Record Rumble: "Beatle Battle" John Lennon Vs. Paul McCartney

Welcome to the album nerds podcast with your hosts Don and dude. Oh That sounds weird. It does. So that's the first time we've played that live to drop without Andy This is the album nerds podcast. I got Don with me Andy has taken early retirement Maybe someday he'll be back, but there'll be just the two of us for a while here on the album nerds podcast Hey doing Donnie, I don't know feels feels a little lonely Yeah. Well, the fab three is no more. All right. So back

to business. This is the album. There's podcasts. We love albums, the album format, finding all kinds of stupid ways to talk about them in this record rumble series where we pretend that albums are boxing each other. This will be the final record Rumble will be moving on to a something even dumber. Yeah It's not quite dumber It's

less complicated. That's for sure Alright, so this will be the grand finale of the record Rumbles where two albums enter the ring and go head -to -head track to track and toe -to -toe as always Don will be asking us Deep question. We're also gonna have shout outs to some other albums and album related items we're digging, and then we will spin the wheel of musical discovery to learn where our summer journey will lead. But for now,

the battle of the Beatles. Let's get it on! Two landmark solo albums from former bandmates go head to head, each offering a radically different vision in the wake of a legendary group's breakup. One album channels raw emotion and personal pain through stripped -down arrangements and confessional lyrics, while the other bursts with playful experimentation,

melodic inventiveness, and domestic bliss. This record grumble pits unfiltered introspection against whimsical pop craftsmanship, inviting listeners to decide which post -breakup statement resonates more deeply. Yeah, we, you know, this, this kind of hits close to home with us having a little shake up here at the show without Ringo around. It's gotta be tough. I thought I was Ringo. Not anymore, brother. You've been promoted.

So yeah, uh, the Beatles, for those that love them, we love them deeply and we, uh, had the solo albums to cling onto afterwards. And of course all this happened before we were born, but still, uh, It could get passionate up in here. So why don't we get in to the big beetle

battle? In this corner, weighing in with 3 .4 million sold, full of raw emotion and a knockout punch of honesty, hailing from the land of peace and bed -ins, the champ of primal screams, the sultan of soul -bearing, the one and only working class hero, give it up for the heavyweight of heartbreak, the confessor in chief, John Lennon Plastic Ono Man. The Confessor in Chief, I got to give that one to you. So John Lennon Plastic Ono Band was released in December 1970. It's

the first solo album for John Lennon. It happened right after the breakup of the Beatles, of course. He was born John Winston Lennon in Liverpool in 1940. Very stripped down album, just features

a trio basically of John on piano and guitar, Ringo Starr on drums and Klaus Vorman on bass. It was produced by Phil Spector, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono. Actually, there's also, what would you call it, a sister album called Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band. Maybe a spousal album. Yeah. So they were both released at the same time. The Yoko one actually features that same trio, but it's a lot of vocal weird stuff. But yeah, this was

a very raw and personal album. that came out when John Lennon was undergoing this primal scream therapy, which we'll get to more in a second. Who's he going up against? Choose your fighter. And in this corner weighing in at 4 .6 million equivalent albums sold. That's where we are now. With whimsical melodies, lo -fi weirdness, and

a whole lot of Beatle baggage. He's the bass playing Beatle, the melody king, the man who put the pop and pop rock back by his wife, Linda, and armed with a barn full of sonic surprises. It's Paul and Linda McCartney with Raals. The melody king. So Paul and Linda McCartney are the official artists on this one. I think most people think of it as a Paul McCartney album. I know I always did as a kid. My dad had this.

So Sir James Paul McCartney, English singer, songwriter, musician, Beatles, Linda, his wife, photographer. She kind of became his musical partner in this phase of his career. She was new to it. So a lot of, you know, some of the stuff he said that he was used to for years, he had done harmonies with men. So her freshness and energy and their love and their family and stuff with the fuel behind a lot of the Paul McCartney and Wings stuff. She was a part of

that as well. So yeah, very family oriented here, much like what John and Yoko were doing in the early part of his solo career. It's funny how the romantic partners became kind of their musical partners. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Paul and John both had spent their entire youth and careers leaning on their songwriting partners and their friends. And I think it was necessary for their creative juices to flow to be able to have a muse and

a. and a partner. So all right. So Ram was released on May 17th, 1971, the second solo album by Paul McCartney and the only one credited to both Paul and Linda recorded in New York and Los Angeles. This one, instead of recording it by himself like he did on McCartney, the first solo record, the album features contributions from session musicians, including guitarist David Spinoza, Hugh McCracken and drummer Denny Sewell, who

I believe ended up in Wings. The album showcases McCartney's eclectic musical style, elements of rock, pop, folk. Initially met with mixed reviews, Ram has since been reevaluated and now considered a significant work in McCartney's solo discography. Now that we've introduced our fighters, it's time to put on the gloves. And

here we go! So here we are round one opening cuts the opening song of great album should capture attention Set the tone for what's to come and draw the listener in what are you coming out with? You're done. What's John Lennon bring it to the table coming out swinging with a track called? Yeah, so you get a I don't know that kind of sets the tone for the album So as I mentioned earlier, you know, this was written while Lenin was undergoing intensive primal scream therapy

with a doctor named Arthur Janov. So, I mean, this song and a few of the others have some kind of visceral screams. But this song supposedly addresses the abandonment by his parents, his father, Alf Lenin. Wow. Like Gordon Shumway? Yes. No, don't eat the cat. That's a terrible 80s show with a puppet alien. Sorry, people.

Yeah, so Alf left the family when John was an infant and his mother died in a car accident when he was 17 So you've got lyrics like mother you had me, but I never had you father You left me, but I never left you. Yeah, like the whole album kind of raw emotive Very simple. It's uncomfortable.

I think that's what you either hate or love about this Yes, and I go back and forth because it's just so like I'm sitting in his session Yeah, where he's with this psychologist or whatever it feels weird It's an album, I think that you just listen to alone. It's just kind of weird with a group of people, you know, to all of a

sudden have them scream in the background. And there's not even one banger on there where it's like, you know, like even though imagine it's not a beat song, people sing along with it and can listen to it together. But yeah. And the song does begin with four like funeral bells. Some people suggest that. marks the death of the Beatles. Others say that it marks the end of the 1960s idealistic era. Others say it just sounded cool from the production standpoint.

I don't know. I mean, yeah, you've pretty much dug into it. I mean, the sparse and raw and uncomfortable, personal, but unforgettable. And it's like a mission statement of emotional truth that is definitely saying I am boring my heart out. Everybody get ready. I thought you said boring. I'm boring. I'm bold. All right. Well, how unforgettable is the opening cut for Paul McCartney's Ram? Ram came out with its horns. Here's Too Many

People. So co -credited to Paul and Linda, the song is widely interpreted as a pointed critique of his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon and John Lennon's partner Yoko Ono. McCartney later acknowledged that certain lines such as Too Many People preaching practices were directed at Lenin and Ono reflecting his frustration with all their public activism and stuff that was going on when the Beatles were still together and it kind of

detracted from the Beatles. Musically, it's very versatile, diverse, budding acoustic and electric guitars, layered harmonies. Dynamic Shifts, I think this is probably the most Beatle -esque album of Paul McCartney's career, and I don't know that John Lennon ever made an album that was Beatle -esque. Yeah, so I mean, it's just a matter of... personal preference, not only as a listener, but as the two artists that we're

talking about here. McCartney preferred to go big and experiment and play with sounds and old fashioned things and new fashioned things. And John preferred to rip the band aid off. So, yeah, I mean, there is commentary and musical sophistication here. But yeah, I think this is a strong opening cut for the album. I think the first few times I listened to the album, you know, I wasn't in love with it and it kind of. It broke through after a few listens. Alright, well, we've gotten

our first punches in, and as with any monumental, pugilistic event, right as the action starts, gotta have a little break, let's hear a word from our friends over at the Worst Podcast on Mars. I'm Amanda, and that's Evan. Say hi, Evan. Hi, Evan. And we're the hosts of the worst podcast on Mars. This is the podcast that talks music. And on Fridays, we work our way through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 200 definitive albums. I do a bunch of research trying to figure

out why it's on this list. And on Tuesdays, we do smaller episodes that are not part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list. And Evan, well, he just literally shows up. So if that's what you're into, please find us on Apple Music or Spotify. But not Mars. Yet. Come on, Evan. Come on, help the lady out, huh? In this round,

we'll select the standout cut, the best song from our perspective, the strongest track to try to deal some damage to our opponent. Don, what's Mr. Lennon bringing to us? Yeah, well, I actually struggled to pick one because there's a few I could have gone with, you know, including like working class hero love. But instead, I

chose isolation. The way he breaks out that I yeah, ah I mean it makes it even more isolated because it's just I this is minimalism I think at its best just that little that trailing the It's just so impactful and it's just, you know, a couple of notes on the piano. Normal people can get away with that, though. A normal person would play that and sing something and people would be like, dude, you know, you'd set that

up. But that's all he needs. Yeah, it is. fun that we're doing these two albums because they really are almost opposites. They really went in completely different directions. This is another song where the lyrics are very personal. He's confronting fears of abandonment and public scrutiny despite his fame. Well, the scrutiny, some of it too, there was the whole racial aspect with

Yoko being Japanese. You know, not that there isn't racism and hate, but people didn't hold back in the press of being very negative about her largely because of her race and identity. So and they were kind of targeted for their activism and their kind of just seemingly somewhat strange relationship. So they're artists. That's part of the that's part of the gig being a little

off the beaten path. Yeah. I think another thing that's that's good about the song is so even though it's somewhat specific to them, I do think it's something that we can all relate to, right? We all fear isolation and have anxieties. But yeah, I just think the haunting piano and a little bit of organ there just really makes it a standout cut. Well, time for me to punch back with Uncle Albert, Admiral Halsey, Medley. It starts off kind of like slow and simple like John, but it

does shift quite a bit. I mean, it's a medley, the middle section is that typical kind of Paul McCartney old fashioned announcer voice. And then we phase into the Admiral Halsey section, a hands across the water section. I always thought it was called hands across the water when, you know, when my dad would play that record. Butter pie sounds good. it up and are more of a surrealist thing similar to like Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, that kind of image. I was just thinking

like a big block of butter just in crust. Gross. Yeah, so it's very different, very Abbey Road -esque. Definitely. Co -credited to Paul and Linda. Whimsical, you know, that Uncle Albert section's a nostalgic nod to McCartney's Uncle Albert Kendall, symbolizing an apology for the McCartney's generation to their elders for, you know, their nonsense, I guess. And then the Admiral Halsey segment introduces like this, it's referencing Fleet Admiral William Bull Halsey as an authoritarian

figure who ought to be ignored. So that's kind of hands across the water thing. But yeah, it's very Beatle -ish features. some orchestral arrangements by George Martin. So that makes sense. He was the producer for Beatles records, added some sound effects, but it was McCartney's first post Beatles number one hit in the United States. What do you think about this one? I like it. When I was in college and I was really going

through a Beatles. you know, period. I remember hearing this song on the radio and I'm like, wait a minute, you know, I don't have this Beatles song. But then, you know, it turned out it was a solo record. Yeah, I like it. I mean, I'm a sucker for those those medleys. I think some people criticize that approach because it's like you have three unfinished songs, you know. So rather than finishing them, you just put them together. But I mean, I think it's an effective

approach. So Paul's first album, McCartney, just him, more sparse, kind of it felt like demos more than songs. And I think people responded to this because it sounded like a Beatles song. All right. So that was our haymakers. Let's move

on to round three. Okay, round three, opponent cuts. We're doing it a little differently this week. Usually we're highlighting a weakness in our opponent's track list. This week, because we have two artists kind of trading jabs, we figured we'd highlight some songs where they're going at each other. So which track from John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band did you want to highlight? We're going to go with God. Let's kick it off. So that's kind of the moment, I think, in the

song that was historic or impactful. You know, the dream is over and all that stuff that the Beatles are really done and it's time to move on and grow up and all that that comes with it. This is a powerful song, but it's very repetitive. I don't believe in magic. I don't believe in the Bible. I don't believe in God. I don't believe in Hitler. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't believe, you know, I don't believe in Kennedy. I don't believe in Buddha. It just goes on and

on. And it's it's so preachy when it's like not it's supposed to be not preachy in some ways. I hear that. Yeah, I don't I mean, I don't. I guess I just felt like it was an honest moment. And I think he like really is at the point where he's doesn't really believe in anything. And, you know, that's kind of his he's letting you in on his approach to life at the moment. So I'm not sure that he's judging the rest of the

population here. Yeah. Yeah. I kind of like I mean, I really like the end, you know, where he's sort of saying, you know, it's the dream is over and it's time to move on. So it's like he's. addressing the listener directly. So, yeah, it's a powerful song. I think it probably should be or could have been the end of the album, but of course it's not. All right, Don, what did

you pick from Sir Paul and Lady Linda? Yeah, well, as it turns out, I think this McCartney album has way more shots at the other Beatles than this first Lennon one does. But yeah, one that seemed pretty obvious is the song Three Legs. So Three Legs is rooted in blues and it's like a loose jam -like structure, call and response vocals between Paul and Linda. It's interpreted as You know, depicting McCartney's feelings about

his former bandmates. So you've got the lines, when I thought you was my friend, but you let me down. You know, apparently he's feeling betrayed or something. And then the three legged dog that can't run, you know, might be a reference to the remaining trio of Beatles suggesting that they're dysfunctional or, you know, can't they're incomplete with without him. Yeah, the accusatory tone. There's definitely some. leftover feelings

here of the way it went down. I guess John had told the band he was going to leave, but they were planning out how it was going to happen and they were still releasing things. And then Paul made his solo thing and released it. And that kind of let the cat out of the bag. And I guess he had a breakdown. I don't know. It was a mess. And I think this album trying to kind of lean into his new life and heal at the same time and some. Shit came out in the process.

But yeah, the metaphor is clumsy. It feels kind of like filler to me Yeah, I mean it I don't love it. It felt like a typical Beatles moment on an album, you know, cuz I mean they have song particularly on the white album You know their songs that don't really stand out, but they're kind of there to add color So like I thought this kind of bluesy jam, you know thrown in early in the album, you know kind of worked It's funny that people even paid attention to the lyrics

and made a connection. Well, the fans, I'm sure I wasn't there, but I would have been anything I could get my hands on to find out what they're doing. And are they going to get back together? That would, you know, if I had been the kind of fan of the Beatles I am now, I would have been losing my shit. I would have been listening to everything. Yeah. Every clue I could find. Yeah. It's kind of like what people do with Taylor Swift now. Like, what was this about? you know,

whatever guy. Right. All right. So we've gotten a bunch of punches in. Why don't we give our brains a break before we return to the ring and

answer a question. Excuse me. I'd like to ask you a few questions. It's time again for deep questions by Don. So of course we're doing two albums that came in the aftermath of a huge breakup. What if the Album Nerds podcast broke up? What would your next podcast be? I'm sure we'll find out what Andy's next podcast is soon. Probably the Record Geeks podcast or something like that. No, I guess I'd probably go with Fantasy Football.

I know there's a million of them out there, but my thought was to have a fantasy football podcast where you share your league with your listeners and they get to vote every week on lineup changes to your shared team and you approach it from that perspective. Talking about the stats of why you're choosing this particular guy over this one, something maybe it's been done. I don't know. There's so many. That's probably where

I would go. What about you, Don? Well, I've jokingly in the past, you know, said I have the Donnie Leakey podcast. There you go. Where you just talk about all the things you like. Yes. That might be interesting. There's all sorts of things you could do. You know, let's say you discover a new shampoo or conditioner you love and be like, Donnie like Epert plus. And you could just go on about it. Yeah. And then lots of influencing

opportunities there. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. But I was actually thinking thinking about because I often say that I want to learn music theory, although I never do. But I thought it might be kind of a. fun podcast, you know, something like, you know, Don learns music or something. And so like each week I learned some basic principle of music theory and talk about it and maybe try to find examples of it in popular music. But that really sounds like a lot of work. Yeah.

And then at the end, the final episode would be you debuting the most perfect album ever created. Yeah. Cool. I'm looking forward to it. What's your great podcast idea? Let us know on the socials at Album Nerds. We won't steal your idea. I promise.

Finish them. OK, back to the fight. The closing cuts. This is round four. Closing song of a great album should wrap things up, make you satisfied, make you feel like the experience was worth it and maybe go spin that record again. What's your closing cut there? Donnie, do you likey? Well, this is an interesting one. This is one called My Mummy's Dead. Clearly affected him very deeply. So this comes right out of the track God. Kind of like I said before, God kind of feels like

the closer. And then this is under a minute, almost feels like a bonus track or something, but it does. you know, again, reflect sort of the mood of the whole album. You know, he's again expressing grief about the loss of his mother, just like in the track Mother and also back on the White Album, Julia. It's just I think it's just him, you know, with a guitar. I can't find the truth here. You know, some people say that

it is just the original demo. And I've also read that they rerecorded it and just, you know, tried to recreate the demo, which seems kind of pointless, but. I don't know. I guess they have reasons for doing these things. And then you may notice that the melody is basically the nursery rhyme,

three blind mice. Yeah. You know, I, it kind of reminds me of the trend that later happened in the eighties and nineties on albums, when you'd hear like a sketchy song like that, that was recorded on someone's answering machine or something, you know, that kind of stuff. So it's powerful. And I think what it really, it's I think it's supposed to be a book end with mother.

And it's kind of reminding us of, well, I think this is, I mean, I'm no doctor, but what I think was probably the source of the seed of all of his pain was his mother, the relationship with his mother. Even though his dad wasn't around, Julia was really a huge presence in his life and a huge hole in his life. And I think that's what he's telling us here. How did Paul and Linda choose to end Ram? By talking about teenagers

doing it in cars pretty much, I think. Let's listen to a little bit of the backseat of my car. Kind of dreamy, epic closer about youthful rebellion, romantic freedom, melodrama. I guess it was conceived during a 1968 vacation in Sardinia with Paul's then girlfriend, Maggie McGivern. An early version of this was introduced during the Beatles get back sessions in 1969. McCartney described as a teenage song with the stereotypical parent who doesn't agree and the two lovers are

going to take on the world. Again, features orchestral arrangements by George Martin, New York Philharmonic. That's, you know, you can't get them unless you're a big shot. Critics noted structural similarities to the medleys on the on the Beatles Abbey Road. Intricate harmonies are reminiscent of the Beach Boys post -pet sounds work. What do you think about this one, Don? It's kind of a hard comparison. Yeah. Yeah, it's not fair at all. But yeah, I mean, it seems like a fitting closer for the

album. You got another one of those medley things going on. It still has aspects of it that sound Beatles -ish. There's a few points on this record where I hear the Brian Wilson, and this is one of them. I think it's an apt closer for a solid

album. All right. Well, we've closed up the album. Let's get to the fifth and final round, X -Factors. All right, so in this final round, we're going to look at some key metrics that we agreed upon here. The digging factor, like overall enjoyable listening experience, killer to filler, like measuring the great songs versus the weak ones, the production. Do you want to listen to these albums again? And then the legacy, like what was their influence? How do they impact society,

culture, music, et cetera? All right, Don, so let's dig into this. Where are you on the digging factor? for these albums. It's really tough just because these albums are so different. I mean, John Lennon's is just an honest statement about what's going on in his brain at the time. And it's just not fair to compare it to what Paul McCartney was doing. And as an artistic statement,

I dig the John Lennon. much more. Yeah. But in terms of just digging musically or what I might want to listen to on an afternoon, I might lean Paul McCartney. So it's tough. Yeah. Lennon channeled his grief into raw minimalism. McCartney processed his post -Beatles breakdown by chasing joy, chaos and beauty with some darkness. You know, the mutilated animals and three legs and rotten smiles and smile away. But yeah. Raw emotional punch to the chest is what John Lennon brings. Very

different, very different approaches. I dig them both. I guess Ram I would listen to more just because it's lighter. So what about the songs themselves? Like how do you think, how do you think we did here balance wise? He's loaded with gems. Yeah. I think, I mean, you know, particularly the John Lennon, I mean, working class hero we haven't really talked about. Yeah. Oh, that's an incredible song. Yep. And, you know, love, you know, is a simple kind of ballad -y thing,

but is still somehow profound. And then, I mean, there are some rockier tracks or bluesier tracks. Well, Well, Well kind of. Yeah, I love that one. You know, combines the scream and the blues, which is pretty cool. On the McCartney, again, Getting back to the Brian Wilson thing, that Dear Boy really reminds me of some Beach Boys tunes. I think Ramon is really good as well. And I think the tracks that don't stand out, just like with Beatles albums, I think they provide

some color to the album. So I think both albums are good in terms of killer to filler. Yeah, some killers we didn't get to talk about on the Ram album. For me, we're Heart of the Country, Monkberry Moon Delight. It's a weird title, but it's just got this strut to it. It's kind of stones -y a little bit. It's weird, but I like it a lot. It's weird when he does voices. My very moonlight. Yeah. Ta ta ta. And like, there's just some weird sounds. It's cool, though. I

like that one. Long Haired Lady. No, I just don't like that song. I don't like Linda's contribution to it. I mean, it's not her fault. It's just like, is that all I'm good for or something like that about women and sex? I don't know. It just is uncomfortable. Smile away. I didn't love. I like the groove. but that breath, your breath stinks, your feet stink, stuff is weird. But there's some Lenin -y harmonies on there. There's moments where I feel like they tried to replace

John Lennon a little bit. And for Plastic Ono band, of course, you know, Hold On's great, Working Class Hero. I feel like that's British Johnny Cash. It's kind of a Johnny Cash song, you know. Maybe mixed with Bob Dylan too. Definitely, yeah. I found out I don't like that song too much, but. That's probably the biggest stinker for me on the album. How about production? Paul and Linda supposedly produced Ram. But this guy, Eric Wengberg, I think he was like an engineer.

Yeah. It's like Norwegian or something. Yeah. He's given complete creative control because they couldn't decide what they recorded tons of songs. So he decided what songs he mixed the album. They liked it. But yeah, it sounds good. Yeah, it sounds good. It's rich and adventurous. I think the mix works. It's very, like I said, I think they took their cues from what George Martin had been doing with the Beatles. And as far as plastic, oh no, perfect. Perfect production

for what it was. There was no wall of sound here. No, I know. It's so weird. John was the wall of sound. Yeah. I mean, it's amazing that everybody just fought the urge to. Well, yeah, this Phil Spector is the producer too. This guy does up to this point really did nothing but his way. I think John was the boss here. Yeah. I almost get the sense that Phil Spector wasn't fully engaged with this album, but he ended up doing the next album as well, right? Imagine. Yeah,

I agree. I think both are produced quite well. I mean, the Ram production is somewhere between like Beatles and Wings production. I remember thinking that some of the later 70s McCartney was maybe a little too shiny. And yeah, I do think the Lennon album is very surface, right? So like you listen to it once or twice and you get it, you know, and the Ram is, I mean, there's just hidden things that you notice each time. So it's a, it's a gift that keeps on giving.

Right. So legacy wise, I think it's equal. Right. I mean, these are very different albums, but they kind of did the same thing for the artists. Yeah, that's a good it's a good question. I feel like McCartney is kind of rehashing Beatles stuff here, whereas Lennon is kind of doing something different. You know, I think he's doing what he wanted to do on the later Beatles stuff and wasn't really allowed to because that's why they did the white album so that he could do songs

like this. Yeah. Yeah. So I think it's some way I might give it to John Lennon. I'm not sure. I don't know that there is like a starker and darker pop record or, you know, not from a big name anyway. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Right. Some of what I read was Rams legacy is. that it became a cult classic, even though it was kind of misunderstood at the time and cited by Indian lo -fi artists like Animal Collective Beck as a blueprint for genre -mashing experimentation, but that was

really going on with the Beatles as well. And Plastic Ono Band inspired generations of confessional songwriters from Elliott Smith to Kurt Cobain and did lay the groundwork for more minimalist indie rock. So yeah, these both did some... some big things. These were tough five rounds. Yeah. Well, what an electro flying flying. What an electro flying. Damn it. What an electrifying clash between these post Beatles powerhouses.

One album bears its soul with raw honesty, while the other dazzles with playful melodies and inventive flair. Now the moment of truth arrives. Let's see which solo statement reigns supreme as we

head to the scorecard. Let's send it back to the center of the ring and hear tonight's results. All right, Don, what do you got? What's your scorecard look like here? All right. Mine's a mess. Well, round one went to Paul McCartney. I'm going to give him some credit for too many people. Round two, I think isolation is the big winner. So that's Lennon. Round three, I think God is a pretty powerful track, much more interesting than the... Three legs. And then for the final

track, that was a really tough one. I'll give it to Paul McCartney, just because it's a real song, I guess. And then for X -Factors, overall, I just think the Lennon album is a more powerful artistic statement. So Lennon wins that. So overall, my scorecard reads three to two in favor of John Lennon, Plastic Ono Band. How about you, dude? My scorecard. Round one, I gave to Paul McCartney for too many people. Round two, the Haymaker

was definitely John Lennon won that round. Round three, I gave to John Lennon, even though I do have some issues when he gets preachy about not being preachy, I still think it's a more powerful song. The closing track, round four, I gave that to Paul McCartney as well, I think for the similar reasons. And the X factors, I... I tried to calculate it in many different ways, but ultimately I think the impact, the legacy, all of that stuff really

does go to John Lennon. So I also have a scorecard with Ram with two, Plastic Ono Band with three. Things are looking good for John Lennon. How'd the listeners vote? Well, it's a good thing that we agreed because the audience was split. evenly. So 50 -50. It's a draw according to the audience.

So that makes John Lennon Plastic Ono Band the winner of this record rumble. At the beginning of this, I thought Ram was going to be my choice when we first started working through these records, but that's why you got to listen to records, folks. Lots of times. Change your mind. All right. So congratulations to John Lennon defeating Sir Paul McCartney, Plastic Ono Band, takes this final record up. Can you dig it? Can you dig

it? All right, well, have you had a chance to go outside the beetle universe and dig some other things? Yeah, I've been digging some other stuff. Let me check my my ball McShopping cart and see what I've got. OK, good. Yeah, so I've been going a little weird recently and I found something I hadn't heard of before. I felt like laying back a little bit, getting some modern yacht rock. Mm. Kicking. So a group called Young Gun Silver Fox. The album is Pleasure. The song is

Stevie and Sly. That is a pleasure. Young Gun Silver Fox is a transatlantic duo of British singer Andy Platts and American multi -instrumentalist Sean Lee. Modern take on 1970s west coast pop rock. Formed in 2012 they've built a reputation for smooth harmonies, funk infused grooves and polished production. sounding kind of like Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers vibe. Pleasure was released on May 2nd, 2025. It's her fifth studio album. So the song's about Sly Stone. Stevie Wonder

and Sly Stone, yeah. Then for my next pick, I always try to go to the collection, and this time I wasn't sure what to do, so I had my wife. point what section of the record shelves to go to, and I randomly put my finger down and pulled out Luke Combs. This one's for you. So then I listened to this one this week as well. We know Luke, North Carolina born country singer songwriter known for powerful vocals and relatable lyrics. Let's listen to a little bit of When It Rains

It Pours. Another big hit on the album was Hurricane. one number away, another one. But, yeah, it kind of blends traditional country themes with modern edge. It's a fun one. We talked about that on the show before, right, Doc? Oh, yeah, I guess we did, didn't we? I bet Andy didn't like it. He didn't hate it as much as I thought he would. All right. What you got? All right. Young Gun Silver Fox had pleasure. Broncho has Natural Pleasure. So that's their latest album, again,

called Natural Pleasure. It's an indie rock band from Norman, Oklahoma, formed in 2010. Here's a song called Imagination. Sleepy time, isn't it, dude? Week after week of these... So actually, I mean, their previous albums didn't... weren't quite as hazy and dreamlike as this, and this kind of has more of a lo -fi sound, but it's an interesting album. Another album that I'm looking forward to comes from Grant Lee Phillips. Do you remember the group Grant Lee Buffalo?

I sure do. This is, Grant Lee Phillips was the front man for that band. So did he get remarried and change his last name? From Buffalo to Phillips. This is actually his 12th solo studio album, kind of a folk singer. For Gilmore Girls fans, he's actually the town troubadour that's always walking around playing music. Never saw it. So the new album is called In the Hour of Dust, coming out September 5th. Here's the first cut released, Closer Tonight. I wanna hear some electric

guitars from you next time, man. All right. Well, what are you digging? Let us know. Join us on the socials, Facebook, Instagram, threads and blue sky and album nerds. It will be a discovery

of extraordinary value. Well, it's about that time on the show and I'm reminded of the words of John Lennon. I've made two discoveries in my. Not going to do that again. I've made two discoveries in my life, Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono. I think that's a pretty damn good choice. Yes. With that in mind, let's bring out the Wheel of Musical Discovery and see what we'll be discovering next time. and the Heart of Soul. We're exploring albums that showcase the rich musical heritage

of the heart of Dixie. So we're going to start our summer travels in Alabama. At the beginning of the alphabet, apparently. Yeah, well, it was it was randomly spun, I assure you all. So yeah, that should be fun traveling across the country, discovering albums from different states. So yeah, Alabama is a great place to start. Greenbow,

Alabama. And a lot of Forrest Gump references, most likely. All right, well, what are the best records that came from Alabama? What else are you listening to? Email us at podcast at albumnerds .com or follow us on Instagram and other social media at albumnerds. And also visit albumnerds .com to listen to all 293 episodes The best way to support the show is to share it. Please subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcast app. Thank you once again for joining us on the Album

Nerds podcast. We'll catch you next time Sweet Home Alabama. I just believe in me With Donnie and me See you next time