Love That Album Episode 171 - Ben Folds "Rockin' The Suburbs"

We tend to think more of the guitar as a rock and roll instrument, but Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Fats Domino were a big part of the early sound of rock and roll. While there are plenty of great rock piano players, that lead guy or gal mostly tends to be playing a six-string. In the 70s and 80s, the big piano frontmen were Billy Joel and Elton John – hugely popular with what they did, but much (though not all) of it was balladry. Where were the trouble-makers and the pisstakers behind the 88s?

One of them was hiding out in North Carolina.

Welcome to episode 171 of Love That Album.

By 2000, Ben Folds Five had broken up, leaving behind three incredible albums of “punk music for sissies” (Ben’s alleged description of the band). They’d created songs both raucous and tender, angry and loving, serious and funny. In 2001, Ben Folds released his first solo album “Rockin’ The Suburbs” (recorded in Adelaide), and he plays and sings nearly everything. Once again, he aimed for your funny bone, but he also told stories that could break your heart. These stories showed once again that Folds was a master of melody, harmony and was very literate.

For this episode, I am joined by the host and “numbers girl” of the wonderful All Time Top Ten podcast, Ben Eisen and Shannon Hurley. We sit around the virtual table discussing Folds’ techniques in composition and arrangement, his potty mouth, the seeming contrast between the man who could write both The Luckiest and Song For The Dumped, and real life stories from the suburbs about everyday people brought to life in this collection of short stories – love spurned, love embraced, parenthood, mental health, and cussing on the mic.

My huge thanks to both Ben and Shannon for being such great partners for this discussion about a performer who we all love. We never even mention the one song seemingly everyone knows….because Folds is so much more than that one song. I won’t let it be 3 years before Ben and Shannon rock the mics with me on LTA again.

You can catch new episodes of All Time Top Ten every week on favourite podcast app, or go to https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-time-top-ten/id573735994 At the time of this LTA, there are 590 episodes recorded!!!!! Most are archived at https://www.mixcloud.com/beneisen/

If you want to check out Shannon’s variety of projects (music, art, videos), then head to https://shannonhurley.com/

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum I'm also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lovethatalbumpodcast/

Proudly Pantheon.

Download episode 171 from here.

Love That Album Episode 170 - Suzanne Vega "99.9F"

 

There are some artists who make a career of changing their musical styles between albums. They took risks to remain artistically relevant or just because they don’t want to repeat themselves. David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Wilco, The Beatles, John Cale, XTC are all examples…..a ton of others could be nominated.

Let’s talk about Suzanne Vega.

Welcome to episode 170 of Love That Album podcast.

From the mid-80s, Suzanne Vega had recorded some great records featuring songs that sounded like a mix of old school folk and polished pop. She wrote songs of domestic abuse, changes in her personal life, love lost, and her favourite coffee shop in NYC. Then after the unexpected success of a couple of producers remixing her “coffee shop” song, “Tom’s Diner”, she wanted to explore other options to how her recorded music would sound.

She chose the exciting producer of the moment, Mitchell Froom, to help her record something that would sound different to previous albums, and the result was “99.9F” released in 1992. Her personal style of songwriting hadn’t altered, but it’s the arrangements and the production that make this album sound a world away from the debut eponymous album released just a few years earlier.

I’m joined by two new guests to discuss this album and a bunch of peripheral subjects. First up is Eric Senich, host of the terrific Booked On Rock podcast – dedicated to the discussion of music books with authors. I’m also joined by the wonderful author, Lisa Torem, who has released 3 books in the On Track series of books – the latest one being on the discography of Suzanne Vega. Together, we look through the themes of 99.9F, how it changed from the sound of her earlier records, determining if the art is in the songwriting or the recording, and whether one temperature scale is more erotic than another.

My gratitude to Lisa and Eric for being such wonderful guests, and look forward to having them on the show again.

You can go through Eric’s podcast back catalogue at https://www.bookedonrock.com/ or you can subscribe on all the usual podcast platforms – perfect for deciding what your next music book should be.

You can pick up a copy of any of Lisa’s On Track books in which she analyses the songcraft of the discography of Billy Joel, Tori Amos, and Suzanne Vega from either Amazon or at https://burningshed.com/index.php?route=product/search&filter_name=lisa%20torem&filter_sub_category=true She’s working on a website which is not quite active yet, but keep checking at lisatorem.com

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum I'm also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lovethatalbumpodcast/

Proudly Pantheon.

You can download episode 170 from here.

Love That Album Podcast Episode 169 - Interview with Pauline Bailey, author of Blues Portrait – A Profile of the Australian Blues Scene

 

Buddy Guy put out an album in 1991 called Damn Right I Got The Blues. The song sounds like so much of a form of catharsis. However, blues can also represent a form of celebration. There's pre-war country blues, jump blues, swamp blues.... There's blues styles from Chicago, Texas, Louisiana and other American regions. The blues is not one thing. It's old...it's contemporary. It's relaxed...it's heart pumping. It has old and young practitioners. It has iconic practitioners and some bloke playing it at your local pub.

Welcome to episode 169 of Love That Album.

Obviously, the most famous blues musicians are those from the US and from the UK. Here in Australia, however, there's been a long tradition of musicians who've devoted themselves to the blues, be it through the pre-war stylings of The Paramount Trio, the Chicago style of Collard Greens and Gravy or....the hard-boogie style of Carson. Blues lovers here believe that there is something uniquely Australian about how blues is performed here....tyranny of distance making it gritty or something like that.

In 2019, artist and blues lover Pauline Bailey took it upon herself to record an oral history of Australian blues by speaking to a plethora (as Max Crawdaddy would have it) of musicians about their connection to local blues music. In 2023, Pauline has just released Volume 4 of these incredible books with no intention of stopping. Many are well known (Diesel, Jeff Lang, Ross Wilson, Mal Eastick, Mike Rudd), some not so much......all have fascinating stories to tell about how music came into their lives, how they've pursued it, and where it took them. These books are an invaluable resource into a side of Australian music history not previously tackled. The books even feature chapters devoted to some past LTA guests (Shane Pacey, Charles Jenkins, Anthony Shortte, Sarah Carroll, and Chris Wilson).

My huge thanks to Pauline for joining me to discuss her work and her devotion to the music and stylists she's immortalised in print. If you wish to grab a copy of any of her books, you can track them down at https://store15455084.ecwid.com/Books-c40041069

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum. We're also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lovethatalbumpodcast/

Proudly Pantheon.

You can download episode 169 from here.

Love That Album Episode 168 - Interview with David Hepworth about “Abbey Road: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Famous Recording Studio”

 

             English cover                                                                      US Cover

The process of recording music in 2023 has changed drastically to what it was in the latter half of the 20th century.....sort of. Sure, musicians can go in to a recording studio with an engineer and record in a way not dissimilar to the days of old. However, as technology changed inside professional studios, it changed for musicians who wanted to get a great sound in their bedroom. Many studios couldn't compete and only their legacy remains in our record collections.

....yet, EMI Studios at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, London endures. It has even been declared a national treasure.

Welcome to episode 168 of Love That Album.

Music fans have been treated to stories about many of the great studios in popular music history – Sun, Nashville RCA Studio B, Ardent Studios.....but arguably, the most famous is Abbey Road (as it is now called). Music journalist and broadcaster David Hepworth has written an excellent book, “Abbey Road: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Famous Recording Studio”. While the most casual music fan may only be aware of its Beatles connection (not least for the zebra crossing in front of it), the studio had an incredible history both before, during and after the Fabs reign. It may be one of the few big studios left. David joins me to talk about his research into the book and to tell some stories about the incredible musicians who recorded there and the technical innovation that took place there.....and to be honest (as Frank Santopadre would say), we only scratched the surface.

My gratitude to David for speaking with me about a fascinating piece of modern music history. What else besides Abbey Road have Richard Tauber, Mrs Mills and Noel Gallagher in common? Bugger all I'd suggest.

You can pick up “Abbey Road: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Famous Recording Studio” at all good bookshops, and online at the usual places that sell books. Check out the superb podcast David and Mark Ellen co-host, Word In Your Ear. Pretend your having a pint at the pub discussing music, and that's this show.

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

Proudly Pantheon.

Download episode 168 from here.

Love That Album Episode 167 - Bert Jansch "Rosemary Lane" and "L.A. Turnaround"

There's a quote attributed to Louis Armstrong: “All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song”. Apocryphal? Who knows? Still, it does raise the question as to what folk music actually is. It can be contemporary contemporary or traditional. It can be associated with any number of cultures. It can be instrumental or songs without instrumental accompaniment. The songs can be about tales of heroes, cads, fair maidens, murder, politics, or.....that very infrequent topic of song – love.

Welcome to episode 167 of Love That Album podcast.

I am joined once again by Shane Pacey, singer and guitarist for The Bondi Cigars, The Shane Pacey Trio and Pacey, King & Doley. His own music may be rooted in blues (another category that's more varied than is often given credit for), but Shane has a passion and huge knowledge about English folk music. Together we discussed the music of Scottish guitarist Bert Jansch.

Bert was part of supergroup Pentangle (LTA episode 134), but before, during and after that group he recorded many albums in his own name. He has been put in the “folk” caregory, but he was part of a generation of UK musicians that were keen to expand what folk music could be. Bert and contemporaries like John Renbourn, Davy Graham, Wizz Jones and John Fahey were huge fans of American blues and jazz music. They sought to put all their musical passions into a pot and stir. Bert developed a guitar style that made him a revered figure amongst rock musicians like Johnny Marr, Jimmy Page and Neil Young, yet his playing was never about the flash or histrionics. He just quietly played original and traditional songs in HIS own sweet way....and his singing voice was not a classic voice in the rock sense, and yet it draws you in – there was no one who played or sang like him.

Shane and I talk about Bert as musician, our relation to his work, contemporaries, and we focus on two of his albums – 1971's “Rosemary Lane” and 1974's “L.A. Turnaround” (produced by a Monkee and featuring a 5th Beatle on bass). It's always great having Shane bring his musical expertise to the show. I hope you dig this one.

You can find Shane's music on line at https://shanepaceytrio.com.au/ or https://bondicigars.com/ or https://shanepacey.bandcamp.com/album/the-gardener.

Here's a link to a tribute concert to Bert that we mention in the show: https://youtu.be/Y_MyH_Uc--s

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

Proudly Pantheon.

Download episode 167 from here.

Love That Album Episode 166 - Interview with Don Walker

 

Growing up in the eighties, commercial AM and FM rock radio in Australia was very supportive of local bands (well...... to a point). The biggest of them all was Cold Chisel which had hit after hit. They broke up in 1983, but their songs never left Australia's consciousness. Their original era and reformation albums are the soundtrack to Baby Boomer and Gen X music fans.....and their offspring.

….but this episode isn't about Cold Chisel.

Welcome to episode 166 of Love That Album.

A case can be made that Don Walker is Australia's greatest living songwriter. Be it for Cold Chisel, Catfish, Tex Don and Charlie or his current band The Suave Fucks, he has always had a gift with writing about the gritty side of life – murder, death, the road, Kings Cross, society's hypocrisies, Australian history, and cleaning filthy souls are all part of his subject matter. He mixes great melodies and a brilliant way with words to come up with songs that are as much a part of this nation's soul as the songs of Vanda and Young (whom Walker strongly admires).

He's just released the first album in his own name in 10 years, Lightning In a Clear Blue Sky (there have been Cold Chisel releases as well as a Tex Don and Charlie album, so he's kept busy). I was rapt to have Don join me for a chat about creativity, the state of the world, and how people from his past have been written into his songs. We barely touch on Chisel, because he's been crafting great songs outside of his most well known venture. I want to shine a light on some of those songs. Wish I'd had 5 hours available to ask questions, but I'm grateful for the time I had.

Huge thanks go to Rina Ferris who made the connection.

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

Proudly Pantheon.

Download Episode 166 from here.

Love That Album Podcast 165 - The Easybeats "Absolute Anthology 1965 to 1969"

 

Easybeats April continues at LTA HQ. Welcome to episode 165 of Love That Album.

On the last episode, I spoke with author Jeff Apter about his book Friday On My Mind: The Life of George Young. His book looks at Young as musician with The Easybeats, and Young as songwriter and producer for Alberts Productions after the band broke up.

This time around, I am joined by host of Let It Roll podcast, “Kid” Nathan Wilcox to discuss the actual music of The Easybeats. Of course as in any of these shows, we had digressions to talk about the band's history, art versus commercial reality, and much conjecture as to why the band didn't translate to Beatlesque levels of popularity outside of Australia beyond THAT one hit single.

Rather than discuss a specific album of the Easybeats catalogue, Nate and I selected 5 songs each from the excellent Glenn A. Baker double LP compilation from 1980, "Absolute Anthology 1965 to 1969". We discussed the songs in order (mostly) of release to present an arc of the band that went from recording songs in a rock and roll vein, to one that became more experimental with their sounds to one that returned back to their rock and roll roots by the end. In discussing these songs, Nate and I try to make sense of their development. I had an absolute blast recording this episode and I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Let It Roll (also part of the Pantheon family) is dedicated to the discussion of recorded music history via conversations with authors of music related books. At two episodes per week, the number of books Nate reads and researches is staggering. The subject matter is diverse – Bob Marley, the Brill Building, Texas gospel, and the mob's involvement in the music business are just skimming the surface of what's offered in Let It Roll. Give Nate's show your attention. Get episodes from your favourite podcast app or at https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/letitroll

If that's not enough, he's also the head honcho at http://BloodyElbow.com, a website dedicated to martial arts and boxing journalism.

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

Proudly Pantheon.

Download episode 165 from here.