Tag Archives: Nolan Strong and The Diablos

Radio RPB #005 March 30, 2018

Radio RPB #005 March 30, 2018

https://www.mixcloud.com/RPBCreative/radio-rpb-005-march-30-2018/
Moo

RADIO RPB #005 SETLIST

Cub Koda & The Points – Welcome To My Job
Nolan Strong and The Diablos – It’s Because Of You
The Breakaways – That Boy Of Mine
Louie Prima & Keely Smith – Mashuga
Roy Orbison – I Like Love
The Delmonas – He Tells Me He Loves Me
Brinsley Schwarz – Give Me Back My Love
Andy Partridge – Sonic Boom
Gary Lewis And The Playboys – Count Me In
The Judy’s – The Moo Song
The Spampinato Brothers – Love Came To Me

Radio RPB #005 – my favorite mix of songs yet.

Cub Koda and The Points

Cub Koda and The Points lay it on the line with what must have been the perfect opener to any live set. Welcome To My Job draws a line between the band and the audience, and Cub lets the audience know that they’ve got responsibilities to keep (“I hate playing for an oil painting”). Cub Koda is best known for Smokin’ In the Boys Room with Brownsville Station, but his solo output in the 1980s and beyond is full of great surprises, just like this this one.

Fortune Of Hits Vol. 2

I’ve been listening to lots of Nolan Strong and The Diablos lately. Most of the Fortune Records catalog is way out of print and tough to come by, but I’ve recently found some compilation issues from the early ’70’s and it’s a treat to these songs and Nolan Strong’s unique voice. I pulled this one from the Fortune of Hits Vol. 2 LP

That Boy of Mine (1964)

The Breakaways were best known as a trio of backup singers and you’ve heard them on big hits by Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield and dozens of other British pop hits. They also released a few singles on their own and That Boy Of Mine was their first. It’s pleasant, not especially deep, but has some nice touch that keep me coming back. About a minute into the track they delay delivery of the word “of” in the line “He’s the only one I’m dreaming…. of” and I just eat that stuff right up.

Mashuga for my sugar

Louie Prima and Keely Smith are legendary performers, but not necessarily based on this oddball 1959 novelty. I can’t agree with their transliteration of “Mashuga” (I’d go with “meshuga”) but I can’t resist a lyric like “I’m mashuga for my baby, and my sugar is crazy for me.”

Before Roy Orbison came into his true self with truly monumental recordings for Monument Records, he was part of the Sun Records stable of legends. He didn’t write I Like Love ( that would be Jack Clement), but his vocal delivery could with the Sun sound make this one of my Orbison favorites.

Del Monas EP vol. 1

The Del Monas were hooked in to the Medway scene formed by  Britain’s The Milkshakes in the early ‘80s. They pursued and captured a great raw take on the  60s’s girl group sound,

And yep, the backing band is The Milkshakes.

Brinsley Schwarz are best known as pub rock icons, but by the end of their career they started edging toward a poppier sound, probably attributable to the sensibilities of band members Ian Gomm and Nick Lowe. Nick wrote this one, and it’s taken from a collection of BBC performances.

Fuzzy Warbles

XTC‘s Andy Partridge seems to record precise demos for all of his songs. Recent reissues of XTC LP’s contain mountains of demo recordings that reveal how well planned and organized Partridge can be. I don’t think Sonic Boom was ever re-recorded beyond this demo, but thankfully it was released on one of Partridge’s Fuzzy Warbles demo compilations. I sought it out after I first heard the song performed by the Incredible Casuals when it was posted as a live Youtube clip.

The Moo Album

The Judy’s hail from from Pearland, Texas (I mistakenly named  them as an Austin band in the show) and The Moo Song is taken directly from The Moo Album. It’s become  a family singalong favorite. The words are easy but you’ll need one or two tries for the melody.

Count Me In by Gary Lewis and the Playboys is a bonafide, regular hit record and I’ll never grow sick of it.

Smiles EP

The Spampinato Brothers can do no wrong for me. Bronx bonafides, NRBQ bonafides, and this track, the closer from most recent release Smiles. It’s as beautiful and perfect as anything Joey Spampinato sang during his years in NRBQ and there’s no song that should follow it, at least on any radio show of mine.

Please consider a donation to Joey’s GoFundMe campaign for cancer treatment.

Bonus Video