10 SONGS: 5/24/2025

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 # 1286

THE PEPPERMINT KICKS: Muscle Beach

We continue to piledrive our way toward the September release of Big Stir Records' epic various-artists rockin' pop love letter Make Something Happen! A Tribute To A DIY Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES. We've been assembling like Avengers, and my $3-a-month Patreon supporters will get a sneak peek at the album's liner notes on June 1st.

This has been a dream project for me. I've been a Flashcubes fan since my first 'Cubes show more than 47 years ago, and it is such a kick--a peppermint kick!-- to hear so many other incredible pop performers give us their own sublime interpretations of songs written by members of the Flashcubes.

TIRnRR stalwarts the Peppermint Kicks serve up a case in point with their blood-pumpin' rendition of "Muscle Beach." Written by 'Cubes guitarist Paul Armstrong, "Muscle Beach" was a fan-favorite staple of Flashcubes live shows circa 1979, and you can hear evidence of its sheer in-person power on the '79 club set preserved on the Flashcubes On Fire live album.

Our peppermint kicksters--Sal Baglio of the Amplifier Heads and Dan Kopko of the Shang Hi Los--capture that original Cubic vibe to perfection, making the song their own while retaining a line of sight with teen me 'n' my bright-lights peers swilling beer and doing the Jumping Jack upstairs at the Firebarn at the end of the '70s, the end of the century.

I do not want to be nineteen again. I would not even consider trying to surf through all that tsuris anew. But "Muscle Beach?" That's where I wanna be. Well done, you Peppermint Kicks.

THE MAYFLOWERS: Born To Cry

Aw, this is just beautiful. Kyoto's phenomenal pop combo the Mayflowers are long-time friends of the Flashcubes. Our previous compilation This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5 included a great Mayflowers track called "Sunflower Girl," co-written by Osamu Satoyama of the Mayflowers and Flashcubes bassist Gary Frenay. With these connections already in place, it made picture-perfect sense for the Mayflowers to cover a Gary Frenay song for Make Something Happen!

The Mayflowers chose to make something happen with "Born To Cry," a gorgeous Frenay ballad the Flashcubes recorded circa '79 or '80, after Paul Armstrong had left the 'Cubes and before the 'Cubes morphed into Screen Test, the Cubic-based trio of Frenay, Flashcubes guitarist Arty Lenin, and 'Cubes drummer-Tommy Allen. "Born To Cry" was a captivating song then, and it remains captivating in the capable hands of the Mayflowers.

When we posted an earlier work-in-progress look at the tentative line-up for Make Something Happen!, one 'Cubes fan responded immediately with the question, Where's "Born To Cry?" Now, here 'tis. The Mayflowers were born to make this particular something happen.

GRAHAM PARKER: Every Day I Have To Cry

The mighty Graham Parker covering soul great Arthur Alexander. Man, Mr. Parker sure does have a way of executing cool covers, doesn't he? Imagine if he were to cover a Flashcubes song!

We'll leave that notion to your imagination for now.

But we won't leave it to imagination alone for very much longer.

TONY MARSICO AND THE UGLY THINGZ: Goodbye To Lonely Town

Even a relatively low-profile media outlet like our little mutant radio show gets inundated with new music submissions. It helps that we have a handful of preferred resources that tend to jump to the top of our to-be-considered pile, and the Rum Bar Records label should certainly be considered among our favored nations. 

From the submission stack, I was taken with "Goodbye To Lonely Town," a recent single from the current Tony Marsico and the Ugly Thingz album No Future. On Rum Bar Records, of course. No future? There's ALWAYS a future for the radio-ready! Hello "Lonely Town," and welcome to This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio.

After we'd already programmed the track, recorded the show, and announced it in this week's hype, we realized that friend of the show Jonathan Lea plays guitar on "Goodbye To Lonely Town." We...would have realized that sooner if we were paying attention. But at least the Rum Bar Seal O' Approval had already brought the track to the top of the submission stack, and its intrinsic mojo was sufficiently dazzling to place it on our playlist. Word of Jonathan's involvement compels us to repeat the track on our next show. Hello AGAIN, "Lonely Town."

THE SPONGETONES: Anyway Town

Ahem. On this coming Sunday night, our next edition of TIRnRR will open with NEW MUSIC FROM THE SPONGETONES!! 

Yes, you're welcome. We aims t'please.

Meanwhile, we offer an older Spongetones classic to keep your beat music as Fab as it wants to be. From their 2005 album Number 9, the 'Tones lads allowed us the use of "Anyway Town" on our own compilation album This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 2. Wonderful track, and it always conjures an image of Thornton Wilder's Our Town in the wide-range region of my free associatin' mind. 

And come Sunday, let's free-associate us up some NEW Spongetones sounds. 

THE COOLIES: Bad Bad Boy

The supergroup known as the Coolies debuted with the 2019 EP Uh Oh! It's...The Coolies, and their music found an immediate and appreciative home on our sovereign airwaves. And we ain't kiddin' 'bout the "supergroup" part, as the Coolies included Kim Shattuck of the Muffs and the Pandoras, Melanie Vammen of the Muffs and the Pandoras, and Underground Garage host Palmyra Delran of the Friggs and a scattered zillion other worthy projects. Tracks from the Coolies' lone EP have been frequent fixtures on this show ever since.

The great Kim Shattuck left us later in that same year of 2019. Her dear pals Palmyra and Melanie channel Kim's immortal spirit on a new Coolies single, accompanied by Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go's and the late percussive powerhouse Clem Burke. The single's A-side "Bad Bad Boy" was co-written by Shattuck and Delran, and the result embodies something essential that I often seek in my music, books, film, and art: 

A defiant single finger, flashed with determined intent at the cruel transience of this mortal sphere.

(The single's digital B-side is a superb cover of "Over You," a song previously done by British neo-Modsters Squire. The Coolies' version is irresistible, and we'll prove that when we play it on our next show.)

THE RAMONES: Oh Oh I Love Her So

Combining bits from two different posts offered after my book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones was published in 2023:

My motto remains that a day without the Ramones would be like...I don't have any idea what a day without the Ramones would be like. Nor do I ever intend to find out.

The Leave Home album track "Oh Oh I Love Her So" shoulda been a single. Hell, it shoulda been a Burger King commercial. It still should! I met her at the Burger King/We fell in love by the soda machine. See, now I want a Whopper. Advertising in action. 

"Oh Oh I Love Her So" is an explosion of adrenaline-charged joy, one of my 25 favorite Ramones tracks. Like most of the Ramones' best works, it is pure in a way that may seem unexpected by heathens who don't worship at the Church of Ramones.

But it is pure. It is exciting and life-affirming and vividly real, even at its most cartoonish, even in the midst of its Bowery-bred seediness, the danger of its genesis redeemed by the exuberance of its pop. Fast. Loud. Pure. Oh oh, I love it so.

THE VENTURES: Walk--Don't Run

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE BONGOS: Glow In The Dark

After weeks of patient (HA!!) anticipation from this rock 'n' roll radio outlet, we've nearly reached the threshold of the release of The Shroud Of Touring: Live In 1985, Jem Records' new archival in-concert document of a performance by the Bongos. "Glow In The Dark" has long been one of my favorite Bongos tracks, and I'm shocked that we've never played the studio version (from Drums Along The Hudson) on any of our previous shows. But no matter! This week, we spin the live cut of "Glow In The Dark," and we'll utilize The Shroud Of Touring as the source for the TIRnRR debut of yet another Bongos gem on tomorrow night's program.

THE BEATLES: Dear Prudence

You're listening to the White Album on SPARK! Syracuse. From a previous reminiscence:

"The White Album is a pop touchstone like no other. Few regard it as the Beatles' best album, some regard it as one of their worst, and many would prefer if it had been pared down to a single-album release, rather than the sprawling (apparent) overreach of a double album. But owning a copy of it was, at one time, a prerequisite for...well, not status, exactly, but some undefined measure of cool. The White Album was cool in a way that not even Sgt. Pepper or Abbey Road could match. It's never been my favorite Beatles album. I would never dream of doing without it."

You can read that complete reminiscence here. And when you're finished reading: Won't you come out and play?

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

10 SONGS: 2/3/2022

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 # 1114.

THE VENTURES: Walk--Don't Run

As we age, there is a risk of TIRnRR playlists becoming the de facto Obituary of the Week. Time is the enemy. The passing of the Ventures' guitarist Don Wilson prompted me to wanna play a few Ventures tracks this week, opening the show with "Walk--Don't Run." I have a specific memory associated with that song, a memory I shared when we lost the Ventures' other guitarist Nokie Edwards in 2018:

In the late '80s, probably around '88 or so, the Ventures were scheduled to play at a bar located in a shopping center in Seneca Knolls, a suburban area north of Syracuse. In another manifestation of Syracuse's frustrating feast-or-famine existence, the Godfathers were elsewhere in Syracuse that same night, and the Bodeans were also appearing at yet another local venue. I wanted to see all three shows. But there was no real choice: I had to see the Ventures.

The Ventures were one of the most influential groups of the early '60s, and the most influential American instrumental rock 'n' roll combo. I can say that without denying the sheer magnificence of Dick Dale and the Del Tones or Link Wray, or the importance of the Shadows in England. I became a fan in the early '80s, via an oldies radio spin of "Walk--Don't Run." Riveted. There was no way I would or could pass up a chance to see the Ventures play live.

I don't remember the name of the bar. The floor in front of the stage had been garnished with sand, to conjure a beach party ambiance. Soon, the band was on stage. Nokie Edwards had left the group by then, so the Ventures I saw were the "Hawaii Five-O" line-up of Bob Bogle, Don Wilson, Gerry McGee, and Mel Taylor. The owner of the venue introduced, "The best fucking dance band in the world, THE VENTURES!!"

Enthusiastic applause, followed by something like a half-second pause for effect. Maybe a quarter-second. Maybe a full second or more. No time at all, but a seeming eternity, a tantalizing tease. You know what I mean. That brief moment when time stands still, when a performer or a group knows intuitively that he or she or they is about to claim you in full. A half-second. Quarter-second. Less than a tick, yet a sweet, enticing forever. Mel Taylor's drums rolled. That guitar intro.

The Ventures opened their show with "Walk--Don't Run."

The Ventures opened their show with "Walk--Don't Run!"

I've had the pleasure and good fortune to see a lot of terrific shows, from the Kinks to the Ramones to Paul McCartney. No one grabbed me from the get-go better than the Ventures did.

DAVID RUFFIN: Don't Stop Lovin' Me

I've recently been in serious thrall to David, the originally unreleased 1971 album by former Temptations singer David Ruffin. "Don't Stop Lovin' Me" is one of the few David tracks that was issued in its day, serving as the B-side to "Each Day Is A Lifetime" (a track which also would have been on David, if there had been a David). I remain puzzled by Motown's decision to consign the album to the vaults. Great, great record, and we'll hear another of its tracks on next week's TIRnRR.

LOLAS: My Thoughts Have Been Replaced

Following several years of scattered Dana & Carl radio shows in varied incarnations, 1999 was This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio's first full year on the air. Lolas' debut album Ballerina Breakout was released in late '99, but it immediately became my favorite album of the year. Its track "The Best Part" became the first of many Lolas songs played on TIRnRR over the years, and we're delighted to add Lolas' latest to our little Play-Tone Galaxy of Stars. The new album All Rise was a digital-only release in 2021, and it's now available in physical (i.e., real) form courtesy of our friends at Kool Kat Musik. Of course we played it this week! Good stuff, then and now.

BRAM TCHAIKOVSKY: Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache

Our playlists are affected by our listeners. I don't mean just in terms of requests, but also in reading their comments and developing an understanding of what they dig. One such listener is Joel Tinnel, guitarist for the way fab Pop Co-Op. I don't think it's much--maybe any--exaggeration to say that either Dana or I pick at least one track each week with the specific goal of landing within Joel's rockin' pop wheelhouse. We aims t'please. Joel has good taste, so we figure a song that Joel likes has better'n even odds of enhancing whatever the hell it is we do here.

Joel has expressed his interest in the music of Bram Tchaikovsky, the late '70s/early '80s British act (BT the name of both the band and its frontman) best known for the pop classic "Girl Of My Dreams." When we played the Bandwagon's Northern soul essential "Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache" a few years back, it was Joel who pointed out that Bram Tchaikovsky covered the song on his/their third and final studio album, 1981's Funland. This week, that version finally made its belated TIRnRR debut. For Joel! The playlist benefits from an understanding of what our listeners like. Thanks again, Joel.

THE JAM: Monday

In the early '80s, I absolutely worshipped the Jam. Setting Sons had become one of my all-time favorite albums, and I likewise adored its successor Sound Affects. And yet, in our current far-future world of the 21st century, I had completely forgotten about the sublime Sound Affects album track "Monday" until Dana selected it for this week's radio extravaganza. Thanks, Dana!

THE 5TH DIMENSION: Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In (The Flesh Failures)

The effect of listeners again, though this one was an actual request from intrepid TIRnRR fan Dominique King. Thanks, Dominique! Mystic crystal revelation, the mind's true liberation.

BUCK OWENS AND HIS BUCKAROOS: Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass

"Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass" wasn't a request this week, but I first learned of this superswell Buck Owens number because a listener named Elma Tiran (whom we've since dubbed Sparky) wanted us to play it on the show a few years ago. Ever your rock 'n' roll radio customer service specialists, we tracked it down, loved its vibrant application of Beatlisms and fuzz guitar to the C & W Bakersfield Beat, and it became a TIRnRR perennial in short order. Thanks, Sparky!

THE CLICK BEETLES: Goodbye Margot

This ace new track from the glory, the splendor, and the wonder of the Click Beetles initially slipped right by us because, well, um...SQUIRREL!! Times are tough, so we can't afford to pay attention. Rich Firestone of Radio Deer Camp (heard Sunday afternoons from 5 to 7 Eastern, right here on SPARK!) was the first to give "Goodbye Margot" the radio love it deserves, and we're always eager to copy our Reechie and his Radio Deer Camp brilliance. Thanks, Rich!

"Goodbye...?!" But I wanna listen to Rich Firestone on Radio Deer Camp!

CHRIS CHURCH: Pillar To Post

LANNIE FLOWERS: Good

While each week's 10 Songs is built in large part from songs released in years (and decades) gone by, we always, always play new and/or recent irresistibles right alongside our cherished and familiar gems. I mean, would it be TIRnRR if we didn't play something from the Big Stir Records label? Hyperbole is its own reward. We love Big Stir, there's at least one Big Stir release in nearly every weekly playlist, and that trend may never end. 

Our current Big Stir obsessions are Darling Please by Chris Church and Flavor Of The Month by Lannie Flowers. We played tracks from each on last week's show, and different tracks from each on this week's show. You can't have great radio unless you play great records. Big Stir releases great records, and so we play 'em as part of our ongoing effort to slap together great radio. Thanks, Big Stir. Thank you, listeners. Let's play.

You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon, or by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

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

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE: "Walk--Don't Run"

An infinite number of rockin' pop records can be the greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!


This was originally written following the death of Ventures guitarist Nokie Edwards. More recently, I had intended to use it in my forthcoming book The Greatest Record Ever Made, but it doesn't quite fit in with my current plan for the book. It's presented here for your enjoyment.

THE VENTURES: "Walk--Don't Run"

In the late '80s, probably around '88 or so, The Ventures were scheduled to play at a bar located in a shopping center in Seneca Knolls, a suburban area north of Syracuse. In another manifestation of Syracuse's frustrating feast-or-famine existence, The Godfathers were elsewhere in Syracuse that same night, and The Bodeans were also appearing at yet another local venue. I wanted to see all three shows. But there was no real choice: I had to see The Ventures.

The Ventures were one of the most influential groups of the early '60s, and the most influential American instrumental rock 'n' roll combo. I can say that without denying the sheer magnificence of Dick Dale & the Del Tones or Link Wray, or the importance of The Shadows in England. I became a fan in the early '80s, via an oldies radio spin of "Walk--Don't Run." Riveted. There was no way I would or could pass up a chance to see The Ventures play live.

I don't remember the name of the bar. The floor in front of the stage had been garnished with sand, to conjure a beach party ambiance. Soon, the band was on stage. Nokie Edwards had left the group by then, so the Ventures I saw were the "Hawaii Five-O" line-up of Bob Bogle, Don Wilson, Gerry McGee, and Mel Taylor. The owner of the venue introduced, "The best fucking dance band in the world, THE VENTURES!!"

Enthusiastic applause, followed by something like a half-second pause for effect. Maybe a quarter-second. Maybe a full second or more. No time at all, but a seeming eternity, a tantalizing tease. You know what I mean. That brief moment when time stands still, when a performer or a group knows intuitively that he or she or they is about to claim you in full. A half-second. Quarter-second. Less than a tick, yet a sweet, enticing forever. Mel Taylor's drums rolled. That guitar intro.

The Ventured opened their show with "Walk--Don't Run."

The Ventured opened their show with "Walk--Don't Run!"

I've had the pleasure and good fortune to see a lot of terrific shows, from The Kinks to The Ramones to Paul McCartney. No one grabbed me from the get-go better than The Ventures did.

The Ventures played two sets, and they were magnificent. I can't remember whether or not they played "Surfing And Spying," the great tune The Go-Go's wrote for them, but they certainly delivered an accomplished and invigorating victory lap through their catalog o' tunes. I think they did "Hawaii Five-O" twice, and I know they did both "Walk--Don't Run" and the slightly-different "Walk--Don't Run '64." There were even a couple of vocal numbers. It remains one of my most cherished concert memories. The Ventures are in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Sometimes, even that inept organization gets things right.




TIP THE BLOGGER: CC's Tip Jar!

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

Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here. A digital download version (minus The Smithereens' track) is also available from Futureman Records.