10 SONGS: 8/16/2025

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 # 1298.

THE SPONGETONES: Honest Work

WORK...?!

Like their fellow Power Pop Hall of Fame honorees the Flashcubes (see below), the Spongetones have recorded a trio of brand-new studio singles that are attached to their own special commemorative project. For the Spongetones, that project is a Big Stir Records release called The 40th Anniversary Concert...And Beyond

The 40th Anniversary Concert...And Beyond preserves a 2021 live show celebrating the band's fab long-standing tenure as North Carolina's phenomenal pop combo. The third single is "Honest Work," written by guitarists Patrick Walters and Jamie Hoover and sung by Walters, following bassist Steve Stoeckel's lovely "Lulu's In Love" and Hoover's AM radio-ready "Help Me Janie." "Honest Work" is a stable and reliable punch of the clock, acknowledging the ethic that gets things done. The work may not be its own reward, but the resulting music provides welcome reimbursement.

Punch that clock. Punch it with vigor. We got work to do. "Honest Work" will spin again here on Sunday night. 

DEAN LANDEW: After Work

THE VOGUES: Five O'Clock World

Dana followed the Spongetones' salute to honest work with a spin of Dean Landew's all-time TIRnRR classic "After Work," compelling me to complete the wage-slave hat trick with the Vogues' sublime "Five O'Clock World." WORK..?! Somewhere, Maynard G. Krebs approves the notion of leaving the ol' work day behind us.

THE HIGH FREQUENCIES: Modern Love

I only saw David Bowie once, during his mid '80s Serious Moonlight tour. I don't regard that as his peak period (the commercial success of the Let's Dance album and its title tune hit single notwithstanding), but witnessing Bowie perform was certainly among the highlights of my concert-going experience. From the forthcoming tribute album Jem Records Celebrates David Bowie, the High Frequencies take "Modern Love"--my favorite track from Let's Dance--and set it free to twist 'n' bop under its own earnest lunar glow. 

THE RULERS: I Want My Ramones Records Back

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

BORIS THE SPRINKLER: Kill The Ramones

Rude!

THE RAMONES: I Wanna Live

Words to...um, live by. And, to paraphrase the Rulers in the song mentioned two spots north of here: I'd be dyin' without my Ramones.

From a previous 10 Songs:

"I moved back to Syracuse from Buffalo in 1987. It was not a great time in my life, and it was still going to be a little while before things got better. 

"In good times and less-good times, music has always been a highlight. I don't remember if I heard 'I Wanna Live' before picking up my copy of Halfway To Sanity. I may have seen its video on MTV, but my memory insists I didn't even know the Ramones had a new album out when I spotted and immediately purchased Halfway To Sanity at The Record Theatre up on the SU hill. 

"The album includes a fab guest appearance by Blondie's Debbie Harry on 'Go Li'l Camaro Go,' a meeting of CBGB's minds I'd been wishing for since the late '70s. Nonetheless, my favorite was (and is) 'I Wanna Live.'

"Is it a life-affirming track? By default, I guess, though it could also be read as a suicide note. But the guitar sounds like it wants to live. Joey likewise sounds like he's digging in for the long haul. It's what I want, and I'm going with that."

THE FLASHCUBES: If These Hands

More than a year's work is about to pay off, as our friends at Big Stir Records prepare an eager rockin' pop world for the September 12th release of Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. But while poundin' the console on behalf of Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse is technically work, it's also a calling. Plus it's fun! Given all the fabulous covers the Flashcubes have recorded and released over the past several years, I wanted to call more attention to the wonder of the Flashcubes' own brilliant songbook. A various-artists Flashcubes tribute album seemed the best way to accomplish that, so we gathered a bunch of talented artists, matched them with a bunch of songs written or co-written by members of the Flashcubes, and sent 'em off with one simple directive:

Make something happen.

And oh, did they ever come through, and then some. That's been reflected in consistent TIRnRR airplay, with this week's spins of Make Something Happen! gems by Dolph Chaney, Sorrows, and Callan Foster following in the Cubic-heeled footsteps of last week's MSH! treats from Tom Kenny and the Hi-Seas, Librarians With Hickeys, and Chris von Sneidern, and Sunday will bring a reprise of Librarians With Hickeys as well as the Verbs and the Armoires. On the album, these all frolic and frug alongside fascinating interpretations of Flashcubes songs as rendered by sparkle*jets u.k., Graham Parker and Mike Gent, Joe Giddings, Ballzy Tomorrow, the Kennedys, Pop Co-Op, the Peppermint Kicks, the Choosers, Hamell On Trial, Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin, the Mayflowers, Super 8 featuring Lisa Mychols, and the Spongetones.

As referenced in the Spongetones entry up top, the Flashcubes have also contributed three new singles of their own to this project. The first Make Something Happen! single was guitarist Paul Armstrong's epic burner "Reminisce." The second was the gorgeous big pop number "The Sweet Spot," co-written by 'Cubes bassist Gary Frenay with the late B. D. Love. 

And now comes the third and final single in advance of this tribute. Back in 1978, the Flashcubes' first 45 was "Christi Girl," a ballad written by 'Cubes guitarist Arty Lenin. In 2025, Arty closes this portion of the Flashcubes' singles discography with another lovely ballad, "If These Hands." 

We naturally talk about the songwriters, as befits an album intended as a salute to a group's original songs. Let's also throw in a bit of praise for Flashcubes drummer Tommy Allen, not just for his irresistible percussive skill, but for the sheer pop and power he brings to this material as a producer. This stuff sounds amazing, and that's due in large part to our boy Tommy.

Putting this album together has been a lot of work, and there's a long, long list of people who deserve credit for making this particular something happen. Even though others did most--almost all--of the heavy lifting here, I find myself exhausted in its aftermath. Exhausted, but proud. If memory serves, the last original song recorded and released by the Flashcubes prior to these three new singles was "Carl (You Da Man)" for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 1 more than twenty years ago. As flattering and fulfilling as it was that this band that's been so important to me wrote and recorded a killer song about Dana and me, I could not allow that to stand as the last word in original Flashcubes recordings.

It isn't the last one anymore. "Reminisce." "The Sweet Spot." Maybe "If These Hands" will be the Flashcubes' final recording, or maybe there will be more yet to come. I hope so. Either way, man, we made something happen. It was well, well worth the work.

MONDO TOPLESS: Think With Your Hands

BALLZY TOMORROW: Back Of My Hand

The Flashcubes' "If These Hands" leads us naturally into "Think With Your Hands" by Mondo Topless. Naturally. Whenever Dana plays a track by Mondo Topless, I naturally have to say, "Oh, so it's THAT kind of show, is it?" Because, y'know...topless. I amuse me.

Hadda follow "Think With Your Hands" with a cover of the Jags' new wave pop perennial "Back Of My Hand," as performed by our bud Robbie Rist under his Ballzy Tomorrow moniker. A delightful number in any incarnation, Ballzy Tomorrow's rendition of "Back Of My Hand" comes to us via DJ/uber fan Adam Waltemire's ace curated 2022 various-artists coverfest Sing Me A Song--A 50th Birthday Celebration. We've programmed a number of tracks from Sing Me A Song (particularly Barry Holdship's divine reading of Conway Twitty's "It's Only Make Believe") on past shows, but I'm mortified to discover we ain't ever played Ballzy Tomorrow's "Back Of My Hand" before this week. I tell ya: WE deserve the back of the hand.

But what can I say? It's just that kind of show. And it works for us.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

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. You can read about our history here

10 SONGS: 5/25/2024

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 # 1234.

THE LEMON TWIGS: If You And I Are Not Wise

I don't have any explanation, nor even any real idea why it took us so friggin' long to finally play something by the Lemon Twigs. We were never resistant to the group's engaging brand of pop music; it's POP music, and we like it! 

But, for whatever reason, I've only been peripherally aware of the Lemon Twigs. I knew of them, but I hadn't actually listened to their records nor seen them on TV. Knowledgeable online pals recommended the Lemon Twigs on many separate occasions. I didn't dismiss the recommendations. I just didn't follow through on them.

The men of The Spoon podcast (https://thespoonradio.com/) have been among those informed parties extolling the virtues of the Lemon Twigs, and that was the tipping point for me. I used Apple Music to investigate the sound of the Lemon Twigs.

My God. Why the hell did I delay this? Holy missed opportunities!

And then to the Batmobile, or at least to Sound Garden in Syracuse, where I snapped up both of the only two Lemon Twigs CD they had in inventory. That score included the group's current effort, A Dream Is All We Know.

From A Dream Is All We Know, the Lemon Twigs at long last make their TIRnRR debut with a spin of "If You And I Are Not Alone," an effortless evocation of the Byrds and all things that jangle with authority. Welcome to our little Play-Tone Galaxy of Stars, you Lemon Twigs. Sorry it took us so damned long to admit you. We will aim to be wiser in the future.

BILLY J. KRAMER: Are You With Me?

Did not expect 2024 to bring new music from British Invasion star Billy J. Kramer. And even if I had expected it, I confess I might not have expected it would be, y'know, fab. Nor even that it would necessarily be any good.

But it is. "Are You With Me?" was released as a single in February, and it will be the title track on a forthcoming new Kramer album. It's an easygoing stroll down Matthew Street in Liverpool, deliberately nostalgic yet sufficiently buoyant on its own terms, its Cuban heels deftly sidestepping the potentially sticky morass of navigating places we remember all our lives. A very pleasant surprise.

NEW MATH: I Can Tell

Back in October, we made a TIRnRR road trip to see Rochester's legendary new wave pop group New Math play what was billed as their farewell show, boppin' on a bill with contemporaries the Presstones and the mighty 1.4.5. It was an incredible evening of rock 'n' roll, and I'm delighted that New Math decided to continue for more after that.

"More" includes a new digital single! The song "I Can Tell" dates back to around 1980, but there is no acceptable surviving copy of New Math's original dawn-of-the-'80s recording. So the current group decided to do a new recording, and it feels like I'm in my early twenties again, diggin' the latest from this great, great group.

You can read more about this MORE! from Joseph Massaro via Paperface Zine. And there's still more MORE!!! to come from New Math.

BLAKE JONES AND THE TRIKE SHOP: Record Cover Girl

EYTAN MIRSKY: Record Collection

THE RULERS: I Want My Ramones Records Back

Record collector trifecta! The triple spin kicks off with the latest from Big Stir recording artists Blake Jones and the Trike Shop, singin' an ode to (I say) the LP jacket models for a number of Ventures and Ohio Players albums, plus some metal chicks and--of course--Dolores Erickson of Whipped Cream & Other Delights fame. Looks AND sounds great.

We follow that with Brother Eytan Mirsky, from the album Get Ready For Eytan!, bidding a sudden sayonara to a lady love whose affection for the music of Electric Light Orchestra is evidence of a less-than-ideal match. Man, some things just aren't meant to be.

And we polish off the three-fer with Noah Rule of the Rulers (from This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4), pleading with a departed former flame: I WANT MY RAMONES RECORDS BACK!

And who can blame him?

WONDERBOY: Girl Songs

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE FLASHCUBES: When We Close Our Eyes

Last week I completed two initial interviews (with Flashcubes guitarist Paul Armstrong and bassist Gary Frenay) for my proposed 2025 book Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES. I had a Wednesday interview scheduled with 'Cubes drummer Tommy Allen, but I had to postpone it (through no fault of Tommy's). We're going to try again this week, and I hope to get in an initial interview with guitarist Arty Lenin ASAP. There is much, much, much to be done, and a ton of people to interview, but work on Make Something Happen! has begun in earnest.

(And there's still more tangential brilliance just starting to plug in behind the scenes. We'll tell you all about that when the time is right. Smile! It's THE FLASHCUBES!)

SLYBOOTS: Oh, Me

I would have to check our stats, but I don't think we've ever played anything by Meat Puppets. Whether we have or ain't have, we have now played at least one Meat Puppets cover, as NYC's Slyboots clock in for their inaugural TIRnRR spin with a take on Meat Puppets' "Oh, Me." I wasn't familiar with Slyboots, but quick visits to their website and their Bandcamp page indicate I need to get to know them, stat. Special programming will take over the entirety of our Memorial Day weekend show, but worry not: Slyboots will be back on TIRnRR in June.

THE RAMONES: Blitzkrieg Bop

Thus ends This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1234. And we couldn't do it any other way.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

Carl's book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is 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: 3/24/2023

10 Songs is a weekly list of ten songs that happen to be on my mind at the moment. The lists are usually dominated by songs played on the previous Sunday night's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. The idea was inspired by Don Valentine of the essential blog I Don't Hear A Single.

This week's edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1173. This show is available as a podcast.

POPSICKO: No Better Time

I believe in advocating on behalf of our pop passions. It's the reason I write, the reason I blog, and the reason I cohost a radio show. Whatever soapbox I can find or concoct, I'm gonna hop on and testify. 

I can't speak for my friends at the mighty Big Stir Records label, but I betcha they feel the same way. Big Stir's Rex Broome and Christina Bulbenko run a business, so they have to mind their bottom line and keep their lights on, but their actions are driven by interest and inspiration. The same can be said of writer S. W. Lauden, as it can be said of my many fellow music journalists, pundits, bloggers, indie enablers, and cheerleaders. We're fans. We do what we do because we're fans.

Popsicko was a group on an upward trajectory in the mid '90s, potentially primed for big things when the death of frontman Keith Brown ended their story in 1995. They left behind an album, 1994's Off To A Bad Start, some cherished memories for their faithful, and some wistful wondering about what might have been.

Today, Lauden and our friends at Big Stir remain faithful. And they're collaborating with the surviving members of Popsicko to continue the band's story past its tragic conclusion, to share that story with new fans, and to keep that story alive. 

Big Stir has released two Popsicko digital singles, and the label is now offering the first-ever vinyl release of Off To A Bad Start, accompanied by a 48-page book detailing Lauden's oral history of the group. This is a work of passion. This is a work of belief.

Some years back, I wrote an introduction for the first issue of Big Stir's ambitious and altogether swell Big Stir magazine. The first line from that introduction sums up our shared approach to pop advocacy:

"Enthusiasm isn't everything. But nothing of value endures without it."

In the '90s, I did not know Popsicko's music. I know it now, and I appreciate it, thanks to Big Stir and S. W. Lauden. Thanks to advocacy. Thanks to fans. Thanks to all of those who believe.

CAT STEVENS: Another Saturday Night

We discover favorite pop songs through many different means, and our first exposure to individual songs can sometimes come by proxy. I heard the Beatles' cover of "Words Of Love" well before I heard Buddy Holly, the Pretenders introduced me to the Kinks' "Stop Your Sobbing," and I first knew "Do You Wanna Dance" from the seemingly unlikely resource of Bette Midler.

I was fourteen years old in 1974. I remembered Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang," a hit the year of my birth, but which still got sufficient spins somewhere in my early conscious youth for me to recall it as a much-loved classic. I did not know Cooke's "Another Saturday Night." Awareness of that song was provided by a '74 radio hit remake by Cat Stevens.

As a teen, I liked Stevens' hits; I don't dislike them now, but for the most part my taste has kinda migrated away from them. I adore some of his '60s material, especially "Matthew And Son," "The First Cut Is The Deepest," "Here Comes My Baby," and "Come On And Dance." And I still love his version of "Another Saturday Night."

ROBIN SCHELL: Lost In America

Hey, all that stuff I said up top about Rex and Christine at Big Stir, and the redemptive power of enthusiasm? All of that applies equally to Ray Gianchetti, whose own Kool Kat Musik label is an essential pipeline and lifeline for those who love rockin' pop music. Sure, Kool Kat is the home of the This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation CDs, but we connected with Ray for our releases because of his demonstrated and unwavering commitment to the greater power pop world and its periphery. Ray's a believer, too.

Kool Kat maintains a very busy release schedule, and the label puts out a lot of very interesting stuff. This week's show includes three Kool Kat Releases (by the Decibels, Stephen Lawrenson, and Robin Schell), plus tracks from This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volumes 3 and 4. Next week's show will have new Kool Kat-associated tracks by the Speedways, West Coast Music Club, and Marco Busato. We're Kool Kat boosters, and proud of it.

Robin Schell scored some TIRnRR airplay years ago, when he DBA'd as the Marshmellows, purveyor(s) of the psychedelicized pick hit "Mad Sense Of Alice." The Macchiato, originally released digitally in 2018 and now a minty-fresh Kool Kat CD, is less overtly evocative of the lysergic, perhaps more reminiscent of Stackridge or even Supertramp. I can imagine "Lost In America" trippin' some lights fantastically with "What You Own" from Rent, transferred from the Broadway stage into progressive AOR with an indie edge. Quite a comparison, and maybe quite a leap to consider, but an indication of The Macchiato's ambition and accomplishment.

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Twist And Shout

Each week's playlist mixes great records from the '60s and succeeding decades with whatever glittery pretties capture our attention in the present day. We reach back to the '50s in some weeks (as we did with this week's Chuck Berry and Little Richard selections), but the '60s and '70s were our formative decades. 

When I scrawl out potential playlist ideas prior to my weekly programming call with Dana, I always include some '60s and '70s material. This week, my scribbles of Martha and the Vandellas, the Monkees, the Toys, Millie Small, the Four Tops, and Tower of Power transitioned from notebook to playlist. That's how one builds a better radio show.

By contrast, though I don't remember whether or not the Isley Brothers were penned into my notes come programming time, I know I didn't have any premeditated intention of playing "Twist And Shout." Its appearance this week was a spontaneous generation: Dana picked Graham Parker's "Help Me Shake It," and I immediately blurted out, Shake it up, baby! 

See, the act of programming is guided by a higher power. That's also how one builds a better radio show.  

EYTAN MIRSKY: Lost You In The Jet Stream

Singer! Songwriter! Performer! Debonaire man about town! Let's face it, Eytan Mirsky is a bit of awright. Brother Eytan is a frequent participant in our weekly playlists, and his song "This Year's Gonna Be Our Year" is plainly the greatest record ever made. 

"Lost You In The Jet Stream" is Eytan's latest single, and (following "If I Could Only Draw") it's the second of his two recent singles for which he wrote music to someone else's lyrics. Either process works A-OK for us, as long as we can keep getting new Eytan Mirsky tracks to play on the radio.

DAISY JONES AND THE SIX: Regret Me

Ah, my favorite Daisy Jones and the Six track! For those of us at the right young age in the '70s, the band's masterpiece Aurora was a touchstone, no less important than Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. My subsequent embrace of punk may have lessened Aurora's impact within my short teen attention span, as Rocket To Russia and Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols (and college life) beckoned, but nor did I forsake this band and this album that meant so much...

...wait. What?

Oh yeah. Sorry! Aurora is a 2023 release by a fake band. A pretty cool fake band, actually. It's part of the soundtrack to Daisy Jones And The Six, a new series currently streaming on Amazon Prime. I'm really digging the show and its music, and I'm looking forward to reading the novel upon which all this is based. No regrets here.

THE RAMONES: I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind

"I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind" was an unreleased early '80s Ramones outtake. Shorn of its personal pronoun, "Can't Get You Out Of My Mind" did appear on 1989's Brain Drain album; in 2002, the "I"-equipped outtake was included on Rhino Records' expanded reissue of the Ramones' 1981 album Pleasant Dreams. That's what we played this week.

In my new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones, the interview with Johnny Ramone revealed his dissatisfaction with the choice of 10cc's Graham Gouldman as the producer of Pleasant Dreams. "The guy from 10cc producing the Ramones? 10cc sucks, and it's not right for the Ramones." Marky Ramone liked the album a lot more than Johnny did (and a lot more than its follow-up Subterranean Jungle), and both Marky and Joey Ramone were aware of Gouldman's impressive '60s songwriting credits for the Yardbirds, the Hollies, and Herman's Hermits.

My opinion of Pleasant Dreams inhabits a DMZ in between Johnny's and Marky's views. I think it's a very good album that doesn't sound like any other Ramones album. Too slick? Maybe. It's not the equal of any of the Ramones' classic first four albums, nor perhaps of '90s albums Mondo Bizarro and ¡Adios Amigos! But I do like it, and one of its tracks ("All's Quiet On The Eastern Front") will probably be included in a forthcoming post about my 25 favorite Ramones tracks. And we'll be playing one of Pleasant Dreams' other original album tracks on next week's show.

AMY RIGBY: Dancing With Joey Ramone

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE RULERS: I Want My Ramones Records Back

When Goldmine contributing editor John Borack reviewed our 2017 compilation This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4, his thumbs-up review mentioned the Rulers' ace Volume 4 contribution "I Want My Ramones Records Back," with John adding: Who wouldn't?

We agree with ya there, John. We agree with ya there.

THE RAMONES: Do You Wanna Dance

Do you wanna dance? Who wouldn't? Bette Midler asked me first. Is it okay if I dance with the girl while the Ramones' version plays? Take it, Dee Dee...!

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

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

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

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

TIRnRR # 4, Track By Track: The Rulers, "I Want My Ramones Records Back"

This is part of a series of short pieces discussing each of the 29 tracks on our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4. The CD can be ordered at Kool Kat Musik.

24. THE RULERS: "I Want My Ramones Records Back"



Heh. With a title like that, "I Want My Ramones Records Back" simply had to be on a This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation. It just took us a while to work things out.

Long before The Rulers recorded this track, the song was a phantom, an elusive Carbona-huffin' will o' the wisp. It's one of the best tributes to the magic of The Ramones I've ever heard--rivaling Motorhead's "Ramones" and Amy Rigby's "Dancing With Joey Ramone"--but I barely heard it originally. It was a hint, a rumor, and little more than that. Stealth might not be the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Ramones novelty records, but it applies in this case.

I first heard of the song from its author, Noah DeRule. Noah was in a Phoenix band called The Orphans, and The Orphans recorded the original version of "I Want My Ramones Records Back." I can't even remember when that was. But Noah contacted me to make me aware of the track, possibly to consider for airplay on TIRnRR. Maybe. I don't remember. All I remember for sure is that I could listen to the song via the great 'n' powerful internet, but I didn't know of any way to save a copy of it. Eventually, the link to the song faded to gray, and "I Want My Ramones Records Back" was relegated to the dustbin of my memory.

Fortunately, I have a very good memory. Um...sometimes.

The song haunted me for years. I didn't make any permanent note of the group's name, nor that of its writer, but the song itself was seared into my brain. I tried to track down more info. Google. Chat groups. Direct inquiries to pop music peers. I was a rock 'n' roll Mr. Keen, tracer of lost pop tunes. The trail led to Singapore--no, I'm not kidding--and went cold. Man, this never happens to Mr. Keen!

Never quite gave up the search, though. And eventually, a combination of YouTube, Reverbnation, and Facebook led me back to Noah DeRule.

When The Orphans broke up, Noah switched coasts and joined The Rulers in Richmond, Virginia. I'm not sure of the precise timeline, but Noah's travels also took him much, much farther East, including residence in Vietnam. I think he's back in Arizona now. Or, y'know, Metropolis maybe, or Stars Hollow. Boy gets around.

Somewhere in there, The Rulers recorded a new version of "I Want My Ramones Records Back," its title now truncated to "Ramones." Noah sent me a copy, and I was in Cretin Hop Heaven. Except for the addition of one FCC-unfriendly word, The Rulers' "Ramones" perfectly matched my memory of The Orphans' "I Want My Ramones Records Back."

In assembling TIRnRR # 4, we definitely wanted some version of this song represented. The Orphans' original version was a no-go--Noah said even he didn't have a copy of that anymore--but The Rulers' version was A-OK by us, as long as we could get a radio edit, and as long as we could restore the original expanded title. Noah drafted a pal to carry out the edit, and granted our plea to exhume the more descriptive "I Want My Ramones Records Back" as its title. Mission accomplished, easy as 1-2-3-4!

The presumed (and desired) immediacy of TIRnRR does not in any way dilute our commitment to a bigger picture, a longer view of who we are, where we're going, and how we got this far. We forget stuff, sure, but we remember a lot. Really, a lot. We remember songs, and parts of songs, and performers, and listeners, and circumstances, and comments, and impressions, and the sensation of sheer, exuberant connection. And if we love something, we hold tight to its memory, and we retain its spark forever. The spark of "I Want My Ramones Records Back" has never been far from our consciousness, even over that span of years when we couldn't hear it. We remembered. Unlike that song says, though, you can't keep the Blondie and The Knack, nor The Sex Pistols and The Clash, and we do give a damn about The Rolling Stones. We want 'em all. But we'd be dying without our Ramones.

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