10 SONGS: 10/3/2026

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 # 1355

THE HALF/CUBES: When The Lights Are Out

I was in eighth grade in 1972, when UK stompmeisters Slade hit Syracuse's WOLF-AM with their irresistible glam-pop classic "Gudbuy T' Jane." In this bright 'n' shiny new millennium, Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes channeled that memory of perfect AM Top 40 splendor with a cover of "Gudbuy T' Jane," as heard on the 'Cubic covers collection Pop Masters. A splendid time was bludgeoned into the craniums of all.

Now, essential Flashcubes offshoot the Half/Cubes return to the scene of the really loud chime with a stupendous new rendition of Slade's lesser-known gem "When The Lights Are Out." Hit the lights, Jane! Say gudbye to the day, and say hello to what the night may bring.

THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING TOM KENNY: Got No Mind

Speaking of the Flashcubes, our friends at Big Stir Records are now accepting preorders for "Got No Mind," the new 45 by the Flashcubes featuring Tom Kenny. Offered as a memorial tribute to Flashcubes guitarist Paul Armstrong (the song's author), the track has already been a TIRnRR fixture, and it will remain so for the foreseeable. And to sanctify the release of this 7" slab o' cantankerous wonder, the mighty Big Stir is also offering original copies of two previous Flashcubes 45s--1979's "Wait Til Next Week"/"Radio" and 2016's two-fer of Chris Spedding covers, "Boogie City"/"Hey Miss Betty"--both individually and in bundles with the new one. Visit The Flashcubes page at Big Stir for details.

THE DEAD BOYS: All The Way Down (Poison Lady)

The passing of Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome compelled some Sonic Reducer recognition on our playlist. We considered "All This And More," "3rd Generation Nation," and (obviously!) "Sonic Reducer," but opted instead for "All The Way Down (Poison Lady)," a 1987 Dead Boys reunion single that still feels like a righteous summary of everything young, loud, and snotty. I'm working on an eventual Greatest Record Ever Made! piece about "3rd Generation Nation," but for now we go all the way down with a poison lady who loves it loud. Godspeed, Cheetah Chrome.

THE AMPLIFIER HEADS: They Don't Dance Anymore

And. They. Should. From their fab current long-player Super 8, Boston's phenomenal pop combo the Amplifier Heads bemoan the lack of boppers on the boppin' floor with "They Don't Dance Anymore," and if you ain't swaying, you're not listening. 

While we're listening and dancing, we can also cast our votes for the Amplifier Heads in The 2026 New England Music Awards. Super 8 is vying for Album of the Year honors, and the AmpHeads themselves are up for Rock Act of the Year. You can vote once per day.

And I tell ya--this is a good month to practice the responsibility of voting. 

TODD RUNDGREN: Couldn't I Just Tell You

One of the all-time defining examples of power pop. That said, my deep and abiding affection for Todd Rundgren's "Couldn't I Just Tell You" doesn't ameliorate the toxic absurdity of cranky curmudgeon Todd's recent old-man-yelling-at-clouds dismissal of Taylor Swift's music as "the apotheosis of mediocrity." In a world where the biggest hits of Journey and Bob Seger already exist, it's condescending and absurd to refer to Swift in such obnoxious terms. "The apotheosis of mediocrity?" Have you heard any friggin' Bro Country songs, Todd?

(To be clear: I don't consider myself a Swiftie, and I really dig only a relative handful of her recordings. For more of my perhaps-unlikely testimonial on behalf of Taylor Swift, read here. And we still love ya, Todd. But it's time for your meds, Pops.) 

PLASTICSOUL: J'adore

Oui! California's Plasticsoul were the very first Big Stir Recording Artists, signing with the then-new label for the group's 2017 album Therapy. They return now with "J'adore," a fresh blast of corrosive and combustible rockin' pop that stands as the opening salvo from their forthcoming new album. Ain't nothin' plastic here, my friends. 

THE DIXIE CUPS: Iko Iko

From a previous post:

Like Mary Poppins and the Ramones, the Dixie Cups' "Iko Iko" is practically perfect in every way. There's also much to be said for the group's originally-unreleased alternate version (which refers to a boy as "a sex machine," and probably wouldn't have made it to the radio in 1965), but nothing compares to the well-known hit rendition. The Greatest Record Ever Made? Well...yeah.

BRIJITTE WEST AND THE GREENOWSKIS: Doin' Alright

HOLY...! Man, this is good. I don't think I've had any prior familiarity with Brijitte West and the Greenowskis, nor with Ms. West's previous work with NY Loose. New single "Doin' Alright" scribbles its ornery tags all over and all around that particular tabula rasa, and I am instantly in its thrall. Alright! 

RUSH: Circumstances

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE KENNEDYS: Girl On A Motorcycle

As I write this, I'm looking forward to seeing the Kennedys bring their always-engaging alchemy of coffeehouse pop to a live performance at The 443 Social Club & Lounge in Syracuse. By the time you read this, I will have already witnessed and enjoyed that show. MUSIC IS TIME TRAVEL!! And what better way to travel than with this "Girl On A Motorcycle?" One of my immediate favorite tracks on the Kennedys' superb new album Smoketree (a splendid record that conveys a more rooted version of the Laurel Canyon vibe, RIYL Gene Clark), "Girl On A Motorcycle" spins here again Sunday night. 

MORE time travel! Rev it, girl. Rev it.

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My new book of short stories Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is out now, and you can get autographed copies of the new book, its six-chapter novelette digest A Band Called GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!, and my previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) directly from me. You can still get my previous 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.

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. 

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: 1/20/2023

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 # 1164. This show is available as a podcast.

THE SMITHEREENS: House We Used To Live In

This week marked my 63rd birthday. The start of my 64th solar revolution coincides with the ritual emptying of my late mom's house, as my family prepares for the transition of our childhood home into the hands of its new owners. It is time, and it's okay. But in that context, there was only one song that could possibly open this week's show. Sing, you Smithereens. 

MIKE BROWNING: Blood Of Oblivion

"Blood Of Oblivion" is the latest single from Mike Browning, an able 'n' engaging cover of a 1967 track by an obscure Denver, Colorado group called the Rainy Daze. I was not at all familiar with the original, so Mike's version prompted me to bop over to YouTube and check that one out, too. And it's pretty good--if it's possible for something to be both psychedelic and sunshine pop at the same time, that description would apply to the Rainy Daze's "Blood Of Oblivion"--and I can dig why Mike Browning was drawn to it in the first place. Hell, I wish I'd heard it a bit earlier in my own timeline.

That said, I do prefer Mike's version. The Rainy Daze bring a period-appropriate...I dunno, preciousness to their recording; it's cool, and very much of its time. Mike approaches the song in a more straightforward fashion, creating a track that's radio-ready in the here and now. Radio-ready? Hey, WE have a radio show! And we're ready to play this again next week.

THE RAMONES: Go Mental

If I seem melancholy about my age or about letting go of the house I used to live in, let me assure you I'm not. I embrace birthdays; every year you can add to your c.v. is another celebratory two-word kiss-off to all of your accumulated naysayers. You even get to choose your own two words, though the second word does tend to be ...YOU! 

I'm not suggesting "Go Mental!" as an appropriate choice either. But the music of the Ramones has been a huge part of my life for 45 years, and I hope it's going to be an even larger part of my life in 2023. Any excuse to play the Ramones is fine by me. And, oddly enough, we'd never gotten around to playing this track from the group's 1978 Road To Ruin album until now. Go mental? Okeydokey. We've never had all that far to go. The road goes on.

PEGGY LEE: Fever

There is cool, and then there is cool. Cool-as-a-fever cool. No other approximation of cool has ever been anywhere near the sizzling cool of Peggy Lee's 1958 absolute annexation of Little Willie John's "Fever." What a lovely way to burn.

THE TRAMMPS: Disco Inferno

The Trammps were a soul group from Philadelphia. They're recalled as a one-hit wonder for "Disco Inferno," though the group did break into the lower region of the Top 40 with previous singles "Hold Back The Night" (# 35 pop, # 11 R & B, and later covered ably by Graham Parker and the Rumour) and "That's Where The Happy People Go" (# 35 pop/# 10 R & B). "Disco Inferno" was their only big hit, and it wasn't really a pop hit at all upon its initial release in 1976, its flame extinguished at a peak of # 53 (though it did manage # 9 on the R & B chart). This particular inferno did not seem likely to provide an eternal flame.

But then: 1977. Saturday Night Fever. And everything changed.

I have never seen this movie. I say this not as some point of smug, misplaced pride in my place outside the mainstream; even as my taste has expanded sufficiently to embrace some of the disco music I once claimed to hate, my disinterest in discos and the disco scene remains stubborn and resolute. Maybe I'd like Saturday Night Fever if I gave it a chance. I have no immediate inclination to give it that chance. And the passage of time has not mellowed my disdain for the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever."

"Disco Inferno" rises above all of that. Jesus, what an expertly crafted, perfectly produced record. The bass, the beat, the brass, the vocals, the pure soul. I heard somebody say. It transcends disco itself, just as the best power pop tracks transcend genre to be fully and simply what they are: great records. Burn baby burn. The dancefloor's getting hot. The DJ has just the right song for that situation.

THE DIXIE CUPS: Iko Iko

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING RANDY KLAWON: Get The Message

RANDY KLAWON & JIM BONFANTI: Marlo Maybe

Guitarist Randy Klawon established his bona fides in the Cleveland music scene during the '60s, playing with the Choir and Cyrus Erie. He entered the TIRnRRverse last year, when Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes recruited Klawon to work with the 'Cubes on their cover of Cyrus Erie's "Get The Message." Klawon also teamed with Flashcubes bassist Gary Frenay and drummer Tommy Allen to form the Halfcubes, whose ace cover of the Guess Who's "Hand Me Down World" makes us eager to hear more.

Now, Klawon has joined forces with former Raspberries drummer Jim Bonfanti for a new single, "Marlo Maybe." Commenting on the track's origin, Klawon says, "I wanted to write a song that I imagined could have been a single by the Hollies, tapping into their great harmonies and fingerprint guitar lines." Mission accomplished! Will next week's TIRnRR bring another spin of "Marlo Maybe?" Strike the "maybe." Marlo for sure, my friends. Marlo for damned sure. 

THE CYNZ: Tell That Girl To Shut Up

A Holly and the Italians cover? Yeah, we approve. I confess I didn't really get into Transvision Vamp's UK hit version at the time of its 1988 release (though I like it a lot more now than I did then), but the Cynz can nearly stand toe-to-toe with Holly and her paisans. Considering the fact that Holly and the Italians' 1981 album The Right To Be Italian remains among my favorites of the '80s, that ain't faint praise. Tell that girl to TESTIFY!

THE RAMONES: I Don't Want To Grow Up

As always: Don't wanna. Won't need to. Ain't gonna.

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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.

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE: Iko Iko

This was prepared as a chapter in my hypothetical book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), but is not part of that project's current blueprint.

An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!

THE DIXIE CUPS: Iko Iko

Written by James Crawford, Barbara Ann Hawkins, Rosa Lee Hawkins, and Joan Marie Johnson

Produced by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Ellie Greenwich, and Jeff Barry

Single, Red Bird Records, 1965

Like Mary Poppins and the Ramones, the Dixie Cups' "Iko Iko" is practically perfect in every way. There's also much to be said for the group's originally-unreleased alternate version (which refers to a boy as "a sex machine," and probably wouldn't have made it to the radio in 1965), but nothing compares to the well-known hit rendition. The Greatest Record Ever Made? Well...yeah.

"Iko Iko" predates the Dixie Cups, beginning its life as "Jock-A-Mo," a 1953 Checker Records 78 by Sugar Boy and his Cane Cutters. It was written by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford himself, a New Orleans pianist who crafted the tale of conflict between tribes of Mardi Gras Indians. Y'know, like West Side Story, without the star-crossed romance, and a few years before Officer Krupke. It didn't matter what the song's story was about; listeners heard lyrics about "jock-a-mo" and "iko iko" and presumed it was another "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." Crawford likely had no grander ambition than that anyway.

The Dixie Cups, a vocal group comprised of two sisters and a cousin--Barbara Ann Hawkins, Rosa Lee Hawkins, and Joan Marie Johnson--were also from New Orleans. They had a # 1 smash in 1964 with the Jeff Barry-Ellie Greenwich song "Chapel Of Love," the first single issued by Mike Leiber, Jerry Stoller, and George Goldner's Red Bird Records label. The Dixie Cups followed "Chapel Of Love"  with the # 12 hit "People Say," also by Barry-Greenwich, also on Red Bird, also in '64. Subsequent singles did not fare as well. 

The group's next and final hit was "Iko Iko" in 1965. In his liner notes to the Dixie Cups compilation The Complete Red Bird Recordings, music journalist Bill Dahl chronicles the genesis of the record:

"'Iko Iko' was a percussion-laden Carnival Day strut with saucy lyrics; its taping was unplanned. 'My grandmother used to sing that to us as kids,' says Barbara. 'We were in the process of doing some overdubbing or whatever, or we had just finished with the band, because all of the musicians were gone. And we started singing, and for the music we used a chair, a drumstick, a Coke bottle, an ashtray, and we put drums on it. Got the beat we wanted, and started singing.

"'We didn't realize that Jerry and Mike were in the booth listening. So when we started singing it, they said, "Hey girls, that sounds good! Do it again! Do it again!" So we did, and they turned the tape on. And then afterwards, they came out and talked to us. They said, "Well, what is that?" So we told 'em what it was all about. And that's how it was born...

"'...In my entire life, I had never heard "Jock-A-Mo,"' states Barbara unequivocally."

The members of the Dixie Cups received the songwriting credit on the Red Bird 45 of "Iko Iko," a notable accomplishment by itself, given how routinely the names of producers, moneymen, and random passers-by often made their way into the lucrative publishing end of hitmaking during this era. That seeming triumph is tarnished by tales of group members being screwed over financially and physically abused behind the scenes, an all-too-common occurrence within the cruel world of the entertainment industry. And elsewhere.

It's not implausible that Barbara, Rosa Lee, and Joan really did think "Iko Iko" was just a song their grandmother sang to them...but "Iko Iko" is indeed "Jock-A-Mo," albeit a "Jock-A-Mo" rearranged and rethought from its original solid but generic R & B bop into an all-time girl-group classic. Crawford's name was eventually added back to the credit.

The Dixie Cups deserve credit, too. Would we even know "Jock-A-Mo"/"Iko Iko" if the Dixie Cups hadn't rescued it from obscurity, and remade it into something better? No, most of us would not. For us to notice it, somebody had to set the damned flag on fire. That task fell to the Dixie Cups. Talkin' 'bout hey-now....

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 he

10 SONGS: 10/7/2021

10 Songs is a weekly list of ten songs that happen to be on my mind at the moment. Given my intention to usually write these on Mondays, the lists are often dominated by songs played on the previous 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 # 1097.

THE RAMONES: I Just Want To Have Something To Do

Well. Don't we all? Watch this space. Take it, C.J.!

THE CRUSHING VIOLETS: A Groovy Kind Of Love

We are a DIY radio show. We operate on a not-for-profit community radio station, broadcasting on low-power FM in the Syracuse market and webcasting to the four corners of the globe. The latter exercise continues to puzzle us, as we do realize that globes don't have corners. Nonetheless: onward! We pick our own playlists, concoct our own hype, and hope that only the music explodes, and not the equipment.

Each week, Dana and I sift through past favorites, recent acquisitions (both fresh and vintage), and sparklin' NEW releases to slap a show together. The process is as benevolent as an evil agenda can be.

Antanina Brooks has been following TIRnRR for a little bit, and she reached out to us to see if we might be interested in playing something by her own combo, the Crushing Violets. Okeydokey! Antanina sent us the latest Crushing Violets EP A Dream Without Color, and we picked their cover of the Mindbenders' "A Groovy Kind Of Love" to introduce the Crushing Violets to our little PlayTone Galaxy O' Stars. We'll aim to include one of the group's original songs in next week's show. 

THE DIXIE CUPS: Iko Iko

A sneak peek behind the curtain of TIRnRR's programming: this track was not originally in this week's playlist, at least not as Dana and I set it up on Tuesday. Prerecording the shows allows the luxury of occasionally changing my mind about one of my selections. I had another song in this spot--a popular hit record from the '70s, and a fine tune its own right--but it just didn't fit the flow of the playlist. Feel is a huge part of this little mutant radio program, and the feel wasn't there in this case. The Dixie Cups were available to come off the bench instead. The show is saved!

THE DUKES OF STRATOSPHEAR: Vanishing Girl

XTC, calling themselves the Dukes of Stratosphear, sounding like the Hollies, but in reality still XTC. I'm resilient when it comes to pop music, so none of that makes my head hurt. There are days when this is my favorite XTC track.

KID GULLIVER: Stupid Little Girl

Kid Gulliver has become a TIRnRR Fave Rave over the last, I dunno, year and a half or something. Sometimes a specific song--in this case, Kid Gulliver's fabulous "Forget About Him"--just sticks, and we wind up playing it a lot, a go-to track that defines whatever it is we do on this show. This feeds an interest in playing more of the artist's work. We generally play each Kid Gulliver single as soon as it's released.

"Stupid Little Girl" is the latest single, originally part of the group's 2021 EP Gimme Some Go! It was the only Gimme Some Go! cut we hadn't gotten around to playing--primarily because..hey, SQUIRREL!--but we've now remedied that with deliberate dispatch. We're not, y'know, stupid. It's also a video, and it's part of Kid Gulliver's first-ever full-length album, the just-released Kismet. Kismet collects all of your Kid Gulliver go-tos in one irresistible package, from "Boy In A Bubble" and "Beauty School Dropout" through TIRnRR Pick Hit "Forget Abou Him" and their cover of the Bee Gees' "I Started A Joke." Your helpful radio hosts suggest you buy it awready. Fave Raves need love, too.

THE ON AND ONS: Better Every Day

The On And Ons' 2020 EP Menacing Smile scored some significant burn on the ol' playlists, particularly with the ace track "9 Days." And you'd best prepare for additional scorch marks, because the On and Ons are BACK FOR MORE! Yes, as in Back For More, which is the title of their brand-new album. I am so clever it itches. But man, is this ever good stuff. Haven't decided yet whether we'll skip around the record for additional tracks, or if we'll just keep on (and on) pounding "Better Every Day." We win either way. And so do you!

IRENE PEÑA: In This Room

As much as I hate being late to a party, a great party can embrace the tardy and make us feel as welcome as its first revelers. It's been ten years since the release of Nothing To Do With You, the debut album from Irene Peña. We didn't hear about Irene until late 2016 (a story told here), and we've been playing catch-up ever since. 

And Irene's made it easy for everyone to catch up, as she continues the tenth-anniversary celebration of Nothing To Do With You by issuing each of its eleven tracks as individual digital singles, one single per month. We're up to track/single/divine gift # 8 with "In This Room," another luxurious sample of the sublime songcraft of Irene Peña. Late to the party? Yeah, that's me. Sorry about that! But I'm glad to be here now.

PRINCE: Hot Summer

"Hot Summer," from Prince's 2021 release Welcome 2 America, has become such a welcome earworm that I don't care that I'm still playing a summer song as the leaves fall and the temperature drops. I don't even care that I despise hot weather anyway. This song shines. Hot summer, yeah!

THE ROMANTICS: National Breakout

I never owned very many prerecorded cassettes. There were a few I recall--the soundtrack to Billy Jack, the New York Dolls' Too Much Too Soon, the Pretenders' Learning To Crawl, a fantastic Kinks collection called Golden Hour Of The Kinks, a various-artist gem called Garage Sale, a couple of budget Beatles albums, tapes by various local and/or indie acts, and a few others--but cassettes were mere conveniences for me. I'd occasionally pick up a cassette if the, y'know, real album--the LP--wasn't available.

I don't know why an LP of the Romantics' second album,1980's National Breakout, wouldn't have been available when I was in the market for or it; for whatever forgotten reason, I wound up with the tape instead. And I loved the title tune, which remains one of my top Romantics tracks. It should have been their national breakout, but the Romantics were still waiting for that grand success in 1980. Yeah, "What I Like About You" was on their debut album, but it wasn't a hit at the time; it became familiar after the fact, courtesy of MTV, but it never breached the Top 40. Nor did anything from National Breakout, nor from their heavier follow-up Strictly Personal. 1983's In Heat, with its hit singles "Talking In Your Sleep" and "One In A Million," was what finally gave the Romantics the national breakout they deserved.

I have the National Breakout album on CD now. I still have the cassette, too. I never did own it on vinyl.

THE NUTLEY BRASS: I Wanna Be Sedated

Well. Don't we all?

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