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 # 1222. This show is available as a podcast.
THE FLASHCUBES: Baby It's Cold Outside
Baby, you can say that again. As I complete this blog entry, the temperature in Syracuse has plummeted from record high temps for February just hours ago to a frigid 'n' windy blechh more typical for the month, with lake effect snow promised in the morning. The weather outside? Frightful. Yeah this blows, yeah this blows, yeah this blows.
So we turn to a little music to keep the home fires burning. The Flashcubes' Pop Masters was my favorite album of 2023, and this remake of Pezband's power pop touchstone "Baby It's Cold Outside" was its first advance single back in the summer of 2021. Y'know, when it was, like, warm. The song's author Mimi Betinis enlists as an honorary Flashcube for this great version, and the resulting shivers get a little bit more welcome as we acclimate.
Even so, I've gotta ask: Can we have the sun back, please? Syracuse winters. The longest nine months of the year.
FANNY: Let's Spend The Night Together
A proposal to roll with the Stones. Fanny's cover of the Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend The Night Together" comes from their 1974 album Rock And Roll Survivors, the group's fifth and final album, and their only album for Casablanca Records. It was also their only album without guitarist June Millington, who had co-founded Fanny with her sister, bassist Jean Millington; Jean remained with the group for Rock And Roll Survivor, and Patti Quatro joined on six-string.
I don't remember if I'd heard of Fanny before this. I think I may have read about them in some rock mag or another--possibly Circus?--but my first conscious exposure to their music was when I saw them on American Bandstand, chatting with Dick Clark and lip-syncing two tunes from Rock And Roll Survivors: "Let's Spend The Night Together" and their ace cover of the Bell Notes' "I've Had It."
(It suddenly occurs to me that I saw and heard Patti Quatro even before I saw and heard her sister Suzi Quatro lip-sync "I May Be Too Young" on the British TV show Supersonic.)
Appreciation of Fanny's career and legacy has grown over the decades after the fact. And it's about damned time. But the Casablanca LP isn't always considered alongside the group's first four records.
It deserves better. It was my gateway to Fanny's music, and it's pretty damned good in its own right.
Spend some time with it.
MERLE HAGGARD: Mama Tried
The Greatest Record Ever Made!
DOLPH CHANEY: Californiagain
TIRnRR Fave Rave Dolph Chaney has accrued some airplay on this little mutant radio show (as one would expect, given his "TIRnRR Fave Rave" status. Duh!). We've certainly played a few tracks from his splendid 2023 album Mug, and the recent release of the Mug track "Californiagain" as a single gives us an excuse to enjoy yet another quaff from that mug. Ah! Refreshing!
And it just so happens we'll be playing "Californiagain"...well, again on Sunday night. We'll also be playing a track from Steve Stoeckel, a track from Chris Church, and a track from Spygenius. Why is that worth noting here? Well! The fab four of Dolph, Steve, Chris, and Spygenius' Peter Watts have just joined rockin' pop forces to form a new power pop supergroup called the Electromagnates. The Electromagnates open our next show. Fave Raves, all.
THE O'JAYS: Love Train
Get on board. We could do worse. We have done worse. Please. Just get on board.
WONDERBOY: Girl Songs
Awright! Here's the third consecutive 10 Songs appearance of Wonderboy's definitive statement of intent "Girl Songs." From the group's originally unreleased 1990s album Hero Isle, "Girl Songs" is a contemporary TIRnRR Pick Hit 'cuz, y'know...GIRLS! And pop music. We've programmed the track for three straight weeks. We'll go for four weeks in a row on Sunday night.
THE BEATLES: Why Don't We Do It In The Road?
When we told Wonderboy's Robbie Rist that we were going to follow this week's spin of "Girl Songs" with a track from the Beatles' White Album, he said it oughta be "Julia." Y'know...an actual girl song, dig? Our failure to do so isn't a reflection of our stubbornness, but evidence of our cluelessness. The show was already recorded by that time, and the thought of segueing "Girl Songs" into "Julia" didn't even occur to us. It's a good thing we have tenure.
On the other hand: Girl songs. Why don't we do it in the road. Upon further review, our decision stands. Sometimes we know what we're doing, even though we never know what we're doing.
We opened and closed this week's extravaganza with music from power pop legend Paul Collins. At the top of the show, we scored first with "Will You Come Through?" from Paul's superswell new album Stand Back And Take A Good Look. In overtime at show's end, we came out of the time out with a rapid-fire set play commencing with "I'm The Only One For You," the irresistible lead single from Stand Back And Take A Good Look. SCORE!
With just enough time left on the shot clock, we threw in the new album's title track, and stole the ball back for a last-second put-back with "Walking Out On Love," the late '70s power pop classic Paul Collins wrote when he was with the Nerves and subsequently recorded with the Breakaways and the Beat.
Then the buzzer sounded at midnight. Game over!
But the Beat goes on. We'll resume play this Sunday night. Our march to madness awaits.
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.
