The Great Albums

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Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy (w/ guest Eric Nelson) Nov 02, 2015

Show notes

Brian and Bill are joined by musician and music aficionado Eric Nelson, guitarist of the Lights Beneath (thelightsbeneath.com), to discuss Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy (1973, Atlantic). Hot on the heals of their massive arena rock success with their previous untitled record and "Stairway to Heaven," the band released an album of tunes that cemented their reputation for studio prowess and furthered their dynamic range with cross-genre experimentation. Brian, Bill, and Eric discuss how Eric was drawn to the excellent blues rock that Jimmy Page cranked out, driving down dark roads listening to "No Quarter," how Zeppelin came together in a very convoluted manner, multilayered guitars, the ubiquity of "Stairway to Heaven," impressing girls with "Over the Hills and Faraway," and as always a track by track review!

Bonus Song Thursday - Say Anything "Judas Decapitation" Oct 29, 2015

Show notes

It's Bonus Song Thursday! We didn't want to burden you with twice over 2 hour long podcasts in the same week, so we take a slice out of an album and discuss a single song on this episode. Following up on our episode on Say Anything's ...Is a Real Boy, we discuss "Judas Decapitation" from their album Hebrews (2014, Equal Vision). Bill and Brian discuss how the band continued to mature and challenge themselves 10 since their breakthrough record with an album featuring zero guitars. Afterwards, we get into a pretty interesting discussion about the state of music and music discovery thanks to an email from a listener, Shane, who questions if the accessibility of music has a deminishing effect on the enjoyment of it. Decide for yourself after hearing what we have to say!

Say Anything - ...Is a Real Boy (w/ guest Rhonette Smith) Oct 26, 2015

Show notes

Singer, songwriter, and musician from the band Centennials (centennials.bandcamp.com), Rhonette Smith, joins Bill and Brian to discuss one of her favorite albums, Say Anything's ...Is a Real Boy (2006, J Records). Written and recorded during a period of mental instability for primary songwriter Max Bemis, the album plays with emo tropes and attempts to break the mold. Originally written to be part of a rock opera, the album finds solid ground with great songs, great tones, and a solid team behind the production. Rhonette, Brian, and Bill discuss the ambition to make art, mental health, the emo conundrum, hypocrisy, ego, the influence of Weezer and the Rentals, well-written lyrics, and of course a track by track review of the whole album.

Bonus Song Thursday - Willie Nelson "Blue Hotel" Oct 22, 2015

Show notes

It's Bonus Song Thursday! We jump 30 years into the future after discussing Willie Nelson's Stardust on the previous episode to talk about his 2006 collaboration with Ryan Adams, "Blue Hotel" from the album Songbird. We discuss who Ryan Adams is, if this was basically a Ryan Adams album, and Willie and Ryan's production choices. Also, Joe picks an album to take as his own from the stack of LPs lying around the studio!

Willie Nelson - Stardust (w/ guest Joe Galuppo) Oct 19, 2015

Show notes

Musician and podcaster Joe Galuppo (check out his NJ indie rock radio podcast at diningroomradio.net) joins Bill and Brian to discuss Willie Nelson's Stardust (1978, Columbia). Having abandoned Nashville in favor of the so-called "outlaw country" scene, Willie found mainstream success and stardom with his country records in the early 70s. although some thought Stardust would ruin his career, Willie proved that he could make an album of standards from the "great American songbook" a hit. In this episode, Joe, Bill, and Brian discuss discovering Willie Nelson in our youths, what a standard actually is, a little about the production of this piece, and (as always) a track by track review!

Bonus Song Thursday - Tom Tom Club "Genius of Love" Oct 15, 2015

Show notes

It's Bonus Song Thursday! Bill and Brian talk about the Talking Heads side project of Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, Tom Tom Club, and their song "Genius of Love" off their self titled debut album (1981, Sire). Brian and Bill discuss the band's formation, the lasting influence of the song, the Great 1981 Adrian Belew Coup, Mariah Carey and her legacy, and we read a few listener emails about Bare Naked Ladies and Big Star!

Talking Heads - Remain in Light (w/ guest Alex Gomory) Oct 12, 2015

Show notes

Podcaster Alex Gomory, of the Riff n Ralk Music Tock podcast (riffnralk.com), joins Bill and Brian to discuss Talking Heads' Remain in Light (1980, Sire). The band's fourth release in as many years found them trying to work as a cohesive band and experimenting with both technology and world music. Utilizing loops and digital sounds, the band also focused on utilizing African polyrhythms, creating unique songs that were met with unanimous critical acclaim. Brian, Bill, and Alex discuss how Alex discovered the band in college, Fela Kuti, the odd sound the band makes while playing off each other, what it means when a terrorist is shown as a sympathetic character, and as always a track by track review!

Bonus Song Thursday - Paul Westerberg - Stereo Oct 08, 2015

Show notes

It's Bonus Song Thursday, and Brian is still missing! Bill takes this opportunity to fill in some blanks left from when he talked about Mono (the album, not the disease) by talking about Paul Westerberg's Stereo (2002, Vagrant). Bill shares some of his favorite tunes from the album. Then, he talks about some exciting news in the world of the Great Albums, including what podcast he guested on, a new partnership, and a fun show that should appeal to the Venn diagram of listeners of this podcast and fans of the Replacements!

Grandpaboy (aka Paul Westerberg) - Mono Oct 05, 2015

Show notes

With no guest and Brian taking the week off, Bill decided to talk to himself for an hour about one of his favorite artists and one of his favorite albums. Credited to Paul Westerberg's alias Grandpaboy, Mono (2002, Vagrant) was paired with the release of a Westerberg solo album called Stereo. Stereo was the softer side, and Mono was the rocking side. Both recorded at home in Paul's basement, these albums were hailed as a return to form for the singer songwriter after his disappointing prior 3 post-Replacements solo albums. Bill talks about how he slowly developed a love for this album during his freshman year of college, Paul's guitar choice, Westerbergian lyrics, dirty sounds and beautiful melodies, and a track by track review!

Bonus Song Thursday - Ryan Adams/Taylor Swift "Blank Space" Oct 01, 2015

Show notes

It's Bonus Song Thursday! Drew Novelli (actor, writer, videographer, musician) joins Bill and Brian to talk about a single song in conjunction with our previous episode. Earlier this week, we discussed our 12 favorite guilty pleasure songs, so naturally, we turned to one of our favorite artists, Ryan Adams, who just released an ENTIRE ALBUM covering one of his guilty pleasures Taylor Swift. We listen to a little bit of Adams' version of "Blank Space" and discuss surprise releases, the value of music, how pop songs translate into alt country, and respect for T-Swizzle. Also, Drew makes his choice from the vinyl grab bag!

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