Discord and Rhyme: An Album Podcast

Latest Episodes:

This Is Comp: The Wrecking Crew! Disc 2, Tracks 12-16 Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

In this week's Wrecking Crew retrospective, our crew makes a feast out of some puzzling but very fascinating table scraps, including a rowdy, drunken recording session allegedly conducted as a tax write-off for Michael Nesmith, and several songs written by the enigmatic Lee Hazlewood. And just for kicks, we threw in one of the most iconic songs of the '60s as a special bonus track!

Co-hosts: Rich Bunnell, Ben Marlin, Dan Watkins

Tracklist:

Jack Nitzsche - Baja
The Shacklefords - California Sunshine Girl
Michael Nesmith - Don't Call on Me*
Suzi Jane Hokom - Little War
Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made for Walkin'

*erroneously listed on the official tracklist as "You Told Me"

Other clips:

Jack Nitzsche - The Lonely Surfer
The Beach Boys - I Get Around
Neil Young - Expecting to Fly
John Carpenter - Starman
Stanford Clark - The Fool
Duane Eddy - Rebel Rouser
The Beach Boys - You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone
The Monkees - You Told Me
The Monkees - Don't Call on Me
Michael Nesmith - You Told Me
Lee Hazlewood & Suzi Jane Hokom - Califia (Stone Rider)
Lee Hazlewood & Suzi Jane Hokom - Summer Wine
Megadeth - These Boots
British Electric Foundation - These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
The Residents - Boots
Crispin Glover - These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Some Velvet Morning
Nancy Sinatra - You Only Live Twice
Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
Sideshow Bob & Selma Bouvier - Somethin' Stupid

177: Paul Simon - There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973) Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Paul Simon, famously short of stature but enormous in talent, is one of the most beloved and acclaimed American songwriters of the past century. He has at least four solo albums that would have made for great podcast episodes, but Amanda picked There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. This is probably not his absolute best album, but it’s incredibly good and serves as an excellent introduction to his solo career. He departed from the folk-rock style of Simon and Garfunkel and expanded on his experimentations with jazz, reggae, and R&B (some of these experiments being more successful than others), always accompanied by his characteristically clever turns of phrase. The result is an album that is widely varied but also sonically consistent, very early-’70s but also timeless, and extremely interesting and fun.

Cohosts: Amanda Rodgers, Ben Marlin, Rich Bunnell

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/177-paul-simon-there-goes-rhymin-simon-1973

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

This Is Comp: The Wrecking Crew! Disc 2, Tracks 7-11 Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

This week, the D&R crew discusses a new batch of tunes featuring our favorite L.A.-area session musicians, including the accidental invention of a silly but awesome production technique, a sick beat that helped lay the groundwork for hip-hop, and a celebrated trumpeteer whose cornball music nearly tears this podcast apart.

Co-hosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Amanda Rodgers

Tracklist:

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - This Guy's in Love with You
Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin'
Toni Fisher - The Big Hurt
The Monkees - Mary, Mary
Sonny & Cher - The Beat Goes On

Other clips:

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Spanish Flea
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - The Lonely Bull
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Lollipops and Roses
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Rise
Faith No More - This Guy's in Love with You
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - A Taste of Honey
The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows
Scott Walker - The Big Hurt
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Mary, Mary
The Bloodhound Gang - Along Comes Mary
Run-DMC - Mary, Mary
Big Daddy Kane - Pimpin' Ain't Easy
De La Soul - Change in Speak
Solange - Sandcastle Disco
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - The Reverend
Theo Mondle - The Humpback Hop
Cornershop - Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook Remix)
Devo - Post Post-Modern Man (Sub Post-Modern Mix)
Caesars - Jerk It Out
Sonic Youth - Bull in the Heather
The Winstons - Amen Brother
The Monkees - Zilch
The Searchers - Needles and Pins
Sonny & Cher - I Got You Babe
Cisco Kid - Freak On

Theme song based on "This Is Pop," written by Andy Partridge, with new lyrics by Adam Smith

Opening music: The Hector Collectors

https://thehectorcollectors.bandcamp.com/

Closing credits music: Kenneth Kraylie

https://kennethkraylie.bandcamp.com/

https://casinos.bandcamp.com/

176: Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop (1996) Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

In late 1995, Stone Temple Pilots were one of the most popular bands in the United States, but they were still widely disliked by critics. The band responded with Tiny Music... Song From The Vatican Gift Shop, where they forged their own unique identity and branched out to try a bunch of styles far from the 90's grunge music they had long been associated with. Phil has been fascinated by this record for a long time and is thrilled to share his appreciation with Rich and Dan.

Cohosts: Phil Maddox, Rich Bunnell, Dan Watkins

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/176-stone-temple-pilots-tiny-music-songs-from-the-vatican-gift-shop

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

This Is Comp: The Wrecking Crew! Disc 2, Tracks 2-6 Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

Back to the Wrecking Crew! Since "Good Vibrations" got its own showcase as it deserves, this is tracks 2-6, including some of the best sunshine pop and some of the most annoying protest music, all performed expertly by the best musicians in Los Angeles.

Songs:

The Mamas and the Papas - California Dreamin'
Tommy Roe - Dizzy
Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction
The Association - Windy
The 5th Dimension - Up, Up and Away

Other clips:

Barry McGuire - California Dreamin'
The Beach Boys - California Dreamin'
Tommy Roe - Sheila
Nice & Smooth - Early to Rise
Heavy D & the Boyz - You Can't See What I See
Public Enemy - 1 Million Bottlebags
Leaders of the New School - A Quarter to Cutthroat
D-Nice - Straight from the Bronx
Naughty by Nature - Guard Your Grill
D-Smooth - Droppin' Smooth Lyrics
Eric B. & Rakim - Casualties of War (Soulpower Remix)
3rd Bass - Problem Child
Girl Talk - Here's the Thing
They Might Be Giants - Ana Ng
Bob the Builder - Dizzy
The Dickies - Eve of Destruction
The Spokesmen - Dawn of Correction
The Beatles - The Beatles Third Christmas Record
The Association - Cherish
Ruthann Friedman - Windy (demo)
Stereolab - Ping Pong
The Free Design - Make the Madness Stop
Dizzy Devil - Dizzy

This Is Comp: The Wrecking Crew! Good Vibrations Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

If there was ever a song that deserved a whole episode to itself, it's the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations." A psychedelic masterpiece assembled bit by bit over several months and several studios, on paper it shouldn't have worked - but with the help of the Wrecking Crew, the Beach Boys successfully brought Brian Wilson's musical vision to life. It's become so familiar to everyone at this point that you might not even notice how brilliant it really is, so Ben, Rich, and special guest Sean are breaking it down piece by piece to illustrate its true genius.

And of course there are a million illustrative clips:

The Beach Boys:

Good Vibrations - Western 5-4-66 (First Chorus)
Kiss Me, Baby
California Girls
The Little Girl I Once Knew
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)
God Only Knows
Good Vibrations - Gold Star 2-18-66 (The Pet Sounds Session)
Student Demonstration Time
Good Good Good Vibrations (First Version With Overdubs) 3-66
Let's Go Away for Awhile
I Know There's an Answer
Good Vibrations - Alternate Edit 8-24-66
Heroes and Villains

Other clips:

Brian Wilson - Good Vibrations (2004 version)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra and Leonard Bernstein - Rhapsody in Blue
Henry Mancini - The Pink Panther Theme
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
The Ad Libs - The Boy from New York City
Clara Rockmore - The Swan (Saint-Saëns)
Weezer - Surf Wax America
Brian Wilson - Child Is Father of the Man
The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! To Everything There Is a Season)
Loleatta Holloway and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch - Good Vibrations

Buy Ben's book, Come On a Safari With Me: Listening to the Beach Boys, Song by Song: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTJGDK79

175b: Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac (1968) and Fleetwood Mac (1975) Sides Two Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

This quarterly double feature is about Fleetwood Mac for a couple of reasons: because they’re a very interesting and important band, and because they have two self-titled albums that sound nothing like each other. Launched by Peter Green in 1968 as a British blues band, in less than a decade they became an unstoppable California pop-rock monster. Their progression from one to the other is one of the most fascinating stories in rock history, and includes a lot of incredible music that you might not have known about. Mike, John, and Amanda had a great time talking about the various forms of Fleetwood Mac, and if you’re not familiar with their earlier incarnations, we hope you end up loving them as much as we do. And even if you don’t, the later version of the band is still every bit as good as their reputation says they are.

This episode includes Side Two of each album; see last week's episode for Sides One.

Cohosts: Mike DeFabio, John McFerrin, Amanda Rodgers

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/175-fleetwood-mac-fleetwood-mac-1968-and-fleetwood-mac-1975

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

175a: Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac (1968) and Fleetwood Mac (1975) Sides One Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Cohosts: Mike DeFabio, John McFerrin, Amanda Rodgers

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/175-fleetwood-mac-fleetwood-mac-1968-and-fleetwood-mac-1975

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

This Is Comp: Weird Al's The Alternative Polka (1996), Tracks 7-12 Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

This week, we dive into the second half of "Weird Al" Yankovic's tribute to the alternative rock format, featuring angsty anthems from Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden, the return of America's brother-in-law Anthony Kiedis, and a song that Rivers Cuomo stole from this medley, so we're stealin' it back.

Co-hosts: Rich Bunnell, Phil Maddox, Ben Marlin

Tracklist:

Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Weezer - Buddy Holly
Red Hot Chili Peppers - My Friends
Foo Fighters - I'll Stick Around
Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
Green Day - Basket Case

Other clips:

Smashing Pumpkins - Disarm
Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock
Smashing Pumpkins - 1979
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Skipper Dan
Weezer - My Name Is Jonas (The Kitchen Tape demo)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Aeroplane
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Bedrock Anthem
Foo Fighters - Big Me
Foo Fighters - Learn to Fly
"Weird Al" Yankovic - My Own Eyes
Soundgarden - Rusty Cage
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Canadian Idiot
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - Spanish Flea

Eight Thousand Million Questions: Listener Q&A 8.2 Jun 30, 2026

Show notes

For this year's Q&A episode, we asked you guys what artists and albums you'd like to hear us cover on the show, and you did not disappoint! We got literally hundreds of suggestions, and we did our best to narrow them down but we still ended up having to split this episode into two parts. We published Part 1 last week, and here's Part 2 right here. We had a great time talking about everything from Bob Dylan to Dennis Wilson, and we hope you enjoy it too.

Cohosts: Everybody

Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Ew83laRbjctsD57wQXcd7

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Discord and Rhyme: An Album Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected