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The Iguanas — 9 Volt Heart
Album: Plastic Silver 9 Volt Heart
Avg rating:
6.7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 502









Released: 0
Length: 3:37
Plays (last 30 days): 0
His mama said, "Baby, wait for me in the car"
And she went lookin' for his daddy inside a bar
So he sat and let the radio take him far away
Listenin' to XPRS and KRLA

Plastic silver nine volt heart
You click it on and let the music start
And the radio was his toy
The radio was his toy

Well, Rachel was twenty and he was seventeen years old
Sittin' in a parked car on a country road
Runnin' his fingers through her long black hair
And the Staples singin', "Baby, I'll take you there"

Plastic silver nine volt heart
You click it on and let the music start
And the radio was his toy
The radio was his toy

Doin' the dishes long after midnight
Talkin' about the evenin' news with his wife
The baby wakes up and starts to cry
So they turn the radio on for his lullaby

Plastic silver nine volt heart
You click it on and let the music start

Plastic silver nine volt heart
You click it on and let the music start
And the radio was his toy
The radio was his toy

Plastic silver nine volt heart
Plastic silver nine volt heart
You click it on and let the music start
Comments (125)add comment
 oldfart48 wrote:
great tune, why don't you play the original, by  Dave Alvin

 

Yes, RP needs more Dave Alvin.
sounds like mark knopfler
I agree, Dave owns this song.

I don’t believe this is The Iguanas. I think it’s really The Saw Doctors moonlighting under a pseudo name !


            {#Daisy}a nice sound
Love it. Never really listened to this band before.
great tune, why don't you play the original, by  Dave Alvin
Sweet,   9        Peace friends
 nate917 wrote:
At night, a good little transistor radio in Cleveland could pick up the magic of The Big 8 — CKLW coming in from Detroit, across the lake — the most perfect combination of Motown and Pop ever to grace the airwaves.  (Yes, philosophy dogs, most perfect, and it does make sense.)



 
CKLW had the best newscasts. They usually went something like: "An eight-year-old boy was strained through the radiator of an 18-wheeler on Grand River Avenue this morning ..."

Ah, memories.  
 Cynaera wrote:
I think a little nostalgia is a good thing - it brings back memories of life-experiences we might otherwise forget or let get buried under the responsibilities of survival. And everyone, I think, needs a happy memory to help in the staying-alive process. (A recipe for vegetable stew to feed a hundred people is pretty handy, too.)  Bumping this up a couple of notches. I'm getting my flower head-garland out, and my fringed knee-high moccasins. The sun's bright and hot, my plants are growing, most of the cats are pretty healthy, and I have a turkey in the oven.

If nothing goes wrong today, I'll count it platinum. {#Sunny}

 
Godspeed, Ann.
 TerryS wrote:

Somebody needs to gather these pieces and put them into a self-help book...........it would sell millions!

 

Yeah, that's just what we need.  More bromides.  As if there weren't enough self help books to begin with.
 Cynaera wrote:
I think a little nostalgia is a good thing - it brings back memories of life-experiences we might otherwise forget or let get buried under the responsibilities of survival. And everyone, I think, needs a happy memory to help in the staying-alive process. (A recipe for vegetable stew to feed a hundred people is pretty handy, too.)  Bumping this up a couple of notches. I'm getting my flower head-garland out, and my fringed knee-high moccasins. The sun's bright and hot, my plants are growing, most of the cats are pretty healthy, and I have a turkey in the oven.

If nothing goes wrong today, I'll count it platinum. {#Sunny}
 
Somebody needs to gather these pieces and put them into a self-help book...........it would sell millions!

 scott_bruce wrote:


In the late 60's and early 70's in the East San Francisco Bay Area, I woke up at the butt-crack of dawn every morning to deliver newspapers. My clock radio was always set to 610 AM, and the sounds of Top 40 on KFRC. It was all we listened to. This song eloquently captures the significant role that silly little radio played in our young lives!
 

Ha !  No wakey up early for me then.  Delivered the Berkeley Gazette in the afternoon after school.  It was the early 60's though, and its was KEWB for the tunes then.  Everyonce in awhile I would deliver the Oakland Tribune on Sundays.  That was early and it did suck.
the radio was my guitar ? toy ?
what was his radio ? 
 nate917 wrote:
Yes, it sounds like the Saw Doctors, and all those others for that matter, but only one of you can be truly correct, and this time it's The Poose. 

At night, a good little transistor radio in Cleveland could pick up the magic of The Big 8 — CKLW coming in from Detroit, across the lake — the most perfect combination of Motown and Pop ever to grace the airwaves.  (Yes, philosophy dogs, most perfect, and it does make sense.)
 
CKLW was a monster. Canada did not have the 50,000 watt limit on AM power, so the station in Windsor, Ontario was the strongest signal in northern Ohio. Day or night, made no difference. I must confess to not liking Motown at the time, a deficiency I have been atoning for ever since the mid 1960s. I think you are right about the mix they played then.
 adamdbenson wrote:
I grew up with KFRC  and Dr. Donald D Rose. A few years later it was KOME with personalities like Dennis Erectus. Wow - memories. Thanks for this one. =)

 

In the late 60's and early 70's in the East San Francisco Bay Area, I woke up at the butt-crack of dawn every morning to deliver newspapers. My clock radio was always set to 610 AM, and the sounds of Top 40 on KFRC. It was all we listened to. This song eloquently captures the significant role that silly little radio played in our young lives!
 ThePoose wrote:
Sounds like Jackson Browne melded with Warren Zevon.
 
We should open up a "sounds like" contest for this song. I was going to post "Jackson Browne with a bit of Bruce Cockburn", but I think you're closer to the mark. 

Wow—just checked Google for the right spelling of "Browne" and saw a link for a video to "The Load-Out/Stay." That used to be on the radio All. The. Time. Haven't heard that in years. 
Love this one. I'd never heard of the Iguanas before hearing this on RP. Thanks Bill!

- Oshyan 
Yes, it sounds like the Saw Doctors, and all those others for that matter, but only one of you can be truly correct, and this time it's The Poose. 

At night, a good little transistor radio in Cleveland could pick up the magic of The Big 8 — CKLW coming in from Detroit, across the lake — the most perfect combination of Motown and Pop ever to grace the airwaves.  (Yes, philosophy dogs, most perfect, and it does make sense.)


 mandolin wrote:
...kind of sounds like carbon leaf...
   
 ThePoose wrote:
Sounds like Jackson Browne melded with Warren Zevon.
  ghoffman wrote:

The singer sounds like Jakob Dylan (Wallflowers) to me.  Nice.
   
xtalman wrote:

I am hearing some Tom Petty.
  No no no it sound like the the Saw Doctors!


 ghoffman wrote:

The singer sounds like Jakob Dylan (Wallflowers) to me.  Nice.
  I came to post the same thing — and to see if anyone else heard the similarity I heard!  I would have sworn it was Jacob Dylan.  {#Wink}


I think a little nostalgia is a good thing - it brings back memories of life-experiences we might otherwise forget or let get buried under the responsibilities of survival. And everyone, I think, needs a happy memory to help in the staying-alive process. (A recipe for vegetable stew to feed a hundred people is pretty handy, too.)  Bumping this up a couple of notches. I'm getting my flower head-garland out, and my fringed knee-high moccasins. The sun's bright and hot, my plants are growing, most of the cats are pretty healthy, and I have a turkey in the oven.

If nothing goes wrong today, I'll count it platinum. {#Sunny}
 ghoffman wrote:

The singer sounds like Jakob Dylan (Wallflowers) to me.  Nice.
 
I am hearing some Tom Petty.

Nice  tune, but would rather hear AM Radio by Everclear!
So nice... "The radio was my toy." In the pre-Internet world, wasn't that the truth for many of us. {#Clap}
TRUELY LOVELY!

This song is so like "The Saw Doctors". Is there any connection between the two bands? Its certainly a blindingly good song.



 kjf06 wrote:
WLS and WCFL in Chicago. I used to ride my bike every week to go get a paper copy of the top 40. And count 'em down with Larry Lujak.
 
I must have been all of 13 or 14, listening to the WLS countdown with Art Roberts, who I think preceeded Lujack. We would be glued to the speaker wondering if Herman's Hermits were going to bump the Beatles or the Rolling Stones out of #1.

 ThePoose wrote:
Sounds like Jackson Browne melded with Warren Zevon.
 
The singer sounds like Jakob Dylan (Wallflowers) to me.  Nice.
What a sweet, nostalgic song!  I think I love it - it makes me all sentimental and squooshy-weepy.  The lyrics are just beautiful - simple and true. {#Sunny}
I grew up with KFRC  and Dr. Donald D Rose. A few years later it was KOME with personalities like Dennis Erectus. Wow - memories. Thanks for this one. =)

 Giselle62 wrote:
A small pastel-colored transistor radio was my toy—-i listened to KHJ and K-DAY ( K-Day was the all-soul station) this was 1972 and you might see that reflected in the things i still rate highly. I remember clearly that around that time my favorite song was "Signs" —5 Man Electrical Band (hey I was 10, but i still love it, actually.)
 
Hey!  The one my grandmother gave me was light blue, and I remember distinctly hearing Bennie and the Jets by EJ!  RP rocks.


WLS and WCFL in Chicago. I used to ride my bike every week to go get a paper copy of the top 40. And count 'em down with Larry Lujak.
A small pastel-colored transistor radio was my toy—-i listened to KHJ and K-DAY ( K-Day was the all-soul station) this was 1972 and you might see that reflected in the things i still rate highly. I remember clearly that around that time my favorite song was "Signs" —5 Man Electrical Band (hey I was 10, but i still love it, actually.)

Love the fact that RP plays groups like The Iguanas! {#Music}
 dkwalika wrote:
This is a great song, and, regarding the AM radio vibe going, we all listened to WLS and WCFL back in the early 1970s.

"Grand Spalding Dodge!"

"Playback, the Electronic Playground!"

WayUpNorth wrote:

Hey, we had Dr. Don Rose in Philly too! I remember listening to him when I was but a wee tot ... love RP for the chance to connect so many disassociated dots ...

 
Hey - for us stranded in rural NC, we got WLS just fine after dark, also WABC with Cousin Brucie.

"Sunday! Sunday! At Raceway Park!"

"If Clearasil doesn't work for you, you can get your money and your zits back."
 
This is a great song, and, regarding the AM radio vibe going, we all listened to WLS and WCFL back in the early 1970s.

"Grand Spalding Dodge!"

"Playback, the Electronic Playground!"

WayUpNorth wrote:

Hey, we had Dr. Don Rose in Philly too! I remember listening to him when I was but a wee tot ... love RP for the chance to connect so many disassociated dots ...



I was going to say is sounds like Jackson Browne too but not as a compliment. ;-)
 ThePoose wrote:
Sounds like Jackson Browne melded with Warren Zevon.
 
love this observation, nice.

 ThePoose wrote:
Sounds like Jackson Browne melded with Warren Zevon.
 

wow... that's a pretty good description.  for me, the warren zevon aspect pushes the score up; the jackson browne brings the score down.
 BluEyes wrote:
And Dr. Don Rose early in the morning. I remember when he broke his leg and they set up a mini-studio in his garage so he could stay on the air. I listened from Santa Rosa back in the '70's. And I like this song but I still like Dave Alvin's version better.
 
Hey, we had Dr. Don Rose in Philly too!  I remember listening to him when I was but a wee tot ... love RP for the chance to connect so many disassociated dots ... 
1965 — a very battered AM radio I could listen to after being put to bed with the speaker pressed close to my ear.
7 —> 8
Sounds like Jackson Browne melded with Warren Zevon.
...kind of sounds like carbon leaf...
 Brooky wrote:
wow! this is tasty
 
Iguanas have some good stuff.
wow! this is tasty
 BluEyes wrote:
And Dr. Don Rose early in the morning. I remember when he broke his leg and they set up a mini-studio in his garage so he could stay on the air. I listened from Santa Rosa back in the '70's.
Bill is our new Dr. Don!

LOL and {#Heartkiss} to both...
 arudger wrote:
how many of us norcalians listened to KFRC late at night?
 

This is the first time I here this song, so I like it. I'm not tired like most of you guys seem to be. The world is BIG and we are all different :-).
 Faithful_Fool wrote:
Yup the ole' Tranistor Radio play'in an AM radio station. Go buy the 45's and spin em on the Hi-Fi that needed pennies stacked on the stylus arm so it didn't skip. Thanks for the memories RP!
 
Yeah, got my first I think in the 5th grade. There was no FM to speak of. Only KYA and KEWB on AM. After I'd been sent to bed, I'd curl up secretly with my radio and KEWB through the earpiece. Of course I'd wake up the next morning with the 9-volt battery deader than dead and would have to wait until my next allowance (an amazing 30 cents!) to get another. God, I love rock'n'roll...


That's song's got a great sentiment, I recall getting a Philips transistor radio when I was 11 years old. My father gave it to me as a reward for an academic achievement. My father died the following year. Belfast wasn't a great place to grow up at that time, in the early '70s. Many nights I can remember being tucked up under the sheets with my radio tuned into Radio Luxembourg and being interrupted by a terrorist bomb going off somewhere downtown. That radio, and the view it gave me out into the world, was a great gift.


 arudger wrote:
how many of us norcalians listened to KFRC late at night?
 

Yup.  Lying across the bench seat of the Ford Club Wagon crossing the bridge back to Marin from Grandma's house in the city.  Dad would play KFRC on the Philco indash radio.  Long time ago.  That was when a fireman's salary could support a family of six in Marin County.
thu raaaaaadiohhhh wuz mah toy. {#Beat}
Sounds a bit "Saw Doctor" ish. Which is good.
KFRC
Sounds like a Wallflowers tune called, "The Bleeders."
arudger wrote:
how many of us norcalians listened to KFRC late at night?
And Dr. Don Rose early in the morning. I remember when he broke his leg and they set up a mini-studio in his garage so he could stay on the air. I listened from Santa Rosa back in the '70's. And I like this song but I still like Dave Alvin's version better.
Amazon wrote:
More than weird -- I call it flatout awful. It's why I don't live in my beloved home state anymore. Honk if you can remember when it was possible to see the Crystal Range of the Sierra Nevada (west wall of Lake Tahoe) to the east of Sackatomatoes from downtown.
While the growth in Sacramento is sickening, there's no way I'd ever give up the North State for Texas (Austin being the ONE possible exception).
dmax wrote:
Now, the kids stay up after we've gone to bed and surf the net for porn. Sigh.
The radio is my porn.
bokey wrote:
I used to have a transistor radio that worked on four 1.5 volt batteries.I found out that you could plug in a 9-volt and get incredible range.I could get ABC radio out of NYC at night. Then my engineer Dad found out and put a stop to that(for the 1 day it took me to find another 9 volter).It seems that overpowering a device was some kind of geek sin back then. I think I was a prototype for todays overclockers.
More power!!! Arrhhhh!
We need Townes van Zandt now more than ever---or Steve Earle earlier.
Faithful_Fool wrote:
Johnstone. Up Heatherstone off of Blackstone. Mary E. Silvera. Remember the Boyscout bonfires of the xmas trees?
I'm PMing you.
sandpebble wrote:
Kernberry Drive!
Johnstone. Up Heatherstone off of Blackstone. Mary E. Silvera. Remember the Boyscout bonfires of the xmas trees?
Faithful_Fool wrote:
Marinwood?
Kernberry Drive!
sandpebble wrote:
I'm another. Jim Lang was my neighbor. He had a great gig going! KFRC and The Dating Game.
Marinwood?
arudger wrote:
how many of us norcalians listened to KFRC late at night?
I'm another. Jim Lang was my neighbor. He had a great gig going! KFRC and The Dating Game.
lmic wrote:
YES!!! In the early seventies late-night was the only time we could receive KFRC really clearly, from those far-distant reaches of Sacramento. The memories... And now, Sac is considered part of the "Greater Bay Area." Wierd.
More than weird -- I call it flatout awful. It's why I don't live in my beloved home state anymore. Honk if you can remember when it was possible to see the Crystal Range of the Sierra Nevada (west wall of Lake Tahoe) to the east of Sackatomatoes from downtown.
I used to have a transistor radio that worked on four 1. 5 volt batteries. I found out that you could plug in a 9-volt and get incredible range. I could get ABC radio out of NYC at night. Then my engineer Dad found out and put a stop to that(for the 1 day it took me to find another 9 volter). It seems that overpowering a device was some kind of geek sin back then. I think I was a prototype for todays overclockers.
rtrudeau wrote:
Add me to the list! arudger wrote:
how many of us norcalians listened to KFRC late at night?
YES!!! In the early seventies late-night was the only time we could receive KFRC really clearly, from those far-distant reaches of Sacramento. The memories... And now, Sac is considered part of the "Greater Bay Area." Wierd.
Roverfish wrote:
Bruce Cockburn with Morphine on horns. Excellent tune.
Glad to see that someone else heard BC too!
KFRC Boy, that brings back some memories. Back when I lived in Concord, California, and my mom made me go to bed, I'd lie in the dark listening to this little tinny transistor radio, tuned to KFRC. Thank God for Internet Radio, or ClearChannel would have already doomed all our souls.
arudger wrote:
how many of us norcalians listened to KFRC late at night?
Add me to the list!
arudger wrote:
how many of us norcalians listened to KFRC late at night?
Good ol' KFRC - I remember it well
Back when FM Radio was good, I listened with my Koss Headphones late at night, the snow falling outside. That was all I needed then, my radio and the snow falling. I wish I could go back there.
back when radios were "Made in Japan"
FilmSurgeon wrote:
Sounds like Evan Dando. I could even picture the lemonheads doing this...
i agree now that you said that. but, i was thinking Ryan Adams, Whiskeytown or Sonvolt.
Sounds like Evan Dando. I could even picture the lemonheads doing this...
how many of us norcalians listened to KFRC late at night?
Seen them a few times at the Rock and Bowl. Great dance band.
I had a combination transistor and TUBE (for the power amp) AM radio. It took about a minute to warm up and gave off a pale orange glow. I used to tune in WOWO in Ft. Wayne, Indiana after all of the local stations signed off. I went to sleep with it on many nights.
I think for most of us RP geeks, the radio is still our favorite toy! This is wonderfully evocative song, but I too prefer Dave Alvin's version. Which is the original?
I love these guys. Saw them in New Orleans two years back, and in Atlanta the last time they passed through. Definitely check them out if you get a chance! This whole album is great too, btw.
DownHomeGirl wrote:
Hey this is cool. When I was a baby, I had a little radio that I slept with instead of a teddy bear. I thought I was a weird kid. Guess no so wierd after all :goodvibes:
I did, too. It was red and hard plastic with sharp corners. Ouch. Dave's version is way better. never fear, you were weird. same as me.
Faithful_Fool wrote:
Yup the ole' Tranistor Radio play'in an AM radio station. Go buy the 45's and spin em on the Hi-Fi that needed pennies stacked on the stylus arm so it didn't skip. Thanks for the memories RP!
My transistor radio was red and it probably appeared to be permanently attached to my ear during the summer of 1965...and every week I was down at the local drugstore scanning the newest top 40 hit list and carefully choosing my next 45rpm purchase.
I love this song...reminds me of when I was a kid, staying up late at night and listening to my radio with an earplug so my parents wouldn't know....smiles...good memories.
zair99 wrote:
Definitely reminds me of Mark Knopfler, too. Nice song, if not quite as good as Mark...
A little Warren Zevon too?
Definitely reminds me of Mark Knopfler, too. Nice song, if not quite as good as Mark...
Faithful_Fool wrote:
Yup the ole' Tranistor Radio play'in an AM radio station. Go buy the 45's and spin em on the Hi-Fi that needed pennies stacked on the stylus arm so it didn't skip. Thanks for the memories RP!
Heh... you ever notice how nostalgia ain't what it used to be?
nice sexy sax coupled with a beautiful voice. Ouch!
Yup the ole' Tranistor Radio play'in an AM radio station. Go buy the 45's and spin em on the Hi-Fi that needed pennies stacked on the stylus arm so it didn't skip. Thanks for the memories RP! :propeller.gif:
Wonderful song (Dave Alvin's version is good too). Lyrics remind me of my life. Scary.
There's something here - the 9 volt plastic AM radio (FIVE transistors! SOME diodes!) pretty much got me through the late 60's. Oops - dating myself. Again.
Dalebarely wrote:
more than once I've heard this song on RP, and surfed over to see if there is a new Jackson Browne CD or some obscure album track I somehow missed.....
You just twisted my mind there. Now, somehow, I too hear Jackson Browne's voice! Not sedate enough for him, though. If he heard that guitar on playback, he'd assume the tape was going bad.
Love the guitar and the production on this tune. Pretty slick.
Bruce Cockburn with Morphine on horns. Excellent tune.
more than once I've heard this song on RP, and surfed over to see if there is a new Jackson Browne CD or some obscure album track I somehow missed.....
KKeith wrote:
What a beautiful song.
Hmmmm what? Was there a song playing? Sorry just woke up again.... What a non-event.
I can still smell the leather case of my Magnavox! Flippin' between CKLW, WXYZ ("Lee Alan & the Horn") and WKNR. Got mine as a present to help me sleep after seeing "house On the Haunted Hill" and "Gorgo" at the movie theater. See https://www.keener13.com for nostalgic Detroit radio remembrances...
KKeith wrote:
What a beautiful song. I grew up with a radio for a toy too...
Hey this is cool. When I was a baby, I had a little radio that I slept with instead of a teddy bear. I thought I was a weird kid. Guess no so wierd after all :goodvibes:
KKeith wrote:
What a beautiful song. I grew up with a radio for a toy too...
Me too. What a lovely, tender remembrance, this tune.
Ah, a song with a little story to tell. Remember them?
How come this never gets followed up by The Staples actually singing "I'll Take You There"? It's in the library...
I listened to that entire song thinking it was a Warren Zevon song I'd never heard.
What a beautiful song. I grew up with a radio for a toy too...
An introspective tune from one of New Orleans most popular party bands. If they ever hit your town, don't miss an Iguanas concert! Thanks for playing this one!
Knopfler-esque vocals.... *edit* DUH....just read previous posts....
zevon wrote:
Just listened to Dave's version on the way to work this morning, this is good but I like Dave's vocals better.
:nodhead: Dave rocks!
the radio was and still is my toy since '59.
Not much of a surprise he grew into a thoughtful, heartfelt, songwriter. Cool story/teller. Relatable. An 8.
Just listened to Dave's version on the way to work this morning, this is good but I like Dave's vocals better.
jpalembas wrote:
i'm hearing mark knopfler. nice tune.
At little at first, then I too was thinking Wallflowers for a couple of lines, just at the start of the song. A little Zevonesqe, but not in the voice.
I'd heard this by Dave Alvin and loved it but I have to admit that this one is nice, too. Their voices are nothing alike yet they both infuse feeling and mood into the words and music.
jpalembas wrote:
i'm hearing mark knopfler. nice tune.
Close, but no Knopfler. Mark's voice is smoother and creamier. His entire band is smoother than this Iguanas band. Now, on their own merit, they are pretty good. Nice sax. Nothing amazing but pleasant.
jpalembas wrote:
i'm hearing mark knopfler. nice tune.
Perhaps you are hearing Dave Alvin. He co-wrote it.
i'm hearing mark knopfler. nice tune.
randomprime wrote:
This sounded familiar but not. The vocals sound like Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne at times.
I also thought it might be JB....
Reminiscent of Los Lobos for me. But regardless, it's just a great song. Whenever it comes on RP, I tend to stop and smile fondly.
the_om wrote:
Yeah, I had those same thoughts...
Same here...all good though.
randomprime wrote:
This sounded familiar but not. The vocals sound like Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne at times.
Yeah, I had those same thoughts...
mig7 wrote:
I thought it was the Wallflowers.
This sounded familiar but not. The vocals sound like Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne at times.