Snap, Crackle, POP! with Alec Cumming

Watch this space: my goal is to combine this Tuesday March 3rd 2026 Snap Crackle POP! 7-9 am episode (which is 95% dedicated to Neil music) with the previous Monday March 2nd Snap Crackle POP! 7-9 am episode (which is 100% dedicated to Neil music and is co-hosted by the great Dawn Eden Goldstein), and neaten it all up somehow, so you can get all yer NEIL SEDACKY [tm Carole King] in one place. Stay tun-ed. (And if anyone wonders how my daughter's fabulous new single made the set list, I would argue she's following a Brill Building-path and has major-league songwriting chops - like, yes, Neil - and that her track can stand with the others on this show. Seriously.) Working On a Groovy Thing– The 5th Dimension  Let the Good Times In – The Love GenerationLet the Good Times In – The Partridge FamilyRainy Jane – Davy JonesSugar (demo) – Neil SedakaWe Had a Good Thing Goin' – The Cyrkle  (Is This The Way To) Amarillo – Tony ChristieI'm a Song, Sing Me – Neil Sedaka  Superbird – Neil Sedaka Solitaire – Neil SedakaIt Hurts to Be in Love – Gene Pitney Donna – 10cc Love Will Keep us Together – The Captain & TenillePuppet Man – The 5th Dimension   Don't Let It Mess Your Mind The Hungry Years – Neil Sedaka  The Immigrant – Neil Sedaka  Just Once In My Life (demo) – Carole KingOcean In His Eyes – Glen CambellMy Life – Julia Cumming Everything Put Together Falls Apart – Paul Simon  Beginning to Breathe Again – Neil Sedaka

I am probably going to re-upload this show shortly, vut for the time being here's this morning's Snap Crackle POP! tribute to Neil Sedaka, with my amazing co-host Dawn Eden Goldstein! [All songs are performed by Neil Sedaka unless otherwise noted.] That's When the Music Takes Me Stupid Cupid – Connie Francis  The Diary I Go Ape One Way Ticket (To the Blues) Oh! Carol Oh! Neil – Carole King  Where The Boys Are – Connie Francis Personality – Lloyd Price  Calendar Girl Breaking Up Is Hard to Do I Can't Stay Mad at You – Skeeter Davis  Magic Colors –  Lesley GoreKissin' My Life Away (excerpt) – The Hondells When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door) – The Monkees Oh, Don't Come Crying Back To Me – Something Young Just to Let You Know (I Love You So) – California (Curt Boettcher)Beautiful You Love Will Keep Us TogetherLaughter In the Rain Bad Blood Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (Slow Version) Anywhere You're Gonna Be (Leba's Song) 

Snowhaustion? These g-ddamn blizzards keep happening on Sunday nights, which means these days that the Monday- and Tuesday- wee hours commute to WPKN's Fairfield Avenue studios in downtown Bridgeport becomes impossible, so I have to pre-record these shows, which often improves the quality of the show (yay!) but it takes me too much damn time to prepare (boo!_ because I fuss over them too much. (Did I write about this about yesterday's show? I'm losing it, people. A mind is a terrible thing.)This was actually a re-jiggered - and, franky, improved - January 26th show. I think it came out well. My apologies to Steve Di Costanzo for  my forgetting to mention that I was filling in for his RADIO BASE CAMP SHOW, as I will continue to do until April. Enjoy your world travels, Steve, but get back here safely and soonly! Cold, Cold, Cold – Little FeatBlizzard of '77 – Nada SurfCold Hands, Warm Heart – Brendan BensonSnowglobe – Sugar Fight Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street BandColdest Winter EVER! – Lewis BlackShe’s So Cold – The Rolling StonesIce Cold Daydream – Shuggie Otis  Slip Slidin’ Away – Paul SimonThe Blizzard – Camera ObscuraCold, Cold Heart – Norah Jones (Hank Williams cover)Out In the Cold Again – Sam CookeSnow – Claudine Longet (Randy Newman cover) Snowfall – EisleyLooks Like a Cold, Cold Winter – Ingrid MichaelsonSong for a Winter’s Night – Gordon LightfootHazy Shade of Winter – Simon & GarfunkelAvenue – Saint Etienne The Fox in The Snow – Belle & Sebastian Cold Light of Day – Lewisburg Howlin’ Wind – Graham Parker & The Rumour (R.I.P. & thank you Andrew Bodnar)Ice Cold Ice – Hüsker DüWhen It Touches You, A Snowflake Dies – Norma TanegaSoon It Will Be Cold Enough – Emancipator It’s a Cold Night for Alligators – Roky EricksonThe Blizzard – Jim Reeves Amid the Falling Snow – EnyaThe Frozen Man – James Taylor  Walking On Thin Ice – Yoko OnoSometimes in Winter – Blood, Sweat & Tears (Hey, you guys know that you can friend me on Facebook so you can get the latest info on upcoming SCP broadcasts, right??)

Today was the crazy-ass "Calvin" blizzard day - still happening as I post this - so for this morning it was time for another last-minute Sunday pre-recorded Snap Crackle POP! show for a Monday morning. And yeah, yada yada I like to do these shows live, weather traffic yada yada, and pre-recording is such a pain because I fuss over the shows too much (tho grateful to have an opportunity to delete all my ummms and ahhhs and delete my word-retrieval shenanigans). But this show gets to the point, PLUS I get to play my daughter Julia's first-ever solo single. I'm enjoying the re-listen, especially after last week's live fiascoes. Valhalla, I am coming!=================Cold Rain and Snow (live at the Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY 2/21/1971) – Grateful Dead  Angel In the Snow – Elliot Smith Valley Winter Song – Fountains of Cold As Ice – Foreigner Hazy Shade of Winter – The Bangles Wu Tang – They Might Be GiantsGoodbye Girl – The Shins Junior’s Farm (live BBC 2) – Squeeze Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five – Paul McCartney and Wings The Immigrant Song – Led ZeppelinSnow Blind – Black SabbathHeavy Snow – Lightnin’ HopkinsCold, Cold Heart – Hank WilliamsHold Steady – Queen Esther Headless Heroes – Eugene McDaniels My Life – Julia Cumming  Anyone Who Ever Had a Heart (live) – Wynonna So Far Away – Carole KingThat’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be – Carly Simon American Obituary – U2How Much Did You Get for Your Soul? – Lucinda WilliamsA Plea – Flea The Windows of the World – Dionne WarwickWinter (Giles Martin 2020 mix) – The Rolling StonesFrozen Pines – Lord Huron White Winter Hymnal – Fleet FoxesFreeing Wheels – Souled American

Laissez les bons temps rouler! Yes, this is a fundraiser for our dear radio station, but the music is SO GOOD and I had SO MUCH FUN. Christine Ohlman (The Beehive Queen!) and Amy Wachtel (The Night Nurse!) and I had never hung out - heck, I hadn't even met Christine, a legendary and soulful vocalist/performer who fronts NBC's Saturday Night Live, whom I was hoping I could someday meet, until 10 minutes to air. (I was 50 minutes late!!! So sorry ladies.) It was such a pleasure doing this show, and - you know - I really do miss New Orleans. I gotta get back there, tout de suite!!!Barefootin' – Robert ParkerEnjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) – The Specials504 – Soul Rebels Brass Band  Meet De Boys On The Battlefront - The Wild TchoupitoulasIko, Iko – The Dixie CupsJa Funmi – King Sunny Ade 79rs Bout to Blow – 79rs Gang Holy Cow – Lee DorseyLet the Four Winds Blow – Toots & The MaytalsHey Pocky Way – The Neville Brothers She Put the Hurt on Me – Prince La LaWho Shot the Lala – Oliver MorganThey All Ask'd for You – The MetersParty Time – Lee “Scratch” Perry  Tell It Like It Is – Aaron NevilleYou Talk Too Much – Joe Jones Here Comes the Hotstepper – Ini KamozeTime Is On My Side – Irma ThomasHouse Of The Rising Sun – Gregory Isaacs Tell The Truth (Uptown Remix) – Jon Batiste feat. Big Chief RomeoLady Marmalade – LaBelleTrick Bag – Earl KingI'm Gone – Jon Cleary One Scotch – Admiral Bailey & Chaka DemusSophisticated Cissy – The MetersOoh Poo Pah Do – Jessie HillMy People – Cha Wa Right Place Wrong Time – Dr. JohnLife (Is What You Make of It) – Frighty Ride Your Pony – Lee DorseySay Hey [I Love You] – Michael Franti & Spearhead Feat. Cherine AndersonBony Moronie –  Larry WilliamsWalking To New Orleans – Fats Domino Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans? -  Louis Armstrong

As part WPKN's Black History Month celebration, I focus here on the type of music Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell made - something I'm here calling "Black Orchestral Pop", and what some others would call "Champagne Soul" (although that can be a problematic phrase to the creators themselves). Ironically, this music is such a focus of love and a huge topic for me... it was ridiculous that I dedicated a 2-hour show to it - I only played one Thom Bell song, right at the end. I HAVE TO DO ANOTHER ONE. There Goes My Baby – The DriftersSmoke Gets In Your Eyes – The PlattersI Only Have Eyes For You – The FlamingosDon't Make Me Over – Dionne WarwickMake It Easy On Yourself – Jerry ButlerBaby I'm Yours – Barbara LewisAny Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird) – Chuck JacksonI Hear a Symphony – The SupremesReach Out (I'll Be There) –The Four TopsMy Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) – David RuffinGive Me Just a Little More Time – Chairmen of the BoardStay with Me – Lorraine EllisonThe Last One to Be Loved – Lou JohnsonGoin' Out of My Head – Little Anthony & the ImperialsAin't Nothing Like the Real Thing – Marvin Gaye & Tammi TerrellSomeday We'll Be Together – Diana Ross & the SupremesCalifornia Soul – The 5th DimensionWhere Is the Love – Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (Groovefunkel Extended Remix)A Song for You – Donny HathawayI'm Going Down – Rose RoyceJust My Imagination (Running Away with Me) – The TemptationsKeep On Truckin' (part 1) – Eddie KendricksRainy Night In Georgia – Brook BentonDidn't I Blow Your Mind This Time – The Delfonics

Today’s Snap Crackle POP! was a tribute to the epic production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare. Sly passed away on January 26th 2026 at the age of 73.============================== Double Barrel – Dave & Ansell CollinsRight Time – The Mighty DiamondsTwo Sevens Clash – CultureGet Up Stand Up – Peter Tosh Sponji Reggae – Black UhuruGreetings – Half PintDon't Stop the Music – Bits & Pieces Pull Up to the Bumper – Grace JonesPadlock (Larry Levan Mix) – Gwen Guthrie Jokerman – Bob DylanSo Good, So Right – Joe CockerGirls Watching – Ian Dury Breakdown – Grace JonesJust Another Night – Mick Jagger Murder She Wrote – Chaka Demus & PliersHere Comes the Hotstepper – Ini Kamoze

In tribute to, and in acknowledgement of, the Battle of '26 in wintry Minneapolis. Enclosed photo is by Philip Cheung for The New Yorker.====================================Why Can't We Live Together – Timmy ThomasStreets of Minneapolis – Bruce SpringsteenHow Much Did You Get for Your Soul? – Lucinda WilliamsKnow Your Rights – The ClashCity of Heroes – Billy BraggJoin Ice – Jesse WellesIt Isn't Nice – Malvina ReynoldsWhat It Means – Drive-By TruckersBradley Manning – Cass McCombsCome Out You Cowrads ICE – Carsie BlantonI Hate the Capitalist System – Barbara DaneMan In Black – Johnny CashWe Shall Not Be Moved – Mavis StaplesBlack Boys on Mopeds – Sinead O'ConnerMinnesota Nazis – NOFXWho'll Stand With Us? – Dropkick Murphys(It Takes All Kinds To) Make a World – Gail Ann DorseyEverybody Hurts – Al GreenPower to the People – John LennonBring Down the Government – LindisfarneRockin' In The Free World – Neil YoungNew World Coming – Mama Cass 

I've been doing two "drivetime" 7 - 9 am airshifts lately on WPKN 89.5 FM Bridgeport lately  - my regular Monday morning one and, for a bit, the Tuesday morning slot too, covering for a world-wandering Steve Di Costanzo. I like doing these shows live, as I can announce times and give weather reports and even traffic news if I can find and organize it (which I'm not too good at yet). But I live in Mystic CT these days, and because of the massive Sunday snowstorm, I was asked to pre-record my Monday and Tuesday shows, and...While I like how the pre-recorded shows come out, I spend too much time on them, trying to make them "perfect", and prepping Monday's "blizzard" show was exhausting. So when I finished that one, I decided I would do a replay of a REVOLVER thing I did at the time the massive (and expensive) REVOLVER box set came out, in fall 2022, using - as its base - a syndicated radio special created by NYC FM radio hero Dan Neer. What you hear here is a greatly expanded 80-minute-ish version of that special, featuring many of the re-mixes and outtakes from the original 1966 sessions, plus interviews with the Beatles themselves and both George and Giles Martin (many from a cool crowdsourced internet-only audio series called "The Beatles Anthology Revisited") plus additional commentary from... Beatle nerd me. The remaining half-an-hour of the show is a melange of interesting basic tracks, overdubs and pieces from 1969's ABBEY ROAD sessions, plus a John Lennon run-through of "Julia" from 1968's WHITE ALBUM sessions, all intersperesed with soundbites and noises from John, Paul, George and producer George Martin. Not everyone will agree, but for me and (I know) for some of you - this stuff is endlessly fascinating. I listened to the whole shebang this morning on an Amazon Dot and I was shocked - not only at how good the remixes sounded through that little speaker, coming from its tiny compressed WPKN signal - but how much astonishing energy, creativity and brilliance is captured in all those tracks. In 1966, they were more united and ambitious than ever, and they were untouchable.(Oh - we started off with the new remix of "Free As a Bird", which I think is just fine.)===================Free As a Bird (2025 mix) Paperback Writer (excerpts from takes 1 & 2 + 2022 mix)Taxman (2022 mix)Eleanor Rigby (strings session + partial 2022 mix)I’m Only Sleeping (Take 2 + Mono mix RM1)Love You To (Take 7)Here, There and Everywhere (Take 6)She Said She Said (Mono mix)Rain (2022 mix) Good Day Sunshine (2022 mix) And Your Bird Can Sing (Second version/Take 5 + 2022 mix)For No One (Take 10 + 2022 mix)Doctor Robert (Take 7)I Want To Tell You (Take 4 + partial 2022 mix)Got To Get You Into My Life (second version + partial 2022 mix)Tomorrow Never Knows (2022 mix) The Ballad of John & Yoko (John speech + basic track)Julia (Paul speech + John rehearsal performances)Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard/Her Majesty (medley in progress)Come Together (George Martin speech + Take 5) You Never Give Me Your Money (basic track)Something (George speech + Take 39 – strings only instrumental)Ain’t She Sweet (7/24/69 impromptu version)

This Morning’s Backstory: though I always want to do these “Snap Crackle POP!” drivetime programs live, so I can give out weather and traffic (lol) reports, I had to pre-record this one because of the blizzard-y weather, considering that I was snowed as of Sunday evening, the night before the show, way out here in Mystic.  Why my time announcements may be off here and there: uhhh... it's too esoteric to explain. Plus this is the podcast version, anyways. That said, I do TRY. Take it all with a grain of salt. And then throw that salt on the ground, will ya?Today’s theme: it’s friggin' COLD. 🥶Today's picture: my car in the driveway this morning.==========================Cold, Cold, Cold – Little FeatCold As Ice – Foreigner  Blizzard of '77 – Nada SurfCold Hands, Warm Heart – Brendan BensonSnowglobe – Sugar Fight Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street BandColdest Winter Ever – Lewis BlackShe’s So Cold – The Rolling StonesIce Cold Daydream – Shuggie Otis  Slip Slidin’ Away – Paul SimonThe Blizzard – Camera ObscuraCold Cold Heart – Norah JonesOut In the Cold Again – Sam CookeSnow – Claudine Longet  Snowfall – EisleyLooks Like a Cold, Cold Winter – Ingrid MichaelsonSong for a Winter’s Night – Gordon LightfootHazy Shade of Winter – Simon & Garfunkel The Fox in The Snow – Belle & Sebastian Cold Light of Day – Lewsberg Howlin’ Wind – Graham Parker & The RumourIce Cold Ice – Hüsker DüWhen It Touches You, A Snowflake Dies – Norma TanegaSoon It Will Be Cold Enough – Emancipator It’s a Cold Night for Alligators – Roky EriksonThe Blizzard – Jim Reeves Amid the Falling Snow – EnyaThe Frozen Man – James Taylor  Walking On Thin Ice – Yoko OnoSometimes in Winter – Blood, Sweat & Tears Comin’ In From the Cold – Bob Marley & The Wailers 

I talked a lot about and played some Life In a Blender, a fantasticly creative band from NYC who are coming up to Milford this Friday, January 23rd, 2026. And I also played some music that I'd consider twee, although I don't think that's a bad word. (Google's "AI Overview" is telling me "'Twee' describes something overly cute, sweet, quaint, or sentimental, often in an affected or delicate way, originating from a baby's pronunciation of 'sweet,' and also refers to a subgenre of innocent, simple indie pop music and an aesthetic featuring childlike whimsy, though it can sometimes be used as a mild insult" (cf. SNL's "Bein' Quirky With Zooey Deschanel").I actually do not consider LIAB "twee". Well, possibly, at moments, but not really. Anyway, this show was a melange of intelligent pop music I like, and I hope you like it too. ===================Something's Gonna Happen – Ronnie SpectorSave It For Later – The English BeatTo Love Somebody – Al GreenHow Much I Really Love You – June & The Exit WoundsThe Old Law – Father John MistyBaby Please Come Home – BubbleOh Gilbert (I Need Help) – The JunipersSnowglobe – Sugar FightVacancy for a Bluebird – Life In a BlenderMobile Wash Unit – Life In a BlenderThe Church of Laundry – Kelley RyanI Want You to Give Me Enough Time – Sunflower BeanFountains of Bellagio – Life In a BlenderZoo – AltimeterMagic Touch – Courtney Marie AdamsHere I Am – Dionne WarwickKaze Wo Atsumete – Happy EndMultiply – Dora JarMy Bar – British BirdsKarate Dentist – Ward WhiteUntil You Come Back to Me – Stevie WonderSend It To Zoom! - the cast of ZoomMemo To My Son – Randy Newman

In a recent interview with the New York Times, President Donald J. Trump said he felt the Civil Rights Movement and its reforms were harmful to white people, who “were very badly treated.” Also, the administration made sure that Martin Luther King Jr. Day - still a national holiday (for now) - would not be a day where people could visit America's national parks for free. Trump did, however, make his own birthday as a day for National Parks free admissions. For Christ's sake.  I usually steer away from political commentary on the Snap Crackle POP! show, but I wanted to do my part (as infintesimly small as it may be) to celebrate this important American holiday. I am hearing there are more-than-usual MLK Jr. day celebtations happening today, which I'm grateful for. I remember his assasination day and I was so confused by it - why? Just... why? And why are some sh*tty. powerful, hate-filled people trying to erase this day in 2026? Happy Birthday, Martin. And thank you for your brilliance and bravery. Our lonely nation (still) turns its eyes to you.====================Happy Birthday – Stevie WonderHarvest For the World – The Isley BrothersLike a Ship (Without a Sail) – Pastor T.L. Barrett and the Youth for Christ ChoirMany Rivers to Cross – Jimmy CliffThe Harder They Come – Jimmy CliffA Change Is Gonna Come – Sam CookeThis Land Is Your Land – Sharon Jones & The Dap–kingsThis World (Is Going Up in Flames) – Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street BandTell Me Mr. President – Eugene McDanielsImpeach The President – The Honey DrippersMorning Matters – Yazmin LaceyWarning Sign – Hannah JagaduMemory Be a Blade – waterbabyHold Steady – Queen EstherI'm Going Down – Rose RoyceMississippi Goddam – Nina SimoneThe Revolution Will Not Be Televised – Gil Scott–HeronInner City Blues – Marvin GayeScripto Labor Strike speech (Atlanta GA, 1964) – Martin Luther King Jr.Give the People What They Want – PJ Morton, YolaWe Shall Overcome speech (Southern Methodist University, on March 17, 1966) – Martin Luther King Jr.We Shall Overcome – Mahalia Jackson

The title of this podcast is influenced by a Reds, Pinks and Purples song lyric. Lotsa good new/new-ish music here, much in the tradition of the show I'm filling in for - Steve Di Costanzo's RADIO BASE CAMP.Hard Livin' – Railroad EarthSave Your Soul – Kathleen EdwardsPick Up That Knife – WednesdayFrontrunner – Horsegirl Gimme Time – Hannah Jagadu All We Ever Do Is Talk– Del Water GapOh Dorian – Ben Kweller (feat. MJ Lenderman)Dancing in the Club – This Is Lorelei (MJ Lenderman Version) Summer Seizures – The CribsHot Wheels – The Wedding PresentBrassneck – The Wedding PresentTherapy II – Viagra Boys Heroes – David BowieWarning Sign – Talking Heads Miss Modular – Stereolab Wreck – Neko Case I Only Ever Wanted to See You Fail – The Reds, Pinks and Purples Cruise Ship Designer – Dry CleaningSo Long – Fischer–Z Popsicle – Juliana HatfieldForgotten Dreams – Leroy Anderson

On this morning's show, I did a tribute of sorts to the great Bob Weir, who passed away over the weekend. A great big thanks to Lane Steinberg for writing insightfully about what Bob could really make happen on guitar. But before that we started off with some sexy mornin' Dusty.Just a Little Lovin' – Dusty Springfield Some of Your Lovin' – Dusty Springfield Pussywillow, Cattails – Gordon LightfootLittle Bird – The Beach Boys Glad and Sorry – The facesMy Friend the Sun – Family  How To Live – Del Water GapLose – Hannah JadaguSmall Town Joan of Arc – Del Water GapNever Ending Game (Panda Bear Remix) – Angel Du$t Holo Boy – This is LoreleiPopafangout – Sharp Pins Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand – The Who  Truckin' – Grateful DeadPlaying in the Band (Live at Manhattan Center NYC 4/6/71) – Grateful Dead Jack Straw (Live in Paris 1972) – Grateful DeadCassidy (Live at Radio City Music Hall, 1980) – Grateful Dead  Don't Let It Bring You Down – Neil YoungHere She Comes Now – The Velvet Underground Sally, Go 'Round the Roses – The Jaynetts Damn – Del Water GapSugar Magnolia (demo) – Grateful Dead

In which I finally give up and acceptance the consensus worship of my friends re: Sharp Pins. Life Is – Jessica PrattGuess I'm Dumb – Glen CampbellMock The Hours – David NanceSay It On – J MascisCoke, Suede and Waterbeds – Sopwith Camel Not Enough – Benny Sings Cruise Ship Designer – Dry CleaningWreck – Neko CaseEdge of the Ocean – Ivy Keep On Movin' – Soul II Soul Hold Steady – Queen EstherVague Utopia – Tia GostelowI Knew Love – Sunflower Bean Under the Milky Way – The Church Astor Place – Edward RogersDominoes – Mary Timony Traffic and Weather – Fountains of Wayne  Popsicle – Juliana Hatfield Is It Better – Sharp PinsQueens of Globes and Mirrors – Sharp Pins Queens of Cans and Jars – Guided By Voices But You Just Woke Me Up – This Is Lorelei Elderberry Wine – Wednesday Baby, Now That I've Found You – Alison Krauss

For the first show of a precarious new year, I chose to focus on a theme of reletively obscure 1970's "deep cuts", apropos of... nothing. Some great songs, though. The first song isn't all that obscure, but the movie it served as the theme song for is deeply quaint; it's about a late '70s commercial rock radio station being forced (gasp) into using a format and playing from a songs list , and the outrage that then ensues - how dare they take away the deejay's rights to play whatever the hell they want? Like I said, quaint... in terms of commercial radio, of course... but not so much for our beloved WPKN.FM – Steely DanShe Might Have Been a Nice Girl – The Guess WhoGramophone Man – SpiritBluebird – Leon RussellShe Wandered Through the Garden Fence – Procol HarumHeart To Hang Onto – Ronnie Lane & Pete TownsendLily (Are You Happy) – Darryl Hall & John OatesLook What You've Done – BreadStrawberry Flats – Little FeatO Lucky Man! – Alan PriceGrey Seal – Elton JohnFriends – Elton JohnRunning Back – Phil LynottSuite: Clouds, Rain – David GatesThatcherie (from "Inner Space") – Sven LibaekStrawberry Letter 23 – Shuggie OtisReal Thing – Drugdealer (feat. Weyes Blood)Keep It Warm – Flo & EddieCritics Choice – ChicagoLet's Pretend – The Lemon TwigsOvernight Sensation – The RaspberriesFriends – Buzzy Linhart

This was a fill-in episode for Steve Di Costanzo's classin WPKN morning show, RADIO BASE CAMP. I should be doing a lot of these Tuesday shows as well as the Monday shows, and that's good because I can get better at this. Because it's the Eve of New Year's Eve, I went with that as the theme; hour 1 is more of a downer than hour 2. Millennium – Robbie Williams  Auld Lang Syne – Guy Lombardo Enjoy Yourself (It's Later than You Think) – Guy LombardoIn These Shoes? – Kirsty MacCollHappy New Year Next Year – Violent Femmes Getting Ugly Out There – Wille NileA Town Called Malice – The Jam New Year – SVTTogether We'll Ring In the New Year – Motion City Soundtrack  The New Year (demo) – Death Cab For CutieMy New Year's Resolutions – Mae West Resolution Blues – Dinah WashingtonBrand New Year – Eric Carmen Better Things – The Kinks Life Gets Better – Graham Parker Shooting Star – Sunflower Bean Happy New Year – Camera Obscura Walk Out to Winter – Aztec Camera  Romeo – Edward Rogers This Will Be My Year – Semisonic A Little Bit of Light Banter – SparksGlad Tidings – Van Morrison Higher Ground – Stevie Wonder This Will Be Our Year – The Zombies Auld Lang Syne – The Beach Boys Wake The World – The Beach Boys

There's been a lot of CBGBs in the air lately at WPKN, courtesy of programmers Dave Schneider (The Zambonis), Chris Frantz (Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club) - yes, THE Chris Frantz -and Rob Tannenbaum, a great music journalist who produced a must-have (IMHO) new box set for Cherry Red Records named "CBGB: A New York City Soundtrack 1975-1986". Inspired by the annual CTBGs show at the Fairfield Theater Company, I programmed a mainly-early CBGBs music set. This music is so important to me - and to many many other musicians and fans, whether they realize it or not.  Punk Rock, "New Wave" and Alternative Rock STARTS HERE. In The Congo – The BongosMy Three Sons (Revolve Around the Earth) – The IndividualsFa cé-La – The FeeliesJealousy – The ColorsLove & Emotion – Mink DeVilleTrapped Again – Southside Johnny & the Asbury JukesTeenage News – Sylvain SylvainTwo Tub Man – The DictatorsI Need a Million – The Laughing DogsBeat On the Brat – The RamonesRed Lights – The MarblesBlack and White (Don Dixon Mix) – The dBsTell Me Your Plans – The ShirtsPretty Dress – Cryptic SoupPicture This – BlondieFrederick – Patti Smith GroupDays – TelevisionThe Book I Read – Talking HeadsGreen For Go – PolyrockThere She Goes – Nervus RexChristmas Weather – Student TeachersDecember 26th – Alicia Witt (feat. John Paul White)(I'll Be Glad When) Christmastime Is Done – Bite the Wax Godhead

It's a Christmas week episode - what a concept! I owe my friend Al Quagliari a huge thank for providing me with lots of wondrous and oft silly Christmas and New Year's songs and soundbites, and for turning me on to Bob Rivers, the Weird Al of Christmas music. It may have been a bit self-indulgent to play my own Christmas song at the end, but I'm working on a larger Bite the Wax Godhead project at the moment, so I'm hoping to give my and Cynthia's old band just a bit of additional visibilty in the next few months before we return to obscurity. And the song isn't half-bad. This was a fun show to prepare and pull off. Happy Holidays!Merry Christmas Baby – Otis Redding O Little Town of Bethlehem – Bob RiversBounce of the Sugar Plum Fairy – John Kirby and His Orchestra Joy To the World – The ButtiesI Don't Intend to Spend Christmas Without You – Margo GuryanTchotchkes– Tchotchke & The Lemon Twigs  Decorations – Bob Rivers (Yes It's) Christmas – War Christmas In Suburbia – The Cleaners from Venus Bellringers Are Hungover – Lorraine BowenThe Christmas Song – Big Dee Irwin & Little EvaOld Toy Trains – Roger MillerChristmas At the Airport – Nick Lowe  How Do You Spell Channukkahh? – The LeeveesI Saw Hanukkah Harry Beat Up Santa Claus – Hal Singer Sled Zeppelin – Bob Rivers Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town – John DavidsonWhat Christmas Means to Me – Stevie Wonder God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/Carol of the Bells – Robert Glasper & Cynthia ErivoChristmas Time Is Here (Vocal Version – studio chatter + Takes 6 & 7) – Vince Guaraldi & St. Paul's Episcopal Church Youth ChoirSanta Don't Go – FarrahYou Trashed My Christmas – The PrimitivesXmasploitation (Santa's Badass Revenge) – monochronic All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) – Nat King Cole (MJ Cole Remix)  Father Christmas – The Kinks Silver and Gold – Rosine (featuring Nancy Howell and Mark Lerner)  (I'll Be Glad When) Christmastime is Done – Bite the Wax Godhead

In which we hear from The Elbow Patches (aka John Dunbar), Downtown Mystic, Guerilla Toss, Drugdealer (fronted by Weyes Blood!),The Belair Lip Bombs, a ridiculously hot early take of Vince Guaraldi's "Skating" from 1965, and many more fine performers and combos.Add Some Music To Your Day – The Beach Boys Eyes of the World (Shorefire Remix) – Downtown Mystic You Can't Kid Yourself Anymore – The Elbow Patches Play On – The Lemon TwigsLet's Pretend – The RaspberriesCuddly Toy – The MonkeesRed Flag to Angry Bull – Guerilla TossHeartthrob – Indigo De SouzaChocolates – The Aluminum GroupTwiggy Twiggy/Twiggy vs James Bond – Pizzicato 5Real Thing – Drugdealer, Weyes Blood Love Me or Let Me Be Lonely – The Friends of DistinctionSay My Name – The Belair Lip BombsTry To Make It – SloanTeenage FBI – Guided By Voices Quite the Opposite – Dominic FikeTomorrow Tomorrow – Brad Mehldau & Daniel Rossenclassic love – Luke Roberts & Kurt Vile Grocery Store – Kate MicucciThe Crumble Song (brown sugar remix) – Lorraine BowenBaby Doll – JuniperAnnie Almond – The JunipersLooking For Santa – The Hungry Dutchmen Southhold Santa – The HunkerdownsSkating  (#7, Take 2/September 22, 1965) – Vince Guaraldi Trio