10 SONGS (plus one): 6/27/2026

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 # 1342

VICKI PETERSON AND JOHN COWSILL: Sound On Sound

I wrote this as part of the playlist commentary for our June 7th show:

"December of this year will mark the 50th anniversary of my first live rock 'n' roll show. I've seen a bunch of other shows since then, and I hope to see many more. On Thursday night [June 4th], Dana and I had the wonderful experience of witnessing Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill in concert at a local high school. It was, in fact, a high school production, with opening mini-sets by two teen bands and one faculty band, preceded by a solo set by the lead singer of one of the teen bands.

"Sound dire? No. It was amazing. Joyous. Life-affirming. Young bands the Killer Pancakes and Clockwork (and Clockwork singer Isabella Destito) displayed talent, poise, and accomplishment, rippin' through an assortment of covers and--wait for it!--ORIGINALS that delighted the enthusiastic crowd. Faculty band After School Special likewise delivered, and John Cowsill hisself joined them onstage for a cover of Tommy Tutone's '867-5309/Jenny,' recreating his own backing vocals from the original hit record. At the very end of the show, the kids joined Vicki and John for irresistible renditions of the Bangles' 'Manic Monday' and 'Walk Like An Egyptian.' Gooseflesh.

"In between all of that, Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill mesmerized the crowd with a sublime performance. The bulk of their set was drawn from their wonderful 2025 album Long After The Fire, which presented the duo's renditions of songs written by John's late brothers Bill Cowsill and Barry Cowsill; the material was just as riveting in live performance as it is on record. The pair dipped twice into the familiar catalogues of their respective rockin' pop alma maters--the Bangles' 'In A Different Light' and the Cowsills' 'Hair'--and the cumulative effect was just...just beyond. Transcendent. I can't convey in words how happy I was to be there...."

In the immediate aftermath of the live show, it felt imperative for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio to program a spotlight on Vicki and John as Featured Performers. Hey! We should do that THIS week! 

And we did, filling half of this week's playlist with tracks that include Vicki and/or John, together or separately, operating within a variety of rockin' pop dbas. And we kicked things off with my favorite track from Long After The Fire, a Barry Cowsill composition called "Sound On Sound." Sound on sound? A worthy goal, and a promise kept. We'll hear "Sound On Sound" again on our next show.

THE BEACH BOYS: Beaches In Mind

John Cowsill was a touring member of the Beach Boys from 2000 to 2023. When original Beach Boys Brian Wilson and Al Jardine briefly rejoined that other guy for the 50th anniversary reunion album That's Why God Made The Radio in 2012, John played drums on two tracks, "The Private Life Of Bill And Sue" and "Beaches In Mind," and we included the latter in this week's tribute show. 

CONTINENTAL DRIFTERS: The Rain Song

Over the course of several records and varying line-ups, Continental Drifters established themselves as indie favorites in the 1990s and early '00s, and the 2024 compilation White Noise & Lightning: The Best Of Continental Drifters is as essential as essential can be. Which is pretty essential. Vicki Peterson and her eventual sister-in-law Susan Cowsill were among this distinguished legion of Drifters, and the group's 1998 album Vermillion included this lovely, wistful gem called "The Rain Song." Written by Susan and Vicki, "The Rain Song" was subsequently redone by Vicki for the Bangles' 2003 album Doll Revolution, and the Bangles' version was my introduction to the song. Both versions are superb.

VICKI AND DEBBIE PETERSON: I Wanna Be With You

From our friend Ken Sharp's fabulous 2025 compilation Play On: A Raspberries Tribute, we have Vicki joining forces with her sister (and fellow Bangle) Debbie Peterson to cover the 1972 hit record that hooked me on the power pop sound of the Raspberries. Vicki and Debbie Peterson covering Raspberries? I wanna be with that.

TOMMY TUTONE: 867-5309/Jenny

From a previous 10 Songs:

"A little Byrdsy, a little Stonesy, a little Tommy Tutonesy. See, this is why Hallmark refuses to hire me. Bastards. 

"But I digress: great song, then and now. And it came up during a recent vacation, when I discovered that my hotel's WiFi password was 8675309. Jenny could not be reached for comment. But I bet she woulda been pissed."

At some point, I probably/possibly/maybe? knew that John Cowsill sang backing vocals on Tommy Tutone's original hit recording of this song, but I had completely forgotten that fact prior to After School Special sayin' so on stage during their set opening for Vicki and John on June 4th. And I certainly shouldn't have been surprised when John bounced on stage to join After School Special in their rendition of sumpin' a little Byrdsy, a little Stonesy, a little Tommy Tutonesy. 

But I was surprised. And thrilled! They got my number, all right. They didn't know me, but it made me so happy.

SUSAN COWSILL: River Of Love

My God. This is heartbreaking...but magnificent.

"River Of Love" was written and first recorded by Barry Cowsill, who lost his life in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The sadness attached to this real-life context makes the song's tale of goodbye even more devastating. In the version recorded by Susan Cowsill (for her 2010 album Lighthouse), the effect is no less haunting, yet somehow its own sense of loss and sorrow finds comfort in beauty, love, and determination.

It also secures strength in family. All of the other surviving members of the Cowsills--John, Bob, and Paul, plus Vicki Peterson Cowsill--sing behind Susan's lead vocal, and Susan plays her late brother Barry's guitar on the track, as well. 

Another day goes rolling through my heart

As if it was another empty cup

And though I’ve wandered through these fields I’ve known before

I will never give up ‘til I see you again

I may never give up at all

And so I will take my precious time to hang around

And I’ll count the beats of my heart one by one

And even if it’s just some silly game I’m playing

Deep down I know it isn’t just for fun

‘Cause when there’s a will then there’s a way

And if I have to kneel and pray

Then I’ll kneel here and pray away

A family band. Family will endure. We'll meet again on the other side.

"River Of Love" written by Barry Cowsill, Bug Music BMI

THE BANGLES: Live

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE BANGS: Getting Out Of Hand

The Bangles' Ground Zero. In 1981, the group was still called the Bangs when they released their first single, "Getting Out Of Hand"/"Call On Me." The A-side was written by Vicki Peterson, with lead vocal by fellow Bang/Bangle Susanna Hoffs. Following a name change, things would start getting out of hand in due time. The Bangles' legend starts here.

THE SMITHEREENS: Now And Then

The Cowsills sang back-up on "Now And Then," a track by Carteret, New Jersey's phenomenal pop combo the Smithereens. "Now And Then" appeared on 1991's Blow Up, the Smithereens' fourth album, the first album following their commercial breakthrough with the 1989 album 11 ("Smithereens 11" coined as a play on the title of the Rat Pack film Ocean's Eleven).

At this point, the Smithereens were running up respectable numbers at retail, and the Cowsills had recently regrouped with an intention to record new material. The 'Reens were fans, and believed they could help the Cowsills score a record deal.

It was not to be. Smithereens guitarist Jim Babjak told me of his frustration with this situation ("...This was at a time when we were selling hundreds of thousands of records. I thought I had a little more clout."). Unable to sign with a label, the Cowsills wound up self-releasing their album Global in 1998.

Global is my favorite album of the 1990s. Major labels are swine.

THE COWSILLS: She Said To Me

ALSO The Greatest Record Ever Made! 

*BONUS TRACK!*

VICKI PETERSON WITH JOHN COWSILL AND JONNY POLONSKY: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

On this show, we play the Ramones just about every week. The American Beatles! The greatest American rock 'n' roll band of all time! Alas, this week's wham-packed playlist did not allow time for even the concise brilliance of da brudders--the Ramones-Paley Brothers collaboration covering the Ritchie Valens classic "Come On Let's Go" was The Last Track Out--but we did carve out a slot for our Featured Performers Vicki and John (with Jonny Polonsky) covering the Ramones. And not covering just any Ramones song; the Ramones' "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" is the literal record that changed my life, and I do not get to my own history as writer or DJ without the specific impact that 1977 45 rpm single had on seventeen-year-old me. It is such an absolute kick to close our celebration of the magic of Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill with this particular blast of pure Carbona-fueled pop. Vicki and John really have it all. Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh YEAH! 

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 of short stories Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is out now, and you can get autographed copies of the new book and my previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) directly from me. You can still get my previous 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.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it 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, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here

10 SONGS: 3/27/2026

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 # 1329

THE ANDERSONS!: From The Get-Go

SPECTRAFLAME: I Always Wanted You To Stay

We play the hits. Our little mutant radio show first invaded the airwaves at the very end of 1998, a few months after power pop force of nature the Andersons! released their debut album Separated At Birth. From that album, an insanely infectious track called "From The Get-Go" was a huge, huge favorite during TIRnRR Year One, and it still occasionally makes its winning way to our playlists even now. Our old pal Robbie Rist was a proud member of the Andersons!; the first time Dana and I appeared as guests on The Spoon (Robbie's podcast with co-hosts Chris Jackson and Thom Bowers), Robbie figured that your Dana and your Carl had probably played the Andersons! on the radio, but he wasn't for-sure certain. "Robbie," I assured him, "We were playing the Andersons! from the get-go."

HA! I slay me.

Robbie's worked with tons of artists. One of his current collaborations is with Florida's phenomenal pop combo Spectraflame, whose recent single "I Always Wanted You To Stay" has already just about locked up a berth on our year-end countdown show. Central 'Flame Steve Burgess knows how to craft and execute a pop tune, and our Robbie knows how to help him deliver it. A hit record. It stays on the playlist for our next show.

ANY TROUBLE: Playing Bogart

THE HOLLIES: Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress

Listen: If you're gonna try your hand at playing Bogart, you're gonna wind up sitting in a nest of bad men, whiskey bottles piling high. Any Trouble's "Playing Bogart" into the Hollies' "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" may be the most impeccable segue in TIRnRR's long history of impeccable segues. Pop noir!

DEVIL LOVE: Tell Me You Love Me

Devil Love's wonderful current single "Tell Me You Love Me" has become a welcome earworm, playing inside my delighted li'l cranium with remarkable frequency. TIRnRR airplay has not yet mirrored my love for this track, though that's just a byproduct of programming logistics; for example, I planned to play "Tell Me You Love Me" again on our next show, but it was among several selections bumped aside when the passing of Chip Taylor prompted me to wedge in five songs from the Chip Taylor songbook. Devil Love's fantastic single will be back. I tell you: I love it.

(Incidentally: The Chip Taylor tribute will include two obvious hits, one [in some circles] lesser-known album track, and two covers, one of which I mistakenly refer to on-air as the original version. Oops.)

THE SMITHEREENS: House We Used To Live In

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE SHIRTS: Starts With A Handshake

In 2025, the visionary Think Like A Key Music label released Live Featuring Annie Golden, a previously-unissued 1981 live-in-the-studio exhibition by CBGB vet'rans the Shirts. It's invigmoratin', like getting a brand-new classic Shirts record, and its track "Tears Comin' Down" made our year-end countdown show of TIRnRR's most-played tracks in 2025.

Now, Think Like A Key once again emerges from the archives with more new old Shirts. Live At Paradise 1979 preserves a Boston gig broadcast on WBCN, and it friggin' kicks, man. The album includes bravura performances of long-time TIRnRR Shirts favorites like "Tell Me Your Plans" and "Reduced To A Whisper," plus a lotta fab shots we ain't played yet. If there are still more vintage Shirts hangin' in the closet, here's hoping Think Like A Key Music can dig them out as well. And if the label could clear rights to reissue the group's two long-outta-print Capitol Records long-players (and the rest of the group's albums to boot), well, those Shirts would provide the best fit ever.

THE HALF/CUBES: Something's Gonna Happen

We have--of course!--been playing selections from the Half/Cubes' superb current album Found Pearls, as any decent rockin' pop radio outlet should. BUT! We now have a brand-new non-album Half/Cubes single, with Special Guest Bat Villain Glen Burtnik of the Weeklings taking on lead vocals for a cover of the American Breed's "Bend Me, Shape Me." That will open our next show this Sunday night.

SERGIO CECCANTI: Leave The Past, Don't Look Behind

From a previous 10 Songs:

"Our little mutant radio show has a long and rewarding history with the mighty Kool Kat Muzik label. Even before Ray Gianchetti (Mr. Kool Kat hisself) made his superfine rockin' pop imprint the home of our TIRnRR compilation albums, we've been programming Kool Kat cuts since the dawn of ever. Every new Kool Kat release is automatically under consideration for TIRnRR airplay, and almost all of them result in at least one track getting a spin on one (or more!) of our playlists. We're FANS!

"And right now, I'm a big fan of Leave The Past, Don't Look Behind, the new Kool Kat Musik release by Sergio Ceccanti. The title track is just perfect--perfect!--for the radio-ready vibe we crave, channeling a '60s garage-pop atmosphere in service of a steely-eyed determination to seek a sure-footed next step forward...."

Like Devil Love's "Tell Me You Love Me," Mr. Ceccanti's "Leave The Past, Don't Look Behind" hasn't yet received the TIRnRR exposure it deserves. But it will spin again this Sunday, and on some future Sundays thereafter. Leave the past. We'll barrel ahead from here.

THE CYNZ: Love's So Lovely

Awright, this one we HAVE been playing, and we're not stopping now. So lovely. So right. From their current album Confess, the Cynz supply the love we all need.

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.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. 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.

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! The Smithereens, "House We Used To Live In"

Drawn from previous posts, this is not part of my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).

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 SMITHEREENS: House We Used To Live In

Written by Pat DiNizio

Produced by Don Dixon

Single from the album Green Thoughts, Enigma Records, 1988

In some Greatest Record Ever Made! stories, the artists are front and center, while other such stories blend the facts behind the music with expressions of how the music affected the listener (i.e., me). The Smithereens are one of the all-time great rock 'n' roll groups, and a pair of previous GREM! entries (about "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" and "Face The World With Pride") talked about the band.

This one? This one's purely personal.

This is the house we used to live in, this is the place we used to know.

My childhood home was a place I call 308, a Cape Cod in Syracuse's Northern suburbs. It was built in the early '50s, and its only owners had been members of my family. My aunt and uncle originally secured 308 on behalf of my mom and dad, who purchased it in short order. My sister bought 308 when my dad died in 2012. My sister lives in England, and she kept the house for our mom. Mom continued to live there until it became impossible for her to do so anymore; she moved to a nursing facility in 2017. My daughter and her boyfriend (now husband) lived at 308 for a few years before buying their own house in 2022. 

Mom passed at the end of 2021. There was no longer any good reason to hold on to 308.

And so in January of 2023, we emptied 308 of its accumulated artifacts. My siblings and I kept a few scattered mementos; the rest was assigned as either donations or discards, and relocated accordingly. And then a new family--someone I have never met--took our keys and made 308 their home. 308 is still there. 

It is no longer ours.

Music and emotion go hand-in-hand. At least that's the way it is for me, and the combination builds essays and radio playlists.  In January of 2023, I opened an episode of our radio show with these words:

"I want to start things off with a note of passage, a farewell to a place that meant the world to me. It's a house in North Syracuse, a house I call 308. It was my parents' house, the house where I (in theory) grew up, and it remained a part of my life for all the decades since. I helped look after 308 throughout all the transitions this mortal life brings. 

"And now, there's one last transition, as for the first time since it was built more than 70 years ago, 308 will be owned by someone other than my family. 

"And that's okay. It's time. And it is finally time for me to say goodbye, and thank you, to 308, the house we used to live in." 

And the Smithereens sang their mournful farewell, "House We Used To Live In." 

Transitions can sting, even when they're a good thing, even when they're a necessary thing. I'll keep my memories of 308 for as long as I retain memories. It is such a weird, weird feeling to know that I will never again set foot in 308.

On January 24th of 2023, while I was at work, my wife Brenda met my sister Denise at 308 to help with the final ritual of clearing the space, cleaning, packing, shuffling its remaining castoffs to Goodwill. I joined them in the evening to complete the culling. 308 stood empty.

I took a last look in each bare, silent room, from basement to attic. I saw where our little pool table used to be, where Dad had his baseball memorabilia, where Mom had her jazz and Broadway LPs. The driveway where my brother Art's ill-fated Alfa Romeo once sat. The backyard where my brother Rob tried to teach me how to throw a football. The living room where Denise introduced me to a TV show called The Monkees. The kitchen where we ate macaroni and meatballs, and hot dogs, and beef stew, and carrot cake, and breakfast cereal, and Friday night fish fry, and so much more. My old room, where I listened to music, read comic books, tried to write, tried to draw, tried to dream. 

I remember. My memories of 308 are a kaleidoscope, a collision of colors that refuse to cede their distinct hues as time forces them--all of them--to turn to gray, no matter what vibrance they wish to retain. The brilliance remains in my mind's eye.

Our work done, our cars packed, Brenda, Denise, and I walked out of 308. We closed the door and it locked behind us. We drove away. We had driven away from 308 so many times before, always knowing we could and would return.

That was no longer true. 

I heard that the new owners have a dog, which is cool. A long time ago, we used to have a dog named Bear, and Bear was a part of our family at 308. We wish 308's new family a life of love and happiness in the house we used to live in.

Yeah, it's a weird feeling. My twinge of sadness will pass, has passed. My wealth of recollections remain. 

But it's time to let go of the rest of it. 

Here's to the house I used to live in. Here's to 308. And here's to whatever comes next.

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

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: 1/24/2025

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 # 1269

BOB DYLAN: I Want You

I'm not a Bob Dylan fan to the extent that many of my peers are Bob Dylan fans. I respect him, and sometimes I even like him, but I don't listen to his work with any discernible frequency. My Dylan spin count would uptick slightly if we include his time as a Traveling Wilbury. Otherwise, it's a relative rarity for me to play a record by Bashful Bobby Dylan.

(That's my Marvel Comics name for the Bard of Hibbing, Minnesota: Bashful Bobby Dylan. Surely Stan Lee would approve.)

Don't let any of the above mislead you into thinking I don't appreciate Dylan's talent and (especially!) his impact. In my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), I devote a chapter to "Like A Rolling Stone," my favorite Dylan track:

"...Bob Dylan bulldozed the boundaries of what a pop song could be. He wasn't the first;
the folk tradition contains a rich history of social commentary, and Billie Holiday's 1939
rendition of the anti-lynching lament 'Strange Fruit' was as daring and incendiary as
any song ever released. But Dylan's ambitious lyrical rap and proto-punk arrogance
steamrolled the fences and rewrote the freakin' map. Like Chuck Berry and Elvis
Presley bringing R & B to white kids, Dylan brought a raised expectation of what pop
lyrics could or should be...

"...As a teenager in the '70s, I became a Dylan fan, though I claimed to be more

serious about it than I ever really was. I was supposed to like Dylan. The quest for

Dylanesque authenticity also led me to Arlo Guthrie, Woody Guthrie, and Phil Ochs,

though in each case I responded more viscerally to the innate pop appeal of specific

songs, all the while claiming I was connecting with the deep meaning of works of

substance. Or the deep substance of works of meaning. Or hoping to sleep with a folkie

chick.

"The onset of punk dealt a crippling blow to my interest in Dylan, and seeing a Dylan

concert in 1978 put that interest in its grave. I don't know what I was expecting, but I

didn't expect Bashful Bob to hit the stage wearing pants adorned with lightning bolts on

the legs. I resisted any urge to yell JUDAS! Coupled with Dylan's lackluster performance (exacerbated by my nosebleed seats), this wardrobe choice was off-putting. Yeah, even though it was less than two years after I saw KISS, the same year I saw the Ramones, the Runaways, the Kinks, the Flashcubes, and Elvis Costello and the Attractions. And Herman's Hermits. I wasn't opposed to a little pizazz, and I was eager for excitement. But it felt wrong--jarringly wrong--at a Bob Dylan show. Doesn't matter if that's unfair. How does it feel? It feels like I'd rather be at another Ramones show...."

With all that said, the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown prompted Dana to dip into the Zimmerman library on two consecutive weeks, and Dana's picks (Blonde On Blonde cuts "Most Likely You Go Your Way [And I'll Go Mine]" last week, "I Want You" this week) sounded absolutely aces on the playlist. I finally saw the film on Sunday, and it was fascinating, with flawless performances and a compelling narrative. I've been singing Dylan songs to myself ever since.

In the '70s, my sister Denise had a Dylan poster, and my brother Rob had some Dylan LPs (Greatest Hits, Self Portrait, possibly Blonde On Blonde) that I borrowed and played in my teen years. Dylan was on Top 40 AM radio with "Lay Lady Lay" and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." I didn't own any Dylan until I much later acquired a beat-up used copy of Greatest Hits. 

I still have that. Maybe it's due for another spin.

THE NON-PROPHETS: Alibi

The Non-Prophets' CBO (Chief Boppin' Officer) Allan Kaplon was thrilled to hear us describe "Alibi" as "their current hit single." We calls 'em as we sees 'em, my friend, and "Alibi" looks and sounds like a hit to us. It will return to TIRnRR on Sunday. That's what hit singles do.

JIM BASNIGHT: Gotta Get Straight

A new single from Jim Basnight? We play those! Always! We're fans. And like us, Jim is himself a fan of rockin ' pop music, his deep interest in all things a-thumpin' and a-janglin' informing his work as he creates more fine things that go a-thumpin' and a-janglin'. It's a process. Respect the process! Gotta get straight, man. And while we're at it, gotta get it on the radio again.

20/20: Remember The Lightning

20/20: Springtime Love Song

With the January 17th release of the fabulous new 20/20 album Back To California, it seemed a good time to program two-in-a-row from these Power Pop Hall Of Fame figures. 20/20 THEN....and 20/20 NOW!!! I...betcha we did the same thing when the album's first advance singles came out last year. 20/20 hindsight. But why re-invent the wheel? We have pop music to play!

"Yellow Pills" is considered 20/20's signature tune, but I like "Remember The Lightning" even more. Both songs inspired the titles of essential power pop publications, Jordan Oakes' well-remembered Yellow Pills (which has been preserved in book form, worth grabbing if you can track it down), and S. W. Lauden's current quarterly Remember The Lightning (and his Substack of the same name). Jordan may recall that I wasn't all that much of a fan of 20/20 initially, but lemme declare that I came around to the 20/20 vision years ago. Everybody's feeling groovy!

And I love the new album. "Springtime Love Song" is, I believe, the sixth different Back To California track to achieve TIRnRR airplay, with a seventh choice primed for a playlist berth this coming Sunday night. It may not be springtime yet, but love is in the air: 20/20 then, and 20/20 now. 

SORROWS: Out Of My Head

Speaking of long-established rockin' pop acts still serving up new releases: New York City's phenomenal pop combo Sorrows have an album called Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow due out in the near future, with advance single "Out Of My Head" released today. Today? Hooray! 

Both the single and album are new to us, but the material was recorded during Sorrows' 1981 hey-hey-HEYday, and unheard by the public until now. On the crunching and triumphant basis of "Out Of My Head," I'd say this stuff has been worth the 44-year wait. Repeat the mantra: Any record you ain't heard is a new record. I'm very much primed to lodge this new record into my head. We'll hear the single again on our next show.

(Word via the grapevine suggests that Sorrows will be recording at least one new track this year, a cover of a song originally recorded by the Flashcubes. If so, it provides a fitting symmetry for me: My introduction to the wonderful world of Sorrows came via my purchase of the "Jealousy"/"She's Got It" 45 by Sorrows precursors the Poppees, a single I bought from Sam Goody at Smithtown Mall a day or two after seeing a Flashcubes show on Bowery in 1979. The Flashcubes are in The Power Pop Hall Of Fame; one hopes that someday Sorrows will be in as well.)

THE DENTISTS: You Make Me Say It Somehow

Here again: Any record you ain't heard is a new record. I don't recall whether or not I'd ever heard the music of the Dentists before Brett Vargo rhapsodized about the group's 1985 album Some People Are On The Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now on a recent episode of the Only Three Lads podcast. Brett's recommendation and accompanying song snippet were sufficient inspiration to get me to buy the album (which I downloaded because I'm--in-joke!--a newfangled fancy-pants). Jeez, this record has TIRnRR written all over it, which is a neat trick for a digital album to have something written all over it. Thanks for the tip, Mr. Brett! We'll play another track from this long-titled album on our next show.

THE SMITHEREENS: Face The World With Pride

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE CYNZ: You Would Not Miss Me

Notwithstanding the considerable TIRnRR airplay accrued by the Cynz in 2024--they were our # 5 most-played artist, and two of their songs ("Just A Boy" and "Woman Child") were among our most-played tracks--I don't think I fully appreciated the sheer overall oomph of their 2024 album Little Miss Lost until it was kinda late in the game. That happens sometimes; we get caught up in individual tracks and lose sight of their magnificent brethren and sistren. We've recently started to pick up and play a few of the Little Miss Lost gems we missed before, including (fittingly) this fine number "You Would Not Miss Me." Little Miss Lost was definitely one of 2024's best albums, and we look forward to a new Cynz album due some time this year.

We will take great care not to miss that one.

SAM AND DAVE: Soul Man

It felt imperative to pay at least some tribute to the late, great Sam Moore this week. Sam and Dave--Moore with the late Dave Prater--were powerhouses of 1960s Stax Records soul, and I wish I could claim I was aware of them before the Blue Brothers covered "Soul Man" in the '70s. But I got there eventually. We played Sam and Dave's lesser-known hit "Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody" in our opening set, and circled back to the original classic "Soul Man" near the show's end. From my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

"...The song itself is an extended boast. But it's a boast backed up by its collective prowess. Responding to Sam and Dave's command Play it, Steve!, Steve Cropper's guitar work cuts and advances like an agile offensive line, its easygoing sway belying the force and efficiency of its piledriving advance. The Memphis Horns add bounce to spare. Resistance is futile.

"And, above it all, our soul men Sam Moore and Dave Prater testify.

"Isaac Hayes, who co-wrote 'Soul Man' with David Porter, said the song was inspired by the aftermath of a race riot in Detroit in 1967. An expression of defiant pride during troubled times, 'Soul Man' still resonates now as it did then, as an indomitable declaration of will and confidence. Close your eyes, right now, and let your mind conjure Cropper's distinctive guitar lick; you may suddenly feel more sure of yourself than you did just a moment before. 

"Most of are neither Sam nor Dave. I know I'm not. Hell, I'm not even Jake or Elwood. Nonetheless, as we listen to this great soul duo reign o'er the musical majesty the Stax studiomen have provided them, their determination...well, it doesn't quite become ours, but we feel it. It's 1967, and all points forward. Faith. Certainty. Walls are gonna fall, change is gonna come. Comin' to ya, on a dusty road. It ain't braggin' if you can do it. They're not called soul men for nothing."

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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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history 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, 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.