10 SONGS: 6/23/2022

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 # 1134.

THE HANDCUFFS: I Cry For You

I first heard the pulse-poundin' prowess of drummer Brad Elvis when he was in the group Screams in the '70s, and subsequently when he was with the Elvis Brothers in the '80s. Later, I became a big fan of Big Hello, an ace combo that included Brad and his wife, super-powerhouse singer-guitarist Chloe F. Orwell. Brad 'n' Chloe eventually bid farewell to Big Hello to form their current team, the Handcuffs.

On this little mutant radio program, we've played Screams, the Elvis Brothers, Big Hello, the New Monkees covering the Elvis Brothers, Brad's other group the Romantics, and we've played tracks from each 'n' every one of the Handcuffs' previous albums, Model For A Revolution, Electroluv, and Waiting For The Robot. Let's face it, we have a history with Handcuffs. That...doesn't sound right. But we dig the Handcuffs, and we play the Handcuffs.

Why stop now? The Handcuffs have a fab new album, Burn The Rails, and its radio-ready track "I Cry For You" opens this week's exciting edition of TIRnRR. As it should. With Brad and Chloe, we have a proud tradition to uphold.

NOLAN PORTER: If I Could Only Be Sure

As a pop fan with more than six decades' experience, I'm constantly thrilled by fresh reminders that there's still so much fantastic music I haven't yet discovered. That includes new releases, of course, but it also means old stuff that somehow escaped the spotlight of my short attention span. You know the mantra: Any record you ain't heard before is a new record.

Nolan Porter was a soul singer in the early '70s. The irrepressible interwebs suggest that Porter recorded two LPs, No Apologies and Nolan, and scraped the bottom of the Hot 100 with a few of his singles. About two weeks ago, intrepid TIRnRR listener Dave Murray brought one of Porter's singles to my attention, and now I'm an instant Nolan Porter fan. 

Just. Like. That. 

Seriously: what I've heard of Nolan Porter's stuff is flippin' fantastic, making its relative obscurity all the more mystifying. Porter passed away in 2021; his work is well, well worthy of wider acclaim...or at least some acclaim, fercryinoutloud. A CD two-fer reissue of No Apologies and Nolan is an elusive artifact--wish someone would reissue that reissue awready--but I've been buying the digital tracks. Nolan Porter makes his TIRnRR debut with this week's spin of "If I Could Only Be Sure." We'll hear another of Porter's shoulda-been-hits next week.

MAPLE MARS: Gliding

Like Big Hello and the Handcuffs, Maple Mars has likewise been a long-time fixture on TIRnRR playlists. So we jumped at the opportunity to play "Gliding," the advance single from Maple Mars' brand-new album, Someone's Got To Listen. "Gliding" is the second advance Someone's Got To Listen track for which we've done the jumping thing, following our console-thumping on behalf of "Goodbye California" last year.

Wait..."last year?" Man, that's a long time to pause in between teases. BUT! The pause expires at this point, as the album is available for preorder right now, a month ahead of its long-awaited release. We've heard it. It's good with a capital G and that rhymes with P and that stands for POP MUSIC!! Someone's got to listen. You'll be glad you did. More from Someone's Got To Listen coming your way. Immediately.

GARY FRENAY: Just Like Me

I may have mentioned that I'm a big, big fan of Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes. I may have mentioned that a million times. Restraint is overrated. I may have also mentioned that Dana and I are putting together another irresistible compilation CD, This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5, due circa Septemberish from the rockin' pop juggernaut Kool Kat Musik. Start gathering your pennies, because you want this.

I may not have mentioned that This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5 will include "Just Like Me," a new solo recording from Flashcubes singer/songwriter/bassist/debonaire man-about-town Gary Frenay. Gary originally recorded the song as a demo with his post-'Cubes outfit Screen Test in the '80s, and this finished 21st-century recording also employs the talents of Gary's 'Cubes and Screen Test colleagues Arty Lenin and Tommy Allen. The track will appear on Gary's next solo album, due out in 2023, but it will make its first commercial appearance on TIRnRR 5. 

That's our goal with TIRnRR: to continue to bring you fine, fine pop music, both on the radio and at retail. Worth mentioning, right? You're welcome, my friends. You're welcome.

BALLZY TOMORROW: Out There

Speaking of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5, we've also secured the services of our pal Robbie Rist, who offers us "Out There," a swell and sturdy bopper he recorded with his rockin' pop dba Ballzy Tomorrow. Its snark is its power, its power is POP, and we've got it all for you right here on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio.

LAURIE BIAGINI: In The Here And Now

It's been waaaaay too long since the last Laurie Biagini album, 2013's Sanctuary Of Sound. We've been playing advance tracks from Laurie's new effort Stranger In The Mirror, and we're delighted to say that album has now been released. We celebrate by playing one of its tracks, the non-single "In The Here And Now," which sounds so catchy and compelling we think it oughtta be a single after all. We play the hits!

ROBIN LANE: All I'll Ever Need

We debuted Robin Lane's new single "All I'll Ever Need" on last week's show. Robin herself posted a note of gratitude for the airplay; whenever a veteran artist shares appreciation for whatever the hell it is we do here, I'm struck with a wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self about it. Hey, late '70s/early '80s incarnation of me!, I'd say. Someday, my friend, you're going to receive acknowledgement, even thanks, from a lot of the people making the records you're listening to right now. You'll hear from members of Robin Lane and the Chartbusters, the Beat, the Pandoras, the Records, Nikki and the Corvettes, the Cowsills, the Rubinoos, the Barracudas, the Knickerbockers, Screams, and more! You'll talk to the Ramones and Joan Jett on the phone. Hell, Micky Dolenz will share something you wrote about the Monkees. No, never mind what "sharing" means in this far future world. Trust me; it's a good thing.

My younger self, naive li'l git he/I was, will believe all of it. The fact that it's true is friggin' mind-blowing. And it remains a thrill, even as my teens and early twenties slip even further away in the rear view mirror. I'm still that giddy, star-struck kid. 

I always will be. It's still all I'll ever need.

THE KINKS: Waterloo Sunset

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: Singing My Song

My 62nd birthday was in January. When I was younger, 62 seemed so old. Now, while it's true that my curated collection of aches and pains can sometimes make me feel as old as my teen self once deemed 62 to be, it's also true that I ain't dead yet. I still read my superhero comic books, I still listen to my rockin' pop music, and I still retain a spark that insists I'm not too old for fun. I've developed sufficient maturity to perform necessary tasks and meet expected obligations. If time has slowed me down an eensy little bit, I'm still only 62. 

We don't measure that in dog years. I aim to dance to punk rock at my daughter's wedding next year, and to keep dancing for a few decades thereafter. Don't tell me I can't. I didn't listen to naysayers when I was 17, and I'm not gonna start heeding the whining of crybabies now. I'm 62. And I'm singing my song.

We're all products of what made us. I was built by family and friends, art and pop culture, education and experience (to the extent either of them stuck with me). I was formed by Batman and the British Invasion, the Sex Pistols, Motown, rock magazines, paperback novels, AM radio, FM radio, science-fiction, cartoons, pretty pinups, bubblegum cards, home cooking, fast food, Watergate, crushes on Suzi Quatro and Yvonne Craig, resentments, love, telephone conversations, occasional excess, regrets, excuses, adjustments, wins, losses, stalemates, and TV shows. And pie. Your individual composition may vary. 

At 62, I'm not ashamed to listen to the Partridge Family. Strike that; I'm proud to proclaim that I listen to the Partridge Family. I'm less likely to listen to their biggest hit "I Think I Love You," but eager to stuff my iPod with PF tracks like "I Woke Up In Love This Morning," "Somebody Wants To Love You," and a peppy debut album track called "Singing My Song." I hear it, and I feel as young as ever. 

But that's not why I listen to it. I don't need outside stimuli to feel young, nor validation to know I'm right. I listen because I like it. I'm old enough to be comfortable with that. Don't bug me when I'm singing my song.

 TAJ MAHAL: Six Days On The Road

The legendary Taj Mahal is primarily regarded as a blues musician, though that oversimplifies his stature and footprint. He's certainly played some rock 'n' roll music in his day, and I say his 1969 take on "Six Days On The Road" is the signature version of this oft-covered country classic (originally a hit for Dave Dudley in 1963). Genre labels are useful. But labels don't define us. 

We define us.

Sing it and play it, Taj Mahal. Time for us to hit the road. And we're gonna make it home tonight.

Going my way, young man?

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: 5/13/2020

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.



Everything's on a one-day delay this week. This Wednesday edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1024.

THE BEATLES: No Reply



I wrote a piece some time back asking the rhetorical question "Is Beatles VI Really My All-Time Favorite Album?" And it is, especially if we could combine it as a two-in-one with its predecessor Beatles '65, creating a compilation of two American record company cash-grabs. Beatles '65 and Beatles VI were Capitol Records hatchet jobs, scarfing up tracks from the British Beatles For Sale along with scattered single sides, mods, rockers, and mockers. But they were glorious hatchet jobs, and they were how I (like most Americans at the time) came to know and cherish this material. Pretty much everything The Beatles released from 1964 through 1966 forms my collective touchstone of what pop music can be. That is not likely to change, ever. And I was introduced to all of it via Capitol's Philistine patchworks.

From Beatles '65, or from Beatles For Sale if you must, "No Reply" is staggering, just irresistible in its majesty and mastery of pop form. It's one of my 25 favorite Beatles tracks, and its middle eight may be the single best bridge ever accomplished by anyone. Its main competition for that title is also by The Beatles: "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party," from Beatles VI (or from Beatles For Sale, if you must). I will never tire of hearing this stuff. Even sitting here just thinking about this music, with the stereo off, makes me smile. I saw the light. I saw that light a long, long time ago. It shines for me still.

CULTURE CLUB: Church Of The Poison Mind



Culture Club may seem one of the odder entries in my concert-goin' ticket-stub gallery, but my then-fiancee Brenda and I did indeed see Boy George and his cohorts in 1984 at the Aud in Buffalo. My most distinctive memory of the show is the young girls going batty over the members of the group, as one such female fan squealed with delight, Oh my God, she touched him...! I thought that sequence of events was amusing, but not in a condescending or (worse) hipper-than-thou way; I was in favor of pop mania, from The Beatles to, I dunno, Duran Duran, so I approved of such teen idolatry. 

Why were we there? Why not? We couldn't afford to go to many concerts, but this must have come along at the right moment, we liked Culture Club's radio hits, so yeah, why the hell not? Maybe I wouldn't have gone for it just on the basis of "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" or "Time (Clock Of The Heart)," or even "Karma Chameleon." "Church Of The Poison Mind" was a different story. 

"Church Of The Poison Mind" was one of my favorite songs on the radio in '83. I'm not sure if I heard it first on the AM Top 40 station 14 Rock or on the engagingly eclectic WUWU-FM, but I found the song pleasingly reminiscent of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and I adored it. 

DIRTY LOOKS: Let Go



Statement of intent. This Staten Island trio's eponymous debut LP was released on the Stiff America label in 1980, and "Let Go" was an immediate fave rave on 97 Power Rock, a Sunday night alternative-rock showcase aired on Buffalo's 97 Rock FM. Hmmm. A Sunday night rock 'n' roll radio show? I may have made note of that particular notion for possible future use. "Let Go" is a perfect post-punk radio pop song, fueled by new wave rock energy, rooted in catchy 1960s radio fare, and dead certain that The Ramones, The Who, Joe Jackson, and Paul Revere and the Raiders are Heaven-sent inspirations. It's not easy to write a song about rock 'n' roll. It's not. Too many attempts at rock anthems feel forced, or overly earnest, pompous, clueless, heavy-handed, and...blechh. With "Let Go," Dirty Looks pull it off with style, and they make it seem like a cinch. Don't you know that rock 'n' roll is still the best drug? The drumming is hyperactive, the bass pushy (in a good way), the guitar simple and authoritative, the vocals and harmonies steadfast, reflecting the confidence of a group secure in the knowledge that it has God on its side. All you gotta do, let go, let go, let GO! GO! GO! GO! Belief is infectious. And godDAMN, this sounds so exhilarating on the radio. It always has.

THE GRIP WEEDS: For Pete's Sake (Stay At Home!)



The Grip Weeds are a great, great band. They're a superb live band, they make fantastic records, they're a bunch of nice folks, and we like 'em a lot. They've allowed us to use two of their tracks on TIRnRR compilation albums, and this is part of what I wrote about them when their "Strange Bird" appeared on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4:

...The chronology of my rapid and total indoctrination into the blissful Grip of Weedsmania blurs. I may have become more interested via the group's connection with The Rooks, another of the great pop bands of the '90s. Rooks guitarist Kristin Pinell was (and is) also in The Grip Weeds. Kristin's husband Kurt Reil was (and is) the drummer and lead singer for The Grip Weeds, and he played with The Rooks, too. I don't know whether or not guitarist Rick Reil also served any Rooks time, but either way: The Grip Weeds seemed like a band I oughtta know.

And getting to know The Grip Weeds was its own sweet reward...

...The Grips Weeds are a treasure. They kick ass live, too; Dana and I had a chance to see 'em in Rochester on the How I Won The War tour (with special guest Ray Paul), and The Grip Weeds deliver, man. If you've never heard them, we firmly recommend you gather everything they've ever released directly from the band, and beg their forgiveness for taking so long to get hip. But it's okay. Music has no expiration date. I discovered Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly in the early '70s, and that music was as fresh to me then (and now) as it woulda been if I'd been spinning 45s in the fabulous '50s. We always say: right now is the best time ever to be a rockin' pop fan, because you have everything that came before, everything in the moment, and everything yet to come. Turn it up. That's what it's there for.

And right now--in this generation, in this loving time--The Grip Weeds have a brand new cover of The Monkees' shoulda-been-a-hit "For Pete's Sake," the song that used to close second-season episodes of The Monkees' television series. We used The Grip Weeds' version to open this week's radio show. With its title altered slightly to "For Pete's Sake (Stay At Home!)" for our quarantined times, there's a fab YouTube video of the song, and the track may or may not find its way into the next Grip Weeds album. This is something we all need.

MANDY MOORE: I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week

I don't remember who it was that hipped me to "I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week," an absolutely ace 2009 single by Mandy Moore. I may have read about it on a blog, but wherever I discovered it, I loved it at once.

Prior to that single, I didn't know all that much about Moore. Other than her capable covers of some XTC and Joan Armatrading material (from her 2003 all-covers album Coverage, which John Borack had recommended), I don't remember hearing any of Moore's earlier records. I must have heard her on Radio Disney when my daughter was young, but I have no recollection of that. And I don't think I've ever seen any of her movies; I do remember seeing her brief guest tenure on the TV sitcom Scrubs. I've never seen This Is Us or A Walk To Remember. I know who Mandy Moore is, but my awareness of her work doesn't even rise to the level of perfunctory.

But this song, man. This song...!

"I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week" was co-written by Moore with Mike Viola of The Candy Butchers (and the voice of The Wonders' "That Thing You Do!"). It's from her album Amanda Leigh, and while I've owned the digital single for more than a decade, I've just picked up a copy of the CD. It's time I learned more about Mandy Moore. But meanwhile: this song, man. Any day of the week.



THE MYNAH BIRDS: It's My Time



The Mynah Birds' story is one of pop music's most intriguing almost/what-ifs. The group included both Rick James and Neil Young, and they were set to release a single of "It's My Time"/"Go On And Cry" on Motown in 1966. We can debate genre labels, but I think The Mynah Birds would have been Motown's first rock group. Instead, the single's release was cancelled when James was arrested for being AWOL from the Navy. The Mynah Birds ended, Young and fellow group member Bruce Palmer wound up joining Buffalo Springfield, and Rick James went on to craft '70s and '80s punk funk of his own after leaving the hoosegow.

What might have been? "It's My Time" is a strong pop single, and while there's no guarantee it would have been a hit even if it had been released, one wonders how things could have played out differently. The handful of Mynah Birds tracks that surfaced decades after the fact are intriguing, and I wish we could have been enjoying those tracks, along with more that were never made, over all these years that have passed. I wouldn't want to sacrifice Buffalo Springfield. But The Mynah Birds coulda been something.

THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: I Woke Up In Love This Morning



I don't care.

I don't care that this is supposed to be teenybopper pop music, created as a TV sitcom soundtrack, marketed to a puppy-eyed Teen Beat demographic of adolescent girls staring with undefined intent at their David Cassidy pinup. I don't care if it was created in a boardroom, a stockholders' meeting, a business planning session, or on the island of Dr. Moreau. I don't care if anyone thinks it's uncool, because anyone who does think that way is wrong, period. This record rocks. That's all I care about.

Like The Monkees before them, the music of The Partridge Family didn't have to be good; it just had to be commercial. The fictional Partridges didn't reach the effervescent zenith of the less-fictional Monkees, nor of the Partridges' real-life inspiration The Cowsills, but their machinery was likewise well-constructed, and with Cassidy's accomplished lead vocals backed by the studio magic of The Wrecking Crew, The Partridge Family were occasionally able to transcend their test-tube genesis. Unlike The Monkees or The Cowsills, The Partridge Family never existed. But their records did. Some of those records were actually pretty damned good, with debut LP tracks "Somebody Wants To Love You" and "Singing My Song" particularly worthy of a fresh and appreciative listen.

"I Woke Up In Love This Morning" is the truest gem. Drummer Hal Blaine is just a monster on this track, and David Cassidy once again proves he was so much more than just a face, with a voice so perfectly suited to deliver on the promise of pop music. The little girls understood. Maybe we should pay attention, too.

A token picture of Partridge Family actress Susan Dey, who had nothing whatsoever to do with "I Woke Up In Love This Morning."

PRINCE: I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man



We'd been playing Prince's "When Doves Cry" on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio a bit throughout the first few months of 2016, and I betcha it would have made our year-end countdown even if Prince had remained one of our greatest living rock stars into 2017. His death in April sealed the case for that year's ongoing infamy, prompting me to post, "2016 is fired."

"I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" was never a song I thought much about before--if I were going to play Prince, I'd be more likely to go with "When Doves Cry" or "When You Were Mine"--but a request for the song from TIRnRR listener Joel Tinnel prompted us to play it on the show the week after Prince died. And it just clicked with me, suddenly but unerringly. I've been playing it ever since.

WILLIE MAE "BIG MAMA" THORNTON: Hound Dog


From this song's chapter in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

Where and when did rock 'n' roll start? There are a few key records that one could name as possibilities for the first rock 'n' roll record. "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brentson and his Delta Cats (1951, and really Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm) is the closest we have to a consensus choice, though some would point to "The Fat Man" by Fats Domino (1950). I would at least add Amos Milburn's "Down The Road Apiece" (1947) to the discussion, and no less an authority than Lenny and Squiggy (on TV's Laverne And Shirley) spoke on behalf of "Call The Police," a 1941 single Nat King Cole made with The King Cole Trio. There are other progenitors and trailblazers from across the heady mingling of jump blues, R & B, country, and swing that birthed this bastard child we call rock 'n' roll. What was the daddy of them all? Not even a blood test is going to make that determination...

...Most of us know "Hound Dog" best from Elvis Presley's incredible 1956 hit rendition. But as much of a legitimate threat as King Elvis I represented to the straight-laced status quo in the '50s, his version of "Hound Dog" is an agreeably goofy novelty tune, patterned after a sanitized 1955 cover by Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys rather than Big Mama Thornton's rude and salacious kiss-off. Elvis' version is still great--it's freakin' Elvis in his prime, for cryin' out loud--but not even the King could touch the sheer orneriness of Thornton kicking that ol' hound dog out the door....

Among songs closely associated with Elvis, there aren't very many that I would concede the heresy that someone else did it better than the King did. Wanda Jackson's "Let's Have A Party" may be one exception. Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog" definitely is another.

THE TWEAKERS: Super Secret Bonus Track


I would like to tell you all about this track: its mysterious origin, the players hidden in the shadows, the mythic circumstances that sparked its creation. But I can't. It's not just a secret; it's a super secret, just like its title insists. Rumor has it that the song was written and originally recorded by a left-handed bass player from England--Sir Prize, or Sir Plus, something along those lines--and that eventual TIRnRR singin' star Rich Firestone is connected to it in some way. It's currently only available on the digital download version of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3. I can say no more. Shhhh. It's a secret.


TIP THE BLOGGER: CC's Tip Jar!

You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon: Fund me, baby! 

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 134 essays about 134 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).

10 SONGS: 1/14/2020

This is the start of a new (presumably) weekly series called 10 Songs. Each entry in this series will list ten songs that happen to be on my mind at the moment. Given my intention to usually write these on Mondays, the lists will probably be 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 inaugural edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the many fine tracks played on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio this week: TIRnRR # 1008.

BONEY M: Painter Man



My relationship with disco is complicated. I hated it during its heyday, but began to re-think my position as it became clear that some (not all) of the Disco Sucks movement was built upon a foundation of tacit racism and homophobia. I further realized that a lot of the disco LP-burnin' Fascists hated my preferred punk and power pop almost as much as they hated dat ole debbil disco, so...enemy of my enemy is my friend. Eurodisco group Boney M was a breed apart anyway, willfully weird but extremely pop. The group is best-remembered for their smooth cover of The Melodians' "Rivers Of Babylon." My favorite Boney M song is their cover of The Smoke's '60s mod-psych classic "My Friend Jack," but props also to this cover of The Creation's power pop touchstone "Painter Man."

THE DODGERS: Don't Know What You're Doing



This 1976 U.K. single is so damned catchy, and it looks to be my song of the week. The Dodgers included two former members of Badfinger, Tom Evans and Warner Brothers-era addition Bob Jackson. In the category of Badfinger-related tracks, I might rank "Don't Know What You're Doing" just below "Baby Blue," "Day After Day," and "No Matter What," on a par with "We're For The Dark" and "Gotta Get Out Of Here," possibly even above "Come And Get It." And I love all of those songs.

EURYTHMICS: Would I Lie To You



Far and away my favorite Eurythmics track, sounding to me like Aretha Franklin backed by The Kinks and The Memphis Horns. I don't own any Eurthymics CDs, so the impulse to play "Would I Lie To You" on this week's show prompted me to borrow the band's Greatest Hits CD from my daughter. Thanks, Meghan!

MARY LOU LORD: Right On 'Till Dawn



A relatively obscure track from Mary Lou Lord's 2001 Speeding Motorcycle EP, "Right On 'Till Dawn" is a demo-recording duet by Lord and Nick Saloman (The Bevis Frond). Saloman wrote the song, and it's an underrated, unrecognized gem in both the Mary Lou Lord and Bevis Frond collections.

THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: Somebody Wants To Love You



Listen: forget about the ephemeral TV show soundtrack and 16 magazine pinup pejoratives our oh-so-hip consciousness demands us to attach to something as crass and mundane as music from a sitcom about a fake family band. Although merely the B-side to a lesser song ("I Think I Love You") that, y'know, topped the charts, "Somebody Wants To Love You" is mature and accomplished, David Cassidy could really sing, and only a hopeless curmudgeon would deny the sheer groove and panache on display here.

SAM PHILLIPS: Baby I Can't Please You



Suffering from withdrawal during this long, long wait until the next season of Amazon Prime's TV series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, lovely wife Brenda and I have begun re-watching Maisel creator Amy Sherman-Palladino's previous series Gilmore Girls. Most of the scene transitions on Gilmore Girls are accompanied by exquisite off-screen la-la-lalala-laaaaas, all courtesy of singer Sam Phillips. That was sufficient motivation for me to grab one of my Sam Phillips CDs off the shelf and make room for Ms. Phillips on this week's playlist.

RUSH: Circumstances



The ceaseless parade of mortality that continues to claim our idols creates a risk that our radio playists can be transformed into morbid obituaries of the week. I very often find myself torn between an ongoing desire to pay tribute to artists we've lost and a fear of trivializing those passings. I was never really a Rush fan, but I've always liked the song "Circumstances," from Rush's 1978 album Hemispheres; that track managed to get through to this punk and power popper. The death last week of Rush drummer Neil Peart compelled me to play that song again, and it is definitely still a song buzzing pleasantly in my head this week. Respect.

TOOTS & THE MAYTALS: Reggae Got Soul



I first saw Toots & the Maytals name-checked in some magazine (either Rolling Stone or Playboy, possibly both) in the late '70s, though I wasn't conscious of the music until many years thereafter. I recall that Linda Ronstadt was among those praising the essential nature of Maytals LPs Funky Kingston and Reggae Got Soul, and if I couldn't quite fit reggae into my new wave rock 'n' roll world view at the time (The Clash notwithstanding), I did get there eventually.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: Sunday Morning



"Sunday Morning" was the Velvet Underground song most likely to be covered by The Monkees, and believe me, I mean that as a compliment. It was also the first VU song I ever heard, when I snapped up a (very) used copy of The Velvet Underground & Nico on my way to a lost long weekend visiting friends in the spring of 1981. 

THE WEEKLINGS: Change Your Mind



We opened this week's show with a public service for rockin' pop fans, identifying for our listeners what will certainly be one of their favorite albums of 2020. The Weeklings' new album 3 is irresistible, a collection of confident, exuberant performances that draw equal, enthusiastic inspiration from the '60s British Invasion and '70s power pop. Covers of The Beatles ("Baby, You're A Rich Man") and The Easybeats ("Friday On My Mind," with lead vocals by Special Guest Bat-Weekling Peter Noone) are fab as fab can be, but the original tunes freakin' rule, especially "I Want You Again," "In The Moment," and "Change Your Mind." We will hear many terrific albums in 2020; The Weeklings' 3 is an early clue to the new direction, and an early lock on a berth in many a year-end Top Ten.

The Gilmore Girls approve of 10 Songs.

TIP THE BLOGGER: CC's Tip Jar!

You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon: Fund me, baby! 

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

Hey, Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 100 essays (and then some) about 100 tracks, plus two bonus instrumentals, 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).