10 SONGS: 10/5/2023

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 # 1201. This show is available as a podcast.

THE FLASHCUBES: Forget About You

I realize I'm getting perilously close to emulating a robocall in this situation, but nonetheless: The Flashcubes. Pop Masters. My album of the year in 2023. The current single, with the 'Cubes covering (and improving!) the Motors' "Forget About You," is my favorite among fave raves here, and it's racked up some significant TIRnRR airplay to prove it.

We're giving this fab track a break next week. It's earned it! It'll be back. There's no danger of us ever forgetting about the Flashcubes.

(And the Flashcubes themselves--well, three of them--will be represented on our next show, but with a slightly older track, as we try to pay some modest tribute to the great Ducky Carlisle.)

THE EVENING SONS: I Gotta Gurl

THE WHIFFS: Wanted

We were pointed toward current UK rockin' poppers the Evening Sons' utterly stellar track "I Gotta Gurl" by pop journalist and author S. W. Lauden, and by Brothers Steve drummer Steve Coulter. That's kinda like getting advice from Superman and Clark Kent, and it's advice best followed. Look! Up in the sky, Clark! Um...Clark? Hey, where did Clark get to...?

Anyway. Supersteve's Remember The Lightning is a pret' damned good resource for discovering pop with power. We're listening to what he says! Remember The Lightning also led us to the Whiffs, who finally make their TIRnRR debut this week with an ace li'l number called "Wanted," from their 2023 release Scratch 'N' Sniff.

Clark Kent and Superman. S. W. Lauden and Steve Coulter. Hell, Paul McCartney and Bernard Webb. Listen to what the man said.

THE FOUR TOPS: If I Were A Carpenter

If I were the Carpenters

And you were Pink Lady

Would Chuck Berry play anyway?

Or would we have the Babys?

If I think of Rain Parade

Would Cowsills find me?

"Carrie Annie." the Hollies brayed

How ELO reminds me

Shave Mike Love for orneriness

Replace Mike Love with Sorrows

Mike gave Beach Boys severance checks

Wondermints, tomorrow!

If I were Steve Miller

With Detroit Wheels grinding

Would you miss the Orgone Box

And Yusef's shrewd whining?

If I were a band, Roy Wood

Would Move still shun me?

If I could join Yes, I would

What would U2 think of me?

If I were the Carpenters

And you were Pink Lady

Would Chuck Berry play anyway?

Or would we have the Babys?

Would Chuck Berry play anyway?

Or would we have the Babys?

I...may have gotten some of the lyrics wrong. But no matter! The Four Tops sing it best anyway.

THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL: Summer In The City

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE RAMONES: Gimme Gimme Shock treatment

Heh. I don't actually require shock treatment at the moment. There is a lot going on, but enough of it is happy, and that makes the odd bits o' stress easier to shrug off. October is...something. Something good, something bad, not in equal parts. As always, we ask ourselves: What would the Ramones do? And again: 1-2-3-4. On with it. Up with it. Gimme what gimmes we can grab. 

THE CYNZ: I Need You

We've been programming a number of tracks from the recent tribute album Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies. It's a wonderful collection of Jem Records' artists saluting our esteemed Sir Raymond Douglas Davies, and I'd be hard-pressed to pick out one single preferred track.

But I think the Cynz and their cover of the Kinks' "I Need You" have accrued the most TIRnRR airplay off this album. In a previous 10 Songs, I wrote, "The Kinks' 'I Need You' isn't as well known as its proto-punk brethren 'You Really Got Me' and 'All Day And All Of The Night,' but it is indeed in that same proud-to-be-loud sense of willful abandon. The Cynz nail it, and we're playing it again on our next show.

"We need to."

THE KINKS: Days

October 1st would have been my dad's 104th birthday, We lost Dad in 2012, and we lost Mom in 2021. At Dad's memorial service in 2012, my eulogy for him included lyrics from "Days" by the Kinks. It was one of my favorite records. It still is, but it's not something I play much anymore. Its connection to loss is too strong, too specific.

But this month, Dad's youngest grandchild--my daughter--is getting married. I know that Mom and Dad will only be there in spirit...but their spirits will be there, loving and proud.

And once again: I thank you for the days.

GUADALCANAL DIARY: Litany (Life Goes On)

As it must.

THE POWERPUFF GIRLS: Love Makes The World Go 'Round

And love does make the world go 'round.

Nothing else can.

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, 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

10 SONGS: 8/31/2023

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 # 1196. This show is available as a podcast.

THE ANDERSON COUNCIL: This Is Where I Belong

Heh. Right before the announcement that the good folks at Underground Garage had selected the Anderson Council's cover of the Kinks' "Do You Remember Walter?" as this week's Coolest Song In The World, we'd already picked a different Anderson Council track from the same Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies tribute album to kick off our own show. The more the mightier! Heck, our pal and colleague Rich Firestone also gave a spin to "Do You Remember Walter?" on this weekend's edition of Radio Deer Camp, so Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies is clearly well on its way to utter and delighted world domination.

And that's where it belongs.

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE GOLDTOPS: Wicked Wit

Our friends at Big Stir Records scored a major huzZAH! when they signed a deal to put out a new album by venerable British rocker Graham Parker. Credited to Graham Parker and the Goldtops, Last Chance To Learn The Twist stands proud and tall alongside the impressive body of work Parker has created over a span of decades. 

This week, we specifically whooped up that string of excellence with a one-two then-and-now shot of primo Parker, with Graham Parker and the Rumour's 1976 classic "Pouring It All Out" clearing a righteous path for ace new number "Wicked Wit." This will not be your last chance to learn the new Graham Parker record on TIRnRR.

Oh. And in between "Pouring It All Out" and "Wicked Wit," we dropped in a new TIRnRR show ID by none other than Graham Parker himself. Graham freakin' Parker recorded an ID for our little mutant radio program. I need to commandeer a time machine and tell my younger self about that.

WENDI DUNLAP: Season Of Loss

Can one find catharsis in pop music? Yeah. Of course. Art can challenge us, but it can also comfort us when comfort is our basic need. Take a sad song and make it better. Reach out, I'll be there. Ain't no mountain high enough. Stand by me. I'm ready for my luck to turn around.

This December will mark the second anniversary of my Mom's passing. She would have been 98 years old this week, on Monday. I'm okay, really quite okay. I'm aware of her absence, especially when some milestone occurs or some cool thing happens and my first reaction is I gotta tell Mom! I'll be very aware of it when my daughter gets married in October. But while Mom's life was no stranger to sorrow, it was still a long life filled with love. I'm not sad. I'm grateful.

I didn't have any of the above in mind when I programmed Wendi Dunlap's sublime "Season Of Loss" into this playlist. The track is from Wendi's album Looking For Buildings, and I confess I was originally thinking of playing the track at the top of the show, an acknowledgement of the loss all around us. The devastation in Maui was my primary influence, as I've been unable to say anything of use or value to that awful situation. Fires. Hurricanes. Illness. Violence. It's alway a season of loss.

Upon further review, I realized that's just too much burden to place on a beguiling pop track. We let the song play in the middle of our second set instead. Freed of expectations.

A comfort nonetheless. 'Tis the season. It always is.

THE RAMONES: It's Not My Place (In The 9 To 5 World)

I've been thinking about retirement. That event is still a ways off--three years, four months, two weeks, and three days, but who's counting?--and I do indeed dig that one should be careful how one wishes. Right, Mr. Limpet?

Yeah, can't be too careful with wishes to be fishes. Meanwhile, I still work full-time in retail. I'm not unhappy; it's a job, it's a paycheck, and I'm comfortable with the circumstances. I'd like more time to write, travel, write, dance, write, read, write, play, and write, and I make use of what time I have for all of that in the here and now. For the moment, it is my place in the 9 to 5 world.

The Ramones are the subject of my first book, published earlier this year. "It's Not My Place (In The 9 To 5 World)" is from the Ramones' 1981 album Pleasant Dreams. Of the Ramones' 16 studio albums, Pleasant Dreams sounds the least like classic Ramones. The group's first four albums are always gonna be my favorites, but I've been getting into this sixth album a lot this year. It's not the equal of Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket To Russia, or Road To Ruin, but it is great, and it's way, way underrated.

And it has its place. 

BOBBY SUTLIFF: Same Way Tomorrow

I didn't know Bobby Sutliff. We were friends on Facebook, but I don't remember whether or not we ever had any substantive contact via the great and powerful interwebs.

Nonetheless, I know for damned sure that our indie pop world has suffered a loss with Bobby's passing last week. His body of work, both as a solo artist and with the great rockin' pop combo the Windbreakers (fronted by Bobby and his fellow popsmith Tim Lee), is rightly revered among true rockin' pop believers, and the work will live on. We mourn the loss of the man who created that work.

I wrote the above about a year ago, shortly after we heard that Sutliff had died. Now, Jem Records is celebrating Bobby's legacy with an expanded reissue of his 1987 album Only Ghosts Remain. With its title tweaked to Only Ghosts Remain Plus, the Jem release adds eleven bonus tracks from throughout Sutliff's solo career, doubling the original album's selections. The bonus tracks effectively make this The Best Of Bobby Sutliff, and that's saying something. I already have most of the bonus tracks (which include my favorite Sutcliff gem "Griffin Bay"), but somehow I never owned a copy of Only Ghosts Remain.

I have it now, and it's just splendid. If you likewise revere all that's jangly, I recommend you get this one, too.

THE FLASHCUBES: Forget About You

Our friends at Big Stir Records scored a major huhZAH! when they signed a deal to put out a new album by Syracuse's own power pop powerhouses the Flashcubes. Dana and I may have played a tiny little part in introducing one party to the other--Rex and Christina! Gary, Paul, Arty, and Tommy! DO SOMETHING TOGETHER!!--but our preexisting bias isn't necessary to recognize that the new 'Cubes album Pop Masters is flat-out incredible. Album of the year, mates. 

And this week we introduced yet another spin of the Flashcubes' Pop Masters cover of the Motors' "Forget About You" with a brand-new TIRnRR show ID by none other than Gary Frenay of the Flashcubes. I need to commandeer a time machine and tell my younger self about that, too.

THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL: She Is Still A Mystery

My recent Greatest Record Ever Made! piece about the Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer In The City" included these comments about the group's 1967 single "She Is Still A Mystery:"

In addition to my undying allegiance to "Summer In The City," another favorite Spoonful tune was a lesser-known hit that I also heard on oldies radio: "She Is Still A Mystery." This fragile-sounding ode to love's quirks and uncertainties, its elusive nature and endless allure, took command of my equally-fragile inner romantic, which surrendered unconditionally. My inner romantic fights like a wimp.

CHUBBY CHECKER AND DEE DEE SHARP: Slow Twistin'

I wrote here about seeing Chubby Checker perform live last week. Checker is not represented in my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), though his "Let's Do The Freddie" does get a mention in that book's Freddie and the Dreamers chapter. But I tell ya, Chubby's 1960 smash "The Twist" is quite possibly THE single most seismic 45 of all time, and it certainly merits its own GREM! spotlight. The task of writing that has been added to my voluminous to-do list. Come on, baby!

Greatest is its own distinct (and infinite) category. Favorite is a separate consideration. My favorite Chubby Checker record is "Slow Twistin'," his 1962 hit collaboration with Dee Dee Sharp. Listening to a Chubby Checker best-of CD (and now having seen him perform) proves that, man, there's a lot of greatness to be found in the Checker catalog. Slow Twist? Fast Twist?All the Twists, and all the Ponys, Flys, Limbos, and--what the hell--Freddies, too. Round and round and round we go.

THE BEATLES: Revolution

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

EARTH, WIND AND FIRE: September

September is upon us. And it's high time for The 12th Annual DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT! We figured we'd start gettin' psyched for next week's epic new Soul Pit by closing this week's show with a double-length set of soul and R & B. And that set commenced with the irresistible elemental force of Earth, Wind and Fire. 

I didn't even realize the accidental serendipity of opening this end-of-August Soul Pit set with "September" until after the show aired. But we'll take it. September looms. The 12th Annual Dana's Funky Soul Pit awaits on September 3.

Say that you'll remember.

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, 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, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE: Summer In The City

Adapted from a previous piece, this was tuned 'n' tweaked to be a potential chapter in my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), but it's not included in my presumably final draft of the book. I did recycle its K-Tel Records joke and its Gilligan's Island reference elsewhere in the book. I'm all about efficiency, man. If I ever revisit this piece, I really oughta talk about  Zal Yanovsky, Steve Boone, and Joe Butler--maybe even Jerry Yester--and not just that John Sebastian guy.

An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!

THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL: Summer In The City
Written by John Sebastian, Mark Sebastian, and Steve Boone
Produced by Erik Jacobsen

Single, Kama Sutra, 1966

In retrospect, it seems a little odd that I don't really remember the Lovin' Spoonful from when I was a kid in the '60s. It's likely that I did hear the Lovin' Spoonful on the radio in '65 and '66, even if I don't remember them. But if I didn't know the Spoonful at the time, I was at least exposed to their image, albeit second hand. The goofy, colorfully flamboyant good-time vibe of the group was frequently appropriated without apology in TV sitcoms; whenever a TV show wanted to feign hipness and include a faux rock 'n' roll group, the resulting fabrication was sometimes clearly derived visually from the Lovin' Spoonful, with a bit of the Byrds tossed in. Neither the Lovin' Spoonful nor the Byrds ever appeared on Gilligan's Island or F Troop, but their doppelgangers did.

Gilligan's Island's newest hitmakers THE MOSQUITOS!

And, in 1966, TV presented a made-for-the-medium combo called the Monkees. The Monkees didn't take much from the Spoonful, though there has been a persistent (if likely apocryphal) story that the show's producers, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, had considered the idea of doing a series actually starring the Lovin' Spoonful, before deciding to create the Monkees instead. 

But it wasn't until the 1970s that I really discovered the Lovin' Spoonful. "Summer In The City" was the track that got my attention, an amazing slice of sweaty urban verisimilitude turned into shiny pop music, its glossy sheen accentuating its desire rather than sublimating it. These city boys was out to get some. But at night it's a different world. Go out and find a girl. This suburban kid approved of the idea.

My mid '70s embrace of all things '60s included the Spoonful. My brother Rob had a copy of the group's debut album, Do You Believe In Magic, which I borrowed (along with Rubber Soul, Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow, Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills, and Dylan's Greatest Hits and Self Portrait). I was disappointed that the Spoonful LP didn't include "Summer In The City," but I dug the title track and included it on one of my lo-fi cassette tape compilations. (How lo-fi? We didn't own a tape deck, so I put my little portable cassette player next to the speaker and pressed RECORD while the LP track played. You can laugh, but I'm pretty sure that's how Ronco and K-Tel did it, too.)

I also borrowed a whole bunch of LPs and 45s from my cousin Maryann. This killer stash of vinyl included Beatles For Sale, Meet The Beatles, The Beatles' Second Album, Something New, Glad All Over, The Dave Clark Five Return!, The Beach Boys Party, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!), Meet The Searchers, "Get Off Of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones, and "Summer In The City" by the Lovin' Spoonful. SCORE!

The first Spoonful track I owned was my beloved "Summer In The City," contained on the soundtrack album for the David Essex film Stardust; my copy came out of the dusty budget basement at Record Revolution in Cleveland Heights, where my sister Denise lived. This would be circa '76 or '77. By then, I'd read a bit about the Spoonful, and I knew that the John Sebastian who sang the theme song from TV's Welcome Back, Kotter was the same guy who'd previously sang "Summer In The City" and "Do You Believe In Magic." I'd heard more Spoonful on oldies radio--"Nashville Cats," "Rain On The Roof," "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice," "Daydream," "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind," and "Darling Be Home Soon"--and liked 'em all. The Lovin' Spoonful was one of the many fine acts included in Rock Of The '60s, the fabulous video program I attended at Syracuse University one evening in 1977.

(In addition to my undying allegiance to "Summer In The City," another favorite Spoonful tune was a lesser-known hit that I also heard on oldies radio: "She Is Still A Mystery." This fragile-sounding ode to love's quirks and uncertainties, its elusive nature and endless allure, took command of my equally-fragile inner romantic, which surrendered unconditionally. My inner romantic fights like a wimp. I bought my first Spoonful LP, a used copy of The Very Best Of The Lovin' Spoonful, off a table set up at the Student Union in the Fall of 1977, my freshman year at Brockport; I also bought a copy of the Rolling Stones' Aftermath at the same time. The so-called "best-of" set didn't include "She Is Still A Mystery," but I snagged that 45 at the flea market in Syracuse.)

I can't quite say that the Lovin' Spoonful ever became one of my very favorite groups, but I never stopped liking them. I had an interesting opportunity to see John Sebastian in the '90s, when he appeared at the Borders bookstore in Syracuse. Sebastian mostly told stories, but also sang a couple of songs, and the good-time vibe of the Lovin' Spoonful was alive and well. I bought a copy of his children's book J.B.'s Harmonica; he autographed that for us, and he also autographed two LPs: his solo Welcome Back and the Spoonful's soundtrack to the Woody Allen movie What's Up, Tiger Lilly? I'm not one hundred per cent positive, but I think that was the last time I ever asked any celebrity for an autograph.

"Summer In The City" was always my go-to Lovin' Spoonful track (rivaled briefly by the lesser-known "She Is Still A Mystery"), but it's not my only tuneful Spoonful something-that-rhymes-with-oonful. Balloonful. Macaroonful. Spitoonful? No, that doesn't work. Anyway. I also love "Rain On The Roof," "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice," "Day Dream," "Darling Be Home Soon," "Pow [Theme From What's Up, Tiger Lily?]," and especially "Do You Believe In Magic," which is also The Greatest Record Ever Made. This infinite number gimmick comes in handy.

I don't remember the Lovin' Spoonful from when I was a kid, from the time when they were briefly thought of as America's potential answer to the Beatles. But I came to know them later. And, belatedly, I understood the simple, magic appeal of being caught up in a summer shower, lost in a daydream, of running up the stairs to meet her on the rooftop, and praying "Darling, be home soon." Her mystery remains. I will try to tell you about the magic that can free your soul. After all, why can't we tell a stranger about rock 'n' roll anyway? The magic endures. It inspires belief. Hot town. Just like the days, it'll be all right.

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, 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, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

10 SONGS: 3/3/2020 [THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!]

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.


As I continue to fight a lingering cold--and I have not ruled out the use of nuclear weapons in this battle--I skipped this week's TIRnRR. But 10 Songs must go on! This week's edition discusses ten little numbers that I considered as subjects in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), but which aren't included in the book's current Table Of Contents.

As always: an infinite number of songs can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns.

THE ANIMALS: It's My Life



Among instruments commonly used in creating pop music, the bass guitar is uniquely suited to herald an impending apocalypse.

Boom boom. Boom boom. Boom boom boom boom boom boom.

For the book, my concept of The Greatest Record Ever Made! is to offer an individual and equal celebration of each great song in its infinite turn. It is not a ranked list, and it is not an attempt to name the 100 (or whatever number) all-time greatest songs. It serves a higher purpose: to revel in the idea that any track you really love, in its moment, is The Greatest, for the duration of its presumably short running time. We don't need to pick just one, nor just one hundred. 

That means there are dozens--hundreds--of other fantastic songs out there that also qualify, each as giddy a GREM! experience as anything discussed in my book. With that in mind, I figured early on that the book needed to deliberately omit a few of my own All-Time Top-Of-The-Pops Fave Raves, including "Five O'Clock World" by The Vogues, "Starry Eyes" by The Records, and "A Million Miles Away" by The Plimsouls.

The most prominent among these willful exclusions is "It's My Life" by The Animals.

I have adored this song for decades, and it has never left my consciousness since I belatedly discovered its gritty pop power when I was 16. It's always in my all-time Top 10, usually in my all-time Top 5, every once in a while my all-time # 1. It is the very model of The Greatest Record Ever Made!

But it's not in the book. Boom boom. Boom boom. Boom boom boom boom boom boom.

THE AVENGERS: We Are The One



The Clash sang that anger could be power. Even before that line appeared in The Clash's London Calling album track "Clampdown" in 1979, a San Francisco combo called The Avengers was on stage at Winterland in January of '78, opening for The Sex Pistols in that group's final appearance meltdown, and embodying the concept of cathartic fury. Anger. Power. Rock 'n' roll.



I came to The Avengers' music well after the fact, and actually heard some of Avengers lead singer Penelope Houston's folkier solo work in the '90s--Houston's "Scratch" remains poised to strike at any shuffled moment on my iPod--long before I heard the anger and power of The Avengers. I think "The American In Me" was my introduction, but "We Are The One" is indeed The One. The Avengers recorded the song twice, both versions are aces, but I go with the earlier 45 version.

THE BEVIS FROND: He'd Be A Diamond



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 her
And he wants to let you know
That if he had his chance again
He'd be a diamond

What a truly awful feeling: that sick, twisted ache inside when we realize we've screwed things up beyond any possible hope of redemption. And we know every last miserable bit of it is our own stupid fault.

When you dab your eyes
The tears keep on falling
And when you blow your nose
It still gets blocked up and runs
And though you feel like shit
He says you look beautiful
And he swears by all the saints
That if he had his chance again
He'd be a diamond

I discovered the music of British singer, musician, and songwriter Nick Saloman (dba The Bevis Frond) through the Dana half of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. The Bevis Frond did a benefit for our overlords Syracuse Community Radio in the '90s, and the Frond's been a perennial TIRnRR pick over the 21+-year course of whatever the hell it is we do. 

Is he lying to get what he wants
Or does he mean it this time?
Is he running low on affection
And beer and dope
And an ironing board
And an unpaid analyst who shags?

"He'd Be A Diamond" is the most powerful post-breakup song I know. Its heartbroken storyline is devastating, delivered casually in the third person, but no less harrowing, no less desperate, no less striking in its depiction of a faithless ex-lover who has seen the error of his ways far too late to make one damned bit of difference.

When you turn your back
You still see what's behind you
And when you start afresh
You still think of days gone by
And when a heart is broken
It still goes on pumping
And he told me just last night
That if he had his chance again
He'd be a diamond

The lyrics. Y'know, I'm primarily a melody guy, a song and dance man, slave to the rhythm and the feel and the hook. I generally sing along with snappy tunes as if all lyrics were la la la showaddywaddy shamalama ping pong. But these lyrics? I wish to God I had written them. I can't imagine a more eloquent expression of longing and regret. A diamond indeed.

THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL: Summer In The City



I never gave The Lovin' Spoonful any strong consideration for inclusion in my book (which is a shame, considering that I already have a perfectly good Spoonful piece I could have easily reworked into a chapter about "Summer In The City"). Hell, I might still end up doing that.

But I've been thinking about the group a bit lately, and not just because of Wild Honey Orchestra's all-star Lovin' Spoonful tribute show last week. My own reverie was inspired by a friend's recent online post wondering why the Spoonful were considered worthy of induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I chose not to respond to the post--the friend is at least as pop-savvy as I am (and then some), and entitled to his opinion--but I've always been pleased that the Spoonful got into the Hall. Sure, there's a long list of acts I'd also wanna see honored, from The Monkees to The New York Dolls, but it wouldn't have ever occurred to me to question the bona fides of The Lovin' Spoonful. Hell, I was far more surprised that The Mamas & the Papas got into the Hall as quickly as they did, but they also deserve the honor.

"Summer In The City" was always my go-to Lovin' Spoonful track (rivaled briefly by the lesser-known "She Is Still A Mystery"), but it's not my only tuneful Spoonful something-that-rhymes-with-oonful. Balloonful. Macaroonful. Spitoonful? No, that doesn't work. Anyway. I also love "Rain On The Roof," "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice," "Day Dream," "Darling Be Home Soon," "Pow [Theme From What's Up, Tiger Lily?]," and especially "Do You Believe In Magic," which is also The Greatest Record Ever Made. This infinite number gimmick comes in handy.

THE MC5: Kick Out The Jams



1968. It was the end of the world as we knew it, and there wasn't anyone feeling fine. Kick out the jams, muthas and bruthas. 

I wish I had worked out a way to include The MC5's "Kick Out The Jams" in my book. It's a prototype for many a metal and punk record that would follow, it's powerful and pissed-off, yet just barely polished enough to retain its angry, big rock groove, a statement of defiant intent as Rome and all its Romans burn. As relevant today as it was then.

(And incidentally, I first heard this song in its censored version, contained on an odd budget-priced 2-LP compilation set called Heavy Metal. Truth to tell, I'm fine with it that way; that version I can play on the radio.)

RUN-DMC: Walk This Way



I'm not a hip-hop fan by any reasonable stretch of the imagination. But I have enjoyed a few rap tracks in the past, including LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" and Grandmaster & Melle Mel's "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)," and the latter track gets its own chapter in The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).

I recently added Run-DMC's hit cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" to my Table of Contents, and I'm just now about to remove it in an attempt to consolidate my sprawlin' li'l behemoth of a book. Even so, it's worth noting that some folks forget how important this record is, and classic rockers in particular tend to shrug off its significance.

But I was working in a record store in the '80s. Aerosmith was yesterday's news; an attempted reunion/comeback album, 1985's Done With Mirrors, was met by an indifferent buying public with a dismissive retort of Dream on! By 1986, Aerosmith was held in such little regard that MTV didn't even credit group members Steven Tyler and Joe Perry for their participation in both the recording and the video of Run-DMC's version of "Walk This Way."

With "Walk This Way," Run-DMC scored the biggest hit of their career. Some look back and think Aerosmith did Run-DMC a favor, and maybe they did. But really, it was Run-DMC that did the bigger favor; Aerosmith's nearly-moribund career was revitalized after the collaboration with Run-DMC, and Aerosmith went on from there to a string of successes that saved their falling fortunes. Aerosmith had been rendered lame, then made to walk (this way) again--all thanks to Run-DMC.

Oh. And when Aerosmith performed on this year's GRAMMY telecast, I thought they were boring...until Run-DMC joined them onstage and redeemed the performance. Saved by Run-DMC. Again.



(I don't hate Aerosmith, though the above might read as if I do. They've never been among my favorites, but I really like the song "Sick As A Dog," and I have varying degrees of affection/tolerance for some of their other '70s tracks, from "Back In The Saddle" to "Mama Kin" to "Sweet Emotion" to "Chip Away The Stone." I lose all interest in them from the '80s onward. I saw The Joe Perry Project in '83 or so, and I preferred their version of Perry's "Let The Music Do The Talking" to Aerosmith's remake on Done With Mirrors. I like the Aerosmith and Run-DMC versions of "Walk This Way" about the same.)

THE SAINTS: (I'm) Stranded



When it comes to the defining debut 45s of '70s punk, I'd rank "(I'm) Stranded)" by Australian rockers The Saints up there with The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop," and even above the Pistols' "Anarchy In The UK" and The Clash's "White Riot," each of which is a fantastic rush of fast, surly energy. When I saw a latter-day line-up of The Saints perform in the late '80s at an off-campus bar near Syracuse University, I led the crowd (which likely included many punters not at all familiar with The Saints) in a chant of Stranded! Stranded! Stranded! Stranded!, setting up what I figured would be the band's inevitable encore. STRANDED!!

And they didn't play it. Damn it! Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? Wait--wrong '70s punk band. STRANDED! STRANDED! STRANDED!

THE STEMS: Never Be Friends



If memory serves, my friend Greg Ogarrio introduced me to this amazing confection by Australian pop gods The Stems in an exchange of power pop mixtapes in the late '80s or early '90s. Man, whatta record! In later years, I wound up corresponding a bit with The Stems' Dom Mariani, who allowed us to use DM3's "1 x 2 x Devastated" on the first This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation CD. My awareness of the great Dom Mariani started here.

Oooh! And kudos to The Stems for the title of the album that gave us "Never Be Friends": At First Sight Violets Are Blue. That title is so intriguing to me, implying menace, mystery, romance, and danger, while really meaning nothing at all. Yeah!



THE TOYS: May My Heart Be Cast Into Stone 



The Toys' "May My Heart Be Cast Into Stone" is such a magnificently over-the-top gush of hormonal, adolescent pinky-swears that it deserves its own genre. That first sentence you just read? It found its way into a discussion of the girl-group sound, contained within my chapter on "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" by The Shirelles. So, The Toys are kind of in the book, even though they aren't.

THE YARDBIRDS: Heart Full Of Soul



Like the Animals, Vogues, Records, and Plimsouls gems mentioned up top, The Yardbirds' "Heart Full Of Soul" is a permanent fixture in my Hot 100. Significantly in the development of my pop cosmology, it was The Flashcubes' live cover of that very song during my first 'Cubes show in 1978 that made me realize that The Flashcubes were always gonna be stars in my eyes. Later on, when the 'Cubes played a private gig in a fellow fan's garage on July 1st, 1979, I stumbled forward and delivered an urgent, drunken song request to guitarist Paul Armstrong: YARDBIRDS!! At PA's direction, The Flashcubes then did "Heart Full Of Soul" live for the first time in over a year. After that, bassist Gary Frenay asked Paul why he'd suddenly added a Yardbirds song to the set; Carl said! was his response.

"Heart Full Of Soul" was the first Yardbirds song I ever heard, courtesy of Utica, NY's WOUR-FM in 1977. It was part of my 1970s embrace and exultation of the '60s, particularly the British Invasion, that same whoosh of delighted discovery that hooked me on The Kinks. A clip of The Yardbirds performing "Heart Full Of Soul" was included in Rock Of The '60s, a presentation of vintage rock videos put on by Syracuse University one night in '77. I scored a used Yardbirds Greatest Hits LP at the flea market or somesuch, and I've never been without my own copy of "Heart Full Of Soul" since then.



I'm a fan of The Yardbirds. I love "Over Under Sideways Down," I love "Evil Hearted You," I love "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and "Train Kept A-Rollin'" and "Little Games" and "Still I'm Sad." I love "For Your Love," the hit song that made blues purist schmuck Eric Clapton flee the group. I liked The Yardbirds better with Clapton's replacement, Jeff Beck.



Most of all, I love "Heart Full Of Soul." It has a hook. It has that riff. Like The Bevis Frond's "He'd Be A Diamond," it has the hopeless regret of lost love. And it has a chorus that would almost sound like a suicide note if it weren't so damned catchy. It's...everything.

And it's The Greatest Record Ever Made. 

It's just not part of my book about that subject. 

Curious to see a few chapters that I completed for The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) but ultimately decided not to include in the book? Well, I collected links to a few such things right here.

"He'd Be A Diamond" written by Nick Saloman, Universal Music Publishing Group



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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).