10 SONGS: 9/16/2021

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 # 1094.

ALICE COOPER: Clones (We're All)

New wave Alice Cooper! Dunno if the mighty Alice could have really felt threatened by punk or new wave circa 1980; his essential place in rock history was already secure, but I guess we should concede that it might not have seemed so at the time. Whether an attempt to beat Gary Numan at his own game or just Alice being Alice, "Clones (We're All)" was a minor hit (# 40 in Billboard), following a string of middle-of-the-road pop single successes in the late '70s. Cooper could do shock, schmaltz, and electric friends riding in cars (and, later, hair metal, as in his '89 hit "Poison"), and he could do 'em all with style. His style. Alice Cooper was never anybody's clone.

BO DIDDLEY: Bo Diddley 1969

Bubblegum Bo Diddley! It's heresy that this chewy-chewy trifle is my favorite Bo Diddley track, but I am as the Bo Diddley beat made me. And let's be clear: "Bo Diddley 1969" isn't bubblegum just because of its songwriters' identities (bubblevets Bo Gentry and Ritchie Cordell) or that it was a Super K production, like records by the Ohio Express and the 1910 Fruitgum Company; it's bubblegum because it's friggin' bubblegum. And I'm okay with that. Hey baby, I'm back and I'm feelin' fine...!

THE EQUALS: Softly Softly

I have mixed feelings about this song. On the one hand, it's just insanely catchy, maybe the single most infectious track the Equals ever did. And the Equals did a lot of great tracks, including sole U.S. hit "Baby Come Back," the forgotten original of "Police On My Back," and a Bomp! magazine-approved power popper called "I Can See But You Don't Know." So...great!

But the song's lyrics bug me. "Softly Softly" concerns a guy who claims to love his girl Jenny, but he's in imminent danger of losing her because...uh, because she found out he was trying to cheat on her with a hinge-heeled girl named Lucy? My sympathy for this would-be Lothario is limited. Still a catchy song, but the jerk got what he deserved. And he didn't even kiss Lucy.

HARMONIC DIRT: Passport

Syracuse's fabulous folk-roots combo Harmonic Dirt was responsible for the song "Maybe," which was TIRnRR's most-played track in 2018. We've been playing "Blue Moon Atlas" from the group's most recent full-length album Rhode Island Street, and now they also have a brand-new EP called Blame The Horizon. "Passport" from that EP made its TIRnRR debut this week, and [SPOILER ALERT!] it will make a return appearance on next week's show. 

JUSTINE AND THE UNCLEAN: Vengeance

Every story starts somewhere. The Rum Bar Records single of "Vengeance" was our introduction to the music of Justine and the Unclean in 2020, a track which wasted no time in casting us in its eager thrall. We must obey the will of Justine. Justine's will must be obeyed. This led to more airplay for Justine and the Unclean and associated group Justine's Black Threads, which led us to Justine's involvement with WhistleStop Rock. More airplay. Simone Berk, lead singer on WhistleStop Rock's "Queen Of The Drive-In" single, became aware of us, and began sending music for us to play. Justine started her own Red On Red Records label. Airplay upon airplay. From this spontaneous, interconnected generation, we were able to stuff our playlists with music from Sugar Snow, Kid Gulliver, the Chelsea Curve, Andrea Gillis, the Jacklights, Linnea's Garden, Cold Expectations, Nightspell, Quest For Tuna, and this coming Sunday night's spin of the new single by the Daylilies.

This elements of this story all started with "Vengeance." And it's a happier story than you might think vengeance would bring. Thank you, Justine!

BILL LLOYD: Satellite

The mighty Big Stir Records has partnered with SpyderPop Records to bring some renewed retail focus to some SpyderPop releases that didn't get the attention they deserved on their first go-around. These include Bill Lloyd's lovely 2018 album Working The Long Game, represented here by the ace single "Satellite." The Big Stir-SpyderPop alliance also features stellar work from TIRnRR Fave Raves Danny Wilkerson and Lannie Flowers. And we're gonna play 'em all. It's a crusade, man. We all gotta do our part.

RUMBLE STRIP: Adam West

Rumble Strip is a collaboration between Dave Nachmanoff and TIRnRR's old friend Richard Rossi, servin' up a new five-song EP called Let's Roll. The partnership grew out of For The Record, the simply fantastic John Wicks tribute album that Richard curated last year. Awright, given that genesis, we're fans already. And it certainly doesn't hurt that the EP's single is named after the star of the Batman TV series (prompting me to shout HOLY ARBITRONS! when we played it on Sunday's TIRnRR). 

As cool as "Adam West" is, though, Let's Roll's amiable Americana vibe thrives on more than mere novelty. It may not even be my favorite song on the record, but we'll investigate the matter over the course of further Bat-times at this Bat-channel. With or without a Caped Crusader on hand, Richard's words and Dave's music meet in that no-frills friendly diner off the interstate, music for that moment when the waitress smiles at you as she pours your cup o' coffee. I...yes, I think I will have another cup of coffee, thanks, and another piece of pie. Rumble Strip's on the jukebox. All is right with the world.

TOMMY TUTONE: 857-5309/Jenny

A little Byrdsy, a little Stonesy, a little Tommy Tutonesy. See, this is why Hallmark refuses to hire me. Bastards. 

But I digress: great song, then and now. And it came up during a recent vacation, when I discovered that my hotel's WiFi password was 8675309. Jenny could not be reached for comment. But I bet she woulda been pissed.

VELOCITY GIRL: I Can't Stop Smiling

My first exposure to this song (and to Velocity Girl in general) came when Rhino Records hired me to write liner notes for the 1997 compilation Poptopia! Power Pop Classics Of The '90s. The good folks at Rhino sent me the tracks, and I had sufficient hubris to suggest (in vain) that Velocity Girl shouldn't be on the comp, because this certainly isn't power pop in any way, shape, or form. 

Which doesn't mean I don't like song; I do like it, and I played it on the radio this week, even if I still don't think it fits into any discussion of power pop. 

Ah, meaningless labels. What can ya do? Here's what I said about the song in those Poptopia! liners:

"On the more alternative side of pop, Velocity Girl offers a sound that Rolling Stone described as 'haunting yet hummable noise pop.' The group has done a whole passel o' records for Sub Pop, with 'I Can't Stop Smiling' coming to us from 1994's ¡Simpatico! It may not be power pop in the traditional Beatles/Who/Beach Boys/Big Star sense, but it sure is catchy nonetheless."

THE WELL WISHERS: Wonderful Life

I was at Denny's last week--no, I don't care what you think about that--and when I was settling the bill the server joked that my AARP discount represented something good about getting older. I smiled and said, "There's a lot of good about getting older. I saw BANDS...!"

And it's true. I saw the Ramones nine times. I saw the Kinks three times. I saw Prince, David Bowie, KISS, the Animals, the Everly Brothers, Ray Charles, Paul McCartney, the Pretenders, the Runaways, Iggy Pop, the Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, the Replacements, the Fleshtones, the Beach Boys, the Georgia Satellites, the Smithereens, the Monkees, the Searchers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Ian Hunter, Joe Jackson, Talking Heads, the Clash, Cheap Trick, the Saints, 999, Culture Club, the dB's, the Bangles, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Wang Chung, Regis Philbin, and...it's a long list. (Wait...Regis Philbin?! And Wang Chung?) And it doesn't even get to the records I heard, the comic books I read, the movies I saw, the books I wrapped all around me. The friends. The meals!  The love of my life, and the daughter we cherish. I'm okay with being middle-aged. I have health; I don't have as much hair as I wish, sure, but it's been a wonderful life so far.

"Wonderful Life" is also the title of the latest single from the reliable pen of Jeff Shelton and his jangly band the Well Wishers. Sales of the digital single benefit the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Relief Fund, helping families displaced by the devastation of wildfires. Wonderful song, wonderful cause. Pop music doing good in the real world. Folks of any age should appreciate the wonder of that.

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You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon: Fund me, baby! 

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 many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl.

10 SONGS: 5/11/2021

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 # 1076.

THE BABLERS: I Hope It Wouldn't Rain Tomorrow

We debuted this track from The Bablers' new album Psychadilly Circus on last week's show, we like it, so we played it again this week. DJs play the hits, man. This week's spin prompted Pop Co-Op guitarist/intrepid TIRnRR fan Joel Tinnel to note, "The show is always good, of course, but...is it just me, or has there been a veritable explosion of ultra-catchy pop/rock music in the past 6 months? My music library has a big bump in size from just the last 6 months. Maybe there's one good thing from the pandemic...."

Well, as you know Agent J, radio's job is to sell records. We're happy to help empty your wallet to the tune of The Bablers.

THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Ain't It Strange

As far as I know, this obscure track from The Bay City Rollers' 1974 debut album Rollin' has never been issued in the U.S. "Ain't It Strange" was written by Rollers Eric Faulkner, Woody Wood, and Les McKeown, and it doesn't sound much like any of the group's best-known material; in my head, it sounds more along the lines of a ballad by the likes of Ronnie Lane with The Faces, or maybe a Badfinger album track, rather than a "Saturday Night" or a "Rock And Roll Love Letter." That comparison isn't exact, and probably not even accurate. But it's what my mind is telling me as I hear the song play. Ain't it...y'know?

THE CHELSEA CURVE: All In Time

Our friends at Red On Red Records have proven to be a reliable resource for some of the fresh sounds this show needs to balance out our natural impulse to succumb to the seductive appeal of an All Oldies All The Time format. Hello there, Oldies. How you doin'...? 

The thing we look for in new music is the pizazz, pop, and poise that can make a track stand out and stand proud alongside the best of The Kinks, Miracles, Aretha, Monkees, Bangles, et al. A playlist is only as strong as its weakest tune. 

Well, there's no weakness here. A set that opens with the fabulous "All In Time," the latest Red On Red single from The Chelsea Curve, and ends up with The Beatles is the sort of set we wanna play. So we played it. This ain't exactly rocket surgery here. The Oldies won't get jealous. They get to play, too.

THE EQUALS: I Can See, But You Don't Know

We've programmed the music of The Equals a time or many over the years, with their hit "Baby Come Back" and their shoulda-been-hit "Police On My Back" (a song later covered by The Clash) likely our most favored among Equals. This was (I think) the first time we've ever played "I Can See, But You Don't Know," a dynamic 1970 Equals single that was mentioned in Bomp! magazine's landmark power pop issue in 1978. The editors of Bomp! included "I Can See, But You Don't Know" on their list of the all-time YEAH, MAN! list of power pop greats, and I would be hard-pressed to dispute that. We shoulda started playing it years ago.

THE FLASHCUBES: It's You Tonight

Last week, your irascible TIRnRR guys Dana & Carl were delighted to appear as guests on The Spoon, the weekly podcast hosted by Robbie Rist, Chris Jackson, and Thom Bowers. You can download and assimilate that particular slice o' podcast magic here. It was a blast anna half, and we thank The Men Of The Spoon once again for feeding our delusions of adequacy.

The Greatest Record You've Never Heard is a regular feature on The Spoon, allowing the show's honored guests to select a song that ain't getting the massive popular acclaim it so richly deserves. The "you" in this example doesn't apply to, y'know, you; if you listen to TIRnRR, you already get to hear all the cool sounds that fly beneath, between, or above the earspace of the general public. We wanna reach those poor unfortunates too, so Dana and I were each given the opportunity to select one worthy track to display on this more grandiose sonic soapbox.

Dana chose "It's You Tonight" by Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse The Flashcubes. It's Dana's top Pick T'Click among many irresistible Cubic Fave Raves, and both he and I enjoy pointing out that this energetic number is the opening song in just about every live Flashcubes show. SHOWMANSHIP 101: Open BIG, then keep right on hitting; the audience is yours.

ANDREA GILLIS: Leave The Light On

Hey, remember when we were talking about Red On Red Records a few entries ago? Ah, those were the days! This particular Red On Red single would be tearin' up the TIRnRR charts right now, if there were such a thing as TIRnRR charts. During this week's show, the above-cited Joel Tinnel also described "Leave The Light On" by Andrea Gillis as "catchy as !@#$." That's an exact quote. And we agree wholeheartedly.

KID GULLIVER: Forget About Him

Our favorite Red On Red single. Play it again!!

THE LINDA LINDAS: Claudia Kishi

Our appearance on The Spoon was mostly a talk show, a back-and-forth exchange fueled by giddy enthusiasm and (in my case) a cup of hot cocoa. But in addition to those two examples of The Greatest Record You've Never Heard, the show opened and closed with songs picked by us: an excerpt of The Bay City Rollers' "Wouldn't You Like It" at the top, and a complete spin of The Linda Lindas' "Claudia Kishi" at the sign-off spot. Whatta song! The Linda Lindas are a quartet of teen (and even preteen) musicmakers channeling The Muffs to engagingly lethal effect. Plus, they named their band after a song by Japan's Phenomenal Pop Combo The Blue Hearts! Acts that channel The Muffs and rip their noms du bop from the inspiration served up by other cool bands score automatic points on the TIRnRR WOW! scale. The Linda Lindas are a natural fit for whatever the hell it is we do.

(And, although my daughter Meghan was an avid fan of The Baby-Sitters Club books when she was younger, I did not recall that one of the series' main characters was named Claudia Kishi. So, add a literary reference to the many reasons why TIRnRR has just gotta play The Linda Lindas.)

EYTAN MIRSKY: This Year's Gonna Be Our Year

Back to The Spoon! For my Greatest Record You've Never Heard pick, I opted for Brother Eytan MIrsky's all-powerful juggernaut "This Year's Gonna Be Our Year." After all, not only is it The Greatest Record You've Never Heard, it is also The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE RAMONES: I Just Want To Have Something To Do

It's true: I do indeed want to have something to do. Just like The Ramones! And I have just the thing in mind. Details to follow. 1-2-3-4...!

TIP THE BLOGGER: CC's Tip Jar!

You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon: Fund me, baby! 

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 many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl.

10 SONGS: 5/26/2020

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 is the 21st entry in my 10 Songs series, and it achieves a specific milestone I'll talk about tomorrow. This week's edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1026.

P. P. ARNOLD: The First Cut Is The Deepest


Well, let's get in our first obligatory plug for my book-in-progress The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), as always dedicated to the simple truth that an infinite number of songs can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Soul singer P. P. Arnold's forgotten original version of the oft-covered classic "The First Cut Is The Deepest" certainly deserves that breathless accolade:

"The First Cut Is The Deepest" is well-known via hit covers by Rod Stewart in 1977 and Sheryl Crow in 2003. Each of these is, really, a good record on its own, though neither is within hailing distance of the version recorded by the song's author, Cat Stevens. And no version--no version--is within light years of the beguiling, seductive, flawless original release by P. P. Arnold.

Like most American pop fans, my introduction to this composition came in 1977 with Rod Stewart's hit cover. I liked Stewart's record, but then my girlfriend played Stevens' version for me. Whoa! Instant fave rave, and I eventually scored my own copy on a double-album compilation called Hard-Up Heroes. I don't know how long it was before I realized that Stewart had omitted a line from the chorus, and everyone else has likewise skipped the same line after that. All versions include "When it comes to being lucky, she's cursed/When it comes to loving me, she's worse," but then Rod and Sheryl Crow and all other punters leave out "But when it comes to being loved, she's first," which strikes me as a pretty important line. "That's how I know!" For many years, I thought Cat Stevens released the first version of his own song, but P. P. Arnold's exquisite rendition actually predates Stevens' record. I say P. P. Arnold is also considerably better-looking than either Stevens or Stewart, but that's me. Even if we close our eyes and just listen to her absolute mastery of every syllable, every nuance of longing and regret, hope and fear, it's clear that P. P. Arnold's standout performance of "The First Cut Is The Deepest" is The Greatest Record Ever Made.

JIM BASNIGHT: This Is Where I Belong


This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio routinely refers to The Kinks as our house band. We're also fond of Jim Basnight, a durable interest that dates back to his work with the fabulous punk-pop group The Moberlys and extends through his subsequent solo career. So, the idea of Jim Basnight covering The Kinks is just A-OK with us, and here's ample evidence our Jim is up to the task. Jim's ace cover of "This Is Where I Belong"--one of my many favorite Kinks songs to begin with--was previously in Big Stir Records' digital singles series, and recently included in irresistible physical form on the collection Big Stir Singles--The Sixth Wave. Purchase of that singles collection benefits Sweet Relief's Musician Assistance Fund, so you probably oughtta buy one right now. Jim's considering doing a covers album, so we look forward to hearing more.



THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Saturday Night



Never feel guilty for digging a pop song. I reject the ludicrous notion of guilty pleasures in music; you either like something or you don't like something, and no amount of misplaced hipsterism should be allowed to alter that. Stand your freakin' ground, and dig what you dig.

I dig The Bay City Rollers. I pretty much always have, at least once I got over the absurdity of them being hyped as the next Beatles. In 1987, they were the subject of my first feature article in Goldmine, and The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will include a chapter on their fantastic recording of "Rock And Roll Love Letter." As a teen, I owned the Rollers' "Rock And Roll Love Letter" and "Saturday Night" 45s. I did not care whether or not my peers approved of the choice. Guilty? Not me, man--your rules do not apply.

THE DAVE CLARK FIVE: Glad All Over



The mid '60s British Invasion is my most prominent prevailing touchstone in music; as a flashpoint in time, only '70s punk even comes close to rivaling the importance of that era for me. I was four years old in 1964, and although I already loved music (of course!), the impact of Beatlemania and its aftermath had both an immediate and an everlasting impact on me. From soul to bubblegum, glam to power pop, rhythm and blues to folk rock, ska, new wave, metal, or what have you, my taste in pop music is firmly rooted in that giddy, transcendent moment of yeah, yeah, YEAH!

But when I think of the British Invasion, the first songs that come to my mind aren't Beatles songs. I think even my subconscious mind puts The Beatles into their own separate and exclusive class. No, mention of the British Invasion instantly conjures two songs before all others in that swirling mess o' everything I call my brain: "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks and "Glad All Over" by The Dave Clark Five.

I don't really remember either song contemporary to their release. I remember the DC5's "Bits And Pieces," and I remember The Searchers' "Needles And Pins," Herman's Hermits' "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter," and The Rolling Stones' "Get Off Of My Cloud" from that impressionable time when I was four and five in '64-'65. And of course I remember The Beatles. Awareness of The Kinks, and of DC5 songs that weren't "Bits And Pieces," came later, when I was a high school student in the '70s. And both of those songs took over as my enthusiasm for the British Invasion reached a fevered zenith that has never subsided, and likely never will.

THE EQUALS: Baby Come Back



I have no recollection whatsoever of when I may have first heard The Equals' 1968 hit "Baby Come Back." The Equals were never quite as well known in the U.S. as they were in Europe, and even "Baby Come Back"--their sole Billboard hit--peaked at # 32. It's still possible I heard it on the radio in those dearly-missed days of regional hits that prevented radio stations in one city from sounding exactly like radio stations in another city. But I digress....



When Eddy Grant's fabulous "Electric Avenue" took over my '69 Impala's AM radio in 1983, I'm sure I had no idea that Grant had been in The Equals (if I'd even heard "Baby Come Back" by then, though I'm sure I had), nor probably that The Equals had recorded the original version of Grant's "Police On My Back," a song I only knew from a then-recent cover by The Clash. I learned. The Equals' original recordings can be a little hard to find now--beware of Equals CDs polluted by remakes rather than the rockin' real deal--but it's worth the effort. If you can find it, a 1994 2-CD best-of set called First Among Equals is your recommended resource for all things being Equal.



RICH FIRESTONE: If The Sun Doesn't Shine



Rich Firestone returns to the playlist and to 10 Songs in the wake of the third anniversary of his first solo show for our charming little radio station. Nowadays, the esteemed Mr. Firestone hosts the always effervescent Radio Deer Camp on SPARK! WSPJ Syracuse every Sunday afternoon from 5 to 7 Eastern. Several years back, before they relocated from Maryland to Michigan, Reechie and his wife Kathy Firestone twice visited Syracuse to guest-host episodes of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. 

But on May 21st of 2017, after the Firestones had moved too far away to make a trip to Syracuse for a long weekend, Dana and I needed a night off. Dana, as I recall, had a secret mission that Sunday, probably teaming up with The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. to combat the evil machinations of T.H.R.U.S.H., those bastards; details of that affair remain classified. Me? My wife Brenda and I were in Ithaca for our daughter Meghan's college graduation, and my heart bursts with pride at the summa cum laude memory. 

So Reechie stepped in. He programmed and recorded his own episode of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, and he saw that it was good. Ever since then, Dana and I have wanted Rich to do more shows for our station, and the need for fresh programming during sequestration gave us the opportunity to make it so. The seed of Radio Deer Camp first took root in that 5/21/2017 TIRnRR, and we remain grateful to Rich for all of that.

The boy can sing pretty good, too.



THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: First Plane Home



In August of 1992, Brenda and I were preparing for our first-ever trip across the Atlantic, set to visit my sister and her family in England. The first Dana & Carl radio series We're Your Friends For Now had just ended abruptly in June. With minds fixed on finally making a pilgrimage to the land that birthed my beloved British Invasion, we got up early on the morning of our departure, all packed and ready. Just prior to leaving the house and cruising to the airport, I had one important task to accomplish. I grabbed a record by an American group, The Flamin' Groovies. I don't remember if it was the Jumpin' In The Night LP or the CD best-of Groovies' Greatest Grooves. Either way, I needed to crank one song before we left: "First Plane Home."

"First Plane Home" is occasionally my favorite Flamin' Groovies track, which is quite a thing to say when you realize their song "Shake Some Action" is The Greatest Record Ever Made! If a song about catching the first available return flight seems an odd choice for the soundtrack to starting one's trip abroad, you've gotta understand that I was focused on one key line in the song:

I'm bound for ol' HEATHROW!

My words can't convey that feeling. It was an indescribable flame of bliss, anticipation, excitement, wonder, reverence, and disbelief. I was 32. After decades spent as an unabashed Anglophile, I was at long last bound for ol' Heathrow. My senses preen and tingle at the recollection.

I love England. I love London. I love a lot of places that fortune has favored me with the opportunity to see, from New York to Cleveland to Toronto to Key West to San Francisco to Malaga to Mechelin to Morocco to Washington, DC, and more. London! We never made it up to Liverpool, but we were in England. Cheers!

As we shelter at home, and even before the pandemic fixed us in place, I have wished we could travel more. It's difficult and daunting. There are more places I still want to see before the sun does set on my own mortal empire. And I want to return to London, to England. I so, so want to be bound for ol' Heathrow once again.

CAROLYNE MAS: In The Rain



Although singer 'n' songwriter Carolyne Mas' widest notoriety came during her late '70s-early '80s run as a Mercury Records artist, she continued to perform and record after parting company with the label in 1981. A 2003 compilation with the fitting title Beyond Mercury provides a partial document of the richness of her work during that post-'81 period. Beyond Mercury includes some of her '80s recordings with The Skeletons--America's coolest band--and it also includes this otherwise-unavailable 2001 gem "In The Rain." I'm in the process of trying to track down a CD copy of Beyond Mercury, and I aim to continue playing this particular track for the foreseeable future. (And, in the mean time, Beyond Mercury is available as a digital download. Blue skies, baby!)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Girls In Their Summer Clothes



I do not dislike Bruce Springsteen, and in fact I do like (and even love) a number of his works even though I don't think l would include him on a list of my 200 all-time favorite rockin' pop artists. "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" is an oddball selection for one's go-to Springsteen track, but I tell ya, it just has a sublime majesty that touches me in a way no other Springsteen track ever really has. And yes, "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" gets its own chapter in The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).

THE TEARJERKERS: Syracuse Summer



In early June of 1992, Dana and I arrived at the studio of WNMA, which was then the host of our five-month-old radio show We're Your Friends For Now. We were there to record a theme show, "The Sounds Of Summer," as gloomy downpours turned Syracuse into a rain-gray town not sufficiently well-known for its sound.

That's when we were informed that WNMA would be signing off for good by the end of the month. It would be the end of We're Your Friends For Now, and presumably (and plausibly) the end of any Dana & Carl radio shows. The decision to shutter WXXE had not yet been announced, so we weren't allowed to say anything about any of it on our show that night. We went about the drudgery of playing happy and exuberant summer music as our moods faded to black. At the end of the show, we played The Tearjerkers' fabulous Central New York seasonal celebration "Syracuse Summer" at the same time as we played a sound effects record of a thunderstorm. The Beach Boys-inspired good vibrations of "Syracuse Summer" mixed with the dreary noise of dark clouds shedding Heaven's tears as we prepared to bid a final farewell to our short radio careers.

(We, um, came back eventually. This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl: the sunshine after your rain since 1998.)

"Syracuse Summer" was written by Gary Frenay of The Flashcubes, and it has occupied a permanent berth on my all-time Hot 100 since its 45 rpm release in 1980. Its sound fills my soul with local pride, with hope for deliverance from inclement weather, with dreams of magic summers that don't last as long, so they mean a little bit more. The beach awaits. We'll get there when we can.


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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 many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download

Volume 2: CD or download

Volume 3: download

Volume 4: CD or download

Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 134 essays about 134 tracks, each one of 'em THE greatest record ever made. An infinite number of records can each be the greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Updated initial information can be seen here: THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (Volume 1).