Love That Album Podcast Episode 135 - Sparks "Angst In My Pants"

Pop music has had its share of bands with siblings: Gallaghers, Finns, Carpenters, Davies, Wilsons (some with heart and some with surf), Isleys, Warhursts, Bulls…..

Then there’s the Mael men!!!!!

Welcome to episode 135 of Love That Album podcast.

Sparks, (ostensibly, Ron and Russell Mael) are that rare beast that are hugely identifiable despite having changed styles (and record companies) several times. By the time they released album number 11, “Angst In My Pants” in 1982, they’d experimented with rock, prog, euro-disco, pop….and they still had many albums and styles to go. Yet, when you hear a Sparks song, there's that "something" that makes you sure it's them.

I am honoured to be joined by music and film writers, Heather Drain and Mike McPadden to discuss “Angst” as well as related peripheral topics. The album is loaded with jerky new-wave era pop. Like its title, much of the album sounds musically nervous and this is reflected in many of the record’s songs. Join us as we talk about cigarettes with human traits, Stars on 45, humour in music without being comedic, fragile masculinity,  taking the Mickey, anxiety, and (of course) hiding public erections….amongst several other tasteful topics. I also make a production comparison that I hope Heather will forgive me for……..

Having Heather and Mike on the show was a joy. They brought so much insight, and I look forward to further shows with them.

Go to Heather’s website at www.mondoheather.com to get links to her essays and podcast appearances, or to order her latest book, The Bizarro Encyclopedia of Film Vol.1

Mike is also keeping busy with 3 (count ‘em) excellent film podcasts on the go. Subscribe to 70 Movies We Saw In The 70s, Crackpot Cinema and Busted Guts: Cracking Open Comedy Cinema, and keep your film-loving earholes happy. You can also order his latest book Teen Movie Hell from https://www.teenmoviehell.com/

Download this episode of LTA from Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes (search for “Love That Album podcast”). Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to Pantheon Podcasts 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.

If you’d consider writing an iTunes review we’d be immensely grateful. However, it’d be even better if you told a friend about the podcast and Pantheon – at a (socially distanced) barbecue, over coffee (on Skype), on social media….whatever way you choose, consider me grateful.

Right click to download episode 135 here.

Love That Album Podcast Episode 119 - XTC "English Settlement"

When the late 70s arrived, many musicians wanted to sweep away the “dinosaurs” of rock (imagine that in 2018). Punk was about to sweeping away the complexities (among other things) and getting back to raw honest energy. Many musos liked the rawness and energy of punk but felt they had stronger musical chops that they wanted to apply to that realm, as well as explore other stylistic avenues. 1977 saw the release of the debut album of one such band from Swindon, XTC.

Welcome to episode 119 of Love That Album – the second episode for November 2018.

Like The Beatles before them, the back catalogue of XTC shows a development where the band that released their final album scarcely sound like the band that released their first. By 1982, they were only five years into their recording career, but the album of that year, English Settlement bore little resemblance to White Music released only a few years prior.

For this episode of the podcast, I welcome guitarist and first-time guest, Geoff Pearlman, as well as the return of Sydney guitarist Shane Pacey to focus on English Settlement as well as the development of the band that reached that point. The discussion is wide and varied covering the musicianship of the band and the different songwriting approaches of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding. We also discuss how the songs on the album covered social issues like domestic violence, gun ownership, and the fragility of modern existence. We had a wonderful time and I thank Shane and Geoff for working their senses overtime for the show. I even found an excuse to do my Tom Waits impersonation.

You can download the podcast from Spotify, iTunes (search for “Love That Album podcast”) or from the website at http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com.

You can follow Shane at http://shanepaceytrio.com.au/ and https://bondicigars.com/

Geoff’s musical activities can be found at https://www.geoffpearlmanmusic.com/

Both can be found on the usual social media platforms (Facebook, twitter etc)

Both of these gents make terrific music in their own right, so check them out and give them your support.

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

If you’d consider writing an iTunes review or recommending the show to a friend, I’d be immensely grateful.

Right click to download episode 119 here.

Love That Album - The Compilation Series: Episode 17: New Wave Swing

Time to get your dancing shoes on and listen to Episode 17 of Love That Album: The Compilation Edition. Eric Reanimator is discussing two different styles of music in relation to four CDs.

First of all, the original American party music: Swing. Eric gives the good oil on “Swing! Greatest Hits” and “Next Generation Swing”. The first has some tunes from orchestras led by household names of the original era: Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw and Gene Krupa. The latter has tunes from the Swing revival of the 90s, like Royal Crown Revue, the Brian Setzer Orchestra, and the Mighty Mighty Boss Tones. Eric gives some background on the movements, and also gives some tips on how to impress on the dance floor……

Next up, Eric discusses the 80s movement known as New Wave. What the hell is New Wave? It was an umbrella for a lot of things, but is not so easily definable as other styles. It is more of an umbrella for power pop with a slightly electronic feel mixed with soulful vocals and performed by people in strange makeup and clothes…..yeah, I don’t really know either. Still, Eric reveals some of the gems on “Just Can’t Get Enough” Volumes 10 and 17. Volume 10 covers New Wave Hits of the 80s and Volume 17 focuses on female fronted bands. Having a party? DJ Eric will tell you there’s no shame in playing some Bananarama, Human League, Adam Ant, Berlin, or Josie Cotton.

As always, Eric delivers a punchy, entertaining podcast. Give it a listen.  Warning: Love That Album takes no responsibility for any damage done to your credibility by dancing while listening to this podcast.

You can download the show by searching for Love That Album in the iTunes store or downloading streaming directly from http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com

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

 If you enjoy what you hear, please tell a friend or ten to tune in.

Right click to download and save Bonus Episode 17 here