10 SONGS: 2/24/2023

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 # 1169. This show is available as a podcast.

HERB ALPERT AND THE TIJUANA BRASS: Casino Royale

As the pop world mourns the passing of the legendary Burt Bacharach, we decided to thread a tribute to Bacharach and his frequent songwriting partner Hal David throughout this week's program. I think we managed a nice blend of recognized prerequisites from the Bacharach-David songbook with a few less-expected choices in song and/or performer.

Our first strand of that thread was Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass' title tune from the all-star 1967 James Bond comedy Casino Royale. It's an instrumental, so you don't hear lyricist David's work here, but we chose the track deliberately as our snarky response to pundits who greeted news of Bacharach's passing with quotes from what they mistakenly believed were Bacharach's lyrics. Bacharach was the melody guy; he collaborated with gifted lyricists like David, and it's a disservice to those lyricists to assign credit to Bacharach.

Although Hal David passed in 2012, we wanted to pay equal tribute to David in our salute to Burt Bacharach. And, since "Casino Royale" does have lyrics--they're just not used in this instrumental version--the song is credited to Bacharach and David. And our Bacharach-David tribute was under way. With guns. And knives. We're fighting for our lives...!

STEVE STOECKEL: Mod Girl

In our position as hosts of The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet, Dana and I possess the good sense, good taste, and good, good, good, good vibrations to be big fans of the music of Steve Stoeckel. Steve Stoeckel in the Spongetones? Check! Steve Stoeckel in Jamie and Steve? ALSO check! Steve Stoeckel in Pop Co-Op? Checkity-check-checkaroonie! Steve Stoeckel and his THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL Allstars? Duh. All good!

So of course we're delighted to expand that ongoing circle o' good with Steve's first-ever solo album The Power Of And. We've been playing stellar tracks from The Power Of And the past few weeks, and this week we got around to "Mod Girl." There's a lot of good stuff on this record.

And we got around to "Mod Girl" twice this week. We played the album track, and in the following set we played an unreleased a cappella mix that shows off the amazing backing vocals by Jamie Hoover and Elena Rogers. Goosebump City! We sure hope the good folks at Big Stir Records release this mix as well. And we'll play it again next week.

IRENE PEÑA: In This Room

Yes, it's America's Sweetheart Irene Peña! "In This Room" is my favorite among a big stack of sublime Irene Peña numbers, and it's available on her digital album Nothing To Do With You, and on our 2022 compilation This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5. This particular spin was in anticipation of Dana & Carl's guest appearance on Irene's Twitch TV channel Irene Peña Music this coming Sunday, February 26th, at 7 pm Eastern. SUNDAY! We'll chat! We'll laugh! She'll wonder why she's wasting her valuable time on the likes of Dana & Carl! But she'll manage it all with a smile (or at least a smirk), because she's AMERICA'S SWEETHEART! We hope you'll join us on Twitch this Sunday, and then come back for TIRnRR as we open our show with another example of Irene's musical magic. Sweet is its own reward.

MIKE BROWNING: Blood Of Oblivion

We have played Mike Browning's fabulous current cover of the Rainy Daze's 1967 obscurity "Blood Of Oblivion" each and every week since its release as a single earlier this year. It is guaranteed a berth on our 2023 year-end countdown show. An act of Congress couldn't keep it out. It's taking a break next week, but we absolutely love it, and it will be back very, very soon.

JOHNATHAN PUSHKAR: Let's Get Small

Fab musician Johnathan Pushkar is into the Marvel Comics movies, and I think he's also into the comic books that spawned that cinematic universe. Me, too! I identify as more of a DC Comics guy in general--I'm BATMAN!!--but I love DC and Marvel superheroes as much as I love my rockin' pop music. Johnathan's new single "Let's Get Small" provides an opportunity to combine those interests, with an engaging li'l radio-ready ditty in tribute to the latest Marvel cinematic outing, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Pop guys ASSEMBLE!

I go back a long, long way with Ant-Man. The current character (on film and on the comics page) is Scott Lang, but my Ant-Man in the '60s and '70s was Dr. Hank Pym. By the time I first saw the character in 1966, he'd already grown into being Giant-Man, a member of the Mighty Avengers. After my earlier introduction to Marvel with Sub-Mariner and the Incredible Hulk in Tales To Astonish, Giant-Man and his fellow Avengers the Wasp, the Mighty Thor, the Invincible Iron Man, and Captain America represented my second exposure to the Marvel Age of Comics.

This comic book was published in 1965. but I saw it in '66

I'm proud of my passions. At the still-(willfully) immature age of 63, I keep on blasting my music, reading my comic books, and seeing most of the new superhero flicks as they're released. Dig what you dig. 

A few recent purchases at Comix Zone in North Syracuse

Johnathan Pushkar gets it. Those who don't get it are just thinking too small.

GENE PITNEY: Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

COLIN HAY: I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

NANCY SINATRA: Wishin' And Hopin'

The results of playlist construction can surprise even the ones who construct 'em. It was a given that a Dusty Springfield track would be part of our Bacharach-David thread. I figured it would be Dusty's version of "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself"...until I decided some intangible oomphability in ex-Men At Work frontman Colin Hay's rendition suited our needs better.

Right. So! Dusty's "Wishin' And Hopin'," a record I fondly remember from my childhood. Slam dunk choice. Then I heard Nancy Sinatra's version, and really wanted to include that. I wasn't gonna give up on Dusty--no way, no how--so her shimmering performance of "The Look Of Love" became our designated Dusty Bacharach-David.

During the show, we heard from listeners who regard "The Look Of Love" as Dusty's best record, and their favorite rendition of any Bacharach-David gem ever recorded by anyone. See, the playlist takes care of itself. Even when it surprises us.

THE RAMONES: She's The One

The American Beatles. The greatest American rock 'n' roll band of all time. For me, 2023 is the year of the Ramones. Sure, every year is another 1-2-3-4! Ramones year in these quarters, but especially so this year because of my Ramones book. As someone who's spent the last five decades wanting to write books, finally getting my first book published is a pretty big deal. I'm going to try not to be a boor about it, try to rein in my enthusiasm as much as I can, but...yeah, this is a pretty big freakin' deal.

But it was Dana who played the Ramones on this week's show. From the group's fantastic 1978 album Road To Ruin, "She's The One" was described in Bomp! magazine as the Ramones' best-ever fast song. Since the lads weren't especially known for their ballads, that's high praise. And it's another high-octane part of my year of the Ramones.

DIONNE WARWICK: Do You Know The Way To San Jose

We end almost all of our shows with at least one after-the-tag bonus track--WAITWAITWAITWAITWAITWAIT! We got a little more This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio!--to spin immediately after Dana and I have signed off for the week. Given our Bacharach-David tribute thread, this week's bonus also needed to be something from that songbook.

My original intent was to use the 5th Dimension's "One Less Bell To Answer" in this spot. As I thought more about it, and knowing that Dionne Warwick was often said to be Bacharach's favorite interpreter of his work, and even though we'd already played her superb rendition of "Walk On By," it felt imperative to end with a Warwick track. 

And it had to be "Do You Know The Way To San Jose." I remember the song from its hit heyday in 1968, which just happened to be the summer I made my first trip to California (a tale told as part of this long narrative of my life in the '60s). The track's sprightly, winning ambiance belies the capitulation expressed in its lyrics. 

Or is it capitulation? Granted, the singer in this story is ditching dreams of stardom in L.A. for a reset in San Jose, presenting a spiritual predecessor to the luckless would-be superstar catching a midnight train to Georgia in the classic '70s hit by Gladys Knight and the Pips. But both Dionne and Gladys see a path to a potential happy ending. There are many ways to succeed. Some of those ways include success on one's own terms.

Do you know the way? It seems that Dionne Warwick did know. Bacharach and David definitely knew. Whether a great big freeway like L.A. or a chance to really breathe in San Jose, Hal David's words teamed with Burt Bacharach's melodies to craft the sound of the American...no, the International Dream.

(I almost included a little snippet of me trying to sing the first verse of "Do You Know The Way To San Jose" before introducing Dionne's record as the way the song is supposed to sound. I thought better of it. I'm certain Dionne would have remained Bacharach's favorite. And rightly so.)

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon, or by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available for preorder, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!!

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.

10 SONGS: 10/4/2022

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 appears a little bit earlier than its usual Thursday berth, and it draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1149.

THE COWSILLS: Rhythm Of The World

Magnificent. The title tune (and first single) from the the Cowsills' fab new album Rhythm Of The World serves as an engaging intro to this week's radio record party. This is only the second time we've ever been able to play a new Cowsills track on TIRnRR--the first was their 2019 cover of "Won't You Be My Neighbor"--and it's the first time we've opened a show with minty-fresh Cowsills. One hopes it won't be the last.

And one suspects it won't be the last time. The new album is very, very good, a potent reminder of the Cowsills' talent, prowess, and panache. It's not quite the equal of 1998's Global--my favorite album of the '90s--but it's pretty damned close, and that's pretty damned cool.

New music from the Cowsills. And yeah, there'll be more to come from Rhythm Of The World in near-future playlists.

CAROLYNE MAS: In The Rain

CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: Goodnight Sailor

It has seemed like a very long time coming, but our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5 is out this week, courtesy of the good folks at Kool Kat Musik. I do indeed realize that we're biased about this, but I tell ya, TIRnRR # 5 is as fine a rockin' pop compilation as you can find anywhere. Anywhere. We're not delusional, at least not in this specific context. We're enthused. And this is flippin' superb.

Among this compilation's many services to the CD-buying public, we have rescued an obscure, long-outta-print Carolyne Mas track from undeserved anonymity. "In The Rain" is now my favorite Carolyne Mas number--and that's saying something--and its only current physical media availability is on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5.

And if TIRnRR # 5 merits kudos for shining its giddy spotlight on "In The Rain," we also deserve a Huzzah! or two for the first-ever appearance of "Goodnight Sailor" by Chris von Sneidern. Jeez, does CVS have any mere castoffs? "Goodnight Sailor" is worthy of saturation airplay everywhere, and we're delighted to play this small role in placing it within earshot of the eager and appreciative. 

Oh, and the moral of our story? BUY YOURSELF A COPY OF THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO, VOLUME 5! It's the thing to do, kids will envy you, so buy our CD [CeeeDeee!].

CEELO GREEN: Forget You

OUTKAST: Hey Ya!

LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: I Better Get Home

I guarantee you, the members of Akron's phenomenal pop combo Librarians With Hickeys didn't foresee one of their tracks placed in a 1-2-3 sequence of CeeLo Green, OutKast, and our neck-kissed Librarians. It's ALL pop music, man.

And pop music fits alongside pop music. It's what pop music does, what it's meant to do. CeeLo Green's "Forget You"--a dynamic single that's about as perky as an F-YOU! can be--came up while I was sifting through possibilities for this week's radio alchemy. I'm fairly certain we've played it before, but it's been absent from our playlists for a long time. Had to rectify that.

"Forget You"'s effervescent pop appeal brought OutKast's "Hey Ya!" to Dana's mind. "Hey Ya!" was and remains a transcendent record, effortlessly merging influences from rock, soul, new wave, even bubblegum and hip hop, and makin' 'em all shine together under the light of a smilin' AM Top 40 sun. Oh, and it has HANDCLAPS!! Hey YA!

And the HEY! in that model brought me to "I Better Get Home," my favorite track on the new Librarians With Hickeys album Handclaps & Tambourines. See? Handclaps! OutKast would approve. As well they should.

THE PANDORAS: It's About Time

During one of my commutes last week, my iPod served up "Again And Again," a track from Come Inside, the still-unreleased 1987 album by the Pandoras. Much of this album is characterized by an all-female interpretation of the leering demeanor common among strutting '80s hair-metal boys who would be men, a single-entendre pose adopted by garage girls transitioning from '60s fuzz fixation into a flirtation with aerosol rock. Come Inside The Pandoras. GET IT...?!

For all that, though, Come Inside really isn't bad, and it's occasionally a lot better than its seemingly baser instincts might indicate. I wouldn't quite rank it alongside the Pandoras' 1984 debut album It's About Time (which was a different band entirely, with only Paula Pierce moving forward through subsequent incarnations) or 1986's somewhat poppier Stop Pretending, but I do wish it would finally see legit release.

I considered throwing "Again And Again" into this week's playlist, but ultimately went back to my favorite Pandoras track, the irresistible "It's About Time." Here are a few lines from its chapter in my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

"...Like many groups in the mid '80s psychedelic revival, the Pandoras cherished authenticity in their efforts to recreate the sounds of the obscure and unpolished '60s bands they admired and emulated. As an all-female group in an overwhelmingly male-dominated scene, the Pandoras may have been seen (incorrectly) as something of a novelty act, but the sound of female vocals over fuzz guitar helped the group stand out from the pack of slavish Sonics imitators.

"If the Pandoras were initially noticed just for their gender, it must also be said that they could deliver the goods on record. Their 1984 debut album It's About Time remains an essential artifact of the neo-garage movement. It's filled with derivative tunes, retro moves, and deliberately lo-fi production values, sure, but it is greater than its self-imposed limitations, and it is offered with a gusto second to none.

"The title track is extraordinary, its guitar intro echoing the Byrds while remaining stubbornly anchored in the carport that spawned it. The lyrics could be about a one-night stand (or the first of a series of all-night stands), or one could imagine it as manifesto for bands and fans to get together to frolic under the flashing lights. It's about time. Don't you think that we should just let it happen? NOW!...."

THE RASPBERRIES: I Wanna Be With You

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

LISA MYCHOLS: Go All The Way

I believe it was intrepid TIRnRR listener Joel Tinnel who once suggested that a spin of Lisa Mychols' breathy, acoustic cover of the Raspberries' horny classic "Go All The Way" should be followed with a ceremonial cigarette. We don't smoke, but this track sure does.  And I further suggest that a twin spin of the 'Berries' "I Wanna Be With You" and Lisa's "Go All The Way" should perhaps be sold in a brown paper bag. 

HERB ALPERT AND THE TIJUANA BRASS: Green Peppers

And on that note....

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon, or by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

10 SONGS: 2/25/2020

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 week's edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1014.

1.4.5.: She Couldn't Say No



I think we all know I'm a big fan of Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse The Flashcubes. But in 1980, when the 'Cubes ended their initial run, I didn't go into mourning. Guitarist Paul Armstrong had already exited the group the year before that, and while the remaining original trio of Gary Frenay, Arty Lenin, and Tommy Allen added guitarist Mick Walker to form a solid latter-day Flashcubes combo from '79 to '80, it wasn't quite the same to me. August of 1980 provided redemption, as amends were made and hatchets buried, and PA joined his former bandmates for a one-off reunion gig. More reunions would follow in later years.

Meanwhile, the end of The Flashcubes in 1980 gave me two new bands to love. Gary, Arty, and Tommy stuck together as a perfect pop group called Screen Test. And The Most, the group Paul and his then-girlfriend Dian Zain piloted through various line-ups in '79 and '80, became 1.4.5. when Zain departed in 1980. The Flashcubes had been Syracuse's greatest group; with Screen Test and 1.4.5. in 1980, Syracuse suddenly had two greatest groups.

I detailed much of this in my liner notes for The Flashcubes' Bright Lights and A Cellarful Of Boys, Screen Test's Inspired Humans Making Noise, and 1.4.5.'s 3 Chords & A Cloud Of Dust. My favorite 1.4.5. track remains "She Couldn't Say No," a confidently boppin' little number from their 1981 EP Pink Invasion. 

HERB ALPERT & THE TIJUANA BRASS: Mexican Road Race



Each weekly episode of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio ends with a closing instrumental, as we back-announce the show's final set before declaring That's it! Adios! We're DONE! This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl! Our spin of "Mexican Road Race" in the sixth set (out of eight) during this week's show accidentally fooled some listeners into thinking the show was ending waaaaay early. That just means we oughtta play more instrumentals during the show instead of just at the end. We've played this track several times over the years, and it's my favorite Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass cut. Including it in this week's 10 Songs gives me a chance to prove that there are other Herb Alpert LP jackets in addition to that one that keeps finding its way onto my blog.

Yeah. That one.

P. P. ARNOLD: Angel Of The Morning



Merrilee Rush's 1968 hit "Angel Of The Morning" was one of my many favorite songs on the radio when I was a kid, and I secured my own copy of it in the '70s on an oldies compilation called You Must Remember These Volume II (a set that introduced me to the snarling appeal of "Little Girl" by The Syndicate Of Sound). I never cared for Juice Newton's 1981 cover, and didn't hear the 1967 original by Evie Sands until decades later. I now regard P. P. Arnold's matchless, soulful 1968 take as the definitive version.

JIM BASNIGHT: Best Lover In The World



In the '80s, Jim Basnight was in a fabulous punk-influenced pop group called The Moberlys. I came to The Moberlys well after the fact, but they've been a TIRnRR Fave Rave for years, and we dig much of Basnight's solo work, too. "Best Lover In The World" is from his 2019 album Not Changing, and the song received sufficient burn on our show to make it TIRnRR's second most-played track last year. Our most-played track was a cover of The Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset," recorded by some talented friends and supporters of the show (billed as TIR'N'RR Allstars), specifically to benefit whatever the hell it is we do. We loved "Waterloo Sunset"--obviously!--and pounded the console with great enthusiasm on its behalf and ours; there were a couple of shows where we played that track twice, and I think there may have been one show where we played it thee times. It was inevitable that would be our # 1 song for 2019.

And for all of that well-deserved pounding of "Waterloo Sunset," it's worth noting that it edged out "Best Lover In The World" for the top spot by a single play. I guess we like that Jim Basnight track a lot, too.

DEF LEPPARD: American Girl



In the early '80s, when I was a recent college graduate working at McDonald's and trying to figure out my own path forward, I devoured rock magazines, from CREEM to Trouser Press to the occasional U.K. tabloid like Melody Maker and New Musical Express. Between CREEM and those tabloids (and probably not including Trouser Press), I heard the phrase "New Wave of British Heavy Metal," and that's how I first heard of a band called Def Leppard. I was intrigued--I was investigating a lot of different sounds at the time--and I sorta-kinda embraced a Def Leppard song called "Let It Go," which was getting a little bit of play on the Rochester, NY area AOR stations in 1981. The winding, twirling guitar sound of "Let It Go" reminded me of Johnny Thunders for some incongruous reason that doesn't stand up to rational analysis. But Thunders was my guitar hero at the time, and if that's what I thought I heard, by God, I'm not gonna argue with the sometimes-surly 21-year-old version of myself.

I had closed my mind to Def Leppard by the time of Pyromania and "Photograph" and saturation MTV play in the mid '80s. Looking back, I realize that I should have given that stuff more of a fair shake; a lot of it's actually pretty good, and has aged better than anything else you could name from that genre at that time.

Flash forward to 2006, to Def Leppard's all-covers album Yeah! Yeah! includes the group's respectful and capable versions of ace classics by the likes of Badfinger, T. Rex, The Nerves, David Bowie, Sweet, Roxy Music, Electric Light Orchestra, and, of course, "Waterloo Sunset," albeit several years before TIR'N'RR Allstars. The album was recommended to me with great enthusiasm by no less a rock authority than Paul Armstrong. 

But my favorite track from the Yeah! sessions was this wonderful non-album cover of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "American Girl," issued only on an exclusive Yeah! bonus CD sold at Wal-Mart or something. Here, Def Leppard pulls off a magnificent cover of a song that was already perfect to begin with. Hell, I preferred it to Petty for a brief, misguided period, but no matter. It's great, and you need to hear it.

MICKY DOLENZ: Livin' On Lies



Micky Dolenz is one of the most underrated pop singers of the rock 'n' roll era. Everyone's heard the evidence of his commanding and endearing vocals on so many hits and album tracks with The Monkees, though relatively few have experienced many (or any) of his performances outside The Monkees' aegis. Dolenz hasn't really done as many solo recordings as you'd think he woulda, and I wish he'd do more. His 2012 album Remember includes a simply terrific track called "Many Years," which I first heard playing over the PA at a venue while I was waiting for The Monkees to perform, inspiring my inner and outer pop obsessive to proclaim, Must. HAVE!!  In 2016, 7a Records released an expanded CD version of The MGM Singles, supplementing the previous vinyl edition's collection of Dolenz sides from the '70s with added treats. The delectables include a heavenly live two-for rendition of The Monkees' "Porpoise Song" and The Beatles' "Good Morning, Good Morning," plus "Chance Of A Lifetime" and "Livin' On Lies," two tracks Dolenz recorded some time in the '90s. Repeat after me: Must. HAVE!! 

CAROLYNE MAS: Quote Goodbye Quote



Carolyne Mas was described at one point as "the female Bruce Springsteen," a comparison that isn't far off the mark but might not have done her any real favors at retail. Her first three albums--Carolyne Mas (1979), Hold On (1980), and Modern Dreams (1981), all originally on Mercury Records--have just been reissued by Renaissance Records, and I've already bought this one with intent to add the others. It's a very good record, and Mas is worthy of much wider acclaim. "Quote Goodbye Quote" is my Pick Hit, then and now.

MARYKATE O'NEIL: I'm Ready For My Luck To Turn Around



We play the hits. I exhumed this delightful 2006 track for TIRnRR # 1012 on 2/9/2020, and included it in 10 Songs: 2/11/2020, making this the first of many forthcoming repeat tracks in the sprawling and unfolding saga of 10 Songs. You're a witness to history, my friend. An enthused listener heard the song for the first time on a playback of # 1012, prompting me to play it again last week. The fact that its hooks have by now resumed their entrenched grip on my consciousness prompted me to play it yet again this week. It's destined for more airplay throughout 2020. I'm ready for my luck to turn around. Words to live by.

THE POLICE: Roxanne



When I was managing a record store circa 1986, one of my clerks was horrified by my indifference to The Police. I had liked the band initially, around the time of their first two albums in the late '70s, but found myself losing interest in them as they became (to my taste) increasingly...mainstream? I guess. I wasn't trying to be hipper than the crowd, honest; it was just that I preferred their earlier records. I appreciate some of their bigger hits a bit more now than I did then, though I'm pretty sure I'll always detest that damned stalker song, "Every Breath You Take."

In contrast, I very much liked "Message In A Bottle," and I freakin' adored "Roxanne," which I considered the coolest song on pop radio in 1979.  Don't think I'll ever get tired of that one.

DONNA SUMMER: I Feel Love



In 1977, Brian Eno told Bowie that Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" was the sound of the future. In that year of potential musical revolution, a year of important and transcendent releases by The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, and Television, Eno was still probably right. An amazing single.



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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

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Volume 3: download

Volume 4: CD or download

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

Hey, Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 133 essays about 133 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).