R&SRNR_169 – “THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF THE BEACH BOYS, PART 1” This is the first of two episodes spotlighting the most enduring rock and roll band in American History. No matter what the season, it’s always summer whenever and wherever their songs are playing – the Beach Boys. They’ve sold more than 100 million recordings around the world since 1961. We’ll focus on their U.S.-charted hit singles – all of them – in a two-episode salute. It all begins with this one – show #169 – comprising the Beach Boys’ successful 45s during the1960s. Then, 15 days after the posting date of this program, our subsequent installment – edition #170 – reviews the Beach Boys’ hit singles since 1970. So, wax down your surfboard, rev up your hotrod, and grab your best girl or guy – for a Beach Boys celebration – as only our little podcast series can present it. Our resident Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, joins Radio Dave to co-anchor this episode, as we present more of the greatest rock and roll stories on record. Hear it all here.  

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.

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.

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  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 – "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.  

R&SRNR_159 – “TOP 40 LOST HITS OF 1975” This episode celebrates the “Top 40 Lost Hits Of 1975.” It was a year for more questionable content more often on your favorite rock station. There were charted tunes about incest and gratuitous sex that left little to the imagination. Plus, a vengeful father with murder on his mind and a call to political action with a naughty word that radio stations had to bleep out. And two smokin’ hits that made fun of marijuana. The same AM and FM outlets that programmed those tunes also broadcast tender love ballads and lost love laments, as well as a lot of dance records that didn’t have a lot of lyrics.  They’re all on our musical menu for this episode along with a novelty number about a notorious shark and a tribute to a beloved former U.S. President.

R&SRNR_158 – “THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF THE CARPENTERS, PART 2” This is the second of two episodes spotlighting one of the most innovative and successful brother and sister acts in popular music history – Richard and Karen – the Carpenters. Our prior episode – show #157, covered the Carpenters music from the mid-1960s to 1974. Now, on this edition – show #158 – it’s the remainder of their career. All their hit singles from 1975 to 1984 along with the original versions of those songs by other artists who inspired the Carpenters. We’ll spotlight the Carpenters connections with Neil Sedaka, Andy Williams, Herman’s Hermits, the Marvelettes, Bobby Vinton, and a group that came to be nicknamed “The Canadian Beatles” – can you guess who that band was? We’ll identify them later in this podcast. Plus, the post-Carpenters collaborations – Richard’s recording with Dusty Springfield and Karen Carpenter’s solo album under the direction famed rock and roll producer, Phil Ramone.

R&SRNR_157 – “THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF THE CARPENTERS, PART 1” This is the first of two episodes spotlighting one of the most innovative and successful brother and sister acts in popular music history – Richard and Karen – the Carpenters. We thought we could fit their story into just one show, and we promoted that on the prior edition of our little podcast series – show #156. But, as we went deeper into their inventory of hit singles, we happily discovered that two episodes would best present the totality of their tuneage. On this episode – show #157, we’ll feature the Carpenters music from the mid-1960s to 1974. Then, two weeks after the posting of this episode, our next show – #158 – it’s the remainder of their career. So, join us for the Carpenters connections to musician and record company mogul, Herb Alpert, singer/songwriter, Paul Williams, the “Sesame Street” series on public television, and an Academy Award-nominated major Hollywood movie soundtrack.

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_156 – “30 HIT SINGLES FROM THE GOLDEN ERA OF GARAGE BANDS” The episode spotlights “30 Hit Singles From The Golden Era Of Garage Bands” – a time period we’ve defined for the purposes of this episode as the mid-1960s to 1970. Garage bands were usually young amateurs with some rudimentary music training who practiced or just played for the fun of it in a garage attached to one of their member’s homes. Their gigs and 45 RPM releases, if any, were primarily heard by regional audiences. But several of these recordings actually became nationally charted singles – including some “Top 10” smashes. And a few of these groups went on to wax multiple hits and enjoy extensive professional careers. Others were just fondly remembered in their hometowns and nowhere else. As always, our resident Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, will join Radio Dave as we present more of the greatest rock and roll stories on record. Hear it all here.  

R&SRNR_155 – “THE TOP 40 LOST HITS OF 1966” This episode spotlights The Top 40 Lost Hits Of 1966. It was a vintage year for music, including some great records you never seem to hear on the radio, or the satellite or on anyone’s live stream anymore. Featured artists include a British band who named themselves after an American rock and roll icon. We’ll also spotlight a dynamic singer known as “Mr. Excitement” as well as the “Black Elvis.” And we’ll demonstrate how some genuine, original hit 45s by two selected acts are probably not the versions contained on some of the greatest hits collections for these artists that are available on CDs or online downloads. 1966 also was a vintage year for network television – including the debut of the only prime time action-adventure series ever with first run episodes broadcast two nights every week. Our resident Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, will be along to cover that plus some other news worth noting from that memorable year. And Ken will join Radio Dave as we present more of the greatest rock and roll stories on record. Hear it all here.

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_154 – “THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF CHUBBY CHECKER” This episode salutes a recording artist who popularized more teenage dance styles than any other performer in rock and roll history. He also recorded hits with novelty, surfing, folk, pop, Christmas and Christian-themed songs – Chubby Checker. We’ll cover every Chubby Checker hit single – starting with his debut 45 in 1959 and continuing on to his last charted CD in 2013. Our presentation also includes the original versions of songs that Chubby Checker made famous. And we’ll also spotlight some of his tuneful, but commercially failed attempts with psychedelic, soul, funk, and country songs. Then, there’s also his numerous overseas-only releases performed with European-based bands. Along the way, we’ll detail the derivation of Chubby Checker’s stage name. Plus, his hit music connections with Dick Clark, Bobby Rydell, Dee Dee Sharp, and the Fat Boys, among others, as well as his major Hollywood motion picture with Dion.

R&SRNR_151 – “THE HISTORY OF FOUR ELVIS PRESLEY SIGNATURE SONGS” This episode celebrates the original versions of four songs that Elvis Presley made into his very own trademark tunes – and the fascinating stories involved with their histories. One in particular – “Are You Lonesome Tonight” – has attracted a lot of attention and some disagreements among musicologists during the course of the past several decades. We’ll set the record straight on the provenance of that recording, along with the truly rare and scratchy hit originals that pre-dated Elvis Presley’s rendition. We’ll also present all of the numerous answer songs that were waxed in response to, as well as to take commercial advantage of Elvis Presley’s recording. Then, there are three more Elvis Presley super hit signature songs – “It’s Now Or Never,” “Surrender,” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” We’ll trace their early twentieth century connections to some famed operatic tenors. And we’ll sample the original versions, including some of the rarest platters on this planet. As always, our resident Rockologist Ken Deutsch joins Radio Dave as we present more of the greatest rock and roll stories on record. Hear it all here.

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_153 – “THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF DION AS A SOLO ARTIST” This is the second of two episodes chronicling the hit singles history of Dion & The Belmonts. Our prior installment – show #152 – covered all of Dion & The Belmonts hits singles while they were together, followed by the Belmonts charted 45s after Dion left the group. Now, on this episode #153, we’ll document Dion’s primary post-Belmonts hit-making decades – the 1960s and 1970s. Our presentation also includes the original versions of songs that Dion made famous. Plus, songs originated by Dion that later became hits for other artists. Few singers can match Dion’s diverse repertoire – rock and roll, doo wop, ballads, the blues, sunshine pop, country, folk, and religious. Surprisingly, most his hit singles have disappeared from radio, satellite, and Internet radio playlists, but we’ve got those tunes in our famed Groove Yard music archive, so you’ll hear samples of all of them. As always, our resident Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, will be along with fascinating factoids. Together with your "Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll Host, Radio Dave, we've got the greatest rock and roll stories on record.  Here it all here.

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_152 – “THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF DION & THE BELMONTS” This is the first of two episodes chronicling the hit singles history of Dion & The Belmonts. They were among the leading male vocal groups of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and they made an indelible impact on rock and roll history. This installment of our little podcast series – show #152 – covers all of their hit singles while they were together, followed by the Belmonts charted 45s after Dion left the group. Then, two weeks after the posting of this episode, our show #153 will document Dion’s hit-making decades – the 1960s and 1970s – when he went on to solo fame. Our presentation also includes the original versions of songs that inspired Dion & The Belmonts – and later on, just the Belmonts – to fashion their own takes into memorable hits. We’re joined on this episode by Nay Nassar, an acclaimed expert on the vocal groups of the 1950s and 1960s.