Love That Album Episode 25 - Paradise and Land Of Fortune

The late seventies saw Australian music going towards a punk style (featuring bands like the Saints) or continuing with a more bluesy-country style as typified by the Adelaide band, Stars (not to be confused with the band from Canada of the same name). Featuring impeccable musicianship and wonderful songwriting courtesy of guitarists, Andy Durant and Mal Eastick, they crafted two wonderful studio albums which, while having American roots influences, told very Australian stories.

On Episode 25 of Love That Album, I’m joined once again by host of Sitting In A Bar In Adelaide podcast, Michael Pursche to discuss both the Stars studio albums, “Paradise” and “Land of Fortune” and make reference to an all-star live album in tribute to Andy Durant who sadly died in 1980 from cancer. I'm also extremely happy to be having a chat to Mick Pealing, the former lead singer of Stars, to discuss his recollections of recording these two wonderful albums and how the Andy Durant Memorial Concert got arranged.

Eric Reanimator contributes another great An Album I Love segment discussing the great "Radios Appear" album by Radio Birdman.

Download the show either from http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com or search for “lovethatalbum” in the itunes store.

Send any feedback to rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au – either written or mp3.

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Love That Album podcast Episode 24 - Ben Folds - Songs For Silverman

On episode 24 of Love That Album podcast, Thomas Deja of the “Better In The Dark”podcast and myself delve into the dark album that is Ben Folds’ “Songs For Silverman”. He credits his wife of the time with being a source of inspiration for him on the album’s liner notes, and yet, this is most definitely a breakup album – it just happened to be released before the breakup took place. Among the songs of marital discordance, there are songs about death, fatherhood (from the perspective of a father and a son), and mortality. This is a long way from “One Angry Dwarf” and “Underground”. Yet, Folds has never shied away from dark material. This album is as melodically beautiful as it is heartbreaking – it’s his “Seachange”. Thomas and I had a great conversation and I hope you enjoy.

There’s a slight experimental change with the format this time. Music samples are played before each song is discussed rather than being played as background to the discussion. Does this work? Let me know. (There’s a hiccup on this occasion with the music sounding slightly sped up, but that will be rectified for the next show).

Also, Eric Reanimator presents another fantastic “An Album I Love” segment delving into the late 70s British punk scene.

Download from http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com/ or search for “love that album” in itunes store.

Send written or mp3 feedback to rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au.

Join the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

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Love That Album podcast Episode 23 - Big Star - #1 Record

On Episode 23 of Love That Album podcast, Mondo Film podcast presenter Justin Bozung and I discuss the sheer wonderfulness that is Big Star’s “#1 Record”.

Out of all the bands that went nowhere in their day, Big Star was the most undeserving of such a fate. In the early 70s, when existing band Icewater comprising Jody Stephens, Andy Hummel and Chris Bell invited Alex Chilton (of Box Tops fame) to join their ranks, they released a debut album of such breathtaking melodic beauty, it still leaves music fans mystified how circumstances worked so heavily against them. They were from Memphis, but their hearts belonged to England and the 60s harmony drenched pop of The Beatles and The Kinks (plus some Beach Boys thrown in for good measure).  #1 Record was the only album with this line-up. Chris Bell left the band depressed with the apathetic way the album was distributed, leaving music fans interested (and critics raving) but unavailable in record stores.

As usual, we also have another wonderful “An Album I Love” segment from Eric Reanimator.

Download from http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com or search for “lovethatalbum” in itunes store.

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

Right click to download and save Episode 23 here. 

Love That Album podcast - Episode 22 - Favourite Instrumental Albums

For episode 22 of Love That Album, we’re doing something a little different. Michael Pursche (from the Sitting In A Bar In Adelaide podcast) and I decided to go all List Music Podcast on you (apologies to Ricardo, Jenny, VK and Juan for theft of your idea – but it’s only one episode). We’re going through each of our top 10 all-instrumental albums – that is, no vocals. They’re in no particular order, but all of our chosen albums are ones we’ve listened to countless times and really love. Rather than us speaking at length about any one album we speak for a few minutes about each of our combined 20 choices (plus it must be said quite a number of honourable mentions that might have made the list if we’d compiled them the next day). What did we pick? Tune in and find out.

Download the show either via iTunes (search for lovethatalbum in the store) or  from http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com.

Send any feedback to me at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (typed or mp3 voicemail). Join the LTA Facebook page and start up a music related conversation, make a recommendation, or amaze the group with some little known music trivia.

Right click to download and save Episode 22 here.

Love That Album podcast Episode 21 - The Doors - The Doors

The Doors. Rock fans either revere or revile them….and by them, I mean Jim Morrison, the public face of the band. While it’s true that the lead singer is often the member the general public remember more than, say, the keyboard player, few bands take this to the extreme like The Doors. It seems to me that people forget The Doors were a BAND, not Jim Morrison’s pseudonym.

So when all is said and done, how good WERE The Doors when considered as an entity, and not just Jim and friends? On Episode 21 of Love That Album podcast, Ricardo Ultreras of The List Music Podcast and The List Film Podcast discusses with me the legacy behind their self-titled debut album. Pretentious poetry? Maybe, but is it any worse than “Love, love me do”? We discuss the incredible musicianship of Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Robbie Kreiger as well as Jim Morrison’s baritone vocals. Frank Sinatra could have sung one of the songs on this album quite comfortably..if not for the lyric. Did Jim Morrison have really have an Oedipal complex? How many bands have both a Brecht AND Dixon cover on the samel album? A combination of classical techniques, jazz, blues and crooning. Ricardo and I ask if the album still holds up, as a piece of music, away from its iconic status.

As well as Ricardo, Eric Reanimator joins the show to present another great “An Album I Love” segment. Tune in.

Download from iTunes store (search for lovethatalbum – all one word) or from http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com. Send feedback to rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au

Join the “Love That Album” Facebook group and start a music discussion.

Right click to download and save Episode 21 here.

Love That Album podcast Episode 20 - The Horrible Crowes - Elsie

The Gaslight Anthem have in the last few years attracted a dedicated following with their cross of modern punk and Springsteen influences.  Songwriter Brian Fallon has put together a side project called The Horrible Crowes for material that would not necessarily work in the context of his main band. If you’ve listened to previous episodes of Love That Album with Geoff Smith as my fellow commentator, you’d know of his love for both of these bands.

In episode 20 of LTA podcast, Geoff, John Stirrat and myself discuss The Horrible Crowes album, “Elsie”, in detail covering the themes being written about in the album, as well as the music and lyrics. We ask the big questions – is Brian Fallon a stalker? Does he take self pity a little too far or has he had his heart put through the grinder, and is dealing with it the same way Roy Orbison, Chris Isaak and even Beck dealt with it? This was a heated discussion, and we didn’t all agree on the merits or otherwise of this album – which makes for a (hopefully) interesting show. 

We also discuss the John Peel archives being made public…in a virtual sort of way. Also, Eric Reanimator returns with his segment “An Album I Love” to discuss a classic album from the Screaming Trees.

Download from iTunes store by searching for Love That Album podcast or from http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com. Send feedback to rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au

Join the “Love That Album” Facebook group and start a music discussion.

Right click to download and save episode 20 here.

Love That Album Episode 19 - Billy Joel - The Stranger

I have been heard to say that I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. You like what you like – end of story. As will be obvious from Episode 19 of Love That Album, I love Billy Joel’s album “The Stranger”. Nowadays in some people’s eyes (and for someone from this list you KNOW who you are), that is an admission tantamount to confessing to having an STD. The fact of the matter is that this album is full of well constructed songs – melodically rich, well arranged, mainly (though not completely) clever lyrically – and it should be held in high esteem. Now I’ll admit that beyond a point his albums started getting very dull (everything after The Nylon Curtain) and his fame for dating supermodels rather than as a musician was a put-off. None of that should get in the way of the fact that for a time, he had a real knack with a song and had a fantastic band to support his musical vision (including the great Liberty Devitto on drums).

Fellow “Stranger” fan, Michael Pursche (of the Sitting In A Bar in Adelaide podcast) and I discuss the songs sung and stories told on Joel’s breakthrough album. On this episode, we also discuss recent music news including the passing of some of pop music greats. Eric Reanimator returns with his thoughts on Mother Love Bone (and he now has his own intro).

Stream or download the episode from http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com or download from iTunes searching for lovethatalbum (must be all one word). Join the Love That Album Facebook page and start a music conversation. Send feedback (letter or mp3) to rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au.

Right click to download and save Episode 19 here.