10 SONGS: 7/14/2023

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 # 1189. This show is available as a podcast.

THE SMITHEREENS: Face The World With Pride

IRENE PEÑA: I Won't Back Down

From their archival release The Lost Album, the Smithereens' originally-unreleased 1993 gem "Face The World With Pride" was TIRnRR's # 1 most-played track in 2022. Rightly so.

This week, we played it with a different intent. This was the first show we've done since the Supreme Court's June 30th ruling in favor of intolerance, and against the basic rights of same-sex couples. 

It pissed me off. And it prompted me to open this week's show like this:

At the end of June I was in New York City, and decided to stop for a beer at Stonewall, the Greenwich Village bar where it's said that Pride began, when a 1969 riot became the first ever public demonstration on behalf of gay rights. Pride began at Stonewall in 1969.

But even today, there are forces who insist that discrimination is okay, that diversity is wrong. We reject these notions. Love is love is love. We stand with our brothers and sisters. We stand tall. And together:

We face the world.

We followed our spin of "Face The World With Pride" with America's Sweetheart Irene Peña covering Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down." Pride doesn't back down. Pride will prevail. Love will prevail. Face the world.

THE SUPREMES: All I Want

In my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), a chapter about the Supremes notes the lack of significant attention and acclaim given to members of the group who didn't happen to be named Diana Ross:

The Supremes are among the most popular recording acts of all time. They were certainly among the biggest of the '60s, and possibly the biggest on Motown at the time, which was a pretty big deal itself. The Supremes were stars.

But, in fact, only one of the three members of the Supremes was really considered a superstar. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Diana Ross. Oh, and the others. Mary Wilson. Florence Ballard. They started out billed as equals. Before long, it was Diana Ross and the Supremes. Before long, it was just Diana Ross, her former co-stars left behind as the spotlight followed her and faded away for the Supremes....

As short a shrift as Wilson and Ballard got, Cindy Birdsong received even less (and subsequent members Jeanne Terrell and Lynda Laurence received less still). Birdsong replaced Ballard in 1967. Ross moved on in 1970; other than a maternity leave in '72-'73, Birdsong remained a Supreme until 1976. Relatively few casual fans even know her name. When the Supremes were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1988, Cindy Birdsong was not included in that honor.

Dana recently saw a New York Times article about Birdsong's current state of affairs, and it's about as far from the glittering spotlight as one can be. It's a shame. No one questions Diana Ross's talent; she was and remains a star, on merit. But man, doesn't it seem like the spotlight could have been just a little bit bigger?

There's some remarkable stuff in the post-Ross Supremes songbook, including "Nathan Jones," "Up The Ladder To The Roof," and this magnificent cover of Joni Mitchell's "All I Want," which Dana slipped into the playlist this week. The track comes from the 1972 album The Supremes Produced And Arranged By Jimmy Webb, recorded when Birdsong was absent from the group. I'd never heard it before, and it's further evidence that there's still so much great music left for us to discover. Any record you ain't heard is a new record. I need to do a deeper dive into '70s Supremes. 

I'll bring my own spotlight if I have to.

THE HALF CUBES: She's So Young

THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING THE PALEY BROTHERS: Come Out And Play

1.4.5.: Let's Groove

Ahem: NEW FLASHCUBES ALBUM OUT NEXT MONTH! Pop Masters is nothing short of stunning, and we're going to continue pulverizing our podium on its behalf. The latest Pop Masters single, a cover of the Motors' "Forget About You," is out next week, and it will open our next show. 

But this week, we figured we'd parlay a Northside all-stars hat trick. Northside Records was the label the 'Cubes originally concocted in the late '70s to release their early singles. We began our Cubic triple play with an unreleased track by the Half Cubes, a current combo (and Big Stir recording artist) that includes Flashcubes bassist Gary Frenay and drummer Tommy Allen. The Half Cubes are represented here with an ace, as-yet unreleased cover of the Pursuit of Happiness' "She's So Young." "She's So Young" led into a track from Pop Masters, as the 'Cubes team with the Paley Brothers for a sublime remake of the latter's "Come Out And Play." And then we hadda rock things up with a 1981 Northside Records classic from 1.4.5., featuring Flashcubes guitarist Paul Armstrong. Let's GROOVE! Hat tricks are their own reward! (And yeah, we shoulda gone fer broke and also added sumpin by the other 'Cubes guitarist Arty Lenin. Throwing in Arty's "Mr. Acarius" woulda been sweet.)

As we near the August-can't-get-here-fast-enough release date of Pop Masters, it's worth mentioning that TIRnRR has already played eleven of the album's twelve songs. "Forget About You" returns to the top of the playlist next time, but we're also gonna play the one Pop Masters track we ain't played yet. We like this record. We like this record a lot.

THE RAMONES: I Don't Care

See, I wish that were true. But you know what? Never underestimate the power of indifference. Or go ahead and underestimate it. I don't care.

THE MARVELETTES: I'll Keep Holding On

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

RICH CHAMBERS: High School Can't Last Forever

See, I wish that were true.  But if it turns out Rich Chambers is right when he sings "High School Can't Last Forever," well, maybe we can finally shed the accumulated tsuris of the past. I'm 63. But I still carry the sting of teenage slings and arrows, many of them inflicted upon me, but some of them self-inflicted, and some of them--damn me--that I inflicted upon others. Growing up may be beyond my ability, and probably not exactly what I want anyway. But getting better? Being better? That's always the goal. 

It's a lesson I wish I'd taken more seriously in school days. I've learned. I'm still learning. And I will be better. Ring, ring goes the bell.

THE BEATLES: The Word

Spread the word I'm thinking of. Have you heard? The word is love. Love is love is love. Spread the word. 

And say it with pride.

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

POP-A-LOOZA: THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! The Marvelettes, "I'll Keep Holding On"

Each week, the pop culture website Pop-A-Looza shares some posts from my vast 'n' captivating Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) archives. The latest shared post is a Greatest Record Ever Made! spotlight on "I'll Keep Holding On" by the Marvelettes.

We always repeat the mantra: An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. And where would we be if we didn't take turns? This Marvelettes piece has been in and out of various blueprints for my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). The heading at the top of the posted chapter indicates the chapter might be pushed back to the really hypothetical The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 2). BUT!! It is currently back in Volume 1, nestled comfortably between Baron Daemon and the Vampires and the Who.

I've been doing a combination proofread and tightening of the GREM! draft. The draft is now under 115,000 words, may still shrink a tiny bit more, but will likely sit around that number (at least in this incarnation). More than two-thirds of the way through proofreading, I'm a little surprised to see how many typos made it this far into the process. But I'll get 'em! I mean, I'll get some of them. Typos are like vampires: they suck, and they're hard to kill. I'm working on it, wooden stake at the ready.

Buffy will save us!

There's no real urgency for the GREM! book; it hasn't yet been accepted by a publisher, though I remain hopeful that the publisher of my other book (now due out in May of 2023) will also be interested in GREM! As noted here, that first book has been listed as a preorder from various sites, but has not yet been officially announced by the publisher. The head of the marketing department has been in touch with me this week, as the hype machine revs up for its first few test flights. I am very excited.

And no, I still can't tell you anything more about that book until the publisher announces it. So, LOOK! Look over here! Yeah, look at my other stubborn, resilient, not-dead-yet book idea. The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Its chapter about a dynamic and soulful power pop track by the Marvelettes is the subject of the latest Boppin' Pop-A-Looza.

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: 8/25/2022: In The SOUL PIT!

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 # 1143: The 11th Annual DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT!

AL GREEN: I Want To Hold Your Hand

Yeah, we got the feelin' now! For this year's edition of the Soul Pit, Dana wanted to focus on soul and R & B covers of classics from the Beatles' songbook.  With that goal in mind, the obvious choice to open The 11th Annual Dana's Funky Soul Pit had to be the Reverend Al Green's cover of the Fab Four's breakthrough American hit  "I Want To Hold Your Hand." If the good Reverend's winning groove on this track isn't our single most-played Beatles cover over the course of TIRnRR's long and storied tenure, I can't imagine what else could possibly hold that distinction. An absolutely fabulous record. I think you understand.

BILLY PRESTON: Blackbird

Everyone who watched the Beatles documentary Get Back witnessed irrefutable evidence of Billy Preston as a de facto Fifth Beatle. Preston's entry into the disjointed, chaotic mess that had characterized the Get Back sessions up to that point brought sudden life and redemption to the project, energized the Beatles, and (if you will) took a sad song and made it better. Preston is also, I think, the only Apple Records recording artist to appear on this week's playlist.

And Preston appears twice. Preston's "Eight Days A Week" opens our second set, and his "Blackbird" follows Al Green's "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and Aretha Franklin's "Eleanor Rigby" to form the show's introductory triptych.

Paul McCartney has claimed that he wrote "Blackbird" as a song of solidarity for the civil rights movement. I'm not convinced that our Macca didn't maybe apply that motivation retroactively, but what do I know? The lyrics do fit Paul's stated intent. I confess I don't love the Beatles' version quite as much as I did when I got my first copy of the White Album in 1977. Preston's rendition still sounds fresh to my ears.

MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS: Something

Much has been written about George Harrison's presumed frustration as a songwriter stuck in a group with a couple of other prolific songwriters. Perhaps the Quiet One had the last laugh, as "Something" and "Here Comes The Sun," his two contributions to the Beatles' final album Abbey Road, were the highlights on one of rockin' pops all-time greatest LPs. I mean, John Lennon and Paul McCartney also brought A-level material to Abbey Road, and Ringo Starr turned in "Octopus's Garden" (which maybe isn't quite A-level, but is way preferable to Paul's "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"), but George's songs steal the show.

(And how mixed must George's feelings have been when none other than Frank Sinatra performed "Something" in concert, but referred to it as his favorite Lennon-McCartney song? Ouch, Mr. Blue Eyes.)

"Something" does lend itself to interpretations across styles. I don't think a metal or punk version would work as anything beyond pointless parody, but the song fits Sinatra, and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas make it sound like a natural-born Motown hit. Something in the way they move.

SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS: A Hard Day's Night

Much of the appeal of a show like this year's Soul Pit is the thrill of hearing familiar songs in unfamiliar and novel versions. Prior to hearing Dana's selections, I wouldn't have even imagined manic "I Put A Spell On You" auteur Screamin' Jay Hawkins attempting a Beatles cover. But he did! And it's friggin' GREAT! I don't think ol' Screamin' had any real affinity for the song, and I wouldn't be shocked to find out it wasn't his idea to record it. Nonetheless...that growl! That SCREAM! Yeah yeah YEAH!!

THE SUPREMES: A World Without Love

Never recorded by the Beatles, "A World Without Love" is a song Lennon and McCarney gave away. They just GAVE it away! And then collected royalties on Peter and Gordon's hit version. After Peter and Gordon were done with it, I guess the Supremes picked it up second-hand. One group's trash, another group's treasure. From the Supremes' British Evasion LP A Bit Of Liverpool.

EARTH, WIND & FIRE: Got To Get You Into My Life

A superb track from a shitty movie.

I'm one of the many dozens of people who saw Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in a theater at the time of its release in 1978. Ask me why, I'll say...I dunno. My tastes ran to punk, power pop, and '60s rock 'n' roll, certainly not the disco sounds of the film's stars the Bee Gees, nor really the AM/FM fare offered by its other star Peter Frampton. I was sufficiently open to Aerosmith to allow their version of "Come Together" (but agreed with a contemporary film reviewer who said a punk band like the Dead Boys would have been a more appropriate choice to play the dangerous 'n' evil rock band). Otherwise? Not even the presence of Steve Martin and Alice Cooper could redeem this cinematic disaster.

I didn't appreciate Earth, Wind and Fire's "Got To Get You Into My Life" until much, much later. At the time, I was enough of a Beatles purist to be shocked--SHOCKED!--that any act would have the gall to rearrange a Beatles song to suit their own style. Imagine!

Now? I prefer Earth, Wind and Fire's "Got To Get You Into My Life" to the Beatles' original, and I do still like the Beatles' original. The song was not my gateway into embracing EWF's music; that entry came via Brenda, a girl I met at school later that same Sgt. Pepper year of '78. 

Brenda loved Earth, Wind and Fire; over time, I gave EWF a fair listen, and eventually realized I love 'em, too. Brenda, in turn, gave the Ramones and the Kinks--and the Beatles!--a fair listen, and she became interested in them as well. New 1978 Girlfriend Brenda has been Lovely Wife Brenda since 1984. I was alone, I took a ride, I didn't know what I would find there.

Last week, Brenda and I saw Earth, Wind and Fire in concert, on a bill with Santana (another of Brenda's favorites). It was our first time seeing Santana, our second time seeing EWF. What a great, great band, both live and on record. "Got To Get You Into My Life" isn't my # 1 favorite EWF track--that would be either "Let's Groove," "Boogie Wonderland," or "September," followed by "After The Love Has Gone"--but it's one of my favorites, it's fantastic to hear in concert, and it's one of but a handful of Beatles covers I think surpasses the original. 

Thank you, Brenda, for turning me on to Earth, Wind and Fire. The music and the love continue. Got to get you into my life, into my life.

LITTLE RICHARD: Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey (Goin' Back To Birmingham)

For the final set of 2022's Soul Pit, Dana turned from soul and R & B covers of the Beatles to a few of the soul and R & B legends who inspired the young Beatles in the first place. As an unknown act playing dives (and worse), the early Beatles wanted to be a soul group. Little Richard provided one of their biggest influences, a flamboyant explosion of WOW! emanating with incendiary intent outta Macon, Georgia. 

Little Richard taught Paul McCartney how to scream. Perhaps more than any other among the many acts the Beatles wanted to copy, Little Richard gave John, Paul, and George (and, one presumes, Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best) a working model of dynamism, of rock 'n' roll assault with intent to thrill. 

The Beatles were a great cover band. A great, great cover band. Most of the covers the Beatles recorded improved on the originals. 

Not even the Beatles could improve upon Little Richard.

CHUCK BERRY: Rock And Roll Music

Just let me hear some more of that rock 'n' roll music.

If we try to assess the overall impact of individual rock 'n' roll performers, two names stand high above all others: Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. No one else comes close to the importance of Elvis and Chuck; the Beatles were immensely important, but there wouldn't have been a Beatles if both the brown-eyed handsome man and the King hadn't made rock 'n' roll rock in the first place. Rock 'n' roll predates the debuts of Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry. Without Chuck and Elvis, we're not still talkin' about rock 'n' roll all these decades on.

John Lennon named Elvis as his own prime inspiration. But Chuck Berry's influence is easier to hear within the Beatles' work, not just in the Berry covers the Fabs did, but in wordplay, in groove, and in playin' guitars just like a-ringin' a bell. And in "Back In The USSR." King Elvis I made the Beatles want to become the Beatles. Chuck Berry showed 'em how it's done.

The Beatles introduced me to Chuck Berry, just like they introduced me to Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Larry Williams, and more. I didn't hear any version of "Roll Over Beethoven" until much later; The Beatles' Second Album wasn't one of the LPs I heard in my formative years, but Beatles '65 was, and its scorchin' rendition of "Rock And Roll Music" remains my # 1 Chuck Berry cover. It's the only Chuck Berry cover I prefer to the original.

THE MARVELETTES: Please Mr. Postman

The Beatles also loved the girl group sound. They covered the Shirelles, the Cookies, and the Donays, and the above-cited record The Beatles' Second Album (or With The Beatles in the UK) gave us their version of the Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman." 

The Beatles own the song. Own it. But the Marvelettes did record something else that is The Greatest Record Ever Made!

ARTHUR ALEXANDER: A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues

Yep. The Beatles wanted to be a soul group. Specifically, Paul McCartney said that the Beatles wanted to be like Arthur Alexander. The late, great Arthur Alexander didn't enjoy much chart success--only 1962's "You Better Move On" breached Billboard's Top 20, and only "Anna (Go To Him)" was a real success on the soul chart (# 10, also in '62)--but he had fans. 

Fans like the Beatles. Fans like the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, and many more. Though not a musician himself, Alexander wrote a number of his songs, and he could likewise make a song written by someone else into something uniquely Arthur Alexander. He was an incredible talent, and it's unfortunate that most who do know his works know them via better-known covers by those Beatles, Stones, Dylan, and others.

But without those covers, maybe we wouldn't know Alexander at all. Alexander's versions are nearly always the superior; about the only exception I can think of is Elvis Presley's "Burning Love," which Alexander didn't write but did record first. Alexander's disciples spread his Gospel as best they could. "Anna" was the only Alexander cover the Beatles released in a finished studio recording, but "A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues" and "Soldier Of Love" were staples of their early, pre-fame live shows, and their renditions survive in tapes of BBC radio performances.

The Beatles wanted to be like Arthur Alexander. That was a pretty high goal, and it was a goal they could not achieve. But they did pretty well for themselves, didn't they? And that means we all owe Arthur Alexander a huge debt of gratitude. 

We can start to repay that by playing his records. If you don't know Arthur Alexander, man, it is waaay past time you fixed that. Get a shot of rhythm and blues, and just a little rock 'n' roll on the side. Just for good measure. It was good enough for the Beatles. 

So here's the thing that you should do...

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

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE: I'll Keep Holding On

This chapter is in some potential drafts of my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), but is more likely to be pushed back to an even-more-theoretical This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 2.

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 MARVELETTES: I'll Keep Holding On

Written by Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter

Produced by Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter

Single, Tamla Records, 1965

It was not pushed back to Volume 2, so the original post has been unpublished for bookkeeping purposes. It can be seen as a chapter in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1)

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