Send us Fan Mail This week, we delve into what many contend is the blue print for 1990's power pop, the 1991 LP by Matthew Sweet, Girlfriend. Things were not looking particularly up for Sweet as he worked on his third album . Professionally he had no label, and personally his marriage was falling apart. Having released two competent, but commercial disappointing albums for 2 different labels, no one expected what came next. Tentatively titled Nothing Lasts , the album was rechristened Girlfriend...
Mar 29, 2023•2 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Send us Fan Mail For this episode, we focus on the 6th album of singer-songwriter Steve Forbert, The American in Me. Forbert focuses on the realities of middle-aged life with its failures and compromises. Despite the general feeling of weariness, his humor and hope come through. Although there are no hits on this album, many tracks sure sound like they could have been. We bet American listeners will recognize the American in themselves. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com....
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr 42 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we take a look at another listener's pick: Warren Zevon's eponymous second album. Produced by Jackson Browne and featuring a who’s who of the mid-70’s “California Sound” (including members of the Eagles, J.D Souther, David Lindley, and Jackson Browne), the album is full of wry wit and dark humor. His lyrics may cover familiar ground, but he imbibes the subject with a self-depreciated sense of self awareness that strips a way much of the clichéd romance found in ...
Mar 07, 2023•1 hr 48 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Send us Fan Mail On this week's podcast, we dig into one of the most respected and understated guitarists in the business, Ry Cooder, and his 1974 LP Paradise and Lunch. Cooder’s slide guitar has graced albums by Van Morrison, Little Feat, and the Rolling Stones. He has also written and performed music on countless soundtracks and is perhaps most well known for his work with the Buena Vista Social Club. On Paradise and Lunch , Cooder covers a variety of tunes from a variety of genres, including ...
Feb 28, 2023•1 hr 32 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Send us Fan Mail On this week's podcast, we have another “Listener’s Choice,” the 1977 debut by Television - Marquee Moon. Recorded in the fall of 1976 and released in February of 1977, Marquee Moon was a critical darling and a minor hit in the UK. Music fans in the US outside of New York were indifferent. Which is unfortunate because Marquee Moon is an album worthy of attention. Over the melodic yet solid rhythm section of drummer Billy Ficca and bassist Fred Smith, duel lead guitarists Tom Ver...
Feb 11, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Send us Fan Mail On this week's podcast, we take a look at the 1987 album Clutching at Straws by the kings of 80's Neoprog Marillion. By the early 1980's in the wake of Punk and New Wave, Progressive Rock (or Prog Rock) was considered decidedly "uncool" by the the music press. In the midst of all of this, a bunch of young bands who loved the Prog Rock of the 70's decided to ignore what was considered "hip" and make the music they wanted to make. Rather than forgo those things essential to Prog R...
Jan 29, 2023•1 hr 48 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Send us Fan Mail On this memorial episode of This Is Vinyl Tap, we discuss the life and legacy of one of rock’s most unique and imaginative guitarists, Beck. We focus on his 1968 groundbreaking album Truth. After his very successful, but short-lived, stint in the Yardbirds, Beck began to work on his next project. Finding an amazing supporting cast in singer Rod Stewart, bassist Ron Wood, and drummer Mickey Waller, Beck recorded an album that used the foundation of the blues to build something th...
Jan 21, 2023•1 hr 46 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we discuss the 1972 eponymous debut from B.W. Stevenson, a tragically overlook talent from Texas. Stevenson was one of group of artists identified with the progressive or Outlaw country movement of the early 1970s, a singer-songwriter based movement that strove for a more authentic sound than that coming out of Nashville at the time. Stevenson’s debut did showcase his ability to write incredibly earnest and introspective songs, about longing and loneliness. Unfo...
Jan 15, 2023•1 hr 27 min
Send us Fan Mail On this, our third violation podcast, we finally get around to talking about the late, great King of Western Swing: Bob Wills. While wills didn’t invent Western Swing, he was most certainly the most recognizable face of the genre. Wills was a musical melting pot of sorts, combining traditional string music with the horns and phrasing of jazz ad big band music, and tossing in a good dose of Tejano, gospel, and anything else he could find. The result was a truly unique and utterly...
Jan 04, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Send us Fan Mail On this weeks episode, we dig into the second album by the Psychedelic Furs, Talk, Talk, Talk. Starting as so many other young UK bands did in mid-1970s, the Psychedelic Furs got inspired after seeing the Sex Pistols. They met with almost immediate success, and were talked about n the same breadth as U2 as the next big thing. They even shared the same produce - famed British producer, Steve Lillywhite, who helped them refine their sound on their first two albums. While Talk, Tal...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Send us Fan Mail This week we take a deep dive into the 1978 LP by the Jam All Mod Cons. The Jam’s music was steeped in the urgency and energy of punk, but unlike most of their contemporaries, the Jam was not interested in tearing down what came before. Instead, the Jam unabashedly embraced the music and fashion of the 1960’s Great Britain, particularly that of the Who and the Kinks. As a result, the Jam helped to usher in the Neo-Mod movement in the UK, and gained then a rabidly loyal following...
Nov 28, 2022•1 hr 41 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Send us Fan Mail This week we take a listen to the 1971 debut LP by J.J. Cale Naturally. Though not a household name, J.J. Cale (or Johnny Cale as he was originally known) was a songwriter, singer, engineer, and guitarist of great renown among his fellow musicians. He has penned songs made famous by other artists (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Poco, and, most famously Eric Clapton) and he may well be one of the most influential guitarist in rock. A pillar if the "Tulsa Sound" (whatever that is), his laid back...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Send us Fan Mail On this week's episode, we look at our second "Lister's Choice" and a record that we were for the most part sadly unaware of: the 1994 studio debut by Jeff Buckley - Grace . Jeff Buckley's career was brief, but brilliant. The son a famed singer/songwriter Tim Buckley, he worked as a session guy before making people really take notice at a New York tribute concert in his dad's honor. Jeff unfortunately followed in his father's footsteps by dying too young, with a brilliant career...
Oct 29, 2022•1 hr 39 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Send us Fan Mail On this weeks episode, we dive deep into Heart Like A Wheel , the 1974 LP from Linda Ronstadt. Possessing one of the strongest, versatile, and distinctive voices in rock has allowed Ronstadt to sing some of the greatest songs ever written in just about every musical genre. On this album, she interprets songs by variety of singers and songwriters to stunning effect, including James Taylor, Lowell George, Phil Everly, and Kate McGarrigle. While this was her fifth album, is was als...
Oct 16, 2022•1 hr 45 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we talk about the 1982 self-titled debut from Marshall Crenshaw. Arriving in New York after a stint with the traveling production of Beatlemania , Detroit born Crenshaw caught the attention of the New York music scenesters by writing and performing tight little pop tunes. Lauded by Critics, making several end of year “best of” lists. The album also stood out at the time. It was markedly different than the big radio anthems getting regular radio airplay. Musician...
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 36 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Send us Fan Mail The year 1967 was quite a year for rock music and this second album from The Jefferson Airplane was one of the first and most influential albums released that year. It's a psychedelic album with strange guitar sounds, strange lyrics, and strange arrangements, and the influence of new member Grace Slick cannot be overstated. Embrace the strange with us on this episode of This Is Vinyl Tap. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com....
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr 51 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Send us Fan Mail On this episode we let you, our loyal listeners and fans, pick the album we reviewed. That's right, its our first "Listener's Choice!" and you all picked a doozy: Forever Changes by Love. Love's third album has come to be appreciated as a classic. Released around the time of the "Summer of Love", the album's lyrics and themes are not the "peace and love" you'd expect. Rather they seem to dwell on the inevitability of breakdown those lofty ideals. Forever Changes is considered by...
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 53 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we discuss the 1988 LP by Leonard Cohen, I’m Your Man. Cohen gained fame as a writer of poetry and novels before he gained fame as a musician. He writes some of the most compelling (and often covered) songs in popular music (including the ubiquitous “Hallelujah”). His early albums fit more into the folk idiom, but on later albums, he began to experimenting with synthesizers and incorporating them into the mix culminating with this album. I'm Your Man is an album...
Sep 01, 2022•1 hr 49 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Send us Fan Mail On this week’s episode, we take a two-steppin’ deep dive into the debut LP of a true original, 1971’s Lost in the Ozone by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. The band members came from varied musical backgrounds and interests, but they brought a love of pre-1970s American music to the table, to including boogie-woogie blues, honky tonkin’ shuffle tunes, 1940’s jumpin’ jive, 1950’s rock n’ roll, and western swing. And it is all performed so expertly and effortlessly on th...
Aug 19, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Send us Fan Mail On this week's episode, we discuss Elton John's third, 1970's Tumbleweed Connection. Elton John's second LP was a lushly orchestrated affair that launched Elton John's career into the stratosphere, largely due to the single "Your Song", which was a top ten single all over the world. Not wanting to be pigeonholed, Elton John, chose to make an album that was more stripped down. There are elements of gospel, folk country, and even funk. Long time Elton John collaborator Paul Buckma...
Aug 06, 2022•1 hr 40 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Send us Fan Mail On this week's episode, we look at the second LP by Lou Reed: Transformer. After a disappointing debut solo LP (both critically and commercially), Reed’s solo career was destined to be somewhat short-lived. However, interest to produce his next album by one of the hottest musical acts at the time (David Bowie) prompted Reed’s label to give it another go. Aided by his right-hand man, Mick Ronson, Bowie and Ronson understood perfectly what Reed is trying to accomplish. Reed’s voca...
Jul 26, 2022•1 hr 50 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Send us Fan Mail On this week's episode, we look at the second LP by quite possibly the most influential band to wear a pentagram: Paranoid by Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath may not have invented the genre of "heavy metal," but the group certainly did more to mold it into the doom-and-gloom, distorted, heavy blues-based music it became associated with. Paranoid finds lead singer Ozzy Osborne at the peak of his singing powers, groove-master Tony Iommi at the top of his game, and the bottom-heavy rh...
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we look at the Who’s monster-selling 1971 LP: Who’s Next. Coming off the surprising success of Tommy , Pete Townsend was looking to take the "concept album" in a new direction: a full, multimedia experience where music, film, and stage would become one. The Lifehouse project (as it was known) had a backstory: a dystopian future where humans can experience life only as beings plugged into a machine, the Lifehouse. (Sound similar? The Matrix?) Attempts to record t...
Jul 13, 2022•1 hr 51 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we look at what is regarded by most critics as the Talking Head's masterpiece: Remain in Light . Brian Eno, who had produced their previous two LPs, took a more active role in the songwriting and playing and pushed the band to explore the African rhythms he had been exploring with the band's singer and main songwriter, David Byrne. It is an album of experimentation with songs culled from jam sessions where the members frequently changed instruments. Perhaps the ...
Jun 30, 2022•1 hr 42 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Send us Fan Mail Crowded House seemingly came from nowhere in 1986 with the debut album. The hits "Don't Dream its Over" and "Something So Strong" were welcome respites from the hair-metal-and-faux-rap blur that dominated the airwaves that year. But the song crafting on that album begin more than a decade before when Neil Finn joined his older brother Tim's band, Split Enz, one of the most popular bands in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. On this album, Woodface, the Finn brothers reunite wit...
Jun 17, 2022•1 hr 48 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we dive into the last album by the highly influential band, Roxy Music, 1982’s Avalon. Avalon was free of the experimentations found on the group's earlier records. The synthesizers are more atmospheric and provide the bed where the other instruments can find space and be heard. Sonically, it is beautiful, and the musicianship and recording are first-rate. Roxy Music, now down to a trio of Bryan Ferry (keyboards and vocals), Phil Manzenara (guitar), and Andy Mac...
May 30, 2022•1 hr 51 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we discuss the fifth album by Queen, 1976’s A Day at the Races . The band blended elements of hard rock, prog rock, power pop, glam rock, and even opera into their own unique rock-n-roll stew. While this often makes Queen’s music difficult to categorize, there is little doubt that what they created was a sound that was completely and uniquely their own. A Day at the Races was the follow-up to their previous and most well-known LP, 1975’s A Night at the Opera. Wi...
May 24, 2022•1 hr 36 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we finally complete our look at the Holy Trinity of the Jersey Shore sound by diving headfirst into the 1982 debut by Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul - Men Without Women (We talked about the other two on Episode 34 - Springsteen and Episode 38 - Southside Johnny). It is not hyperbole to say that Steven Van Zandt has likely done more to promote rock-n-roll and rhythm and blues than any other musician alive today. A fine musician in his own right, Van Zand...
May 16, 2022•1 hr 59 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we talk about the 6th studio LP by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1985's Southern Accents. Released three years after their last album, it was originally conceived as a concept album about the Southern experience. However, the band was at a bit of a crossroads and that concept became derailed when Petty, looking for outside inspiration, teamed up with Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics to write a trio of songs that didn't really fit with the overall theme but we...
May 01, 2022•1 hr 52 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we look at Harry Nilsson’s 2nd album for RCA, 1968’s Aerial Ballet. After signing with RCA, he received adulation from many of popular music's most notable figures, including the Beatles who called him their “favorite band” during a press conference. The man never toured or even really played in front of a live audience. Instead, he found solace in the studio where he could rely on his real strength: his 3 and 1/2 octave voice and his ability to create what was ...
Apr 25, 2022•2 hr•Season 2Ep. 21
