Back at the college radio station, I was always appreciative when I found out the official derivation of a band’s name. This was in part because it was handy information to have when introducing or backselling a band’s songs on the air, providing something interesting to help fill up the time. It was also fairly difficult background to come by for a lot of the artists we played. Even at that late date, there was no shortage of articles tracing how the Rolling Stones selected their moniker, but it was a lot harder to find out where the hell the name the Mighty Lemon Drops came from. Still, I think I was probably better off not knowing the the U.K. band the Woodentops borrowed their name from a BBC kids TV show that started in the nineteen-fifties. If I had the creepy-looking puppets from that series levitating in front of my mind’s eye every time I played a Woodentops song, I may very well have steered clear of their records. And then I would have missed a lot of terrific music.

The Woodentops–the band, not the creepy puppet people–released their debut album, Giant, in 1986. A live album followed, but it was their second full-length studio effort that I remember playing. Wooden Foot Cops on the Highway came out in 1988, the year I started at the college radio station. It had an especially distinctive cover that was also among the many album flats stapled to the studio walls. So it was always staring at me, suggesting, even insisting, that I give the record a fresh play. If nothing else, it reminded me the Woodentops were there patiently waiting for attention any time I was scrambling to figure out what to play from a certain stack.

There wasn’t much Woodentops music to enjoy after that. The band continued to tour for a couple of years, but they broke up in the early nineties without releasing another studio effort (they’ve of course reunited for shows in recent years, because every band with even a modicum of name recognition from the era reunites for shows). Eventually the album flats came off the walls of the studios too, making the Woodentops one of those bands that only a few remembered. By the time I graduated, I suspect mine was the only handwriting on the station’s copy of Wooden Foot Cops on the Highway, dutifully writing out the songs I played. The title “They Can Say What They Want” was probably well represented on the slip of paper taped to the cover.

Listen or download –> The Woodentops, “They Can Say What They Want”

(Disclaimer: As far as I can tell, the Woodentops catalog is almost entirely out of print as physical objects that can be purchased at a physical store. A couple releases, including the band’s debut, can be bought digitally, although it appears Wooden Foot Cops cannot. It is evidently prevalent enough in the used CD bins that it can be snared for around a buck through that means. Still, there’s no way that I can see to purchase the song that I’ve included here that provides due compensation to all worthy parties, so I’m sharing it with the belief that doing so ultimately causes no fiscal harm to any parties. Regardless, I will gladly and promptly remove it if asked to do so by a person or entity with the due authority to make such a request.)