Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll Podcast

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Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll_168 Oct 15, 2022

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R&SRNR #_168 – "TOP 40 HALLOWEEN HITS COUNTDOWN"

For our Halloween spooktacular, we've conjured up a countdown of the 40 greatest trick or treat tunes of all time.

The Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll grooveyard ghouls have scared up monster hits by Bobby "Boris" Pickett, Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, the Ramones, Credence Clearwater Revival, Santana, the Eagles, the J. Geils Band, Warren Zevon, Guns 'N Roses, Annie Lennox, and Donovan among many others.

Some of these macabre melodies have been raised from their vinyl resting places for the first time in decades of Halloweens.

Our very own Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, also drops by with some gruesome goodies – "trailers" and radio commercials advertising some of the most horrible horror movies of all time.

So wrap some garlic around your podcast player, don't download this show alone in the dark, and listen to it at your own risk for our selection of the 40 greatest undead ditties.

Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll_167 Oct 01, 2022

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R&SRNR_167 – "THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL"

a staple of radio, satellite, and Internet channels to this very day. Their southern swamp-rock sound belied their San Francisco-area origin. Their show business fantasies became a reality when they signed on with Fantasy – a jazz-focused independent label that didn't rock. But that little company rocked out during this band's peak years when this group's records outsold their idols and contemporaries – the Beatles.

You obviously know we're talking about Creedence Clearwater Revival. We'll trace their history beginning with their numerous recordings under other names for almost a decade until they finally found success. Then we'll sample all of their hit singles, along with the original versions of those songs by other artists who inspired them. Plus, some hit remakes by performers who found solid gold with Credence Clearwater Revival originals.

Our resident Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, has lots of fun factoids for you. He'll join Radio Dave as together we present more of the greatest rock and roll stories on record. Hear it all here.

Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll_007 Sep 15, 2022

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R&SRNR 007 – "THE COMPLETE JAMES BOND ROCKS

Nobody does it better than James Bond. He's the world's most famous super-spy. He's also a rock and pop music star thanks to the unforgettable music in his more than two dozen memorable feature films.

We've gone under cover to uncover to the top secret stories behind those songs. And our dossier of ditties also includes classified files on tunes that were submitted to the James Bond film producers, but rejected. That's even though a few of them might have been even better than the ones that survived the final cut.

This episode is a remastered, combined, and expanded version of our prior episodes #007A and #007B from 2016 to now include music from the film, "No Time To Die" - which debuted in 2021.

We'll spy on his music beginning with his introduction to American fans via a CBS-TV dramatic presention in 1954 - and continue with music from every James Bond movie ever since. This includes his surprising connections with other superstars you wouldn't think of connecting with James Bond. Those stories and those songs are for your ears only

Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll_166 Sep 01, 2022

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R&SRNR_166 – "ANSWER SONGS – THE SAGAS OF 21 HIT 45s WITH THE REST OF THE STORY"

Answer songs – tunes that respond to or expand upon the tales told in earlier recordings – have been around since the birth of popular music on wax cylinders, 78s, 33s, 45s, cassettes, CDs, and digital downloads.

We believe that our world-renowned Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll" "Groove Yard has the largest collection of answer songs on this planet – literally thousands and thousands of them.

Our musicologists have selected 21 of them from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s for us to spotlight on this episode of our little podcast series.

These include the rest of the stories involving classic hits by Chuck Berry, the Beatles, Lesley Gore, and Kenny Rogers, among others.

Many of the songs answering those recordings were just done in gest or were rebuttals to the original artist's hit. Two in particular – signature songs by Barry McGuire and later James Brown – elicited platters with political overtones by multiple other performers.

Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll_165 Aug 15, 2022

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R&SRNR #165 – "THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF JAN & DEAN" (Remastered)

This is a remastered version of our prior episode _031, It celebrates the complete hit singles history of an act whose trademark tunes are indelibly associated with songs about surfing and fast cars.

But there's much more to their musical achievements. They were innovative composers, singers, and producers. Long before their songs about riding the waves and racing dragsters, their early hits were mostly creative remakes of pop standards and other people's records. Eventually, some of their best-known material resulted from working with the Beach Boys. And while they were doing all that, this duo attended college so they could expand their career horizons. One studied graphic design and went on to create the artwork for best-selling rock and roll albums. The other was in medical school until a tragic auto accident ended that endeavor.

Their names are William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence – Jan & Dean.

We'll trace their trajectory from an early hit about an exotic dancer to their permanent place in the pantheon of performers who exemplified the California rock and roll sound of the 1960s.

Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll_164 Aug 01, 2022

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R&SRNR_164 – "THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF THE ANIMALS"

This episode salutes one of the great British invasion bands of the 1960s that we feel deserves more attention than it's gotten, probably because their hits were only on the rock charts in the U.S. and the U.K. from 1964 to 1969.

These performers actually comprised two different groups – a founding lineup from 1962 to 1966. And then a brand-new act fronted by their original lead singer. We know you know that we're talking about the Animals and then Eric Burdon & The Animals.

We'll track every one of their hit singles starting with their iconic "House of the Rising Sun," along with any original versions of those songs by other artists who inspired them. Plus, their original version of a song that later became a trademark tune for the Three Dog Night. We'll also cover the U.S. and U.K. hit singles by two Animals alumni – Eric Burdon and Alan Price.

Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll_163 Jul 15, 2022

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R&SRNR_163 – "THE REAL STORY OF THE MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET" (Show_011 Remastered & Reimagined)

Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash – their unplanned get together at the Sun recording studios in December 1956 became known as the Million Dollar Quartet. More than 50 years later it inspired a hit Broadway musical of the same name that made millions for its creators, and it's still playing at various venues around the country. But the truth is that the story that stage musical tells is mostly untrue – when it comes to the songs that Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash sang that day during their impromptu jam session.

So, we'll relate the real story of the Million Dollar Quartet and detail the not-real stuff that's in the stage musical…and speculate just a bit on why the producers staged that show the way they did. We've got a million dollars-worth of Million Dollar Quartet history for you, and you'll hear it all right here.

Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll_162 Jul 01, 2022

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R&SRNR_162 – "19 HIT SONGS THE BEATLES GAVE AWAY" Although they were only active for a little over a decade – from 1960 to 1970, the Beatles are still arguably the most influential band in rock and roll history. We previously explored this group's original recordings that were later remade into hit singles by other artists on episodes #132 and #133 of our little podcast series. But in this program, we're going to focus on the songs written by the Beatles in the 1960s and then simply handed off to other singers to perform.

These were compositions that the Beatles never commercially recorded themselves or waxed later on after another act released them first. We've identified 19 of the songs that the Beatles gave away, which became hit singles for such performers as the Rolling Stones, Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, Cilla Black, Peter & Gordon, Chad & Jeremy, Cream, Badfinger, and several others.

Those songs are all part of the greatest rock and roll stories on record. And our resident Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, joins Radio Dave as together we tell the tales behind those tunes. Hear it all here.

Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll_161 Jun 15, 2022

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R&SRNR_161 – THE FIRST ROCK & ROLL RECORD (Show _001 Remastered & Reimagined) There are lots of candidates and lots of opinions about which tune deserves that title. We've scoured our world-renowned Groove Yard, also known as our music library, for several dozen songs that qualify. These include some truly pre-historic rock songs dating back to the 1920s, 30s, and 40s that pre-date the so-called rock and roll era that began in the 1950s. We get to play portions of these platters, and you get to listen and decide for yourself. Some of these songs are still broadcast on the radio and on Internet music sources. Others are rarely, if ever heard anymore. But you'll hear them all about them all right here.

Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll_160 Jun 01, 2022

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RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_160 – "THE BIRTH OF TOP 40 RADIO"

We've mentioned a format called "Top 40 Radio" on each and every one of the 160 episodes of our little podcast series that precede this one. But we've never really defined what it is or how it got started. That is – until now.

This episode spotlights Todd Storz, a pioneering radio station owner, who many broadcasting historians credit as the "Father Of Top 40 Radio." How did 40 became the magic number instead of let's say, top 20, 30, or some other number? And why did Top 40 radio stations in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s play a wider range of musical genres than they do now? Those are just some of the topics our Resident Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, will touch on with our guest expert for this episode, veteran broadcaster, podcaster, advertising executive, author, and scholar, Jay Douglas, Ph. D.

Radio Dave will play samples of some of the songs that were heard on the radio just before and during the early years of "Top 40 Radio" – That's all along with more of the greatest rock and roll stories on record. Hear it all here.

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