Bill and Brian continue having fun on their summer vacation, but in the meantime, we won't leave you without an episode. So we hung out and spent some time chatting about the legendary musicians that ruled the rock and roll studios in the 60s, the Wrecking Crew. We talk about the film based on this loose collection of musicians, Tommy Tedesco on guitar, Carol Kaye on bass, Hal Blaine on drums, a host of other musicians, some of the songs they contributed to, the producers they collaborated with ...
Jul 24, 2017•52 min
On a very special episode of the podcast, Brian and Bill take a break from the weekly grind, spreading the love of our favorite albums to spread the love of one of our favorite films instead. We dive into Christopher Guest's 2003 mockumentary A Might Wind. We chat a little about This is Spinal Tap, 80s hair metal, the Guest style of filmmaking, the excellent contributions of this ensemble cast, the well crafted and funny tunes, and much more as we laugh our way through a recap of what we love ab...
Jul 17, 2017•48 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday! Brian and Bill follow up our Wu-Tang talk by discussing one of their most successful members Method Man and his hit featuring Mary J. Blige "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By." Our chat about the time period this was release quickly turned into a deeper examination of cultural appropriation, bias, and why it might be okay for two white guys to have a serious discussion examining what makes some rap music great. Also, we round up the emails and responses ...
Jul 06, 2017•29 min
Improvisor and vocalist Kyle Gordon (mydarklittlecorner.com) joins Bill and Brian to discuss Wu-Tang Clan's seminal rap debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) [1993, Loud/RCA). After Brian goes off book to name all 9 members of the group (RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon the Chef, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, and U-God), Kyle talks about discovering the group as an angry teen growing up in the suburbs of New York.
Jul 03, 2017•2 hr 10 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday! Bill and Brian jump into a Way Back Machine to continue the conversation about Jimmy Eat World by delving into a tune from their 1999 album Clarity. We discuss what exactly "emo" is and why Brian was wrong not to listen to Weezer's Pinkerton before we get into some listener emails about 90s rock icons that have gone soft and 21st century guitar gods.
Jun 29, 2017•29 min
Renaissance man and author of Processing Creativity: the Tools, Practices and Habits Used to Make Music You're Happy With, Jesse Cannon, joins Bill and Brian to discuss Jimmy Eat World's breakthrough album Bleed American (2001, Dreamworks). Jesse describes coming up in the emo scene at the same time as JEW, listening to their album Clarity as a genre defining touchstone, and loving this album when it came out. Then Brian, Bill, and Jesse talk about Mark Trombino's contributions as producer, Zach...
Jun 26, 2017•2 hr 15 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday! Today, Bill and Brian chat about this gem of a 90s tune! While the song doesn't lend itself to too much specific discussion, the boys take a stroll down memory lane as they attempt to decipher the difference between which bullies from what movies were played by Keifer Sutherland and Anthony Michael Hall. Meanwhile, Brian shares a story of roller rink romance that ends in an all-too-familiar fashion and Bill asks the listeners to help us figure out who went from rock to ...
Jun 22, 2017•23 min
Brian and Bill are joined by musician Kimi Howe (casino sundae.bandcamp.com) to discuss the Police's debut album Outlandos d'Amour (1978, A&M). Kim talks about listening to this album as a part of her uncle's 8 track collection (he made sure to skip "Be My Girl - Sally" so that it didn't affect her impressionable ears). Then Bill, Brian, and Kim get into talking about the band's musical talent, how they fit in the British punk scene, Sting's ego, Andy Summers' excellent and unique style, jus...
Jun 19, 2017•1 hr 52 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday! And Bill stops in for a short episode to explain that we had some technical difficulties and lost the episode we actually recorded for this. :( But Bill makes sure to fill you in on the tragic love story that made this Brian's favorite Love song, the results of our informal poll about Wilco's "Via Chicago," and a little bit of promo. Make sure to go support former guest of the podcast Tyler Plazio and his band Soldiers of Suburbia by donating to their Indie GoGo campaig...
Jun 15, 2017•9 min
Musician, producer, and label guru Neil Sabatino (mint400.com) joins Bill and Brian to discuss Love's third album Forever Changes (1967, Elektra). Neil talks about how the band's early garage sound drew him in after a friend got him listening to Love's first couple albums, but then he was blown away by the maturity of the psychedelic and folk tones produced on Forever Changes. Bill, Brian, and Neil then get into the band's legacy, Bryan MacLean's genius guitar playing, how producer Bruce Botnick...
Jun 12, 2017•2 hr 7 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday and this week the B-Squad talks about Wilco's title track off their self-titled album! Along the way they talk about how comfortable (in a good way) the band has become in its own skin as well as what the Dad Rock of the 21st century might sound like. Along the way, they discuss their top 5 favorite Beatles albums (in honor of the recent Sgt Pepper 50th Anniversary), modern standards, and the return of Bill's band Small Planet Radio!
Jun 08, 2017•24 min
Bill and Brian welcome back podcaster and musician Jim Laczkowski (nowplayingnetwork.net and gardenonatrampoline.com) to discuss Wilco's foray into lush indie pop, Summerteeth (1999, Reprise). Jim talks about checking out the band after reading a favorable review from critic Greg Kot. Then Bill, Brian, and Jim discuss Wilco's evolution within their career, Jay Bennett's influence on the sound of the band, how the album maybe hit at the wrong time - namely, a time when Creed was blowing up the ch...
Jun 05, 2017•2 hr 17 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday! This week, the B-squad revisits Yeah Yeah Yeahs a few years down the road as they continue to evolve their sound and - like Weezer before them - pick up a new generation of fans along the way. We discuss Karen O's pop culture icon status, Canada's hipster Mecca, and whether or not Ryan Adams ruined The Strokes. We also talk about a pair of live podcast events taking place this July and August, as well as the return of Bill's band, Small Planet Radio (http://smallplanetr...
Jun 01, 2017•20 min
Little Dickman Records' Amy Dickman (littledickman.com) joins Bill and Brian to discuss Yeah Yeah Yeah's debut Fever to Tell (2003, Interscope).
May 29, 2017•1 hr 51 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday! This week the B's tackle Counting Crows' cover of Big Star's immortal "The Ballad of El Goodo." They talk about how they actually prefer to hear Big Star's music covered fairly straight (as opposed to, say, via an electronica interpretation) and how Counting Crows come eerily close to the original. Along the way, they touch upon possibly the oldest "Great Album," the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and of course, the untimely passing of beloved singer Chris Cornell. All thi...
May 25, 2017•29 min
Musician Frank Lettieri (dustofdays.bandcamp.com) joins Bill and Brian as we finally set to tackling Counting Crows' August and Everything After (1993, Geffen). Frank talks about having this album gifted to him as a part of a long tradition of uncles introducing nephews to cool music. Then Bill, Brian, and Frank discuss what one of the engineers on the album shared about the equipment used to record the album, the importance of the band's SNL performance in January of 1994, Adam Duritz's exquisi...
May 22, 2017•2 hr 2 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday! This week, the B's talk about Nancy Sinatra's most enduring hit single and how her father Frank signed her to his (at the time) vanity imprint, Reprise. We get into the left-of-center tendencies of under-appreciated songwriter/producer Lee Hazlewood and how there are certain songs that transcend their creators. Along the way, we discuss favorite comeback albums, and Bill answers an email, putting to bed the reason we have yet to tackle OK Computer.
May 18, 2017•24 min
Musicians Fred and Richard Fairbrass (aka Right Said Fred) join Bill and Brian to discuss Frank Sinatra's 10th studio album Songs for Swingin' Lovers (1956, Capitol). After getting the requisite conversation about their tour prepping and some of the trappings of being celebrities out of the way, Fred and Richard talk about discovering Sinatra through their parents, especially from the influence of their 'mum.' Bill, Brian, Fred, and Richard then discuss Nelson Riddle's arrangements, Sinatra's fe...
May 15, 2017•1 hr 44 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday! This week, Bill and Brian recount a track that, according to Bill, "was in the air" throughout 1998/1999. Pras, formerly of the Fugees, made his solo debut in grand fashion and had a hand from Mya and Wu-Tang Clan's Ol' Dirty Bastard. They discuss how - in total ODB fashion - he just kind of showed up one day and was asked to drop a verse (and took to the assignment admirably). Along the way, they talk about how the Fugees operated similarly to Wu-Tang, fostering member...
May 11, 2017•23 min
Podcaster Patrick from Make Dad Read Comics and Almost Education returns to join Bill and Brian in a discussion about Ol' Dirty Bastard's Return to the 36 Chambers: the Dirty Version (1995, Elektra). Patrick talks about being heshera and a secret Wu Tang Clan fan who fell in love with their pop culture and kung fu movie references. Bill, Brian, and Patrick discuss the lasting influence of ODB's style and humor, RZA's style as a producer, whether or not Brian can name every member of the Wu Tang ...
May 08, 2017•1 hr 55 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday! This week the boys in broadcast are tackling yet another duet: Johnny Cash and Fiona Apple! Bill and Brian discuss how it reminds them of a different Johnny Cash partnership from the early 70s, how singular artists like Fiona and Cash are at their best when they "do their own thing" (even when they're working together), and what qualifies as overkill for posthumous recordings. Additionally, they uncover the origins of the mysterious voices on Tom Petty's Damn the Torped...
May 04, 2017•26 min
Bill and Brian get to spend a nice lazy Sunday afternoon enjoying each other's company without a guest, chatting about Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine (2005, Epic). Brian talks about discovering Fiona's moody, electric pop sound as a disparate soundtrack to some sunny summer days. Bill notes how he first heard of this album due to the producer and label controversy surrounding its delayed release. Bill and Brian then discuss Jon Brion's original vision, the sound Mike Elizondo and Brian Kehe...
May 01, 2017•1 hr 58 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday! And the boys only get mildly tangential this week as they talk about the hit single off Bella Donna, Stevie Nicks' hit debut solo LP. They talk about how Stevie was introduced to Tom Petty via her then-boyfriend, mega-producer Jimmy Iovine. Along the way, they also discuss Great vs. Classic, and the difficulty of defining a decade's worth of music with just one artist. All this and then some on this week's Bonus Song Thursday edition of the Great Albums podcast!
Apr 27, 2017•23 min
Bill and Brian are joined by musician Chad Stocker (the High Strung, the Mythics) to discuss Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Damn the Torpedoes (1979, Backstreet/MCA). Chad talks about how his love of documentaries turns him into a fan of whatever their subject is - in this case, the 2007 Peter Bogdanovich film Runnin' Down a Dream. Bill, Brian, and Chad discuss Jimmy Iovine taking charge as the producer, his clashes with drummer Stan Lynch, the curse of consistency, Mike Campbell's deceptively...
Apr 24, 2017•1 hr 51 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday as Bill and Brian return from Spring Break! On this week's edition, they talk Tina and debate whether or not her version eclipses the Creedence Clearwater Revival original. Along the way, they answer the age-old question: "By the early 90s, was Michael Jackson cool anymore?" as Brian recalls a very specific McDonalds commercial sponsored by the NBA. It's nothing but net on this week's Bonus Song Thursday, so check it out!
Apr 20, 2017•30 min
Musician Adam Weiner (lowcutconnie.com) joins Bill and Brian to discuss Creedence Clearwater Revival's Willy and the Poor Boys. Adam talks about the ubiquity of CCR and how it led him to discover some other great music. Then Bill, Brian, and Adam discuss Philly accents, Flannery O'Conner and the Southern Gothic, how a song's overuse can affect how we listen to it, who sung it better (CCR or the Beach Boys?), Lead Belly and his influence on this album, the influence of Chuck Berry and Roy Orbison...
Apr 17, 2017•1 hr 48 min
Bill and Brian continue their Spring Break, doing something a little different and fun, by taking a look at 6 music videos where the visual is just as important as the music. We talk about not being allowed to watch MTV, some gender politics in regard to the acceptance of male sexuality, Louis CK, the present accessibility of music, and more as we discuss videos from Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Chris Isaak, Blind Melon, Seal, and Blur.
Apr 10, 2017•58 min
Bill and Brian take a short Springtime respite from our usual release schedule and talk instead about something a little different and kind of fun - a film with a soundtrack as important as its script, Empire Records (1995). Bill talks about how he loved this movie since his teenage years, and Brian reveals that he had never seen it until the very day of this discussion. We get into the differences between the theatrical and Special Fan Edition, our favorite tunes from the soundtrack (including ...
Apr 03, 2017•58 min
It's Bonus Song Thursday! Bill and Brian talk about that time Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff and the Wrens' Charles Bissell swapped covers and released a single. They get into how well Sheff did with the indie classic "Ex-Girl Collection" and get excited about the possibility of the impending new release from the Wrens. Also, we read a listener email that highlights some great lyrics from Queens of the Stone Age's Songs for the Deaf. Also, we delve into some more #Trypod recommendations incl...
Mar 30, 2017•24 min
Musician Katie Miller (katedressedup.bandcamp.com) joins Bill and Brian to dive into Okkervil River's the Stand Ins (2008, Jajaguwar). Katie talks about discovering the band via Bon Iver's cover of "Blue Tulip" and how frontman Will Sheff's lyrical acumen drew her in. Bill, Brian, and Katie discuss why we chose this album over others, caring about lyrics, how Sheff's voice is on the fence of the indie-emo and indie-folk movements, Brian Cassidy's contributions as an arranger and multi-intrumenta...
Mar 27, 2017•1 hr 50 min
