You, Me and An Album

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60. Mara Davis Discusses The Chicks, Taking the Long Way Feb 13, 2022

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Radio/TV/podcast host and talent booker Mara Davis introduces Al to the The Chicks’ (formerly The Dixie Chicks) Taking the Long Way, released in 2006. Several of the tracks address the backlash to lead singer Natalie Maines' comments about President George W. Bush made three years earlier, and Mara talked about how The Chicks’ response to the incident helped to make her a fan of the group. She also highlighted her favorite tracks on the album, discussed the Spotify-Joe Rogan-Neil Young controversy and talked about the VOTEHER podcast that she co-hosts with Georgia state senator Jen Jordan.

You can find all of the episodes of Mara and Jen’s VOTEHER podcast right here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/voteher-podcast-with-jen-jordan-and-mara-davis/id1529098225

While you’ve got your podcast app open, you owe it to yourself to check out The Jump with Shirley Manson (Mara books the guests for this show!): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jump-with-shirley-manson/id1469077859
Follow Mara on Twitter! @maradavis
Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com
Al wrote a piece for Bandcamp Daily! It's about a Quasi song that has made Al rethink his ideas about the importance of achievement. You can give it a read here: https://daily.bandcamp.com/resonance/quasi-seal-the-deal-essay

0:50 Mara joins the show

1:48 Mara talks about The Chicks’ crossover into more pop-oriented music

3:52 Mara appreciates how The Chicks dealt with the George W. Bush controversy

6:43 Mara was only slightly familiar with The Chicks prior to the controversy

7:45 The Chicks' albums were not representative of the type of music that Mara previously listened to

9:14 Mara had no doubt about which album to discuss

10:55 Mara and Al don’t respond to "The Long Way Around" the same way

13:49 Mara discusses some of her other favorite tracks from the album

17:40 Mara also admires Kacey Musgraves

19:42 The Chicks have not been welcomed back the way that Morgan Wallen has been

22:48 Mara is also impressed by The Chicks as a live act

25:00 Mara gets back to some of her other favorite tracks

27:48 Al has some opinions about the album’s track sequence

29:41 Mara contrasts the current Spotify controversy with the treatment of The Chicks

37:44 One more track that Mara loves: “So Hard”

39:34 The tracks that stood out to Al

44:00 Mara talks about why she connects with the female artists she loves

45:33 The one track that Mara skips sometimes

47:00 Mara and Al talk about the album’s writing collaborations

48:52 Mara now listens to a lot more country music

52:43 Mara explains how she started the VOTEHER podcast with Jen Jordan

58:55 Mara talks about booking talent for Shirley Manson’s podcast, The Jump

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59. Kevin Brown Discusses Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour Feb 06, 2022

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ESPN and Baltimore Orioles broadcaster Kevin Brown makes his return to You, Me and An Album, after first appearing on episode 15 (with Lindsey Adler) to discuss Oasis’ Definitely Maybe, This time, Kevin chose Kacey Musgraves’ 2018 album, Golden Hour. Kevin talked about how he got into this album, which tracks are his favorites and what makes this album one that he still goes back to listen to regularly.

Corrections and clarifications:

Kevin asked me how many other repeat guests have been on the show, and I wasn’t sure of the exact number. I can now confirm that he is the fourth guest to have appeared on two episodes of this podcast.

I referred to there being auto-tune at the beginning and end of “Oh. What a World.” Kevin noted that those sections featured vocoder, and in retrospect, I realized that I mistook vocoder for an auto-tuned vocal. I will be writing more on this in the upcoming edition of YMAAA: The Newsletter.

I misspoke in my analysis of “Happy & Sad” I said it was “simplistic but not simple,” but I actually meant to say it the other way around. In any event, I was just trying to say it’s a great song.
Be sure to follow Kevin on Twitter at @kevinnbrown and to read his posts at https://www.kevinreviewsthings.com/!
Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com

1:14 Kevin joins the show

4:34 Listening to Kacey Musgraves — and country music generally — is a bit of a departure for Kevin

8:17 Al and Kevin had similar experiences with their first listens to Golden Hour

11:19 Kevin explains why he decided to give Golden Hour a try

13:55 Al wouldn’t mind doing a whole episode just on “Slow Burn”

15:48 Kevin loves the production on Golden Hour

Reactions to the album’s tracks

17:20 Slow Burn

21:19 Lonely Weekend

24:41 Butterflies

26:34 Oh, What a World

31:59 Mother

34:15 Love Is a Wild Thing

37:26 Space Cowboy

40:44 Happy & Sad

44:01 Velvet Elvis/Wonder Woman

46:43 High Horse

48:28 Golden Hour/Rainbow

52:08 Kevin recaps Golden Hour’s great moments

53:04 Kevin recommends another Kacey Musgraves album

54:46 Kevin talks about writing about his memories of listening to Meat Loaf and emotional connections to music

57:07 Al tells his own Meat Loaf-related story

58:55 Kevin is staying busy even in the absence of baseball activity

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58. Annie Zaleski Discusses Arcadia, So Red the Rose Jan 30, 2022

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Music writer — and author of the 33 1/3 book on Duran Duran’s Rio — Annie Zaleski joins Al for a discussion of Arcadia’s So Red the Rose. In addition to diving into the album itself, Annie makes the inevitable comparisons with Duran Duran, from which Arcadia temporarily split off, and provides insight as to how the experience of making So Red the Rose may have impacted future Duran Duran recordings. Annie also talks about how she became a music writer and a Duran Duran fan, and the path leading to the publication of her Rio book.

Annie writes a lot of cool stuff! To keep up with it, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @anniezaleski.

Also, be sure to check out Annie’s website, anniez.com...

…and her 33 1/3 book on Rio! https://anniez.com/order-rio-book/

While you’re at it, there’s a whole bunch of books in Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 series worth checking out: https://333sound.com/33-13-series/

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

2:01 Annie joins the show

2:46 Annie started writing about music in high school

4:56 Annie could (and may) literally create a website with just the pieces she has written about Duran Duran

6:27 MTV and alternative rock radio were instrumental to Annie’s Duran Duran fandom

10:27 Annie was persistent in her quest to publish her book on Rio

12:51 The story of Rio’s success was a complicated one

17:04 Annie talks about some non-Duran Duran-related bands she could have discussed on this episode

18:10 Al got hung up on trying to understand Arcadia’s musical identity

22:10 Annie thinks So Red The Rose stands up well against Duran Duran’s albums

24:09 Annie breaks down the specific things she likes about So Red the Rose

26:22 So Red the Rose is basically a time capsule of everything musical from 1985

32:30 Producer Alex Sadkin was key to Arcadia’s sound

35:14 Annie and Al discuss Roger Taylor and Steve Jordan’s drum work on the album

38:03 The guest musicians played an important role in shaping Arcadia’s sound

40:26 Al explains why he had never given Duran Duran a fair chance as a listener

41:24 Annie thinks Arcadia may have been trying to address Duran Duran’s critics

42:34 The album can be viewed as a showcase for Nick Rhodes

46:47 Al has opinions about how the sequencing could better reflect Arcadia’s mission

53:00 Annie is pretty fond of "Election Day"

55:32 If you’re looking for So Red the Rose to be distinct, there is plenty to focus on

56:51 So Red the Rose hints at changes you can hear in Simon Le Bon later on

1:01:39 "Ordinary World" has reshaped Duran Duran’s legacy

1:04:31 Annie talks about the Duran Duran-Japan connection

1:07:37 Annie discusses her upcoming projects

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57. Jamie Campbell Discusses Yo La Tengo, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One Jan 23, 2022

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I have had many exchanges with Jamie Campbell about music, and I have always found his observations interesting and informative, so I wanted to get him to share them on the show. He obliged for this week’s episode, in which we discussed one of his favorite albums — I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One by Yo La Tengo. In addition to discussing this album, Jamie talked about the role that radio played in shaping his musical tastes, and the formative role that ‘90s music played for him in general.

You can find Jamie and his musical commentary on Twitter at @spacegauche.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:20 Jamie joins the show

1:59 Jamie explains the baseball-related origins of Yo La Tengo’s name

4:11 Jamie really started digging into bands he liked in the early ‘90s

7:11 Both Jamie and Al listened to WHFS during formative music-listening periods

10:48 Jamie tells Al of WHFS’s demise

12:42 Al wonders why he doesn’t remember hearing YLT on the radio

13:42 Jamie became less reliant on radio as the ‘90s progressed

15:57 Little Honda was Jamie’s entry point into YLT

17:05 Becoming a YLT fan was a long-term project for Jamie

20:12 Al wonders if he would have heard Beating as One differently with more knowledge of YLT’s catalog

23:27 Jamie explains why he chose Beating as One for this episode

25:00 Al and Jamie find Beating as One to be both eclectic and consistent

25:59 Stockholm Syndrome as an outlier on the album

32:01 Jamie likes how YLT vocals are more like just another instrument

36:01 The songs Jamie liked in his initial listens to Beating as One

38:24 The Georgia Hubley songs

40:07 The songs that were growers for Jamie

44:44 The one track that Jamie is still ambivalent about

51:06 What changes would Jamie make to shorten the album?

55:09 My Little Corner of the World

57:14 We’re An American Band

1:00:17 Al highlights his favorite tracks so far

1:04:19 Deeper Into Movies

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56. Meredith Tarr Discusses Rachael Sage, Character Jan 16, 2022

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Meredith Tarr of MPress Records (A&R, Label Promotions) joins Al for a discussion of Rachael Sage’s 2020 album, Character, but this episode is about a lot more than just digging into a beloved album. Meredith talks about the role she played in sequencing Character and, more generally about her professional relationship with Rachael, who is the president and founder of MPress Records. She also discusses the path that led her to the music business, as well as her journey as a music fan.

I made a reference to listening to Meredith’s interview with Gable Music Ventures. You can check that out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wba1V2JlEUo&t=696s

Meredith alerted us to Rachael’s YouTube page, but here's the URL for easy reference! https://www.youtube.com/c/rachaelsage

She also mentioned the video that captured the recording of Rachael's version of "Both Hands." You can find that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJC3-yLw2YI

And here is the lyric video for "Catch the Light" that Meredith worked on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b40AnXqEDS4

Follow Meredith on Twitter! She’s at @mpressmeredith.

1:10 Meredith joins the show

1:30 Meredith brings a unique perspective to this episode

3:10 Meredith’s tweet about Adele catalyzed a conversation between her and Al

4:20 A couple of childhood friends played a big role in shaping Meredith’s musical tastes

8:58 Kate Bush’s music literally changed Meredith’s life

10:52 How Meredith went from music fan to working with musicians

16:16 How Feist wound up playing in Meredith’s living room

20:29 Meredith hears similarities between Rachael Sage and Kate Bush

23:01 Meredith explains how she first heard Rachael’s music

24:41 Rachael made Meredith an offer that brought her into music full-time

28:16 Meredith explains how she got involved in Rachael’s recordings

30:57 Meredith talks about her approach to sequencing

33:22 Meredith explains what she loves about Character

Reactions to and sequencing observations for selected tracks

35:44 Blue Sky Days/Bravery’s On Fire

43:23 Character/Ohio

47:19 Meredith discusses Rachael’s forays into covers

50:21 Character (again)

51:30 Be The Same/Atmosphere/Catch The Light

54:04 Meredith talks about how the sequencing accentuates the album’s dynamics

57:43 Both Hands

1:00:17 The segue from Ohio into Cave

1:02:08 Open The Door

1:03:50 Catch The Light (again)

1:05:56 Al and Meredith talk about the importance of giving albums a second chance

1:11:36 Meredith alerts us to upcoming releases from MPress Records

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55. Nando Di Fino Discusses Judgment Night: Music from the Motion Picture Jan 09, 2022

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Fantasy sports writer and editor Nando Di Fino (currently The Athletic, previously CBS Sports, ESPN and others) joins Al for what is possibly their first-ever discussion about music, even though they’ve been friends and colleagues for more than decade. Nando chose the soundtrack from the movie, Judgment Night, as the topic for their conversation. Along the way, Nando discusses his mother’s record collection, his love of Christmas music and the extremely cool set of experiences he had when he was a student at Boston College.

I mistakenly said that the album features 22 different artists across 11 tracks, but Cypress Hill appears on two different tracks, so the total number of artists is 21.

Nando talked about a Christmas village in Washington state, and I guessed the location was George, but I think he was referring to Leavenworth.

The R.E.M. song I was trying to think of but inexplicably blanked out on was Radio Song, which featured KRS-One.

Nando made a reference to "Mistadobalina" by Del the Funky Homosapien. I did not realize until researching it that the titular line that is repeated throughout the song was originally recorded by The Monkees for their song, “Zilch.”

It's not too late (or early) to read the latest piece that Nando and Brandon Funston did on Christmas songs for The Athletic. Check it out here: https://theathletic.com/3001436/2021/12/16/top-100-christmas-songs-ranked-sias-instant-classics-ray-charles-at-no-1-plus-holiday-themed-playlists-and-more/

You can find Nando at Twitter at @nandodifino.

1:16 Nando joins the show

2:11 Nando and Al never talked about music…until now

3:31 Nando knows Christmas music

6:49 Nando found a lot of great music in his mom’s old records

9:37 Nando also discovered some great songs by researching samples

10:54 If Nando hears a song he likes, he tries to learn as much as he can about the artist

12:51 Al almost vetoed Nando’s album choice

16:25 Guster gets a shoutout for a second straight episode

17:26 Nando recalls the hype that preceded the release of the Judgment Night soundtrack

18:35 Nando explains why he chose this album for the episode

20:02 Nando’s love of this album is a reflection of his varied musical tastes

Reactions to specific tracks

24:44 Real Thing

27:52 Fallin’

28:33 Just Another Victim

30:21 Fallin’ (again)

31:14 Judgment Night

31:33 Another Body Murdered/Me, Myself & My Microphone

35:03 Al has an idea for the 30th anniversary edition of this soundtrack

36:59 Disorder

42:25 Come and Die

46:27 Freak Momma

48:09 Missing Link

49:44 Al wonders if Real Thing was made the final track for a purpose

52:28 Nando had a backup album (or maybe more)

54:06 Nando talks about his experiences with booking shows in college

1:00:38 Nando talks about his plans for 2022

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54. Josh Gondelman Discusses Method Man and Redman, Blackout! Jan 02, 2022

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Stand-up comedian and writer Josh Gondelman drops by to get Al caught up on Method Man and Redman’s 1999 album, Blackout!. In addition to discussing what he loves about this album, Josh talks about being a co-creator of a viral Twitter account, how his musical tastes got shaped growing up in the Boston suburbs and what he has in store for us in the coming months.

You can follow Josh on both Twitter and Instagram at @joshgondelman.

You should also give the defunct-but-still-hilarious account he co-created, Modern Seinfeld, a follow at @SeinfeldToday.

1:14 Josh joins the show

3:07 Josh was a co-creator of one of the greatest Twitter accounts ever

6:02 Josh talks about working on Last Week Tonight

7:30 Josh’s friends from summer camp and MTV influenced his childhood musical tastes

12:19 Later on, Josh got familiar with underground hip-hop

13:42 Josh explored some other musical off-ramps, including the “Sons of Springsteen”

16:57 Josh and Al share their appreciation for They Might Be Giants

18:36 Josh explains how he got bullied into his comedy career

22:23 Josh outlines his reasons for choosing to discuss Blackout!

26:28 Discussing Blackout! represents a major shift from the last couple of episodes

28:42 Josh connects Method Man and Redman with Cheech and Chong and Adam Sandler

32:50 Josh talks about the first times he listened to Blackout!

34:58 Josh helps Al with finding credits for samples

36:50 Al shares his reaction to the album

39:34 Josh and Al enjoyed the pop culture references on the album

42:20 The density of lyrics created a challenge for Al

Reactions to selected tracks

44:29 Cereal Killer

50:16 Blackout/Well All Rite Cha

51:35 The album’s middle portion

53:25 4 Seasons

55:00 Tear It Off vs. DMX’s Party Up

58:42 Josh talks about the casual misogyny on the album and how it affects his listening experience

1:02:05 22 years later, Blackout! doesn’t come with a lot of baggage

1:05:58 Josh thinks Blackout! would have fit the cultural zeitgeist better if it came out a few years earlier

1:09:44 Al revisits the part of his life where he mostly listened to hip-hop

1:12:59 Josh tells us what we can expect from him in 2022

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53. Celeste Headlee Discusses The Gospel At Colonus (OCR) Dec 19, 2021

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Journalist, author and musician Celeste Headlee pays You, Me and An Album a visit to introduce me to the 1988 original cast recording of The Gospel At Colonus. In addition to discussing an album that she has listened to hundreds of times over more than three decades, Celeste talks about the experience of seeing the show live as well as her career in journalism, the musical influence of her maternal grandparents and her new book, Speaking of Race: Why Everyone Needs to Talk About Racism -- and How To Do It.
If you haven't seen Celeste's viral video about how to have better conversations, join the 12 million of those who have and view it here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1vskiVDwl4
I'd mentioned that I watched a video of a live performance of The Gospel At Colonus. It really is outstanding. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZyQP_zrD2U&t=878s

Celeste mentioned that she hosts the National Gallery of Art's Sound Thoughts on Art podcast. You can find the episodes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-thoughts-on-art/id1552618916

You can keep up with Celeste and her many projects on her Twitter and Instagram accounts. She's at @CelesteHeadlee on both platforms.

Also be sure to visit Celeste's website, celesteheadlee.com, which includes a calendar of her upcoming events.

1:17 Celeste joins the show

2:02 Celeste explains how she got her start in radio journalism

3:12 Celeste’s skill set as a musician has helped her as a journalist

7:05 Celeste talks about the musical influence of her famous grandparents

9:39 How Celeste came up with the idea for her TEDx talk

13:26 Celeste explains why she thinks it’s important to have difficult discussions about race

16:58 Why did Celeste pick the OCR for The Gospel At Colonus for this episode?

19:44 Celeste expounds on what the stage performance gains from the musical score

24:12 Is Oedipus at Colonus a tragedy?

27:27 Celeste sees a relatable message in Oedipus at Colonus

Breakdown of selected tracks

29:57 Live Where You Can

35:45 Never Drive You Away

36:24 Sunlight of No Light

37:56 Lift Him Up

39:10 Now Let the Weeping Cease

42:33 Lift Me Up

43:30 Numberless Are the World’s Wonders

45:38 How Shall I See You Through My Tears

47:33 Eternal Sleep/Stop Do Not Go On

50:41 Celeste’s advice for those who have not yet listened to the album

52:39 Celeste reveals which album she thought about choosing instead of The Gospel At Colonus

54:24 Celeste’s current and upcoming projects

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52. Nat Cassidy Goes On The Hero's Journey with Genesis, Green Day and Titus Andronicus Dec 12, 2021

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After discussing Green Day’s American Idiot on a previous episode (Ep. 48), Al became fixated on a couple of questions. Did Green Day send Jesus of Suburbia on a Hero’s Journey? And were they telling essentially the same story that Titus Andronicus told in The Monitor (Ep. 34) and that Genesis told in The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway?

Here to help Al grapple with these questions is playwright/novelist/actor/musician Nat Cassidy, who makes his return after appearing on Ep. 27. Nat breaks down the aspects of each album that fit the pattern of a Hero’s Journey and those that don’t, as well as discuss what he loves about each album and the many projects that he has been working on of late.

You can follow Nat on Twitter at @natcassidy and on Instagram at @catnassidy. You can find out even more about Nat’s work at natcassidy.com.

1:17 Nat joins the show

2:35 Al explains why he wanted to do an episode on these three albums

4:35 Nat summarizes the plots of all three albums

13:04 Are these plots examples of the Hero’s Journey?

19:35 Nat talks about how these albums allude to other pieces of pop culture

21:04 Each protagonist shares the experiences of being lost and being “punk”

23:01 Al and Nat discuss their relationship with punk rock

28:14 None of the protagonists want to fit in

29:56 Does the Civil War theme obscure the message of The Monitor?

33:49 The protagonists from American Idiot and The Monitor both revel in other people thinking they’re losers

35:19 Al highlights some of the similarities and differences between the protagonists

39:06 Jesus imagery plays a key role in each of these stories

40:48 Nat and Al ponder the role of nihilism in these stories

46:28 Nat argues that Jesus of Suburbia did change by the end of American Idiot

49:34 Nat thinks doing a rock opera helped take Green Day’s sonic journey to a more varied, interesting place

52:10 Nat sees Genesis embracing chaos throughout The Lamb

54:00 Nat thinks The Monitor’s protagonist may go on a Hero’s Journey after all

57:10 To what degree are these protagonists’ journeys a reflection of their times?

1:10:59 Nat wonders if The Monitor is asking whether a Hero’s Journey is even possible now

1:12:23 Al asserts that Patrick Stickles’ New Jersey is not the stereotypical New Jersey

1:16:36 Does Nat have a favorite among these three albums?

1:27:04 Nat discusses his current and upcoming projects

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51. Michael Elliott Discusses John Hiatt, Bring the Family Dec 05, 2021

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Ever since hearing the title track of Slow Turning back around 1990, I’ve been curious about John Hiatt and his career, but never did much actual exploring. I am fortunate to have Michael Elliott, author of Have a Little Faith: The Story of John Hiatt, join me for this episode to walk me through one of Hiatt’s most important and critically-acclaimed albums, Bring the Family. Michael talks about his roughly 30 years of work in the radio industry, the process behind writing his Hiatt biography and his thoughts about the featured album.

You can follow Mike on Twitter and Instagram at @mikejelliott.

As Mike mentioned, if you visit his site, michael-elliott.com, you’ll get to see what he has been up to, with links to his blog and latest pieces in No Depression, Pop Matters and several other publications.

1:22 Michael joins the show

3:37 Michael talks about his career in radio

9:19 Al and Michael geek out over King Crimson

10:09 One of Michael’s sons introduced him to mashups

12:35 Michael and Al bemoan radio’s diminishing role in helping people discover music

15:04 Al learned about John Hiatt at a time when many others did, too

17:28 Michael explains how his book on Hiatt came to be

23:30 Michael’s book gave Al an appreciation for Hiatt’s contributions to music

25:40 Michael illustrates why Bring the Family holds a key place in Hiatt’s discography

29:50 The themes of Bring the Family reflect a new level of maturity, introspection and vulnerability for Hiatt

Breakdown of the album’s tracks

35:29 Stood Up