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: 8/10/2024

10 Songs is a weekly list of ten songs that happen to be on my mind at the moment. The lists are usually dominated by songs played on the previous Sunday night's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. The idea was inspired by Don Valentine of the essential blog I Don't Hear A Single.  

This week's edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1245.

COLMAN GOTA: Don't Stop Playing Guitar

"Don't stop playing guitar." Good advice, and it's good advice even if you're as crappy 'n' inept a player as I am. Rephrase it as "Don't stop honing your skills or mode of expression," and it's a freaking credo. Sing. Act. Write. Paint. Pencil. Photograph. Sculpt. Design. Build. Create. 

And don't stop.

Don't Stop Playing Guitar also serves as an apt title for a snappy new album from guitar-pop maestro Colman Gota. We open this week's shindig with Colman's titular statement of intent, and revel in the sheer thrill of doing. Play on, Colman. Play on.

SLYBOOTS: Blindsided

I confess I had not heard of NYC group Slyboots before May of this year, when we received (and programmed) their ace cover of Meat Puppets' "Oh, Me." A subsequent deeper dip into the Slyboots songbook yielded "Blindsided," an irresistible track from 2023 that stands a fair shot of making our year-end countdown of TIRnRR's most-played tracks in 2024. Luxurious and irresistible, "Blindsided" will continue its march to the countdown this Sunday night. 

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

Yep.

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

The Monkees usually get a spin in each week's TIRnRR playlist, but this week their too-busy-singing-to-put-anybody-down slot is instead occupied by Monkees tangent Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart. DJB&H was the 1970s collaboration between actual Monkees Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones and frequent Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. The guys who sang 'em and the guys who wrote 'em! The group did one studio album and one import live album, and both albums were combined in 2022 for a 2-CD reissue courtesy of 7a Records.

From the live disc, we offer a lively in-concert rendition of "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight," Boyce and Hart's biggest hit as performers. I love Tommy and Bobby's hit studio version, but I love the song even more with Micky and Davy helping out. 

THE RAMONES: Babysitter

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE COWSILLS: She Said To Me

With the publication of my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), it seemed a fine idea to play one of the tracks I discuss in that book. In a recent interview I did on the book's behalf, journalist Jeff Tamarkin asked me why I picked "She Said To Me"-- a relatively obscure song from the Cowsills' 1998 album Global-- to represent that group's splendor, rather than one of their big '60s hits (like "The Rain, The Park And Other Things"). I replied in part:

"Addressing a well-known act’s grooves less traveled can be its own best reward. It’s not hipsterism; I despise hipsterism. It’s just a deeper dive, best realized without snark or derision. I love the Cowsills’ earlier work, especially 'Hair' and 'Love American Style.' The Global stuff enhances my affection for what came before. Like I say about the Monkees’ box office dud Head: It’s the grit that gives the cotton candy substance...."

You can read the whole interview here. (And Jeff later mentioned how much he loves the Cowsills' 2022 album Rhythm Of The World, but that Global somehow escaped his notice until now. Any record you ain't heard is a new record.)

BALLZY TOMORROW: Double Our Numbers

We have said this many times, yet it bears repeating: Enthusiasm is its own reward.

Enthusiasm drives our individual fandom, and I mean that in a good way. It certainly drives this little mutant radio show. Sure, there can be something said on behalf of detached objectivity...but ferchrissakes not in pop music, or at least not when we're listening to pop music. Objectivity? No. Not on our watch.

Robbie Rist occasionally feigns detachment, but he's never afraid to let his enthusiasm be known. Robbie loves pop as much as anyone loves pop; he loves it unashamedly, proudly. As a performer, Robbie will not hesitate to share his own enthusiasm with the audience

Case in point: Robbie Rist loves the music of Parthenon Huxley, particularly the music on Parthenon Huxley's 1988 album Sunny Nights, and most particularly the Sunny Nights track "Double Our Numbers."

Robbie is right about all of that. "Double Our Numbers" is exquisite, and the subject of one of my Greatest Record Ever Made! rants (and a seeming shoo-in for the hypothetical GREM! Volume 2). The song never became the rockin' pop staple it deserved to be, and I don't think it's available on any current streaming service.

So Robbie's kept the song alive, with a faithful rendition released under his Ballsy Tomorrow dba, all the while tipping his hat and dutifully applying heart to sleeve in recognition of Parthenon Huxley's original.

If you love a song, you wanna play that song, sing that song, dance to that song. And you want to introduce that song to your friends. 

Double our numbers. Triple our numbers. Robbie Rist has the right idea. Greater strength in numbers. Enthusiasm rewards and renews.  

THE RUBINOOS: Honey From The Honeycombs

THE HONEYCOMBS: Have I The Right

When we saw the Rubinoos a couple of weeks ago--and again: DREAM COME TRUE!--their live set included "Honey From The Honeycombs," a track from the Rubinoos' 2019 album From Home, and an irresistible tribute to Honey Lantree, drummer for '60s British Invasion combo the Honeycombs. Abuzz in the afterglow of live Rubinoos, it was therefore inevitable that our next playlist would have to include a two-fer of "Honey From The Honeycombs" into the Honeycombs' own classic "Have I The Right." That's OUR right. Take it, Honey!

(And, although I've written two Greatest Record Ever Made! essays about the Rubinoos ["I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice"], I am way, way overdue to cast the ol' GREM! spotlight on "Have I The Right." I'll get to it. Come right back!)

sparkle*jets u.k.: You Complete Me

The current sparkle*jets u.k. album Box Of Letters is so good, just so, so good. "You Complete Me" is the fifth different Box Of Letters to secure TIRnRR airplay so far, and a sixth will find its way into this Sunday's radio party. Yeah, enthusiasm is its own reward. 

It completes us.

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 for order; you can see details here. My 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is also still available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. 

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: 7/28/2022

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 # 1139.

JAMIE HOOVER [with MICHAEL RUIZ and ELENA ROGERS]: Kim Kardashian

I am not putting a picture of K** K********* on my blog. No way. No how.

But we will play this new song about she-who-will-not-be-named (or at least she who's not named beyond noting this track's title). I mean, ya can't go wrong playing Jamie Hoover, Jamie can't go wrong enlisting assistance from Michael Ruiz and Elena Rogers, and we all do right by supporting Pop Aid, the 3-CD Ukraine benefit compilation where you'll find this track. I betcha even K** K********* herself would approve. Hell, I don't know her; maybe she's swell at heart, and has been judged unfairly by pop culture at large. It's possible that K** really isn't as bad as her empty, famous-for-being-famous image implies.

Still not putting a picture of her on my blog, though.

HONEY CONE: One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (Part 1)

From a previous 10 Songs entry about Honey Cone's biggest hit "Want Ads:" 

"Bubblesoul. Honey Cone's 1971 # 1 smash 'Want Ads' is one of the definitive examples of that late '60s/early '70s hybrid of pure, bouncy AM radio sugar performed by black artists. Think early Jackson Five and Freda Payne's 'Band Of Gold,' or the shoulda-been-hit-singles by Josie and the Pussycats (with the incredible Patrice Holloway on lead vocals) as reference points. 'Bubblesoul.' Nothing else describes it better, except maybe YEAH!"

The visceral appeal of "Want Ads"--WANTED! YOUNG MAN, SINGLE AND FREE!--is undeniable; if Plato had returned in the 1970s to apply his concept of forms to my concept of bubblesoul, he'da proclaimed "Want Ads" as form-ready bubblesoul. That Plato--he was something. 

For all that, though, I may still prefer Honey Cone's # 15 hit "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show," also from 1971. When Honey Cone's lead singer Edna Wright died in 2020, I wrote this about the latter song:

"I don't know if pundits consider bubblesoul to be a proper sub-genre. Unlike power pop, I do think bubblesoul is tied to a specific timeframe: late '60s/early '70s, AM radio music, performed (mostly) by black artists but with an unabashed ambition for crossover success...

"...Honey Cone's lead singer Edna Wright passed away recently. We played the group's biggest hit 'Want Ads' not long ago, and we chose to pay tribute to Wright this week with a spin of the lesser hit 'One Monkey Don't Stop No Show,' an effervescent number with both bubble and soul to spare."

The show must go on! And I still owe myself a deeper dive into the Honey Cone catalog.

HAYLEY MARY: Like A Woman Should

As I've mentioned here a time or several (hundred), many of my playlist selections are inspired by whatever random tracks my iPod shuffles through during my daily commutes. Music in the car, man; you can't beat music in the car. Hayley Mary's absolutely awesome 2020 single "Like A Woman Should" was first suggested to us by intrepid TIRnRR listener Dave Murray late last year, and I believe it made its way to our show just once, on 11/14/2021. Even though I adored the track on first spin, the combined distractions of time, choice, and short attention span prevented its return to the ol' playlist until now.

I know I drone on at length about my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). I'd apologize for that...but I'm not gonna. One should not regret enthusiasm, and GREM! is built almost entirely from my own giddy enthusiasm for rockin' pop music. My enthusiasm for Hayley Mary's "Like A Woman Should" was sufficient to make me consider adding a chapter about the song in my book. That would have made it the most recent track discussed there; Eytan Mirsky's 2012 "This Year's Gonna Be Our Year" and First Aid Kit's 2014 "America" are otherwise the newest things included. 

Even though I elected not to include Hayley Mary in the GREM! book, by God, it certainly qualifies. An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Give Hayley Mary one of those infinite turns. Credit Dave Murray for bringing this wonderful record to our attention. And thank my iPod for getting it back on the TIRnRR playlist, where it also belongs. Thanks, iPod. Another job well done.

NICK FRATER: Stuck In My Ways

PREVIOUSLY ON THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO WITH DANA & CARL: On last week's pulse-poundin' episode, we debuted "The Love Songs Of Simon Love," the non-album virtual B-side from the new Nick Frater single "Dancing With A Gertrude." Our promise to follow that with more new Nick Frater music on this week's show may have led you to believe we were finally going to play "Dancing With A Gertrude." Reasonable expectation, right? 

But NO! Plot twist! With Nick's new album Aerodrome Motel now available for preorder from our friends at Big Stir Records, we circled around dear Gertrude and went straight for an album track instead. We did this because...look, I have no idea why we do anything. We're just here to play records. "Stuck In My Ways" sounds like a single, too, so it was a natural fit for whatever the hell it is we do on TIRnRR. 

With that said, we're not necessarily all that stuck in our ways. Worry not, Gertrude; you're on our dance card for next week. And we hear you cut a really mean rug. Stay tuned.

DOLENZ, JONES, BOYCE & HART: It Always Hurts The Most In The Morning

To fans of the Monkees, the folks at London's 7a Records label are the good guys, heroes rescuing lost, forgotten, out-of-print, and otherwise unavailable solo projects by Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith. 7a was also the home to Dolenz's fabulous 2021 album Dolenz Sings Nesmith (and its 2022 EP sequel). MonkeeMen, AWAY!

And now, 7a has given us this new 2-CD set Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart, preserving the entire officially-released works of the mid-'70s partnership of Micky and Davy with Monkees songwriters and producers Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, combining the guys who sang 'em and the guys who wrote 'em. The 7a package includes the group's eponymous 1976 album and the subsequent live document Concert In Japan. The latter serves up on-stage performances of various Monkees classics, Boyce and Hart's own hit "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight," and a medley of Boyce and/or Hart songs that were hits for other artists.

The Concert In Japan disc also gives us live renditions of four songs from the DJB&H studio album. And honestly, the studio album is the main reason I bought this package. It's not that the album itself is the equal of the Monkees' best material--it is not--but it's an essential almost, the closest thing to a Monkees reunion album after the group's 1970 farewell Changes (which was just Micky and Davy by then) and until 1987's Micky-Davy-Peter effort Pool It! The 1996 all-four-Monkees album Justus included the Monkees' remake of the DJB&H track "You And I." Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart ain't exactly Headquarters or Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd., but it has its moments, and I'm delighted that it's available again.

I have my original copies of both DJB&H LPs, but I'm generally more likely to play the studio stuff. Having it all on CD makes it easier to program into TIRnRR playlists. We've played the album's single "I Remember The Feeling" a time or three in the past, and we've played the "Steppin' Stone"-inspired LP cut "You Didn't Feel That Way Last Night (Don't You Remember)" more than a few times. This week, armed with my copy of 7a's new double-disc edition of Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart, we played "It Always Hurts The Most In The Morning." And what the hell, we'll get to one of the live tracks next week. We appreciate the efforts of our heroes. To the good guys at 7a: we Monkees fans thank you for your service.

THE VILLAS: Someone To Hold On To

Aw, this is such a nice little pop song. We've been playing Allentown, PA's phenomenal pop combo the Villas since their debut album Secrets in 2000, with a particular emphasis on its irresistible track "Pull You Back." Along the way, I became especially taken with "Someone To Hold On To," this as-yet-unreleased gem produced by the legendary Ed Stasium and featuring alternating lead vocals from Bill and Angie Villa. Goosebumps! When it was time to start slappin' together our own forthcoming Kool Kat Musik compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5, the Villas' "Someone To Hold On To" was an automatic selection. Bringing this fine song to retail is our public service. Hold on to it.

THE FLASHCUBES: Christi Girl [live at the Firebarn, May 26 1979]

This week's playlist commentary detailed my history with the Flashcubes' first single "Christi Girl" in 1978, and pounded the console on behalf of this great new Big Stir single of "Christi Girl," recorded live at my favorite Syracuse nightclub in 1979. Today's "Christi Girl" entry in 10 Songs serves as another urgent reminder to buy the damned single awready. If you never had the honor of witnessing the Flashcubes perform, this single (and the Flashcubes On Fire album from which it's taken) offer you a next-best chance to compensate. And if you were there, this is a souvenir you should not resist.

OFF BROADWAY USA: Stay In Time

As the pop world mourns the loss of Off Broadway USA singer Cliff Johnson, I recall that I came to his group's wonderful body of work well after the fact. Off Broadway's debut album On was released in 1979, but I don't think I had even heard of them prior to the early '90s. If memory serves (as it occasionally does), I first heard of the group via a Goldmine reader named Anthony Gliozzo, who enjoyed my 1993 GM piece about the Flamin' Groovies and attendant interview with the Groovies' Cyril Jordan. Anthony got in touch with me, and we talked about pop music. His enthusiastic recommendation of Off Broadway provided my first conscious awareness of the group.

That same year, Off Broadway's "Stay In Time" was included on Shake It Up!, the second of two American power pop compilations in Rhino Records' superswell DIY series; its companion volume Come Out And Play provided the Flashcubes' first-ever appearance on CD. A spin of "Stay In Time" confirmed that Mr. Gliozzo was justified in his praise of Off Broadway USA, and I dutifully tracked down On and its 1980 follow-up Quick Turns.

Before forming Off Broadway, Cliff Johnson had been a member of the mighty Pezband, though he left that group before their 1977 debut album; Pezband bassist Mike Gorman joined Off Broadway in time for Quick Turns, and Pezband's frontman Mimi Betinis pitched in for 1997's Fallin' In, Off Broadway's third and final studio album.

Fallin' In is a very good album, and we'll hear one of its tracks on next week's show. But this week, as we remember the life and work of Cliff Johnson, we play Off Broadway's signature tune from '79, the hit that almost was, peaking at # 51 on the Hot 100. Shoulda been Top Ten. Stay in time, boy, don't get out of line, boy. Rest in peace, Cliff. Now and forever: it's On.

LITTLE RICHARD: The Girl Can't Help It

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE MONKEES: Birth Of An Accidental Hipster

This week's show was already programmed and prerecorded well before the news broke that director and producer Bob Rafelson had passed. Beyond Rafelson's accomplishment in the world of film, he really looms largest in TIRnRR's legend as the co-creator (with Bert Schneider) of The Monkees.

Some may consider The Monkees a footnote in Rafelson's long and celebrated career, a novelty worthy of passing note in charting his path to direct, write, and/or produce Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, and The Last Picture Show, among others. But the Monkees--the TV show, the band, the brand, all of it--impacted me to a degree that far exceeds my ability to measure it. Like my friend Rich Firestone says, the Monkees have been good to me. And the Monkees wouldn't have happened if the Raybert duo of Rafelson and Schneider didn't create them.

We play the Monkees pretty often on TIRnRR. They're one of our all-time most-played acts, and the stack of TIRnRR playlists that include at least one Monkees track is way, way taller than the stack of Monkees-free TIRnRR playlists. 

I dig the unintended Oh, but of course...! that the Monkees track we played the night after Bob Rafelson died was "Birth Of An Accidental Hipster." Not that there was anything accidental (nor remotely--ugh--hipster) about Rafelson himself; he seemed to always know what he was doing, or if he didn't know, he could figure out what to do next. But I do believe the Monkees' prevailing relevance, decades after the fact, surpassed Bert and Bob's expectations. From the Monkees' triumphant 2016 album Good Times!, "Birth Of An Accidental Hipster" had nothing whatsoever to do with Raybert. But it was nonetheless part of the end result of the maverick creative fire they sparked so many years ago. High on a roof top, singing a song, choirs of angels all sing along. Accidents will happen. Brilliance is deliberate. And here it comes, walkin' down the street. Godspeed, Raybert.

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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.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

10 SONGS: 6/4/2021

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 # 1079.

MICKY DOLENZ: Circle Sky

For a very long time, I've wanted an episode of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio to spotlight Micky Dolenz as a Featured Performer. I can't explain why it took me so long to get around to following through with that intent, but the release of Dolenz's stunning new album Dolenz Sings Nesmith, a collection that offers Mr. Mick covering 14 songs written by his friend and coworker Michael Nesmith, moved the notion to an urgent Do It NOW!! status. 

There are rules in place that govern how many tracks we can play by a specific act in a single show: Four. That's it. You can't pull off a proper Feature with just four songs. Fortunately, Micky's long career has provided enough varied rockin' DBAs for us to get the job done in this case. Four songs by Micky with his most famous combo, The Monkees. A bunch of other limited-use billings. And four solo tracks.

We've been playing "Different Drum," the first single off Dolenz Sings Nesmith, and I knew I wanted to close the main part of this week's show with that. I wanted to play "Many Years," a track from Micky's 2012 album Remember. I wanted to play a side from his 2016 7a Records single "Chance Of A Lifetime"/"Livin' On Lies," opting for the latter. I wanted to play a lot more of Micky's solo recordings, especially some of his '70s and '80s single sides, but we couldn't do that. Four is the number. The number is four. It made more sense to open and close the show with Dolenz Sings Nesmith. "Different Drum" at the end. "Circle Sky" at the beginning.

"Circle Sky" was performed live by The Monkees in their bitter and brilliant 1968 film Head, with Nesmith singing lead. Dolenz Sings Nesmith producer Christian Nesmith came up with a decidedly different arrangement of the song for this album, employing an approach based on traditional Indian music. The result is mesmerizing, and congruent with the memory of Micky in the audience at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (as seen in Monterey Pop), smiling the widest smile ever as he applauded the performance by Ravi Shankar. There was no other choice: TIRnRR's Micky Dolenz Feature had to begin with "Circle Sky."

MICKY DOLENZ WITH CIRCE LINK AND CHRISTIAN NESMITH: Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)/Good Morning, Good Morning

The original Head soundtrack included two of Dolenz's finest vocal performances: "As We Go Along" and "Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)." The latter is my favorite Monkees track, an absolute gem written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, and the subject of a chapter in my eventual book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). The song is represented on this week's playlist by a sublime acoustic live take, credited to Micky Dolenz with Circe Link and Christian Nesmith. And calling it sublime is selling it short. 

This "Porpoise Song" segues seamlessly into a cover of The Beatles' "Good Morning, Good Morning" that I may prefer to the Sgt. Pepper original. That's not a knock against The Beatles (my # 1 top group all-time), but merely an acknowledgement of the fact that the Fabs didn't have Circe Link and Micky's sister Coco Dolenz on backing vocals. 

(The Beatles' version of "Good Morning, Good Morning" was heard briefly at the beginning of the final episode of The Monkees TV series, an episode directed by Micky. It is one of very few instances of The Beatles allowing one of their tracks to be used in a TV series: Mad Men's use of "Tomorrow Never Knows" is the only other example I can think of. The Beatles liked The Monkees. 

The feeling was mutual.

MICKY DOLENZ AND PETER TORK (OF THE MONKEES): That Was Then, This Is Now

Managing a record store at the time of resurgent Monkeemania in 1986 offered the unique buzz of talking to young record-buyers in active pursuit of LPs and 45s by this group they'd seen on MTV. The timing could have been better--there wasn't a lot of Monkees product in print--but I enjoyed being there to advise the new fans on what was available at retail, and to help them identify some of the Monkees songs that MTV had taught them. Rhino Records had begun a licensing deal that would eventually see all of The Monkees' original LPs reissued. And Arista Records, which controlled the catalog at the time, was keen to capitalize with a greatest-hits set, Then And Now...The Best Of The Monkees.

Even working in record retail, the first I heard that there would also be new Monkees tracks was when my upstairs neighbor Cheryl mentioned it to me. She heard it on the radio. See? Always listen to the radio. Also, like, listen to girls. Then And Now would include not one, not two, but THREE brand-new Monkees recordings. HuzZAH!

The new single was "That Was Then, This Is Now," a song written by Vance Brescia and originally recorded by his own ace garage-pop combo The Mosquitos. I don't remember if I heard the song before buying it, but I for damned sure bought it at my very first oppotunity. And I loved it. NEW MUSIC FROM THE MONKEES!

Except...it wasn't credited to The Monkees.

Three of the four Monkees--Micky, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones, with Nesmith abstaining--had already announced a reunion tour. But "That Was Then, This Is Now" was credited to "Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork (of The Monkees)." Davy's name was conspicuous by its absence. He wanted nothing to do with the song, nor its new Then And Now LP companions "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" and "Kicks" (an undistinguished cover of the Paul Revere and the Raiders hit). 

So The Monkees' 1986 return to the Top 20 on Billboard's Hot 100 wasn't technically by The Monkees. Technically. It's as much a Monkees record as anything on The Monkees or More Of The Monkees albums, and as much a Monkees record as 1971's non-hit "Do It In The Name Of Love," which was credited to Mickey [sic] Dolenz and Davy Jones. The billing amounts to an asterisk, I guess. However you credit it, it was The Monkees' final Top 20 single.

DOLENZ, JONES, BOYCE & HART: You Didn't Feel That Way Last Night (Don't You Remember)

The idea of a Monkees reunion was first approached around 1976, ten years after the birth of The Monkees. Nesmith declined, and Tork later said that he wasn't asked to participate (though reports of that vary). Instead, Dolenz and Jones wound up partnering with Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the songwriting team responsible for a number of well-loved Monkees ditties, from "Last Train To Clarksville" through "Valleri." Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart. The guys who wrote 'em and the guys who sang 'em. 

They were an immediately popular live act. That popularity did not translate into record sales, as their eponymous album attracted neither oldies fans nor new pop fans. A collection of mostly original songs and one goofy cover of The Coasters' "Along Came Jones," the album has its moments, but it's not a record I'm prepared to champion. My favorite DHJB&H track is "You Didn't Feel That Way Last Night (Don't You Remember)," a blatant copy of "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone." Boyce and Hart wrote 'em both, and I figure it's okay to plagiarize yourself. 

STARSHIP: It's Amazing To Me

Not the Starship you might be thinking of. Different Starship. Honest to God, if that lot wants to build a city, they should do it elsewhere. No. NO!! This particular Starship was Micky Dolenz and Michael Lloyd, a duo which released just one single in 1972. Lloyd would later produce the three new Then And Now tracks mentioned above. The A-side of Starship's lone 45 featured Mr. Lloyd singing "Johnny B. Goode," and Micky sang the ballad "It's Amazing To Me" on the flip. 

CHUCK BERRY: Johnny B. Goode

Hey, speaking of "Johnny B. Goode." As intrepid TIRnRR listener Bruce Gordon pointed out during this week's show, "Man, after all these years, this song is still over-the-top exciting." Bruce knows his stuff. When Micky Dolenz auditioned for The Monkees in '65 or so, he played "Johnny B. Goode" on guitar. Micky also knows his stuff. 

THE CHECKERED HEARTS: My Best Friend's Girl

We've been playing the music of the ever-fabulous Lisa Mychols since her days with The Masticators (and in many subsequent solo and group incarnations). We've played Hillary Burton's work with her group honeychain and with the latter-day lineup of The Pandoras. We've played Lisa and Hillary together both as Nushu. Now, they're together both again as The Checkered Hearts, with an EP called Joystick due out pretty soon (but not soon enough). The EP's release is heralded by this cover of The Cars' new wave pop stalwart "My Best Friend's Girl." While Dana and I remain mystified by the notion of any erstwhile girl- or boyfriend moving on from Lisa or Hillary, we remain delighted to play their records on the radio. 

BILL LLOYD: Kissed Your Sister

As we've been playing "Any Second Now," the first single off Johnathan Pushkar's new album Compositions, Dana's been struck by the great idea that Johnathan oughtta cover "Kiss Your Sister," a song from Bill Lloyd's 2004 album Back To Even. I concur. Bill's already given his blessing, so: Johnathan! Get to WORK!

RENAISSANCE: Carpet Of The Sun

My embrace of punk in the late '70s left me with little patience for anything resembling progressive rock. My friend Beth loved Renaissance, and although I had no specific objection to them, I couldn't really be bothered with something so far removed from my preferred soundtrack of The Ramones. Never mind that the group was originally formed by two former members of British Invasion greats The Yardbirds (though both Keith Relf and Jim McCarty had left Renaissance by the end of 1970 anyway), and never mind that singer Annie Haslam was drop-dead gorgeous. I was a sullen teen. I had an image to uphold. 

Well, better late than never. A recent YouTube dive brought me to a 1977 clip of Renaissance on TV's The Midnight Special, performing "Carpet Of The Sun." I adored the song, and bought it the next day. It may wind up as the only Renaissance song I ever own, but one never knows. "Northern Lights" was okay, right? I remember that one. Maybe I should get that one, too. Maybe I should listen afresh. That circa-'78 sullen teen doesn't live here anymore.

THE MONKEES: Pleasant Valley Sunday

Micky sang lead on so, so many great Monkees tracks, and limiting ourselves to just four of them was a challenge. "As We Go Along?" "I'm A Believer?" "Last Train To Clarksville?" "The Girl I Knew Somewhere?" "Words?" "Goin' Down?" "For Pete's Sake?" That's not even a preface to a long list of worthy possibilities issued under the Monkees brand name. 

But we made our selections. We had other Dolenz performances of "Porpoise Song," "Steppin' Stone," and "Randy Scouse Git," and we allowed one Monkees cover with The Flashcubes' version of "She." Dana's fondness of "Sometime In The Morning" made that one an obvious choice. The underrated "Oh My My" is my lovely wife Brenda's favorite Monkees track, so that was in. I wanted to include something from 2016's triumphant Good Times! sessions, and opted for the non-album "Terrifying," a track in dire need of much wider exposure and acclaim. That left room for one classic Monkees track from the '60s.

And it had to be "Pleasant Valley Sunday." Book it. This is what I wrote about the song in a previous post detailing my 25 favorite Monkees tracks:

"If we had to pick one track to represent The Monkees, my choice would be "Pleasant Valley Sunday, " the second best song that Gerry Goffin and Carole King wrote for the group.  "Pleasant Valley Sunday" is the definitive Monkees track, with a mix of contributions from The Monkees themselves and their studio pals--Micky on the lead vocal (with Davy and Michael singin' along), Michael on electric guitar, Peter on piano, Davy on percussion, plus bassist Chip Douglas, drummer "Fast" Eddie Hoh, and Bill Chadwick (the latter on acoustic guitar)--performing a track from one of Don Kirshner's favorite songwriting teams, but all engaged in the track to a degree and in a manner that could not have been possible when Kirshner was in charge. Some have condemned the lyrics as too pat and predictable in their dismissal of suburban values, and there's some merit in that criticism. It doesn't matter. The song is perfect, the performance is pristine. The local rock group down the street is working hard to learn their song...and succeeding in that effort beyond anyone's wildest dream."

And here's to one of the voices of that local rock group down the street. This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio humbly salutes Micky Dolenz.

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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.

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