This Is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio # 1006: THE COUNTDOWN!

If This Is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio with Dana & Carl will ever be remembered for anything, I hope it’s for our dedication to one simple ideal, something we’ve said many times before: great records don’t care what year it is.

That ideal certainly isn’t unique to our show. Rodney Bingenheimer predates us, Mike Murray and Michael McCartney (among others) have been doing it for quite some time, Little Steven starting doing it a little after us, and there are dozens of wonderful radio shows that continue to embrace a love of rockin’ pop music from more than just one era. In Syracuse, both Dave Frisina‘s Soulshine and The Wax Museum with Ronnie Dark manage to pull this off in commercial settings. But most commercial radio formats view this notion with horror, insisting that playlists must be either classic or contemporary, and never the twain shall meet. 

They are dead wrong.

I will keep insisting on this until I am no longer able to draw breath: Right now is always the best time ever to be a fan of pop music. You can keep listening to every old song you ever loved, and you can mix those proven fave raves with fresh discoveries. You don’t need to worry about when a record was born. 2019 was the first time I heard a 1968 soul single called “Breakin’ Down The Wall Of Heartache” by The Bandwagon, and I loved it immediately. It made our countdown this year, alongside a number of irresistible 2019 releases and a bunch of gems we’ve cherished for years, some for decades. Right now. 

Right now. 

The annual countdown show allows us to reflect on the glory of what we played the most often over the past year. Our intrepid pal Fritz Van Leaven keeps track of what we’re doing–because Lord knows we don’t have a clue–and programs a countdown for us. It’s always terrific. How could it not be? Pop music is its own reward. And it doesn’t care about the time.

Congratulations to all of our most-played artists and most-played tracks, to all of the other performers and songs we played once or twice or whatever, and to all of the stuff we hope to play in 2020. We salute The Monkees as our most-played artist in 2019, and we celebrate our friends TIR’N’RR Allstars for their wonderful gift to us: “Waterloo Sunset,” our most-played track this year. We thank all of you for listening, and we hope you’ll remember us for that one thing: yesterday and today. Right now. Always. Right now. This is what rock ‘n’ roll radio sounded like on Sunday nights in Syracuse this year.

This Is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse on SPARK! WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

(For those interested in a deeper dive into our back story, I have written a lengthy history of TIRnRR, which I invite you to read at my blog: BOPPIN’ THE WHOLE FRIGGIN’ PLANET (The History Of THIS IS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RADIO)

Fans of pop music will want to check out Waterloo Sunset–Benefit For This Is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio, a new pop compilation benefiting SPARK! Syracuse, the home of This Is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. TIR’N’RR Allstars–Steve Stoeckel, Bruce Gordon, Joel Tinnel, Stacy Carson, Eytan Mirsky, Teresa Cowles, Dan Pavelich, Irene Peña, Keith Klingensmith, and Rich Firestone–offer a fantastic new version of The Kinks’ classic “Waterloo Sunset.” That’s supplemented by eleven more tracks (plus a hidden bonus track), including previously-unreleased gems from The Click Beetles, Eytan Mirsky, Pop Co-Op, Irene Peña, Michael Slawter (covering The Posies), and The Anderson Council (covering XTC), a new remix of “Infinite Soul” by The Grip Weeds, and familiar TIRnRR Fave Raves by Vegas With Randolph, Gretchen’s Wheel, The Armoires, and Pacific Soul Ltd. Oh, and that mystery bonus track? It’s exquisite. You need this. You’re buying the digital download from Futureman and/or the CD from Kool Kat Musik.

(AND you can still get our previous compilation This Is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio, Volume 4 on CD from Kool Kat Musik and as a download from Futureman. We live in a world of plenty!)

PS: SEND MONEY!!!! We need tech upgrades like Elvis needs boats. Spark Syracuse is supported by listeners like you. Tax-deductible donations are welcome at 

http://sparksyracuse.org/support/

# 12 HINDU LOVE GODS: Raspberry Beret (Rhino, WARREN ZEVON: Genius)

# 11 THE GREAT SOCIETY: Someone To Love (Sundazed, Born To Be Burned)

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# 10 CLOCKWORK FLOWERS: Luminous Spinning Discs (theclockworkflowers.com, Colours Vol. 4: Green)

# 9 WARREN ZEVON: Poor Poor Pitiful Me (Rhino, Genius)

# 8 THE BROTHERS STEVE: We Got The Hits (thebrotherssteve.com, # 1)

# 7 T BONE BURNETT: Jellico Coal Man (Columbia, Johnny Cash: Forever Words)

# 6 ANNY CELSI: Sideways Rain (Ragazza, Kaleidoscope Heart: 12 Golden Hits)

# 5 THE O’JAYS: Put Your Hands Together (Epic, Love Train)

# 4 HARMONIC DIRT: Maybe (harmonicdirt.com, Anthracite)

# 3 BIG STAR: September Gurls (Ardent, # 1 Record/Radio City)

# 2 JIM BASNIGHT: Best Lover In The World (Precedent, Not Changing)

# 1 TIR’N’RR ALLSTARS: Waterloo Sunset (Kool Kat Musik [CD] or Futureman [download], VA: Waterloo Sunset–Benefit For This Is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio)

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THE NUTLEY BRASS: I Wanna Be Sedated (Sanctuary, Ramones Songbook)