Send us a text On this episode , we discuss Waylon Jennings' 1973 landmark LP: Honky Tonk Heroes. While it may be up to debate as to which album marked the beginning of "Outlaw Country," there is little doubt as to the impact Waylon Jennings and Honky Tonk Heroes had on the burgeoning movement and country music in general. Jennings' groundbreaking LP stripped away the strings and lush vocals dominant in Nashville at the time, and instead presented hard-edged honky tonk music,...
Dec 05, 2021•2 hr 35 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text On this episode, we discuss the 1995 LP by the Jayhawks: Tomorrow the Green Grass. It was the fourth (and final LP) of the initial Mark Olson/Gary Louris collaboration before Olson decided to leave the band (he would reunite with the band to record the fantastic Mockingbird Time) . Tomorrow the Green Grass is exactly what you'd expect from a Jayhawks record; it is replete with their trademark harmonies, jangly guitars, unconventional song structures, and dreamy yet heartfelt ...
Nov 28, 2021•2 hr 32 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Meat Loaf, a 350-pound Texan possessing an operatic voice both powerful and agile, was the Christian and Jim Steinman, a Jewish, leather-clad composer from New York with a sense of humor few in rock or theater ever have, was Cyrano. Find out how the two found each other and created one of the best selling albums of all time (and meeting much resistance along the way) in this episode. The producer, Todd Rundgren, recognized almost immediately that this was exceptional material and ...
Nov 23, 2021•2 hr 42 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text John Cale was the most musically astute member of the Velvet Underground and on this album it shows. Soon after being fired from VU, Cale found work as a producer (The Stooges, Nico) and a collaborator (most notably with avant garde musician, Terry Riley). But he also began crafting songs influenced by the Beach Boys, the Band, and Phil Spector. He was also enthralled by Little Feat's Dixie Chicken enough to hire three members of the band, including Lowell George, to back him...
Nov 13, 2021•2 hr 31 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Pink Floyd's follow up to their 1973 classic, Dark Side of the Moon, was in part an homage to the group's founding member, main songwriter, singer, and guitarist, Syd Barrett, and in part a chronicle of the band's dissolution with the fame and success they had achieved. It's a favorite among the band members, but it was not easy album to compose or record. Find out more about Pink Floyd's 1975 release, Wish You Were Here. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com....
Nov 07, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Here's some outtakes from the Townes Van Zandt episode that you might find entertaining and informative. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com.
Nov 06, 2021•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Legendary singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt waited a long time before releasing this album in 1987. His song, Pancho and Lefty, had just become a hit for Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, so he had money in the bank, and Van Zandt was struggling with demons that ultimately would help him succumb to complications from hip surgery on New Year's Day, 1997. On this album, Townes sings about aging and the disappointments that falling in love can bring. His voice is ragged, but the...
Oct 31, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text XTC was under the gun with this album. They were pressured by their record company to produce an album that would sell 70,000 units or they would be dropped. The cure? Sound less British. So, they brought in studio wiz, multi-instrumentalist, veteran producer Todd Rundgren, whom the band was only somewhat familiar with. The result? An album steeped in dreamy lyrics and atmosphere that evoked the English country side and working life. It is also is a continuous body of work that ta...
Oct 22, 2021•2 hr 44 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Badfinger is heralded as the seminal power pop band. And while they had all the ingredients needed to be a successful rock band (including catching the attention of the Beatles and being the first band signed to their Apple label), monetary and sustained commercial success eluded them largely due to the nefarious business practices of their manager. This album, the last of the classic line up, finds the band honing their skills and branching out into new directions, but still reta...
Oct 08, 2021•2 hr 30 min•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Rod Stewart is perhaps the most frustrating figure in popular music. He is a man gifted with arguably the best voice in rock and roll and he can write some amazing songs, straight up rockers and heart-felt ballads. But Stewart eventually moved to cash in on that talent, epitomized in the 1978 album, Blondes Have More Fun. On this podcast, we look back at Stewart's most popular album before 1978, Every Picture Tells a Story, which finds Stewart, then a member of the ultimate p...
Oct 04, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text The Pretenders first album consistently received high marks from the critics and was a top 10 album in the U.S. when it was released, although it sounded like nothing else like anything else in the Top 40 at the time. It's a rock album with gorgeous melodies that, at times, disguise the disturbing subject matter of the lyrics. Though most of the songs were written by singer and rhythm guitarist Chrissie Hynde, this is a band album where every member plays an integral part in ...
Sep 26, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text On this episode, we talk about a band named after the inventor of the seed drill, Jethro Tull, and perhaps the band's best-known album Aqualung, which happens to be the name of the underwater breathing apparatus invented by Jacques Cousteau. Why A qualung ? Who knows. But there's plenty of other stuff discussed in this episode, such as the band's charismatic flute-wielding leader, the all-around excellent musicianship, and the always thought-provoking (and often dif...
Sep 17, 2021•2 hr 43 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Dave Mason may not be a household name, but you are familiar with his work, especially his guitar playing, which has been on some of the most acclaimed songs of the late 60s and early 70s (which is why our cohost Tony calls him "The Forest Gump of Rock"). After co-founding and "leaving" Traffic, Mason recorded his first solo album, Alone Together. Mason is joined in the studio with some of rock's best musicians, including his Traffic teammate, Jim Capaldi....
Sep 06, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Hailed by critics as Los Lobo's best album, Kiko found the band in an experimental frame of mind. The band members themselves can't recall where some of the tunes and sounds came from. On this album, the band worked with famed keyboardist and producer, Mitchell Vroom (Crowded House, Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney), whose bank of keyboards color this album and make the fine songs sound textured and more interesting. Also, Tony introduces us the first all-covers album from...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text DPA MacManus, also known as Elvis Costello, made some of the most interesting tunes of the late 20th Century. Part of his charm was his ability to write witty, intelligent, and interesting pop songs that straddled the boundaries of Punk, New Wave, and Power Pop. In this episode, we delve into his second album, This Year's Model, and the background that spawned one of the most critically acclaimed album of the 70s. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com....
Aug 23, 2021•2 hr 31 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text In this special episode we ridicule some albums you probably love by Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, and The Eagles. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com.
Aug 21, 2021•57 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Emmylou Harris' unmistakable voice has graced many artists' albums, both rock and country albums, usually as a backup singer or harmonizer. But on this, her 18th studio album, she takes a turn few would have imagined. Largely a collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Lanois (U2, Peter Gabriel, Neil Young, Bob Dylan), Wrecking Ball is an album full of electronics and textures that provide Harris with a backdrop where she can really showcase her vocals...
Aug 05, 2021•2 hr 34 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Southside Johnny may not be a household name, but he is the very definition of the New Jersey sound. Heralded by the likes of Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen (who has written many songs for him), Southside Johnny has made an indelible mark on the music industry. And this album is very much a collaboration with producer/songwriter/guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt (aka, Silvio on HBO's "The Sopranos"). If you like horns, Motown, and Stax, you'll love Southsid...
Jul 25, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text There are three bands from the early 70s that defined "power pop": The Raspberries, Badfinger, and Big Star. Named after a famous grocery in the Memphis area, Big Star became one of the most influential bands this side of the Atlantic. Perhaps their influence wanes only in comparison to the Velvet Underground. The two main personalities of this band, Alex Chilton (who sang one of the top smashes of 1967 with the Box Tops, "Letter") and Chris Bell (a meticulous ...
Jul 13, 2021•2 hr 39 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Hailed by critics, but mostly ignored by the recording buying public for several years after its release, the album, Dixie Chicken by Little Feat, highlights the songwriting, singing, slide guitar playing, and flute playing by the band's defacto leader, Lowell George. This is a band's band. And many other artists had hits with songs from this album. Listening to how this album seems steeped in the swamp rock of the south, it's hard to imagine the band had a mentor a...
Jul 07, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text This episode looks at the second album by the man many consider the epitome of anthem rock. Yet on this album, the songs seem more loose, more oriented on toward the town Springsteen and his bandmates knew so well, Asbury Park, NJ. This is not your typical Springsteen album and it is territory he has not really revisited since this album was released in 1973. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com....
Jun 27, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text These are some outtakes that we just couldn't keep in the last couple of episodes. For amusement only. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com.
Jun 19, 2021•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text In Episode 33 we look at Johnny Cash's 81st(!) album, American Recordings. Produced by legendary rap and hard rock producer Rick Rubin, the album is a comeback of sorts for and introduced him to a new group of younger listeners. It's a sparse album, just Cash and his guitar, and serves to showcase Cash's voice and songwriting talents. It's Cash at his most vulnerable, standing it stark contrast to the mythology of "The Man in Black". NOTE: The audio o...
Jun 18, 2021•2 hr 37 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text ELO started off as a side project by two members of the very successful band from Birmingham, England, the Move. Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood wanted to explore ways to incorporate symphonic arrangements into their progressive, yet poppy, chord progressions that each had begun to perfect. Soon after, Wood absconded with integral members of the newly formed ELO, leaving Jeff Lynne in charge with a skeleton crew. On this, the band's fourth album, the vision seemed to become reality a...
Jun 07, 2021•2 hr 31 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text In this episode we look at an album that has explicit lyrics written by a man who now writes children's tunes for Disney: Randy Newman's, Gold Old Boys. It's a character-driven album with songs carefully crafted and arranged by a man who comes from an extended family that has made a name for itself composing film scores. Randy Newman himself became a sought-after composer soon after releasing this album. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com....
May 31, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Released in 1978, Blondie's third album, Parallel Lines, became their biggest album largely off the strength of the most popular song of 1979, Heart of Glass. The making of this album is interesting: the band was given six months to make the record, yet it was finished in six weeks, despite the producer calling Blondie the worst band he'd ever worked with. Loathed by members of the burgeoning 1970s NYC music scene for its disco appeal, Blondie, one of the last bands to s...
May 23, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text This week's episode focuses on a relatively obscure Van Morrison album, Veedon Fleece. It's an album about wondering around Southern Ireland, despite being recorded in Los Angeles and New York. It's a personal album for Morrison, recorded soon after his divorce from Janet Planet. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com.
May 14, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Ray Charles loved country music and it is evident on what most call his most successful album artistically. It was also his most successful album commercially and introduced a lot white audiences to "the genius". In this episode we explore what made this album so compelling and why Charles decided to cover traditional country songs with sophisticated arrangements that made a lot of these songs really swing. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com....
May 03, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text Peter Gabriel's sixth solo studio album, Us, was the culmination of years of studio experience with his original band, Genesis, and as a solo artist. After spending time on the road with Amnesty International and soaking in the music of different cultures from around the globe, Gabriel set out to incorporate those rhythms and instrumentation into a very personal album dealing with a divorce, a subsequent break up, and a petulant teenager. And we recommend an album by a fixtur...
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Send us a text This week's episode is a battle between the Ramone's first album and the Sex Pistols first and only album, Nevermind the Bollocks. Learn how these albums are so very different, yet often discussed together and learn more about how these two bands have influenced so many other artists. Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com.
Apr 21, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast 
