10 SONGS: 11/22/2025

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 # 1311

SQUEEZE: Goodbye Girl

SQUEEZE: Vicky Verky

SQUEEZE: If It's Love

From a previous 10 Songs regarding "Goodbye Girl" by Squeeze:

"My favorite Squeeze song. Although I was a relative latecomer to Squeeze fandom, I fell hard for 'Pulling Mussels (From The Shell),' and also liked 'Annie Get Your Gun.' Then they broke up. Then they got back together! I didn't own any of Squeeze's stuff until the late '80s, when Singles--45's And Under became one of my early CD purchases. More purchases would follow. I now have many favorite Squeeze songs. 'Goodbye Girl' remains my # 1."

With the passing of former Squeeze drummer Gilson Lavis, it seemed imperative for a pop-obsessed radio show like ours to attempt some sort of proper salute and appreciation. We figured our best way to do that was to open the show with three Squeeze classics in a row, then circle back to one more Squeeze perennial near the end of the show.

And I wanted to start with "Goodbye Girl," not just because it's my top Squeeze track, but because Lavis's distinctive arrangement of the song's percussion stands as testimony to his talent and ingenuity. Squeezing our way forward, the 1980 Argybargy album track "Vicky Verky" has been a frequent fixture on TIRnRR playlists, and "If It's Love" (from 1989's Frank.) finally makes its long-overdue TIRnRR debut this week, as This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio remembers Gilson Lavis.

THE PEPPERMINT KICKS: Number One Record

"Number One Record?" Hey! We PLAY the hits! "Number One Records" is the latest single from the Peppermint Kicks' exquisite new album Pop Rocks In My Chewing Gum, and it's an exercise in needle-to-groove exuberance directed by a benevolent deity toward eager disciples of rock 'n' roll radio. Since this IS rock 'n' roll radio, it's our Heavenly obligation to play the Peppermint Kicks. Writhe with the tithe, baby. Like the Rutles before them, the Peppermint Kicks are number one, number one.

THE ARMOIRES: You're Not The Police

It was my great, great pleasure to curate the 2025 various-artists blockbuster Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. The album was released by our friends at Big Stir Records, and I'll piddle all over the sin of false modesty and tell you it's really, really good. As further evidence of the set's essential 'n' undeniable awesomeness, we offer another spin of Big Stir's de facto house band the Armoires and their irresistible channeling of Cheap Trick and the Byrds for this epic cover of the Flashcubes' "You're Not The Police."

THE LEMON TWIGS: Play On

My pal Ken Sharp is to the ace compilation Play On: A Raspberries Tribute as I am to Make Something Happen!, a passionate rockin' pop advocate eager to proclaim and celebrate the legacy of an all-time favorite combo. Among the many 'Berries-flavored treats Ken assembled for Play On, he recruited current pop buzzsters the Lemon Twigs to contribute a sublime rendition of the album's title track, a song which also happens to be one of my own top Raspberries tunes. We'll hear two more tracks from Play On: A Raspberries Tribute on our next show, including a Raspberries rocker by Ken Sharp hisself. Play on? Damned straight we will.

MATERIAL ISSUE: I'd Wait A Million Years

Material Issue's cover of the Grass Roots' hit "I'd Wait A Million Years" comes to us via Yellow Pills Volume 4, the beyond-fab 1997 chapter in Jordan Oakes's essential series of power pop compilations. I'm a little surprised to see we've never played it before, but its presumed million-year wait for TIRnRR airplay ends now, thanks to Dean Brownrout. 

Dean was the co-owner of the Big Deal Records label, which was the home of the Yellow Pills CDs and to a big, big stack o' worthies by a big, big roster of TIRnRR Fave Raves. Dean has been promoting his new book No Big Deal (subtitled "Chasing the indie music dream in the last days of the record business"), and that promotion brought him to an appearance on the 1000 Greatest Misses podcast. You can hear that episode right here. The music on this very special Big Deal edition of 1000 Greatest Misses included Material Issue's "I'd Wait A Million Years" (alongside worthies by Wondermints, Adam Schmitt, Splitsville, and the Sighs), and we couldn't miss this inspiration and opportunity to program a Material Issue track we ain't played before. Worth the wait!

BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD: Sit Down I Think I Love You

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE FLASHCUBES: Reminisce

Also from Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, one of three new nonpareil tracks by the Flashcubes. 'Cubes guitarist Paul Armstrong's "Reminisce" serves as the album's opening salvo, it was the first advance single, and it is without question my top track of 2025. Reminiscing AND looking forward. It's all I want to do.

SQUEEZE: Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)

My first favorite Squeeze song. "Goodbye Girl" more or less supplanted it over time, but it's still just fantastic, and you can't go wrong with the best of Squeeze. Godspeed, Gilson Lavis.

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.

Ken Sharp: 1301 Highland Avenue

I have long coveted a copy of 1301 Highland Avenue, the 1994 debut album by singer-songwriter  (and my former Goldmine colleague) Ken Sharp. I was knocked out by Ken's track "Break Down The Walls," a bubbly confection found on the first volume of Jordan Oakes' essential power pop compilation series Yellow Pills, and I wanted to hear more.

Alas, 1301 Highland Avenue was only released in Japan, and I couldn't fit its purchase into my budget at the time. The passing of two and a half decades has made the disc even harder to come by. I had the digital tracks, so I knew how great the album was, but I'm a physical media guy. I want the CD. And it didn't seem likely I was ever going to be able to get one.

Cover of original 1994 Japanese release

Until NOW! Tell 'em about it, Ken!

Greetings!

This year marks the 25th anniversary of my first album 1301 Highland Avenue, a frothy blend of innocent pure pop, bubblegum and a bit o' soul with melodies for miles. It was a Japan only release back in 1994 and has been sold out for almost 25 years and has not been available via digital channels.

Now I’m gearing up to release an enhanced and, in my humble opinion, a way better version of the album for the very first time in the U.S. on CD and as a special limited edition 2-LP set.

16 songs!

--NEWLY tweaked with a fresh coat of sonic paint and sounding fuller and richer, the album features a brand new song “1301 Highland Avenue” 

--Cool new artwork by Dan Sarka of The Vandalias (see attached) 

--The album features many new sonic enhancements—more vocals, additional guitar parts, drums on four songs that previously did not have them, horns, ukulele, glockenspiel and more!

--Features power pop icons The Rubinoos backing me on two songs

David Bash, pop music journalist and founder/CEO: The International Pop Overthrow Festival, is a long-time champion of the album and raves:

"Of all the albums I've heard since the Power Pop renaissance, "1301 Highland Avenue" captures the magic of '70s AM Radio as well as any. Awesome hooks which repeat (a lost art) and engaging lead vocals, it's an album which will stay in your head long after the record has stopped."

Reserve your copy now for what will be a very limited run of CDs and vinyl.

Pricing:

CD $10

2-LP vinyl $45 (Black vinyl)

2-LP colored vinyl $50 (Colored vinyl/choice of red, blue, green or white)

Sealed original 1994 Japanese CD (out of print for almost 25 years) $30

plus shipping/handling:

US

$5 (CD)

$10 (2-LP)

Canada

$13 (CD)

$21 (2-LP)

Europe/Japan

$17 (CD)

$28 (2-LP)

PayPal email is sharpk@aol.com

***Be sure to send payment using the “send to friends and family” option, list item ordered and don’t forget your address. ***

Big thanks for your continued support of my work. Grateful if you can help share the news with fellow pop music fans.

I hope you’ll join me on my journey to 1301 Highland Avenue.

I'm sold! And I mean that literally, 'cuz I've already bought mine. You should buy one, too. GO! And tell 'im CC sent you.

You can also order Ken's other releases and his books from his website http://ken-sharp.com/

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

Fans of pop music will want to check out Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, a new pop compilation benefiting SPARK! Syracuse, the home of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. TIR'N'RR Allstars--Steve Stoeckel, Bruce Gordon, Joel Tinnel, Stacy Carson, Eytan Mirsky, Teresa Cowles, Dan Pavelich, Irene Peña, Keith Klingensmith, and Rich Firestone--offer a fantastic new version of The Kinks' classic "Waterloo Sunset." That's supplemented by eleven more tracks (plus a hidden bonus track), including previously-unreleased gems from The Click Beetles, Eytan Mirsky, Pop Co-Op, Irene Peña, Michael Slawter (covering The Posies), and The Anderson Council (covering XTC), a new remix of "Infinite Soul" by The Grip Weeds, and familiar TIRnRR Fave Raves by Vegas With Randolph, Gretchen's Wheel, The Armoires, and Pacific Soul Ltd. Oh, and that mystery bonus track? It's exquisite. You need this. You're buying it from Futureman.

(And you can still get our 2017 compilation This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4, on CD from Kool Kat Musik and as a download from Futureman Records.)

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).

Yellow Pills And THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

Our most recent compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 was released in August of 2017. One year ago today, I posted TIRnRR # 4 Track-By-Track, an exhaustive (but fun!) 30-part guide to the tracks on that CD. My intrepid co-host Dana and I are extraordinarily proud of TIRnRR # 4, and we continue to hope that more rockin' pop fans will discover and appreciate its irresistible charms.

As the compilation's first anniversary sped past, I became conscious of a growing conviction: this is one of the greatest pop compilations ever done. Seriously. I'm no stranger to hyperbole--I speak fluent hype--but I'm sincere in my belief in this collection. In the broad 'n' delightful category of pure pop, alt-pop, rockin' pop, and power pop compilations, there have been a number of superlative sets. Not a one of 'em is better than This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4.

No, not even Yellow Pills.

Listen, man: it ain't braggin' if you can back it up. Jordan Oakes' Yellow Pills compilations are regarded as the Gold Standard of power pop collections. I can't name a single such set that is held in higher regard than 1993's Yellow Pills Volume 1, and for good reason. It's a fantastic set that deserves its exalted reputation.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is its equal. For real.

Forgive my sin of hubris, my sin of pride, my sin of Schmilsson--wait, strike that last one--but dammit, TIRnRR # 4 really is as great as Yellow Pills Volume 1. Certainly the two discs share some personnel, as both include tracks by The Rubinoos, The Flashcubes, Chris von Sneidern, and The Spongetones (represented on our TIRnRR # 4 by a radio show ID and individual tracks by Spongetones members Steve Stoeckel [recording with Pop Co-Op] and Jamie Hoover [recording with Stepford Knives]). Jordan had The Cowsills, Dwight Twilley, and Tommy Keene, but we have P. Hux, The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Grip Weeds, Ray Paul, and Circe Link & Christian Nesmith. Both discs sport liner notes by an esteemed rockin' pop journalist (Jordan on Yellow Pills, lovable ol' me on TIRnRR # 4), and both are simply more fun than a barrel full of lizards. All of the Yellow Pills CDs are out of print, but you can still get This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 from Kool Kat Musik at https://tinyurl.com/ycnly8oz.

There will be a digital edition of TIRnRR # 4 available soon from the good folks at Futureman Records, though we're not yet certain whether or not The Smithereens' track will be part of the downloadable version. In the mean time, Futureman already offers digital versions of the out-of-print This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3. Physical copies of Volume 2 are still available from CDBaby, or for $10 (including domestic shipping) via PayPal to ccdatsme@aol.com. Each of these is a terrific compilation for rockin' pop fans to cherish for all eternity.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is the best of the lot, and it's in a class with Yellow Pills Volume 1. If you like Yellow Pills, I can't see how you wouldn't also enjoy This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio.