THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! Styx, "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye"

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!

STYX: Kiss Your Ass Goodbye

Written by Glen Burtnik, Tommy Shaw, Lawrence Gowan, James Young, and Todd Sucherman

Produced by Gary Loizzo, James Young, and Tommy Shaw

From the album Cyclorama, Sanctuary Records, 2003

A few years back, writer S. W. Lauden (alias musician Steve Coulter of Tsar and the Brothers Steve) posted an excellent piece called "Let's Argue About Power Pop!," wherein our Steve ably took on the endless battles among power pop fans to agree on...anything. ANYthing. Roses are red. Water is wet. The sky is above, not below. Bounty is the quicker picker-upper. Anything! Steve gets it. And I can say that even though I (predictably) disagree with some aspects of his power pop description. Those are just details. Steve gets the essence exactly right.

One of the things that drives power pop traditionalists batty is suggesting that some popular mainstream rock band is a power pop act. Styx comes up as an occasional example, and trust me, Styx is not and has never been power pop.

I mean, except for the time that Styx was power pop.

Listen, man: I hated Styx. Hated 'em. In the late '70s, when I was a bourgeoning young punk rocker and power pop fan in college, proudly sporting a chip on my shoulder and the Ramones in my heart, Styx was the freakin' enemy, THE enemy, more than disco, more than prog, more than Southern Rock, more than Eagles, even: Pompous and bloated, anti-punk, anti-pop. The music of Styx represented everything I despised. One night out drinking, I used my jackknife to carve STYX STYNX into the tabletop at a local nightspot. It is safe to say that I was not a fan of Styx.

For all that, I usually declared a ceasefire in my war on Styx when their song "Lorelei" came on. Unabashedly pop, loaded with harmonies, the group's prerequisite bombast largely held in check, a bit too slick but still energetic, "Lorelei" is almost power pop. Its path to true 'n' everlasting janglebuzz is blocked only by lead singer Dennis DeYoung sounding annoyingly and whiningly like Dennis DeYoung. And it's still a great track anyway. I wished it had been by the Hollies instead of...these guys.

There's no such qualifier for "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye." This track from the 2003 Styx album Cyclorama is certified 100% DeYoung-free. Glen Burtnik (now a member of the Weeklings) was the main songwriter, sharing a co-write with the other members of Styx at the time. Burtnik sings lead, and the result is as power pop as the Raspberries or the Rubinoos. Hell, Burtnik even sounds a bit like noted pop fan Robbie Rist, and that is a compliment for damned sure. Perfect pop. Perfect power pop. By Styx. As hell freezes over and the power pop curmudgeons rail in protest, this track invites naysayers to pucker up already.

I came to the song via an online friend named Kathryn Francis. I haven't heard from Fran in a very, very long time, and I hope she's doing well. She was a fan of both Styx AND This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, and she was determined to break down my aversion to this band she loved. She pointed out a few lesser-known Styx tracks for subsequent airplay on TIRnRR, and our pop worlds co-existed in peace.

BUT! In 2003, Fran told me there was this new Styx song that would demolish my antipathy, no matter how hard I resisted. Man, when Kathyrn's right, she's right! "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" remains an incredible track, a power pop tune--I said, A POWER POP TUNE!!--that has carved out a permanent berth in my ongoing All-Time Top 200. I haven't changed my mind about the familiar stuff, and I hear that many actual Styx fans disdain "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye," so I guess that dynamic remains in place between us.

I say this a lot: An act you actively despise may still be capable of creating one or more tracks you flat-out adore. And make no mistake: I loathed Styx. Still, an open mind can reap benefits. "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" is now an all-time Fave Rave, and there are a handful of other Styx tracks that I don't mind: "Lorelei" as noted, plus "Too Much Time On My Hands" and a 2005 track called "Everybody Raise A Glass," the latter introduced to me via The Spoon, the essential podcast hosted by the above-mentioned Robbie Rist with Chris Jackson and Thom Bowers. I don't think the day will come when I have any use whatsoever for "Babe" or "Renegade" or goddamned "Mr. Roboto," but I concede that the Styx brand name doesn't necessarily have to prompt an immediate revulsion.

Yeah, y'know...not necessarily.

Even with the bands we don't like as much as some of our friends do, that damned, cheery open mind can unlock the doors of discovery. Raise a glass! Seize a little of that too much time on our hands! Tell Lorelei we oughta live together! In the ending you can bet everyone's an equal. Here's to the Men of The Spoon, and also to our old correspondent Kathryn Francis, wherever she is. Thank you, friends. Domo arigato. It's Styx, babe.

And, of course, this one Styx song is fully, resolutely power pop. Don't argue with me.

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

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! Generation X, "Dancing With Myself"

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!

GEN X: Dancing With Myself

Written by Billy Idol and Tony James

Produced by Keith Forsey

Single, Chrysalis Records [U.K.], 1980

Beware the would-be hipster who whines, "I liked [insert artist's name here] before anyone else did, but then [applicable personal pronoun] sold out, got popular, and started to suck!" Humph. Worst would-be hipster ever. So yeah, take it with a grain of salt when I say I never cared for Billy Idol's successful solo career, but I loved him when he was fronting Generation X in the late '70s and very early '80s. Hipster? Me? It's you who say I am.

I really wanted to like Idol. Listen, I'm in favor of artists achieving success and recognition, getting paid, and being able to continue the divine art of creating. But "Eyes Without A Face," "Rebel Yell," "Flesh For Fantasy," "Hot In The City," and his meatball cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' "Mony Mony" mostly left me cold. I liked "White Wedding" a little bit, especially the guitar hook. The only one of Idol's solo successes that I really liked--loved--was "Dancing With Myself." 

Of course, when I first loved it, it was a Generation X single.

Technically, it was "Gen X," the truncated nom de bop used for the final material credited to the soon-to-disappear UK punk pop combo previously known as Generation X. Under whatever name, "Dancing With Myself" rocks, pops, 'n' percolates, a right worthy successor to earlier Generation X triumphs "Ready Steady Go," "Your Generation," and "King Rocker." The Billy Idol "Dancing With Myself" sounds the same to my ears, so if Idol re-recorded the Gen X track, he stuck with the blueprint with stunning fidelity. 

Bomp! magazine's epic power pop issue in early 1978 was the first I ever heard of Generation X. I may or may not have heard them on my Brockport college campus that Spring--there was a Punk Night at our on-campus bar The Rathskeller, and occasional punk/new wave records played on our radio station, WBSU, and either of those sources could have served up some Generation X--but I can say with certainty that I bought two Generation X import 45s by the end of that summer. The singles were "Ready, Steady, Go" and "Your Generation," and I loved both of those loud 'n' vibrant records beyond rational description. "Your Generation" was also included on an album called Geef Voor New Wave, a freakin' fantastic compilation that no home should be without. 

And for all my seeming indifference to Idol's solo success, I'm glad he and his creative partner Steve Stevens are being inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I've come around to the hits, even if they don't mean as much to me as Generation X did (and does). Let this rebel yell serve as endorsement and celebration.

But what do I know anyway? Never trust a hipster.

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

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! The Ramones, "Rockaway Beach"

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 RAMONES: Rockaway Beach

Written by Ramones [Dee Dee Ramone]

Produced by Tony Bongiovi and Tommy Erdelyi

Single from the album Rocket To Russie, Sire Records, 1977

Power pop. Bomp! magazine said so.

One snowy winter evening in the late 1970s, I bought one of the greatest fun-in-the sun tunes of all time. "Rockaway Beach" represents the only instance where I can tell you without question the precise date when I bought a specific record: January 17th, 1978. My 18th birthday. Home from college for winter break. My parents took me to Beefsteak Mining Company at Penn Can Mall in North Syracuse for a birthday dinner. After the meal, a quick stop at Gerber Music netted a gift for myself: The 45 of "Rockaway Beach," the latest single by my new favorite band, the Ramones.

In 1978, the legal drinking age was 18. That evening of 1/17/78, I planned to go out with friends and execute my newly-earned status as NOT! a minor with a beer or three. Or seven. Ah, but it was January in Syracuse, NY. The snow began to fall. And then it fell heavily. Wiser teen heads prevailed. The ritual I'm-18-and-I-like-it! partying was postponed to another night. I wasn't thrilled with that turn of events, but a nightclub was too hard, too far to reach.

As the snow fell in the darkness of the suburbs, I had a new single by my new favorite band. I hadn't heard it yet, but my full-on embrace of the Ramones' previous single "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" meant I was predisposed to adore "Rockaway Beach." And it did not disappoint.

Like "Sheena" before it, "Rockaway Beach" is punk made pop, the Beach Boys if the Beach Boys played faster and louder, Dee Dee Ramone's introductory 1-2-3-4! no less Fab than the template provided by Paul McCartney's 1-2-3-FAW! count-in to the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" less than fifteen years before. The Ramones. The American Beatles? I wasn't quite ready to declare that when I was just 18 (if you know what I mean), but I was edging toward it. I would celebrate the notion in short order. Let others blast out the disco on the radio. The sun is out. And I want...more.

In between my acquisitions of "Sheena" and "Rockaway Beach," I wrote my first-ever attempt at rock journalism. My work was flawed, but it was a start. Just after that, I saw my first-ever live rock 'n' roll club show, as the Flashcubes (and then Bomp! magazine) introduced me to the name of the music I'd always loved most: Power pop. A couple of decades later, during an email exchange with Bomp!'s own Greg Shaw, Shaw told me he couldn't support any definition of power pop that didn't include "Rockaway Beach." A couple more decades later, I got to sing "Rockaway Beach" at a release party for my book about the Ramones. Like Flashcubes bassist Gary Frenay wrote in his song "Syracuse Summer," seasons change and you live extremes. 

But ain't no snowfall ever gonna cover my sunny dreams. Chewin' out a rhythm on my bubblegum. I've been eighteen for a long time now. Surf's up.

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

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! The Who, "The Kids Are Alright"

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 WHO: The Kids Are Alright

Written by Pete Townshend

Produced by Shel Talmy

Single from the album My Generation, Brunswick Records [UK], 1965

Power-pop is what we play - what the Small Faces used to play, and the kind of pop the Beach Boys played in the days of "Fun Fun Fun" which I preferred

--Pete Townshend, 1967

Power pop. Power Pop 101, in fact.

You can't talk about power pop without talking about the early Who, "I Can't Explain" through The Who Sell Out. It's not just because Pete Townshend coined the phrase; it's because he and his band embodied it. Everything the Who did before Tommy is at least peripheral to power pop, and much of it is the power pop Gospel.

I was very much a latecomer to appreciating the Who. I remember hearing "Pinball Wizard" and "See Me Feel Me" on AM Top 40 radio, but I didn't really develop any serious interest in the Who until my senior year in high school. A spring '77 presentation of '60s rock 'n' roll videos at Syracuse University hooked me on "I Can't Explain," prompting me to scurry back to my sister's copy of the essential Who compilation Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy. Appreciation achieved! A year later, Bomp! magazine taught me that the Who invented power pop. Appreciation intensified.

(And yeah, I still say the Beatles invented power pop. Ain't no losers in this debate.)

Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy introduced me to "The Kids Are Alright," one of power pop's early defining tracks. In the '90s, when I wrote a history of power pop for Goldmine, I called the article "The Kids Are Alright." I regarded the song as a sort of power pop litmus test: If you can't imagine a group pulling off a credible cover of "The Kids Are Alright," it ain't a power pop band.

"The Kids Are Alright" remains one of power pop's all-time defining tracks, a powder keg of combustible bubblegum, teen frustration, guitar, harmonies, kerosene, and a match. And Keith Moon. I don't know what Moon's drum kit did to deserve such a beating, but I'm pretty sure the poundin' percussive punishment won't dissuade his drums from committing future sins. Recidivist drums. Naughty drums! Somebody's gonna get their drum head kicked in tonight.

I don't mind.

In college, I briefly preferred a cover version by the UK band the Pleasers to the Who's nonpareil original. Part of this was to rib my roommate's girlfriend (who was a BIG Who fan), but I really did have that preference at the time. Decades later, our weekly rockin' pop radio shindig This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio was originally supposed to be called The Kids Are Alright--It's Sunday night, and THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT!--with the Pleasers singin' the titular tune. We switched to the Ramones-approved This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio while on the way to the studio for our debut show in 1998.

We're not kids, not now and not then. But it's alright.

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 of short stories Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is due out soon; meanwhile, you can get an autographed copy of my previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) here, and 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.

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.

MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! Introductory sections of my forthcoming book about THE FLASHCUBES

Originally planned for a far-too-optimistic late 2025 publication, my forthcoming book Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES has been mired in development, but it is indeed still developing, and may yet make it to retail before the end of 2026. Please note that I am not under oath.

In the mean time, I'm proud to present the first public appearance of the book's introductory sections, which will lead into the interviews. 

Ya ready? Awright! It's 'CUBES tonight!

MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! A really, really loud introduction

I wasn't there. But I know something happened. September 1st, 1977. A new band took the stage for the first time. Expectations were likely modest, probably more modest than the members of the band. They were determined to make something happen. And you can't make something happen if you're not willing to lean forward. Guts. Bravado. Belief. 

Action!

It feels all right now
It feels all right now
It feels all right now
It feels all right now
HOLD ME TIGHT...!

And just like that, the sweaty air of The Brookside--a waterlogged bar sinking slowly into a marsh in the Syracuse, New York suburb of DeWitt--was pummeled by a high-volume wall of noise. It was a song by the Beatles...but it wasn't the Beatles, nor an incredible simulation. 

September 1st, 1977. It felt new. It felt exciting. It felt freakin' loud, deafening, but still somehow melodic. Punk rock with AM Top 40 aspirations and Tiger Beat delusions, an all-night stand aiming for American Bandstand with quixotic intent, rock 'n' roll unafraid to shove its irresistible hooks directly into your ringing, reeling ears.

Most of us weren't yet familiar with the phrase "power pop." But here it was, pop with power (and how!). For the very first time, performing their very first song, a DIY power pop band called the Flashcubes were on stage.

It feels all right now!

The thunderous racket notwithstanding, there were but four Flashcubes: Guitarists Paul Armstrong and Arty Lenin, bassist Gary Frenay, drummer Tommy Allen. They opened with a cover, a Trojan horse breaching the gate to make way for rockin' pop originals written by Gary, Arty, and Paul. They played. They practiced. They played more, and more, and more, and traveled to gigs in Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit, Boston, and the capital of the world, New York City. They shared bills with the Ramones, the Romantics, the Jam, the Police, the Runaways, David Johansen, Joe Jackson, Artful Dodger, the Scruffs, the Fast, 999, and so many others. In each heady situation, the Flashcubes deserved to be there. They got better and better and better. Tighter. As a live act, the Flashcubes were as good as anybody.

And the Flashcubes recorded. Demos. A studio single in 1978. Another single in '79. An appearance on a Bomp Records compilation album. A buzz beyond compare. Bright lights. The Flashcubes were going to be rock 'n' roll stars.

It...didn't happen.

Conflicting POVs forced Paul Armstrong's departure from the Flashcubes in the summer of 1979. The Flashcubes dimmed their own bright lights one year later. End of the line.

But not the end of the story. No one--no one--knew it at the time. But the Flashcubes' story was just beginning.

This book is that story. A story told in the words of the Flashcubes themselves, and in the words of others who were there to witness the birth and growth of a power pop legend. 

Does "legend" seem too strong a description? Man, it's not my description, but mere acknowledgement of the many pundits, music people, and fans who now routinely refer to the 'Cubes as legendary. In 1980, the Flashcubes were a failed, soon-to-be-forgotten band. In the forty-five years since then, they've regrouped, preserved their '70s recordings, created new recordings, released albums, won awards, brought their bright-lights buzz in-person to Los Angeles, and to freakin' Japan. Their 2023 album Pop Masters made many year-end Top Ten lists, and at this writing there is still more to come. The Flashcubes made something happen. That is the stuff of power pop legend. And it's a legend that must be told.

It feels all right now!

It's time to meet the Flashcubes.

SING FLASHCUBES IN REVERSE

2024: The Flashcubes' album Pop Masters wins the SAMMY (Syracuse Area Music Award) for Rock Album of the Year. Bassist Gary Frenay and guitarist Paul Armstrong accept the award in person, on behalf of themselves, guitarist Arty Lenin, and drummer/producer Tommy Allen.

Weird, I guess. Because the Flashcubes broke up in 1980. Hell, Paul Armstrong was out of the group in 1979. Forty-four (or forty-five) years later, and the Flashcubes win an award for their new album...?!

Suffice it to say that the separation didn't work out. 

During their original lifespan, the Flashcubes self-released two singles, and nothing else. One of their singles, Arty's ballad "Christi Girl," scored a berth on a compilation album issued by the Southern California label Bomp Records. A record deal with any label--any label--proved elusive. As a commercial entity, the Flashcubes had failed.

But since disbanding in 1980, the original Flashcubes eventually regrouped. Live shows. New recordings. Appearances--many appearances--on compilation CDs. Their first-ever show in Los Angeles. Two Japanese tours. Three new albums, three archival albums (one of which was a double set pairing the best of the Flashcubes' latter-day recordings with a 2007 live show), and two live albums (one live in Japan in 2002, one a blistering Syracuse show from '79). There was even one more single in there somewhere. Awards and Hall of Fame honors. Mentions in magazines, books, and a zillion online posts. Respect. And an ongoing explosion of Syracuse noise.

Doesn't seem like the arc of a failed rock band, does it? No, this is a success story on its own DIY terms. 

The late '70s musical revolution variously called punk and new wave rock 'n' roll--the movement that gave the pop world the sounds of the Ramones, the Clash, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, Elvis Costello, and Talking Heads--hit Syracuse loud 'n' proud when the Flashcubes debuted on 9/1/77, blazing through their incendiary rendition of the Beatles' "Hold Me Tight" before a smattering of puzzled drunks who had no mortal clue of the history they were witnessing. 

From their humble (if noisy) origin at The Brookside in 1977, the Flashcubes lit the spark of the Syracuse new wave rock 'n' roll scene, inspiring new groups and delighting delirious, giddy fans. They burned a hole through the roof of every venue they played, from The Loft in Middleville to Max’s Kansas City in New York, blazing a rock 'n' roll trail from Syracuse to Boston to Detroit to Cleveland, to CBGB's, and later to L.A. and Japan. From being named The Syracuse New Times' Band Of The Year in 1979, to winning the SAMMY for Best Album in 2012, to being inducted into The SAMMYs Hall Of Fame in 2013, into The Power Pop Hall Of Fame in 2019, and winning another SAMMY for Best Rock Album in 2024, the Flashcubes have demonstrated why they are known internationally as one of the greatest power pop groups of all time. 

Creation is born of passion. Before they became Flashcubes, before they'd even met, Tommy, Paul, Gary, and Arty were dedicated music fans, in love with the irresistible sounds of pure pop and rock 'n' roll. The Flashcubes story starts there. 

Okay, lads! Tell us about it.

Let’s begin with a look back at how you became music fans to begin with....

,,,And THAT will be where the story starts to unfold. Stay tuned. And keep your lights BRIGHT.

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 FLASHCUBES WITH MIKE GENT: Reminisce

This is a bit of enthusiastic hype I wrote on behalf of my favorite new track of 2025, "Reminisce" by the Flashcubes. "Reminisce" was the first track and first advance digital single from my passion project Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. Hey! There's a video for it, too! 

"Reminisce" also earned a berth on my all-time Hot 125, so it's safe to say I kinda dig it.

The Ramones remembered rock 'n' roll radio. KISS vowed to rock and roll all night. The Bay City Rollers promised a rock 'n' roll love letter. Power Pop Hall of Famers THE FLASHCUBES were there, and they saw it all. And now? They wanna reminisce.

From the bright lights/small city of Syracuse, NY, THE FLASHCUBES burst onto the music scene in 1977, influenced equally by '70s punk and '60s British Invasion, pure rock 'n' roll and the shared crucible of AM Top 40 radio when AM Top 40 radio friggin' ruled. THE FLASHCUBES burned a hole through the roof of every dingy or glitzy club they ever played. They shared the stage with everyone from the Ramones and the Runaways to the Romantics, the Jam, and Eddie and the Hot Rods. They wrote original songs (including their much-anthologized 1978 single "Christi Girl") that lived up to the flash of their inspirations, and that incandescent flash led to the 2025 various-artists compilation album Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, gathering classic Flashcubes tunes as covered by the likes of Graham Parker with Mike Gent, the Verbs (featuring Megan Voss and Steve Jordan) Sorrows, Tom Kenny and the Hi-Seas, the Spongetones, the Peppermint Kicks, the Kennedys, and other stalwarts of indie rockin' pop. The Flashcubes of 2025 are the same four guys as the 1977 model: Force-of-nature drummer/producer TOMMY ALLEN, guitarist/provocateur PAUL ARMSTRONG, bassist/pure pop visionary GARY FRENAY, and guitarist/freewheelin' dreamer ARTY LENIN. The Flashcubes, bless 'em, recorded three new songs for their own tribute album, because who in their right mind would even try to stop them?

"Reminisce" was written by Flashcubes guitarist Paul Armstrong, and recorded by the 'Cubes with special guest Mike Gent of the Figgs. The rock rolls like it's still 1977 at CBGB's or Max's Kansas City, and the lyrics look back in wonder at the heady buzz of the Flashcubes' blinding brilliance under the bright lights in the late '70s. The music struts and commands like a Flashcubes song oughta, and the chorus is just magnificent, jaw-dropping, a compelling incitement to raise the ol' fist and be there like you wuz there. And if you were there, "Reminisce" reminds you what it was like. Hey-ho. Let's GO. It's reminiscing time. Come on, let's rock 'n' roll with THE FLASHCUBES!

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 Half/Cubes: FOUND PEARLS

"Tomorrow...?" No, TODAY!!

The Half/Cubes' superb new album Found Pearls is released today by the good folks at Jem Records. This Sunday, October 19th, two lucky This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio listeners will win their very own Found Pearls CD.

What is Found Pearls? Glad you asked!

THE HALF/CUBES: Found Pearls

The world of rockin' pop music has no use for half measures. The giddy thrill of pure pop survives and thrives on passion AND craft, power AND precision, a longing for pristine love AND an eye on the earthy prize. Rock AND roll. Missing either half misses the freakin' point.

The Half/Cubes know the whole story. Half/Cubes Gary Frenay and Tommy Allen have seen it all from all sides, as fans and performers, as kids listening to records and radio and as one-half of Power Pop Hall of Famers the Flashcubes, sharing stages with legends and building an immediate and lasting legend of their own. The Half/Cubes' impeccable taste in the finest pop songs brings us the full-on treat of their brand-new album Found Pearls.

As the much-anticipated follow-up to their acclaimed 2024 album Pop Treasures (which was itself a continuation of the Flashcubes' 2023 triumph Pop Masters), Found Pearls once again finds our beloved Half/Cubes diving into the depths of their mighty record collections and emerging with fresh renditions of some pop classics you probably know (like the Romantics' "When I Look In Your Eyes," the Rembrandts' "That's Just The Way It Is, Baby," Marshall Crenshaw's "Whenever You're On My Mind" and "Something's Gonna Happen"), some deeper cuts you should know (Crabby Appleton's "Go Back," Artful Dodger's "Think Think," Brian Wilson's "It's Like Heaven," previously recorded by the disparate likes of American Spring and Shaun Cassidy), and some buried bounty you'll rightly wish you'd encountered earlier (Starclub's "Hard To Get," Canadian pop star Pagliaro's "Some Sing Some Dance"). The Half/Cubes lead us to rediscoveries of so many irresistibles by the Hollies, XTC, the Cars' Elliot Easton, Stereophonics, Mark Hudson of the Hudson Brothers, Jules Shear, Simon Townshend, Dirty Looks, Tim Wheeler, and Jon Brion. It all shines with the Cubic brilliance one expects from the Half/Cubes.

Not content to merely add oomph to old favorites, the Half/Cubes have also enlisted a number of super-friends to help them save the day. Robert Crenshaw and Tom Teeley pitch in on "Whenever You're On My Mind," Pilot's David Paton assists the Half/Cubes in their exquisite revamp of his former group's "Just A Smile," Phil Solem fills the Rembrandts quorum on "That's Just The Way It Is, Baby," Artful Dodger's Gary Herrewig and Steve Cooper assist in rethinking "Think Think," and Mark Hudson lends his patented razzle-dazzle to "I Don't Wanna Know" (originally recorded by Mark's friend John Lennon's son Julian Lennon) and to his own "Be Mine Tonight." Yeah, the Half/Cubes clearly do know the whole story.

And that ain't the half of it. Case in point: The album's first single enlists 1960s British Invasion superstar Peter Noone, not to remake one of his cuddly Herman's Hermits hits but to revive "I'll Be Taking Her Out Tonight," which our Peter originally recorded with his incredible early '80s new wave combo the Tremblers. For those of us who have waited DECADES for Peter Noone to pay a return visit to the Tremblers songbook, this is a big, big deal. And the kicker? The Half/Cubes featuring Peter Noon version of "I'll Be Taking Her Out Tonight" is even better than the Tremblers. Impossible...but true!

In fact, many of the pearls to be found on Found Pearls somehow surpass the seemingly nonpareil originals. That's what happens when the Half/Cubes apply their taste AND talent, their creative vision AND fannish enthusiasm. Their pearls and their ability to find them...and shine them. Curious to hear more? The Half/Cubes have done the work, and they'll meet you halfway to all the way. Found Pearls await. The rest is up to you.

THE HALF/CUBES: Found Pearls

1 Whenever You’re On My Mind (Marshall Crenshaw)

Featuring Robert Crenshaw and Tom Teeley
2 I’ll Be Taking Her Out Tonight (The Tremblers)
Featuring Peter Noone
3 The Disappointed (XTC)
4 Shayla (Elliot Easton)
5 I Don’t Wanna Know (Julian Lennon)
Featuring Mark Hudson
6 Go Back (Crabby Appleton)
7 Be Mine Tonight (Mark Hudson)
Featuring Mark Hudson
8 Have A Nice Day (Stereophonics)
9 Feels Like Summer (Tim Wheeler)
10 You’re Not Around (Jules Shear)
11 Just The Way It Is, Baby (The Rembrandts)
Featuring Phil Solem
12 Think, Think (Artful Dodger)
Featuring Gary Herrewig, Steve Cooper 
13 When I Look In Your Eyes (The Romantics)
14 Something’s Gonna Happen (Marshall Crenshaw)
15 Don’t Make Me Fall In Love With You (Jon Brion)
16 Just A Smile (Pilot)
Featuring David Paton
17 Hard To Get (The Star Club)
18 Meet You (Simon Townshend)
19 Lie To Me (Dirty Looks)
20 Slow Down (The Hollies)
21 Some Sing Some Dance (Michel Pagliaro)
22 It’s Like Heaven (Shaun Cassidy)

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.

Release Day! MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! A TRIBUTE TO THE FLASHCUBES

                             

After more than a year of prep and behind-the-scenes work, today is the official street date for Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. This labor of love gathers 21 great acts to cover 21 great songs written by members of Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes. We bolster the tribute tracks with three brand-new studio originals recorded by the 'Cubes themselves, with all of these assorted bright lights shining together as one.

The great Michael McCartney, host of the venerable radio show The Time Machine on Mana'o Radio KMNO-FM in Maui, was nice enough to devote nearly an hour of airtime  Make Something Happen! this past Saturday. For a limited time, you can still hear Michael chat with me about the project, our comments nestled all comfy 'n' cool amidst a number of tracks from Make Something Happen! Michael pulled a double on-air shift on Saturday, so the Cubic portion of this show is archived under the name The Past, The Present And The Forgotten. For the next week or so, you can access the September 6th edition of The Past, The Present And The Forgotten via Mana'o Radio's Listen On Demand option; just specify the show (The Past, The Present And The Future) and the date (September 6th). My portion of the show stretches from the 34:29 mark (commencing with the Kennedys' cover of the Flashcubes' "Walking Through The Park") through the 1:31:21 mark (the conclusion of a spin of my favorite Turtles track, played in memory of Mark Volman). Can't thank Michael enough for the attention and indulgence. Michael! You da MAN!

Now: MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! You can read my liner notes and acknowledgments here, you can view extensive track-by-track supplemental liner notes here, and you can buy your very own copy of Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes directly from our friends at Big Stir Records, via Bandcamp, from our other friends at Kool Kat Musik, and from a variety of resources accessible right here.

I am still exhausted in the aftermath of putting this record together. SO worth it. I could not be prouder of the result. Now it's your turn to grab and enjoy. Operators are standing by. 

You know what to make of it.

MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN!
A TRIBUTE TO THE FLASHCUBES
CD/Digital, September 12, 2025
Big Stir Records BSR-0146

1. THE FLASHCUBES: Reminisce
2. sparkle*jets u.k.: Make Something Happen
3. LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: Gone Too Far
4. CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: No Promise
5. GRAHAM PARKER AND MIKE GENT: Pathetic
6. JOE GIDDINGS: You're Not Grounded
7. BALLZY TOMORROW: Five Personalities
8. THE FLASHCUBES: The Sweet Spot
9. THE KENNEDYS: Walking Through The Park
10. MEEGAN VOSS AND STEVE JORDAN/THE VERBS: I Need Glue
11. DOLPH CHANEY: Girl From Germany
12. POP CO-OP: Wait Til Next Week
13. THE PEPPERMINT KICKS: Muscle Beach
14. TOM KENNY & THE HI-SEAS: Welcome To The Working Class
15. THE CHOOSERS: Christi Girl
16. HAMELL ON TRIAL: Got No Mind
17. THE ARMOIRES: You're Not The Police
18. THE FLASHCUBES: If These Hands
19. ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN: Bad Dream
20. THE MAYFLOWERS: Born To Cry
21. SUPER 8 FEATURING LISA MYCHOLS: When We Close Our Eyes
22. CALLAN FOSTER: It's You Tonight
23. SORROWS: Radio
24. THE SPONGETONES: Nothing Really Matters When You're Young

ALL SONGS WRITTEN OR CO-WRITTEN BY THE FLASHCUBES.

Compiled and produced by CARL CAFARELLI
Executive Producers: REX BROOME, CHRISTINA BULBENKO and MICHAEL SIMMONS
Mastered by MICHAEL SIMMONS
Package Design by MARGIE FINER
Cover Illustration by KAME (Japan)
Liner Notes by CARL CAFARELLI

This is a SYRACUSE NOISE production, in association with THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO WITH DANA & CARL

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.