Our podcast's New Year's Resolution? To be quicker! Hence, we present you with "We're Pretty Quick," a wild 1967 side  by New Mexico's finest, The Chob (4:32). There are covers by The Fuzztones and The Cannibals that fly by, too. But then we introduce The Lucky Seven Lightning Round Countdown, SEVEN other versions that we have progressively less time to listen to (for the first time) and react to! Take that challenge, Tik Tokers!!!

We end 2023 and start 2024 with some final thoughts and we pick our favourite songs out of all the Bo Diddley Awards nominees. Is the discussion insightful? Maybe. Incisive? Probably not. Insane? Always!!

The categories are:

Bo Diddliest Girl Group Song:

Dedicated to the One I Love - Shirelles
He’s Gone - Chantels
Then He Kissed Me - Crystals
Uncle Willie - Juliettes
Mr. Scrooge - Orchids

Bo Diddliest Video:

Liar Liar - The Castaways
Now and Then - The Beatles
Must Be Santa - Bob Dylan
You Really Got Me - Van Halen
Jack The Ripper - Screaming Lord Sutch

Bo Diddliest Song From A Theme Episode:

Open Up Your Door - Richard & The Young Lions (Table Toppers)
Oh Mom, Teach Me How to Uncle Willie - Daylighters (Uncle Willie)
Uncle Willie - Plookie McCline (Uncle Willie)
Where You Gonna Go? - Unrelated Segments (Garage Rock Protest Songs)
Monkey Man - Baby Huey & The Babysitters  (Monkey Business)

Most Insane Song:

Rat’s Revenge  (Parts 1 & 2) - The Rats
The World Ain’t Round, It's Square - The Savages
Like A Rolling Stone - The Soup Greens 
My Flash On You- The Menerals
Sweet Pea - Friar Tuck & His Psychedelic Guitar
I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night -Deviled Ham 
Land Of 1000 Dances - Chants R & B
Makin’ Love - The Sloths 
Jack the Ripper - The One Way Street 
The Ostrich - The Primitives

We kept the tape rolling after the recent episode we did with John & Bobby from The Gruesomes and we said more stuff about John's favourite song ever - "Say It" by the Five Royales. Along the way, we solve the problems of modern music.

We know Pastronauts love it when  John & Bobby of The Gruesomes visit our podcast, but this one's extra exciting because it's two episodes in one! John has picked two of his favourite songs by the unsung Five Royales ("Think" and "Dedicated to the One I Love"), and then the four of us talk about 2 cover versions. This means versions by James Brown (who did "Think" twice!), The Shirelles, and The Mamas and Papas.  Top notch analysis from two esteemed scholars of Garage Studies, plus those no-goodniks Erik & Weldon!

We enjoyed the eggnog so much last week that we decided to gift Pastronauts two more Holiday songs, and the talk that goes with it. 'Tis the season!!!

Forget about all those uncool Xmas tunes you hear in the malls - we've got the good stuff for this Holiday season! The first present for you is "Mr. Scrooge" by England's GREATEST 60S girl group, The Orchids (2:16). If Georgina Oliver isn't in your 60s British Music Icons Advent Calendar - then one listen to this, and she will be! Great backing from Pamela Jarman & Valerie Jones. John Lennon gets coal in his stocking for puttin' 'em down on TV in '63. The next carol is by the legendary Sonics! They "Don't Believe In Christmas", maybe because John Lennon was The Grinch (32:13). A pinch from Chuck Berry, but who cares!!  Man, Christmas sounds rough on the mean streets of Tacoma, Washington! Back to The Beatles - remember who's better than them? The Monkees, who do an ace version of Macca's "Wonderful Christmastime" (1:06:39). This one is sweet as a candy cane. Another legend comes down the chimney for Song 4 - Bob Dylan klezmers it up with his interdenominational "Must Be Santa" (1:53:59). Xmas is a great excuse to get drunk for a month - so enjoy it! Gather round the brazier and Ho Ho Ho!!!

Erik & Weldon discuss band names they hate. Will YOUR favourite band be included? - Listen and find out!!!

Let's not Beat(les) around the bush here - the Garage Studies world has been waiting for Weldon & Erik to weigh in on the new Fab 4 tune, "Now and Then." We play it, talk about it, and also throw in some other AI versions of said tune. Along the way, there's questions from Erik and answers by Weldon, textbook slams, and a whole lot of goofiness and crucial digressions. What do the lads think? Is the song good, great, gear, or ghastly?  More importantly, is it better than "Mr. Moonlight"?!?! Oh sweet darlin'!

Theme episode time! This one's a simian sensation, so we start off with Chuck Berry's 1957 baboon tune, "Too Much Monkey Business" (2:32:31). Is it anti-monkey, or anti-business? It may not really be about monkeys. but it's rock n roll poetry! The next in the evolutionary order is "Mickey's Monkey", sung by Smokey of Motown's The Miracles (59:37). A dance craze song, this one has a great hook, boozy organ, bongos, and the tasteful licks of one of our fave axemen, Marv Tarplin. Movin' thru the zoo, we arrive at "Gator Tails and Monkey Ribs" by The Spats (1:27:20). A textbook stoopid frat rock rumbler that could have fit on our classic "Food and Drink" themer from May, 2021. If that last one didn't fill you up, then we end with the final primate mover, "Monkey Man" by Baby Huey & The Babysitters (1:54:53). This one's so good, it defies words. So let's just make monkey noises - Lum De Lum De Li!!