10 SONGS: 9/1/2022

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 draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1144.

THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING DAVID PATON: Get Up And Go

A favorite phrase in my current lexicon is "new music from the Flashcubes." The Flashcubes' series of (usually collaborative) new Big Stir Records digital singles continues with this shiny-minty cover of Pilot's "Get Up And Go." And ho-ho-ho, it's MAGIC, as Pilot's David Paton hisself joins in for a stellar update of his own 1977 composition. High-flyin' Flashcubes! Get up and go.

ELENA ROGERS: You're Sorry

Aw, this is just luscious. Elena Rogers has been an occasional player in previous TIRnRR playlists, both as a solo performer and with her absolutely exquisite backing vocals on Allan Kaplon's Notes On A Napkin album. In each of these examples, Elena has worked with producer and musical superhero Jamie Hoover of the Spongetones, and our Jamie remains present 'n' accounted for on Elena's debut album Opus One. "You're Sorry" is my favorite so far, and we'll hear it again on next week's show.

THE KINKS: You Still Want Me

My introduction to the Kinks' 1964 single "You Still Want Me" came via my pal Jay in...well, it musta been the late '70s, though I guess it could have been in the very early '80s. It was a non-LP track, and it hadn't appeared on any of the Kinks compilation albums I knew. 

Jay had "You Still Want Me" on a 7" import EP called Yesteryear Series, which reprised (HAR!) all four tracks from the Kinks' first two British singles, "Long Tall Sally"/"I Took My Baby Home" and "You Still Want Me"/"You Do Something To Me." I already knew and loved "I Took My Baby Home" (as revealed in a previous post recalling my introduction to the Kinks' music), and was immediately indifferent to their take on Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally." "You Do Something To Me" was a catchy li'l beat number, and I thought "You Still Want Me" was even more so. My favorite of the four remained (and still remains) "I Took My Baby Home," but I already owned a copy of that one. So I asked Jay to play "You Still Want Me." And to play it again. Beat, repeat!

Listening to the record together at Jay's house, our friend Beth found it reminiscent of the Dave Clark Five, but to me it sounded more like the Searchers. Great, underrated record. And, although neither of the Kinks' first two singles were what the public wanted to take home, the Kinks' third single turned out to be a different story.

SAM PHILLIPS: Baby, I Can't Please You

As always: for Lorelei and Rory, and all of their friends in Stars Hollow.

CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: Annalisa

CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: Goodnight Sailor

Chris von Sneidern then, and Chris von Sneidern now! I don't remember if I heard CVS's great pop tune "Annalisa" before or after the first time I saw him play. Either way, it was either my third or fourth CVS track, following his debut single from 1991, "Too Much To Do"/"On The Run." The "Somedays"/"Annalisa" 45 was released in '93, and I may have received that single from the same resource that gave me the previous CVS 45: Chris' Mom Sandy. Sandy was a very nice and very likable individual, and this world is poorer for her absence in it.

"Annalisa" has been a classic TIRnRR Fave Rave throughout this show's mutant existence. Since then, Chris has granted us use of several tracks in our compilation albums: "Lonely Tonight" (and a TIRnRR ID bumper) on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 1, "Insomniac Summer" on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4, and bumpers on Volume 2 and Volume 3. In one form or another, Chris von Sneidern's pop mojo has been a part of each and every This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation to date.

So why mess with a sure thing? Our forthcoming Kool Kat Musik release This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5 continues that streak, with a fantastic new CVS track called "Goodnight Sailor." Classics then, classics now. We are honored indeed.

NATALIE SWEET AND BRAD MARINO: Second Time

Man, this one pumps like pop with power oughtta. Individually, Natalie Sweet and Brad Marino have already established their respective rockin' pop bona fides, but now, with their forces COMBINED...?! Sign me up! Our spin of "Second Time" on this week's show prompted loyal listener Mike Browning to write, "Despite the Beatles' advice, I say YES to Second Time!" Right you are, Mike. Right you are. And--of course!--this track will get its second time here on next week's show.

THE RAMONES: I Don't Want To Grow Up

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

ANDREA GILLIS: I Don't Need You No More

Hey, our first-ever J. Geils Band cover, courtesy of the irresistible Andrea Gillis. Our obsession with Andrea's ace 2021 track "Leave The Light On" means we've played her stuff a lot more often than we've played the Geils boys. We actually do like the J. Geils Band, their lack of airplay notwithstanding; their path to the playlist must'a got lost somewhere down the line. We're thrilled to at least give 'em a proxy spin this week, thanks to Andrea's current single version of "I Don't Need You No More." 

THE METERS: Hang 'Em High

Amidst the hype leading up to last week's presentation of The 11th Annual Dana's Funky Soul Pit, intrepid TIRnRR listener (and Pop Co-Op guitarist) Joel Tinnel wrote to us: "The Meters. Must have the Meters. 'Hey Pocky a-Way,' 'Fire on the Bayou,' or 'Trick Bag' would work rather nicely." BUT! Dana already had specific Fab plans for this year's Soul Pit, and that particular blueprint didn't leave room for anything by the Meters.

Fun fact: Dana and I programmed this week's show before I knew of Dana's concept and playlist for The 11th Annual Dana's Funky Soul Pit, Nonetheless, I figured we oughtta try to belatedly honor Agent J's request, and our weekly after-the-tag bonus track--WAIT!WAIT!WAIT!WAIT!WAIT!WAIT! We got a little more This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio!--provided the opportunity to plug in a Meters tune. Didn't have room left for any of the Meters tracks that Joel suggested, but spaghetti Westerns are our salvation! We hope a spin of the Meters' cover of "Hang 'Em High" satisfies the ol' Meters jones for the time being. Hang 'em high. Turn it UP!

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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.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

10 SONGS: 10/13/2020

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 # 1046.

THE BAR: It's Just You

A Smithereen, a children's author, and a Grip Weed walk into a bar. Well...something like that. This show's connection with the group called The BAR goes back about 15 years, when Dana and I were trying to assemble the second This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation album. Kurt Reil had given us permission to use a track by his own combo The Grip Weeds, and we'd begun a conversation with The Smithereens' guitarist Jim Babjak about securing something from either the 'Reens or Jim Babjak's Buzzed Meg. That conversation led to The BAR--insert your own joke here--and The BAR made their official debut with a song called "Katie's Shoes" on TIRnRR Volume 2. 

The group's nom du bop is an acronym, with the above-mentioned Babjak and Reil's last names appropriately bookending the name of Danny Adlerman. Our Danny has written a cavalcade of children's books (many with his wife Kim Adlerman), with titles ranging from Mommy's Having A Watermelon to A Toucan Can: Can You?, the latter co-written by the above-mentioned Jim Babjak. Danny's also a musician, and the Danny Adlerman & Friends 2000 CD One Size Fits All is a delight for rockin' pop fans of all ages.

Babjak, Adlerman, Reil. The BAR's long-awaited eponymous debut album is out this week, and it's fabulous. It includes "Katie's Shoes" alongside a number of other stellar tracks, and the album's opener "It's Just You" is as radio-ready as they come. The "Katie's Shoes" single is available right now at dannyandkim.com, and the album hits this Thursday, October 15th. Book it.

JIM BASNIGHT: Prince Jones Davies Suite

Jim Basnight's "Best Lover In The World" was our # 2 most-played track last year (falling but a single spin shy of the unstoppable juggernaut of "Waterloo Sunset" by TIRnRR Allstars at # 1). So it's safe to say we kinda like Basnight's work. His current Big Stir Records single "Prince Jones Davies Suite" is a medley of Prince's "April Snow," David Bowie's "Win," and The Kinks' "The World Keeps Going Round," and it's a teaser for his forthcoming all-covers album Jokers, Idols And Misfits, due out in November. One would presume that album will score at least a little bit of TIRnRR airplay. One would presume correctly.

THE BURNS SISTERS BAND: I Am A Patriot

I absolutely adored the way The Burns Sisters Band used to crush this Little Steven song in their live shows, an in-the-red performance that left no corpuscle unshaken. I regret that somewhere along the way they decided that they needed to pull it back and reign it in. The recorded version reflects that decidedly less-wild approach, and we can only shrug and mourn the missed opportunity. It's still terrific--The Burns Sisters' vocal perfection will be entered as evidence that a benevolent God exists--and a political action group is currently using it in an ad on behalf of Joe Biden/Kamala Harris. I am a patriot, and I approve this message.

THE FOUR TOPS: Bernadette

Poor ol' Levi Stubbs. Although it's never spelled out or even really implied within the song itself, I have a lingering suspicion that his cherished Bernadette just might be something of a player. I have trust issues. (I also believe that R. Dean Taylor's "Indiana Wants Me" is about a hapless guy in denial of his wife's affair with the man he just shot, and that the deceased man is furthermore the real father of the little baby the doomed singer wishes to see just once more. But I digress.)

Where was I? Oh, Four Tops! My favorite Motown group. I hope Bernadette appreciated Levi, too.

THE HOODOO GURUS: Get Out Of Dodge

It's new music from The Hoodoo Gurus. For "Get Out Of Dodge," the legendary Australian group enlists assistance from Vicki Peterson of The Bangles and John Cowsill of The Cowsills and The Beach Boys to craft a worthy successor to the Gurus' classic legacy. It's new music from The Hoodoo Gurus. What more do you need to know?

THE MIDNIGHT CALLERS: 41 Miles To Roscoe

Man, ya gotta love a band whose name is the plural of a Badfinger song title. Well, maybe ya don't gotta love 'em; I guess we'd have to actually hear from hypothetical acts like The No Matter Whats, The Come And Get Its, The Gotta Get Out Of Heres, and The We're For The Darks before actually making that proclamation. My bad. But man, ya gotta love The Midnight Callers.

Our path to The Midnight Callers was paved by intrepid TIRnRR listener Dave Paine. Dave's son Chris Paine was in a cool combo called The London Egg before fronting his own Chris Paine and the Lettertrain (whose "Might Have Found Me" was one of TIRnRR's most-played tracks in 2018). As Chris migrated to the Midnight Callers dba, we were blown away by each and every song we heard. The Midnight Callers' eagerly-awaited debut album Red Letter Glow is due out next week from the good folks at Jem Recordings, and Gloriosky!, it's immediately and indisputably one of my favorite albums this year. I guess we got what we deserved. Ya gotta love that

PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS: Happening Intro/Too Much Talk

In my imaginary ideal Best Of Paul Revere and the Raiders compilation, I specified that such a set would need to use the album version of "Too Much Talk" (from the 1968 Something Happening LP) rather than the 45 version. The two takes differ significantly, and I've never warmed to the single version at all. 

I never even heard the single version prior to its inclusion on the 1990 2-CD set The Legend Of Paul Revere. "Too Much Talk" wasn't a big enough hit to make an impression on me when I was eight, so I discovered the song nearly a decade later on my copy of The Raiders' Greatest Hits Volume II. That collection used the album version, so that's the version I came to know and love. 

THE SHANG HI LOS: Sway Little Player

HOLY MOLEY! Where's this band been all my life? I've seen The Shang Hi Los name-checked by some way cool radio programmers, and I saw the video for their ace cover of Chicago's "Saturday In The Park" as part of WhistleStop Rock's premiere party for "Queen Of The Drive-In." But even those sterling recommendations plus an agreeable video didn't prepare me for the essential 'n' transcendent oomph of "Sway Little Player." Oh, and the group's Jen D'Angora was in Jenny Dee and the Delinquents and The Downbeat 5, and Dan Kopko was in Watts. Hey, TIRnRR pedigree! Must. Acquire. MORE!!

NATALIE SWEET: Lip Service

Like The Shang Hi Los, Natalie Sweet has just reached my ears thanks to a recent Rum Bar Records digital compilation called Rocktober. Her album Oh, By The Way...It's Natalie Sweet came out in 2019, but as we all know by now, any record you ain't heard before is a new record. And I like this new record a lot.

WEDNESDAY WEEK: Why

A & E's Biography series recently aired a fascinating history of MTV, from its Michael Nesmith-conceived origin to the bean-counters' soulless decision to pretend the "M" part shouldn't stand for "MUSIC." I had my quibbles with MTV even when it was still MUSIC Television, but the documentary reminded me of what I liked about the channel. And it reminded me of being young, creating a pleasant tingle of nostalgia for the '80s (a decade with which I had a complicated relationship.)

Moving a little later in the decade, Wednesday Week's 1987 MTV hit "Why" was one of my turn-the-TV-UP go-to videos. Wednesday Week's Kristi Callan is still active with her current collective Dime Box Band. Dime Box Band scored a little TIRnRR airtime last year, and they're overdue for a return to the ol' playlist, stat. Music television? Pfui. We've got music radio. ROCK 'N' ROLL radio. This is, y'know...that. Stay tuned for more rock 'n' roll.

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

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

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

Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1)will contain 165 essays about 165 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).