Show #74 February 18, 2012

 

This one's for Agnes
...and The Reducers!

 

 Agnes- Donnie Iris Back On The Streets 

Girls Like That- The Yum Yums Singles 'n' Stuff 

Baby's Got a Secret- The Wellingtons In Transit 

She's So Close- Millard Powers Nashpop: A Nashville Pop Compilation 

Not What It Appears- The Tories Wonderful Life 

You Say- The Kwyet Kings Been Where? Done What? 

If Looks Could Kill- Incredible Kidda Band Too Much, Too Little, Too Late 

It's Ok- Radio City Class of '77 

^Why Can't I- Liz Phair Liz Phair   

We'll Never Know- Wild Giraffes Right Now! 

Time Machine- The Click Five Greetings From Imrie House   

*What We Do- Saucers Saucers Saucers Saucers 

*Not A Chance- Tot Rocket & the Twins Television Rules 

*Small Talk- International Q International Q 7" 

*Out of Step- The Reducers Redux 

*West Coast- October Days West Coast 7" 

*Dear Abby- TV Neats Demos 

*Reach For The Sky- Roger C. Reale Radioactive 

No- The Rezillos Can't Stand the Rezillos   

Runaways- In The Night Nick Gilder You Know Who You Are 

Something In Common- Free Energy Free Energy 

Window To The World- Velvet Crush In The Presence Of Greatness 

Stuff 'n' Junk- Slaters The Big Black Bug Bled Black Blood 

Take The Cash (K.A.S.H)- Wreckless Eric Big Smash 

>Going All The Way- The Squires Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era, Vol. 2 

A to B- The Futureheads The Futureheads 

Too Young- The Fingers On The Radio 

No More Idols- Nervous Eaters Eat This! 

The Stranded Stars- The Shazam Godspeed the Shazam 

Don't Cry To Me Babe- Sneakers Ear Cartoons 

Closing Time- The Reducers Let's Go

 

^Power Pop Peak: #32 Billboard Hot 100 9/8/03

*SacroSet: Nutmeg State Power Pop

>Power Pop Prototype: 1966
 

I love the Internet, yet I do miss the random ways we used to learn about new music. Case in point, the 1982 debut single by The Reducers from New London, CT. Thirty years after its release, "Out Of Step" still blows me away, from the military sounding drum and bass intro to the explosive chorus and bridge harmony to the over the top third verse: 

 

But there's a pressure all the time
To go join up and stand in line
But if they think I'm one of them
Well they must be f***ing blind
Don't they see that I'm out of touch
I'm out of step
I'm out of touch with reality
I'm out of touch, out of step....  

 

It's an undisputed classic. My friend Lance was the first person to tell me about The Reducers. I usually heard about new music from Cousin Rich who, as I've said before, subscribed to both New York Rocker and Boston Rock and had a special radio that could pick up low-power Boston college radio station WMBR's "Late Risers Club." It's funny but I later learned that Lance first heard about The Reducers from Cousin Rich! (All three of us worked at Angelo's Supermarket in Kingston.) 

 

Anyway, I was late to the party on many of the first wave punk bands, too young to see them in the clubs, but with The Reducers I felt like I was there from the beginning. Shortly after starting at Emerson College radio station WERS, I met an upperclassman named Dave. He and I liked a lot of the same bands- in fact that first year I followed his initials on the station's record album airplay stickers like a trail of rock & roll bread crumbs. Dave's greatest contribution however was a fake ID he gave me in the Fall of 1982. I quickly memorized my new fake identity (Daniel something from Wayland, Mass) complete with zodiac sign and Chinese birth year, never once of course being asked for either. My strategy was to hand the bouncer my ID while asking a question, something like "what time does the opening band go on?" The goal was to create a momentary confusion between the blue-eyed 24 year old dude on my ID and my brown-eyed 17 year old self. I later realized that the bouncer wants to let you in- the club wants your money- so as long as they have plausible deniability you're good. The fact that I didn't drink also kept me out of trouble because the ABC people were only concerned about under 21's being served alcohol. 

 

I'm pretty sure I saw The Reducers first Boston show and that night I became a fan for life. A few years later they gave me a personal "perfect rock & roll moment" at TT The Bear's in Cambridge. I'd dragged nearly everyone I knew to the club and seeing all my friends packed onto the sweaty dance floor while the band played "Lets Go" made me feel like screaming "hey everybody we're all gonna get laid!!" at the top of my lungs. The Reducers are one of the least pretentious bands I've seen and they rock hard. Unlike the rock & roll cool (X, The Replacements) or quirky and tortured (Husker Du, Pixies) bands I liked, The Reducers were much more relatable. Not only did they dress like me in t-shirts (often pocket t's), faded Levi's, and Chuck Taylors, primary songwriters Peter Detmold and Hugh Birdsall were themselves college radio DJ's and HUGE music geeks. Big fans of mid-70's British pub rock groups like Dr. Feelgood

and Ducks Deluxe, the two took a trip to London to see those bands arriving just in time to witness firsthand the summer 1977 British punk rock explosion. Inspired by early performances of The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and The Jam along with the whole "Do It Yourself" punk aesthetic, Detmold and Birdsall returned to New London and started The Reducers. 

 

I interviewed The Reducers at least twice for WERS, once after a performance at The Channel and once at The Rat, and they were just the nicest guys. You could tell they are first and foremost music fans. In 1985 I was the host of WERS' local music show "Metrowave" and had The Reducers come in and play live in the studio. They played new songs "Runaway Home" and "Fistfight At The Beach" from their forthcoming Cruise To Nowhere album and at the end of the night gave me a ride back to my apartment- that's the kind of people they are.

It was around this time that CMJ (College Music Journal) called The Reducers "the best unsigned band in America" and they appeared on the major label compilation Epic presents The Unsigned. And yet, rather than fall victim to the "one and done" syndrome that afflicts most major label signees, when The Reducers didn't get the deal they wanted they stuck to their guns and put out Cruise To Nowhere on their own Rave On label. 

 

The band slowed down after that record and stopped touring nationally but they still record and play out every now and then. In 2006 the documentary film The Reducers America's Best Unsigned Band was released. They played up in Boston around that time and Cousin Rich said they rocked as hard as ever. Over 30 years and still going strong- God Bless The Reducers! 

 

Click this link to stream this week's show or to download Right Click and "Save Link As"

ALL KINDSA GIRLS #74

Show #73 VALENTINE SPECIAL February 4, 2012

Sending a Valentine to Emily...and to Papa on his birthday.

Emily- The Blondes Swedish Heat
Listen To The Heartbeat- D.L. Byron Shake Some Action Vol 4
Heart- Rockpile Seconds Of Pleasure
Hearts In Her Eyes- The Searchers Hearts In Her Eyes 7"
Take This Heart Of Mine- The Saints Prehistoric Sounds
Break Your Heart- Mike Viola & The Candy Butchers Falling Into Place
Breakin My Heart- Vandykes Breakin My Heart Single
Break My Heart Tomorrow- Steve Blimkie & The Reason Steve Blimkie & The Reason
^Heartbeat- The Knack Get the Knack
Queen Of Hearts- Bobby Emmett Learning Love
Another Heartache- Any Trouble Wheels In Motion
Lonelyhearts- The Atlantics Lonelyhearts 7"
Lonely Hearts- Candy Whatever Happened To Fun
Another Nail For My Heart- Squeeze Singles: 45's and Under
*Valentine- Fools Face Tell America
*Valentines Day- Three Hour Tour Three Hour Tour - 1969
*A Valentine Song- The Outlets Whole New World
*Valentine- The Replacements Pleased To Meet Me
Heart Breaker- The Lonely Boys The Lonely Boys
Heartbreaker- Knots Heartbreaker 7"
Brokenhearted- Ray Paul & RPM Go Time
Heart- Ian North Neo LP
Lock On My Heart- The Zippers A Six Song Mini Album
Heartsongs- Weezer
>Heart- Barry & The Remains The Remains
Hearts Will Be Broken- The Records Crashes
Heartbeat- Jim Freeman & The Golden Gate Jumpers Romantic
Do You Wanna Break My Heart- The Sweat No More Running
You Broke My Heart- The Vibrators Pure Mania
I Could Break Your Heart- Oranjuly Oranjuly
Heart Of The City- Nick Lowe Jesus Of Cool
Heart On The Line- The Tearjerkers Murder Mystery 7"
Ways Of The Heart- The Cretones Thin Red Line

^Power Pop Peak: Get The Knack #1 Billboard 200 Summer 1979

*SacroSet: Valentine's Songs

>Power Pop Prototype: 1966

When I was working on this show last week I mentioned to Jaime that I had come up with a cool theme but before I could tell her what it was, she said "Oh, Valentine's Day." My response: "D'oh!" Of course it should be a Valentine's show, what was I thinking? So, after spending an hour or so on this other idea (which you'll hear in a future show) I went in a Valentine's direction. Here's where iTunes' power as a music database really comes in handy. A quick search on "Valentine" gave me the four songs in tonight's SacroSet and another search on "Heart" gave me about three shows worth of potential material. The interesting thing is that the vast majority of the songs were in the heart "broken" rather than heart "full of love" camp. For every "Heart" by Rockpile

Heart, why are you pounding like a hammer
Heart, why are you beating like a drum
Heart, why do you make such a commotion
When I'm waiting for my baby to come

There are about three or four songs like "Lonelyhearts" by The Atlantics:

I see fear and despair written all over your face
But it’s no disgrace, the life is lived below
You think that against you the entire world has sinned
Against the wall you’re pinned, while everyone throws stones

Lonely, lonely, lonely hearts
There’s nobody like lonely, lonely, lonely hearts
You know that I can hear your heartbeat
I know something’s going on
I can hear your heartbeat
On and on and on and on

In other words, heartbreak clearly carries the day. I don't know if this is because of how most relationships end (badly) or because bitterness and spite make for better songwriting inspiration (debatable). Maybe its because the recently jilted find themselves with more time on their hands and those not indulging revenge fantasies turn to songwriting for solace. Or to rub salt in the wound- myself, I've gone both ways.

I've always dismissed Valentine's Day as a modern marketing gimmick. In my case, I'm lucky because my wife's birthday is the week before so if I get the B-day right I can low key it on 14th. In any case, I was surprised to read that the first association of romantic love and 2/14 goes all the way back to a poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer (the "Canterbury Tales" dude) in 1382 called Parlement of Foules:

For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.

["For this was on Saint Valentine's Day,
when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."]

The Catholics even tried to put the kibosh on Valentine's Day in 1969 when the Pope deleted it from the General Roman Calendar, but it didn't take and the tradition lives on.

In my family 2/14 has extra significance as it is my paternal grandfather's birthday. My mom always loved the fact that a man with the last name "Love" was born on Valentine's Day. I am the third Frederick J. Love after my dad (Jr.) and my grandfather (Sr.); that's us in the picture above. When my dad decided to go and marry a Protestant, both the "III" moniker and my Catholic upbringing were iron clad non-negotiable.

We called my grandfather "Papa" and he was an amazing guy. When I was little he and Nana lived on the top floor of a double-decker on Ackers Ave in Brookline. I remember running up those back stairs so fast I had to put my hands down on the step in front of me to keep from falling. At the top, Papa always greeted my sister and I with the same exclamation of surprise: "FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!!!" (as if he had NO IDEA we were driving up from Brockton that afternoon). It was awesome. In every memory I have of Papa he is smiling, yet I don't think I have one picture of the man where he doesn't look like a member of the Whitey Bulger gang. Even when my mom recreated the picture above several years later, Papa still didn't crack a smile. (Though since it was a meticulous recreation from our array down to our wardrobe, perhaps Papa was just being true to the original.)

Though only a three bedroom apartment (four if you count the finished porch that was my dad's room), Nana & Papa's place seemed filled with mystery. A fancy living room and dining room (only used Christmas & Easter) with antique furniture, oriental rugs and several displays of Hummel figurines that were not to be touched on penalty of swift amputation. There was a cool old basement filled with tons of stuff Papa couldn't get rid of (he had a slight hoarding "issue"), but my favorite was the attic. Accessible by stairs off the back hallway, I was simultaneously scared of/thrilled by the attic. While most of the stuff "down cellar" was clearly junk, the attic had old clothes, furniture, pictures and the best part was: I could touch all of it as much as I wanted to.

As my family was about to leave, Papa always pulled me aside and, on the down low, gave me a sandwich bag full of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. I have no idea how the man generated so much change, we visited a lot, but there it was and I loved it. I'd take the bag of change home, carefully count it out and put it in coin rolls my mom got from the bank. For some reason I never spent any of it and when I was away at Emerson freshman year, my parents unwrapped all the rolls (four or five coffee cans full) looking for rare coins. I can't remember if they found any but afterwards I was finally able to put the money in the bank. I wouldn't be surprised though if there is still an old coffee can full of rolled up change somewhere in my mom's house.

Along with his bags of change, "FOR THE LOVE OF PETE," and lifetime vanity license plate (72272) I also clearly remember the white box that always sat on Papa's kitchen table with "L.S./M.F.T." printed on it. I later learned this stood for "Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco." It's funny, I don't remember seeing him smoke, but that box was a fixture in the Brookline house. Papa eventually quit but those unfiltered Lucky's are a real bitch kitty and he died of lung cancer in 1982. Since my own kids never got to meet their paternal grandfather I consider myself very lucky to have so many great memories of mine. Happy Birthday Papa!

Click on the links below to download this week's show:
Hour 1
Hour 2

Show #72 January 21, 2012

Rock On Donna!

Donna- 10cc Donna 7"
Are You Ready- Mike Read Shake Some Action Vol 8 (UK and Ireland)
Love Song To Myself- Walter Clevenger and The Dairy Kings Love Songs To Myself
Heart Attack- The Pets Misdirection
Laugh- Rubber City Rebels Rubber City Rebels
Just Fine- The Windbreakers Time Machine (1982-2002)
I'm Numb- Pointed Sticks Part Of The Noise
Be What You Gotta Be- Motors 1
^Hold On Loosely- .38 Special The Very Best Of The AandM Years
Merry-Go-Round- The Producers The Producers/You Make The Heat
Do You Wanna Love Me?- Paul Collins King Of Power Pop
Ex Lion Tamer- Wire I Am The Fly Single
Big Cities- Pushtwangers Here We Go Again
Pity- Rooney Eureka
*All Wound Up- 4/4 Systematic 7"
*Don't Think Twice (If You Can't Think At All)- 5-15 Shake Some Action Vol 6 (All Around The World)
*Me And My Desire- 999 999
*Giving It All- 20/20 Giving It All 7"
No You Don't- The Sweet The Collection
I Know What You Did Last Night- Helmet Boy Helmet Boy
Flaming Torch- The Only Ones Special View
For a While- Van Duren Are You Serious?
Ret Liv Dead- Teenage Fanclub Thirteen
You Will Pay- Yeh-Yeh Shake Some Action Vol 1 (UK)
>5 Star Rock 'N' Roll Petrol- The 101'ers Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited
Wide Awake (And Fading Out)- Pills Wide Awake With The Pills
Highly Inflammable- X-Ray Spex Germfree Adolescents
Shy Girl- The Innocents No Hit Wonders From Down-Under
Fat Chance- Tommy Tutone Tommy Tutone
It's Getting Better- Squire Big Smashes
Way Out- The La's The La's
Private Heaven- Utopia Utopia
Respectable Street- XTC Rag & Bone Buffet: Rare Cuts and Leftovers
Lonesome Lane- The 45's Couldn't Believe A Word 7"

^Power Pop Prototype: #27 Billboard Hot 100 2/28/81

*SacroSet: Bands By The Numbers

>Power Pop Prototype: 1976

David and Cyrinda

Steven Tyler's new pop-culture celebrity status just doesn't sit right with me. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy and I always have, even after learning he stole his signature scarves on the microphone stand thing from David Johansen of the New York Dolls (which somehow seems worse than his subsequent theft of Johansen's wife, Cyrinda Fox). In the past week I've defended Tyler's much maligned performance of the National
Anthem at the Patriots/Ravens game last weekend (Go Pats!). What's more, I even like the Diane Warren-penned "Aerosmith does Celine Dion" song "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" from that crappy asteroid movie.

Aerosmith are Boston boys and we love them for it. Everyone in the Boston area has an Aerosmith sighting to share. In the 80's I once saw Joe Perry shopping for housewares with his wife at the Ann and Hope store at the Arsenal Mall in Watertown, Mass. In the early 90's, drummer Joey Kramer moved to Duxbury, Mass where my mom lives and within a few years he was followed by guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. The first time my sister Sarah saw Joe Perry in town he was with his wife Billie pushing a shopping cart down an aisle of the A and P in Hall's Corner. The best part is that they were both in total rock and roll gear, he in leather pants and she in a huge white fur coat.  That is just awesome! People in Duxbury were proud of the Aerosmith guys and very protective of their privacy. While Kramer and Whitford have since moved away, Joe Perry is still in town and has done a lot for the community over the years, among other things, paying for a new town animal shelter.

In any case, I feel Aerosmith belong to the rock and rollers, which is why Steven Tyler on American Idol doesn't feel right. The band will always have a special place in my heart, because they were a pretty big "first" in my life. I enjoyed a short lived notoriety in Jr. High (what we called "Intermediate School") as "the kid who goes to rock concerts." A few weeks before my 13th birthday I heard a commercial on the radio for an Aerosmith concert at the Providence Civic Center on October 30, 1977. I asked my parents for tickets for my birthday with very little hope that I'd be going. My birthday came and after pizza and cake I opened presents that I can't remember, though I'd guess there was a record and a sweater in there somewhere. Opening my final present (a card, oh well) I was SHOCKED to find myself looking at two tickets to see Aerosmith on their "Express Tour." They were the Ticketron tickets with the blue and red design (at right is the closest thing I could find on the web). When I got to school the next day I told Mike Klein in home room that I was going to the concert and soon word spread.For the first time I had status and though it was short-lived, it was an experience I'll never forget.

Providence 10/30/77

The Aerosmith concert was amazing- I went with my neighbor Tommy Harrington and we had great seats on the floor about 25 rows back. In fact, we were only one person away from catching a Joey Kramer drumstick. My father drove us to Providence and waited outside during the show. I realize now what a sacrifice that was because with the pride of a true Bostonian he described Providence as "an armpit." (Interestingly, this is the same phrase Dad used to describe Worcester, Mass after waiting for my Cousin Rich and I outside a Worcester Centrum concert a few years later). I think he said he spent that night in Providence in a Burger King- all so I could go to my first rock concert. He was an amazing guy.

Aerosmith played all the hits from the first four albums that night and a few new songs that hadn't been released yet. I really liked one of the new songs so I thought I'd be cool and ask the clerk at the Hanover Mall Musicsmith about it, even though I knew it hadn't come out yet. Unfortunately I misheard the title at the concert so when I asked him about Aerosmith's "Charlie The Lion" he looked at me like I

Draw The Line

was a moron. When the album came out in December I was horrified to see that the song is called "Draw The Line" (the record's title track!!) not "Charlie The Lion-" a mom-like mistake I never made again.

You can download tonight's show below (Right click and "Save Target As"):

ALL KINDSA GIRLS #72

Show #71 DEDICATION SPECIAL January 7, 2010

Happy New Year to Charlie and ALL KINDSA GIRLS!!!

All Kindsa Girls- The Real Kids Real Kids
Jody- Silver Sun Disappear Here
My Sharona- The Knack Get the Knack
Lorraine- Durango 95 Lose Control
Belinda- Ben Folds & Nick Hornby Lonely Avenue
Keep On Knocking- The Cars Move Like This
Enola Gay- Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Urgh! A Music War
Diane- Material Issue International Pop Overthrow
She Walks The Night- Matthew Sweet Modern Art
Angela- New Math Die Trying 7"
Mother Mary- Foxboro Hot Tubs Stop Drop and Roll
Christabelle- Sorrows Love Too Late
Melody- Kevin K The Best Of Kevin K - New York, New York
Ronnie- The Rubinoos Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About
*Unkind- Sloan The Double Cross
*The Summer Place- Fountains Of Wayne Sky Full Of Holes
*Adamant- The Wellingtons In Transit
*Tribute to Charlie- Cute Lepers Adventure Time
*Sorry- The Smithereens 2011
Lolene- Mad Turks Cafe Istanbul
Red- Hoehn & Duren Blue Orange
Jesamine- Squire Big Smashes
Poison Flower- Urge Overkill Rock & Roll Submarine
Glendora- The Slickee Boys Gotta Tell Me Why 7"
Stella- Ida Maria Fortress Round My Heart
Mary Annette- Doug Powell Four Seasons
Paula- The Golden Horde The Golden Horde
Wicked Annabella- The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society
Dolly- The Lyres On Fyre
Dianalee- Nerf Herder IV
52 Girls- The B-52's The B-52's

*SacroSet: My Top 5 Albums of 2011

The first show of the new year is my DEDICATION SPECIAL where I play all the dedication songs from the previous twelve months. I also highlight what I think are the best releases from the prior year. All in all, 2011 was a pretty good year for Power Pop. New LP's by old friends from the 70's (The Cars), 80's (The Smithereens, Urge Overkill) and 90's (Sloan, Fountains Of Wayne, Matthew Sweet) joined upstarts from the 2000's (Cute Lepers, Wellingtons) on the ALL KINDSA GIRLS playlist. Since I initially envisioned the show would be centered in the late 70's/early 80's, all this new music is a huge bonus.

It's funny how getting older changes your perspective on things. When I was in college I remember railing against the Rolling Stones for refusing to get out of the way and make room for new rock & roll bands. Now, I'm heralding a 2011 release by The Cars, led by 62 year old Ric Ocasek. Furthermore, I share the sentiment the Cute Lepers' express in "Tribute To Charlie" from tonight's SacroSet. The song is an ode to the great Charlie Harper. Just to clarify, they are NOT talking about the character "Charlie Harper" played by Charlie Sheen on the TV show Two And A Half Men (who lived and died a douchebag). They are talking about Charlie Harper, lead singer of British punk band UK Subs, pictured above. He is 67 years old and has been singing with the group for 36 years!

Charlie Harper was the first person I ever interviewed for WERS, my college radio station. We met backstage at a club called Spit on Lansdowne Street in Boston. The person at the station who set up the interview told me to expect the drummer or, at best, UK Subs guitarist Nicky Garratt. Needless to say, I was very impressed to see lead singer Charlie Harper walk into the room. More than a little nervous, I stumbled through the first few questions while Charlie did his best to put me at ease. It ended up being a pretty good interview- he even turned me on to Hanoi Rocks, described as "a gay heavy metal group from Finland," a band I grew to love. (For the record, I don't think the guys in Hanoi Rocks are gay but I once personally witnessed lead singer Mike Monroe and guitarist Andy McCoy's sharing of a microphone devolve into a big sloppy tongue kiss. The look of shock and disgust on my girlfriend Sue's face was just priceless...) Anyway, my "over 40's get off the stage" tune has changed since college and I'm in full agreement with the Cute Lepers "Tribute To Charlie" when they sing:

Most of my heroes will die rockers
I know Charlie Harper will die a rocker!

This is not just talk on my part as I still strap on the guitar myself a few times a year as a member of The Dadz. In fact, my profile picture comes from the first Dadz show:
That show is a great story that I'll get to in a future post.

I've been putting together year end lists of my Top 5 movies, albums, TV shows, etc. since 1999. If you're interested in past selections you can check out the blog Rick's Top 5 Lists Along with the five albums in tonight's SacroSet, my 2011 Top 5's include:

TOP 5 MOVIES

Win Win (wrestling with your demons, literally)

Crazy Stupid Love (title says it all)

The Guard (Irish Independent)

Hugo (cinephilia)

Higher Ground (the miracle of faith)

TOP 5 DVD'S

Attack The Block (aliens vs. outsiders)

Beginners (we all get a do-over)

Together “Tilsammans” (Swedish fishbowl)

The Battle of Algiers (modern warfare in 1966)

Dogtooth “Kynodontas” (alternative child rearing techniques)

TOP 5 ALBUMS

Sloan- The Double Cross (XX marks the spot)

Fountains Of Wayne- Sky Full Of Holes (a return to form)

The Wellingtons- In Transit (Power Pop Lives…in Australia!)

Cute Lepers- Adventure Time (Mr. Nix’s opus)

The Smithereens- 2011 (New Jersey’s finest)

TOP 5 BOOKS

A Visit From The Goon Squad- Jennifer Egan (Nobody beats the goon)

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky (Charlie says…)

The Hunger Games Trilogy- Suzanne Collins (May the odds be ever in your favor)

The Lonely Polygamist- Brady Udall (Mo marriages, mo problems)

Pygmy- Chuck Palahniuk (nobody writes like Chuck)

TOP 5 TELEVISION/CABLE SHOWS

American Horror Story (the house always wins)

Treme: Season 1 (a dead city rises)

Happy Endings (Chicago’s finest)

Justified: Season 1 (Harlan County Confidential)

Louie (brutal/hilarious honesty)

Feel free to comment with Top 5's of your own- I'm always looking for material for next year's list! You could also post a comment over on my facebook page.

You can download tonight's show by clicking the links below (right click and "Save Target As"):
Hour 1
Hour 2

Show #70 CHRISTMAS CRUSH December 17, 2011

Merry Christmas Carol!!!

Carol- Cleaners From Venus The Stopping Train
Xmastime Again- The Pointed Sticks Xmastime Again
Waiting For Christmas- Adventures Of Jet Electric Ornaments: An Idol Records Christmas Collection
Christmas, Bring Us -The Grip Weeds HiFi Christmas Pty 2
I Want A Guitar For Christmas- Kenny Howes Xmas With Coffee Robots
All I Ever Want (Under The Christmas Tree)- The Cute Lepers A Blackheart Christmas
Christmas Morning- Jim Babjak's Buzzed Meg Christmas Songs
It's Always Christmas At My House- Huntingtons Santa Claus & The Power Pop Criminals
^Father Christmas- The Kinks Father Christmas 7"
December 25th- Desmond Reed Xmas Redux Three
Xmas Song- Rash Of Stabbings Xmas Song
She Feels Like Christmas Day- The Critics Yuletunes
Merry Xmas Everybody- Slade Merry Christmas Everybody
Underneath The Christmas Tree- Bill Lloyd Yuletunes
*Xmas Time (It Sure Doesn't Feel Like It)- The Dogmatics A Midnight Christmas Mess
*Christmastime Here (Could Never Be Like That)- Wednesday Week A Midnight Christmas Mess
*Merry Christmas- Plan 9 A Midnight Christmas Mess
*Christmas Dance- Johnny Rabb A Midnight Christmas Mess
Christmas Vacation- Descendents I Don't Wanna Grow Up
All The Right Reasons- Dressy Bessy Little Music
Holiday Spirit- The dB's Christmas Time
Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas- Eels Useless Trinkets...
Join Us For Christmas- AlternativA A Night In Starlight
Joseph, Who Understood- The New Pornographers The Spirit Of Giving
>She's Coming Home- The Wailers Merry Christmas
Christmas On The Beach- Irene Swedesplease Christmas Mix
The Elf Song- The Vacancies A Blackheart Christmas
Christmas With You- The Spring Collection Santa Claus and The Power Pop Criminals
The Christmas That Almost Wasn't- Osaka Popstar Osaka Popstar and The American Legends of Punk
Christmas In New York- Kyf Brewer It's About Christmas
Christmas Is My Favorite Time- The Malibus Keep An Eye On...
The Christmas Wish- Kermit The Frog A Christmas Together

^Power Pop Peak: 1977 (Didn't chart but I remember hearing it on rock radio)

*SacroSet: A Midnight Christmas Mess

>Power Pop Prototype: 1965

Here's a cool thing- type "rock and roll Santa" into Google images and you'll have a wide variety of pictures and clip art to choose from. It was a tough choice, but I went with the picture above because there's something about the way he's positioned his back leg that I find hilarious.


I'm lucky that Christmas has always been a happy time in my life. When I was a kid my dad would drive the family to Boston to see Santa. We'd park in the garage under Boston Common and step out of the elevator into a Christmas wonderland- it seemed like every tree was festooned with a thousand lights. From the Common it was a short walk to the Jordan Marsh department store. My mother told me that the "real" Santa was at Jordan Marsh and all the others were "helpers." The line to see Santa seemed endless but we were patient because there was so much to see in his Enchanted Village.  You'd get your first taste of the Enchanted Village in the display windows outside. Each window featured a tableau of moving figures in some winter or Christmas activity. This was nothing compared to the larger Enchanted Village on the sixth floor of the store. It was a walk through this magical old-timey town all done up for Christmas.

Like a lot of kids, I was initially freaked out by the people in the Enchanted Village, especially the children. Yet, I think this initial fear only added to their allure later on because I still remember several scenes today. The ceiling lit like a starry night sky also made a lasting impression. (Interestingly, I have no memory of the "eight set Lionel electric train display" mentioned in Wikipedia.)

The Enchanted Village closed in 1972, when I was eight years old so it's amazing that I remember anything about it. Macy's, which bought Jordan Marsh, Filene's and seemingly every other department store in America, resurrected the Enchanted Village for a few years in the 90's before the city took it over. It now resides at the Jordan's Furniture store in Avon, which I find ironic because for years Barry and Elliott of Jordan's ended their radio commercials with "not to be confused with Jordan Marsh."

This is my third Christmas radio show, the second named "The All Kindsa Girls Christmas Crush." In the past I've tried to stick mostly to positive Christmas songs but this year I decided I would open it up to darker music. This decision lead to the selection of Midnight Records' A Midnight Christmas Mess for tonight's SacroSet. I used to love going to the Midnight Records store on West 23rd Street in New York City, right across the street from the Chelsea Hotel. The store opened in 1978 and was owned by this French guy named J.D. He sold all kinds of underground rock and roll, but specialized in psychedelic and garage rock, stocking a lot of European imports you couldn't get anywhere else. The store's success lead to a record label and the 1984 album A Midnight Christmas Mess.

Maybe it's a New York thing, but a lot of the songs on the record are pretty bleak, from LA group Wednesday Week's

The Dogmatics

yearning for a New York City Christmas to Plan 9's lament about homeless old people and hungry children. My favorite song on the record is Boston band The Dogmatics' "Xmas Time (It Sure Doesn't Feel Like It):"

It's the 20th of December
The rain is coming down
Kenmore Square's deserted now
The college kids have left town
And it sure don't feel Christmas time
It sure doesn't feel like Christmas time

Down in Filene's Basement
I'm shopping for a friend
A holiday is nothing
If you have no money to spend
And it sure don't feel Christmas time
It sure doesn't feel like Christmas time

Standing in front of the Pine Street
You got nowhere to go
Your standing there on the sidewalk
Your feet are getting cold
And it sure don't feel Christmas time
It sure doesn't feel like Christmas time

The Christmas lights on The Common
They don't look so pretty to me
There's no such thing as peace on earth
Peace and harmony
And it sure don't feel Christmas time
It sure doesn't feel like Christmas time Oh no....

Growing older you realize that Christmas is a hard time for a lot of people and this song brings the point home. The line about "standing in front of the Pine Street" really gets me. The Pine Street Inn is the oldest homeless shelter in Boston. Since 1980 it has occupied the old central fire station, an iconic piece of Boston architecture thanks to a 156 foot tower that looks like a medieval castle and is clearly visible from Rt. 93, the main road to the south. Whenever I'm in town the Inn tower reminds me that while a lot of people are suffering, there are also people who've made it their life's work to help.

Here's wishing you an Enchanted Village Christmas along with hope for a better tomorrow to those having a Pine Street Inn Christmas.

Download link for this week's show is below (Right click and "Save Link As:"
ALL KINDSA GIRLS #70 CHRISTMAS CRUSH