What's On My iPod? [Part 4]

Concluding an A-Z list of the artists currently on my iPod. We've covered A-E, F-K, and L-R. The finish line awaits, so let's pick it up from there.



Sahara Hotnights
Sails
The Saints
Sal Valentino
Sam & Dave
Sam & the Twisters
Sam Cooke
Sam Phillips/Leslie Phillips
Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs
Samantha's Favourite
Sammy Ambrose
Sandie Shaw
Sandy Nelson
The Satisfactions
Scandal
Scott Kempner
Scott McCarl
Scout
Screams
Screen Test
The Scruffs
Scruffy the Cat
The Searchers
The Secret Service
The Seeds
The Seekers
Seth Timbs
Segarini
The Selecter
Sex Clark Five
The Sex Pistols
The Shadows
The Shadows Of Knight
The Shambles
The Shamus Twins
Shane Faubert
The Shangri-Las
Shaun Cassidy
The Shazam
The Shimmys
The Shirelles
The Shocking Blue
Shoes
Shonen Knife
The Shoutless
Shy Nobleman
Sibling Rivalry
The Sidewinders
The Sighs
The Silkie
Simon & Garfunkel
Simple Minds
Simply Saucer
Single Bullet Theory
The Singles
Siouxsie & the Banshees
The Sir Douglas Quintet
The Skeltons
Slade
The Slapbacks
Sloan
Slow Children
Sly & the Family Stone
The Small Faces
The Smithereens
Sniff 'n' the Tears
The Soft Boys
Soft Cell
Solomon Burke
The Someloves
Sonny & Cher
Sonny Bono
Sorrows
The Soul Clan
The Soul Movers
Spandau Ballet
Sparks
The Spectacular Fantastic
Spinal Tap
The Spinners
Split Enz
Splitsville
The Spongetones
The Sports
Squeeze
Squire
The Stallions
The Standells
Stanley Frank
Star Collector
The Star Spangles
Starclub
Starjets
Starry Eyed & Laughing
Starz
Status Quo
Steely Dan
The Stems
Stepford Knives
Stephen Duffy
The Steve Deaton Three
Steve Martin [not the funny one]
Steve Stoeckel & his This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio All-Stars
Stevie Wonder
Stiff Little Fingers
Stimulator
Stiv Bators
The Stone Poneys
Strange Fruit
The Strangeloves
The Stranglers
Styx
Sugar
Suicide Commandos
The Summer Suns
The Sun Sawed In 1/2
The Sunnyboys
The Sunrays
The Sunshine Ponies
The Supremes
Supremium
Surfin' Lungs
Susan Lynne
Suzanne Vega
Suzi Quatro
Swag
Sweet
The Swing Set
The Swinging Blue Jeans
Syd Straw
Sylvain Sylvain
T-Bone Burnett
The T-Bones
Talk Talk
Talking Heads
Tammy and the Lords Of Misrule
Tavares
The Tearaways
The Teardrop Explodes
Tears For Fears
Teen Machine
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Head
Tegan & Sara
Television
Temples
The Temptations
The Sgt, Major III
Them
They Might Be Giants
The Things
Third Of Never
The Thoughts
The Three O'Clock
Tim Anthony
Tim Moore
Tinted Windows
Todd Rundgren
Tom Jones
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
Tommy Hoehn
Tommy Roe
Toni Basil
The Tony Jackson Group
Tony Sheridan & the Beat Brothers
Too Much Joy
Toots & the Maytals
The Tories
The Tornados
The Toys [girl group]
The Toys [boy group]
Tracey Ullman
Traffic
The Traits
The Trammps
Translator
Transvision Vamp
Travoltas
The Tremblers
The Temeloes
The Trend
Trio
Trip Wire
The Troggs
True Love
TSOL
The Tuesdays
Tuff Darts
The Turtles
Twiggy
Twinkle
Twisted Sister
U2
UB40
The Ugly Ducklings
Ultravox
Uncle Green
The Undertones
Unit 4 + 2
The Unsound
Urge Overkill
Utopia
Van Duren
Van Go
Vance Or Towers
The Vandalias
The Vapors
Vegas With Randolph
The Velvelettes
The Velvet Underground
The Ventures
The Verbs
The Vertebrats
The Verve
Vibeke
The Vicksburgs
The Villas
The Vipers
The Vogues
The Voice Of The Beehive
Volebeats
The Walker Brothers
The Walnut Dash
Wanda Jackson
The Wanderers
The Wannadies
War
The Warlocks
Warren Zevon
Was (Not Was)
Waylon Jennings
Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders
We Five
Webb Wilder
Wednesday Week
The Well Wishers
Wendy O. Williams
Wham!
Whiz Kid
The Who
Wilkerson
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton
Willie Nile
Wilmer & the Dukes
Wilson Pickett
The Wishniaks
The Woggles
The Wombats
Wonderboy
Wondermints
The Wonders
Wreckless Eric
Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby
X
XTC
The Yardbirds
Yes
The Young Rascals
The Youngbloods
Zoli & the Flying Machine
The Zombies
The Zones
1.4.5.
The 13th Floor Elevators
20/20
21st Century Pandoras
The 101'ers
999
The 1910 Fruitgum Company


And that's it! Throw in some scattered TV theme songs and the audio from an early '80s TV commercial for Shasta soda--I always thought someone shoulda released that "I Wanna Pop!" jingle as a single--and you have my cruisin' music. There will be a full-fledged future post about the importance of listening to music in the car, but consider this four-part tour through my iPod inventory as the overture. Volume up. Window down. Lights on. Seat buckled. Let's get where we ain't.

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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.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 947

We try to be an oasis of giddy. We try, and we keep trying, even though this world doesn't make any sense at all. I find myself getting more pessimistic, more cynical, more resigned to the increasing likelihood that things will never get better. Someday I will believe again. Not today. But someday. I will believe in miracles again someday. This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on a Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse on The Spark WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/

Spark Syracuse is supported by listeners like you. Tax-deductible donations are welcome at http://sparksyracuse.org/support/

You can follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at 
https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/

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 & Christia-n 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 at https://tinyurl.com/ycnly8oz Digital download version (minus The Smithereens' track) now available at https://tinyurl.com/ycauy9xt

TIRnRR # 947: 10/28/18

THE RAMONES: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (Rhino, End Of The Century)
--
THE RAMONES: I Believe In Miracles (Rhino, Loud, Fast Ramones)
TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS: Mirage (Rhino, Anthology)
WILKERSON: Let It Go Tonight (SpyderPop, single)
BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD: Bluebird (Atco, Retrospective)
JAMES & BOBBY PURIFY: Let Love Come Between Us (Varese Sarabande, VA: Soulful Pop)
THE JOHNNY POPSTAR LUV EXPLOSION: Charlie Manson Eyes (n/a, Lizzy The Supermarket Drag Queen)
--
BARON DAEMON & THE VAMPIRES: The Transylvania Twist (WSEN, VA: The Syracuse History Of Rock-N-Roll)
HARMONIC DIRT: Maybe (n/a, Anthracite)
SQUEEZE: Goodbye Girl (A & M, The Squeeze Story)
RINGO STARR: Photograph (Capitol, Blast From Your Past)
THE KINKS: Days (Sanctuary, The Ultimate Collection)
THE BEATLES: All You Need Is Love (Apple, 1)
--
PoP: New Again (p-o-p.bandcamp.com, 3)
THE FACES: Borstal Boys (Warner Brothers, Ooh La La)
PRINCE: I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (Warner Brothers, The Hits/The B-Sides)
THE FACES: Cindy Incidentally (Warner Brothers, Ooh La La)
P. HUX: This Is The One (Nine 18, This Is The One)
THE FACES: My Fault (Warner Brothers, Ooh La La)
--
THE MONKEES: Porpoise Song (Theme From Head) (Rhino, 50)
MARY LOU LORD: Lights Are Changing (Work, Got No Shadow)
THE TURNBACK: Untitled So Far (Kool Kat Musik, Spinning The Earth In Reverse)
MARY LOU LORD: Aim Low (Kill Rock Stars, Mary Lou Loud/Sean Na Na)
SLY & THE FAMILY STONE: Hot Fun In The Summertime (Epic, Greatest Hits)
MARY LOU LORD: Stars Burn Out (Rubric, Baby Blue)
--
HOT NUN: Livin' A Dirty Mind (n/a, Born To Blaze)
MARY LOU LORD: Driven Away (Rubric, Speeding Motorcycle)
PIPER: Drop By And Stay (American Beat, Piper/Can't Wait)
ANNABELLE LORD-PATEY: Worry (n/a, Polaris)
HUMAN SWITCHBOARD: (Say No To) Saturday's Girl (Bar/None, Who's Landing In My Hangar?)
THE BEVIS FROND: Lights Are Changing (Rhino, VA: Children Of Nuggets)
--
DAVID GRAHAME: A Lotta Hair For A Guy My Age (Wizzard In Vinyl, Supergenius)
CAST OF THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW: The Time Warp (Ode, The Rocky Horror Picture Show OST)
THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM: 2 + 2 = ? (Capitol, single)
BARNES & BARNES: Fish Heads (Rhino, VA: The Very Best Of Dr. Demento)
KISS: Calling Dr. Love (Mercury, The Very Best Of KISS)
NAPOLEAN XIV: They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! (Rhino, VA: The Very Best Of Dr. Demento)
--
THE RASPBERRIES: Go All The Way (RPM, Power Pop Volume One)
THE WHO: I Can't Explain (MCA, Who's Better, Who's Best)
THE FLASHCUBES: No Promise (Northside, Bright Lights)
GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOUR: Discovering Japan (Spectrum, The Very Best Of Graham Parker & the Rumour)
P. P. ARNOLD: The First Cut Is The Deepest (Sequel, The First Cut)
BIG STAR: September Gurls (Ardent, # 1 Record/Radio City)
--
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: First Plane Home (Rhino, At Full Speed)
THE BEVIS FROND: Now You Know (Rubric, Bevis Through The Looking Glass)
DEAN LANDEW: After Work (deanlandew.bandcamp.com)
THE BEVIS FROND: He'd Be A Diamond (Rubic, New River Head)
THE O'JAYS: Love Train (Epic, Love Train)
THE BEVIS FROND: Stars Burn Out (Flydaddy, North Circular)
BUCK OWENS & HIS BUCKAROOS: Buckaroo (Rhino, 21 # 1 Hits)

Tonight On THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

Magic! Mirth! Monkees! Other things that maybe don't start with the letter M! And (inevitably) MORE! We got a radio show. We do not shy away from the opportunity to use it. Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at Spark WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/

The Flamin' Groovies: The Power Pop Hall Of Fame

The Power Pop Hall Of Fame has begun to announce its new inductees for 2018. Aaron Kupferberg asked me to write the entry for another one of these newly-enshrined honorees, and I was delighted to supply this piece.



"1975 will be the year of The Flamin' Groovies!"--Greg Shaw, Who Put The Bomp magazine

"It wasn't, but it shoulda been."--Groovies fans ever since then

It could be argued that no rock 'n' roll act was ever so good and simultaneously so ignored as San Francisco's legendary Flamin' Groovies. Throughout their long history and many personnel changes, the group was consistently out of step with the times. While contemporaries were properly freaking out and endlessly jamming in a tedious soundtrack to an emerging counterculture, the Groovies drew on unfashionable rock 'n' roll roots, alternately purveying good-time jug band music á la The Lovin' Spoonful and rockin' the motherlovin' house down with a ferocity to rival The Rolling Stones and The Stooges. By the time reduced-frills rock started making a comeback in the '70s, a new incarnation of The Flamin' Groovies was dressed up in Mod clothing and playing polished power pop as if it were 1965 and the band was some mythic combination of The Beatles, Byrds, Beach Boys, and Rolling Stones heading into the studio for a session with Phil Spector. And by the time "jangly pop" became a buzz phrase, The Flamin' Groovies were so far underground that no amount of excavating could bring them to the surface, let alone to the pop stardom that should have been their divine right.

As it is, The Flamin' Groovies produced some unforgettable work, including three oft-covered classics: "Slow Death," "Teenage Head," and the incomparable, booming "Shake Some Action," which sounded like the eleventh-hour announcement of pop-rock Armageddon. Groovies fans are generally divided into two camps: those who favor the manic-rockin' original Groovies fronted by Roy Loney, and those who prefer the pop perfection of the Sire years (1976-79) with Chris Wilson. In both incarnations, guitarist Cyril Jordan and bassist George Alexander kept the flame burning brightly.

It's the Sire era that puts The Flamin' Groovies into The Power Pop Hall Of Fame. That's not a knock against the earlier stuff, much of which is just fantastic, but an acknowledgement that we wouldn't be talking about the Groovies as a power pop act if judged solely on the basis of "Teenage Head" and "Second Cousin;" as irresistible as those tracks are, they're closer to the cantankerous grandeur of, say, The Pretty Things than to anything one would call power pop. The Flamin' Groovies' three albums for Sire--Shake Some Action, Now, and Jumpin' In The Night--radiate a catchy cool, combining the bop and swagger of a solid rock 'n' roll foundation with a swoon-worthy dedication to the giddy, visceral thrill of pure pop pursuits. Shake Some Action is one of the defining albums of the genre, loaded with exquisite tracks--"I Can't Hide," "You Tore Me Down," "Yes It's True," "I'll Cry Alone," and the nonpareil title tune--that shimmer with conviction and glory. Now and Jumpin' In The Night have been less celebrated by pundits, but nonetheless gave the undeserving world such pop gems as "Good Laugh Mun," "All I Wanted," "Yes I Am," "Tell Me Again," and the magnificent "First Plane Home."

A different line-up of the Groovies (still including Jordan and Alexander) emerged in the late '80s, releasing the Rock Juice album in 1992 before returning to the shadows. Eventually, Cyril Jordan and George Alexander reunited with Roy Loney for live gigs as The Flamin' Groovies. Chris Wilson even joined in for an encore at one show, an event that had once seemed, y'know, really unlikely. Credit to all parties for transcending the accumulated baggage of the past.

Both Jordan and Wilson remain in the current edition of The Flamin' Groovies, and they released an album called Fantastic Plastic in 2017, 24 years after Rock Juice, 38 years after Jumpin' In The Night. George Alexander plays on some of the album, but Chris von Sneidern has occupied the bass spot for recent live shows. Is this finally The Year Of The Flamin' Groovies? No, it is not. And that's okay. To fans, every year is another year of the Groovies. Let us bust out at full speed, 'cause love is all we need to make it all right.

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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.

A Definite Article

The other day, International Pop Overthrow impresario David Bash posted on Facebook: "Give me a band whose name did not contain a 'The,' but who were generally tagged with one anyway." David's first example was (The) Raspberries, and I'll eagerly cop to being one of the seemingly clueless dullards who routinely commit that sin.

Why? Because The Raspberries sounds better to me than just plain Raspberries when we're talkin' about a pop band.

I know I'm wrong. The band took its name not from tarty fruits but from the familiar Aw, raspberries! exclamation heard in old Our Gang short films. Fine. And it's fair to say that the band knows its own name. But c'mon, this group took inspiration from The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Small Faces, and The Who. Notice a common denominator among those names? Yeah, a definite article. The. The Kinks. The Miracles. The Rolling Stones. Paul Revere & the Raiders. The Sex Pistols. The O'Jays. Even The Creation, though I'll accept argument on that last one. To my ears, each of these names seems diminished without a definite article attached. I feel the same way about Raspberries, even though it's incorrect to call 'em "The Raspberries." If loving The is wrong, I don't want to be right.

There have been a number of acts where I've come to accept the fact that The shouldn't be part of the name. The biggest deal of these is Shoes, and I've embraced that band's lack of The for decades now. Talking Heads, too. I've recently made efforts to change my ongoing lexicon for Lyres and Sweet, recognizing that these acts have but one word in their name, not two. I don't care about the razzafrazzin' Eagles. In contrast, there were also bands who started out with a The--The Cream, The Pink Floyd, The Rick Astley--but wisely dropped the definite article early on. I may be kidding about one of those examples. I've been reluctant to relinquish my fondness of the name The Raspberries, but I may get there eventually.

But you know what band whose definite article I refuse to surrender? The Ramones. The Ramones. THE Ramones!



In replies to David Bash's original Facebook post on this subject, Ramones producer Ed Stasium was one of several who mentioned Ramones as an act whose name shouldn't oughtta begin with The.  Ed Stasium knows Ramones way better than I know Ramones. It would be stupid for me to throw my uninformed fanboy viewpoint against the first-hand knowledge of someone who was there, and experienced these things as irrefutable fact. Even if I tried it, he would still be right. I would remain not right.

But...

Well, here's the thing. In live shows, Joey Ramone used to begin every concert by shouting out something like HEY! We're The Ramones, and this one's called "Rockaway Beach!, prompting the prerequisite 1-2-3-4! response from Dee Dee Ramone. The defense rests! Sort of. Ed gave a good-natured cyber-chuckle in reply, and added that Joey used the "the" as a preposition, but that all of the actual LPs and 45s were billed as "Ramones," although he'd certainly seen concert posters advertising "The Ramones." Logic and sense agree that if the band and its inner circle thought it should be just "Ramones," then it should be just "Ramones." My stubborn heart insists it's The Ramones. 1-2-3-4!



It matters, except to the extent that it doesn't. Maybe it's irrelevant whether we call a great group Great Group or The Great Group, as long as we love 'em, as long as we play 'em, and as long as we don't call 'em late for dinner.

Or The Late For Dinner. It could be a formal dinner. We don't really know, do we?

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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.

What's On My iPod? [Part 3]

Continuing an A-Z list of the artists currently on my iPod. We've covered A-E and F-K. Let's pick it up from there. Since posting those previous lists, I've added Chris Paine & the Lettertrain, Derrick Anderson, Fingerprintz, and The Hi-Risers to these Rolls O' Honor. Hmmm. Wonder if there's an artist I like whose name begins with the letter M. Or maybe the letter R....







Yeah, I can't think of any either. Well, on with the show!



The La's
The Lackloves
The Ladybugs
LagansLove
The Lambrettas
Lancelot Link & the Evolution Revolution
Lannie Flowers
Larry Collins
The Last
The Laughing Dogs
The Launderettes
Laurie Biagini
The Leaves
Led Zeppelin
The Left Banke
The Leftovers
The Legal Matters
The Lemon Pipers
Len Barry
Lene Lovich
The Leonards
Lesley Gore
Let's Active
The Like
Linda Ronstadt
Link Wray & his Wraymen
Liquor Giants
Lisa Mychols
Little Anthony & the Imperials
Little Richard
Liverpool Echo
The Liverpools
Liz Phair
LL Cool J
Lo & the Magnetics
The Lolas
The Lollipop Shoppe
The Long Ryders
The Lords Of The New Church
Los Bravos
Los Lobos
Lou Ann Barton
Lou Rawls
Loudon Wainwright III
Louis Prima
Love
Love Nut
Love Sculptire
The Loveless
The Lovin' Spoonful
Lt. Garcia's Magic Music Box
Lucinda Williams
Lugless Booth
Lulu
Lyme & Cybelle
Lyres
The M 'n' M's
Machine + Hummer
MAD Magazine/Alfred E. Neuman
Mad Monster Party
The Madisons
Magic Christian
The Magnetic Fields
Magpie
The Major Labels
Makin' Time
Mally Page
Mandy Moore
Manfred Mann
The Manhattans
Mannix
Maple Mars
Marc Bolan & T. Rex
The March Violets
Marcus Hook Roll Band
The Marlowes
Marmalade Souls
Marshall Crenshaw
The Marshalls
The Marshmellows
Martha & the Muffins
Martha Reeves & the Vandellas
Marti Jones
Martina McBride
Marty Rudnick
The Marvelettes
The Marvelows
Marvin Gaye
Mary Lou Lord
Mary-Chapin Carpenter
Marykate O'Neil
The Master Plan
The Masticators
Material Issue
Maura
Maura & the Bright Lights
The Mavericks
Maxi Dunn
The Mayflowers
The MC5
The McCoys
Meghan Jean Cafarelli
The Members
Men At Work
Men Without Hats
Merle Haggard
The Merry Go Round
The Merseys
MFSB
The Miamis
Michael Carpenter
Michael Lynch
Michael Nesmith/Michael Nesmith & the First National Band
Michael Oliver/Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band/Michael Oliver & Go, Dog, Go!
Micky Dolenz
Micky Dolenz & Davy Jones
Midnight Oil
The Midways
Milk 'n' Cookies
Mimi Betinis
Mink Deville
The Miracles/Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Miranda Lambert
Miriam
Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels
The Moberlys
Moby Grape
The Mockers
The Mod Frames
Mod Hippie
The Model Rockets
The Mo-dettes
The Mojo Men
The Mojos
The Monkees
The Monroes
The Moody Blues
The Mooney Suzuki
The Moptops
The Morells
Morningwood
The Mosquitos
The Most
The Mothers Of Invention
The Motions
Motorhead
The Motors
Mott the Hoople
Mouse
The Move
The Moving Sidewalks
Mr. Encrypto/Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers
The Muffs
The Mynah Birds
Myracle Brah
The Mystic Eyes[doo wop group]
The Mystics [not the doo wop group]
Nada Surf
Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
The Nashville Ramblers
The Natives
Nazareth
The Nazz
Neil Diamond
Neil Sedaka
Nelson Bragg
Nelson Riddle
The Nerves
Nervus Rex
The New Colony Six
The New Duncan Imperials
New Math
The New Monkees
The New Pornographers
The New York Dolls
The Newbeats
The Next Five
Nick Heyward
Nick Lowe
Nikki & the Corvettes/Nikki Corvette
Nixon's Head
The Nomads
Norman's Normans
The Now
NRBQ
The Numbers
The Nutley Brass
The O'Jays
Oasis
Off Broadway USA
The Ohio Express
The Ohio Players
The Ohms
Olivia Newton-John
The Olympics
One Like Son
The Only Ones
The Oohs
Orange
Orange Humble Band
Orchestral Manouevres In The Dark
The Orion Experience
Otis & the All Night Workers
Otis Redding
OutKast
The Outlets
Outrageous Cherry
The Outskirts
The Oxfords
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils
P. Hux/Parthenon Huxley
P. P. Arnold
P76
Pacific Soul Ltd.
Pagliaro
The Paley Brothers
The Pandoras
Paranoid Lovesick
The Parties
The Partridge Family
Patti Rothberg
Patti Smith/Patti Smith Group
Paul Collins
Paul Kelly & the Messengers
Paul McCartney/Paul McCartney & Wings
Paul Revere & the Raiders/The Raiders
Paul Simon
Pearl Harbor & the Explosions
Penelope Houston
Penetration
The Penetrators
The Pengwins
Percy Faith & his Orchestra
The Pernice Brothers
Pernilla Anderson
The Pete Best Combo
Pete Yorn/Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
Peter & Gordon
Peter Schilling
Peter Tork
Peter, Paul & Mary
Petula Clark
Pezband
The Phenomenal Cats
Phil Angotti/Phil Angotti & the Idea
Phil Keaggy
Phil Ochs
Phil Seymour
Pink Floyd
Piper
The Piper Downs
The Pipettes
Plastic Bertrand
The Pleasers
The Plimsouls
The Pointed Sticks
The Police
PoP
Pop Co-Op
Pop Is Art
The Pop Tarts
The Pop!
Popdudes
Popland
The Poppees
Porcelain Forehead
The Porcupines
The Portugal Japan
The Posies
The Powerpuff Girls
The Pretenders
The Pretty Things
The Primitives
Prince/Prince & the Revolution
Prism
Promises
Pseudonym
The Psychedelic Furs
Public Image Ltd.
Puffy AmiYumi
PurrBox
The Pursuit Of Happiness
Pylon
The Pyramids
Queen
The Quick
Quincy
R. Dean Taylor
R.E.M.
Rachael Gordon
Rachel Sweet
Radio Birdman
The Ramones/The Ramones & The Paley Brothers
Randell Kirsch
The Rapiers
Raquel's Boys
The Rare Breed
The Raspberries
The Rattlers
The Raves
Ray Charles
Ray Paul
The Real Kids
The Records
Redd Kross
The Reducers
The Release Party
The Remains
The Rembrandts
Remy Zero
The Replacements
The Resonars
The Restless
The Revillos
The Rezillos
Rich Kids
Richard X. Heyman
The Richards
Ricky Nelson
The Righteous Brothers
The Ringles
The Ringling Sisters
Ringo Starr
Ritchie Valens
Robert Crenshaw
Robert Gordon
Robin Lane & the Chartbusters
The Rockats
Rockerfellers
Rockpile
Rocky Horror Picture Show original cast
Roger McGuinn
Roger Miller
Rollercoaster
The Rolling Stones
The Romantics
The Ronettes
Ronnie Dark
Ronnie Spector & the E Street Band
The Rooks
Rosanne Cash
Roxy Music
Roy Head
Roy Orbison
The Royal Court Of China
The Royal Guardsmen
The Rubettes
The Rubinoos
Rufus
The Rulers
Run DMC
The Runaways
Rush
The Rutles



That takes care of L-R. We'll pick it up with S next time. 'Sfunny how, for example, an artist I have filed under Q in my LPs and CDs defaults to a listing under S in my digital tracks.

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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.

100-Page FAKES! presents: WANTED: THE SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER VILLAINS # 1

100-Page FAKES! imagines mid-1970s DC 100-Page Super Spectaculars that never were...but should have been!



The Secret Society Of Super Villains ran for fifteen issues, commencing with a debut cover-dated May-June 1976. The title's real-world life began well after the original 100-Page Super Spectaculars had slipped off to that great used bookstore in the sky, but we're going to manipulate the Silly Putty of mere time and space to create a 100-Page FAKE! version of SSoSV nonetheless.

And we're going to accomplish it by combining The Secret Society Of Super Villains with the defunct Wanted, The World's Most Dangerous Villains, an all-reprint concept that DC Comics mined for nine issues of its own title (following two preceding issues of DC Special). This makes a sort of sense in our fanciful Boppinverse: a series of new stories centered around a group of super villains, the lead story backed by a collection of archival treasures spotlighting superheroes versus super villains. 

For kicks, I decided to use the original rejected Secret Society Of Super Villains story rather than the one actually used in SSoSV # 1. According to Wikipedia, when DC publisher Carmine Infantino reviewed this completed story with writer/creator Gerry Conway, Infantino wanted changes--specifically, a secret headquarters for the assembled nogoodniks--that necessitated a do-over. This first version was subsequently published in black and white in DC's fan magazine The Amazing World Of DC Comics in '76; it's perhaps ironic that this issue of Amazing World Of DC Comics containing the SSoSV story Infantino rejected also carried the news that Infantino was no longer with the company. A coincidence, but a coincidence worth noting.

To fill in the reprint selections, we've scavenged the vault for more villainy. I first encountered Batman's foe Poison Ivy in the pages of an 80-Page Giant devoted to the women in Batman's life, and I scored a copy of her 1966 debut appearance in a comics swap shortly thereafter. As a kid, I thought Poison Ivy and her femme fatale antagonists in that first story were enticingly sexy--I was ten or eleven when I read them--and this 100-Page FAKE! gives us an opportunity to reprise that story and its immediate follow-up. From 1947, we find the original Captain Marvel grappling with a bad guy carrying the now-familiar name of Spider Man. No, not the famous one; note the absence of a hyphen in the name, plus the apparent disregard for the concept of great power demanding great responsibility. See, that's why he was a bad guy. Spider Man, Spider Man, robs however a spider can....

We conclude this 100-Page FAKE! with a 1969 DC Comics story which DC would not have really had the rights to reprint in 1976: the origin of Dr. Evil, arch enemy of the Ideal Toys character Captain Action, which DC had licensed for five splendid issues of his own title. These were really good comics, with top-notch work from Jim Shooter, Wally Wood, and Gil Kane, and Kane especially going off as both writer and artist for the last three issues. Spectacular stuff, and it's a shame that rights issues will likely prevent it from ever being reprinted. Let justice be done! Pretty please? Man, I never get my way. Here's what we have for this sinister 100-Page FAKE!:

The Secret Society Of Super Villains in "Beware The Brotherhood Of Crime" (originally unpublished, first seen in The Amazing World Of DC Comics # 11 [March-April 1976])
Batman and Robin vs Poison Ivy in "Beware Of...Poison Ivy!," Batman # 181 (June 1966)
Batman and Robin vs Poison Ivy in "A Touch Of Poison Ivy!," Batman # 183 (August 1966)
Captain Marvel vs Spider Man in "Captain Marvel And The Web Of Crime," Whiz Comics # 89 (September 1947)
Captain Action and Action Boy vs Dr. Evil in "...And Evil This Way Comes!," Captain Action # 3 (February-March 1969)

Captain Action, Action Boy, and Dr. Evil are copyright Captain Action Enterprises. All other characters are copyright DC Comics Inc., and all of these properties can only be depicted here in representative sample pages. I share the whole thing with my subscribers. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Wait--wrong character! We'll get back to The Shadow before long. For now, though, let's hear it for the bad guys. Ooo, and the bad girls, too!

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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.


























COVER GALLERY