10 SONGS: 10/11/2024

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 # 1254.

THE ON AND ONS: Long Ride

Australia's phenomenal pop combo the On and Ons have been TIRnRR Fave Raves for several years already, and news that the lads are now affiliated with the mighty Jem Records label makes us kvell. Kvelling is a good thing, expressing a giddy 'n' delighted feeling inside. Rockin' pop music makes us kvell. As it oughta.

Two new tracks from the On and Ons' forthcoming Jem Records debut Come On In reinforce our confidence in the kvell-worthy nature of this alliance. We opened this week's broadcast with the better'n nifty Come On In Jem gem "Long Ride," and circled back to open our closing set with its equally-effervescent album mate "Sunny Jim." We'll have a third Come On In treat on our next show. Come on in! The On and Ons have granted us a license to kvell.

DWIGHT TWILLEY: Alone In My Room

I intended to play this great Dwight Twilley track (from his 1979 album Twilley) on last week's epic Cubic Roots salute to songs that inspired the Flashcubes and the Half/Cubes. Recognizing the need to program something from the Flashcubes' sublime 2023 all-covers album Pop Masters, we subbed in the Pop Masters version of "Alone In My Room" and postponed the Twilley original to this week. I give the edge to the Flashcubes' take on this, but ya can't go wrong either way.

CARLA OLSON AND TALL POPPY SYNDROME: Is It True

As pop fans, when we listen to multiple versions of the same song, we often develop an allegiance to the version that hooked us first. For example, with the Dwight Twilley song that opens this week's 10 Songs, my first real awareness of "Alone In My Room" came via the Flashcubes' cover; I probably heard Twilley's original some time before the last couple of weeks, but it was the Cubic rendition that got my attention, and kept it.

So even the combined forces of Carla Olson and Tall Poppy Syndrome may face long odds in trying to pry my devotion away from Brenda Lee with their new cover of our Brenda's 1964 single "Is It True."

"Is It True" is far and away my favorite Brenda Lee track. It wasn't a hit in America, and I didn't hear it until Rhino Records included "Is It True" in the fabulous 2005 various-artists boxed set One Kiss Can Lead To Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost And Found. This amazing 4-CD compilation is like the Nuggets of the '60s girl-group sound, and Brenda Lee's "Is It True" is one of its absolute highlights. I adored the song immediately, and have never stopped loving it.

So my gosh, Carla and her Tall Poppy comrades deserve mega accolades for holding their own here. It's not just that their "Is It True" is accomplished and well-performed--I would have expected nothing less from that level of talent--it's that the elusive mojo is there. You believe them. I believe them. I'm not prepared to relinquish my torch for Brenda Lee's original, but I'm very happy to say that I now have two go-to versions of "Is It True." Is it true? Yep. I'll testify to that under oath. 

LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: No More Goodbyes

What could sway TIRnRR from its single-minded determination to program recent Librarians With Hickeys single "Hello Operator" with the subtle restraint one expects from carpet-bombing? The release of another new Librarians With Hickeys single. Duh. In truth, we played both "Hello Operator" and its brand spankin' new brother "No More Goodbyes" this week, and "No More Goodbyes" will return next week. Even there, I almost played "Hello Operator" again in place of "No More Goodbyes"--I really, really dig "Hello Operator"--but then I realized that I also really, really dig "No More Goodbyes." Both singles serve as teasers for the group's forthcoming new album How To Make Friends By Telephone, and I am secure in the certainty that I am really, really going to dig the whole album when it appears. No more goodbyes. Hello...!

THE CYNZ: Woman Child

Like Librarians With Hickeys, the Cynz are another A-list rock 'n' roll group whose each new release is likely a given for some TIRnRR airplay burn. No reason to make an exception here, as the new Cynz single "Woman Child" offers further empirical evidence of their essential asskickin' capability. Deadly Cynz! "Woman Child" will spin again on our next show.

THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Rebel, Rebel

During my recent guest appearance on Dedication--Fans Remember The Bay City Rollers, I mentioned the slow evolution of my interest in the Rollers. When I was a college student bin the late '70s, I put a Bay City Rollers poster on the wall of my dorm room as an act of defiance...but I didn't actually own a lot of Rollers music at the time. I had two 45s ("Saturday Night" and "Rock And Roll Love Letter") and two LPs (Dedication and It's A Game), and an intense curiosity about one other Rollers song that I didn't yet own. It took a while, but my Rollers collection did grow in time.

On Dedication, hosts Laura Brady and Suz Rostron invited me to list my ten favorite Rollers tracks. My list includes two selections from the It's A Game, but not the track from that album that scored the most turntable time when I was matriculatin': The Bay City Rollers' cover of David Bowie's "Rebel, Rebel."

Nowadays, I rarely play the Rollers' version of "Rebel, Rebel." It's not that I dislike it, but nor is it in the front quarters of my consciousness anymore. I wasn't all that much of a Bowie fan in '78; a Bowie-loving college pal despised the Rollers' version, but I liked it either about the same as or a little more than I liked Bowie's original. At the time. That time changed, as time will do. I have other Rollers tracks I like or love a lot more. 

Nonetheless, after mentioning it on Dedication, it seemed high time for "Rebel, Rebel" by the Bay City Rollers to make its return to This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. I do now prefer Bowie's original...but I retain my long-ago affection for Tartan-clad rebellion as well. Hot tramp, I love you so. She's a rebel.

DAVID BOWIE: I Dig Everything

So noted, David. So noted.

DONNA SUMMER: Hot Stuff

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE HALF/CUBES: Let Me Make Love To You

During a couple of previous TIRnRR broadcasts, legendary Maui DJ Michael McCartney expressed his appreciation for some of our intrepid programming decisions, specifically noting his delight in blastin' his speakers as we played Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" and delighting in our Cubic Roots spin of Flo and Eddie's "Let Me Make Love To You." This week, we played "Hot Stuff" and the Half/Cubes' cover of "Let Me Make Love To You" (from the Half/Cubes' recent Pop Treasures album) in the same set, and offered both of 'em as a tip o' the hat to everyone's pal Michael. Blast away, Michael! Blast away.

THE FLASHCUBES: Christi Girl

The decision to program the Flashcubes' "Alone In My Room" last week forced us to cut another 'Cubes track we'd planned to play, specifically guitarist Arty Lenin's "When We Close Our Eyes." We figured we would make up for it by spinning an Arty song this week, but instead of "When We Close Our Eyes," we reached all the way back to 1978 for a fresh play of the Flashcubes' debut single.

"Christi Girl" was the Flashcubes' first record, a 45 (backed with "Guernica" and "Got No Mind") released in 1978. It's a pretty pop ballad written by Arty, and it also made its way to a Bomp Records various-artists set called Waves, Vol. 1, and years later it was exhumed for a Rhino Records power pop compilation CD. Since the Flashcubes only released a grand total of two records during their original late '70s run--1979's "Wait Till Next Week"/"Radio" 45 was the other one--"Christi Girl" was, by default, the Flashcubes' best-known song, at least to the extent that any Flashcubes song could be described as "best-known."

Prior to its release in 1978, I haunted Gerber Music in North Syracuse, badgering clerks there nearly every day about when the damned thing would be available for me to buy. The store had an advance promo copy of the 45 at the store, and they indulged me by playing it on the store's stereo, and then instructing me to go away and come back when it's actually released, ya pesky kid.

And I did. Er...plus a few more stops at Gerber in the interim, asking that musical question, Is it in yet? Is it in yet? Is it in yet...? I bought it the first day it was available.

I cannot overstate how important the Flashcubes have been to me. As I've said elsewhere, it's possible that I would have gotten around to writing about pop music and co-hosting a weekly rock 'n' roll radio show even without the Flashcubes' influence, but it would be a stretch for me to imagine how that would have been. When I was given the honor of inducting the Flashcubes into the Syracuse Area Music Awards Hall of Fame in 2014, I noted once again the three groups that had the greatest and most lasting influence upon my life as a pop fan: The Beatles, the Ramones, and the Flashcubes.

A few months back, I bristled when someone referred to the Flashcubes as a cover band. No. No. I get the genesis of that presumption, given that that the Flashcubes' last two non-compilation albums have indeed been all-covers. But people need to dig a little deeper and discover the brilliance of their originals, a collection of ace tunes crafted by Arty Lenin, Paul Armstrong, and Gary Frenay. I tell ya: More artists should be covering them.

In 2021, a supercool Japanese pop group called the Choosers posted a video of their fab in-studio live performance of "Christi Girl." It would be WAY Fab if the Choosers would...um, choose to record an official version of "Christi Girl." It's time for the world to know the things that only we can know.

Somebody: Make something happen.

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My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history 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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

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

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1205

This week, we bid farewell to an icon of our chosen music.

Icons. The word icon is overused. It absolutely applies to Dwight Twilley in this context. A power pop icon. A legend of pop with power. We join out friends in the rockin' pop community as we mourn the loss of one of our heroes.

And as our friends and fans mourn Twilley's passing, it occurs to me that I was a relative latecomer to his work. The Dwight Twilley Band's one big hit record--the power pop classic "I'm On Fire"--was a hit in 1975, a time when I was still listening to a lot of AM Top 40. I must have heard it on Syracuse's WOLF-AM, but I have no recollection of it.

But I caught up, and I caught on. I read about the Dwight Twilley Band in Bomp! magazine's power pop issue in 1978, I heard the Flashcubes cover "I'm On Fire" in their live set, and I snagged my own copy of the track on a various-artists compilation called Geef Voor New Wave. A belated fan. A fan nonetheless. Many, many more Twilley purchases would follow.

In the lengthy power pop history I wrote for John M. Borack's 2005 book Shake Some Action, I said of the Dwight Twilley Band:

"Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Dwight Twilley Band did find commercial success with 'I’m On Fire,' a terrific single that became a # 16 hit in 1975. The Dwight Twilley Band was actually a duo, comprised of Twilley and partner Phil Seymour, usually accompanied by ace guitarist Bill Pitcock IV. Fittingly, Twilley and Seymour first met while waiting on line at a local theater to see a revival screening of A Hard Day’s Night. The group’s follow-up single, 'You Were So Warm,' was perhaps even better than 'I'm On Fire,' but it was a commercial stiff, and an equally-strong, shoulda-been-a-goddamn-hit track called 'Shark' went paradoxically unreleased at the time. By the time the group’s first album, Sincerely, was released in 1976, the Dwight Twilley Band had lost the momentum of 'I’m On Fire.'

"Seymour split from Twilley after 1977’s Twilley Don't Mind album. Twilley went on to record several fine pop albums in the ‘80s, and returned in 1999 with a splendid record called Tulsa. Seymour cut some demos with 20/20 (more about whom later) before embarking on a promising but brief solo career. Seymour passed away from lymphoma in 1993.

"(Twilley, eulogizing his former partner in the pages of Yellow Pills fanzine, simultaneously summed up some of the timeless appeal of the pop experience itself: 'I’ll never forget the cold November night at the Church Studios in Tulsa. Phil and I had just signed our first recording contract. We had been instructed by the record company to get acquainted with working in a ‘real’ 16-track studio and not attempt to record a ‘real’ record. In the confusion of a pivotal moment, it was Phil who pulled me into a secluded hallway and said, "Dwight, let’s make a hit record right now." That night we recorded ‘I’m On Fire.’

“'For me, the true magic was when we sang together. It felt like it was, somehow, more than just two voices. It was the kind of luxury I know I’ll never recapture.')"

Nor will we be able to recapture it. Still, we'll play it on the radio. In that way, our icons live on.

Sincerely.

This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

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 all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO). 

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TIRnRR # 1205: 10/29/2023

TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Tracks we think we ain't played before are listed in bold

DWIGHT TWILLEY: The Luck (Copper, Tulsa)

THE DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND: Please Say Please (DCC, The Great Lost Twilley Album)

THE FLASHCUBES: Alone In My Room (Big Stir, Pop Masters)

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL: Walk On The Water (Fantasy, Chronicle, Vol. 2)

BEN VAUGHN: Sundown Sundown (Bar/None, Mono USA)

WRECKLESS ERIC & AMY RIGBY: Do You Remember That (Southern Domestic, A Working Museum)

--

JUNIPER: I Was Thinking About You (Confidential Sounds, single)

SUGAR HIGH: Flirting With Madness (n/a, Spuds)

DWIGHT TWILLEY: 10,000 American Scuba Divers Dancin' (The Right Stuff, XXI)

KLAATU: True Life Hero (Klaatunes, 3:47 E.S.T.)

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Got To Have You Back (Motown, Greatest Hits And Rare Classics)

LITTLE BOB STORY: I'm Crying (Ace, VA: The Chiswick Story)

--

TIA CARRERE: Why You Wanna Break My Heart (Reprise, VA: Wayne's World OST)

THE CYNICS: Girl, You're On My Mind (Get Hip, Rock 'N' Roll)

THE GRIP WEEDS: Where Have All The Good Times Gone (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies)

THE EXPLODING HEARTS: I'm A Pretender [King Louie mix] (Dirtnap, Guitar Romantic)

THE DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND: Shark (In The Dark) (DCC, The Great Lost Twilley Album)

QUINT: Ballad Of Sharknado Rhapsody (BMG, VA: Sharknado 5  OST)
--

THE MOPTOPS: When I Was Young (Kool Kat Musik, Running Out Of Time)

SHOES: The Things You Do (Elektra, Tongue Twister)

RON FLYNT & THE BLUEHEARTS: I See Blue (YaYa, Big Blue Heart)

THE DONNAS: I Don't Wanna Rock 'n' Roll Tonight (Real Gone Music, Early Singles 1995-1999)

CARLA OLSON: Street Fighting Man (BFD, single)

THE SOFT BOYS: Mystery Train (Rykodisc, 1976-81)

--

OiSTER: You Were So Warm (HoZac Archival, Pre-Dwight Twilley Band 1973-1974 Teac Tapes))

TRANSVISION VAMP: Tell That Girl To Shut Up (UNI, Pop Art)

DOLPH CHANEY: Nice (Big Stir, Mug)

WILLIAM PEARS: Big Bang (Permanent Press, Big Bang!)

P. HUX: Til The World Looks Right (n/a, As Good As Advertised)

THE BEAT: There She Goes (Wagon Wheel, The Beat)

--

THE GOLD NEEDLES: Hit The Main Drag (Jem, single)

THE NASHVILLE RAMBLERS: The Trains (Big Beat, VA: Come On Let's Go!)

MR. BRUCE GORDON: Genie In A Bottle (Futureman, One Tall Order)

THE POSIES: I May Hate You Sometimes (Rhino, VA: Children Of Nuggets)

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: Strangered In The Night (MCA, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)

THAT PETROL EMOTION: It's A Good Thing (Rhino, VA: Children Of Nuggets)

--

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: American Girl (MCA, Anthology: Through The Years)

THE ENGLISH BEAT: Save It For Later (Shout Factory, Keep The Beat)

THE DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND: That I Remember (DCC, Twilley Don't Mind)

HOLLY GOLIGHTLY: Mary-Ann (Vinyl Japan, Laugh It All Up!)

MIKE BROWNING: Moments Fly (single)

ORANGE: Judy Over The Rainbow (Zonophone, VA: Burning Sounds! 20 Killer Power Pop Cuts!)

--

PERILOUS: Name In The Paper (n/a, YEAH!!!)

THE LEN PRICE 3: Chinese Burn (Wicked Cool, Chinese Burn)

DAVE KUCHLER: In It With You (Kool Kat Musik, Love + Glory)

THE MnM'S: I'm Tired (Burger (Melts In Your Ears 1980-1981)

PHIL SEYMOUR: Trying To Find My Baby (The Right Stuff, Precious To Me)

THE SUMMER SUNS: Run Like Hell (Bomp!, VA: Pop On Top!)

--

DWIGHT TWILLEY: Girls (The Right Stuff, XXI)

ROBERT ELLIS ORRALL: Something To Tell You (RCA, Fixation)

THE RAMONES: Swallow My Pride (Rhino, Leave Home)

THE DUKES OF STRATOSPHERE: My Love Explodes (Geffen, Chips From The Chocolate Fireball)

THE RASPBERRIES: I Wanna Be With You (Big Beat, VA: Come On Let's Go!)

sparkle*jets u.k.: You And Your Sister (Big Stir, single)

THE BEATLES: Please Please Me (Apple, 1962-1966)

THE DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND: I'm On Fire (DCC, Sincerely)

--

DWIGHT TWILLEY: Goodbye (Copper, Tulsa)

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: Airport (MCA, She's The One)

BOPPIN' A TO Z: A Gallery Of Some Pop Culture Stuff I Like

Acting on a whim--a process which is at the heart of Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do)--I've compiled an alphabetical gallery of some stuff I just really, really like. Most of you already know of my abiding affection for Batman, The Monkees, The Ramones, power pop, Suzi Quatro, et al., so I tried to steer clear of subjects I've already written about at length. I'll likely return to some of these in future editions of The Greatest Record Ever Made or The Everlasting First, while others will only get their brief moment in the Boppin' spotlight right here. Let's GO!

All Over The Place by The Bangles



The group's first full-length album is a long-standing fave rave, and it would be a candidate for coverage in Love At First Spin if not for its underwhelming final track, "More Than Meets The Eye."

Buffy The Vampire Slayer 



Although it's now one of my all-time favorite TV series, I never saw a single episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer during its original run. But I was a faithful fan of writer Peter David's run on DC Comics' Supergirl book, which shared a lot of surface similarities with Buffy. I figured it was too late to even try to catch up with the Buffyverse, and let it pass. Many years later, at a particularly difficult time in my life, it became the first TV series I ever binge-watched. There have been a few others since.

"Capital Radio Two" by The Clash



I bought The Clash's Cost Of Living EP to get their cover of The Bobby Fuller Four's "I Fought The Law," but "Capital Radio" (henceforth "Capital Radio Two," to differentiate it from the group's then-rare original version) was the true keeper. Now, this version is the less common one. I didn't hear the earlier take until much later, and it could never duplicate the affection I'd developed for the remake.

"Dizzy" by Tommy Roe



Pure pop. In my college days, when I joined the other guys in my suite for 25-cent pitcher night at a local watering hole, we would stumble back to campus singing this song. Dizzy, indeed.

El Diablo



I don't care to get into why discussing this great '80s DC series can be problematic today, except to note that we need to keep our view of creators separate from our view of their creations. I adored this comic book, and once wrote a letter to The Comics Buyer's Guide defending it against another comics fan who wanted DC to cancel El Diablo in favor of Infinity, Inc. (a book that never really grabbed me). I was polite.

The Flash



Smallville provided the template for modern TV series based on DC Comics characters. A few years later, The CW's Arrow initiated a specific shared universe--the Arrowverse--that led to The Flash, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Black Lightning (though Supergirl is set on a different Earth that nonetheless crosses over with Earth-Arrowverse, and Black Lightning has yet to link to any of the other shows). Arrow has occasionally been up-and-down in quality, but is currently nearing the climax of a strong season. Legends Of Tomorrow hasn't been great, but it's been just good enough to keep me watching. Supergirl can be hit and miss, and Black Lightning's recently-concluded debut season was terrific. The Flash has been my favorite, a show that acknowledges and embraces its funnybook roots and...er, runs with them.

Global by The Cowsills




Not merely the best '90s album that no one heard, The Cowsills' 1990 release Global was one of the greatest albums of the decade...hell, maybe the greatest. We remain humbled and grateful that The Cowsills allowed us to use a track from Global--the magnificent "She Said To Me," my choice for The Cowsills' all-time finest work--on our second This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation CD.

"He'd Be A Diamond" by The Bevis Frond



My This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio co-host Dana Bonn is a big fan of The Bevis Frond, and Dana turned me on to the wonder of this track, a timeless lament of lost love, with lyrics I wish to God I could have written. Credit belongs instead to Nick Saloman:

When the tape runs out, the music keeps playing
And when the walls come down, it's still hard to cross the line
And when his love is gone, he says he still needs you
And he wants to let you know
That if he had his chance again
He'd be a diamond

I, The Jury by Mickey Spillane



Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler were arguably the greatest writers to ever work within the genre of hardboiled detective fiction. They were certainly better writers than Mickey Spillane, a pulp workhorse who loathed the term "author" and cranked out potboiling page-turners with cold-blooded efficiency. But Spillane knew what he was doing, and he for damned sure knew how to tell a story. Spillane's I, The Jury introduced his dark knight Mike Hammer, and it is the single definitive private eye novel, hands down. Hammer's last line in the book (which I won't spoil here) is the absolute epitome of pulp noir.

Jessica Jones



I'm primarily a DC Comics guy, but I also love Marvel Comics, and I've gotta concede that Marvel is kicking DC's ass in creating a compelling cinematic universe. On broadcast television, I've found DC's The Flash more interesting than Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (which I do like, though I'm about a season behind at the moment). Marvel's Agent Carter was cool, and Marvel's Netflix series have occasionally been fantastic. Well, maybe not Iron Fist, and I'm not interested in The Punisher. Daredevil got a bit intense, but its two seasons were compelling as a whole. I liked The Defenders, too. My favorites, without question, have been Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, both of which are as good as this stuff gets.

"Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" by Styx



Lord, I hated Styx. Hated 'em. As a bourgeoning young punk rocker in the late '70s, I regarded Styx as The Enemy, pompous and bloated, anti-punk, anti-pop. I would have grudgingly conceded that Styx's "Lorelei" was a good tune, worthy of The Hollies, but otherwise? Hatred. I once carved "STYX STYNX" on a tabletop in a bar during my misspent young adulthood. BUT! In 2003, a friend and fellow pop fan named Kathryn Francis told me there was a new Styx song that would demolish my antipathy, no matter how hard I resisted. Man, when Kathyrn's right, she's right! "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" is an incredible track, a power pop tune that has carved out a permanent berth in my ongoing All-Time Top 200. I haven't changed my mind about the older stuff, and I hear that many Styx fans disdain "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye," so I guess that dynamic remains in place between us.

Love Ain't Nothing But Sex Misspelled by Harlan Ellison



As a voracious reader and wannabe writer when I was in high school, I worshipped Harlan Ellison. I bought as many of Ellison's books as I could find, beginning with Paingod And Other Delusions and working my way through No Doors, No Windows (which I had Ellison autograph for me at a lecture appearance in '76), The Glass Teat, The Other Glass Teat, Spider Kiss, Memos From Purgatory, I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, and Love Ain't Nothing But Sex Misspelled. Asked in English class to name my favorite book, the latter was my choice.

"May My Heart Be Cast Into Stone" by The Toys



The only reason this hasn't already been considered for an essay in The Greatest Record Ever Made is that I don't have much to say about it. Except that it's The Greatest Record Ever Made. It's such pimply hyperbole, such an over-the-top girl-group pop gush, that it renders me inarticulate. Each time I hear it, I wanna hear it again.

"Nothing But A Heartache" by The Flirtations



Speaking of over-the-top girl-group pop, this 45 by The Flirtations was just something hangin' around the house when I was an adolescent in the early '70s, and it has never bothered to relinquish its grip on me.

Our Town



Go ahead. Call me a sentimental ol' softie, because you would be correct in that assessment. All I can say is that I watched the 1977 TV adaptation of Thornton Wilder's Our Town, featuring Hal Holbrook, Robby Benson, and the absolutely adorable Glynnis O'Connor, and I bawled like a baby. 'Sokay. I am as God made me.

Pushing Daisies



The facts were these: A uniquely quirky TV series that should have lasted longer. I'm generally not much of a fan of quirk, to tell you the truth, but this show? Its quirk was heartfelt and sincere, its audacity given divine direction with unforgettable results.

"Queen Of Hearts" by Juice Newton



While I am aware of the sheer heresy of preferring Juice Newton's hit country-pop cover of "Queen Of Hearts" to Dave Edmunds' original version, I blame the media. Specifically, I blame radio, 'cause Ms. Newton's record was the best freakin' thing on AM Top 40 in 1981, and I was so grateful for its mere existence.

Ramones Songbook by The Nutley Brass



What may seem on paper a pointless exercise in smug snark--an album of elevator music covers of Ramones classics--transcends expectation and illustrates the durability and adaptability of The Ramones' canon. This is so cool.

Supergirl (Volume 4)



I mentioned writer Peter David's work on the Supergirl comic book contemporary to Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The similarities are coincidental--the works were contemporaneous, and neither could have really influenced the other--but I betcha most Buffy fans aren't even aware of this 1996-2003 comics run, and I further betcha some of 'em might dig it.

That Thing You Do!



The Greatest Movie Ever Made.

Undertones by The Undertones




Pristine, piledrivin' adrenalin. The Irish Ramones!

Veronica Mars



After Buffy The Vampire Slayer introduced me to the joy of binge-watching old TV shows that I'd missed, I moved on to the Buffy spinoff Angel, plus Firefly, The Newsroom, and Dollhouse, though I've still yet to move past the first season of the latter. Friday Night Lights is in the queue, but the show for which I fell the hardest was Veronica Mars. I couldn't get enough of this show, burned through its three seasons in no time, watched the feature film sequel, bought and read the tie-in novels...I was obsessed. I guess it's over now. But we'll always have Neptune.

What's Up, Doc?



No offense intended to Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, but Peter Bogdonovich's 1972 film What's Up, Doc? is the greatest screwball comedy in the history of screwball comedies. Ryan O'Neal is winningly hapless, Barbra Streisand is wacky but somehow likable throughout her character's careless machinations, Madeline Kahn is a hoot, and everything is perfect. And funny. Like, laugh-out-loud, capering, giggling, funny. I've seen this, oh, a million times, and even read the paperback novelization to tatters when I was in middle school. In 1972, before the home video revolution, that paperback was the only way to keep re-living the film experience, and I wanted to keep living the sheer, giddy joy of What's Up, Doc?

XXI by Dwight Twilley



Is it cheating to use the Roman numeral for 21 as my X entry? I could've put Blondie's "X-Offender" in this spot, or X-Men (the comic book or the first two movies), Xaviera Meets Marilyn Chambers, or even X-Ray, the "unauthorized autobiography" by Ray Davies of The Kinks. But y'know, I really don't give enough attention to Dwight Twilley, who is certainly one of the key figures in power pop, and this anthology is a great introduction to some of his irresistible work, from "I'm On Fire" and other gems from his days fronting The Dwight Twilley Band through solo material like "Girls" and his proposed title theme for That Thing You Do!

"You Movin'" by The Byrds



When we think of the music of The Byrds, I'd say we're picturing earnest folk-rockers chimin' and singin' with an aura of cool detachment. "You Movin'" is an anomaly, an early Byrds track that revels in the goofy abandon of falling in love with a girl movin' on the dance floor, the sound of young men who'd just seen A Hard Day's Night and suddenly wanted to go paradin' like The Beatles.

Zorro by Isabel Allende



I've long been a fan of superhero prose novels, from the original pulp adventures of The Shadow and Doc Savage through Tom DeHaven's It's Superman! I'll be taking an extended look at Zorro in an upcoming edition of The Everlasting First, and today's A-Z gallery concludes with this magnificent novel from 2005.

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Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.