Meet The Ronette

 

Yesterday I listened to a U.K. Ronnie Spector collection from 2015 called "The Very Best Of Ronnie Spector." The first half is all Ronettes, while the second half contains a few collaborations, one with Southside Johnny and two with the E Street Band, as well as some solo material. It was a pretty solid listen. 

Two tracks stood out, mostly because I simply didn't remember them, something I imagine is going to happen more and more.

"Love On A Rooftop" is a Diane Warren/Desmond Child co-write, and while it was released as a single in 1987, it failed to crack the Billboard Top 100. The other is a cover of Marshall Crenshaw's "Something's Gonna Happen," which is one of five Crenshaw tunes Ronnie recorded in 1989 with Marshall and his band, but stayed unreleased in legal limbo until 2003. I don't remember this at all. The Spector/Crenshaw collab also includes "Whenever You're On My Mind," "For His Love,""Favorite Waste of Time" and "Communication."

"Love On A Rooftop" is a fantastic pastiche of 50's doo wop and 60's girl group, albeit with a bit of unfortunate 80's synth for good measure. Why it failed to crack the Top 100, I'll never know. The Crenshaw cover is pretty much the M.C. backing track with Ronnie singing. I believe the other four tracks are on YouTube.

I don't have any post-Grammy commentary. Sorry. I watched the Knicks and the Lakers. But hey, I learned something new about Ronnie Spector. There's that! 

 

 

Songs Of The Week, 2025: 1/24-1/30

 

No Fish Today- Kid Creole & The Coconuts
Mega Bottle Ride- Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
When I Get It Right- Joan Armatrading
Uptown Top Ranking- Althea & Donna
What'll I Do For Satisfaction- Johnny Daye
I'm Where I Should Be- Paul Weller
Your Way- Paul McCartney

 

No Fish Today- Kid Creole & The Coconuts
(Kid Creole at The Ritz, early 80's, sometimes on sneaker night Mondays for $2- couldn't get better! This is from "Wise Guy," which might as well be a greatest hits record.)

Mega Bottle Ride- Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
(First round is on me if you can tell me what this song is about. I love it, anyway.)

When I Get It Right- Joan Armatrading
(Between 1982-1986, I saw Joan Armatrading live on every NYC stop. That string of albums was solid. Here's a fave.)

Uptown Top Ranking- Althea & Donna
(With the passing of Sly Dunbar, I could have chosen one of a hundred tunes. I saw this listed in a tribute, so I went with it.)

What'll I Do For Satisfaction- Johnny Daye
(A killer cut from Steve Cropper and Johnny Daye. Janet Jackson did an okay cover, but it can't hold a candle to the original.)

I'm Where I Should Be- Paul Weller
(From this week's favorite Paul Weller album "Saturns Pattern.")

Your Way- Paul McCartney
(Like much of Paul's solo work of the last 30 years, "Driving Rain" did nothing for me upon release, but slowly unfolded over time. Now, I can't say enough about how smart and wonderful it is. It could use a snip or three, but the chunk of seven or eight songs in the middle absolutely kill me. This is one of them. Dig that "Mother Nature's Son" tag!)

 

zip 

There is only one zip today, as I am now officially locked out of my original host with all my files, claiming I am being "rate limited," whatever that means.

It never ends. 

If It Ain't Baroque...

 

 "American Baroque" is a collection of chamber pop music released last year in the U.K. by Ace Records. As per usual with most compilations, there are winners and losers. But there were enough tracks and artists that were new to me to keep me digging for a few hours. 

That's where I discovered Chris & Peter Allen. Yes, it's that Peter Allen about ten years before he went to Rio. Chris Allen is not his brother. His real name is Chris Bell, but not that Chris Bell. Their 1967 long player "Album #1" is an odd mix of solid sunshine pop and strange medleys, like pairing "Come Rain Or Come Shine" with The Cowsills hit, "The Rain, The Park & Other Things," or even stranger, "The Wizard Of Oz (We're Off To see The Wizard)" with everyone's favorite "Puff, The Magic Dragon." Ace chose the best track, "My Silent Symphony" for the CD

 

You'll find familiar tracks on the CD, too, like The Merry-Go-Round, Eternity's Children, and The Stone Poneys, plus deep cuts from The Association and Left Banke singer Steve Martin. 

 

I was more intrigued by what I didn't know, like John Randolph Marr and The Fun & Games. Overall, "American Baroque" played beautifully, especially if you're into this sound.

 

 

 

 

Tom Waits For No One

 

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The Cynz & The East Brunswick Sound

 

                          

 

 

The Cynz from East Brunswick, New Jersey have a new record out. It's called "Confess" and it's even better than their last "Little Miss Lost," which would have remained off of my radar if it wasn't for our pal Shriner. Clocking in at a tight 33 minutes, "Confess" is full of hooks and melody, with more meat than your average power pop sound. 

 

Call me crazy, but I think "Ghost Rider" sounds like what I imagine a Matthew Sweet/Bruce Springsteen collab might sound. I dig their Tom Petty cover, too. 

 

Check'em out here. 

 

 

 

We Gotta Groove

 

As you may or may not have read, Brian Wilson was obsessed with the song "Shortenin' Bread," so much so, various rock stars have stories to tell about the obsession, including one incident where Iggy Pop and Elton John were hanging out with Brian and Brian played the song so many times in a row, it prompted Iggy to say, “I gotta get outta here, man. This guy is nuts.”

On February 13th, a new boxed set will be released called "We Gotta Groove," which will feature a new remix of "Beach Boys Love You," the first official release of "Adult Child," the aborted follow-up to "Love You," which includes "Shortenin' Bread," as well as 35 unreleased tracks from the "15 Big Ones"/"Love You" era, many newly remixed.

I'm not sure how you feel about these records, but I love them and I am very excited about this box.  

If I had to listen to "Shortenin' Bread" over and over, I'll go with The Cramps version.