Each episode we use a place as a jumping off point for a conversation about music – anywhere from the obvious to the obscure.
Join us as we build our music map of the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Each episode we use a place as a jumping off point for a conversation about music – anywhere from the obvious to the obscure.
Join us as we build our music map of the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Copyright: © Simon Cardwell
Join us on our first trip to Scotland, Edinburgh to be precise to retrace the history of on elf post-punk's most iconic bands, Josef K. The band were only around a few years but their influence has grown enormously in the intervening years, biographer Johnnie Johnston takes us through our first look at C81, Postcard Records, & the Sound of Young Scotland.
We talk about the Scotland of the 1970s & how it differs from today, how the band met & came together, The band's connection with the Worlds End Murders of October 1977, Josef K's key influences including the Velvet Underground, Talking Heads, Iggy & the Stooges & of course the advent of punk.
A key gig in the city of Edinburgh took place at the Playhouse in May of 1977 when The Clash, Subway Sect, The Jam, The Slits & Buzzcocks all appearing on the same bill. The band later open for the Clash in 1980. We discuss both as well as the legendary 'Sound of Young Scotland' showcase gigs in Edinburgh & Glasgow. Josef K also got support slots with Magazine, Bauhaus, The Cure, Teardrop Explodes, Echo & the Bunnymen in the wake of those legendary gigs.
Was Postcard was the right fit for the band? We also mention earlier signings to the label including The Go-Betweens, Aztec Camera & Orange Juice.
Along with that we touch on Josef K's unique sound with 3 rhythm guitars but no lead, the John Peel session the band recorded, their subsequent influence on the likes of Franz Ferdinand, The Wedding Present & The Smiths.
And of course, Josef K's curious decision to re-record their debut album, their sudden break up & a little about what happened to the members after & much more.
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We welcome Jah Wobble to tell us about his time with PiL (Public Image Limited) - we start with how he joined the band, touch upon his youth with John Lydon, who came up with the name of the band & the brief early involvement of Richard Branson. We hear about how Keith Levene & Jim Walker joined the band (and Jim's departure later) as well as signing with Virgin Records shortly after. Jah describes the chaotic finances of the band & the key part photographer Dennis Morris played in the story.
We hear about how the innovative PiL band logo came to be & the arrival of the debut album First Issue arrives in late 1978 followed by the novel idea of playing gigs on Christmas Day & Boxing Day at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park.
Jah explains how PiL songs nearly always start with the baseline & build from there & how this played into the Metal Box album which follows in November 1979 & how the famous metal container cover came about. We hear a couple of unusual stories including Chris Blackwell's brief involvement & the prospect to sign with Island Records in the US along with a meeting with Martin Scorsese to discuss the soundtrack for Raging Bull.
Factory Records gets a mention as a label which may have been a better fit for the band in hindsight - we also hear about the bands first US tour in early 1980 - Jah tells us how the audiences compared to back at home as well as how this tour ultimately became his last appearances with the band as he left upon returning to London.
All this & more - if you like this episode please leave us a review or star rating on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Biographer Lesley-Ann Jones joins us to talk about Paul McCartney's time in Scotland living on High Park Farm near Campbeltown. We talk about his decision to buy this property in a remote part of Scotland, his & John Lennon's links (or lack of) to Scotland, Linda's role in Paul & his family spending more time there & the privacy it subsequently afforded them. We move onto discuss some of the key songs written at the farm over the years including Heart of the Country, The Lovely Linda & That Would Be Something as well as some that were recorded there in Paul's home studio such as Back To The Egg & McCartney II. We discuss the impact of Linda McCartney's photos taken at the farm which later appeared on the cover of Ram & the inner sleeve of McCartney I. Moving on we really dig into the writing, recording, release, video shoot & more for Mull of Kintyre - how Paul came to meet & work with the Campbeltown Pipe Band, the huge success of the song in the UK, its comparable lack of success in the US, the various videos & TV appearance which followed & how the song fit upon its release in 1977, the year of punk.
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Carrying on our chat with Tim Booth we continue on the early years of James with the recording of their first demo, signing to Factory Records & making their debut release with the Jimone EP in November 1983. From there Tim tells us about meeting The Smiths & playing with them at the Hacienda & subsequently touring Ireland with them & later joining the Meat Is Murder Tour in 1985. James are touring with Johnny Marr across the USA in the autumn & Tim tells us how this came about. We also hear about leaving Factory Records in 1985 & ending up on Sire Records - debut album Stutter is produced by Lenny Kaye. The follow up Strip Mine doesn't appear until 18 months after it was recorded & we hear about that what let do these delays. We also get to ask Tim about the famous Anti Clause 28 gig with the Stone Roses at the International, signing to Rough Trade in 1989 & releasing the Gold Mother album which leads to the huge success of Come Home & Sit Down. Tim talks us through writing, releasing & re-recording Sit Down. We talk about a few of the bands bib gigs from this era including the G Mex & the roof of the Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester as well as Alton Towers in 1990 in front of 30,000 fans. The Seven album also comes out in 1990 & we touch on that & then hear about how the band met & worked with Brian Eno We move onto this year's Yummy album - the bands first number 1 in the UK Chart & talk through some upcoming festival appearances throughout 2024.
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Tim Booth joins us this week to talk about his new book 'When I Died For The First Time' out now on Constable (imprint of Little Brown). We talk about his writing influences from Doris Lessing & Patti Smith to Frank Herbert & then how his experiences in James influenced his writing. We also talk in depth about James latest UK number 1 album Yummy as well as their recent appearance at Glastonbury 2024 & their other appearances they have coming up over the summer & an autumn USA tour with Johnny Marr.
Moving onto James we start with Tim meeting the band at Manchester University Student's Union, joining initially as a dancer but graduating to lead singer within 4-5 months. Tim talks us through some of the bands early gigs including the first gig in Blackburn along with early appearances at the Hacienda & the International inManchester. We find out how they came up with the name James & signing to Factory Records & Tony Wilson - with more to come in part 2.
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Helen O'Hara joins us as we talk through her early career from getting a knock on the door to play with Kevin Archer's The Blue Ox Babes to later joining Dexys Midnight Runners. We talk about being renamed Helen O'Hara by Kevin Rowland & joining Dexys as one of the Emerald Express shortly after & Helen's difficult decision to join the band & turn down an offer to join the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra. recording for the first time with the band at AIR Studios in London with producers Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley. Helen's first gig with Dexys comes at Exhibition Park in Newcastle for a Radio 1 show, where the band also unveiled their new look. Soon after the band recorded & released the Too-Rye-Ay album which spawned the number 1 single Come On Eileen - Helen explains the importance of the Top Of The Pops appearances in breaking the song. The Bridge Tour follows in 1982 & the Jackie Wilson Said single follows & again becomes a hit. Join us for all this and more.
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This week we make our first visit to Birmingham to trace the history & early years of Dexys Midnight Runners - how Kevin Rowland & Kevin Archer formed the band, the strict rules for membership, how the various members came to join.
Writer Nige Tassell, talks us through some of the stories, myths & legends from his new book Searching For Dexys Midnight Runners - published by Nine Eight Books.
We start with early punk band project The Killjoys, how they jump to the soul inflected sound of Dexys, how it went against the grain at the time, the various venues the band played around Birmingham including gigs with Joy Division & UB40.
Nige tells us about the brief possibility of Van Morrison coming in to produce the debut album Searching For The Young Soul Rebels - how the record was made, the heist that ensued after the recording with the master tapes.
Bernie Rhodes brief involvement before the first single Dance Stance is released - signing to EMI after his departure. The huge success of Geno which followed & took the band to number 1 in the charts - how the label didn't want it as a single.
We then detail how the bands fragment quickly leading to 5 members of this original lineup leaving at once to form The Bureau.
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Join writer John Niven to have a chat about Bob Dylan & the Band & the time they spent in Woodstock. John talks us through his idea for a fictional book set when the Band were living in Big Pink & recording with Dylan in the basement downstairs. We discuss how Dylan & the various members of The Band came to be in Woodstock, how the Basement Tapes recordings came about, Bob Dylan's prolific songwriting in Woodstock, the lifestyle The Band were living in the relative anonymity of Woodstock & the surrounding area.
We also talk about the new material Dylan wrote which is covered by others before he has even cut any of them himself (This Wheel's On Fire by Julie Driscoll, Too Much Of Nothing by Peter, Paul & Mary, Tears of Rage by Ian & Sylvia, The Mighty Quinn - a number one single for Manfred Mann, a few tracks by The Byrds & Fairport Convention).
We mention some of John's favourite tracks from the eventual release of the Basement Tapes in 1975 & the various bootlegs available over the years, plus the original bootleg release The Great White Wonder.
How the Band's songwriting improved suddenly & exponentially, signing with Capitol for their debut album Music From Big Pink (a deal broker by Dylan manager Albert Grossman), the impact the area ultimately had on their writing both for Dylan & The Band. We give our take on Bob Dylan's painting which ends up as the cover artwork for the first Band album & then we move onto the influence The Band subsequently have on music - the birth of the Americana genre & alt.country plus more.
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Join writer John Niven to have a chat about Bob Dylan & the Band & the time they spent in Woodstock. John talks us through his idea for a fictional book set when the Band were living in Big Pink & recording with Dylan in the basement downstairs. We discuss how Dylan & the various members of The Band came to be in Woodstock, how the Basement Tapes recordings came about, Bob Dylan's prolific songwriting in Woodstock, the lifestyle The Band were living in the relative anonymity of Woodstock & the surrounding area.
We also talk about the new material Dylan wrote which is covered by others before he has even cut any of them himself (This Wheel's On Fire by Julie Driscoll, Too Much Of Nothing by Peter, Paul & Mary, Tears of Rage by Ian & Sylvia, The Mighty Quinn - a number one single for Manfred Mann, a few tracks by The Byrds & Fairport Convention).
We mention some of John's favourite tracks from the eventual release of the Basement Tapes in 1975 & the various bootlegs available over the years, plus the original bootleg release The Great White Wonder.
How the Band's songwriting improved suddenly & exponentially, signing with Capitol for their debut album Music From Big Pink (a deal broker by Dylan manager Albert Grossman), the impact the area ultimately had on their writing both for Dylan & The Band. We give our take on Bob Dylan's painting which ends up as the cover artwork for the first Band album & then we move onto the influence The Band subsequently have on music - the birth of the Americana genre & alt.country plus more.
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Thurston Moore returns for the 2nd part of our chat including: bumping into Joey Ramone on the way to CBGBs for the first time, Wayne County, meeting Lee Ranaldo at a gig, being introduced to Kim Gordon via a mutual friend, the downtown art world including Jean-Michel Basquiat, his early band The Coachmen, even Madonna gets a mention. We also detail the formation of Sonic Youth & how he came up with the iconic band name.
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This week we welcome Thurston Moore formerly of Sonic Youth - we talk about his childhood in Connecticut, some of the early records he including Iron Butterly, Abbey Road, Led Zeppelin & Black Sabbath, Buying the Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request, the influence of his Dad, seeing an early Patti Smith gig in Westbury, CT & later sending off for her Hey Joe 7” single. Sending money to Richard Hell, driving to 2nd hand bookstores with Tom Verlaine & the first mention of Tom's published poetry, finishing with his first trip to Max’s Kansas City to see the Cramps & Suicide. Part 2 next week.
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Writer & musician Willy Vlautin (Richmond Fontaine, The Delines) joins us to talk about his new book The Horse on Faber & Faber - we also go deep on his formative years in Reno, Nevada, his love for the Pacific Northwest - specifically Portland, Oregon. We talk about his early influences including Green on Red, The Long Ryders & the Cowpunk bands, The Jam, The Pogues, Bruce Springsteen & Australian songwriter Paul Kelly. Writers that had an influence including John Steinbeck, Barry Gifford, Larry Brown & Raymond Carver. We touch briefly on movies & end up discussing Mad Max: Fury Road & Andrew Haigh's All Of Us Strangers & more.
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Join us on our first trip to the mighty music city of Sheffield as Martyn Ware guides us through growing up in the city, meeting Phil Oakey at school, his formative early bands, the influence of science fiction on his work, he & Phil's shared love of Marvel & DC comics, seeing Star Wars on opening day at the Sheffield Gaumont, seeing Roxy Music at Sheffield University in 1972, coming up with the name the Human League, recording the demo that became Being Boiled, signing with Virgin Records, touring with Siouxsie & the Banshees & Iggy Pop, debut album Reproduction, their first headline tour, the early gig David Bowie attended, the quick follow up 2nd album Travelogue & it's Malcolm Garrett designed cover, the bands first TV appearance courtesy of Tony Wilson, his ultimate departure from the band & more.
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Richard Norris talks us through the birth of Acid House at clubs such as Shoom, Future & Heaven, the Jack the Tab album, his time as a member of The Grid, their unexpected chart success, Alan McGee's brief tenure as manager, his early trips to Ibiza & collaborations with Andy Mackay and Phil Mazanera from Roxy Music, Robert Fripp from King Crimson, Brian Eno, PP Arnold, Sun Ra, Johnny Marr & surf guitar king Dick Dale.
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Acclaimed music writer Tom Doyle is our guide this week as we take a deep dive into the formative years & early career of Kate Bush. From her upbringing on East Wickham Farm near Welling, her early songwriting, learning to play piano, David Gilmour's involvement in her early career, the visual aspect of her work, her early gigs with the KT Bush Band, cutting Wuthering Heights in 1 take, her huge early success with The Kick Inside album, the less successful follow up Lionheart & the 1979 Tour of Life.
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Join us & take a stroll down the Kings Road with writer Max Decharne as our guide. Our first stop is the Angry Young Men of 1956, before moving on to the Swinging Londoners of 1966 & finally the punks of 1976. With mentions along the way for Mozart, the Beatles, John Osborne, Henry VIII, Rolling Stones, James Bond, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Charles II, Mary Quant, Andrew Loog Oldham, Vivienne Westwood & many more.
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Join us on our first trip to The Hacienda in Manchester as we talk to DJ Paulette about her early days & first DJ gigs, her influences, launching the iconic Flesh night at the Hacienda (Manchester's first gay club night), Manchester nightlife of the 80's & 90's, the 'it's queer up north' tagline, the birth of the LBGTQ scene in Manchester & much more.
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Join Penderyn Prize winning writer Michael Cragg to discuss all things pop in the 90's & 2000's.
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Join us to hear about Paul Hanley's time in the fall including making his live debut at the Electric Ballroom age 16, recording Totally Wired & How I Wrote Elastic Man at his first recording session, the legendary trip to Iceland, recording Hex Education Hour, Slates, The Wonderful & Frightening World... and more.
Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell
Produced by Tim Benton & Simon Cardwell
Music by Rob Britton
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Suzi Ronson gives us a first hand account of the Ziggy Stardust years she spent with David Bowie from creating the iconic Ziggy haircut & costumes, the early days at Haddon Hall in Beckenham, hearing Starman for the first time, touring America with the Spiders, the UK tours leading up to the final performance at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1973.
Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell
Produced by Tim Benton & Simon Cardwell
Music by Rob Britton
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The second part of our chat with Miki Berenyi from Lush - from the release of the debut album Spooky, the Lolopoloza tour of the US, second album Split, the commercial success of the Lovelife album & the Single Girl & Ladykillers singles, 4AD, the end of the band in 1996 & the reunion in 2016.
Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell
Produced by Tim Benton & Simon Cardwell
Music by Rob Britton
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Miki Berenyi joins us to talk about her upbringing & early life in Willesden Green, meeting Emma Anderson & the other members of Lush, making their fanzine Alphabet Soup, their first band the Baby Machines, changing the name to Lush, the first Lush gig at the Camden Falcon, signing with 4AD & more.
Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell
Produced by Tim Benton & Simon Cardwell
Music by Rob Britton
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This week acclaimed writer John Robb takes us up north to put our first pin in our Music Map in the iconic city of Manchester. We detail the bands formation & early years, first gigs around the country, the release of Sally Cinnamon, their live debut in Manchester at the International 1, almost signing with Rough Trade, recording Elephant Stone with Peter Hook, the first national tour in 1989, the debut album & its gradual rise to meteoric status, the famous Blackpool Empress Ballroom gig & more.
Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell
Produced by Tim Benton & Simon Cardwell
Music by Rob Britton
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Join us to celebrate the life & career of Karen Carpenter. Biographer Lucy O'Brien takes us on our first trip to the USA to chat all things Karen from her early years, the formation of the band with her brother Richard, signing to A&M Records, their peak years of success, her illness & tragic death.
Help us put another pin in our Music Map in the LA suburb of Downey, California.
Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell
Produced by Tim Benton & Simon Cardwell
Music by Rob Britton
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Join us as and Penderyn Prize winning author Daniel Rachel to take a deep dive into the formation of the Two Tone record label in Coventry - starting with the beginnings of the label, moving onto the early years of Jerry Dammers, The Specials & Madness meeting at the Hope & Anchor in Islington, the Two Tone Top of the Pops Episode, the Two Much Too Young EP hitting number 1, the famous Two Tone Tour of 1979 & more.
Help us to put the first pin in our Music Map of the world in the Motor City of Coventry.
Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell
Produced by Tim Benton & Simon Cardwell
Music by Rob Britton
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Introducing Music Maps - the Rock n Roll Book Club Podcast, each episode we use a place as a jumping off point for a conversation about music - anywhere from the obvious to the obscure.
Join us as we build our Music Map of the world.
Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell
Produced by Tim Benton & Simon Cardwell
Music by Rob Britton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.