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 # 1147.
THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING THE PALEY BROTHERS: Come Out And Play
Aw, MAN! Given my ongoing status as the Flashcubes' most insistent fan, it's no surprise how much I adore this series of new digital Flashcubes singles from our friends at Big Stir Records. Each one has been nothing short of fantastic, and it's been a righteous kick to hear the 'Cubes join forces with the Spongetones, Shoes, Mimi Betinis, David Paton, Steve Conte, and now, the Paley Brothers. Add in the lads' solo cover of the Dwight Twilley Band's "Alone In My Room" (and the vintage 1979 live take on their own "Christi Girl"), and you've got the building blocks for a modern power pop classic that salutes classic power pop.
"Come Out And Play" may be the best one yet, and that's sayin' a fab bit. CUBICMANIA! As a li'l bonus point, Come Out And Play was also the title of an early '90s Rhino Records power pop compilation that included both the Paley Brothers' original "Come Out And Play" AND the Flashcubes' original "Christi Girl," presenting the Flashcubes' first-ever appearance on CD. It wasn't the last. And here's hopin' all of the 'Cubes' Big Stir singles get collected on their own CD eventually. Come out and PLAY!
THE CLICK BEETLES: With Tears
It's OUT! The Click Beetles' new album Emerald Green is available right this very minute, and you should oughtta get yourself a copy. We've been playing its leadoff track "Modern Girl," and we figured it was time to spread the TIRnRR love to another ace Emerald Green gem. Hey, howzabout a spin of "With Tears?" Yeah...SCORE!! That's how ya build a rockin' pop radio playlist. And we'll hear another track from Emerald Green on next week's show.
ELTON JOHN: Saturday Night's Alright (For Fightin')
LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: Ghost Singer
Whaddaya get when you combine Shirley Jones' character Marian from The Music Man with Bela Lugosi's title character in Dracula? LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS! Ha! HA! I slay me....
In less goofy terms, it's time for the rockin' pop world to celebrate the forthcoming release of Handclaps & Tambourines, the second album from Akron's phenomenal pop combo Librarians With Hickeys. "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" was already a TIRnRR Pick Hit as a single, and new single "Ghost Singer" continues the group's parade of eager, neck-barin' winners. It's the Dewey Decimal System with teeth. And guitars!
THE DONNAS: Take Me To The Back Seat
Ah, the back seat: a hickey's happiest place on Earth! The Donnas tell the tale of the back seat as well as anyone could. This could have been a perfect track for the Pandoras. It's already perfect in the hands of the Donnas.
KID GULLIVER: Forget About Him
From This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5!
PERILOUS: Rock & Roll Kiss
From This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5!
THE RAMONES: Blitzkrieg Bop
ALSO The Greatest Record Ever Made!
THE MYNAH BIRDS: It's My Time
Even though I know it's just a minor footnote in the sprawling history of the rock and the roll, I remain knocked out by the fact that a then-unknown Rick James was in a '60s group with the likewise then-unknown Neil Young. The Mynah Birds were on the verge of releasing their first Motown single in 1966 when James was arrested as a deserter from the Navy, and the group's story effectively ended there.
Maybe the Mynah Birds wouldn't have eclipsed the real-world accomplishments of Rick James as a solo artist, nor Young's subsequent acclaim with Buffalo Springfield, alongside your Crosby, your Stills, and your Nash, and as a curmudgeonly individual cuss. But they coulda been something. The few Mynah Birds tracks that Motown has allowed to slip outta the vault have been fascinating. If there's still more we ain't heard yet, well...I wanna hear it! It's OUR time!
HOOVER AND MARTINEZ: What The Heart Wants
Like the Kid Gulliver and Perilous tracks heard earlier in the show, Hoover and Martinez's "What The Heart Wants" is included on our brand-new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5. The CD is due out on October 6th, and available to order RIGHT NOW! I see no reason for subtlety or restraint in this matter: GO BUY OUR CD! Now. The Joy Of Radio doesn't pay for itself, man.
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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
