the Big Deal Records label, which was the home of the Yellow Pills CDs and to a big, big stack o' worthies by a big, big roster of TIRnRR Fave Raves. Dean has been promoting his new book No Big Deal (subtitled "Chasing the indie music dream in the last days of the record business"), and that promotion brought him to an appearance on the 1000 Greatest Misses podcast. You can hear that episode right here. The music on this very special Big Deal edition of 1000 Greatest Misses included Material Issue's "I'd Wait A Million Years" (alongside worthies by Wondermints, Adam Schmitt, Splitsville, and the Sighs), and we couldn't miss this inspiration and opportunity to program a Material Issue track we ain't played before. Worth the wait!

BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD: Sit Down I Think I Love You

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE FLASHCUBES: Reminisce

Also from Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, one of three new nonpareil tracks by the Flashcubes. 'Cubes guitarist Paul Armstrong's "Reminisce" serves as the album's opening salvo, it was the first advance single, and it is without question my top track of 2025. Reminiscing AND looking forward. It's all I want to do.

SQUEEZE: Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)

My first favorite Squeeze song. "Goodbye Girl" more or less supplanted it over time, but it's still just fantastic, and you can't go wrong with the best of Squeeze. Godspeed, Gilson Lavis.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

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.

10 SONGS: 10/18/2025

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 # 1306

THE HALF/CUBES FEATURING ROBERT CRENSHAW AND TOM TEELEY: Whenever You're On My Mind

One of the many things on my mind right now is Found Pearls, the straight-up kickass new album from the Half/Cubes. We've been poundin' the well-beaten console on behalf of the album's advance single "I'll Be Taking Her Out Tonight," an irresistible collaboration with Peter Noone to remake a shoulda-been-a-smash first done by his early '80s new wave pop group the Tremblers. 

With the October 17th release of the album, the storied Jem Records label has lifted its radio embargo on the rest of this great, great record, finally freeing us to open this week's little mutant radio show with the lead-off track from Found Pearls: An epic oomphasizing of Marshall Crenshaw's "Whenever You're On My Mind," which the Half/Cubes accomplish with the ample added oomph of assistance from Robert Crenshaw and Tom Teeley.

You can read my gushing hype on behalf of Found Pearls here. And tune in to TIRnRR this coming Sunday night, October 19th, as the Half/Cubes will be our Featured Performers, and two lucky listeners will each win their own copy of Found Pearls. 

That, my assembled comrades, is worth keeping on your mind as well.

THE DRIFTERS: Save The Last Dance For Me

Decades ago, it occurred to me that if there is a Heaven above, its celestial soundscape has gotta be the music of the Drifters. You could make a case that it's Brian Wilson instead, and I'd also argue that it ain't Heaven without the Ramones, Ronnie Spector, and many others.

But the Drifters? For sure. Heaven's vocal group. Save the eternal dance for me.

THE COWSILLS: Is Your Love Alive?

At last! The visionaries at Omnivore Records have given the Cowsills' 1978 Cocaine Drain tapes a proper release, and the result is glorious. We are big, big fans of the Cowsills, but as much as we cherish their hits like "Hair" and "The Rain, The Park And Other Things," it's the stuff they did later on that really nails it for me. The Cowsills' Global is my favorite album of the 1990s, and its track "She Said To Me" earns a chapter in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). 

Recorded about two decades before the release of Global, the material on Omnivore's The "Cocaine Drain" Album is similarly worthy of acclaim. And comparing it to the lo-fi copy I've had for a bit, this version of The Cocaine Drain is of (very!) noticeably superior sound quality. Reissue of the year? Could be. "Is Your Love Alive?" makes its TIRnRR debut this week. We'll hear another track from The "Cocaine Drain" Album on our next show.

THE ARMOIRES: Full-On Witch Mode

We've been playing tracks from Big Stir Records' magnificent new Halloween extravaganza Chilling, Thrilling Hooks And Haunted Harmonies, treating our listeners to at least one of the album's tricked-out goodies every week. This week's full-size candy offering comes courtesy of the label's de facto house band the Armoires, who conjure their appropriately spellbinding original "Full-On Witch Mode." You can hear a new interview with Big Stir CAOs (Chief Armoires Officers) Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome (plus Big Stir's resident wizard Michael Simmons) on a new episode of Only Three Lads podcast, AND on a new episode of The Spoon podcast. It's better than bobbing for hand grenades! And our ritual programming of Chilling, Thrilling Hooks And Haunted Harmonies will continue on Sunday night. 

SORROWS: Radio

THE FLASHCUBES: If These Hands

In 1979, "Radio" was the B-side of the Flashcubes' second single "Wait Til Next Week." The A-side has long been a Cubic prerequisite, but "Radio" was kinda shrugged off and ultimately consigned to the group's odds-n-sods dustbin.

For Big Stir's various-artists blockbuster Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, I recruited classic NYC power pop combo Sorrows to contribute a track, and they selected "Radio" as their designated flash of reflected brilliance. Good choice! The Flashcubes themselves now regard this Sorrows rendition of "Radio" as the definitive version of the song.

I recently heard from Sorrows member Arthur Alexander, expressing his opinion that the three best tracks on Make Something Happen! are the three new cuts by the Flashcubes themselves: "Reminisce" by Paul Armstrong, "The Sweet Spot" by Gary Frenay and B.D. Love, and "If These Hands" by Arty Lenin. Arthur wrote, "There is something quite endearing in the fact that the best tracks on a tribute album belong to the band being paid tribute to!"

Arthur singled out "If These Hands" as his fave among faves. And I'll just add that all of it was made to be played on the radio. Got our transmitter ready to go.

THE YARDBIRDS: Heart Full Of Soul

The Yardbirds' "Heart Full Of Soul" holds a permanent berth on my all-time Hot 100; hell, it's a legit contender for my all-time Top 10. Coincidentally, it's also the song that served as the (perhaps unlikely) tipping point for my initiation as a Flashcubes fan, when the 'Cubes covered "Heart Full Of Soul" at my first Flashcubes show in January of 1978.

THE RAMONES: Babysitter

When Dana and I were guests on Only Three Lads last year, I named "Babysitter" as one of my five favorite Ramones songs. I don't recall ever hearing the song anywhere except when I've played it, whether at home, in my car, or on the radio. I was so pleasantly surprised to hear Palmyra Delran play it last week on her essential Underground Garage radio show.  I always love hearing the Ramones; I really loved hearing this particular Ramones song in the Palmyra Delran-directed wild. PALMYRA DELRAN FOR PRESIDENT!

I wrote about "Babysitter" in a piece about my 25 favorite Ramones tracks: " 'Babysitter' was the B-side of the Ramones' 1978 single "Do You Wanna Dance?" Previously, it had been included on later UK pressings of the 1977 Leave Home album (replacing 'Carbona Not Glue'), but the song was non-LP in America. When I bought the 45 in the spring of '78, hearing 'Babysitter' for the first time prompted me to say, "My GAWD, the Searchers live on!" I for damned sure meant that as a compliment."

(I went into greater detail about "Babysitter" in this piece.

IRENE PEÑA: Must've Been Good

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

DAVID JOHANSEN: Funky But Chic

I think "Funky But Chic" was the first David Johansen solo track I ever heard, a college radio spin on the Brockport campus radio station WBSU in...well, probably 1979. I'm not sure if I heard my first-ever New York Dolls tunes--"Personality Crisis" and "Who Are The Mystery Girls"--shortly before or shortly after being introduced to "Funky But Chic." It was all within the same time frame, though I was definitely already familiar with "Personality Crisis" via its inclusion in the Flashcubes' live sets. In full circle fashion, the Flashcubes were subsequently the opening act at my first David Johansen show a few months after I heard "Funky But Chic" on WBSU.

Given "Funky But Chic" 's status as my rock 'n' roll nurse's gateway pills to solo David Jo, it's weird that this week marks the first time "Funky But Chic" has made it into a TIRnRR playlist. It was on the short list of tracks considered for our combined David Johansen/Joey Molland tribute in March, but it was crowded out by other selections. Hearing Palmyra Delran play it on Underground Garage (in the same show as her above-referenced Ramones spin) finally nudged the song into its rightful place here on The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet.

"Personality Crisis" is my favorite Dolls track. "Frenchette" is my go-to solo Johansen pick. But as we go on and on looking for a kiss, one should never forget their first. Funky. But chic. Trés chic, man. Thanks to the ever-chic Palmyra Delran for the reminder.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

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.

10 SONGS: 10/4/2025

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 # 1304.

DOLENZ, JONES, BOYCE AND HART: I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight

This week, we put the TIRnRR spotlight on Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, serving as our Featured Performers and also as our Featured Songwriters. And we kicked that off with a 1976 live-in-Japan performance by Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart, reuniting Tommy and Bobby with former co-workers Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones from the Monkees. The guys who sang 'em and the guys who wrote 'em! And in this case they're all singing "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight," a song that was Boyce and Hart's biggest hit as performers. Great, great song in either rendition.

THE FLASHCUBES: She

A feature on Boyce and Hart as songwriters allowed us to program a bunch of their songs as interpreted by a number of different artists. That includes the Monkees (of course!), as well as a few covers of B & H tunes recorded by and primarily associated with the Monkees. Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes cut a fabulous version of the 1966 More Of The Monkees album track "She" for a 2017 Monkees tribute album called Listen To The Bands. I confess that I suggested the 'Cubes do "Love Is Only Sleeping," but the 'Cubes rightly knew that "She" was a better match. HEY!

THE ARMOIRES: You're Not The Police

From the Flashcubes covering the Monkees, let's move to the Armoires covering the Flashcubes. From the various-artists blockbuster Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, the Armoires apply Byrdswax and all sortsa Cheap Tricks for their rendition of the Flashcubes' "You're Not The Police." Flippin' the song's gender POV delivers extra added gravitas, drawing a rockin' pop line in the sand, a line that will not be breached. Back off, bro! If I wanted the cops, I'd be watching TV.

THE FOUR TOPS: Last Train To Clarksville

It still feels weird to me that my favorite Motown group the Four Tops covered a Monkees song, and weirder still that they covered two Monkees songs, Neil Diamond's "I'm A Believer" and Boyce and Hart's "Last Train To Clarksville." Both of these were on the Four Tops' 1967 album Reach Out, an LP that mixed the two Monkees covers with covers of the Left Banke's "Walk Away Renee," Tim Hardin's "If I Were A Carpenter," and the Association's "Cherish," all alongside some new tunes crafted at Hitsville USA.

The Four Tops' Left Banke and Tim Hardin covers were magnificent, and the album gave the world the outstanding Four Tops classics "Reach Out I'll Be There," "Bernadette," "Standing In The Shadows Of Love," and "7 Rooms Of Glow." In contrast, neither of these fine Monkees songs is a proper fit for the Four Tops. Interesting as oddities only.

JAY AND THE AMERICANS: Come A Little Bit Closer

When we consider Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart's success as songwriters, a lot of people (me included) automatically think of Boyce and Hart songs recorded by the Monkees. That list includes "(Theme From) The Monkees," "Last Train To Clarksville," "I Wanna Be Free," "Let's Dance On." "She," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "I'll Spend My Life With You," "Mr. Webster," "Words," "Valleri," "P. O. Box 9847," "Through The Looking Glass," and "I Never Thought It Peculiar," among others. There's even a Boyce and Hart song ("Whatever's Right") on the Monkees' 2016 triumph Good Times!, a track begun in the '60s and finished in this high-flyin' 21st century.

One of Boyce and Hart's most notable successes outside of the Monkees' aegis is "Come A Little Bit Closer," which they wrote with Wes Farrell. It was a # 3 hit for Jay and the Americans in 1964, and an integral part of my childhood musical memories. MY kind of song!

TOMMY BOYCE AND BOBBY HART: Out And About

Boyce and Hart followed their success with the Monkees by trying to establish themselves as a recording act, the guys who sang 'em and the guys who wrote 'em. The above-noted "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" was their only Top 20 hit (# 8 in 1967). Nonetheless, their established track record as tunesmiths and producers made them bona fide contenders in the pop music sweepstakes.

The guys' pursuit of brass rings and gold records led them to a guest appearance on the TV sitcom I Dream Of Jeannie. The show aired on NBC, the very same network that aired The Monkees. The episode included a scene set in a record store, which displayed copies of Headquarters (ironically, the album released after Boyce and Hart were effectively relieved of duties as Monkees producers). The ensuing hijinks portrayed cute 'n' magical Jeannie's efforts to move into rock 'n' roll artist management with Boyce and Hart as her first clients. 

I haven't watched this episode in a very long time, but a quick visit to YouTube supports my memory that Boyce and Hart lip-synced two of their records on the show: "Girl, I'm Out To Get You" (as Jeannie uses her magic to turn Tommy and Bobby into musicians, perhaps a sly shot at the assembly process that created the Monkees), and "Out And About," the latter with the lovely Jeannie herself sitting in on drums as they audition for Wall of Sound producer and future murderer Phil Spector.

The sitcom exposure was not sufficient to lift the "Out And About" single higher than # 39. BUT! They did get to meet Jeannie.

ANNE RICHMOND BOSTON: Mr. Webster

The Monkees (well, Micky Dolenz and some studio pros) first recorded Boyce and Hart's "Mr. Webster" during the sessions for what became the 1967 album More Of The Monkees. That version was originally unreleased, and the group returned to it in '67 for a fresh recording used on their album Headquarters, the Monkees' third album and the first to feature the Monkees themselves as the musicians in the studio. As produced by Boyce and Hart and played by studio musicians, the first recorded version is overly melodramatic, even ponderous, in telling its tale of a long-tenured and underappreciated bank teller; for Headquarters, the Monkees worked with producer Chip Douglas to give the song an underlying bounce that actually enhances the drama without detracting from it. The Headquarters "Mr. Webster" is the definitive "Mr. Webster."

Anne Richmond Boston of the Swimming Pool Q's recorded a cover of "Mr. Webster" for the 1992 compilation Here No Evil--A Tribute To The Monkees. Boston's "Mr. Webster"  threads the needle between the two disparate Monkees takes, retaining drama but eschewing melodrama in a slow burn that is both folkier and silkier. 

THE MONKEES: (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone [live]

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

REDD KROSS: Blow You A Kiss In The Wind

In addition to appearing on I Dream Of Jeannie, Boyce and Hart were also on an episode of Bewitched, once again playing themselves and once again gettin' mixed up with a magic chick. Two magic chicks in this case, the show's star Samantha and her wicked identical cousin Serena, both played by Patty Duke...er, I mean Elizabeth Montgomery. Jeez, you can lose your mind when magical cousins are two of a kind. 

Where was I? Right: On Bewitched, our heroes perform "I'll Blow You A Kiss In The Wind" at the Cosmos Cotillion. And, continuing a TV tradition from The Monkees (where a storyline called for Michael Nesmith to be credited as the author of the Boyce and Hart composition "Gonna Buy Me A Dog"), Bewitched presents Serena as the author of "I'll Blow You A Kiss In The Wind." You can re-live and remember the episode's performances of the song by Serena and by Boyce and Hart right here.

You know who else remembers Boyce and Hart on Bewitched? Why, Redd Kross, of course. Hawthorne, California's other great group included a cover of "Blow You A Kiss In The Wind" on their 1984 EP Teen Babes From Monsanto. Serena could not be reached for comment.

THE MINUS 5: Boyce & Hart

On Sunday, the afternoon before this week's evening broadcast of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, I was listening to former Paul Revere and the Raiders lead singer Mark Lindsay's Underground Garage show American Revolution. In a set paying tribute to Boyce and Hart, Lindsay played the Minus 5's specific tribute to the pair, a wonderful track called--what else?--"Boyce & Hart."

And it was only the fact that I was driving at the time that prevented me from kicking myself as the track played. Why didn't I think to include that in our own B & H feature? The song comes from the Minus 5's album Of Monkees And Men, a collection of Minus 5 originals inspired by the Monkees and their milieu. We did include another track from Of Monkees And Men earlier in this week's show ("Micky's A Cool Drummer"), but I completely forgot about the even more appropriate "Boyce & Hart." My brain was apparently out and about. I wonder what it's doing tonight?

Ah, but fortune stepped in! An unexpected complication forced us to swap out one of the tracks played during the show's coda, and that provided a perfect opportunity to sub in the Minus 5's sublime "Boyce & Hart" at the very end of the show. Thank you, MonkeeMen! And Godspeed Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

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.

10 SONGS: 7/19/2025

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 # 1294.

THE SPONGETONES: Help Me Janie

Dana and I were latecomers to the magic of the Spongetones, but we've made up for lost time with a proud and efficient gusto, and it would be accurate to list the Spongetones as one of the defining artists of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio's long and hook-infatuated history. We jumped immediately on to the splendor of the Spongetones' recent single "Lulu's In Love," and we approached brand-new single "Help Me Janie" with the very same enthusiastic approach of We have to play this NOW!!!!

"Lulu's In Love," "Help Me Janie," and another soon-to-be-released new Spongetones single will also appear as studio bonus tracks on the Spongetones' forthcoming live album The 40th Anniversary Concert...And Beyond, brought to you by the visionaries at Big Stir Records. We opened this week's show with "Help Me Janie." This Sunday, we'll play "Help Me Janie" again, and we'll hear a little bit of 40th Anniversary Concert live Spongetones, too. One of the defining artists of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. Of course we play them. It's what we do.

VAN HALEN: You Really Got Me

In early 1978, I was a second-semester freshman in college when Van Halen released their insistently unsubtle cover of the Kinks' British Invasion classic "You Really Got Me." I loved the Kinks' version, and I detested--detested!!--Eddie 'n' Alex 'n' Michael 'n' David Lee's meatball bludgeoning. I subsequently opened my mind to allow occasional tolerance (and even appreciation) of some individual Van Halen tracks (particularly the great "Dance The Night Away"), but my fortified opposition to the very idea of Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" remained entrenched and unassailable.

On the other hand, our pal Dave Murray is fond of the VH version, and he had a birthday this week. So what the hell; I bought the track and we played it on the show. ("Bought the track?" Yeah. I really got it.)

I will concede that Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" is miles better than the "You Really Got Me" I attempted for this year's annual Dave Murray birthday video. And I also have to concede that Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" is fine, the lingering disdain expressed by my eighteen-year-old self notwithstanding. It's not the equal of the Kinks--let's not veer too close to the loopy here--but it inhabits its skin as it oughta, and I'm starting to understand its appeal. 

THE FLASHCUBES: It's You Tonight

THE WIGS: Tell It All

REDD KROSS: Ballad Of A Love Doll

One track apiece from each of the three discs in a fabulous new compilation called I Wanna Be A Teen Again (North American Power Pop 1980-1989). I Wanna Be A Teen Again was curated by Australian publicist and music guy David Laing, a friend to TIRnRR and a friend to all who cherish the pop with the power. The esteemed Mr. Laing's own Grown Up Wrong! label is responsible for my go-to Flamin' Groovies compilation Between The Lines: The Complete Jordan/Wilson Songbook '71-81, and David has likewise done stellar work assembling I Wanna Be A Teen Again for the UK's mighty Cherry Red Records.

The presence of Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes makes I Wanna Be A Teen Again a compulsory purchase for me--I buy every project that includes the Flashcubes--but man, I would have wanted this set with a Badfinger-approved no matter what. You got your big names, you got your relative obscurities, and you have all star positions in between. On this week's show, we repped I Wanna Be A Teen Again with spins of the Flashcubes' basement tape of "It's You Tonight" (which was later re-recorded in the '90s for Jordan Oakes' first Yellow Pills compilation), the Wigs' ace "Tell It All," and MTV 120 Minutes superstars Redd Kross with "Ballad Of A Love Doll," and circled back for NRBQ's "You Can't Hide" at the end of the show. Is it power pop? Don't ask. Just dig.

If you're stranded in the British Isles (and I, for one, would be deeply jealous), you can order I Wanna Be A Teen Again directly from Cherry Red. If you're back in the USA, I recommend purchase through Kool Kat Musik. Either way, in the words of the late Bob Segarini: Gotta have pop!

LOLAS: Underneath The Waves

Speaking of Kool Kat Musik, one of the label's own fresh releases is a new album from long-time TIRnRR Fave Raves Lolas. Lolas' debut album Ballerina Breakout was a fixture on this show upon its release in 1999 (our first full year on the air); we know 'em, we love 'em, we can't live without 'em. And the latest Lolas long-player Big Hits And Freak Disasters lives up to the legacy, as Lolas keep on keepin' on with the sound that suits The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet. From Big Hits And Freak Disasters, "Underneath The Waves" debuts on this week's show, and will return to the airwaves this Sunday.

AMY RIGBY: Heart Is A Muscle

We have heard that Amy Rigby wasn't all that enthused about her song "Heart Is A Muscle," that maybe she almost chose not to record it, and that she probably wasn't sure about releasing it once she did record it.

Well.

For whatever it's worth, this track from Amy's oh-so-nice 2024 album Hang In There With Me was one of TIRnRR's most-played tracks last year, and it has already secured a berth on 2025's year-end countdown show. Gotta keep the ol' heart exercised.

OSCAR TONEY, JR.: Ain't That True Love

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE ARMOIRES: You're Not The Police

The forthcoming various-artists blockbuster Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes has been a long-percolatin' labor of love, and the project is barreling with giddy determination toward its September 12th street date. Hey, look! WE MADE SOMETHING HAPPEN!

Over the past few days, I've had the opportunity to view (and wholeheartedly approve) Margie Finer's design for the album's graphics, and finally bask in the glow of a job well done. On this week's show, we reprised Make Something Happen! delights by Ballzy Tomorrow, sparkle*jets u.k., and the Kennedys, and we were pleased to present the premiere of the Armoires' uberpop Beatles-Byrds-Cheap Trick interpretation of the Flashcubes' "You're Not The Police." Send out an APB: The Armoires' "You're Not The Police" provides further brilliant evidence of the sheer arresting (HAR!) nature of this collection.

On Sunday, the Armoires' "You're Not The Police" will return to the scene of the crime, alongside further spins of Cubic covers by Ballzy Tomorrow and Librarians With Hickeys, plus another spin of the Flashcubes' own new single from Make Something Happen! Wanna make something out of it? Well, we're glad to have ya with us. Set bright lights to stun.

THE BEACH BOYS: That's Why God Made The Radio

Asked and answered. We rest our case.

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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.