Shreek of the Week of the Day Archives
Well, I Thought You'd Never Ask!
Dale Dobson declares Hilary's "Drop Your Pants" the most risqué recording ever broadcast over the public airwaves. 
Swear? You Shouldn't Swear, Young Man.
Dale Dobson recalls the long-forgotten "Swear."
Now That's Some Scary Shit
Ces Marculiano is unafraid of "So Afraid of the Russians," the completely forgettable para-prop* track by the completely forgettable Made for TV.
* Paranoia/Propagana
* Paranoia/Propagana
Enough with the Promises Already
Dale Dobson renegs on Naked Eyes' "Promises, Promises"
Damn, That's Hott
"Sexy & 17" by The Stray Cats from the album Rant 'n' Rave with The Stray Cats Fourth week in July, 1983 The 1950s are seemingly always good for a comeback, whether it's through the musical Grease, the nostalgia band...
Really, Who Doesn't Like Balloons?
Ces Marcuiliano translates "99 Luftballons"
Come On Down and Wear Your Influences on Your Sleeve
Dale Dobson recalls the Apple ][ game Lemonade Stand, thanks to the Alarm's single.
He Wrote the Book Which Makes Him ... Well ... Awesome
Everyday, Will Layman rewrites Elvis Costello's book.
Major Tom, Shootin' Star
Dale Dobson counts down to Major Tom's re-entry.
Call for Shreek Writers!
Have you been reading and following the Shreek of the Week of the Day? No? My goodness, go wash your eyes out with soap this instant. Then come back and be prepared for Shreek of the Week of the Day...
Wolfman Taps ... Or Something
"Wolfman Tap" eludes Dale Dobson.
Dear Diary ... You Stink
Dale Dobson reads Yaz's "Diary"
Doctor... WHOOP, WHOOP... Detroit
The happiest song ever made about Detroit.
No Whammies, No Whammies, No Whammies, STOP!
Gladstone on the B-52's' "Whammy Kiss"
Do I Smell Something Burning?
Elizabeth Koch burns down the house.
Next Time, Maybe I'll Knock
Todd Zuniga digs up memories of "Every Breath You Take"
Fear Not, Shreeks Aren't Dead, They're ... Resting
Dear Readers, Thank you for your patience while we wait to post our next Shreek of the Week of the Day. Unfortunately, we are stuck on the Police and their tune "Every Breath You Take". We're hanging on to this...
Tomato and Black-Capped Chickadees Love
Mary Phillips-Sandy wishes she were Kate Pierson.
The Sad Clown of Death Sings
Annie Lennox freaks out a young Elizabeth Koch.
Fascinating, That Fascination Is
The Human League's "Fascination" fascinates Dennis DiClaudio.
Doot Doot ... Doody!
Nick Jezarian on Freur.
Love. Sweet!
Gladstone declares "Modern Love" a miniature poodle in a sweater.
We're Gonna Rock Down to Psychosis
Dennis DiClaudio on "Electric Avenue"
Church of the Musical Clusterf*ck
Mary Phillips-Sandy uncovers the dark secret behind Boy George's "Church of the Poisoned Mind." (No, the other darl secret. Silly!
That's An Excellent Question. Let Me Get Back To You.
Mick Stingley ponders "Is There Something [He] Should Know?"
Scooby Dooby Kajagoogoo
Ces Marcuiliano tries to describe "Too Shy."
So? So, Let's Dance!
Gladstone recalls the beginning of Bowie's end.
I'll Do Whatever I Damned Well Please
You can dance if you want to.
How Looooooooong?
How long must we sing "Sunday Bloody Sunday"?
Culture Club: Not Just a Bad 80s Bar
"Time (Clock of the Heart)"
Tears for Fears... and Good Charlotte's Relevance
Ces Marciuliano on Tears for Fears, with a Monchhichi reference to boot.
Don't Let the Door Hit You in the Ass on the Way OUt, Duffy!
Hunching over the radio, listening to a flaky ’DRE feed.
It's Electric!
Make a circuit with the Polecats.
I Wanna Be Kinetic and I Want a Web Shooter Too!
Hilary's "Kinetic" vs. Spiderman's webshooter.
Nothing Changes on New Year's Day
"Auld Lang Syne" with Bono.
You'll Always Be a Part of Me
Naked Eyes rip off Burt Bacharach.
Hale and Hearty
"Party Party" from Party Party
Once There Was a Day
"Let Me Go" by Heaven 17 from the album The Luxury Gap Third week of December, 1982 These little passages that we attach to these Shreek generally either invoke a memory or some interpretation of the song or even something...
Don't Turn Around
Gladstone on "Der Kommissar".
The Other Side of Yuck
"The Other Side of Love" by Yazoo, from (we think) the single, "The Other Side of Love" First week of December, 1982 Imagine the sweetly infectious synth beat of Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough", except instead of Martin Gore's...
Father Wears His Sunday Best
"Our House" by Madness, from the album Presents the Rise & Fall Fourth week of November, 1982 Elbows pumping, horns a-blarin', this song is like a nostalgia march. It makes you homesick for a house you never had -- the...
Everybody's Just Like You
“That’s Good” by Devo from the album Oh, No! It’s Devo Second Week of November, 1982 I don't know how Mark Motherbaugh feels about the fact that every song that he's ever sung is compared to the only one that...
Poetry in Motion
"She Blinded Me with Science" by Thomas Dolby from the album The Golden Age of Wireless First Week of November, 1982 "Mr. Dolby loses faith in Science and all things Scientific." Or so says the final written slide in the...
This Generation Rules the Nation
"Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth from the album Youth of Today First Week of November, 1982 This song will never die due to its infectious bass line and simple but digestible lyrics. A song that was essentially a rip-off...
See Me a Big Woman
"Kiss of Life" by Peter Gabriel from the album Security Fifth Week of October, 1982 Let's settle the "Who was the better member of Genesis" argument right now. If I were an attorney (I'm not), I feel like this would...
She's Gone Electric
"Annie Get Your Gun" by Squeeze (released as a single, but) from the album Singles 45's and Under Fourth week of October, 1982. This is Squeeze's second hit single named after a Broadway show, the other being, obviously, Goodbye Girl....
Top 40 Castoff from a Record Stand
"Walking in L.A." by Missing Persons, from the album Spring Session M. Third week of October, 1982. Sad to say, the dignified Christopher Walken is not the focus of this song. Nay! Instead with this track, Missing Persons provided the...
Like a Pigeon from Hell
"Back on the Chain Gang" by the Pretenders, from the album Learning to Crawl Second Week of October, 1982 I've said it once and I'll say it again: If there were a statistic measuring "Looks to Talent" Ratio, Chrissie Hynde...
Full of Strange Arrangements
"The Look of Love (Part One)" by ABC from the album The Lexicon of Love Second week of October, 1982 It takes but one listen to "The Look of Love (Part One)" to realize that this ABC is entirely different...
Monkey Shock
"Shock the Monkey" by Peter Gabriel from the album Security. Third week of September, 1982 Peter Gabriel. What a rotten son of a bitch. I always wondered why a man would prod the masses to shock a monkey. What the...
I Don't Wanna Hear That Song No More
"Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)" by the Flirts, from the album 10 Cents a Dance Fourth week of September, 1982 If the rock gods were ever to bring their dire contempt for new wave and early-80s pop music to litigation,...
Slow, Slow, Quick, Quick, Slow
"Dancing in Heaven (Orbital Be-Bop)" by Q-Feel, from the album Q-Feel Second week of September, 1982 Full disclosure: I had to look up this song because the name "Q-Feel" is as familiar to me as the terrain of southern Zimbabwe;...
Poor Old Johnny Ray
"Come On Eileen", by Dexy's Midnight Runners, from the album Too-Rye-Ay First week of September, 1982 I never really know what to make of this song. It reminds me of drunken Irishmen. Now, don't go calling the A.C.L.U. or the...
Mesh & Lace
"I Melt With You" by Modern English, from the album After the Snow Fourth week of August, 1982. Is there anything better than Brits who employ synthesizers as the backbone of their music? The answer is there are an infinite...
Leave the TV and the Radio Behind
"Steppin' Out" by Joe Jackson, from the album Night and Day. Third week of August, 1982 It surprises me that people work themselves into a froth when music that they loved (one-hit wonder or otherwise) gets bought up by some...
Talk2
"Talk Talk" by Talk Talk, from the album The Party's Over. Second week of August, 1982 You've got to love bands with eponymous songs, begging the chicken-or-the-egg question of which was named after what. Talk Talk dropped the meta-ball in...
Smell Like I Sound
"Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran, from the album Rio. First Week of August, 1982 They were one of the biggest bands of the decade, even penning the theme to a Bond film (although it was Roger Moore's last...
Partout Que Je Ne Suis Pas
"Everywhere That I'm Not" by Translator, from the album Heartbeats and Triggers Fifth week of July, 1982. This song stinks. It's annoying in the most jangly way possible. Try these lyrics: "'Cause you're in New York, but I'm not /...
Do You Hear Me? Do You Care?
"Words" by Missing Persons, from the album Spring Session M. Fourth week of July, 1982. Annoying, annoying, annoying. And if you sing it in your head, eventually you find the melody and lyrics drifting toward "Walking in L.A.", Missing Persons'...
Abre los Ojos
"Open Your Eyes" by the Lords of the New Church, from the album Lords of the New Church. Third week of July, 1982. Yes. This song is awesome. It's industrial-dance goth rock that's "political" without any real political comment. All...
That Crazy Casbah Sound
"Rock the Casbah" by the Clash, from the album Combat Rock. Second week of July, 1982. "Rock the Casbah" is, hands down, the Clash's worst song. It's funny and interesting and it's got cool sound effects and it's sort-of-but-not-really offensive--which...
Bringing You the Best New Music of 1982
WLIR (f.k.a. WDRE), 92.7 FM from Garden City, Long Island, was the source for underground, New Wave, modern rock—the place that New Yorkers who could receive its sketchy signal first encountered bands like R.E.M., the Smiths, the Cure, Depeche Mode, and later, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and the grunge scene that took “alternative” music to the forefront.
A longtime staple of the station was the Shreek of the Week, where listeners called up to vote for their favorite new song. Sort of a precursor to today’s MP3 blogs--had Arcade Fire or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah emerged twenty years ago, the Shreek of the Week is where you’d have discovered them.
Here, Y.P.R. presents each and every Shreek, in chronological order--the good, the bad, the classic, the forgotten, from ABC to Yaz.
First, the fitting farewell from the station to its listeners as it signed off: Alphaville’s “Forever Young” (a Shreek from December 1984), recorded off the radio, and found via the Internets.
January 9, 2004: WLIR Signs Off [MP3]
[Please don’t crush our bandwith; right-click and Save Target (or Link) As.]
To be clear, Y.P.R. is in no way endorsed by or affiliated with the late WLIR, or any of the music artists or labels presented here. The intent of this feature is to remember and celebrate some long-forgotten, much beloved music--a fanzine and mix tape in one. Any links to MP3 files will be active only fleetingly, for purposes of review and relevance, and removed upon request, following the self-policing protocol of the music-blog community.
This page is an archive of recent entries in the Shreek of the Week of the Day category.
Recycled but Re-Relevant is the previous category.
Underrated is the next category.
Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.
