The Great Albums

Latest Episodes:

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV (w/ guest Danny Coleman) Nov 06, 2017

Show notes

In our first installment of Massive Albums November 2017, Rock on Radio's Danny Coleman (coaradio.com) joins Bill and Brian to discuss Led Zeppelin IV (1971, Atlantic). Danny talks about his cool older cousin gifting him this album on his 12th birthday and his life being forever changed. Bill, Brian, and Danny then get into John Bonham's influence on Danny as a drummer, Zep vs. the Who, polyrhythms, John Paul Jones' bass keeping the band together, AM/FM radio and music fandom, how Led Zeppelin kind of does in fact have a great live album, Robert Plant's lyricism (and nerdiness), how Jimmy Page is often overlooked as a great producer, and more as we make our way through the album track by track!

Bonus Song Thursday - Jellyfish "Think About Your Troubles" Nov 02, 2017

Show notes

It's Bonus Song Thursday! Bill and Brian are feeling the sting of Jellyfish (it's a good thing) as we chat about their cover of Harry Nilsson's "Think About Your Troubles." Brian tells the tale of Nilsson's The Point! Then we get into which pop artists have had cartoons, 90s power pop, listener appreciation, a Smashing Pumpkins tale, experiencing the release of new albums, World Party, and the possibility Jeff January.

Jellyfish - Spilt Milk Oct 30, 2017

Show notes

Bill and Brian go sans guest (not by choice) to talk about Jellyfish's unique blend of Baroque arrangements and power pop hooks on the band's sophomore and final album Spilt Milk (1993, Charisma). Bill and Brian discuss the band's place amongst other 90s rock bands, how the band has started to carve out its own niche in the canon of great bands, the influence of classic Disney films, where fan clubs fit in with the modern music industry, the confluence of harmony styles from both the Beach Boys and Queen, Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Andy Sturmer's vocal styles, playing drums while standing, and much more as we make our way through the album track by track!

Bonus Song Thursday - Ted Leo & the Pharmacists "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" Oct 26, 2017

Show notes

It's Bonus Song Thursday! Bill and Brian keep the Ted Leo train rolling by talking about the time that he and the Pharmacists stopped by the AV Club to cover Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." We chat about when 80s pop went from being admonished to admired, the Val Kilmer vehicle Real Genius, how we don't know much Silicon Valley trivia (for either the place or the TV show), and even Dennis Miller. Then we read some listener emails filling us in on some facts and opinions on the Smashing Pumpkins.

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets (w/ guest Mike Vasilikos) Oct 23, 2017

Show notes

Bill and Brian are joined by WXPN's Mike Vasilikos to talk about Ted Leo & the Pharmacists' Shake the Sheets (2004, Lookout!). Mike explains how working in Baltimore radio lead to his discovery of the band and scoring tickets to a great live show. Then Bill, Brian, and Mike discuss Pitchfork and AllMusic's middling reviews, the band's place in the indie and punk scenes, comparing Leo to the likes of Billy Bragg and Elvis Costello, obliquely political themes, the influence of the Strokes, people being bad a geography, the 2004 presidential election, and more as we make our way through the albums track by track!

Bonus Song Thursday - Meat Loaf "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" Oct 19, 2017

Show notes

It's Bonus Song Thursday! And Bill and Brian would do anything to make sure you're enjoying the listening experience as dive into Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman's epic tune that cemented their legacy through the 90s and into today. We chat about how to make cool guitar sounds, Todd Rundgren's contributions (or lack thereof), Eddie Martinez's killer guitars, the possibility of Brian's band the Paper Jets covering some Loaf tunes, and the meaning of the lyrics. Then we get into some listener emails (but not really) that lead Brian to fill in some thoughts on the Smashing Pumpkins that didn't make it into the Siamese Dream episode, and we talk about how you can we some kick ass records and memorabilia from our pals at Vinyl Emergency while simultaneously helping hurricane relief. Make sure to head to www.vinylemergency.com/donate for more info.

Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (w/ guest Steve Fiorillo) Oct 16, 2017

Show notes

Bill and Brian are joined by podcaster Steve Fiorillo (inthemixpod.libsyn.com) to talk about Meat Loaf's legendary album Bat Out of Hell - Songs by Jim Steinman (1977, Cleveland International/Epic). Steve talks about inheriting his love of Mr. Loaf from his mother and how "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" is one of his earliest memories of music. We get into comparing and contrasting Springsteen with Meat Loaf and the timelessness of the albums production. Then Bill, Brian, and Steve chat about how this whole album is about sex, Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg (temporarily) defecting from the E Street Band, Todd Rundgren being coerced into some of the best guitar playing of his career, more about how this album is pretty much just about getting laid, Edgar Winter's sick sax solo, Phil Rizzuto's naivete, that the album is seriously all about Steinman's intercourse related dark humor, and more as we make our way through the album track by track!

Bonus Song Thursday - David Bowie and Billy Corgan "All the Young Dudes" Oct 12, 2017

Show notes

It's Bonus Song Thursday! And Bill is joined by special guest, musician and songwriter Tyler Plazio (soldiersofsuburbiaband.com), as we get really tangential to discuss that time that Billy Corgan teamed up with David Bowie to perform "All the Young Dudes" at Madison Square Garden. We end up with our longest BST yet as we talk about the importance of going to college, the best age and era to listen to the Smashing Pumpkins, vinyl vs. Spotify, How Tyler got into Bowie, the Mott the Hoople version of the song, how awful Warped Tour is nowadays, how Bill missed out on seeing Green Day in a small venue, how Tyler got to live that dream, Soldiers of Suburbia's new EP Eating Cigarettes, the stigma of "creative differences," a listener email about punk music being almost completely informed by its fans, how that relates to rap, and the unlikely revival of guitar music.

The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream (w/ guest James Anderson) Oct 09, 2017

Show notes

Bill and Brian are joined by podcaster James Anderson of Unabashedly Obsessed (unabashedlyobsessed.com) to talk about the Smashing Pumpkins breakthrough album Siamese Dream (1993, Virgin). James tells the story of playing N64 in a friend's basement, being blown away hearing the Pumpkins for first time, and how it led to purchasing the album at Walmart, a circumstance that forever shaped how he listened to the album. Bill, Brian, and James then get into the band's evolution through the years, how Billy Corgan wishes he could resequence the album, D'Arcy Wretzky and James Iha's lack of involvement in the recording, Jimmy Chamberlain's kick ass drumming and natural tones, Butch Vig's big guitar sounds and love of acoustic tracks, and much more as we make our way through the album track by track!

Bonus Song Thursday - Saves the Day "Anywhere with You" Oct 05, 2017

Show notes

It's Bonus Song Thursday! Bill and Brian quickly derail their own conversation about Saves the Day and their growth on their Stay What You Are follow up In Reverie by espousing the coolness of Nada Surf and their own transformation into indie power pop kings worthy of all the respect. Then they read some emails about how cool the Genuine Imitation Life Gazette is, Frankie Valli's involvement with the Watertown demos, and "songs that belong to the dance floor."

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