Show #28 March 13, 2010

 

She's some kind of angel, you know what I mean... Evangeline! 

  

Evangeline- Matthew Sweet Girlfriend 

Woman's World- The Jags Woman's World 7"

 Gotta Tell Me Why- The Slickee Boys Gotta Tell Me Why 7"

 Without You- Rudi Big Time 

She Say Yea- The Scruffs Wanna Meet The Scruffs 

Knew You- Neats 1981-84 The Ace of Hearts Years 

I Can See It Now- The Wigs File Under: Pop Vocal 

Tourist Information- Tours Tourist Information 7" 

^Dreaming- Blondie The Complete Picture 

Southern Streets- The Nice Boys The Nice Boys 

Lost Angels- The Sweet The Collection 

I Need Somebody To Love- The V.I.P.'S I Need Somebody To Love/Beat Crazy EP 

Places That Are Gone- Tommy Keene Songs From The Film

Page 3- The Lambrettas Beat Boys In The Jet Age 

*Talking Loud- Suspects It's Up To You 45 

*Beach State Rocking- Alternate Learning Painted Windows 

*Macy's Window- Thin White Rope Exploring The Axis 

*Two For One- Meantime Two For One 45 

Gold Into Straw- Brendan Benson The Alternative To Love 

You- X See How We Are 

Life Is A Song- The Rousers A Treat Of New Beat 

Run Away- Critical Mass It's What's Inside That Counts 

If It Were Up To Me- Rooney Rooney 

Confidential- Modernettes Teen City E.P. 12"

 >Gotta Keep Movin'- MC5 High Time 

Everybody Loves A Loser- Battered Wives Battered Wives 

Eloquent Spokesman- The Spongetones Beat & Torn 

Hungry For Love- The Revillos Rev Up 

Perfect Life- Boy's Life Boy's Life vs. The Outlets EP 

Hit the Floor- Earthquake DIY Come Out And Play: American Power Pop I (1975-78) 

Hormones In Action- The Neat Hormones In Action 7" 

So Long Baby Goodbye- Blasters The Blasters 

 

^Power Pop Peak: #27 Billboard Hot 100 9/29/79 

 

*SacroSet: Davis, California 80's Music Scene 

 

>Power Pop Prototype: 1971 

 

When I first got into rock & roll growing up on Massachusetts' south shore in the early 70's it seemed like there were a limited number of bands, most from exotic places like London, New York and Los Angeles. Aerosmith were from Boston (and now a couple of the guys in the group have homes in Duxbury, where my Mom lives), but even they seemed a million miles away. 

 

When punk rock broke, it also seemed geographically remote
but then a very cool thing started happening. My Cousin Rich and I started hearing about bands playing in the Boston clubs that were as good as, if not better than, a lot of the London and New York bands whose records we were buying. Thanks to college radio stations like MIT's WMBR and WERS at Emerson College (where I would eventually go to school) we heard seven inch singles and unreleased radio tapes by Boston bands like La Peste, Pastiche, Lou Miami & The Kozmetix, The Neighborhoods, Classic Ruins and more. 

 

The new Boston Rock magazine gave the local bands as much coverage as those from other places and a fanzine called The Noise (which is still going today) was dedicated exclusively to Boston rock & roll. It seemed like every "record run" into Boston and Cambridge, Rich and I would find a new release by a local band, sometimes sold to us by a member of the group. I once bought a Human Sexual Response album from Rich Gilbert, the band's guitarist, at a store called Looney Tunes. I tried to act cool at the time, but my mind was blown. Aimee Mann (Young Snakes, 'Til Tuesday) and WMBR DJ Tami Heidi (who would go on to work at WBCN and legendary LA station KROQ) worked at Newbury Comics, while Barrence Whitfield was over at Planet Records, so you never knew who'd be behind the record store check out counter. (Even two years ago, Mission of Burma drummer Peter Prescott sold me some records at Looney Tunes in Cambridge, which I still found VERY cool.) 

 

When the "all-ages show" was born we actually got to see groups like Del Fuegos, The Atlantics and The Real Kids (whose opus "All Kindsa Girls" is this radio show's namesake) play live in the clubs. It was amazing to buy a group's record one day and see them play live the next- up close too, not from row NN in the balcony. 

 

It wasn't until a few years later that I realized this was not a rare phenomenon. Between 1978 and 1982, there were local music scenes sprouting up across the country. Bands inspired by punk rock's do-it-yourself aesthetic were putting out records and packing the clubs. Compilation albums released at the time and subsequently, documented scenes in place like: 

 

Akron, OH (The Akron Compilation) 

Atlanta, GA (Standardeviation) 

Buffalo, NY (This Is It! Greater Buffalo's Greatest 1977-1984) 

Milwaukee, WI (History In 3 Chords) 

Minneapolis, MN (Big Hits of Mid-America Vol. III) 

 

 

New Haven, CT (It Happened But Nobody Noticed) 

New Orleans, LA (N.O. Experience Necessary) 

Portland, OR (Trap Sampler) 

Seattle, WA (Seattle Syndrome Vol. 1) 

St. Louis, MO (Test Patterns) 

 

 

Washington, DC (Connected) 

Toronto, ON (And Now Live From Toronto...The Last Pogo) 

Vancouver, BC (Vancouver Complication) 

 

How cool is that? 100's of bands playing for thousands of people in sweaty, packed clubs all over the country...all over the world. If we'd had the Internet back then, some of the bands might have been able to actually make some money for their efforts. 

 

The Suspects

Davis, California is a small city between Sacramento and the Bay Area that is home to the University of California Davis, a school probably best known for its agriculture program. Like the cities above, Davis had a thriving music scene in the late 70's/early 80's. College station KDVS and campus paper the California Aggie attracted student Steve Wynn who, after seeing the Sex Pistols infamous Winterland 1978 show in San Francisco formed a band called The Suspects. After moving to LA, Wynn and Kendra Smith of The Suspects went on to form the legendary PaisleyUnderground group The Dream Syndicate. Fellow Suspects member Russ Tolman joined Meantime, also in tonight's SacroSet, before forming True West with Gavin Blair, another Suspects alumni. True West were another big group of the 80's college rock era and their first 12" was co-produced by Steve Wynn. I have to say I never really got Thin White Rope's appeal, but they were one of the most successful Davis groups. More to my liking is Alternate Learning, Scott Miller's first band before he went on to Game Theory and The Loud Family. Alternate Learning, or ALRN, also included Joe Becker who was a member of Thin White Rope. 

 

ALRN

Steve Wynn, Scott Miller and Russ Tollman are all still making music today. Davis, California in the late 70's/early 80's never got its own record compilation, but I'd be hardpressed to name another city it's size that had as much long term musical impact. Here are the links to download this week's show (Right click and "Save Link As"): 

ALL KINDSA GIRLS #28

Show #27 February 27, 2010

For Lucinda....and for Doug

Lucinda- The Knack Get the Knack
Jumpin' In The Night- The Flamin' Groovies Groovies Greatest Grooves
Ready and Waiting- The Grip Weeds Infinite Soul: Best of the Grip Weeds
Psalm For The Elks Lodge Last Call- The Weakerthans Reconstruction Site
Every Wednesday Night At Eight- The Innocents One Way Love 7"
All I Want is You Alone- Steve Blimkie & The Reason Steve Blimkie & The Reason
Tired of Waking Up Tired- The Diodes Tired of Waking Up Tired
Say Goodbye To The Black Sheep- The Furys DIY: We're Desperate - The L.A. Scene 1976-79
^My Sharona- The Knack Get the Knack
Don't Go- The Donkeys Television Anarchy
Time Wraps Around You- Velvet Crush Teenage Symphonies To God Just A Kid- Milk 'N' Cookies Milk 'N' Cookies
Bad Dreams- The Sidewinders The Sidewinders
I Forgot The Flowers- Regular Guys Regular Guys E.P. 7"
*Val Kilmer- Bowling For Soup The Great Burrito Extortion Case
*David Duchovny- Bree Sharp Cheap and Evil Girl
*Gene Hackman- Hoodoo Gurus Ampology
*Michael Caine- Madness The Business
Time For Action- Secret Affair Glory Boys & Behind Closed Doors
I'm An Adult Now- The Pursuit Of Happiness I'm An Adult Now EP
Math Teacher- The Speedies Speedy Delivery
Two Blind Mice- The Screaming Tribesmen High Time
Unsatisfied- The Replacements Let It Be
Where's Bill Grundy Now?- Television Personalities Where's Bill Grundy Now? EP
>Run, Run, Run- The Third Rail Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era
World Ain't Turning- The Keys The Keys Album
What Can I Do?- Poodle Boys What Can I Do? 45
Mean To Me (The Clothes You Wear)- Advertising Advertising Jingles
No Direction- Start No Direction 7"
Always Heaven- Tommy Hoehn I Do Love The Light
Queen Of Eyes- The Soft Boys 1976-81
Couldn't Believe A Word- The 45's Couldn't Believe A Word 7"
I Can't Take It- Arlis Titan: It's All Pop!

^Power Pop Peak: #1 Billboard Hot 100 6/23/79

*SacroSet: Actorsongs

>Power Pop Prototype: 1967

Feb. 14, 2010, 7:21 PM EST

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- Doug Fieger, leader of the power pop band The Knack who sang on the 1979 hit "My Sharona," died Sunday. He was 57.

Fieger, a Detroit-area native, died at his home in Woodland Hills near Los Angeles after battling cancer, according to The Knack's manager, Jake Hooker.

Fieger formed The Knack in Los Angeles 1978, and the group quickly became a staple of Sunset Strip rock clubs. A year later he co-wrote and sang lead vocals on "My Sharona."

Fieger said the song, with its pounding drums and exuberant vocals, was inspired by a girlfriend of four years.

"I had never met a girl like her — ever," he told The Associated Press in a 1994 interview. "She induced madness. She was a very powerful presence. She had an insouciance that wouldn't quit. She was very self-assured. ... She also had an overpowering scent, and it drove me crazy."

"My Sharona," an unapologetically anthemic rock song, emerged during disco's heyday and held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard pop chart for six weeks, becoming an FM radio standard.

I was in the 9th Grade in 1979 and had been listening pretty much exclusively to punk rock since mid-1978. At the time, Punk and New Wave (or whatever you'd call Devo and The B-52's) seemed like an all or nothing thing. There was a phase when my favorite bands were Rush, AC/DC and The Ramones but switching allegiance to The Clash seemed to demand an orthodoxy that disallowed any pre-punk/new wave music. These lyrics to The Clash's "1977" say it all:

In 1977
Knives in West 11
Ain't so lucky to be rich
Sten guns in Knightsbridge

Danger stranger, you better paint your face
No Elvis, Beatles or The Rolling Stones
In 1977

Allegiance to this new music was going to demand a sacrifice, one I was more than willing to make. I sold all my Led Zeppelin albums to a kid in my class named Ed Ahigian and hid my love of Kiss and AC/DC from my friends. In fact, I have a vivid memory of listening to the Highway To Hell album with the volume cranked up one Saturday morning only to have Jim Harris and Pete Levine kick open my bedroom door, fake rape/beat me and shove me down between my bed and the wall while screaming about my shitty taste in music. The funny thing is they then went back downstairs and drove away. They were only in the house for about 90 seconds. I've got to admit now- that is pretty funny.

Anyway, even though The Knack were a current band, the record company was trying to position them as a "New Beatles" (matching outfits, back cover shot

replicating The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, etc), so I was VERY leery. Yet, after hearing "My Sharona" and "Good Girls Don't" on the radio, I took the plunge and bought Get The Knack. I liked the record okay and it might have had a chance to grow on me if I hadn't heard the aforementioned songs every half hour on the radio for the next five months. Stories then started to come out in music magazines about Doug Fieger acting like primadonna. Soon the critics, who hate anything that gets too popular because it negates their existence, started piling on.

  

 

Fall of 1979 saw the release of some All Kindsa Girls' favorites including The Beat, Shoes' Present Tense, The Records and 20/20. These brilliant records went nowhere and, as I've mentioned in a previous post, I think the critical "knacklash" bears some responsibility for squandering Power Pop's moment in the sun. The thing is, when I go back and listen to Get The Knack now, I hear a solid Power Pop album that holds up pretty well and for that we have Doug Fieger to thank.  RIP Doug.

Click the link below to stream this show, or to download, right click and "Save Link As:"
ALL KINDSA GIRLS #27

Show #26 February 6, 2010

Je t'aime Cheri, je t'aime...


Cheri- 20/20 20/20Let's Shake- Teenage Head Frantic City
Losing California- Sloan A Sides Win Singles 1992-2005
Black & White- The Windbreakers Meet The Windbreakers
Who's Been Sleeping Here?- Tuff Darts! Tuff Darts!
I Know A Place- Jay Reatard Singles 06-07
Stay With Me- The Krinkles 3 - The Mordorlorff Collection
If You Can't Give Me Love- Suzi Quatro The Wild One Greatest Hits
^Teacher Teacher- Rockpile Seconds Of Pleasure
Brokenhearted- Ray Paul & RPM Go Time
On The Phone- Stryker Stryker 7"
Constant Change- LMNOP Elemen Opee ElpeeTen Feet Tall- XTC Fossil Fuel The XTC Singles 1977-92
T.V. Love- Simpletones I Have A Date
*Liv Tyler- Travoltas Endless Summer
*Doris Day- London Cowboys Animal Pleasure
*Tia Carrere- The Powerchords ...Think I'm Gonna
*Lee Remick- The Go-Betweens Lee Remick
Suzi Is A Heartbreaker- Newtown Neurotics Punk Collection
The Way I Feel About You- The Lyres On Fyre
The Pleasure And The Pain- The Damned Strawberries
Not For Me- Marshall Crenshaw Marshall Crenshaw
Wednesday Week- The Undertones Hypnotised
Before Love Goes- The Keepers By The Same Name
>Somebody Made For Me- Emitt Rhodes Emitt Rhodes
I Shot My Manager- Gruppo Sportivo 10 Mistakes
It Doesn't Bother Me- The Distractions It Doesn't Bother Me 7"
All That Matters- Pointed Sticks Part Of The Noise
Glory- Television Adventure
I Can't Pretend- The Barracudas Drop Out
Shakeaway- The Pop Go!
Electric Toys- Readymades Electric Toys 7"Photographs Of You- The Secrets ...Secrets
Silver Lining- Stiff Little Fingers Go For It

^Power Pop Peak: #51 Billboard Hot 100 11/22/80

*SacroSet: Actressongs

>Power Pop Prototype: 1970

The picture above is from a series called "Saturday Night People" by my all-time favorite photographer Weegee. If you've read any of the previous posts,

Weegee

you'll know that music is one of my life's great passions and this picture really speaks to me. For me, the photograph shows one of those perfect moments where a song and a performer take you out of yourself and you meet in some magical "other" place where it's just you and them- the rest of the world disappears. It's an almost overwhelming experience- hearing the music, seeing the band, feeling the bass and drums in your spine and the dancefloor under your feet- if you were a pinball machine you'd be on "TILT." My last time was in

Craig Finn

2008 at The Fillmore in San Francisco listening to The Hold Steady tear through "Constructive Summer." After Craig Finn sings: "Raise a toast to St. Joe Strummer" he lifts his pint glass high and screams "GET 'EM UP!!" Wow- just writing about it gives me chills. Anyway, I think I know what these women in Weegee's photo are feeling.

I first saw the trombone photo 25 years ago in an ad for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts summer concert series. I cut the small 2x3 inch ad out of the paper and stuck it to the wall in my room in Brookline Village. After a week or so, when it was still catching my eye every time I walked in the room, I decided to see if I could get a copy for myself. Turns out the MFA owns the negative and for $10 they'd send me a print! For some reason I decided to buy two prints and then did something I'd never done before- I took Weegee's photo to be professionally framed. (I'd always had tons of stuff on my room walls, but until then thumbtacks had sufficed).

When I met Jaime a few years later I realized she had the same passion for theater that I had for music. So, I took my second print of the photo to the same frame shop and then gave it to Jaime as a present. This was a nearly perfect gift in my estimation. The funny thing was, she took it as "here's your own copy since we will probably never live together/get married/have children/nurse each other in our dotage, etc." Jeez, talk about a communication breakdown! In any case, despite Jaime's initial misgivings, we are well on the way to doing all those things and I now have the photo up in my office as well.

Weegee, "Their First Murder" 1941

In the years since I "discovered" Weegee, I've been lucky enough to see two exhibitions of his work while Jaime and I were visiting New York. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about him:

Weegee worked in the Lower East Side of New York City as a press photo- grapher during the 30's and 40's, and he developed his signature style by following the city's emergency services and documenting their activity. Much of his work depicted unflinchingly realistic scenes of urban life, crime, injury and death.

Weegee's "Studio"

Weegee doesn't judge his subjects and his photos are ultimately about them, not him. Whether he was photographing a gangster with his face shot off, kids sleeping on a fire escape or women in a club listening to music, Weegee presents a crystal clear view of real people in a specific place at a specific time. Some of his photos make you laugh and even more make you feel like you just got punched in the stomach, but his compassion shines through every one.

My 2nd favorite Weegee Photograph

On this week's All Kindsa Girls there was a special dedication to Jay Reatard, another member of Memphis' proud musical heritage, who died at the age of 29 on January 13, 2010. One more senseless drug and alcohol related death. Even so, rest in peace Jimmy.

Click to stream or to download right click and "Save Link As:"
ALL KINDSA GIRLS #26

Show #25 Saturday, January 23, 2010

 

Let's hear it for Sabrina!

 

Sabrina- Psycotic Pineapple Where's The Party  

Calling All Girls- Hilly Michaels Calling All Girls 

What Kind of Name Is...- Big Kid You Must Be Kidding  

Arrogance- The Neighborhoods ...The High Hard One...  

Queen Of Hearts- Bobby Emmett PPO 2009 Top Ten 

 The Act- Hawaii Mud Bombers Mondo Primo  

Melt- Someloves Something Or Other  

Talk To Me- The Finders Calling Dr. Powerpop 

^Brass In Pocket- The Pretenders Pretenders  

Later Tonight- The Tweeds Perfect Fit  

Typical World- Will & The Bushmen Will & The Bushmen  

Can't Get A Read On You- Tinted Windows Tinted Windows  

Cynic- The Shazam The Shazam  

Wayward Boys- Just Water The Riff *Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)- Raspberries Starting Over 

*Lonely Fool- Rubber City Rebels Rubber City Rebels

*Tonight's My Lucky Night- Blue Ash Front Page News 

*Right Now- The Wild Giraffes Right Now 

Detroit Girls- Starz Starz  

You Tonight- Kevin K And The Hollywood Stars Cool Ways  

Can't Get You Out Of My Head- Silver Sun Disappear Here  

Take It All Down- The Headboys The Headboys  

Stomping All Over The World- Kimberley Rew The Bible Of Bop  

Tell Me- Dirty Angels Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye 

>It's Cold Outside- The Choir Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era  

Mad Love- The Cretones Thin Red Line  

Crash N Burn- Dipsomaniacs The Life You're Faking  

Out of Step- The Reducers The Reducers 

Leave It to Me- Numbers Add Up  

The Concept- Teenage Fanclub Bandwagonesque 

^Power Pop Peak: #14 Billboard Hot 100 2/16/80  

*SacroSet: Ohio Power Pop  

>Power Pop Prototype: 1967 

One of the amazing things about punk rock in the late 1970's is how quickly it spread world wide. Every time Cousin Rich and I went on one of our "record runs" into Boston there would be new stuff from bands we'd never heard of. You'd pick up New York Rocker for an article on The Ramones and hear about The Weirdos (LA), The Saints (Brisbane, Australia) or Rubber City Rebels (Akron). It still blows me away how much amazing music came out in the last three years of the 70's- I've spent my life trying to track it all down and I'm still not even close. 

Punk Rock was largely an urban phenomenon, but two of its musical antecedents, Hardcore and Power Pop, had much broader geographic impact. The way I see it, Punk Rock gave music back to the people and in America a lot of us live in suburbs and small towns. Hardcore blasted out of suburban garages and basements- an army of 15 year old white boys singing about how much they hate President Reagan. Power Pop, on the other hand, was 20 year old white boys singing about girls. Hardcore was a direct off-shoot of Punk Rock, jacking up the tempos and funneling the rage. While Power Pop's roots are in 60's and 70's rock, I think it is similarly inspired by the simplicity and passion of Punk Rock. I don't see getting from Raspberries to The Plimsouls without stopping off at The Ramones in-between. Hardcore never cracked the mainstream (which was the point, of course) but it had a huge influence in shaping the anti-corporate indie/do-it-yourself culture of today. Power Pop was much more commercially succesful, peaking in 1979 with The Knack, Nick Lowe, Joe Jackson, etc., but still on the radio today thanks to bands like Weezer. 

So, Ohio. Tonight's Power Pop Peak features Akron native Chrissie Hynde who left for London just in time to catch the birth of British punk in 1976 and make her rock & roll dreams come true with The Pretenders. The Choir, who gave us the Power Pop Prototype, "It's Cold Outside," featured three future members of Raspberries, an amazing band that I've gotten to know more since doing the radio show- in fact their StartingOver album was one of my favorite records of 2008. Along with Raspberries, who were from Cleveland, and another band that pre-dates punk rock, Youngstown's Blue Ash, tonight's SacroSet includes Akron's Rubber City Rebels and Cleveland's Wild Giraffes, clearly punk-inspired bands, both musically and in the way they self released their first records.

I'm not sure why, but the Midwest has produced more great Power Pop than almost any other region. This is my third Midwest SacroSet, following Kansas City, MO (Titan! Records Show #8, 2/2/09) and Illinois (Show #13, 7/11/09). Maybe it's because people from the midwest are so nice and polite- I should know, I married one.  Those midwestern rockers back in the day may have loved punk rock enough to chuck the Lynyrd Skynyrd covers, but they couldn't reconcile the bitterness and spite of punk with their own experiences, so what came out was edgy and guitar based, but with a far more positive message. Or maybe it's something in the water...who knows. I'm just thankful for Midwest Power Pop! 

Stream tonight's show here or to download right click and "Save Link As:"

ALL KINDSA GIRLS #25

Show #24 YEAR-END DEDICATION SPECIAL December 26, 2009

Happy New Year to All Kindsa Girls!

All Kindsa Girls- The Real Kids Real Kids
Lori- Travoltas Endless Summer
Maureen- Fountains Of Wayne Out-Of-State Plates

M.A.U.R.E.E.N.- Dogs Legendary Lovers
Rosemary- The Dickies Stukas Over Disneyland
Rosemary- The Smirks Most Fun You Can Have with Your Clothes On: Beserkley Story
Elizabeth Smiles- The Dreamdayers All Things Come
Elizabeth Einstein- Adam Schmitt World So Bright
Barbra- Modernettes Teen City E.P. 12"
Barbara- Jim Freeman & the Golden Gate Jumpers Romantic
Wendy- The Descendents Enjoy!
Beverly- The Flashcubes Bright Lights
Beverley- The Flys See For Miles (1978-1980)
*Veronica- Honeyrider All Systems Go
*Veronica- Wreckless Eric Big Smash
*Veronica- Sloppy Seconds Destroyed
*Veronica- Elvis Costello Spike
Stacey- The Lyres 12 Classic 45s
Stacy's Mom- Fountains Of Wayne Welcome Interstate Managers
Diana Diana- Hubble Bubble Faking
Valeri- The Monkees The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees
Louise- Satans Rats You Make Me Sick 7"
Jennifer- The Rubinoos Everything You Always Wanted To Know About
Loretta- Nervous Eaters DIY: Mass. Ave. - The Boston Scene (1975-83)
Monica- Richard X. Heyman Hey Man!
Monica- The Kinks The Village Green Preservation Society
Jamie- Weezer Weezer (Blue Album)
Gabrielle- The Boys Boys Only
Denise- Fountains Of Wayne Utopia Parkway
Cold Ethyl- Alice Cooper Welcome To My Nightmare
Kerri- Robert Johnson Close Personal Friend
Suzanne- Paul Warren & Explorer One Of The Kids
Mary Christmas- Redd Kross Santa Claus & The Power Pop Criminals
52 Girls- The B-52's The B-52's

*SacroSet: Veronica Songs

I can't say I'm sorry to see 2009 go. In fact I'm tempted to whip out my Comic Book Guy impression ("Worst.... Year..... Ever....."). Yet, why tempt fate, or as my friend Jeff Dreyer put it, "throw a glove down to the Gods." A year like 2009 does help keep things in perspective, though. Despite economic anxieties, my family is great; we are healthy and we live in a very cool town. Some day I hope to look back on 2009 and... I don't know what, really, but I hope it will be one of those bittersweet rememberences, like Middle School or the Reagan administration, that, though trying, was only a hitch on the way to a brighter future.

I saw/heard/read a lot of cool stuff this year (see the list at (http://ricktop5lists.blogspot.com/) but I think the thing I'll remember most about 2009 is All Kindsa Girls. I'd often thought about doing a radio show again, in those vague "someday" terms, but it wasn't until Joe Koch asked me to alternate Saturday nights with him on KSVY (http://thmm.com/ksvy/) that I got off my butt and did something about it. He had already submitted a proposal for his show, Contact Buzz (http://contactbuzz913.blogspot.com/), so coming up on the one year anniversary of All Kindsa Girls, I once again thank Joe for helping get me back on the air.

One of my favorite things about the show is finding a fresh dedication each week. While a theme set, now called the SacroSet, was an idea from the beginning, the dedication idea came to me when I was putting Show #2 together. I was previewing The Travolta's awesome Endless Summer album, which Cousin Rich had "lent" me the previous summer, and when I heard "Lori" it hit me- every show would be dedicated to women who share the same name. One of the rules I set for myself is to only use songs whose titles are limited to the woman's name. I did pretty well last year, only breaking the rule on a few shows, two of which were the Halloween ("Cold Ethyl") and Christmas ("Mary Christmas") Specials, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. Who knows how long it will last, but I'm going to try my best each week.

As seen on this playlist, a few times I've had my pick of dedication songs and none more so than Show #9 and "Veronica." I've always been partial to the name; it has such a musical resonance. I'm not alone in this opinion judging from numerous "Veronica" songs over the years (there are a lot more than the four I played tonight). There's even an Australian pop duo called The Veronicas. Truth be told I can trace some of the name's appeal to my sister Sarah's Archie Comics when I was six or seven years old. I was a fan of The Incredible Hulk and publicly denounced Archie as "girl comics." Yet, in private I read everything I could about Veronica Lodge. She seemed like the coolest girl- no superhero powers, but VERY compelling nonetheless. It wasn't anything overtly sexual, I just had a crush on this girl with black hair named Veronica.

Years later, when girlfriends, including my wife Jaime, would broach the "minefield" topic of baby names, rather than change the subject, I would always proffer "Veronica." I was as commitment averse as the next dude, but as far off in the future as it seemed then, I could always picture a baby girl named "Veronica." The wish came true one December afternoon in 1998 and, needless to say, when I hear the name today, it's no longer Veronica Lodge I think of.

You can download Hour 1 of the Year-End Dedication Special here:
http://thmm.com/ksvy/showarchive/public/2009-12-26__20_59_57.mp3

And here's Hour 2: http://thmm.com/ksvy/showarchive/public/2009-12-26__21_59_57.mp3

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Show #23 Download Links

Looks like Joe passed on Contact Buzz last night so that means an encore of the AKG-CS!

Here's the link to download Hour 1 (Right click and "Save Target As"):
http://thmm.com/ksvy/showarchive/public/2009-12-19__20_59_57.mp3

And here is Hour 2:
http://thmm.com/ksvy/showarchive/public/2009-12-19__21_59_57.mp3

Show #23 CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR December 12, 2009

It could only be Mary this special night....

Mary Christmas- Redd Kross Santa Claus and The Power Pop Criminals
Christmas Is Coming- Payolas Christmas Is Coming 12"
Come On Christmas- Cheap Trick A Christmas Blog Gift For You
I Want An Alien For Christmas- Fountains Of Wayne Out-Of-State Plates
Christmas Time Again- Bad Manners Christmas Time Again 12"
(It's Gonna Be A) Punk Rock Christmas- The Ravers Punk Rock Christmas 7"
Christmas- Buzz Of Delight Sound Castles EP
Christmas Crush- Home Grown Santa's Got A GTO Rodney On The Roq's Fav X-Mas Songs
^Christmas Wrapping- The Waitresses A Christmas Record
Give Me A 2nd Chance For Christmas- Mike Viola and the Candy Butchers A Christmas Blog Gift For You
Santa's Beard- They Might Be Giants Holidayland
Jesus Christ- Big Star Big Star's 3rd/Sister Lovers
Just Like Christmas- Low Christmas
It's A Big Country- Davitt Sigerson A Christmas Record
*How Do You Spell Channukkah?- The LeeVees Hanukkah Rocks
*Hanukkah Girl- Metronome I Made It Out Of Clay - A Hanukkah Pop Compilation
*'Til Next Hanukkah- Velouria Santa's Got A GTO Rodney On The Roq's Fav X-Mas Songs
*Hanukkah Blessings- Barenaked Ladies Barenaked For The Holidays
Are You Ready For Christmas- Luther 'N The BBB's Are You Ready For Christmas 7"
Everyday Is Christmas- Swag A Christmas Blog Gift For You
Christmas Wish- NRBQ Christmas Wish
Christmas With The Snow- Marah A Christmas Kind of Town
Red Lights- Dreams So Real Red Lights 7"
Runaway Christmas- Pencil Test Santa's Got A GTO Rodney On The Roq's Fav X-Mas Songs
>Don't Believe In Christmas- The Sonics Don't Believe In Christmas 45
Christmas Is Cancelled (This Year)- Farrah A Christmas Blog Gift For You
Lonely Christmas- Sloppy Seconds Lonely Christmas
Jingle Bells- The Laugher A Light Christmas
Space Christmas- Shonen Knife Space Christmas 7"
It's Christmas Time Ebenezer- The Len Price 3 Santa Claus & The Power Pop Criminals
X-Mas- Epicycle Santa Claus and The Power Pop Criminals
Christmas Time- Chris Stamey Christmas Time
Merry Christmas Will Do- Material Issue A Christmas Blog Gift For You
The Christmas Wish- Kermit The Frog A Christmas Together

^Power Pop Peak: #41 UK Pop Chart December 1982

*SacroSet: Hanukkah Songs

>Power Pop Prototype: 1965

I don't remember exactly when I first starting making Christmas mix tapes for people, but it was probably close to 25 years ago. I've always loved Christmas and while I consider myself more of a "music fan" than "record collector," I have to cop to the latter when it comes to Christmas music. I like the old chestnuts like "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and "The Christmas Song," the only time I listen to KOIT, the Adult Contemporary station in San Francisco, is during the holidays when they are playing all Christmas music. Yet, as tonight's playlist shows, it's the original Christmas songs I like best. Summer is perhaps the only other season that inspires songwriters as much as Christmas. From "Christmas is coming, it's been a long year...." (Payola$) to "Santa get off of my girlfriend!" (Home Grown) to "That Christmas magic's brought this tale to a very happy ending" (The Waitresses), I love all the different perspectives on the holiday.

The Dickies version of "Silent Night" was an early find, but I trace my original Christmas music habit back to The Ravers' "(It's Gonna Be A) Punk Rock Christmas."  I remember Chuck Warner of Throbbing Lobster (now of http://www.hyped2death.com/) playing the song on an all Christmas music show on WMBR in Cambridge.  Cousin Rich tracked it down and ordered two copies of the original 1977 45.  In 1978 Rhino re-issued it as the 12" EP pictured above. You've gotta love these lyrics:

Let's 'avit! Oi! Yeh!
It's gonna be a punk rock christmas this year,
Even Santa's gonna be a Sex Pistol for a day
All those christmas trees swinging safety pins from their leaves
It's gonna be a punk rock Christmas this year

Farah Fawcett will change her hairstyle for a day,
The Queen will sing "Anarchy In The UK"
And old Mick Jagger will adopt The Strangler's swagger
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah baby

Rick Wakeman will take up the electric guitar, ha
And Johnny Ramone will get a sled for a car,
There's a group called The Damned they say
Who play the four wise men in a play, in a play, IN A PLAY!!

(SPOKEN: Santa) What do you want for Christmas, Little boy?
(Boy) I want a Damned LP with Eddie and The Hot Rods on the back,
I want a colour TV so I can kick it in I want an Ace guitar,
And a subscription to Punk Magazine!
(Santa) What else do you you want for Christmas, Little boy?
(Boy) I want ten copies of "God Save The Queen" with a picture sleeve!
(Santa) With a picture sleeve?
(Boy) YEAH, WITH A PICTURE SLEEVE!
(Santa) If you're a good little boy your wish will come true
(Boy) YEAH, WELL IT BLOODY WELL BETTER!

We're gonna give ya a punk rock Christmas this year
And I'm gonna give you a nice sweater all ripped to shreds,
Get mum and dad chic get them safety pins for their cheeks
It gonna be a punk rock Christmas this year

 

Who knows what happened to The Ravers, yet we'll always have "Punk Rock Christmas." That's one of the things I love about Christmas music- its history of slipping totally random songs past the staid record industry gauntlet, whether it's "Jingle Bells" by The Singing Dogs, "The Chipmunk Song" or "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" by Bay Area veterinarian Dr. Elmo.

There are a lot of movies and TV shows about how stressful Christmas is for families and, especially as I get older, I see how that can be. Thanks to my parents, however, I'm happy to say that when I was a kid, Christmas was the best. Jaime and I work hard to make Christmas something special for our kids too, though it can be challenging in a lean year like this one. Our daughter Veronica even suggested we skip putting Christmas lights up this year to save money on electricity. Yet there I was last week, hanging off a ladder and walking on the roof hanging lights- it seemed even more important this time specifically because 2009 was such a hard year. My Mum is here in Sonoma now and sister Sarah came out for a visit last week so I think it's going to be another great Christmas in the Love household. I wish all of you the same- Merry Christmas!!

Download or stream this show right here:
ALL KINDSA GIRLS #23 CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR