"Drive Somewhere", The Vulgar Boatmen

  This way: Drive Somewhere

The Vulgar Boatmen are an American rock band, formed in Gainesville, Florida, United States, in 1982 by a group of students at the University of Florida, including John Eder and Walter Salas-Humara. In its original configuration the group issued several cassette-only releases, including Women and Boatmen First (1982) and All Bands on Deck (1984). As first Eder and then Salas-Humara departed, the group coalesced around Robert Ray, a film studies professor at the university, who became one of the group's two principal songwriters and vocalists, the other being Indiana musician Dale Lawrence, a former student of Ray's who was a veteran of the early punk band the Gizmos. The band was named as a play on the term The Volga Boatmen. 

Though they lived and worked in different states, Ray and Lawrence composed songs by exchanging cassette tapes through the mail. Eventually Lawrence merged his own band, Right to Left, into the Boatmen, who since that time have existed as two distinct performing units. In their revised lineup the Boatmen are known for their straightforward but infectious pop melodies, their stark lyrics - many of which focus on women and automobile travel - and for their frequent employment of the viola, an instrument relatively uncommon in rock. At least sixteen musicians have been members of the group at one time or another. In addition to Robert Ray and his wife Helen Kirklin, who plays viola, members of the Florida (recording) branch have included Carey Crane (vocals), Jonathan Kaley-Isley (drums, organ, vocals), and Michael Derry (guitar and drums). Current or former members of the Indiana (touring) Boatmen include Dale Lawrence, Kathy Kolata (viola), Andy Richards (drums), Jake Smith (bass), and Matt Speake (guitar).

[Spotify] Drive Somewhere

"Open All Night", Bruce Springsteen

This way: Open All Night

Classic and fantastic. Of the 10 songs on Nebraska, "Open All Night" is the only one to feature an electric guitar. With a Chuck Berry-style guitar riff, the song tells the story of an unnamed narrator's all-night drive across industrial New Jersey to reach his girl, Wanda, whom he met when she was a waitress at the Route 60 Bob's Big Boy.

"Open All Night" was released as a single in the UK, backed by "The Big Payback", but did not chart. It was also released as a single in The Netherlands and Spain. 

The song shares a common lyrical structure and themes with two other Springsteen songs. The first is "State Trooper," also found on the Nebraska album. The other was "Living on the Edge of the World", recorded in 1979 but released as part of the four-disk box set Tracks in 1998.

This turnpike sure is spooky at night when you're all alone

Gotta hit the gas baby I'm runnin' late

This New Jersey in the mornin' like a lunar landscape 

[Spotify] Open All Night

"What's My Name", The Clash

  This way: What's My Name

The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 as a key player in the original wave of British punk rock. They also contributed to the post-punk and new wave movements that emerged in the wake of punk and employed elements of a variety of genres including reggae, dub, funk, ska, and rockabilly. For most of their recording career, the Clash consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer, lead guitarist and vocalist Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon, and drummer Nicky "Topper" Headon. Headon left the group in 1982 and internal friction led to Jones' departure the following year. The group continued with new members, but finally disbanded in early 1986.

The Clash achieved commercial success in the United Kingdom with the release of their self-titled debut album, The Clash, in 1977. Their third album, London Calling, released in the UK in December 1979, earned them popularity in the United States when it was released there the following month. It was declared the best album of the 1980s a decade later by Rolling Stone. In 1982, they reached new heights of success with the release of Combat Rock, which spawned the US top 10 hit "Rock the Casbah", helping the album to achieve a 2× Platinum certification there. A final album, Cut the Crap, was released in 1985. 

[Spotify] What's My Name

"That's Not My Name", The Ting Tings

  This way: That's Not My Name

The Ting Tings are an English indie pop duo from Salford, Greater Manchester formed in 2007. The band consists of Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drums, bass guitar, cowbells) and Jules De Martino (drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, vocals, piano).

The duo's debut studio album, We Started Nothing, was released in 2008 by Columbia Records to positive reviews and commercial success, peaking at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number 78 on the US Billboard 200. It spawned four singles, including "That's Not My Name", which topped the UK Singles Chart in May 2008 and reached number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100; “Shut Up and Let Me Go”, which earned them a MTV Video Music Award. They received two Brit Award nominations, including for British Album of the Year and a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2010. And then vanished from the face of the earth. 

[Spotify] That's Not My Name

”C30 C60 C90 Go”, Bow Wow Wow

 This way: C30 C60 C90 Go 

There should be songs written about cassette tapes. Bow Wow Wow are an English new wave band, created by manager Malcolm McLaren in 1980. McLaren recruited members of Adam and the Ants to form the band behind 13-year-old Annabella Lwin on vocals. They released their debut EP Your Cassette Pet in 1980, and had their first UK top 10 hit with "Go Wild in the Country" in 1982. The band's music was characterized by a danceable new wave sound that drew on a Burundi beat provided by Dave Barbarossa on drums, as well as the suggestive lyrics squealed into the mic by their teenage lead vocalist. 

[Spotify] C30 C60 C90 Go

“Lawnchairs”, Our Daughters Weddding

 This way: Lawnchairs

Our Daughter's Wedding was an American synthpop trio from New York, consisting of Layne Rico on Synare synthesizer, Keith Silva on vocals and keyboards, and Scott Simon on bass-synth and saxophone. The group took their name from a section in a greeting card display. Equipment used in live shows as a trio: Roland Corporation RS-09, MicroMoog, Prophet-5, Sequential Circuits Pro-1, Synare 2 percussion synthesizer, Electro-Harmonix DRM-32 drum machine.

In 1981, they released the internationally successful "Lawnchairs". It peaked at #49 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1981. They toured with other bands of the day including U2, Duran Duran, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Iggy Pop, The Psychedelic Furs and frequently appeared on MTV as guest hosts. Their television resume also included various shows on both BBC & ITV. They appeared in Episode One of the ITV drama 'Jangles' (Opportunity) which starred Hazel O'Connor and Jesse Birdsall.

They released the "Digital Cowboy" EP on EMI in 1981, produced by Colin Thurston. The EP was recorded at Chipping Norton Recording Studios in England (with notes "no sequencers used"), and it featured "Target for Life" which had a similar sound to early Talk Talk hits that came a year later. In addition to "Lawnchairs" the other tracks are "Red Alert", "Dance Floor" and "No One's Watching." The title track was composed but never produced for this album. Simon later teamed with the band Hyperbubble to finally record the song for Hyperbubble's 2017 album Western Ware.

[Spotify] Lawnchairs

“Brassneck”, The Wedding Present

This way: Brassneck

The Wedding Present are a British indie rock group originally formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms. Throughout their career, they have been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band's only constant member. 

[Spotify] Brassneck

“The Wall and I”, Nation of Language

 This way: The Wall and I

Nation of Language are an American indie pop band formed in Brooklyn in 2016. The group consists of Ian Richard Devaney (vocals, guitar, percussion), Aidan Noell (synth, vocals) and Michael Sue-Poi (bass).Devaney and Sue-Poi were both members of The Static Jacks, but the band became inactive after the release of their second album. Devaney was inspired to start a new project after hearing "Electricity" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark in his father's car, a track he listened to in his childhood. What started out as Devaney "fooling around" on a keyboard later evolved into Nation of Language, with the addition of Devaney's partner Noell and former Static Jacks bandmate Sue-Poi.

The band released a number of singles from 2016 through to 2019, before releasing their debut album Introduction, Presence in May, 2020. 

[Spotify] The Wall and I

“Age Of Consent”, New Order

This way: Age Of Consent

Is there a better song than this? New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by vocalist and guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris. The band formed after the demise of Joy Division, following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis; they were joined by Gillian Gilbert on keyboards later that year. New Order's integration of post-punk with electronic and dance music made them one of the most acclaimed and influential bands of the 1980s. They were the flagship band for Manchester-based independent record label Factory Records and its nightclub The Haçienda, and worked in long-term collaboration with graphic designer Peter Saville.

Power, Corruption & Lies, released in May 1983, was a synthesiser-based outing and a dramatic change in sound from Joy Division and the preceding album, although the band had been hinting at the increased use of technology during the music-making process for a number of years then, including their work as Joy Division. Starting from what earlier singles had hinted, this was where the band had found their footing, mixing early techno music with their earlier guitar-based sound and showing the strong influence of acts like Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder.  

[Spotify] Age Of Consent

“Recharge and Revolt”, The Ravonettes

 This way: Recharge and Revolt

The Raveonettes are a Danish indie rock duo, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner on guitar, instruments and vocals, and Sharin Foo on bass, guitar and vocals. Their music is characterized by close two-part vocal harmonies inspired by The Everly Brothers coupled with hard-edged electric guitar overlaid with liberal doses of noise. Their songs juxtapose the structural and chordal simplicity of 1950s and 1960s rock with intense electric instrumentation, driving beats, and often dark lyrical content (e.g., crime, drugs, murder, suicide, love, lust, and betrayal), similar to another of the band's influences, The Velvet Underground. 

[Spotify] Recharge and Revolt

“Crazy”, Pylon

This way: Crazy

Pylon has a new box set out of all their music. This band is fantastic, a ton of great songs from the Athens GA scene of the early 80s.

Pylon was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, United States. The band's danceable sound, a blend of new wave, punk, jangle pop, alternative rock and funk rock, influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. AllMusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable" 

[Spotify] Crazy

“They Won't Ever Leave us Alone”, Broken Records

This way: They Won't Ever Leave us Alone

From Edinburgh, Scotland, Broken Records initially began life in 2007 as a three-piece, forming around the nucleus of brothers Jamie and Rory Sutherland, and Ian Turnbull. Following a small number of low-key performances, the band expanded to a seven piece, with Arne Kolb (cello), Dave Smith (piano, trumpet), Andrew Keeney (drums), and David Fothergill (bass) completing the line up.  

[Spotify] They Won't Ever Leave us Alone

“Velvet Underground”, Jonathan Richman

 This way: Velvet Underground

Jonathan killing it here.Jonathan Richman (born May 16, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970, he founded the Modern Lovers, an influential band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key acoustic and electric backing. He now plays only acoustic to protect his hearing. He is known for his wide-eyed, unaffected, and childlike outlook, and music that, while rooted in rock and roll, is influenced by music from around the world.

[Spotify] Velvet Underground

“Blank Generation”, Richard Hell

This way: Blank Generation

Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer. 

Richard Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion. He was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins.

Malcolm McLaren, manager of the Sex Pistols, credited Hell as a source of inspiration for the Sex Pistols' look and attitude, as well as the safety-pin and graphics accessorized clothing that McLaren sold in his London shop, Sex. Hell was in several important, early punk bands, including Neon Boys, Television and The Heartbreakers, after which he formed Richard Hell & the Voidoids. Their 1977 album Blank Generation influenced many other punk bands. Its title track was named "One of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock" by music writers in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listing and is ranked as one of the all-time Top 10 punk songs by a 2006 poll of original British punk figures, as reported in the Rough Guide to Punk.

Since the late 1980s, Hell has devoted himself primarily to writing, publishing two novels and several other books. He was the film critic for BlackBook magazine from 2004 to 2006

[Spotify]  Blank Generation

“One Word”, Kelly Osbourne

 This way: One Word

Kelly Osbourne (born 27 October 1984) is a British actress, singer, model, and fashion designer. The daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, she is known for her appearances on The Osbournes with her family, for which they won a 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program, as well as on E!'s Fashion Police, where she was a presenter from 2010 to 2015. She has also appeared on Dancing with the Stars, in which she and her professional dance partner Louis van Amstel took third place. She was the voice of Hildy Gloom in the Disney XD animated series The 7D. She was also a judge on both Australia's Got Talent and Project Runway Junior. 

[Spotify] One Word

“anything”, Adrianne Lenker

This way: anything

What a voice! Who sings like this? Adrianne Elizabeth Lenker (born July 9, 1991) is an American musician from Indianapolis, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of Big Thief. In 2006, when Lenker was 13, she released her first solo album titled Stages of the Sun. In 2014, she released her second solo album titled Hours Were the Birds. Lenker also released two EPs with future bandmate Buck Meek, a-sides and b-sides.

In 2015, Lenker formed the band Big Thief after meeting Meek the first day she moved to New York. Lenker released her third solo album, abysskiss, on October 5, 2018. 

On October 23, 2020, Lenker released two albums, Songs and Instrumentals, through 4AD.

[Spotify] anything

“Another Song about the Rain”, Cracker

 This way: Another Song about the Rain

This song stands out to me from the standard Cracker songs. Cracker is an American rock band led by singer David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman. The band is best known for its gold-selling 1993 album, Kerosene Hat, which includes the hit songs "Low" and "Euro-Trash Girl."

Lowery and Hickman formed the band in 1991, releasing the album Cracker the following year (which included singles "Happy Birthday to Me" and "Teen Angst") on Virgin Records. The band has been touring ever since, releasing nine studio albums and several compilations, collaborations, solo projects and live albums. Cracker mix influences and sounds from rock, punk, grunge, psychedelia, country, blues and folk. 

From 1992.

[Spotify]  Another Song about the Rain

“Pool Hall”, The Wave Picture

 This way: Pool Hall   

The band has its origins in a group called Blind Summit, which David and Franic formed with Hugh Noble in Wymeswold, near Loughborough in Leicestershire, in 1998. The band changed its name to the Wave Pictures and Hugh was eventually permanently replaced by Jonny Helm. They recorded and self-released a string of albums before settling in London.

The Guardian has described their work as "charming, witty pop songs shot through with Jonathan Richman's gawky glee and Suede's doomed provincial romanticism... They owe a certain debt to The Smiths, and Tattersall has Morrissey's knack of marrying the ridiculous and the sublime". 

[Spotify] Pool Hall

“Risto's Riff”, Moonface and Siinai

 This way: Risto's Riff

Spencer Krug (born May 4, 1977) is a Canadian musician. He is the singer, songwriter and keyboardist for the indie rock band Wolf Parade and also records under the name Moonface. He has also performed with other Canadian bands including Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes, Fifths of Seven, and ska band the Two Tonne Bowlers, playing various instruments. His involvement in many musical acts has garnered him a noticeably high output of work, being credited on several releases a year. He is known for his distinctive voice and songwriting abilities. At least I'm not a photographer.

[Spotify] Risto's Riff

“Isnt it Grand Boys”, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

This way: Isnt it Grand Boys

The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk group that initially developed as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular in the 1960s, they were famed for their trademark Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularising Irish traditional music in the United States and revitalising it in Ireland, paving the way for an Irish folk boom with groups like the Dubliners and the Wolfe Tones.

The Clancy Brothers, Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Tom Clancy, and Liam Clancy, are best known for their work with Tommy Makem, recording almost two dozen albums together as The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. Makem left in 1969, the first of many changes in the group's membership. The most notable subsequent member to join was the fourth Clancy brother, Bobby. The group continued in various formations until Paddy Clancy's death in 1998.

The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem significantly influenced the young Bob Dylan and other emerging artists, including Christy Moore and Paul Brady. The group was famous for its often lively arrangements of old Irish ballads, rebel and drinking songs, sea shanties, and other traditional music. 

[Spotify] Isnt it Grand Boys

[Extra Credit-live] Isnt it Grand Boys

“Who has seen the wind?/Bohemian Rhapsody”, Tater Totz

 This way: Who has seen the wind?/Bohemian Rhapsody

Redd Kross is an American alternative rock band from Hawthorne, California, United States, who had their roots in 1978 in a punk rock band called the Tourists, which was started by brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald while they were still in middle school. As The Tater Totz, the McDonalds teamed with Pat Fear of White Flag and Michael Quercio from The Three O'Clock and released Alien Sleestaks from Brazil, the title a tribute to the series Land of the Lost. Another cover collection, it included songs originally by Queen and Yoko Ono, and featured a cover of The Beatles' "I've Just Seen A Face" with lead vocals by guest Danny Bonaduce. The second Tater Totz album, Sgt. Shonen's Exploding Plastic Eastman Band Request Mono! Stereo, was released in 1989, and included Cherie Currie of The Runaways, and Pat Smear. A third Tater Totz album was released called Tater Comes Alive. A side project, Anarchy 6 had two releases, Hardcore Lives! and a cassette only album Live Like a Suicidal, and was featured in Lovedolls Superstar.

From 1989.

[Spotify] Not likely

“A Million Miles Away”, The Plimsouls

  This way: A Million Miles Away

The Plimsouls are an American rock band formed in Paramount, California in 1978. The band recorded two full-length albums and an EP before splitting up in 1984. Different configurations of the original members have reunited intermittently since.

Formed by singer, songwriter and guitarist Peter Case (who had previously fronted the power pop band the Nerves), the Plimsouls began as a trio in 1978, initially named the Tone Dogs, which included Case, bassist Dave Pahoa, and drummer Lou Ramírez. From inception, the band quickly became a crowd favorite in the Los Angeles club scene. 

[Spotify]  A Million Miles Away

"Different Kind of Girl", The Beat

This way: Different Kind of Girl

Paul Collins has released several solo projects with his alternative country group The Paul Collins Band, who play Americana music inspired by country rock and folk rock. Collins also continues to tour with his The Beat, an ever-changing lineup rock group which combines power pop with alternative rock and punk rock.

Paul Collins began his career as the drummer (and sometime singer & songwriter) in an influential Los Angeles power pop trio The Nerves, alongside Jack Lee and future Plimsouls frontman Peter Case. The band are best remembered for "Hanging on the Telephone", a song later made famous by Blondie. Hanging on the Telephone was written by Jack Lee.

After Jack Lee left the Nerves, Paul Collins and Peter Case continued practicing and recording with a variety of guitarists as the Breakaways; their best known song is "Walking out on Love", a song frequently performed by the Nerves in concert but never recorded by them. Tapes of their sessions surfaced in the late 2000s and were released on a compilation album in 2009.

Next, Paul Collins formed his own group as singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter for The Beat, sometimes called The Paul Collins Beat to avoid confusion with the British ska group also called The Beat (or The English Beat in the US). 

Spotify me: Different Kind of Girl

“Hanging on the Telephone”, The Nerves

 This way: Hanging on the Telephone

The Nerves were a mid-1970s American power pop trio, based in Los Angeles, featuring guitarist Jack Lee, bassist Peter Case, and drummer Paul Collins. They were a short lived band and their most known song is "hanging on the telephone" which was covered by Blondie. The Nerves lasted a short time and self-released one self-titled four-song EP in 1976, featuring the songs "Hanging on the Telephone" (Lee), "When You Find Out" (Case), "Give Me Some Time" (Lee), and "Working Too Hard" (Collins). In addition to being the drummer, Paul Collins was also the trio's manager and did most of the bookings and promotion. The Nerves' EP was distributed by independent Bomp! Records and officially re-released on CD and vinyl by Alive Records in 2008, followed by a second release of The Breakaways, an album of post-Nerves recordings made by Collins and Case prior to the formation of Collins' group The Beat. Case went on to form the Plimsouls. 

[Spotify] Hanging on the Telephone

[extra credit] Hanging on the Telephone

"Itchykoo Park", The Small Faces

 This way: Itchykoo Park

Here is a perfect song. "Itchycoo Park" is a song written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, first recorded by their group, the Small Faces. Largely written by Lane, it was one of the first music recordings to feature flanging, an effect at that time made possible by electro-mechanical processes. The location and etymology of the titular park has long been debated; many claiming it to be Little Ilford Park in Manor Park, East London or Wanstead Flats in Wanstead, East London. The single was not featured on any of their UK albums, but was however featured on the North American release There Are But Four Small Faces.

[Spotify] Itchykoo Park