10 SONGS: 11/10/2023

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 # 1206. This show is available as a podcast.

BIG STAR: September Gurls

Over the course of nearly 25 years of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, I'm pretty sure Big Star's "September Gurls" remains our all-time most-played track. I doubt it even has any serious competition at that particular pinnacle. 

I think at least part of the reason for the song's ongoing TIRnRR sovereignty (aside from the fact that it's, y'know, terrific) is rooted in a tacit understanding that Big Star was a cherished underground act that the faithful believed shoulda been the big stars their dba claimed. From the "September Gurls" entry in my proposed book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

"Big Star was a big secret. As I became familiar with Big Star's records, I became a fan. And I soon learned that being a Big Star fan was like being a member of an underground pop society, a discerning, scattered network of music enthusiasts who knew--knew--there was more out there, old and new, than we were hearing on any radio station anywhere. Big Star was the golden ticket. You like Big Star? You're one of us, then. 

"This goes well beyond the limited parameters of hipster snobbery, of us versus them, of self-conscious cool that is, in fact, not cool in any way. This is faith. This is belief in the power of song. This is the inner certainty that there is greatness everywhere, awaiting someone to appreciate it and spread its Gospel. And there is no greater manifestation of that belief than the pure, tear-stained splendor of Big Star's 'September Gurls.'

"How can I deny what's inside?"

TAYLOR SWIFT: Welcome To New York

Big Star was correct: Never deny what's inside.

I admit I was a little bit surprised when my lovely wife Brenda floated the idea of the two of us checking out Taylor Swift's concert movie. I was even more surprised by how much I flat-out enjoyed Taylor Swift: The ERAS Tour, a film that offers a marvelous, fascinating immersion into the phenomenon of a Taylor Swift live show. Good choice, Brenda!

Previously, my take on Taylor Swift was that she's a remarkable talent whose music was intended for a demographic that doesn't include me. Fair enough. It didn't stop me from respecting her, even admiring her, and recognizing that she's a star whose celebrity status was built by talent, as well as a star who uses her celebrity responsibly. These are good things. I needn't wish to sing along with "Bad Blood" to appreciate any of that.

Now? Man, I think I need to take a deeper dive into some of her records. This week's show was programmed and recorded prior to my viewing of The ERAS Tour, but I felt motivated to check out her recently-released 1989 (Taylor's Version). Its track "Welcome To New York" struck me as something of a piece with whatever it is we do on TIRnRR. It is, as we say, ALL pop music.

Welcome.

ANY TROUBLE: Playing Bogart

In high school, I knew a girl who often wanted to hear my inept impression of Humphrey Bogart. Mind you, my Bogart was nothing short of terrible, but she seemed to dig it, and this teen boy was generally A-OK with the idea of being able to accomplish something--anything!--that a pretty teen girl might dig. Herszh lookin' at you, Szhweetheart....

I don't think I caught on to the music of Any Trouble until many years after the fact. And it's only just now that I've made a mental connection between the group's lyrical ode to playing Bogart and my own clumsy attempts at Bogie on demand all those decades ago. Play it again, Szham.

JOHNNY JOHNSON AND THE BANDWAGON: Let's Hang On

With no offense intended to the Jersey boys, I say Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon's 1969 cover of the Four Seasons' "Let's Hang On" is the definitive version. The Bandwagon were a criminally undervalued soul group--their "Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache" keeps company with Big Star in my Greatest Record Ever Made! book--and they had a particular knack for pulling off covers that were better than the originals. The Bandwagon  took one of the Monkees' worst tracks, "The Day We Fall In Love," and somehow made it better'n decent, and they went toe-to-toe with the likes of the Rascals ("People Got To Be Free"), the Hollies ("Gasoline Alley Bred"), and Bob Dylan via the Byrds ("Mr. Tambourine Man"); in each case, the Bandwagon emerged the victor.

Same goes for the Bandwagon's reading of "Let's Hang On." Sorry, Mr. Valli. But there's no need to hang your head; the Bandwagon were just that good.

THE RAMONES: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Following the May 9th publication of my book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones, I put together a blog post about my 25 favorite Ramones tracks. That list includes "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow." This is what I wrote about that track:

"We don't generally think of the Ramones as balladeers. But the Ramones were raised on AM Top 40 radio when AM Top 40 was fantastic, bred by the sounds of girl groups, British Invasion, Motown, garage, bubblegum, rock, and pop. Ballads were part of that environment.

"And the Ramones were--perhaps incongruously--great at ballads. That should not be true...but it is. I'm not much for power ballads myself. But Ramones power ballads? The Ramones made power ballads cool.

"We got a new album out. It's called Rocket To Russia. This one's called 'Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.'

"With Dee Dee's count-in following Joey's introduction, the first time I heard 'Here Today. Gone Tomorrow' was when the Ramones played it at my first Ramones live show. Stunning, and a remarkably effective slow burn amidst the fast-loud-rules of the Blitzkrieg Boppin' and Cretin Hoppin' that surrounded it in concert. 

"By then, I think I'd already read Greg Shaw's rave about the song in the pages of Bomp! magazine. Hearing it live delivered on Shaw's promise, and the studio track lived up to it. The Ramones as balladeers. Someone had to pay the price.

"It was worth it."

On two separate occasions in October, I got to witness the great 1.4.5. as they performed "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" in their live sets, the song dedicated both times to the late Ducky Carlisle. Tough disguises tender, but only if we don't bother to look for the hearts that beat beneath leather jackets, the emotion that lurks behind practiced scowls.

Here. Then gone.

THE GRIP WEEDS: Organ Grinder's Monkey

One of my two 1.4.5. live shows in October was the Grip Weeds' recent gig at The Lost Horizon in Syracuse. Whatta show! And one of its unexpected highlights was when the Grip Weeds dazzled us with their cover of "Organ Grinder's Monkey," a way obscure 1970 single by the equally obscure group Frosty. The song opens the Grip Weeds' magnificent 2022 covers album DiG, and hearing it performed live at the Lost compelled us to play it on the radio. About time! Dance, monkey. Dance!

SOLOMON BURKE: Everybody Needs Somebody To Love

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE FLASHCUBES: Forget About You

Some things in life are certain. Death. Taxes. Construction on I-81. And also TIRnRR playlists that include a spin from my favorite album of 2023, the Flashcubes' Pop Masters. Their cover of the Motors' "Forget About You" is on a (wait for it!) certain collision course with our year-end countdown. As it should be.

"Forget About You" had last week off, and it's taking next week off as well. But we still had another Pop Masters track last week, and I can risk the sin of spoilers as I say we'll have yet another Pop Masters gem spinning next week.

Much more pleasant than death or taxes, and a damned sight more interesting than roadwork. Pop Masters. You can be certain of that.

DAVE KUCHLER: In It With You

Acknowledging that the Flashcubes' Pop Masters is unassailably secure in its position as my album of 2023, Dave Kuchler's "In It With You" could stake a credible claim as my favorite individual track of the year. You can find it on Dave's album Love + Glory, and you can hear it again on the radio this coming Sunday night in Syracuse.

THE JIVE FIVE: What Time Is It

The show's over already...?! I blame that whole FALL BACK nonsense. What time is it? The Jive Five have the answer: It's time for love. 

The right answer, I say. Love is always the right answer.

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

Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.

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.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

10 SONGS: 11/3/2023

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 # 1205. This show is available as a podcast.

DWIGHT TWILLEY: The Luck

It's not even the merest exaggeration to refer to the late Dwight Twilley as one of the giants of power pop. Twilley's been a part of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio's DNA since our second broadcast, January 3rd of 1999, when we played the Dwight Twilley Band's "That I Remember."  For a show like ours, which lists "power pop" as its stated format--even if "power pop" is just a convenient shorthand for whatever the hell it is that we actually do--it was imperative for us to pay tribute to Twilley this week.

I chose "The Luck," from Dwight Twilley's 1999 album Tulsa, as our opening track. It wasn't until after the show aired that I realized "The Luck" was the first solo Twilley track played on TIRnRR, 7/4/1999. That serendipity added resonance and history to our selection.

(Thanks as always to the mighty, mighty Fritz Van Leaven for tending our stats. We wouldn' have any stats at all if not for Fritz.)

We stand on the shoulders of giants. One of those giants was named Dwight Twilley. Some people have all the luck. We were all lucky to live in a time of Dwight Twilley's music.

THE FLASHCUBES: Alone In My Room

As noted in this week's playlist commentary, I don't remember hearing the Dwight Twilley Band on AM radio in the '70s. I was still in high school in '75, and still a devoted listener of Syracuse's WOLF-AM, and I must have heard the great "I'm On Fire" on the Big 15 at the time. Yet it didn't register in my teen consciousness. 

Stupid teenager.

So: 1978. College. Bomp magazine's power pop issue. Paying attention by now. Stupid teenager trying to be, y'know, less stupid, at least in between keggers and girls. "I'm On Fire" was on a terrific compilation called Geef Voor New Wave, occupying grooves alongside the Sex Pistols, Generation X, Jonathan Richman, Motörhead, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Earth Quake, the Motors, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Rubinoos, the Adverts, X-Ray Spex, the Radiators From Space, Johnny Moped, and Radio Stars. You can be damned certain I snatched that sucker right up.

Still, I'm pretty sure my conscious introduction to "I'm On Fire" was when I saw the Flashcubes include it in a live set in '78. Really paying attention now! It was probably around the same time that the 'Cubes likewise hooked me on Big Star's "September Gurls." I cannot overstate the immense importance of the Flashcubes in my rockin' pop life.

Given all of the above, it was important to include the 'Cubes in our tribute to Dwight Twilley. The Flashcubes' current album Pop Masters gives us their vibrant cover of Twilley's "Alone In My Room." We had to play that.

(It should come as no surprise to anyone that we played the Flashcubes on our very first show, 12/27/98. Our first-aired 'Cubes track was "It's You Tonight.")

DWIGHT TWILLEY: 10,000 American Scuba Divers Dancin'

"10,000 American Scuba Divers Dancin'" is from Twilley's 1982 album Scuba Divers. The track has always been one of my top favorites among his many pure pop gems--maybe my # 1 Twilley solo number--and I was hellbent on mixing it into TIRnRR's tribute to Dwight Twilley. Mission accomplished!

However....

I was stunned to review our stats and discover that, over the course of nearly 25 years of doing this show, we'd never gotten around to playing "10,000 American Scuba Divers Dancin'" before this week. My favorite solo Twilley cut. What it means is what it means is what it really means.

And I guess it means better late than never. We're playing it again next week. The track has some catchin' up to do. On your mark. Get set. DIVE! And dance! Let's go swimming already.

THE GRIP WEEDS: Where Have All The Good Times Gone

New Jersey's phenomenal pop combo the Grip Weeds put on an absolutely epic live show last week at Syracuse's legendary home of rock 'n' roll The Lost Horizon. It was an evening full of highlights by the Grip Weeds themselves and billmates 1.4.5., Perilous, Preacher, and Kenne Highland's Air Force, and it provided an exuberant capper to a particularly rockin' month.

This week's radio shindig aired a couple of days after the Lost Horizon show, but was recorded prior to the Grip Weeds' live annexation of the greater Syracuse area. Dana and I had seen the Grip Weeds before, we knew they were gonna be amazing again, and we programmed accordingly. We had three Grip Weeds tracks on last week's show, and this week we programmed the Gripsters' ace take on the Kinks' "Where Have All The Good Tims Gone," from Jem Records' wonderful tribute compilation Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies.

Ooo! And NEXT week, we're playing a track from the Grip Weeds' 2022 album DiG, a little something we ain't played before, but which the group performed at the Lost, fully wowing all and sundry. Whatta band! What a great, great band.

(The Grip Weeds made their TIRnRR debut with "Out Of Today" on 1/10/99. The track was later included on our compilation album This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 2.)

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: American Girl

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

(Tom Petty made his TIRnRR debut on 3/28/99, with his cover of the Byrds' "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better.")

PERILOUS: Name In The Paper

Last Friday's Lost Horizon gig was the first time I got to see Preacher and Kenne Highland's Air Force, and about the thousandth (and COUNTING!!) time I've seen 1.4.5. (still counting 'cuz a thousand times ain't nearly enough), and actually my second 1.4.5. live set in October. It was my second time seeing the Grip Weeds, and my second time seeing Perilous.

(The first time I saw Perilous was in May of this year, with 1.4.5. at a release party at The 443 Social Club and Lounge for my book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones. I even got to sing "Rockaway Beach" on stage with members of 1.4.5. and Perilous. It was a decent night. It was a really decent night. I have a flair for understatement.)

At the Lost, Perilous elevated the razzafrazzin' ceiling with bravura renditions of every song on their forthcoming album YEAH!!!, plus a cover of the Ramones' "Cretin Hop." We've been playing the YEAH!!! single "Name In The Paper" a lot, and now Perilous has a video to go with the song. The name will come up again in next week's show. It's the only decent thing to do.

(TIRnRR's first spin of Perilous was the group's debut single "Rock & Roll Kiss," which played on our 5/8/2022 show. It went on to be our # 3 most-played track in 2023, and it was included on our compilation album This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5.)

DAVE KUCHLER: In It With You

We played Dave Kuchler's former group Soul Engines some time in the wayback, at which time they asked us to stop sending them our playlists. Ouch. Nonetheless, we jumped on "In It With You" (from Kuchler's current Kool Kat Musik release Love + Glory ) from the get-go. We started playing it on 10/15/2023, and it's been a weekly fixture ever since. And sure, that's not a lot of weeks...

...Yet. Not a lot of weeks yet. We'll add another week this Sunday.

THE RAMONES: Swallow My Pride

Power pop? The Ramones were more than any one genre, but yeah, they were assuredly a power pop group--a FANTASTIC power pop group--on so many of their tracks. "Swallow My Pride" (from 1977's Leave Home) is a prime example of power pop Ramones. 

(Hard to believe, but we didn't play our first Ramones track until our second show, with "I Don't Want To Grow Up" on 1/3/1999. On the other hand, "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" was our opening theme from the start.)

THE BEATLES: Please Please Me

Power pop? The Beatles were also more than any one genre, but they invented power pop with "Please Please Me." The Beatles directly inspired the formation of the Dwight Twilley Band, just as the Beatles inspired so many others.

(The Beatles' first This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio appearance was--duh--TIRnRR # 1 on 12/27/1998. "It's Only Love." We'll hear the lads' new single at the top of our next show.)

THE DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND: I'm On Fire

A true classic, forevermore one of the defining singles of this engaging, fascinating, fulfilling music we call power pop. Godspeed, Dwight Twilley. We thank you for bringing us fire.

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

Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.

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.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

10 SONGS: 10/26/2023

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 # 1204.

THE GRIP WEEDS: Every Minute

As we prepare to welcome long-time TIRnRR Fave Raves the Grip Weeds for their first-ever Syracuse appearance this Friday, October 27th at The Lost Horizon, there was never any question that we would open this week's radio shindig with Grip Weeds music. It's the very situation for which the word DUH! was invented.

We've been playing the group's cover of the Byrds' "Lady Friend" (from the Grip Weeds' 2022 covers album DiG) a lot, and it's a shoo-in for a spot somewhere on the year-end countdown of our most-played tracks in 2023. This week, we saved "Lady Friend" for our post-sayonara WAITWAITWAITWAITWAIT! bonus spot at the very end of the show, and instead got the party started at the top with a spin of "Every Minute," from their 1998 album The Sound Is In You. If I had to pick a single favorite Grip Weeds track, it would be "Every Minute." The sound is in YOU!

But no need to pick a single favorite--the Grip Weeds have lots of favorites! And we'll hear a few of 'em Friday at The Lost Horizon, as the Grip Weeds join 1.4.5., Perilous, Preacher, and Kenne Highland Airforce for a transcendent evening of rockin' pop. You should oughta be there. Sound ain't gonna into you on its own, man.

DiG?

SANTANA: Oye Como Va

On last week's show, following my daughter's wedding earlier this month, we played War's "Low Rider," which was the entrance music for the proud fathers of the happy couple.at the reception. This week, we gave equal time to the newlyweds' mothers with a spin of their entrance music, "Oye Como Va" by Santana. For Susan in Florida, and for my dear Brenda in New York. We're ALL family now. Buena pa' gozar.

CARLA OLSON: Street Fighting Man

Another week, another turn for Carla Olson's rock-solid cover of the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man." This coming Sunday night will present the start of another week, AND another turn for Carla Olson's "Street Fighting Man." See, revolutions thrive on consistency.

DOLPH CHANEY: Nice

We've been programming tracks from Dolph Chaney's current album Mug with Whac-A-Mole frequency. But for some unexplained reason, while other shows 'n' stations have jumped on the irresistible Mug shot "Nice," we...had not. Where the hell have we been all this time?

Oh, right. Playing "Ice Cream Embers" from the same album. We're not oblivious. We're focused.

No matter. We're here now. "Nice" makes its overdue TIRnRR debut on this week's playlist, and returns for an encore appearance next week. Nice. It's important to be nice.

THE FLIRTATIONS: Nothing But A Heartache

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

"Like Dusty Springfield's 'I Only Want To Be With You,' the Flirtations' 'Nothing But A Heartache' is a noisy explosion of girl-group popcraft, trading the romantic, near-orgasmic bliss of Dusty's record for a lover's lament that is still no less magnetic, no less exuberant, even as the singer pines for an unattainable lover, a clueless cad who, apparently, doesn't want to be with her.

"I say to hell with him."

NEW MATH: They Walk Among You

"Die Trying" has always been my # 1 New Math track, but the highlight for me at their recent farewell show in Rochester was the performance of this monster slice of psychedelic sci-fi paranoia. "They Walk Among You" is The Day Of The Triffids meets Wild In The Streets, but amped up to scary good measure. It's the title track from a 1981 EP, and it isn't on the recent New Math anthology Die Trying & Other Hot Sounds (1979-1983). Given that They Walk Among You was a step away from New Math's original model, I wasn't sure whether or not the group would include "They Walk Among You" in their final live show.

They did. Checking the basement for pods? Too late! They walk among you already. 

And you are lucky that they do.

DAVE KUCHLER: In It With You

Man, I dig this track. "In It With You" is from Love + Glory, the new Kool Kat Musik release by former Soul Engines guitarist Dave Kuchler, and something about it reminds me of the Rubinoos. That, my comrades, is a good thing indeed. We played it last week. We played it this week. And yep, we're playin' it again next week. I'm into it. It's the IN sound! Are you with us, or what?

THE ONLY ONES: Another Girl, Another Planet

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

JUNIPER: Ride Between The Cars

Juniper's absolutely ace 2023 album She Steals Candy has been among our top go-tos all year, and her She Steals Candy rendition of Amy Rigby's "Baby Doll" will be heard alongside the Grip Weeds' "Lady Friend" (and many other fine gems) in that year-end TIRnRR countdown show we mentioned a few paragraphs north of here. We have a brand new Juniper single to play next week, but this week was a prime opportunity for another romp through the She Steals Candy original "Ride Between The Cars." 

THE GRIP WEEDS: Rainbow Quartz

You guessed it! ANOTHER of my favorite Grip Weeds tracks, this one radiatin' off their 2015 album How I Won The War. Winners will gather at The Lost Horizon this Friday, October 27th. Be there! Musketeer Gripweed would accept nothing less.

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

Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.

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.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

10 SONGS: 10/21/2023

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 # 1203. This show is available as a podcast.

THE FLASHCUBES: Nothing To Do

On This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio this year, we've been poundin' the livin' chiclets out of Pop Masters, the current album by Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes. I'm a heart-on-sleeve kind of guy, and I co-host a radio show with the specific intent of poundin' the livin' chiclets outta stuff I think is cool. Why else even have a radio show in the first place?

Given my (and Dana's) long-standing enthusiasm for the 'Cubes, no one is surprised to hear that Pop Masters is my favorite album of 2023, and we play one or another of its tracks almost every week. Masters of pop! The album took a break from our playlist last week, so we could instead program an older Flashcubes track featuring the late Ducky Carlisle. Proper Pop Masters representation returns this week with the Cubic cover of Sparks' Nothing To Do," and two other Pop Masters tracks are already scribbled in place for our next couple of playlists. These chiclets won't just pound out by themselves, man.

THE RAMONES: Blitzkrieg Bop

I've mentioned a time or two thousand that my daughter Meghan and I agreed a very long time ago that when she got married, our father-daughter dance would be "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett. Obviously. That happy event took place two weeks ago today, and we made good on our promise. Best night ever. Mazel tov, Meghan and Austin.

As the wedding reception sparkled on, the DJ also played my request for something by the Ramones. You can't have a real party without the Ramones. I gave him a choice between "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I Wanna Be Sedated," and he opted for the former. Seeing how the dance floor filled to the music of Forest Hills' Finest--prompted in some part by the father of the bride yelling DANCE! Everybody DANCE!!!--the DJ circled back a bit later to play "Sedated" as well. Hey ho, let's GO!

P. HUX: Til The World Looks Right

The brand-new P. Hux album is called As Good As Advertised, and that album will inevitably accrue scores of on-line reviews saying that its title provides its own review. We rockin' pop pundits are so clever.

Well, consider this just one among that score. I tell ya, I'm glad to be part of the crowd in this case. As Good As Advertised makes its TIRnRR debut with this spin of the delectable track "Til The World Looks Right." It will spin again next week. As advertised! Pretty good, my friends. Pretty damned good.

CARLA OLSON: Street Fighting Man

Awright! The fabulous Carla Olson's ace cover of the Rolling Stones' classic "Street Fighting Man" is an advance single from her new album Have Harmony Will Travel 3. One of my first Stones LPs (perhaps my very first) was a beat-up used copy of Through The Past, Darkly, snagged at either Record Revolution or The Record Exchange in Cleveland Heights when teen me was visiting my sister circa Christmas break 1976.

That second-hand Stones best-of record was my introduction to "Street Fighting Man," about eight years after its original 1968 release. It was an instant favorite, and Olson does the tune justice and then some. Tall Poppy Syndrome's Jonathan Lea is one of the guitarists on her version, and it all rocks like it oughta. What can a poor boy do? We'll hear Carla Olson's "Street Fighting Man" again Sunday night. Hell, we'll even throw in the latest from Tall Poppy Syndrome. A sleepy Syracuse town is just the place for "Street Fighting Man."

THE KENNEDYS: Life Is Large

A big ol' Happy Birthday to the phenomenal Maura Kennedy! A bright light then and now, Maura will always be younger than me, and yet she'll also probably remain wiser than me. We love her nonetheless.

The Kennedys have a NEW album, Headwinds, out now. You can buy yourself a copy, and you can fill in the nagging gaps in your Kennedys library, all courtesy of the Kennedys themselves. I'm also still hoping for a Maura and the Bright Lights album maybe someday (perhaps with a guest appearance by Carla Olson, just like Roger McGuinn guests on "Life Is Large"). Vote for the Kennedys of your choice. But VOTE! And sing. And enjoy! Birthday cake goes great with the Kennedys.

DAVE KUCHLER: In It With You

From former Soul Engines guitarist Dave Kuchler's new album Love + Glory, "In It With You" is just insanely, instantly catchy, thoroughly radio-ready, and the irresistible epitome of whatever the hell it is Dana and I do here on The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet. It's kinda like when we first heard the Finkers' TIRnRR Fave Rave "Last Thing On My Mind" all those years ago, and I gushed something to the effect that "Last Thing On My Mind" is exactly the sort of record that always made me wish I had a radio show, just so I could play records like "Last Thing On My Mind" on my radio show. Kuchler sounds nothing at all like the Finkers, but my level of immersive thrill is comparable. We HAVE a radio show! We're in it with Dave Kuchler.

WAR: Low Rider

At Meghan and Austin's wedding reception, the DJ also played music to accompany the entrances of various parts of the wedding party. Richard Hernandez and I--the respective fathers of the groom and the bride--bopped in to the percolatin' sound of War's classic "Low Rider." We'll hear the entrance music for the newlyweds' mothers on our next show.

THE VELVELETTES: He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

NEW MATH: Die Trying

A week ago tonight, the great Rochester, NY group New Math presented their last-ever live show, and I'm happy to say that TIRnRR was there. Whatta show! Both 1.4.5. and the Presstones put on incredible, invigmoratin' sets, and New Math provided a commanding capper to their career. My first New Math show was back in 1978, when they played with the Flashcubes at The Firebarn in Syracuse. I only saw them a total of three times--maybe (but probably not) four--when I was in my teens and early twenties. I wish I'd had more opportunities to bask in the glory of New Math live. But I'm so glad I was able to see them one last time this month.

THE GRIP WEEDS: Lady Friend

Your intrepid TIRnRR Good Guys will also be in attendance at the Grip Weeds's first-ever Syracuse appearance. That happens Friday October 27th at Syracuse's home of rock 'n' roll The Lost Horizon, on a bill with 1.4.5., Perilous, Preacher, and Kenne Highland's Airforce. HuzZAH!! We'll open next week's radio program with music from the Grip Weeds (plus 1.4.5. and Perilous), and we get set to anticipate with this spin of a track from the Grip Weeds' most recent album DiG. The group's able cover of the Byrds' "Lady Friend" is a likely lock for a berth on our year-end countdown show of TIRnRR's most-played tracks in 2023. Here it comes again, it's going to happen to me....

And at the Lost Horizon next Friday, it can happen to you. BE THERE!

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

Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.

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.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl