10 SONGS: 8/2/2025

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 # 1296.

AL JARDINE: Islands In The Sun

Al Jardine is the only member of the Beach Boys whom I've seen more than, y'know, once. All three of my Al Jardine concert moments came at The New York State Fair. I saw Jardine with Hawthorne's Phenomenal Pop Combo in the late '80s (our Al performing alongside Carl Wilson and Mike Love), fronting his own band in the aughts, and again with Brian Wilson's group in 2016. Given a chance to play a brand-new track by Jardine, we figured it was our time in the sun to open this week's show with that brand-new track, "Islands In The Sun." 

The California-meets-the-Caribbean vibe of "Islands In The Sun" strikes me as a better version of "Kokomo." Don't turn away! I know that comparison risks damning the song with faint praise, but "Islands In The Sun" is actually pretty good, and I hereby declare it agreeably radio-ready. I would be delighted to add a fourth in-concert Al Jardine experience should the opportunity arise. Let the sun shine down on our Beach Boys island home.

BLACK SABBATH: Am I Going Insane

All of us are sick of having to bid farewell to so many of our idols. The late Ozzy Osbourne wasn't necessarily one of my idols, but I feel the loss just the same, and I feel the driving inner need to pay some sort of respect to one of the giants of rock 'n' roll. We did have Ozzy's "Crazy Train" perched in the playlist's staging area, but it never found its spot in the show. 

My own interest in the Prince of Darkness tends to center on a couple of specific and unapologetically obvious Black Sabbath favorites, "Iron Man" and "Paranoid." I loved "Iron Man" when I was a teen, and I considered playing all of its six bludgeoning minutes here (and it would not have been its TIRnRR debut). I knew I wanted to circle back to "Paranoid" near the end of the show, and I wanted our first set to include a Sabbath cut we'd never played before. 

"Am I Going Insane" fit the moment like a custom-made straitjacket. The song carries an inherent pop core amidst its prerequisite crunch, and it asks the same eternal rhetorical question burning in everyone's achin' craniums in these troubled times. Going? Gone, off the rails on a crazy train. Ozzy saw it coming.

THE CYNZ: Can't Help Thinking About Me

The second week in a row for well-deserved airplay of this ace track from the forthcoming various-artists tribute album Jem Records Celebrates David Bowie, as the Cynz turn in their epic rendition of Bowie's "Can't Help Thinking About Me." SPOILER ALERT! The track establishes its third week in a row this Sunday. We play the hits! Sunday will also see the debut of a Jem Records Celebrates David Bowie treat by power pop king Paul Collins, with more to come in future weeks. Can't help thinking about Jem's great new salute to Bowie.

THE TWEEDS: I Need That Record

Don't we all, brothers and sisters. Don't we all.

SHAUN CASSIDY: Hey Deanie

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE FLASHCUBES: The Sweet Spot

Back during the Flashcubes' original late '70s run, they used to include "Hey Deanie" in their set lists, though they credited the song to its author Eric Carmen rather than its hitmaker Shaun Cassidy. No matter! Opening a set with a Greatest Record Ever Made! spin of Cassidy's "Hey Deanie" was a swell set-up to include the Flashcubes' own current dancin'-like-diamonds-in-the-moonlight single "The Sweet Spot" in that very same sweet set. Hey Deanie! Meet us at the sweet spot!

CHUCK BERRY: Promised Land

From my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

"...Chuck Berry knew well the travails of the downtrodden. Dark skin, humble origin, destined to transcend all and everything to become the single most important performer in the history of rock 'n' roll. His mind was quick, his fingers precise, wedding intricate, unforgettable wordplay to a guitar he played like a-ringin' a bell. He struggled. He pushed. He got noticed. He got pushed back. He kept pushing back in turn, smiling and duck-walking, while quietly seething behind his flamboyant mask. A nice man? Tough to say, but beside the point. An important man? If you've ever loved rock 'n' roll, you should be ashamed to even ask that question.

"Berry built the foundation (and much of the walls) of his legacy in the '50s, when segregation was commonplace throughout much of this Land of the Free, when failure to mind one's place wasn't just a breach of protocol; it was a de facto criminal act. 

"Into this tinderbox, Chuck Berry brought black music that made white kids dance. He wrote in code--most famously, the irresistibly potent brown-skinned handsome man became (wink) a brown-eyed handsome man, man--but he crafted and chronicled the American teen-age dream with greater eloquence than anyone, black or white. It was inevitable that he would be slapped down.

"Some say that he mighta had it coming. Maybe. Others say the rap was racially-motivated, pure and simple. Berry was busted for a violation of the Mann Act, transporting a minor across a state line for immoral purpose. It's plausible to suggest that Berry may have been guilty, but it's also plausible that he wasn't. Guilty or not, Berry spent a year and a half behind bars. While still a guest of the state, Berry wrote 'Promised Land.' 

"Fitting...."

CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: No Promise

Since I haven't yet completed the writing process for any new books in 2025, my biggest project this year has been Big Stir Records' September 12th compilation Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. It's been a lot of work, absolutely worth it, and I do believe you're gonna love it. Here's evidence on my behalf: Pop Gem Factory foreman and expatriate Central New Yorker Chris von Sneidern paying homage to the shared sound of the 315 by taking on "No Promise," my # 1 favorite Flashcubes song.

And nailing it. Plenty of promise to go around!

BLACK SABBATH: Paranoid

THE BEATLES: Polythene Pam

My favorite Ozzy track, segued into Ozzy's all-time favorite band. Ozzy and I for damned sure had that in common.

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.

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: 5/10/2025

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 # 1284

CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: No Promise

Peerless pop performer Chris von Sneidern is an expatriate Central New Yorker--315 represent!--and he's been on each of the five This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums: "Lonely Tonight" and a TIRnRR show ID on Volume 1, another show ID on Volume 2, yet another show ID on Volume 3, "Insomniac Summer" on Volume 4, and "Goodnight Sailor" on Volume 5. CVS is nothing short of an international treasure, and we are honored that he's allowed us to share his wonderful, wonderful work. 

Given his firsthand local boy familiarity with Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes, Chris was an obvious and prerequisite choice to include in the forthcoming album Make Something Happen! A Tribute To A DIY Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES. And man, our Chris does not disappoint. He took on the tribute's most daunting task: A cover of my favorite Flashcubes song, "No Promise."

"No Promise" was written by 'Cubes bassist Gary Frenay. We included the Flashcubes' demo version of "No Promise" on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 (as discussed here), and the official version from the group's Bright Lights anthology earned its own chapter in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). One suspects that I kinda like the song.

Chris von Sneidern's cover nails it. Drop the freakin' mic awready. And it reinforces my belief that Make Something Happen! is destined to be one of this year's best collections.

That is a promise.

JOE GIDDINGS: Tonite Tonite

MADDY MACLAINE: So What?

Family night at TIRnRR! From Joe Giddings' ace current record Stories With Guitars, we've been playing this way fab track "Tonite Tonite" with the saturation bombardment approach you should expect from a proper rockin' pop radio show. The esteemed Mr. Giddings has also given us a superb cover of Flashcubes guitarist Arty Lenin's "You're Not Grounded" for the above-extolled Make Something Happen! project. You can safely consider us in favor of all things Giddings.

Joe recently posted that his daughter Maddy Maclaine has a new single out. Intriguing! The single is "So What?," we did our due diligence in tracking down a copy for airplay, and we hereby declare it go'geous. Go'geous! The Giddings blood line runs true.

PERILOUS: Dear Heart

A new single from Perilous...?! Oh YEAH! "Dear Heart" may be the group's most flat-out POP!! record yet, sacrificing none of their CBGB's-level passion and drive while committing to a head-over-heels swoon into the arms of, y'know, swooning. Production by TIRnRR Fave Rave Kurt Reil adds extra dollops of gravitas, and we're all eager to swoon right along. This "Dear Heart" beats again on our next show.

THE GRIP WEEDS: Gene Clark (Broken Wing)

Speaking of the mighty Kurt Reil, his own phenomenal pop combo the Grip Weeds also have a new single out, further teasing the presumed magnificence of their forthcoming album Soul Bender. Given how much airplay this little mutant radio show has allotted to the Grip Weeds' cover of the Byrds' "Lady Friend," it's a given that we'll likewise wanna spin an original Grip Weeds gem that name-checks the Byrds' Gene Clark. Byrdseriffic! We can not wait to go on a Soul Bender ourselves.

THE ROLLING STONES: Happy

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE SPONGETONES: Nothing Really Matters When You're Young

Although Make Something Happens!'s track sequence is still subject to much further tweaking, the Spongetones' cover of Arty Lenin's "Nothing Really Matters When You're Young" remains the likely closing track. How could it not be? As we exult in the legacy of the Flashcubes and how much their music has meant to me over a span of nearly five decades, I dig the flow and symmetry of opening the album with the new Flashcubes track "Reminisce" (written by 'Cubes guitarist Paul Armstrong) and barreling our way to "Nothing Really Matters When You're Young" at the end. Reminisce. Nothing Really Matters When You're Young. Look back. Reflect. And rock out with fist raised. 

A great album's final track has to be as irresistible as a great album's first track. Mission accomplished here.

THE NEW BRUTARIANS: Born Out Of Time

A recent episode of The Spoon podcast introduced us to St. Petersburg, Florida group the New Brutarians. We figured we can't go wrong copying The Spoon and grabbed latest New Brutarians single "Born Out Of Time" for our own selfish playlist-stuffin' purposes. Listen, these three-hour weekly radio shows don't just fill themselves, people. "Born Out Of Time" carries the added approved-by-TIRnRR patina of drummin' and productionin' by The Spoon's overhost Robbie Rist, though we credited those respective roles on air to Oliver Martin and David Baxter. Let's face it: We're too cute and clever for all but a select few words. Sadly, we can't say most of those words on the radio. 

Brutal.

MIKE GENT: Pathetic [work-in-progress mix]

Mike Gent of the Figgs is working on a very special contribution to Make Something Happen!, and he allowed us to play his work-in-progress cover of Flashcubes guitarist Paul Armstrong's song "Pathetic."

The finished version of Mike's track will sport a lead vocal by a noted rock 'n' roll artist whose work I've enjoyed since I was still in high school. I have also heard a subsequent work-in-progress mix with that lead vocal in place, and the result lives up to all of my giddy expectations. Or, as Paul Armstrong hisself noted, "It's unreal hearing [REDACTED] FUCKING [REDACTED] sing a song I wrote!"

We're not quite ready to address the Rumour of this secret guest singer's identity. Though sometimes I feel like pouring it all out. 

Passion is no ordinary word.

CALLAN FOSTER: It's You Tonight

It's tempting to say that Callan Foster's epic take on Gary Frenay's "It's You Tonight" was one of the precipitating events that made Make Something Happen! happen. That's not exactly true--the vague idea of maybe someday doing a Flashcubes tribute album predates Callan's one-man-'Cubes cover--but his version and its accompanying video blew me away. And it provided instant validation of my belief that a Flashcubes tribute album was viable and necessary. 

And now we are making it happen. Thanks, Callan! It's you tonight.

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.

10 SONGS: 10/4/2022

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 appears a little bit earlier than its usual Thursday berth, and it draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1149.

THE COWSILLS: Rhythm Of The World

Magnificent. The title tune (and first single) from the the Cowsills' fab new album Rhythm Of The World serves as an engaging intro to this week's radio record party. This is only the second time we've ever been able to play a new Cowsills track on TIRnRR--the first was their 2019 cover of "Won't You Be My Neighbor"--and it's the first time we've opened a show with minty-fresh Cowsills. One hopes it won't be the last.

And one suspects it won't be the last time. The new album is very, very good, a potent reminder of the Cowsills' talent, prowess, and panache. It's not quite the equal of 1998's Global--my favorite album of the '90s--but it's pretty damned close, and that's pretty damned cool.

New music from the Cowsills. And yeah, there'll be more to come from Rhythm Of The World in near-future playlists.

CAROLYNE MAS: In The Rain

CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: Goodnight Sailor

It has seemed like a very long time coming, but our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5 is out this week, courtesy of the good folks at Kool Kat Musik. I do indeed realize that we're biased about this, but I tell ya, TIRnRR # 5 is as fine a rockin' pop compilation as you can find anywhere. Anywhere. We're not delusional, at least not in this specific context. We're enthused. And this is flippin' superb.

Among this compilation's many services to the CD-buying public, we have rescued an obscure, long-outta-print Carolyne Mas track from undeserved anonymity. "In The Rain" is now my favorite Carolyne Mas number--and that's saying something--and its only current physical media availability is on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5.

And if TIRnRR # 5 merits kudos for shining its giddy spotlight on "In The Rain," we also deserve a Huzzah! or two for the first-ever appearance of "Goodnight Sailor" by Chris von Sneidern. Jeez, does CVS have any mere castoffs? "Goodnight Sailor" is worthy of saturation airplay everywhere, and we're delighted to play this small role in placing it within earshot of the eager and appreciative. 

Oh, and the moral of our story? BUY YOURSELF A COPY OF THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO, VOLUME 5! It's the thing to do, kids will envy you, so buy our CD [CeeeDeee!].

CEELO GREEN: Forget You

OUTKAST: Hey Ya!

LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: I Better Get Home

I guarantee you, the members of Akron's phenomenal pop combo Librarians With Hickeys didn't foresee one of their tracks placed in a 1-2-3 sequence of CeeLo Green, OutKast, and our neck-kissed Librarians. It's ALL pop music, man.

And pop music fits alongside pop music. It's what pop music does, what it's meant to do. CeeLo Green's "Forget You"--a dynamic single that's about as perky as an F-YOU! can be--came up while I was sifting through possibilities for this week's radio alchemy. I'm fairly certain we've played it before, but it's been absent from our playlists for a long time. Had to rectify that.

"Forget You"'s effervescent pop appeal brought OutKast's "Hey Ya!" to Dana's mind. "Hey Ya!" was and remains a transcendent record, effortlessly merging influences from rock, soul, new wave, even bubblegum and hip hop, and makin' 'em all shine together under the light of a smilin' AM Top 40 sun. Oh, and it has HANDCLAPS!! Hey YA!

And the HEY! in that model brought me to "I Better Get Home," my favorite track on the new Librarians With Hickeys album Handclaps & Tambourines. See? Handclaps! OutKast would approve. As well they should.

THE PANDORAS: It's About Time

During one of my commutes last week, my iPod served up "Again And Again," a track from Come Inside, the still-unreleased 1987 album by the Pandoras. Much of this album is characterized by an all-female interpretation of the leering demeanor common among strutting '80s hair-metal boys who would be men, a single-entendre pose adopted by garage girls transitioning from '60s fuzz fixation into a flirtation with aerosol rock. Come Inside The Pandoras. GET IT...?!

For all that, though, Come Inside really isn't bad, and it's occasionally a lot better than its seemingly baser instincts might indicate. I wouldn't quite rank it alongside the Pandoras' 1984 debut album It's About Time (which was a different band entirely, with only Paula Pierce moving forward through subsequent incarnations) or 1986's somewhat poppier Stop Pretending, but I do wish it would finally see legit release.

I considered throwing "Again And Again" into this week's playlist, but ultimately went back to my favorite Pandoras track, the irresistible "It's About Time." Here are a few lines from its chapter in my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

"...Like many groups in the mid '80s psychedelic revival, the Pandoras cherished authenticity in their efforts to recreate the sounds of the obscure and unpolished '60s bands they admired and emulated. As an all-female group in an overwhelmingly male-dominated scene, the Pandoras may have been seen (incorrectly) as something of a novelty act, but the sound of female vocals over fuzz guitar helped the group stand out from the pack of slavish Sonics imitators.

"If the Pandoras were initially noticed just for their gender, it must also be said that they could deliver the goods on record. Their 1984 debut album It's About Time remains an essential artifact of the neo-garage movement. It's filled with derivative tunes, retro moves, and deliberately lo-fi production values, sure, but it is greater than its self-imposed limitations, and it is offered with a gusto second to none.

"The title track is extraordinary, its guitar intro echoing the Byrds while remaining stubbornly anchored in the carport that spawned it. The lyrics could be about a one-night stand (or the first of a series of all-night stands), or one could imagine it as manifesto for bands and fans to get together to frolic under the flashing lights. It's about time. Don't you think that we should just let it happen? NOW!...."

THE RASPBERRIES: I Wanna Be With You

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

LISA MYCHOLS: Go All The Way

I believe it was intrepid TIRnRR listener Joel Tinnel who once suggested that a spin of Lisa Mychols' breathy, acoustic cover of the Raspberries' horny classic "Go All The Way" should be followed with a ceremonial cigarette. We don't smoke, but this track sure does.  And I further suggest that a twin spin of the 'Berries' "I Wanna Be With You" and Lisa's "Go All The Way" should perhaps be sold in a brown paper bag. 

HERB ALPERT AND THE TIJUANA BRASS: Green Peppers

And on that note....

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon, or by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed 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, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

10 SONGS: 9/1/2022

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 # 1144.

THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING DAVID PATON: Get Up And Go

A favorite phrase in my current lexicon is "new music from the Flashcubes." The Flashcubes' series of (usually collaborative) new Big Stir Records digital singles continues with this shiny-minty cover of Pilot's "Get Up And Go." And ho-ho-ho, it's MAGIC, as Pilot's David Paton hisself joins in for a stellar update of his own 1977 composition. High-flyin' Flashcubes! Get up and go.

ELENA ROGERS: You're Sorry

Aw, this is just luscious. Elena Rogers has been an occasional player in previous TIRnRR playlists, both as a solo performer and with her absolutely exquisite backing vocals on Allan Kaplon's Notes On A Napkin album. In each of these examples, Elena has worked with producer and musical superhero Jamie Hoover of the Spongetones, and our Jamie remains present 'n' accounted for on Elena's debut album Opus One. "You're Sorry" is my favorite so far, and we'll hear it again on next week's show.

THE KINKS: You Still Want Me

My introduction to the Kinks' 1964 single "You Still Want Me" came via my pal Jay in...well, it musta been the late '70s, though I guess it could have been in the very early '80s. It was a non-LP track, and it hadn't appeared on any of the Kinks compilation albums I knew. 

Jay had "You Still Want Me" on a 7" import EP called Yesteryear Series, which reprised (HAR!) all four tracks from the Kinks' first two British singles, "Long Tall Sally"/"I Took My Baby Home" and "You Still Want Me"/"You Do Something To Me." I already knew and loved "I Took My Baby Home" (as revealed in a previous post recalling my introduction to the Kinks' music), and was immediately indifferent to their take on Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally." "You Do Something To Me" was a catchy li'l beat number, and I thought "You Still Want Me" was even more so. My favorite of the four remained (and still remains) "I Took My Baby Home," but I already owned a copy of that one. So I asked Jay to play "You Still Want Me." And to play it again. Beat, repeat!

Listening to the record together at Jay's house, our friend Beth found it reminiscent of the Dave Clark Five, but to me it sounded more like the Searchers. Great, underrated record. And, although neither of the Kinks' first two singles were what the public wanted to take home, the Kinks' third single turned out to be a different story.

SAM PHILLIPS: Baby, I Can't Please You

As always: for Lorelei and Rory, and all of their friends in Stars Hollow.

CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: Annalisa

CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: Goodnight Sailor

Chris von Sneidern then, and Chris von Sneidern now! I don't remember if I heard CVS's great pop tune "Annalisa" before or after the first time I saw him play. Either way, it was either my third or fourth CVS track, following his debut single from 1991, "Too Much To Do"/"On The Run." The "Somedays"/"Annalisa" 45 was released in '93, and I may have received that single from the same resource that gave me the previous CVS 45: Chris' Mom Sandy. Sandy was a very nice and very likable individual, and this world is poorer for her absence in it.

"Annalisa" has been a classic TIRnRR Fave Rave throughout this show's mutant existence. Since then, Chris has granted us use of several tracks in our compilation albums: "Lonely Tonight" (and a TIRnRR ID bumper) on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 1, "Insomniac Summer" on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4, and bumpers on Volume 2 and Volume 3. In one form or another, Chris von Sneidern's pop mojo has been a part of each and every This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation to date.

So why mess with a sure thing? Our forthcoming Kool Kat Musik release This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5 continues that streak, with a fantastic new CVS track called "Goodnight Sailor." Classics then, classics now. We are honored indeed.

NATALIE SWEET AND BRAD MARINO: Second Time

Man, this one pumps like pop with power oughtta. Individually, Natalie Sweet and Brad Marino have already established their respective rockin' pop bona fides, but now, with their forces COMBINED...?! Sign me up! Our spin of "Second Time" on this week's show prompted loyal listener Mike Browning to write, "Despite the Beatles' advice, I say YES to Second Time!" Right you are, Mike. Right you are. And--of course!--this track will get its second time here on next week's show.

THE RAMONES: I Don't Want To Grow Up

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

ANDREA GILLIS: I Don't Need You No More

Hey, our first-ever J. Geils Band cover, courtesy of the irresistible Andrea Gillis. Our obsession with Andrea's ace 2021 track "Leave The Light On" means we've played her stuff a lot more often than we've played the Geils boys. We actually do like the J. Geils Band, their lack of airplay notwithstanding; their path to the playlist must'a got lost somewhere down the line. We're thrilled to at least give 'em a proxy spin this week, thanks to Andrea's current single version of "I Don't Need You No More." 

THE METERS: Hang 'Em High

Amidst the hype leading up to last week's presentation of The 11th Annual Dana's Funky Soul Pit, intrepid TIRnRR listener (and Pop Co-Op guitarist) Joel Tinnel wrote to us: "The Meters. Must have the Meters. 'Hey Pocky a-Way,' 'Fire on the Bayou,' or 'Trick Bag' would work rather nicely." BUT! Dana already had specific Fab plans for this year's Soul Pit, and that particular blueprint didn't leave room for anything by the Meters.

Fun fact: Dana and I programmed this week's show before I knew of Dana's concept and playlist for The 11th Annual Dana's Funky Soul Pit, Nonetheless, I figured we oughtta try to belatedly honor Agent J's request, and our weekly after-the-tag bonus track--WAIT!WAIT!WAIT!WAIT!WAIT!WAIT! We got a little more This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio!--provided the opportunity to plug in a Meters tune. Didn't have room left for any of the Meters tracks that Joel suggested, but spaghetti Westerns are our salvation! We hope a spin of the Meters' cover of "Hang 'Em High" satisfies the ol' Meters jones for the time being. Hang 'em high. Turn it UP!

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon, or by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed 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, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl