Snap, Crackle, POP! with Alec Cumming

Radio history in the making! (LOL) Starting with this show, I am now the regular Monday "morning drive" 7-9 am deejay at WPKN. I've long wanted to be a cheerful get-your-morning-started announcer, and watch out for what you wish for... but I love it anyways. I finally get my shot, right here, right then. 

Apologies in advance for all the apologies. And Rest In Peace, Jimmy Cliff. And thank you.  

I Wanna Be With You – Vicki and Debbie Peterson 

First Day – Far Caspian 

Just Like a Flower – Winter 

Little Bird – Famous Groupies

The Fool on the Hill (Take 5 – Instrumental) – The Beatles 

Tell Me Why (Takes 12 And 13) – The Beatles 

While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third Version/Take 27) – The Beatles

Let's Pretend – The Lemon Twigs 

Cruisin' Music – Ronnie D’Addario 

Not Today – The Lemon Twigs (Ronnie D’Addario cover) 

This Whole World – The Beach Boys

I Like Girls (Bearsville Version) – Sparks 

Dick Around – Sparks

Deuce – Kiss 

Black Diamond – The Replacements 

I Will Dare – The Replacements

Many Rivers to Cross – Jimmy Cliff 

Wonderful World, Beautiful People – Jimmy Cliff 

Hard Road to Travel – Jimmy Cliff 

Rivers of Babylon – The Melodians 

Reconsider Me – Warren Zevon

Crying Inside – Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets 

Tomorrow Tomorrow – Brad Mehldau (feat. Daniel Rossen & Chris Thile) 

God Knows – Tunde Adebimpe 

Ankles – Lucy Dacus

This was the last of my series of late-summer 2025 fill-ins for Steve DiCostanzo's Radio Base Camp shows; he would shortly return the favor in November 2025 by filling in for several of the new 7-9 AM morning shows that I was assigned to that I couldn't pull off quite yet because my right foot was healing from (successful) surgery. Thanks, Steve!

As a shortwave radio fan and historian, I was absolutely horrified by the current administration's takedown of our hisroric and essential international broadcasting stations, including the Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe. So I was glad to see that mu eternal heroes R.E.M. OK'd the use of their debut song to the world, 1981's "Radio Free Europe", in a new EP that included an excellent new remix of the mysterious, propulsive and soaring original track - the Hibtone one, which came out before the first EP, which I also played. Profits from their new "Radio Free Europe" EP are going towards keeping the actual Radio Free Europe broadcast operations alive, although (as I write this) they are still barely managing to survive. 

Radio Free Europe (Jacknife Lee Remix) – R.E.M. 

Radio Free Europe (Original Hibtone 45) – R.E.M. 

Lament – Blake Babies

So Long – Fischer-Z

This Time – INXS 

Block of Wood – The Bats

Pink Frost – The Chills

Map Ref 41 Degrees N 93 Degrees – Wire 

First Day – Far Caspian

Metal – The Beths

You Didn't See – Andy Shauf 

F.O.O.F. – Frankie Cosmos

Save Your Soul – Kathleen Edwards 

Cryin' Inside – Nick Lowe

American Squirm – Nick Lowe 

Everyday I Write the Book – Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Mayor of Simpleton – XTC

Here, There and Everywhere (Take 6) – The Beatles

Stray Cats in Spain – Jeff Tweedy 

As We Go Along – The Monkees 

Glad – Saint Etienne 

Can I Talk My Sh*t? – Vagabon 

Shooting Star – Sunflower Bean

Tomorrow Tomorrow – Brad Mehldau feat. Daniel Rossen 

Porcupine – Sparks

The Summer's Over (solo acoustic) – Alec Cumming

If you're an avid listener of the show*, you'd know that a big fave "genre" of mine to play on Snap Crackle POP! is (are?) backing tracks... that is, the sound of a finished track minus the vocals, so one can hear the instruments and the musicians and the musician's/producer's/arranger's artistry much more clearly. You can see the sausage/donuts/magic being made, in other words. So I decided to dedicate a whole show to these kind of tracks, because... well, I probably listen to Beatles and Beach Boys session tracks much more now than I do to their actual finished tracks. (This is why that, for the life of me, I don't care at all about the whole "mono mixes versus today's remastered crap" thing. As long as I can hear an elctrifying/life-affirming piece of music played in a ass-kicking, classic and/or deconstrucrted way, as long as the "magic" of the art-being-made is still thrillingly evident, I'm there.)

Yes, many of these tracks are actually outtakes, alternate versions, rarities or covers in addition to actual backing tracks, but... well, you can deal. 

Jackson 5
Never Can Say Goodbye (DJ Moch's Extended Reconstruction)
I Want You Back (backing track)

The Rolling Stones
Dead Flowers (alternate version)
Brown Sugar (alternate version w/ Eric Clapton)
Rice Krispies jingle
When the Whip Comes Down (live 1978, Sucking In The Seventies version)

The Who
I Can See For Miles (mono mix w/ session noises)
Little Billy
Kids! Do You Want Kids (Pete Townsend demo)
Christmas (Pete Townsend Tommy demo)

The Kinks
Waterloo Sunset (session excerpt + backing track take 2)
Starstruck (alternate mix with session chat)
Phenomenal Cat (alternate mix with session chat)
Do You Remember Walter (backing track)
People Take Pictures of Each Other (cover by Steady Water & Bedouine)
Misty Water (Village Green Preservation Society outtake)

The Beach Boys
Let Him Run Wild (Stack-o-Tracks instrumental version)
Can't Wait Too Long (1993 mix)
With a Little Help from My Friends
Walk On By
Lonely Days
SMiLE backing vocals montage
Good Vibrations (45 backing track)

The Association
Windy (backing track)
Never My Love (w/ extended Larry Knechtel end solo)

Are You There with Another Girl (backing track) – Dionne Warwick/Burt Bacharach
Blackbird – Brad Mehldau

The Beatles
You Only Give Me Your Money (take 36)
Yes It Is (takes 2 & 14)
It's Only Love (takes 3 & 2)
Getting Better (take 1/instrumental)
Getting Better (take 12/instrumental)
I'll Be Back (take 2)
I'll Be Back (take 3)
No Reply (demo)
No Reply (take 2)
This Boy (takes 12 & 13)
Eleanor Rigby (session chat + take 2/instrume)
She's Leaving Home (take 6/instrumental)
Here Comes The Sun (take 9)

 
* you are? for reals? THANK YOU!

This show is an unashamedly gooey look at a wonderful if greatly underrated genre of music - BUBBLEGUM. That is, the stuff you heard from the mid-60s through the early '70s.

Bubble Gum Music – The Rock & Roll Dubble Bubble Trading Card Co. of Philadelphia 19141 

Hello Hello – Sopwith Camel

Popsicles And Icicles – The Murmaids 

Can't Get Used to Losing You – Andy Williams 

Dance On Through – The Human Beinz 

Let Her Dance – Bobby Fuller 

Let's Dance – Chris Montez

California Sun – The Rivieras 

Count Me In – Gary Lewis & The Playboys 

I'm Into Something Good – Earl–Jean 

Dizzy – Tommy Roe 

I Think We're Alone Now – Tommy James & The Shondells

Sugar, Sugar – The Archies 

Feelin' So Good (S.K.O.O.B.Y.-D.O.O.) – The Archies 

Comes The Sun – The Archies 

Who Loves the Sun – The Velvet Underground

I’m a Believer (w/ studio chat) – The Monkees 

Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow (w/ studio chat & Peter VO) – The Monkees

I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight – Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart 

Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’ – Crazy Elephant 

Cherry, Cherry – Neil Diamond 

How She Boogalooed It – The Beach Boys 

Shake – The Shadows of Knight 

Valleri – The Pineapple Heard

2-4-6-8 – The Jackson 6 

Bouncin' All over the World – The Globetrotters (1970 animated series) 

Michael & His Slipper Tree – The Equals 

I'd Like to Talk to You – Mark Eric 

Things (Goin' Round My Head) – Merrell Fankhauser & H.M.S. Bounty 

Baby, Now That I've Found You – The Foundations

Baby's Coming Back – Jellyfish

Nanny & The Professor theme – Swan Dive

I had to pre-record this episode, because on September 2nd I was actually in London on a wonderful honeymoon (which had been delayed for 9 months!). I rarely pre-record shows these days - it takes me too much time because I fuss over them way too much - but I had to do it for this one, and I'm suprised at how tired and unenthusiastic I sound. I *think* that was because I was rushing to get it done before getting on the plane. Lotsa power-pop on this one. 

Radio Wam Bam Boom – The Peppermint Kicks 

Like I Do – Tim Heidecker 

Round – Personal Trainer

Doing Now – Hannah Judagu 

Float – Jaysom 

Heartthrob – Indigo DeSouza

Dotted Line – Why Bonnie 

Save Your Soul – Kathleen Edwards

It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody - Weyes Blood 

Caves – Bonzie 

There She Goes - Curtis Harding

Answer Me, My Love – Swamp Dogg 

God Knows – Tunde Adebimpe 

Have U Ever Been 2 Wales – The Bug Club

Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands – Brad Mehldau 

Lonely Night in the Park – Bruce Springsteen 

Can’t Wait – Piper

Starry Eyes – The Records 

Sweet Spot – The Flashcubes

Pathetic – Graham Parker & Mike Gent 

Bitter Blue – Smash Palace 

Long Live Rock – The Who 

With Love from A to Z – Counting Crows 

Bootleg (John’s Version) – John Fogerty

Is It Making You Feel Good – Superchunk

Harness Your Hopes (Live at Cirkus, Stockholm, 2022) – Pavement 

Sea of Heartbreak – Paul Carrack 

Bloom Baby Bloom – Wolf Alice

Who’ll Stand With Us – Dropkick Murphys 

Occasionally I do shows like this, and it's both an honor and something quite sad when I do. My buddy from Syracuse University, Jim Van Norstrand, passed away a few days before this broadcast, so I did this show in honor of him. Love you, Jim. Miss you. 

Free As a Bird (2025 Mix) – The Beatles

1979 – Smashing Pumpkins
Sweet Jane – The Velvet Underground
Once In a Lifetime – Talking Heads
Accidents Will Happen (live 1978) – Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve

Cumberland Blues (live 1972) – Grateful Dead
Dear Prudence – The Beatles
Look at Me – John Lennon
Lullaby – Emitt Rhodes

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down – The Band
Lost In the Supermarket – The Clash
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere – Bob Dylan
You Just May Be the One – The Monkees

Everything I Own – Bread
Save It for Later – The English Beat
Can't Find My Way Home – Blind Faith
A Dream Goes On Forever – Todd Rundgren

Hungry Heart – Bruce Springsteen
Love My Way – The Psychedelic Furs
Melissa – The Allman Brothers
Only Love Can Break Your Heart – Neil Young

Days – Kirsty MacColl
Waterloo Sunset – Ray Davies & Damon Albarn
Who Knows Where The Times Goes? – Fairport Convention
All Things Must Pass – George Harrison
I Wave Bye–Bye – Jimmy Buffett

Salt Of the Earth – The Rolling Stones
Astral Weeks – Van Morrison
Blue Red and Grey – The Who
Waiting on a Friend – The Rolling Stones

I'm not sure what to write about shows like this... this is just me putting together a set on the fly. Some new stuff, some old stuff, a small Joni tribute at the top, a Cornershop two-fer later. It works (I think).

Chelsea Morning – Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66

Night in the City – Joni Mitchell

All I Want – The Supremes

Pleasant Valley Sunday (demo) – Carole King

Pressed Flower – Frankie Cosmos

It's All I Can Do – The Cars

Home – Mac DeMarco

Feel You Around Me – NRBQ

A Little Bit of Banter – Sparks

Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook Remix) – Cornershop

No Rock: Save In Roll – Cornershop

Astroboy (and the Proles on Parade) – The Buggles 

Immortal Hands – Stereolab

Take Out Your Insides – Sunflower Bean

Tomorrow Tomorrow – Brad Mehldau & Daniel Rossen

Molly – Biff Rose

Night Birds – Mike Viola 

Through The Long Night – Billy Joel

Romeo – Edward Rogers

Porterville (John’s version) – John Fogerty

That Kind of Guy – Peter Holsapple

I'd Be Lost Without You – Chris Stamey 

Forgotten Dreams – Leroy Anderson

This is a fave recent episode of mine. For the first half of the show, my dear friend Dawn Eden Goldstein (who now resides in Milford and whom I would love to hear on the air at WPKN, and I'll do whaterver I can to make that happen) stopped in and co-hosted the show with me, pulling *so* many great, obscure '60s records out of our legendary stacks and then talking about them brilliantly. Although she's obviously a one of a kind, the world needs more Dawn Eden Goldsteins!!!

And for the second half, another dear friend - Jesse Krakow, a brilliant bassist/composer/producer/thinker - called in from The Garden State (my old neck of the woods) to talk about his new project KRAKHOUSE... as well as The Shaggs, Supercute!, and his extraordinary interactions with one Corey Feldman. He's an extraordinary musician, a great guy, amazing Dad and the founder of MANDONNA - the all-male Madonna tribute band that I sing background vocals for. 

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Free To Be...You and Me – The New Seekers 

Green Tambourine – The Lemon Pipers 

I've Been a Bad Bad Boy – Paul Jones

Rattler – The Seekers

Back Street Mirror – David Hemmings 

Go To the Mirror! – The Who

Morning Dew – Tim Rose

Too Much Talk – Paul Revere & The Raiders

Shadow In the Corner of Your Mind – The First Edition 

Sing Little Bird Sing – The Left Banke 

I Don't Know Anything at All – The Trouble Dolls 

Feel Some Love – Edward O'Connell 

You Were Near Me – Cindy Malone 

Cut And Come Again – Del Shannon

It's So Easy Falling – Manfred Mann

Jubilation – Norma Tanega

The Earth Won't Hold Me – Kathy Heideman

Disappearing – The Sinceros 

We Go Blam Blam – Krakhouse

Two Five Fun – Krakhouse

On The Mind Of A Bangle – Krakhouse 

Philosophy of the World – The Shaggs

Banana Bike – The Dot Wiggin Band

The Hula-Hoop Song – Jesse Krakow

Cigarettes – Julia Cumming (live on WFMU)

Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles – Nona Hendryx & Gary Lucas

The Potato Song – Krakhouse

At some point in the earty aughts, when I was going through a divorce and saw my daughter mainly on the weekends, I discovered a Saturday morning show on the classic freeform station WFMU called "Greasy Kids Stuff". She and I both LOVED it. It was a music show for kids, but it wasn't cheesy kids music. No offense to The Wiggles and Baby Beluga and all that, but that stuff's aimed at a 5-year-old and younger audience; Greasy Kids Stuff, hosted by by Belinda Miller and Hova Najarian, was aimed at smart-ass 7 to 11 year olds with music that DIDN'T SPEAK DOWN TO THEM. It was wonderful music that kids and adults could both fall in love with. 

So this was my first attempt at doing a sort-of tribute show to GKS. I did a few! (Later on, I started calling these shows "Snap Crackle Pop Jr."... kind of like Nick Jr. ) Rod Ross, a classic WPKN DJ with a regular 6 - 9 am Saturday morning slot, was taking time off in the summer of '24, so I volunteered to fill in - and then decided I would try to do a kid-friendly show thast was also a tribute to Hova and Belinda's GKS. Whether any kid (of any age) ever listened to these shows is something I'll never know, but I had THE BEST TIME doing these and would do them again.

Come Saturday Morning – The Sandpipers
The Crumble Song – Lorraine Bowen

I Wanna Eat Chocobars – Shonen Knife
I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow
Banana Bike – The Dot Wiggin Band
Happy Noodle vs. Sad Noodle – Logan Whitehurst & the Junior Science Club
Happiness Pie – Death Lurks

Good Morning! How Are You? Shut Up! – Ivor Cutler
Jollity Farm – The Bonzo Dog Doo–Dah Band
The Man on the Flying Trapeze – Spike Jones & his City Slickers w/ Doodles Weaver
Beans In My Ears – The Serendipity Singers
I Am an Astronaut – Ricky Wilde
Eyeball Skeleton – Eyeball Skeleton
The Sound of Worms – Tony Burrello
Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep – Middle of the Road
Kitty Kat Max – 1000 Clowns
Twiggy Twiggy/Twiggy vs. James Bond – Pizzicato 5

Bulbous Bouffant – The Vestibules
Hockey Monkey – The Zambonis w/ James Kochalka Superstar
I Got a Camera – Wild Man Fischer
Daves I Know – Bruce McCulloch
My Dad's a Lawyer – Geoff Berner
Dad, I'm In Jail – Was (Not Was)
I'd Like to Get To Know You – Spanky & Our Gang

(Oh Gilbert) I Need Help – The Junipers
Out of the Question – Gilbert O'Sullivan
Annie Almond – The Junipers
Loop De Loop (Flip Flop Flyin' In an Aeroplane) – The Beach Boys
No, You Can't Take Them – The Clouds
Figure Eight – Blossom Dearie (Multiplication Rock)

Three Is a Magic Number – Bob Dorough (Multiplication Rock)
The Magic Number – De La Soul
Green Tambourine – The Lemon Pipers
2-4-6-8 – The Jackson 5
That's Where the Plaque Is – Michael Shelley
She Steals Candy – Juniper
A Hard Day's Night – Peter Sellers

A Hard Day's Night – The Beatles
Cuddly Toy – The Monkees

Gimme – Fatcat & Fishface
The French Toast Man – Fred Lane
Dang Me – Roger Miller
Alley Oop – The Hollywood Argyles
Fish Heads – Barnes & Barnes
Always Check For Holes – Channels
Fluffy – Gloria Balsam

Where Do They Make Balloons? – They Might Be Giants (feat. Danny Weinkauf)
Making with The Magilla – Little Eva
Government Center – Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers
Busey Boy – Corn Mo
Let's Not Have the Same Weight in 1978 (Let's Have More) – The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
Gimme Little Sign – Brenton Wood
If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out – Cat Stevens

Saddened by all the ugly Hall & Oates break-up news coming out around Thanksgiving 2023, I wanted to try to understand their story and their music better, f*ck the derision. So I did a my own deep dive into their music and history, and turned a vast new appreciation of Darryl and John's duo/band into a proper radio special, with soundbites I snagged here and there. (It's funny that such a brilliant, artistic yet vastly popular pop/rock 'n' roll act - with genuine Pilly soul roots - gets so little recognition and appreciation.)

About 2 hours and 13 minutes in, the show goes "live" - previous to that it's a tightly edited special, but I ran out of steam in early 2024 to finish the show properly, in part because of an auto incident that had happened that freaked me out. So I did the remaining part live ("WE'LL DO IT LIVE!!!") so the announcements get much more loosey-goosey from that point onwards. I got a lot of nice feedback about this one, and it's one of my favorite shows! Hall and Oates are dead; love live Hall & Oates.

All songs are performed by Daryl Hall & John Oates unless otherwise noted.

All The Way From Philadelphia (2002 rough mix)

Girl Don't Make Me Wait (Daryl Hall) [unreleased single - 1968?]

Perkiomen (demo)

Fall In Philadelphia (demo)

Lilly (Are You Happy)

Waterwheel

Had I Known You Better Then

Las Vegas Turnaround

She's Gone

Can’t Stop the Music (He Played It Much Too Long)

Beanie G. And The Rose Tattoo

Grounds For Separation

Sara Smile

Camellia 

Back Together Again

Rich Girl

Bad Habits and Infections

The Farther Away I Am (Daryl Hall w/ Robert Fripp)

Something In 4/4 Time (Daryl Hall w/ Robert Fripp)

Why Was It So Easy (Daryl Hall w/ Robert Fripp)

August Day

It's a Laugh

North Star – Robert Fripp w/ Daryl Hall

You Burn Me Up I'm A Cigarette – Robert Fripp w/ Daryl Hall 
Introvino

How Does It Feel To Be Back

Kiss On My List

Every Time You Go Away (Paul Young)

Did It In A Minute

I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)

One On One

Family Man

Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid

Out of Touch

Downtown Life

Someday We'll Know (feat. Todd Rundgren)

Can We Still Be Friends (Todd Rundgren & Daryl Hall)

Without Tears (Daryl Hall w/ Robert Fripp)