You, Me and An Album

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This is the second of a two-part conversation with Washington, DC-based singer, guitarist and songwriter Mary Timony (Autoclave, Helium, Wild Flag, Ex Hex, solo). Mary talks about the difficult circumstances under which she made her new album, Untame the Tiger, and how her parents’ illnesses and deaths gave her a new perspective. She also discusses the experience of recording parts of the album on the legendary Sound City mixing board and working with drummer Dave Mattacks. Mary explains how writing songs as a member of Wild Flag has played a critical role in Ex Hex’s sound. (Her discussion of Ex Hex first appeared on Ep. 131.)

Give Mary a follow on Instagram (if you don’t already)! @marytimony

Also be sure to visit Mary’s website: marytimonymusic.com

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Instagram and Threads at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

0:52 Al’s introduction to Part 2 of the conversation with Mary

2:08 Mary explains how difficult circumstances led her to make Untame the Tiger

7:11 Mary talks about the people she worked with on the new album

12:35 Mary discusses making the album while dealing with her parents’ illnesses and deaths

16:54 Mary explains how that period helped her to put life into a different perspective

18:05 Mary talks about writing and playing with Ex Hex

20:40 The experience of writing songs for Wild Flag changed her songwriting process

24:58 Mary compares the two Ex Hex albums

Outro music is from “Dominoes” by Mary Timony.

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This is the first of a two-part conversation with indie rock singer, guitarist and songwriter Mary Timony (Autoclave, Helium, Wild Flag, Ex Hex, solo). In this episode, Mary introduces Al to Andy Pratt’s self-titled 1973 album. (In Part 2, Mary will discuss her soon-to-be-released solo album Untame the Tiger.) Mary discusses how she came to learn about Andy Pratt, which songs on the album are her favorites and why she thinks more people need to know about his music.

Give Mary a follow on Instagram (if you don’t already)! @marytimony

Also be sure to visit Mary’s website: marytimonymusic.com

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Instagram and Threads at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:13 Mary joins the show

1:44 Mary became fascinated with Andy Pratt’s story

5:39 The first seconds of Andy Pratt grabbed Mary and Al’s attention

7:45 Even before starting the conversation, Mary and Al knew they had some shared musical tastes

9:54 Mary has clear favorite tracks from the album

11:55 Mary doesn’t understand why Pratt’s music didn’t become more popular

13:44 Mary explains why she loves “Sittin’ Down in the Twilight”

15:12 Mary was impressed by the musicianship on the album

20:29 Mary and Al were both mesmerized by “Inside Me Wants Out”

23:16 Mary provides some background on Pratt’s career

Discussion of the album’s tracks

26:23 Avenging Annie

30:54 It’s All Behind You

37:26 Call Up That Old Friend

40:13 Give It All to Music

47:08 Who Am I Talking To

48:08 Is there such a thing as a perfect album?

51:46 All the King’s Weight

57:34 So Fine

59:09 Deer Song

1:00:31 It’s hard to pick the last song that goes on an album

Outro music is from “The Guest” by Mary Timony.

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Al continues his conversation with Seattle-based singer/rapper/musician/songwriter Wanz, which began on Ep. 144. Wanz talks about recording his world-famous hook for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop,” and his experience with performing in the song’s video. He also talks about the elements of great songwriting, with specific references to Taylor Swift and the Beatles. Wanz winds up by discussing #TheBookOfWanz, his Wanzology podcast and some of the lessons he wants to impart through these and other outlets.

Be sure to follow Wanz! @teewanz on Instagram and Threads

As Wanz mentioned in this episode, you can find his music and lots else on his website, thewanz.com.

The easiest way to find #TheBookOfWanz is to type #TheBookOfWanz into the search field on Amazon. Just be sure to remember the pound sign.

Also, check out the Wanzology podcast! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wanzology/id1719005835

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Instagram and Threads at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:48 Wanz talks about recording “Thrift Shop”

3:57 Wanz faced an obstacle when filming the “Thrift Shop” video

4:46 Touring with Macklemore was the realization of a dream

7:44 Macklemore created a new blueprint for independent artists

11:32 Wanz explains how Taylor Swift became a phenomenon

15:49 Wanz outlines the keys to good songwriting

17:46 Wanz talks about how each wave of great artists influences the next

19:44 Wanz explains how his TEDx talk led him to #TheBookOfWanz and Wanzology

27:01 Wanz talks about his ongoing musical work

28:57 Wanz explains why he wants to do more public speaking

32:12 Lessons from Yoda, Spock, The Matrix and Ferris Bueller

Outro music is from “Wander” by Wanz.

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Seattle-based musician, singer, rapper and songwriter Michael Wansley (aka Wanz) drops in on YMAAA for the first of two episodes to talk about Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1979 album, I Am. Wanz talks about his lifelong EWF fandom, what he loves about I Am, and how it compares to other EWF albums. He also explains how the album is a reflection of the changes in the music industry that were occurring in the late ‘70s. Wanz and Al also discuss other bands that were popular around the same time, including Toto, The Police and Rush.

Wanz’ TEDx Talk, "You, Too, Can Be a Unicorn," is outstanding. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGPy-bbpRfM

Al mentioned that he had interviewed Steve Lukather, David Paich and Joseph Williams of Toto. The interviews were for a couple a pieces for American Songwriter, which are linked below.

https://americansongwriter.com/toto-talks-toto-to-celebrate-their-debut-albums-45th-anniversary/

https://americansongwriter.com/6-toto-songs-that-are-miles-away-from-yacht-rock/

Wanz is on Instagram and Threads at @teewanz!

Also be sure to check out Want’s music and more at thewanz.com

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Instagram and Threads at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:36 Wanz joins the show

2:26 Wanz has worked many different jobs to support his music

3:52 Wanz has a collection of EWF t-shirts

6:17 An EWF promo poster connected Wanz with an early bandmate

7:58 Wanz paid close attention to EWF over a span of 10 albums

8:51 Wanz talks about EWF’s progression through the albums leading up to I Am

15:20 EWF was the first concert Wanz ever went to

19:10 Wanz and Al talk about the Police and Sting’s Bring on the Night documentary

21:35 Wanz blames one album for changing radio

23:16 Wanz singles out the decision EWF made that led to their commercial demise

26:24 Maurice White’s death gave Wanz a reason to deep-dive into the EWF catalog again

27:21 Wanz talks more about how radio changed in the late ‘70s

31:10 Wanz remembers how he was introduced to Rush

32:51 Wanz explains what makes “Boogie Wonderland” a perfect song

36:09 Wanz loves the whole second side of I Am

39:15 Wanz explains why I Am is a different-sounding EWF album

43:01 Did the right tracks get released as singles?

46:34 Transcribing “Rock That!” in the pre-digital era was not an easy task

48:12 Al and Wanz talk about the Toto connections to I Am

49:57 Wanz explains how Phil Collins got connected with EWF

53:57 Steve Lukather’s memoir changed the way Wanz understands how the recording industry used to work

57:34 The interludes are one of Wanz’s favorite parts of I Am

1:01:10 Wanz finds some interesting names in the album credits

Outro music is from Wanz, “Go Where the Love Is.”

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Singer-songwriter Danny O’Keefe, whose songs (including his Top 10 hit, “Goodtime Charlie’s Got the Blues”) have been covered by Jackson Browne, Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell, Judy Collins, Willie Nelson, Allison Krauss and many others, joins Al to get him better acquainted with Miles Davis’ 1959 classic, Kind of Blue. Danny talks about how he was introduced to the album, why it has been the album he has listened to the most in his life and which parts he particularly enjoys. Danny and Al also get into a Steely Dan discussion, as a result of Al comparing some sax solos. Danny recounts his relationship with Ahmet Ertegun and discusses his recently-released album, Circular Turns.

Be sure to follow Danny on Facebook and visit his website, dannyokeefe.com!

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Instagram and Threads at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:20 Danny joins the show

1:50 Danny talks about his introduction to Kind of Blue

5:26 How important is it to know music theory as a musician and as a listener?

10:01 How does Kind of Blue transport Danny?

11:39 Danny identifies a couple of features of the album that he looks forward to

14:08 Al is accustomed to the structure of rock music

15:40 Danny talks about some of the solos from the album

17:27 How has Kind of Blue influenced Danny’s work?

19:13 Danny walks through his songwriting process

22:23 Danny explains the significance of Kind of Blue

25:05 Danny talks about the allure of the folk revolution

26:35 Do you have to connect with an album right away to enjoy it?

30:00 Al did an experiment to try to figure out why he didn’t connect more with Kind of Blue

35:27 Danny talks about his relationship with Ahmet Ertegun and Atlantic Records

43:15 Danny explains how his new album, Circular Turns, came about

45:02 Danny identifies some covers of his songs that he particularly enjoys

48:27 Danny talks about his upcoming plans

Outro music is from “The Road” by Danny O’Keefe.

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Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Henning Ohlenbusch (Gentle Hen, the Fawns, solo) makes a return appearance to You, Me and an Album to discuss XTC’s 1986 album, Skylarking. Henning talks about why he loves Skylarking and why XTC is one of his favorite bands. He gets into the aspects of XTC’s songwriting that are especially appealing and how the album reminds him of the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Kinks. Henning also talks about the new Gentle Hen album, The Whole Point of the Trip, and why it took four years to make.

Henning was previously on YMAAA on Ep. 72, discussing Ha! Ha! Ha! by Ulltravox.

Be sure to follow Henning on Instagram and Threads at @henningo!

To learn more about Gentle Hen, visit their website at gentlehen.com or find their music at https://gentlehen.bandcamp.com/.

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Instagram and Threads at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:10 Henning joins the show

1:37 Henning explains why he chose Skylarking—and not English Settlement—for this episode

4:28 Henning and Al talk about the impact Todd Rundgren had on the album

7:08 Henning and Al discuss “Dear God”’s eventual placement on Skylarking

11:23 Al summarizes his reaction to the album

12:10 Henning identifies what makes Skylarking a special album for him

15:10 Why did Al have a different reaction to Skylarking than he did to The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society?

17:23 XTC changed the way that Henning listens to albums

22:22 Henning talks about what he likes about XTC’s songwriting

26:00 Al reveals a pet peeve he has about a certain style of songwriting

29:10 All appreciates that Andy Partridge’s songwriting has a subtle side

31:33 Henning thinks of the album as being divided into chunks

33:20 Henning highlights some of his favorite parts of the album

40:01 Henning points out a couple of interesting rhythms from Skylarking

44:12 Henning and Al talk about the “Dear God” controversy

46:08 Henning discusses the vocal similarities of Partridge and Colin Moulding

50:02 Al compares the new Gentle Hen album with XTC and Peter Gabriel

53:02 Henning talks about how The Whole Point of the Trip developed

54:43 When does Henning know it’s time for a Gentle Hen album?

56:30 Henning talks about his near-term plans

Outro is from “Birds of Massachusetts” by Gentle Hen.

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Music journalist and sports author Dan Epstein joins Al to talk about the Isley Brothers’ 1973 album, 3 + 3. Dan shares his memories of buying the album and listening to it for the first time, and he breaks down each of the album’s nine tracks. He also discusses the Isleys’ longevity, their lack of acclaim compared to contemporaries, such as Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, and their penchant for recording covers.

Dan talked about his excellent Substack newsletter, Jagged Time Lapse.  Be sure to check it out and subscribe! It’s at danepstein.substack.com.

Follow Dan on Instagram at @dockfidrych!

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Instagram and Threads at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:12 Dan joins the show

1:59 “That Lady” was Dan’s introduction to the Isley Brothers

4:58 Dan eventually learned the Isleys had been around since the ‘50s

5:50 Dan recounts the day he bought 3 + 3 in 1989

14:44 Dan and Al talk about the progression in the Isleys’ discography leading up to 3 + 3

17:07 Al was astounded when he first heard “Contagious”

18:28 Dan got Ernie Isley to tell him how he got his guitar sound on “That Lady”

20:16 Ernie Isley and Brian May are special guitarists for Dan for a particular reason

21:30 Dan walks through what he likes about each track on the album

Observations about each track

23:56 That Lady

24:09 Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

25:21 If You Were There

26:01 You Walk Your Way

28:17 Listen to the Music

29:26 What It Comes Down To

31:40 Sunshine (Go Away Today)

32:53 Summer Breeze

38:02 The Highways of My Life

40:17 Dan asserts that 3 + 3  is one of the great albums of the early ‘70s

42:56 Dan has an explanation for why 3 + 3 hasn’t received more acclaim

47:34 Why did the Isleys include so many covers on their albums?

52:41 Dan and Al talk about associations they have formed around certain songs

56:08 Dan discusses his Substack, Jagged Time Lapse

57:35 Al sums up how his response to 3 + 3 developed

1:00:31 Dan’s got some holiday content on his Substack

1:06:01 Dan updates us on his upcoming book on Redd Kross

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Joe Steinhardt, the co-founder and owner of the Philadelphia-based record label Don Giovanni Records and guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the band Modern Hut, drops by YMAAA to introduce Al to Iris DeMent’s The Way I Should. Joe talks about why this is an important album for him and how it changed the way he thinks about music. He delves into several of his favorite tracks from the album and updates us on what’s new at his record label.

Joe mentioned a live performance of “Wasteland of the Free” that he watches frequently (and recommends that we do too). You can find the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhgb9hYjX3g.

He also discussed DeMent’s performance of “Surely, I Will, Lord”. It’s not the performance he saw, but you can see DeMent play the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USUvLDhcrgY.

Follow Don Giovanni Records on Instagram: @dongiovannirecords

…and check out the label's website at https://www.dongiovannirecords.com/.

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Instagram and Threads at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:14 Joe joins the show

1:44 Joe talks about his progression for exploring Iris DeMent’s music

9:22 Joe explains why he choose The Way I Should for this episode

11:22 Al understands why Joe went with The Way I Should after initially picking a different album

16:18 Joe mentions the tracks he might skip on The Way I Should

19:24 “Wasteland of the Free” has been a perspective-shifting song for Joe

28:44 Joe relates to DeMent’s songs in a different way as he gets older

32:13 Joe and Al discuss “Letter to Mom”

35:55 Joe talks about some of DeMent’s more recent work

37:48 Joe appreciates how DeMent takes risks with her songs

41:11 Joe has some personal connections to DeMent’s music

51:13 Joe explains what makes the title track a highlight of the album

55:26 “Quality Time” is also a song that resonated with Joe and Al

56:54 The Way I Should helped to clarify for Joe the importance of truth-telling in music

1:00:29 Joe talks about some of the new things happening at Don Giovanni Records

Outro is from “I Don’t Want to Get Adjusted to This World” by Modern Hut.

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Jeff Palfini, the co-founder of the Connecticut-based Boondocks Film Society, joins Al to talk about the soundtrack to the 1998 film, The Last Days of Disco. Jeff talks about the intersection of film and music, why movie soundtracks have been important to him and why this particular soundtrack is a favorite of his. He also highlights some of his favorite songs on the album and discusses the upcoming plans for Boondocks Film Society.

Jeff made a reference to a podcast called Hit Parade, and you can check it out here: https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade

As Jeff suggests in this episode, you should follow Boondocks Film Society to keep up with their events! @boondocksfilmsociety on Instagram and https://boondocksfilmsociety.org/

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Instagram and Threads at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:10 Jeff joins the show

2:18 Jeff talks about his work with Boondocks Film Society

6:02 Jeff discusses the premise of The Last Days of Disco

9:10 Jeff explains why he chose the soundtrack for this episode

14:59 Al wonders how people who aren’t into movies keep up with new music

16:33 Jeff talks about passive influences on musical tastes

19:33 Jeff discusses the mix of songs on the soundtrack

20:50 Jeff recently learned about how members of Chic produced much of his favorite music

28:35 Jeff and Al talk about disco’s long-overdue reevaluation

34:34 More love for Chic!

35:55 Jeff focuses on the diversity of artists represented on the soundtrack

41:39 Al heard “Knock on Wood” differently than when it first came out

46;11 Jeff and Al discuss “I Love the Nightlife”

50:00 Jeff highlights a couple of his favorite vocal performances on the album

52:16 Jeff discusses the song that might be his favorite on the soundtrack

54:47 Great songs are often saved for the closing credits

1:02:24 Jeff talks about the upcoming plans for Boondocks Film Society

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Musician and songwriter Casper Iskov joins Al to talk about Ride’s second album, Going Blank Again. He explains how he got acquainted with Ride’s music and why they have become a favorite band of his despite a negative first impression. Casper also talks about how he recently remade My Bloody Valentine’s Isn’t Anything in the style of a Green Day album and how an episode of You, Me and An Album with producer Tim Friese-Greene helped to inspire him to do so.

The episode with Tim Friese-Greene just referred to above to was Ep. 79. You can listen to that one here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/79-tim-friese-greene-discusses-my-bloody-valentine/id1545282273?i=1000571013242.

You should absolutely check out Casper’s cover of the entire Isn’t Anything album. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyriOMmEtyw&t=256s

Find Casper and his music at @casperiskov on Instagram and YouTube, or search for him on Spotify!

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Instagram and Threads at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:15 Casper joins the show

1:34 Al explains how he became aware of Casper’s music

2:17 Casper talks about his introduction to Ride’s music

6:37 What does Casper like—and dislike—about shoegaze?

10:54 Casper and Al hear an interesting blend of different influences on Going Blank Again

12:20 Al has opinions about Ride’s drummer, Loz Colbert

16:31 Casper marvels at the album’s depth of good songs

19:02 Are the critiques of Ride’s lyrics fair?

25:18 Casper helps Al hear what’s happening in “Chrome Waves”

28:21 Casper likes the album’s combination of pop and experimental writing

29:58 Casper finds the album inspires him to do things that make him feel alive

31:59 Casper explains why he makes covers

36:59 Concluding thoughts on Going Blank Again

38:00 Casper explains why he decided to cover the entirety of Isn’t Anything in the style of Green Day

41:54 Al shares his reaction to Casper’s version of Isn’t Anything

43:29 Casper walks through the process of making his MBV covers

49:14 Casper talks about his new single and video and his future plans

The music featured in the outro is from “Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)” by Casper Iskov.

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Ex Hex drummer Laura Harris makes her return to YMAAA to talk about Canadian electronic music pioneer Bruce Haack and his album, The Electric Lucifer.  Laura shares why this album holds a special place for her, discusses her favorite tracks from the album and explores how it relates to her general fascination with synthesizers. She also talks about the recent Ex Hex tour and what’s happening with her other bands, Ecstatic International and The Owners.

Note: This episode was recorded at the lesson and rehearsal space where Laura works, and about an hour in, you can hear drumming in the background (presumably from someone’s lesson).

Take lessons with Laura! You can book sessions through the 7 Drum City website (https://www.7drumcity.com/laura-harris-bio.html) or by contacting her directly by email at [email protected].

Also, be sure to follow each of Laura’s bands on Instagram!

Ex Hex: @exhexband

Ecstatic International: @ecstatic_international

The Owners: @the.owners.band

1:24 Laura joins the show

2:40 Was Bruce Haack the Father of Techno?

4:17 The Electric Lucifer marks Haack’s transition away from music for children

7:10 Haack made some interesting appearances on TV

8:28 Laura provides some background information on Haack

15:30 Some music and TV shows made for kids are pretty scary

19:57 Children play a key role in the story told in The Electric Lucifer

23:11 How did The Electric Lucifer get released on a major label?

26:55 Laura finds the disjointedness of the album’s music appealing

30:12 It’s a strange album, but it has some jams

31:09 Laura explains why she chose The Electric Lucifer

36:33 Laura identifies one of her favorite tracks from the album

41:12 Laura addresses the psychedelic aspects of the album

46:40 Laura and Al break down the song “War”

51:42 Laura discusses “Song Of The Death Machine” and her rescue parrots

58:34 Laura and Al get into a Genesis discussion…and relate it back to Laura’s fascination with Bruce Haack and synthesizers

1:04:03 Laura summarizes what’s great about the album

1:07:10 Laura talks about the recent Ex Hex shows

1:10:45 Laura updates us on what’s next for Ecstatic International and The Owners

Outro is from “Corridor” by Ecstatic International.

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Visual artist, writer, producer, director and filmmaker — and creator of Programme 4 and Easy AM 66 — Rachel Lichtman introduces Al to The Anita Kerr Singers’ 1971 album, Grow to Know Me. Rachel talks about the special role this album has played for her over the last few years, why she is a fan of vocal groups and easy listening and why we should appreciate Anita Kerr’s contributions to popular music more. She also talks about why she created Programme 4 and Easy AM 66 and what inspired their creation.

As Rachel mentioned, it’s best to follow her on Instagram:

@rachellichtman and @programmefour…

…but she’s also on Bluesky at @rachellichtman.bsky.social and on Twitter/X at @rachelichtman.

Al is on Twitter/X at @almelchiorBB and on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Twitter/X, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

Note: Tammy Faye Starlite did the Nico voiceover for the public service announcement.

1:16 Rachel joins the show

1:54 Rachel explains her affinity for vocal groups

5:35 Rachel explains why she chose to talk about Anita Kerr

8:25 The cover for Grow to Know Me primed Rachel to get excited about the album

11:58 Grow to Know Me strikes Rachel as a transitional album

15:07 Rachel talks about the different versions of the album

18:19 Is Grow to Know Me a concept album?

19:50 Rachel talks about why Grow to Know Me is special to her

22:23 Rachel discusses some of the songwriters and vocalists Kerr worked with

25:48 Why does easy listening get labeled as “uncool”?

35:42 The culture of easy listening was more accepting than rock culture

37:58 Rachel found easy listening comforting early on during the pandemic

39:40 A short break

40:57 Easy listening is already getting reevaluated

45:56 Al talks about a couple of tracks that defied his expectations

47:23 Rachel wants to hear a Flat Five version of “Blame It On a Monday”

49:44 The songwriters and vocalists represented on the album were versatile

54:02 Rachel has a remedy for overcoming a concern for “coolness”

58:46 Kerr may have suffered from getting pigeonholed

1:01:01 The songs on Grow to Know Me highlight the full range of Kerr’s talents

1:04:27 Rachel summarizes what Programme 4 is about and why she created it

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Former Genesis lead guitarist, prolific solo artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Steve Hackett joins Al — an ardent Genesis fan — to discuss his just-released live album, Foxtrot At Fifty + Hackett Highlights (Live In Brighton). Steve talks about his setlist choices for this album, how the songs differ from their original studio versions, which period of Genesis he thinks was the best and his upcoming studio album and tour plans.

Just about everything Steve Hackett-related can be found on his website, hackettsongs.com.

Also, be sure to follow Steve on Twitter/X and Instagram!

Twitter/X: @HackettOfficial

IG: @stevehackettofficial

Al is on Twitter/X at @almelchiorBB and on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Twitter/X, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:12 Steve joins the show

2:14 Steve talks about next year’s Lamb Highlights tour and upcoming studio album

6:43 Steve explains the setlist choices for his new live album

9:34 Steve remembers back to Genesis’ Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour

10:53 Steve discusses the importance of playing live versions that are different from the studio originals

14:40 Steve reveals how new versions of his songs typically get created

16:29 Steve talks about his band’s rhythm section

18:30 Steve discusses his band’s English-American-Swedish connection

21:06 Steve explains why Genesis gave up on playing “Can-Utility and the Coastliners” live

23:18 Steve thinks Genesis’ best work was still to come after Foxtrot

26:23 Which part of Foxtrot has Steve’s band improved upon the most?

28:23 Steve recommends an album that he loves

Outro is from Steve Hackett, “Watcher of the Skies (live).”

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Indie rock icon Juliana Hatfield pays YMAAA a visit to talk about the soundtrack album for the 1980 musical motion picture, Xanadu, which features Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra. Juliana talks about being a fan of both artists growing up, her Olivia Newton-John covers album and her upcoming ELO covers album and the difficulties involved in covering other artists’ songs in general.

Juliana made a reference to the How Did This Get Made? podcast. If you want to check it out, you can find it here: https://www.earwolf.com/show/how-did-this-get-made/

Al mentioned an interview with Fee Waybill that he had read in which he discusses The Tubes’ involvement in Xanadu. Here’s the link: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/the-tubes-fee-waybill-recalls-bonkers-xanadu-scene-214128554.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Here are links to the videos for “Dancin’” that Al mentioned.

Clip of the scene from Xanadu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts9GdyGD5e4

Olivia Newton-John and Tubes video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WckwVPVnLyM

Juliana is on Instagram at @julianahatfield.

Also, check out her website, https://www.julianahatfield.com/…

…and her Substack: https://julianahatfield.substack.com/.

Al is on Twitter/X at @almelchiorBB and on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Twitter/X, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:19 Juliana joins the show

1:36 Juliana’s album choice is the perfect one for her

2:34 Juliana chose the Xanadu soundtrack for a variety of reasons

6:02 John Farrar’s songwriting was important to this album

8:29 Juliana faced some challenges when trying to cover “Suddenly”

14:57 Why didn’t Juliana include a cover of “I’m Alive” on her new ELO covers album?

17:59 Juliana didn’t become familiar with ELO’s deeper cuts until recently

23:18 Al was fascinated by “Dancin’”

30:10 Gene Kelly makes an appearance on the soundtrack

31:16 Juliana didn’t care about Xanadu being perceived as uncool

33:31 Al talks about what he likes about Juliana’s cover of “Magic”

35:50 Juliana and Al get into a discussion of Weezer’s covers

38:22 Juliana explains why she wanted to make an ELO covers album

41:25 Artists borrowing from other artists doesn’t bother Juliana

46:41 Juliana learned a lesson from covering “Don’t Bring Me Down”

50:27 Covering ELO had its own specific challenges

54:26 Did Juliana intend to record a series of covers albums?

Outro is from “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” by Juliana Hatfield.

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Vocalist and guitarist Maura Weaver (Mixtapes, Ogikubo Station) joins Al to introduce him to Elliott Smith’s self-titled album. Maura talks about how she got introduced to Elliott Smith’s music, why this album holds a special place for her and how it has helped to shape her own work. She also talks specifically about the throughlines between this Elliott Smith album and her just-released solo debut, I Was Due For A Heartbreak.

Be sure to keep up with Maura and her work!

@mauraweaver on Instagram and Threads

@everreadyy on Twitter/X

Al is on Twitter/X at @almelchiorBB and on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Twitter/X, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:12 Maura joins the show

2:08 Al explains why he was glad that Maura chose this album

3:18 Maura talks about the first songs that got her into Elliott Smith

6:38 Maura gives one reason for why this album is special to her

8:08 Al starts to talk about his first reaction to Elliott Smith

9:18 Did it take time for Maura to get used to the sound of Smith’s music?

13:50 Maura discusses the elements of Elliott Smith that are poppy

19:12 Al expands on his experience with the album

23:03 Covers are the gateway to Elliott Smith’s music for some people

26:21 Maura explains what she loves about Smith’s guitar-playing style

28:49 Maura mentions some of Smith’s songs that she sometimes plays

30:51 Maura put her love of indie folk to the side with Mixtapes

33:53 Maura is an Elliott Smith power listener

36:25 Drug addiction is a major theme on Elliott Smith…or is it?

39:38 Al pinpoints what made Elliott Smith hard to access at first

43:24 Maura talks about some ways in which she relates to Smith’s music

48:45 Maura and Al discuss some of the album’s lyrics

52:37 Maura elaborates on how Smith influenced I Was Due For A Heartbreak

55:45 Could Maura draw inspiration from a bee sting?

57:06 Maura cites another example of Smith’s influence on her lyrics

59:53 Good lyrics are important to Maura

1:01:43 Which band is a guilty pleasure for Maura?

1:03:46 Maura talks about the changes in her singing style

1:09:20 Maura discusses her upcoming performances

Outro is from “As If Your Love” by Maura Weaver.

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This week’s episode isn’t about an album, but rather about a particular artist’s legacy. Author and professor Megan Mayhew Bergman makes her return to YMAAA (she had been the show’s guest on Ep 93) to make the case for reexamining the career of Kenny Loggins. Megan also argues that Loggins’ musical career has been marked by audacious decisions, including choices made regarding his arrangements, lyrics, collaborations and music videos. She and Al explore the theme of audacity through a discussion of several of Loggins’ better-known songs that span the various eras of his career.

Al made note of Megan’s recent piece in The Atlantic on this summer’s flooding in Vermont. You can read it here (subscription required): https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/07/climate-change-safe-states-vermont-floods/674780/

1:14 Megan joins the show

1:24 Why are Megan and Al talking about Kenny Loggins?

2:27 Megan and Al put their Kenny Loggins game faces on for this episode

3:47 Megan recounts the moment when she realized Loggins needed a deeper examination

Song-by-song analysis

6:31 Danny’s Song

9:38 Whenever I Call You “Friend”

13:15 Was Loggins a trend-setter or trend-follower?

17:16 Celebrate Me Home

22:34 This Is It/What A Fool Believes, and a discussion of “yacht rock” and “blue-eyed soul”

31:06 I’m Alright

34:26 Don’t Fight It

35:47 Heart to Heart

38:16 Megan reveals another aspect of Kenny Loggins’ audacity

40:54 Footloose/I’m Free

42:41 Danger Zone

49:07 Meet Me Half Way

52:17 Conviction of the Heart

54:16 We’ve lost track of how much of pop music’s foundation Loggins is responsible for

59:04 Megan updates us on her latest projects

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This episode marks a YMAAA first, as it focuses on a band rather than an album. Al talks to each member of the Washington, DC-based alternative rock band Ex Hex — Mary Timony, Betsy Wright and Laura Harris — about the  group's two albums and upcoming live dates. The interview with Timony is an excerpt from an upcoming episode, while the interview with Wright is an excerpt from Ep. 44. Al’s discussion with Harris is a standalone interview (though she will also be on a new episode soon).

Get information on Ex Hex’s live shows and more on Instagram at @exhexband and on their website, https://exhexband.com/shows!

More social media for Ex Hex and its members…

Ex Hex:

@exhexband on Twitter/X

Mary Timony:

@MaryT_Money on Twitter/X

@marytimony on Instagram

Betsy Wright

@betsybooots on Instagram

Laura Harris

@heylisaharris on Instagram

Al is on Twitter/X at @almelchiorBB and on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Twitter/X, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:18 Al explains why he’s doing a You, Me and a Band episode

2:51 Introducing the members of Ex Hex

Mary Timony interview excerpt

4:11 Mary explains why Ex Hex is playing shows again

6:51 When did Mary first get the idea to form Ex Hex?

9:10 Mary challenged herself to craft catchy pop songs

11:09 Does Mary prefer one Ex Hex album over the other?

Laura Harris interview

13:16 Ex Hex recently played a “warmup” show

17:45 Laura talks about how she joined Ex Hex

21:53 Laura compares the two Ex Hex albums

28:16 Which bands have influenced Ex Hex’s sound?

35:42 Laura’s playing style has varied with different bands she’s been in

39:59 Which Ex Hex songs are Laura’s favorites to play?

Betsy Wright interview excerpt

44:57 Betsy talks about how Ex Hex’s songwriting process evolved

48:02 Betsy compares Rips with It’s Real

50:50 Betsy clears up a misheard lyric for Al

52:52 Al wraps things up

Outro is from “Want It To Be True” by Ex Hex.

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The Atlanta-based country music duo The Waymores makes a return appearance on YMAAA, and this time, Willie Heath Neal and Kira Annalise introduce Al to Willie Nelson’s 1975 breakthrough album, Red Headed Stranger. Willie and Kira talk about the album’s importance to them musically and personally, the concept behind the album and the aspects of the performance and production that they particularly enjoy. They also discuss their just-released album, Greener Pastures, which was produced by the legendary Shel Talmy (The Who, The Kinks).

Be sure to give The Waymores a follow!

@thewaymores on Instagram and Threads

@TWaymores on Twitter/X

Website: thewaymores.com

Al is on Twitter/X at @almelchiorBB and on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Twitter/X, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:21 Kira and Willie join the show

2:45 Kira has had to overcome some health challenges recently

9:31 Willie and Kira talk about the things that make Red Headed Stranger special

13:57 This album was the first one for which Willie Nelson had complete artistic control

16:56 Al learned a lot about Willie Nelson’s life and career in preparing for the episode

19:20 Willie cites a Willie Nelson cover he actually doesn’t like

21:12 Why was Red Headed Stranger such a big hit?

27:03 Willie, Kira and Al discuss how reprises enhance the storytelling

31:22 Does the story’s action move fast or slow?

33:25 Red Headed Stranger opened Willie up to concept albums (TW // reference to suicide)

39:00 Kira and Willie appreciate Willie Nelson’s choice of covers for the album

42:44 Al found the album surprisingly relaxing

44:49 Kira and Willie talk about working with Shel Talmy on their new album

53:00 Kira and Willie highlight some of the things they did differently for Greener Pastures

1:02:51 One track was particularly tough for Willie to record

1:05:50 Kira and Willie discuss their tour plans

Outro is from “But I Don’t” by The Waymores.

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Drummer Laura King (Superchunk, Bat Fangs, R. Ring, Speed Stick) talks about her love for the album that kickstarted The Bangles’ run of ‘80s hits, All Over The Place. Laura recounts the event that started her childhood obsession with The Bangles, breaks down what makes the album special and shares her thoughts on the band’s more successful albums. She also provides updates on the many bands she plays with.

As Laura and Al mentioned, R. Ring released a new video for “Cartoon Heart/Build Me a Question” just hours before their conversation. It’s great! Check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG1RGmkPdBo

They also discussed the really cool video for R. Ring’s "Def Sup." Watch it here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovFJidJAO14

It’s also worth your time to check out the video of Speed Stick performing at the North Carolina Museum of Art. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_gpKgwyzfc

Find Laura and her music online!

@lkbroiler on Instagram

speedstickband.com

Superchunk tour dates: https://www.mergerecords.com/tour

Al is on Twitter/X at @almelchiorBB and on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Twitter/X, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:07 Laura joins the show

1:11 Laura talks about discovering The Bangles during her childhood

3:44 Laura remembers back to the first instruments she had

6:51 Laura’s Bangles obsession actually started with Different Light

8:40 Laura explains why she wanted to discuss All Over the Place

9:30 Al forgot a lot of things he previously knew about this album

12:19 Laura talks about the elements of the album that make it special

15:24 Laura highlights some of her favorite parts of the album, including the cover art

18:42 Laura and Al talk about the cover songs on the album

25:09 Did commercial success spell the end of The Bangles?

26:48 Al rants against rants about new music

28:51 Laura talks about some of the music she plays while working at a bar

31:53 Al developed an opinion about the attention Susanna Hoffs received

35:12 Laura defends the Bangles’ post-All Over The Place direction

38:19 Laura summarizes her feelings about the album

39:04 Laura talks about the upcoming Superchunk tour

41:06 Updates on Bat Fangs, R. Ring

43:19 Laura talks about collaborating with Kelley Deal and Mike Montgomery on “Def Sup”

47:02 Laura is in a band where she plays bass

48:00 Laura discusses the last Speed Stick album and possibly the next one

51:28 Al asks Laura about her sharing a kick drum in Speed Stick

Outro is from “Online Tangle = HiSSS” by Speed Stick.

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Vocalist, bassist, artist and graphic designer Meghan Minior (Longings, Corrode) introduces Al to Naomi Punk’s 2014 album, Television Man. Meghan talks about what makes this an album she returns to over and over again and what makes it a rewarding listen from start to finish, while Al likens Naomi Punk to another band that came out of Olympia, Washington. Meghan also talks about the new Longings album, Dreams In Red, and her upcoming plans musically and otherwise.

Meghan recommended several music venues to check out for anyone who lives in or is visiting Western Massachusetts. These are the ones she mentioned.

Flywheel Arts Collective: puts on shows at various venues

10 Forward in Greenfield: https://www.10forwardartsvenue.org/

Marigold in Easthampton: https://marigoldtheater.com/

The Drake in Amherst: https://www.thedrakeamherst.org/

Tree House Brewing Company in Deerfield: https://treehousebrew.com/visiting-deerfield

Hutghi’s in Westfield: https://hutghis.square.site/

Find/Follow Meghan on the internet!

@mminior and @static_frame_ on Instagram
meghanminior.com
https://longings.bandcamp.com
https://corrodehc.bandcamp.com/

Al is on Twitter/X at @almelchiorBB and on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Twitter/X, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:19 Meghan joins the show

2:22 Television Man has been a frequent topic of conversation for Meghan

4:12 Meghan discusses her process for picking an album for this episode

5:40 Al talks about his initial reaction to Television Man

8:08 Meghan explains why the album has stuck with her over the years

9:06 Meghan and Al talk about “Firehose Face” as the album’s opening statement

12:03 Meghan describes Naomi Punk’s sound

13:53 Al was surprised by a Naomi Punk live performance video he watched

15:39 Meghan appreciates the uniqueness of Naomi Punk’s sound

17:30 Television Man is a very visual album for Meghan

24:32 Meghan likes the album’s flow and sequencing

30:30 Is this a punk album?

33:53 Meghan is not sure how much her work has been influenced by Naomi Punk

35:07 Television Man moved Naomi Punk towards a more experimental approach

37:20 Al sees parallels between Naomi Punk and Unwound

40:10 The new Longings album was years in the making

42:03 Meghan talks about her future plans, including with Longings and Corrode

44:10 Meghan gives Al some recommendations for music venues to visit in Western Massachusetts

Outro is from “Expensive Graves” by Longings.

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Tiff Hannay, vocalist and guitarist for the Lansing-based band Rodeo Boys, introduces Al to Mitski’s fifth album, Be the Cowboy. Tiff talks about what they love about this album and how they think of it in relation to the other albums in Mitski’s discography. Tiff and Al also share their impressions of various lyrics from the album. Tiff  discusses Rodeo Boys’ latest album, Home Movies, and the band’s upcoming tour.

Tiff recommended watching Mitski’s 2015 NPR Tiny Desk performance. You can view it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lNFHD0lUAQ.

Also, as promised in this episode, here is the link to Miley Cyrus’ performance of “Heart of Glass”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbdRLyixJpc.

Follow Tiff and Rodeo Boys!

@rodeoboysofficial on Instagram and YouTube

https://www.rodeoboysofficial.com/

https://rodeoboys.bandcamp.com/

Al is on Twitter/X at @almelchiorBB and on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has accounts on Twitter/X, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:15 Tiff joins the show

1:25 Tiff talks about the album title, Be the Cowboy

3:37 Tiff explains why they chose to discuss Be the Cowboy

7:36 Tiff puts Be the Cowboy in the larger context of Mitski’s discography

12:53 What does Tiff pay the most attention to when listening to this album?

17:01 Tiff talks about some of their favorite songs on the album

20:44 Al thinks some of Be the Cowboy goes over his head

24:37 Tiff loves the beefy Stratocaster sound

26:20 Kissing is a repeated theme on Be the Cowboy

28:56 Tiff recommends Crying in H Mart to Al

33:00 Tiff and Al discuss the songs where Mitski is telling a story from an older perspective

41:12 Al is impressed by the economy of Mitski’s songwriting

44:51 Tiff highlights a few other tracks that are among their favorites on the album

48:26 Al makes note of some of his favorite lyrics on Be the Cowboy

51:31 Al tries to explain his reaction to the album

52:56 Mitski had a huge breakout on Tiktok

55:55 Rodeo Boys once played the Masonic Temple in Detroit

57:15 Al asks Tiff about covering Blondie’s “One Way or Another”

1:02:39 Rodeo Boys are opening for Fishbone…and no one told them about it

Outro is from “Sugar” by Rodeo Boys.

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Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Beth Bombara joins Al to introduce him to Hiss Golden Messenger’s 2019 album, Terms of Surrender. Beth talks about her first impressions of the album, what makes it a great album for her and how it has helped to inform her own writing and playing. She also talks about the process of making her new album, It All Goes Up, and her upcoming tour plans.

A couple of notes about some music clips that were included…Al included an excerpt from Talk Talk’s “Ascension Day.” He used it in the context of making some comparisons between Terms of Surrender and Spirit of Eden, but he actually found that this track from Laughing Stock illustrated his point better than any track from the album he was referencing.

Al also included a clip from “My Wing” at 19:44, just after Beth had referenced a part of the album that featured some interplay between two acoustic guitars. The guitars in the clips are electric, so Al’s apologies to Beth if she had another clip in mind!

Follow Beth online! Find her music!

@BethBombara on Twitter/X, Threads and Instagram

https://bethbombara.com/

https://bethbombara.bandcamp.com/

And you can support Beth’s work here:

https://www.patreon.com/bethbombara

1:15 Beth joins the show

3:06 Is Terms of Surrender a good album for the car?

8:50 Beth talks about what she likes about MC Taylor’s vocals

10:31 Beth and Al talk about lyrics on the album that made an impact on them

13:07 Was MC Taylor influenced by Talk Talk?

17:55 Beth identifies the musical features of the album that are so appealing to her

26:01 Beth has enjoyed listening to some of HGM’s live versions of older songs

28:21 Going to see HGM live is on Beth’s bucket list

30:24 Beth and Al find “I Need A Teacher” to be different from the rest of the album

32:33 Beth likes listening to non-traditional vocalists

38:33 Beth talks about how her writing has been influenced by listening to Terms of Surrender

40:13 Beth discusses some of the obstacles she faced with recording parts of It All Goes Up remotely

43:02 Beth acknowledges the importance of receiving outside support for her work

46:58 Beth talks about her album release party and upcoming tour

49:27 Beth is looking forward to making some new videos

Outro is from “Moment” by Beth Bombara.

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Earl Cureton, veteran of 12 NBA seasons and author of Earl the Twirl: My Life in Basketball (with Jake Uitti), joins Al to discuss Earth, Wind and Fire’s 1975 double album, Gratitude. Earl talks about what he loves about EWF and about this part-live, part-studio album in particular. He also discusses how music and basketball has been intertwined in his life and in the lives of others he has known, including Julius Erving. Earl also delves into his book and his work as the Detroit Pistons’ Community Ambassador.

As Earl and Al mentioned on the episode, you can pre-order Earl’s book now. Here’s the link! https://www.amazon.com/Earl-Twirl-My-Life-Basketball/dp/1476693838/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QJI8P93F3V0T&keywords=earl+the+twirl&qid=1684467193&sprefix=earl+the+twirl%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1

Also, be sure to keep up with Earl on Twitter: @EarlTheTwirl

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:18 Earl joins the show

2:50 Earth, Wind and Fire was a popular band when Earl was in college

4:54 Gratitude introduced Al to sides of EWF he didn’t know about

7:39 Earl remembers back to listening to Gratitude and other albums in the dorm

11:06 Earl talks about music that evokes memories for him

14:27 Certain tracks from Gratitude bring back memories for Earl

18:31 The early ‘80s were a great time for Philadelphia sports

21:26 Earl explains why he decided to write his book

24:24 Earl talks about his current work with the Detroit Pistons

25:40 Were The Temptations the first group to rap?

28:00 Does Earl focus more on EWF’s lyrics or their music?

29:56 Earl saw Maurice White frequently in the Sixers’ locker room

33:42 Earl has listened to EWF throughout the years

Discussion of specific tracks:

35:03 Reasons

37:30 Shining Star

38:20 Sun Goddess/New World Symphony

40:38 Al thinks he hadn’t appreciated EWF enough after the ‘70s ended

42:28 Earl talks about an Alicia Keys concert he had just attended

44:19 Earl lets readers know what they can expect from his book

54:16 Earl talks about Marvin Gaye and Dave Bing growing up together in Detroit

56:48 Earl recently performed in a lip synch competition

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Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Maia Sharp introduces Al to Lucy Dacus’ second album, Historian. Maia talks about how she wound up getting obsessed with the album and how it has influenced her songwriting and production approach. She also discusses her soon-to-be-released album, Reckless Thoughts, and her upcoming tour and production work.

There’s lots of places to keep up with Maia and to find her work online!

@maiasharpmusic on Instagram

maiasharpofficial on Facebook

@maiasharp4091 on YouTube

Maia’s Patreon is cool! https://www.patreon.com/maiasharp

Be sure to visit Maia’s website, too: maiasharp.com

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:15 Maia joins the show

1:26 Why Maia chose Historian over Rickie Lee Jones’ debut album

7:43 Maia talks about the ways she keeps up with new music

12:12 Maia recalls how she introduced herself to Lucy Dacus’ music

14:42 Maia explains how Dacus has influenced her own music

18:33 Dacus is masterful at building up the intensity of her songs

20:23 Hearing Dacus’ vocals gave Maia a different perspective on her own

25:15 Al grappled with understanding Dacus’ music when he listened to Home Movies

28:18 Maia surmises what might make Dacus so popular with so many people

31:43 Maia discusses the elements of Historian that made a particularly big impression on her

36:32 Different parts of “The Shell” made a big impact on Al and Maia

40:04 Maia explains why the lyrics of “Pillar of Truth” are so powerful

44:16 Maia likes the lower, darker tones of the album

48:14 Has Maia completed the Lucy List?

49:53 Maia asks Al which album he is obsessed with now

51:13 Maia has also gone through obsessions with Bon Iver albums

54:21 Maia discusses her soon-to-be released album, Reckless Thoughts, and upcoming tour

59:58 Maia also has some production work in her near future

Outro is from “Kind” by Maia Sharp

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Legendary audio engineer and author Phill Brown, who has worked with The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, Talk Talk and countless other prominent artists over the last 50-plus years, comes to YMAAA to talk about one of the more underappreciated albums he has contributed to. He and Al discuss Murray Head’s 1973 debut solo album, Nigel Lived, and Phill talks about what he learned from making the album, why it’s special to him and what made it such an ambitious project for the time in which it was recorded. He also talks about his subsequent work with Talk Talk and Mark Hollis and the recent recordings by Held By Trees, which he has worked on.

Al made reference to a few previous episodes that are related to this one. Be sure to check them out, if you haven’t already!

Ep 92 with Mary Beth Melchior on the Jesus Christ Superstar concept album (featuring Murray Head): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/92-mary-beth-melchior-discusses-jesus-christ-superstar/id1545282273?i=1000586877486

Ep 113 with David Joseph on Mark Hollis' self-titled solo album: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/113-david-joseph-discusses-mark-hollis-self-titled/id1545282273?i=1000611196557

Ep 79 with Tim Friese-Greene on My Bloody Valentine’s Isn’t Anything: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/79-tim-friese-greene-discusses-my-bloody-valentine/id1545282273?i=1000571013242

As mentioned on this episode, Phill has a website where you can order his book, keep up with his ever-growing list of artists he’s worked with and more. It’s tapedemon.net.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter, Threads and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:24 Phill joins the show

1:43 Phill explains why he wrote “Are We Still Rolling?”

3:48 Al was thrilled with Phill’s album choice

4:38 Phill found working on Nigel Lived to be inspirational

6:24 The album’s story allowed Murray Head to showcase his versatility

8:16 Making Nigel Lived changed the way Phill worked on albums

10:33 Phill talks about how they used mobile recording on certain tracks

16:38 Phill got some great sounds with hidden mics

20:55 Phill talks about using the mobile studio to record a church organ and choir

24:17 Phill singles out a few of his favorite tracks from Nigel Lived

28:19 Murray thought the timing of the album’s release worked against it

31:15 Having the physical album makes it easier to follow Nigel’s story

32:54 Nigel Lived sounds different from most rock albums of its era

34:53 Was there a larger message in Nigel Lived?

36:51 Phill summarizes what makes the album special to him

37:56 Al finds “Junk” difficult to listen to

41:05 One of the craziest things Phill has ever recorded was on “The Party”

42:20 Phill explains how he got involved with Held By Trees

45:51 Phill revisits the process of making Talk Talk’s Laughing Stock

49:12 Phill talks about a track from Laughing Stock that he couldn’t listen to

54:17 Phill and Al talk about the quietness of Mark Hollis

55:18 Phill mentions an album he’ll be working on

Outro is from “Grow Dark” by Held By Trees from their upcoming EP, Eventide.

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This week, Al takes a break from the usual format to revisit nine previous episodes where the guest changed the way that he thinks about or listens to music. Al groups the excerpted discussions into the two groups: guests who helped him to give artists he had neglected a more careful listen and guests who taught him to think about music in new ways.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

0:17 Al explains why he is revisiting some past episodes on this episode

Insights into Artists Al Didn’t Get

3:58 Peter Case on Bob Dylan’s self-titled album (Ep. 114)

7:04 Rain Perry on Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska (Ep. 65)

11:33 Sam Coomes on Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat (Ep. 98)

18:35 Anita Lee Elliott on Ace Frehley’s self-titled album (Ep. 71)

24:14 Michael Peter Olson on Van Halen’s 1984 (Ep. 111)

The Different Ways We Listen To Music

28:48 Greg Saunier on Atrium Musicae de Madrid’s Music of Ancient Greece (Ep. 103)

38:07 Glen Phillips on Dirty Projectors, Lamp Lit Prose (Ep. 64)

44:31 Kristin Hanggi on India.Arie, SongVersation: Medicine (Ep. 87)

49:05 Kelley Deal on Julian Cope, Droolian (Ep. 100)

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YMAAA has never been visited by the head of a record label or proprietor of a record store, but this week’s guest, Isaac Slusarenko, is both! Isaac runs the Jackpot Records label and store, and on this week’s episode, he introduces Al to Texas-based psychedelic rock band Bubble Puppy and their lone album, 1969’s A Gathering of Promises. Isaac talks about how he learned about this band and this album and how it changed the way that he sought out new music to listen to. Isaac also explains how he wound up opening the Jackpot Records store more than 25 years ago and which new releases we can expect from the label,.

Follow Isaac and Jackpot Records on Twitter and Instagram at @jackpotrecords!

Also be sure to visit the store’s website at jackpotrecords.com.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:09 Isaac joins the show

1:52 Isaac talks about why he opened Jackpot Records

3:32 Al remembers learning about Djangos

5:38 Isaac explains why A Gathering of Promises is a special album for him

12:17 Isaac talks about other small label discoveries he made, emboldened by his discovery of Bubble Puppy

15:59 Isaac discusses Bubble Puppy’s second iteration called Demian

17:08 Bubble Puppy inspired Isaac to make a pilgrimage to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

18:03 There is a Bubble Puppy-Funkadelic connection

19:44 How was “Hot Smoke and Sassafras” a top 20 hit??

21:41 Bubble Puppy reminded Al of a lot of other bands

24:30 Bubble Puppy apparently had a following in England

26:13 Mike Mills is a fan of the album

26:52 Al doesn’t know if this is an album he’ll go back to often

28:19 Isaac talks about the importance of an album’s artwork

30:17 Isaac doesn’t find it easy to single out favorite tracks

33:33 Isaac reveals some of his other finds

37:51 Isaac discusses the origins of the Jackpot Records label

40:00 Isaac talks about how he determines what gets published on his label

44:21 Isaac reports on Jackpot Records’ upcoming releases

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Scott McCaughey (The Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows, Filthy Friends, The Baseball Project, The No Ones, R.E.M.) returns to the show (he first appeared on episode 9) to discuss Neil Young’s Tonight’s the Night. Scott talks about what the album means to him, how Neil Young conveyed a sense of fun on the album despite its tragic themes, and his own experience with hearing the songs performed live. Scott also talks about the new No Ones and Minus 5 albums and the upcoming Baseball Project album, Grand Salami Time.

Scott made a reference to the Neil Young Archives, and they’re definitely worth checking out: https://neilyoungarchives.com/.

Here are just some of the places you can find Scott on social media:

@ScottMcMinus5 on Twitter

@the_minus_5 on Instagram

@BaseballProject on Twitter and  Instagram

The Minus 5 on Facebook

And a couple of places to find Scott’s music:

https://scottthehoople.bandcamp.com/

https://www.yeproc.com/artists/the-minus-5/

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:18 Scott joins the show

1:28 It’s hard to keep track of all of Scott’s bands

2:59 Scott has three releases coming out within a few weeks of each other

4:59 Why Scott hasn’t recorded any covers from Tonight’s the Night

6:58 Scott talks about Mike McCready’s contributions to his first Neil Young covers album

11:12 Al has never quite “gotten” Neil Young

13:16 Scott thinks Al’s Genesis fandom explains a lot about his ambivalence about Neil Young

20:00 Scott says Tonight’s the Night is Neil Young’s most emotionally intense album

22:19 Scott can listen to Tonight’s the Night anytime

25:44 Neil Young made a huge impression on Scott when he was a teen

27:27 Scott talks about the career trajectory that led Neil Young to make Tonight’s the Night

31:45 Why are there two versions of the title track on the album?

35:15 Scott talks about the inclusion of the tracks not recorded at SIR

Discussion of other tracks from the album:

41:07 Tired Eyes

46:34 Albuquerque

48:51 Roll Another Number

53:03 Neil Young’s live album from The Roxy exemplifies the fun that he and his band had playing songs from Tonight’s the Night

55:11 Scott and Al note the variety of musical styles on Tonight’s the Night

57:31 Scott references a track with Joni Mitchell posted to Neil Young Archives

58:49 Scott sees the album as ultimately about the importance of friends and music

1:00:44 This episode could have been about Jenny Lewis instead

1:03:26 Scott talks about his upcoming No Ones tour

1:05:03 The new Baseball Project album was several years in the making

1:09:12 Will there be a new Filthy Friends album? (Plus some Sleater-Kinney news)

Outro is from “Hitchhiker” by The Minus 5.

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Guitarist Nili Brosh takes a quick time out from her many gigs (e.g., Danny Elfman, Dethklok, Cirque du Soleil, solo) to introduce Al to Steve Stevens’ 1999 album, Flamenco A Go-Go. Nili talks about her first impressions of the album, why she thinks a lot more people need to know about it and how it has influenced her own work. She also discusses her love of the band Extreme, her experience of playing with Alphonso Johnson and Chester Thompson and her new songs and upcoming tour dates.

There’s a whole bunch of places where you can keep up with Nili!

Instagram: @nilibrosh

YouTube: @nilibrosh

Facebook: NiliBroshMusic

soundcloud.com/nilibrosh

nilibrosh.com

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:07 Nili joins the show

1:57 Nili talks about her Extreme fandom

5:48 Nili doesn’t really associate Steve Stevens with Billy Idol

7:33 Nili explains why she wanted to discuss Flamenco A Go-Go

8:09 Nili and Al talk about the album’s eclecticism

10:21 Does Flamenco A Go-Go sound like a turn-of-the-millenium album? 

11:59 Nili and Al talk about the vibes they get from the album

13:53 Nili recalls how she first heard about the album

16:28 Nili discusses her first impressions of Flamenco A Go-Go

17:53 Flamenco A Go-Go influenced Nili’s own writing and playing

20:16 How did Steve Stevens pull off blending so many different types of genres?

23:03 Nili identifies the most magical parts of the album

25:51 Al wonders if there is a live track on the album…

27:58 …and if Steve Stevens might have contributed vocals

29:06 Al makes his obligatory Genesis reference

31:46 Al asks Nili about her experience of performing with Chester Thompson and Alphonso Johnson

34:15 Nili talks about her two newly-released songs

37:53 Nili discusses her upcoming live dates

Outro is from “Lavender Mountains” by Nili Brosh.

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Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brian Dunne joins Al for this episode to introduce him to Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride. Brian talks about why he loves the album’s frequent shifting of genres, what he admires about Ezra Koenig as a songwriter and the specific time period that the album references. Brian also discusses his new album, Loser On The Ropes, and playing the songs from the album live for the first time.

Al has a previous guest to thank for his being aware of Brian’s music, and ultimately, for Brian joining him for this episode. Joan Holiday, who was Al's guest on ep. 66, played “Rockaway” on her drive time show on WRSI The River.

At 51:46, Al and Mary Beth’s horse Fynn makes his first podcast appearance!

Be sure to follow Brian on Twitter and Instagram at @briandunnemusic!

Brian also has a website, https://www.briandunnemusic.net/…

…and a Bandcamp page: https://briandunne.bandcamp.com/.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:15 Brian joins the show

1:36 Brian explains why he chose to discuss Father of the Bride

3:03 The album’s frequent changes in styles and genres made an immediate impression on Brian

5:47 Brian cites an example of great songwriting on the album

9:30 Father of the Bride has been a polarizing album for Vampire Weekend fans

11:23 Al wonders why he has such a hard time “getting” Vampire Weekend

14:05 Brian places Vampire Weekend in the context of indie rock

17:30 There is a purpose to all of the switching between genres

21:56 Brian talks about growing up with classic rock

24:11 Brian digs into his favorite songs on the album

27:57 Al asks Brian for his interpretation of “Jerusalem, New York, Berlin”

31:49 Brian understands that Father of the Bride is not for everybody

33:04 Al talks about one of his favorite moments on the album

34:50 Brian sees Modern Vampires of the City as a pivotal album

37:07 Father of the Bride takes Brian back to 1994

40:45 Brian makes an analogy between Father of the Bride and Bruce Springsteen’s The River

46:46 Brain explains what he was conveying with the song “Rockaway”

51:58 Brian talks about playing the songs from Loser On The Ropes live

Outro is from “Rockaway” by Brian Dunne.

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Vocalist and songwriter Joe Casey of Protomartyr pays YMAAA a visit and introduces Al to a band with which he is completely unfamiliar. Joe talks about Detroit-based punk band Tyvek and their 2007 album, Fast Metabolism, which is a compilation of some of their earliest singles and EPs. Joe explains why he chose this album for the show and discusses his personal connections to Tyvek and why they have been an inspiration to him. Joe also talks about Protomartyr’s upcoming sixth album, Formal Growth in the Desert, and answers some questions about the tour for the album.

Al referred to a video that Joe did for Amoeba Music’s What’s In My Bag series. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIYyJD24Ppg&t=4s

Joe and Al talked extensively about Protomartyr’s video for “Elimination Dances.” You should definitely check it out. It’s really cool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uf98p7Dsdk

Joe talked about the difficulties that Protomartyr had in scheduling an album release event date in Detroit. Update: They scheduled it, and it happened on May 27…before the Tigers-White Sox game at Comerica Park!

Be sure to follow Protomartyr on Twitter and Instagram: @protomartyrband

They also have a very nice website, http://protomartyrband.com/, and a Bandcamp page: https://protomartyr.bandcamp.com/.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:13 Joe joins the show

2:05 Joe explains how Tyvek inspired him and helped him get Protomartyr started

6:31 Kevin Boyer influenced Joe’s musical tastes and lyric writing

10:34 Joe explains why he picked Fast Metabolism for this episode

11:48 Tyvek received some flak over the cover for their first album

16:39 Joe talks about the specifics of why he loves listening to Fast Metabolism

17:55 Joe discusses his favorite tracks from the album

21:43 What makes “Honda” a blueprint for other punk songs?

25:39 Al talks about some lyrics he enjoyed

28:46 Joe talks about the art of writing about a specific place

31:00 Al sees “Air Conditioner” as being different from the other songs on the compilation

33:20 It’s important to Joe to remind people to listen to overlooked bands like Tyvek

34:39 Joe shares some updates on Tyvek

35:48 Making artwork is a reason why Joe wanted to be in a band

37:10 Joe talks about the development of the concept for Protomartyr’s “Elimination Dances” video

41:45 We have another new Protomartyr video to look forward to 

42:56 Joe explains why Protomartyr recorded Formal Growth in the Desert in West Texas

44:27 Joe answers Al’s questions about Protomartyr’s upcoming tour

Outro is from “Elimination Dances” by Protomartyr.

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Louise Post of Veruca Salt pays YMAAA a visit to talk about Kate Bush’s 1985 album, Hounds of Love. Louise explains why Hounds of Love is one of her favorite albums, how Kate Bush was something of an acquired taste for her and which tracks on the album are the most special to her. The conversation also frequently turns to The Beatles and Post Malone, and Louise talks about how she wound up teaching music in the L.A. public schools. She also discusses the writing and recording process for her upcoming solo album, Sleepwalker, and the band she has assembled for her tour.

Al referenced an interview that Louise and Nina Gordon did for the Women in Rock Oral History Project. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju8QAzTGC-8.

Al’s memory of Kate Bush’s appearance on Saturday Night Live was inaccurate, even though he said he was “99 percent sure” he remembered it correctly. She performed “The Man With the Child In His Eyes” and “Them Heavy People,” and not “Wuthering Heights” and “Babooshka,” as he had remembered. Also, the broadcast was in 1978, and not in 1979 or 1980.

Follow Louise on social media! 

Instagram and Tiktok: @louiselightnerpost

YouTube: @louisepost

Facebook: louisepostmusician

You can find Louise’s music, tour information, VIP package information and merch on louisepost.com.

Keep up with Veruca Salt, too!

Twitter: @verucasalt

Instagram: @verucasaltband

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:16 Louise joins the show

1:26 Louise talks about one of the first albums she ever listened to

5:25 Louise explains why she chose Hounds of Love for this episode

10:28 It took time for Louise to get into Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell and Rickie Lee Jones

15:04 Louise talks about her experience with listening to the album’s two suites

18:43 Louise gives her interpretation of the album’s meaning

23:36 How important are lyrics to Louise when she listens to music?

26:42 Louise taught music in the L.A. public schools

31:03 Al and Louise dig into the lyrics for “Cloudbusting”

37:57 Louise identifies her favorite parts of the album

41:33 Louise singles out “Hello Earth” as an important song

44:58 Al was impressed by Kate Bush’s videos

47:24 Louise relates to the themes and images evoked on Hounds of Love

50:43 Louise talks about how she got started as a songwriter

55:04 Louise explains her songwriting and arranging process for some of her new songs

1:01:37 Louise provides an update on Veruca Salt

1:03:51 Louise talks about the band she has assembled for her solo album and tour

1:05:38 It took Al a while to realize he was reading Louise’s posts on Instagram

Outro is from “Guilty” by Louise Post.

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Author, speaker and former professional baseball player Mike Robbins introduces Al to A Tribe Called Quest’s 1991 album, The Low End Theory. Mike talks about how he was first introduced to ATCQ in high school, the culture shock he experienced hearing unfamiliar music when he went to college and why The Low End Theory has stood the test of time more than 30 years after its release.

Keep up with Mike’s podcast, blog and publications at his site: mike-robbins.com.

You can also get Mike’s podcast, We’re All In This Together, here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/were-all-in-this-together/id1134737783.

Be sure to follow Mike on Twitter and Instagram! @mikedrobbins

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter and participate in weekly chats about this podcast’s featured albums! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:16 Mike joins the show

3:31 Mike talks about what initially appealed to him about A Tribe Called Quest

9:07 Mike alludes to Q-Tip’s affinity for jazz

11:06 Mike talks about the rap community in Oakland

12:36 No one listened to rap when Mike went to Stanford

15:21 Not all rap from the ‘90s holds up for Mike

19:02 Mike distinguishes between the different styles of Q-Tip and Phife Dawg

20:58 Rapping is hard

23:35 Mike talks about the Native Tongues collective

26:00 Hip-hop and basketball were important to Mike growing up, and they were connected

26:43 Al likes how the first two tracks set up the album

29:41 Al and Mike review some of the sports references made on the album

34:21 Mike discusses the different approaches ATCQ took on various tracks

37:31 Mike finds “The Infamous Date Rape” both problematic and nuanced

44:22 Mike thinks The Low End Theory holds up really well

47:17 Al had heard Q-Tip on a guest appearance he made on another band’s album

48:29 Mike enjoys artists with eclectic musical backgrounds

50:45 Al asks Mike to recommend his next ATCQ album to listen to

53:08 Mike’s daughters help keep him current on music

54:05 Mike talks about his current and upcoming work

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Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Peter Case (The Nerves, The Plimsouls, solo) drops by YMAAA to give Al a long-overdue introduction to Bob Dylan’s self-titled debut album. Peter talks about how he got introduced to Dylan’s music during his childhood, his life as a busker in San Francisco prior to his time with The Nerves and what is particularly special about Dylan’s first album. He also talks about his new album, Doctor Moan, and his recent experiences with playing live shows.

Keep up with Peter! @ThePeterCase on Twitter, @petercase111 on Instagram

Peter’s music, tour info, blog and more are on his site, petercase.com. Be sure to pay it a visit!

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:03 Peter joins the show

2:23 Peter played songs from Bob Dylan’s debut album when he was a busker

3:50 Peter talks about his introduction to Dylan’s music

5:10 Peter explains what makes the debut album different from other Dylan albums

8:17 “You’re No Good” exemplifies several things that Peter loves about the album

13:10 Peter notes a similarity between Dylan and early Elvis Presley

15:02 Could a young Dylan sing about death and relationships with authenticity?

22:43 “Talkin’ New York” was not as much about Dylan’s experience as Al thought

25:51 Peter likes the symphonic quality of “In My Time of Dyin’”

27:55 Peter talks about The Animals’ covers of Dylan’s songs

30:17 Peter breaks down the arrangement of “Man of Constant Sorrow”

33:00 Al asks Peter what it was like to hear early Dylan when it was new and fresh

38:25 Peter talks about the mystery of how people decide to let unfamiliar music into their lives

40:44 Al decided to listen to “Murder Most Foul”

44:53 Peter reveals which Dylan album he listens to the most

47:07 Dylan is an inspiration for Peter

51:00 “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down” is another one of Peter’s favorite tracks from the album

54:23 Peter talks about the community that helped shape Dylan’s music

57:28 Peter cites the song that got his kids into Dylan

59:42 Peter recounts his journey over the years as a Dylan fan

1:03:54 Peter talks about his new album and just-completed tour

Outro is from “Have You Ever Been In Trouble?” by Peter Case

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Multi-instrumentalist and composer David Joseph of Held By Trees has played with several of the musicians who performed on the final two Talk Talk albums, so there is no one better to introduce Al to Mark Hollis’ solo album, which featured many of the same people. In addition to talking about what makes Mark Hollis a special album, David discusses how he became a fan of Talk Talk and how the band has inspired his own work. He also chats with Al about his latest recordings with Held By Trees, which were made at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios.

Al mentioned and recommended a video of Talk Talk performing at the 1986 Montreux Jazz Festival. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTOYdH6tdSQ

Al also noted some previous interviews David did that go into more detail about how Held By Trees came about. This one from Classic Pop is pretty comprehensive: https://www.classicpopmag.com/2022/07/held-by-trees-interview/.

Follow David and Held by Trees! @heldbytrees on both Twitter and Instagram

And, of course, stream/buy David’s music on Bandcamp: https://heldbytrees.bandcamp.com/

You can pre-order Held By Trees’ upcoming twin EPs here: https://www.innersleeve.com/collections/held-by-trees

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

0:00 A couple of announcements

2:39 David joins the show

3:23 Why the Mark Hollis album was not a Talk Talk album

4:59 Al makes note of the connection between Talk Talk and Held By Trees

5:34 A Chris Martin interview led David to explore the later period of Talk Talk/Mark Hollis

9:09 Al talks about how he got into Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock

11:10 David explains what distinguishes Mark Hollis from Talk Talk albums

16:51 David and Al talk about Mark’s approach to vocals and lyrics on this album

20:40 David feels that Mark Hollis asks something different of him as a listener

24:43 The songs on Mark Hollis don’t have many hooks

29:14 Al finds a couple of examples of hooks on Mark Hollis

31:31 David talks about the difficulty Mark had in making this album

34:37 David explains how Mark was able to achieve the album’s pure sound

36:24 Al and David comment on the album’s sequencing

40:02 David notes that Mark had co-writers on nearly all of the tracks

44:01 David gives Lee Harris and Paul Webb their due

52:06 David offers suggestions for how to get the most out of listening to Mark Hollis

55:38 David discusses how Held By Trees’ Solace was recorded

1:05:55 David appreciates the reception that Solace has received

1:07:47 David talks about Held By Trees’ upcoming twin EPs

1:09:44 David discusses the experience of meeting Peter Gabriel

Outro is from “In The Trees” (live) by Held By Trees.

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Music and sports writer Jake Uitti visits YMAAA to introduce Al to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ The Heist. Jake talks about why he chose the album for this episode, how it became a breakthrough album and what he loves about it. He also discusses his recent and upcoming projects, including a book he co-authored with former NBA veteran Earl Cureton.

On this episode, Jake talked about his recent cover story for American Songwriter on Macklemore and his new solo album, Ben. Be sure to check it out; you can read it here: https://americansongwriter.com/macklemore-finding-his-purpose/

Jake also mentioned Macklemore’s video for “Maniac,” which features Eva Walker and Narduwar. Great song, great video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkrKSgwtVk0

Jake's on Twitter! Follow him at @jakeuitti.
Find Jake's writing at jakeuitti.com

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:04 Jake joins the show

2:27 Jake is married to a previous guest of YMAAA

3:53 Jake talks about his New Jersey roots

6:15 Jake explains why he chose to discuss The Heist

10:20 Jake and Al appreciate how well The Heist was crafted

13:14 Jake talks about how The Heist was well positioned

22:34 Making the album Seattle-centric was part of the positioning

24:07 Jake summarizes his experience of listening to The Heist

28:41 Jake shares his interpretation of “Jimmy Iovine”

33:36 Jake’s appreciation for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ songcraft has grown over time

36:43 Macklemore’s lyrics can be corny

41:21 Jake and Al take a different approach to hearing lyrics

42:57 Al cites an example of great sequencing on the album

46:11 The Heist can be viewed as a gateway to learning more about the Seattle music scene

47:18 Jake and Al both like “Cowboy Boots” as an album closer

51:30 How well does Jake know Macklemore?

53:17 Jake talks about Macklemore’s new solo album

56:35 Jake discusses his upcoming book with Earl Cureton

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Cellist Michael Peter Olsen joins Al to familiarize him with an album he thought he mostly knew: Van Halen’s 1984. Michael makes the case that a careful listening of the album reveals an experimental side of Van Halen. He also talks about why Van Halen, and this album is particular, is an inspiration to him, his recent experience of meeting Greg Saunier of Deerhoof (who was a recent guest on this show) and what Post-Cello is all about.

1:10 Michael joins the show

1:47 Michael explains why he started playing the cello

2:55 Michael made a strong case for breaking one of Al’s rules

4:31 Hearing 1984 was an ear-opening experience for Michael when he first heard it

10:13 Michael talks about how 1984 is an outlier in the Van Halen discography

11:57 Michael break downs the elements that make 1984 special

14:54 Michael describes the process behind the recording of 1984

19:37 1984 epitomizes Van Halen’s combination of virtuosity and silliness

22:45 “Panama” is a more straightforward Van Halen song

24:05 There’s a lot going on in “Jump”

29:29 Michael gives Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth their props

30:29 Van Halen were always a different type of metal band

32:31 Michael has a theory about the album cover

36:05 Al has questions about “I’ll Wait”

40:06 Michael talks about the lack of overdubs…

41:55 …except for one notable exception

44:11 Michael discusses some of the innovations Eddie Van Halen used on this album

46:33 Al is more interested in exploring the Van Halen discography now

50:41 Michael talks about how he recently got to meet Greg Saunier

57:00 Michael explains what Post-Cello is

1:05:07 Michael talks about his upcoming album

Outro is from “Falling Forward” by Michael Peter Olsen

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Elizabeth Nelson of The Paranoid Style turns the tables on Al for this episode, serving as host and asking Al about why he loves Genesis and their 1983 self-titled album (also known as the “Shapes” album). Al talks about how he became a Genesis superfan, what his first impressions were of the “Shapes” album and  how those impressions have changed over the decades.

You can find Elizabeth and her must-follow Twitter account at @paranoiacs. You can also follow her on Instagram at @paranoid_style (also a must-follow account).

Check out the music of The Paranoid Style! https://theparanoidstyle.bandcamp.com/

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:16 Elizabeth takes over!

2:14 Al joins the show

2:39 Al revisits how this episode came about

4:11 Al explains how he got into Genesis as a teenager

7:39 Al walks Elizabeth through the history of Genesis

11:53 Al identifies a Genesis album that is the best gateway to their proggy side

15:35 Al talks about his initial experience with listening to the “Shapes” album

19:35 Elizabeth shares Al’s opinion of “That’s All”

20:53 Al compares the versions of Genesis with three, four and five members

Discussion of specific tracks

24:06 Mama

29:00 Elizabeth asks Al what he thinks about the drum sounds on the album

32:44 Taking It All Too Hard

34:49 It’s Gonna Get Better

38:48 That’s All

39:20 Just A Job To Do

42:37 Illegal Alien

45:24 Silver Rainbow

47:38 Al recommends three songs from the album and three songs from the entire catalog to listen to as an introduction to each

Outro is from “The Thrill Is Back” by The Paranoid Style.

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Neil Gust, guitarist, songwriter and vocalist for Portland rock trio No. 2 (and previously of Heatmiser) becomes the first YMAAA guest to discuss a compilation. He introduces Al to Nigeria 70, Vol. 1 (Funky Lagos), and in the process, sparks a discussion about several key Afrobeat artists. Neil also talks about No. 2’s recent touring behind their 2022 album, First Love — his first live performances in more than 20 years.

There are three, three, three! places to follow Neil on Instagram: @neilgust, @___numberdeux___, @heatmiser_archv

Check out No. 2’s Bandcamp page…https://no2music.bandcamp.com/

…and YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@No-oe3yq

1:09 Neil joins the show

2:12 Neil explains why he chose to discuss this compilation

6:24 Al has yet to learn about the featured artists in depth

7:35 Neil’s listening experience for this album was different from his usual album-listening experience

10:33 Neil talks about the importance of Fela Kuti and Tony Allen to Afrobeat

Discussion of other Afrobeat artists

11:55 Blo

13:45 The Funkees/Osibisa

15:16 William Onyeabor

16:03 Neil talks about the Nigerian Civil War and the Lagos music scene that emerged in its aftermath

19:25 Al and Neil talk about the artists who introduced Western audiences to Afrobeat

20:54 The compilation spans a variety of genres

22:02 Neil and Al talk about the brutal misogyny reflected in “Woman Made The Devil”

24:56 Al talks about artists on the album he wants to learn more about

28:30 Segun Bucknor & His Revolution’s “La La La” is a highlight for Neil

31:01“Jeun Ko Ku” was a springboard into Fela Kuti’s music for Neil

33:25 Neil talks about some of Tony Allen’s various projects

37:22 There are a couple of tracks that Neil doesn’t like as much as the others

39:45 It took Al some time to more fully appreciate the compilation

42:39 Neil expects Al will make more connections between Afrobeat and Western rock over time

44:44 Neil talks about the albums he considered discussing but didn’t

46:44 Neil talks about playing live with No. 2 for the first time in more than 20 years

51:52 Will Neil tour again?

53:55 What was Neil’s favorite part of playing live again?

Outro is from “Model of the Universe” by No. 2.

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Dr. Neal Barnard is a clinical researcher who is the founding president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and he is also a multi-instrumentalist who founded the band CarbonWorks. Neal joins Al on this episode to discuss Cream’s third album, Wheels of Fire, and along the way, he talks about Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, the good and the bad of Cream’s collaboration and CarbonWorks’ upcoming album, Vanishing Act.

You can find Neal on Twitter and Instagram! @DrNealBarnard

There are also accounts for CarbonWorks on both platforms: @carbonworksband on Twitter, @carbonworksmusic on Instagram.

Neil also mentioned the CarbonWorks YouTube channel, where you can find their videos, including some for their new songs: https://www.youtube.com/@carbonworks1770

Also be sure to visit CarbonWorks’ website: www.carbonworksmusic.com

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:22 Neal joins the show

2:18 Neal shares his thoughts on Jimi Hendrix’s discography

6:44 Neal explains why he wanted to discuss Wheels of Fire

11:54 Neal expands on some of his thoughts about The Beatles

14:23 Did Al misinterpret “Politician”?

16:27 Neal and Al continue a discussion of lyrics with “Pressed Rat and Warthog”

19:05 Cream took their time making this album

21:28 The various elements of Cream's music work well together

26:17 Neal talks about how he related to Cream’s music when he first listened to them

28:24 Neal and Al discuss their efforts to separate the artists from the art that Cream made

30:24 Neal finds a flaw in Eric Clapton’s “Crossroads” solo

32:56 Neal offers his perspective on criticisms of Clapton’s playing

36:16 Al’s first impression of “Traintime” didn’t last long

37:34 Is a 16-minute drum solo too much drum solo?

40:44 Neal delves into Cream’s dysfunctions

43:21 Can Neal and Al separate Clapton’s actions from his music?

47:15 Neal discusses the origins of his CarbonWorks project

50:17 Neal talks about how CarbonWorks’ music comes together

51:31 Neal’s experience as an exchange student in Belgium changed how he listened to music

53:19 Neal brings up a couple of songs on Vanishing Act that exemplify his approach to music

Outro is from “Tout Ira Bien” by CarbonWorks.

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Chris Slusarenko of the Portland-based band Eyelids joins Al to talk about The Fall’s 1983 album, Perverted by Language, and their “Kicker Conspiracy” single, which was released in the same year. Chris explains how he wound up getting up obsessed with The Fall, why he chose to focus on these particular records for this episode and how The Fall has influenced his own creative process. He also talks about Eyelids’ recently-released fourth album, A Colossal Waste of Light, and the experience of being produced by and touring with Peter Buck.

Chris made repeated reference to The Annotated Fall, which lists and, yes, annotates the lyrics to The Fall’s songs. If you’re new to The Fall like Al is (or probably even if you’re not), it’s an indispensable resource. http://annotatedfall.doomby.com/pages/the-annotated-lyrics/

Where’s the cursor?? Where’s the eraser?? Here’s where to find Eyelids on your computer…

Be sure to follow Eyelids on Twitter and Instagram! @musicofeyelids

To follow/visit Eyelids on Bandcamp, go here: https://musicofeyelids.bandcamp.com/

You can get Eyelids merch, tour info and much more at https://musicofeyelids.com/.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:19 Chris joins the show

1:26 Chris talks about the importance of music in his family

3:21 Chris explains the origins of the title of Eyelids’ new album

6:23 Chris discusses how he got obsessed with The Fall

9:29 Chris walks through the various stages of The Fall’s discography

12:29 “Eat Y’self Fitter” exemplifies many of the things Chris loves about Perverted by Language

18:38 There’s a lot one can read about The Fall

20:17 Why was Mark E. Smith singing about computers in 1983?

22:22 The Fall isn’t for everybody

23:17 Chris addresses the similarities between The Fall and Pavement

24:43 Al talks about his initial impressions of Perverted by Language

26:55 Chris sees Perverted by Language as a transitional album

28:51 Chris and Al disagree as to how cohesive the album is

31:36 Chris talks about The Fall’s frequent changes in personnel

34:05 Chris is impressed by the confidence of The Fall on Perverted by Language

37:48 Chris has trouble picking a favorite track

40:49 Al and Chris admire Steve Hanley’s bass playing

43:58 Chris talks about the “Kicker Conspiracy/Wings” single

48:24 Chris doesn’t think The Fall sold out after Perverted by Language

49:56 Chris suggests some other albums by The Fall for Al to explore

52:56 Chris appreciates Mark E. Smith’s lyrics

54:14 Chris clarifies a misheard lyric for Al

57:03 Eyelids took a different approach to songwriting for A Colossal Waste of Light

1:00:55 Chris talks about Peter Buck’s involvement on A Colossal Waste of Light

1:05:41 Chris discusses Eyelids’ current tour

Outro is from “That’s Not Real At All (B. Midweek Pg. 207)” by Eyelids.

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This year, for the first time, Al took part in #MWE — aka Music Writer’s Exercise — listening to and writing about a new album every day throughout the month of February. Al discusses 10 of his favorite albums out of the total of 28, explaining why he chose them for the project and what he liked about them.

Al mentioned the Sara Lund interview on the Tour Stories podcast, where she discussed Alice Coltrane’s Journey in Satchidananda. You can listen to that episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-check-in-with-sara-lund-unwound/id1482193534?i=1000575099615.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

0:48 A #MWE primer

2:06 How Al picked his 28 albums

Highlight albums

4:06 Television, Marquee Moon

6:54 Tacocat, Lost Time

9:17 Tool, Lateralus

11:42 Alice Coltrane, Journey in Satchidananda

13:19  Horsegirl, Versions of Modern Performance

15:31 Obey Robots, One In A Thousand

18:38 Quasi, Breaking the Balls of History

20:10 Caroline Polachek, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

23:21 The Black Tones, Cobain & Cornbread

25:02 Bruce Springsteen, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.

28:06 Al sums up his #MWE experience

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TV writer, editor and musician Allie Goertz introduces Al to an album that’s been central to her life for the past year — The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails. Allie talks about how she first heard the album, why it’s been important to her and how she covered several of the tracks on her upcoming album, NIN, Peeled Back. She also talks about the Nerf Herder song that bears her name.

Correction: Al incorrectly stated that "Closer" was the album's first single. “March of the Pigs” was actually the lead single, though “Closer” was the first track Al had heard on the radio.

It’s ridiculously easy to find and follow Allie online (and you should)!

Twitter, Instagram and YouTube: @alliegoertz

Bandcamp: https://alliegoertz.bandcamp.com/

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:10 Allie joins the show

1:35 Allie achieves a first for You, Me and An Album

2:03 Allie talks about why The Downward Spiral is an important album for her

4:56 Has Allie gotten obsessive about other bands?

9:30 How does The Downward Spiral make Allie feel?

12:08 Al was not prepared for the experience of listening to The Downward Spiral

15:45 Al was more familiar with the NIN version of “Hurt” than he realized

17:16 “Closer” has always given Al the creeps

20:50 Al explains what it is about NIN that makes listening difficult

27:24 Allie sees humor in NIN’s music

30:04 The Downward Spiral reminds Al of another album

33:02 Allie talks about her initial experiences with listening to NIN

35:32 There was only one track on The Downward Spiral that was hard for Allie to hear at first

Discussion of other tracks:

36:50 March of the Pigs

40:27 Hurt (again)

43:07 Does Allie have albums that she appreciates but can’t listen to?

44:13 Piggy/Heresy

47:47 Reptile

51:27 Ruiner

53:13 Big Man with a Gun

55:20 Allie talks about her upcoming NIN covers album

1:00:01 Allie talks about the Nerf Herder song

Outro is from “Nerf Herder Girl” by Allie Goertz

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Elizabeth Nelson does it all…singer/songwriter for The Paranoid Style, journalist, copywriter, educational consultant…and she took some time out to join Al for this episode of YMAAA. Elizabeth discusses Pavement’s debut album, Slanted and Enchanted, and details what she loves about the record and all of the various influences that went into it. She also talks about the upcoming Paranoid Style album, the story behind a Paranoid Style video and her @paranoiacs Twitter account.

The video for The Paranoid Style's "The Thrill Is Back!" is a whole lotta fun. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgyfywASWoE

Elizabeth wrote a great piece for the New York Times Magazine on some recent TV series reboots. It’s just one click away…https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/08/magazine/night-court-velma-that-90s-show-reboots.html

As noted above, Elizabeth is on Twitter at @paranoiacs, and she is a must-follow for any music fan. You can also follow her on Instagram at @paranoid_style.

Treat yourself to the music of The Paranoid Style! https://theparanoidstyle.bandcamp.com/

To read the bio/essay on The Paranoid Style’s namesake, head on over to the Bar None Records website. http://www.bar-none.com/the-paranoid-style

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:13 Elizabeth joins the show

1:34 Elizabeth provides a timetable for the new Paranoid Style album

2:40 Al asks Elizabeth about her Twitter ambivalence

6:29 Al explains why he is especially embarrassed about his lack of Pavement knowledge

9:13 Al and Elizabeth talk about their experiences with watching Pavement live

11:15 Elizabeth identifies a band she became a fan of after seeing them in concert

14:52 Elizabeth explains why she chose Slanted and Enchanted for this episode

20:10 Al is exploring Stephen Malkmus backwards

21:26 Elizabeth talks about Pavement’s influences

23:22 Elizabeth pieces together the details of how she first heard Slanted and Enchanted

25:57 Elizabeth details what she has liked about Pavement from the first time she listened to them

27:17 Is Pavement a slacker band?

28:59 Al finds Pavement confusing

30:53 Elizabeth enjoys Pavement’s variety of influences

Discussion of specific tracks

33:51 Summer Babe

39:35 In the Mouth a Desert

46:19 Fame Throwa

48:30 Our Singer

50:42 Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era

51:19 Two States

53:35 Conduit for Sale!

1:02:00 Zürich Is Stained

1:03:47 Here

1:08:48 Al feels like he didn’t pay sufficient attention to the lyrics

1:11:22 Elizabeth talks about the making of the video for “The Thrill is Back!”

1:16:24 Elizabeth alerts us to her current projects

1:17:18 Elizabeth suggests a topic for a future episode

Outro is from “The Worst of My Love” by The Paranoid Style,

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Greg Saunier, drummer and founding member of Deerhoof, joins You, Me and An Album for much more than just a discussion of a favorite album. He does talk about one of his favorite albums — Ancient Music of Greece by Atrium Musicae de Madrid — but he also considers what this album can teach us about contemporary music, classical music and Western culture in general. Greg also talks about Deerhoof’s soon-to-be-released album, Miracle-Level, and the band’s 2021 cover of Sleater-Kinney’s “Don’t Talk Like.”

Follow Greg and Deerhoof on Twitter and Instagram at @deerhoof!

You can get information on Miracle-Level and Deerhoof tour dates at https://deerhoof.website/ or https://deerhoof.bandcamp.com/.

Also, Greg mentioned Deerhoof’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GregFromDeerhoof.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:06 Greg joins the show

1:44 Greg and Al talk about their research on the album’s backstory

3:18 Greg recounts how he first learned about the album

4:18 Greg explains what the premise of Music of Ancient Greece is

6:27 Greg identifies modern Western musical conventions that can be linked to ancient Greece

13:55 Greg explains why he wanted to explore music from such a distant time

21:46 Why does some of the album sound modern?

24:30 Greg outlines several of the ways the musicians chose to interpret an incomplete score

31:50 Greg thinks the musicians made a conscious decision to make the music ugly

38:00 Are recent technology trends in music democratizing?

49:19 Do the features of Music of Ancient Greece work their way into Deerhoof’s music?

51:50 Al sees a connection between Music of Ancient Greece and a Deerhoof cover of a Sleater-Kinney song

56:40 Greg argues that today’s music technology codifies elite values

1:00:19 Greg finds Music of Ancient Greece’s mix of scholarship and amateurism charming

1:05:57 Deerhoof made a point of bringing their upcoming tour to Western Massachusetts

1:08:43 Greg talks about Miracle-Level being Deerhoof’s first album with all Japanese lyrics

1:12:23 Greg discusses the fragmentary nature of Deerhoof’s songwriting

1:17:44 Greg argues that artists don’t know what their art means

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Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Eva Walker of The Black Tones — who is also a DJ for Seattle’s KEXP — joins Al to talk about Funkadelic’s 1971 album, Maggot Brain. Eva delves into how she first discovered Maggot Brain, the elements of the album that make it a great listen and other albums she also considered discussing on this episode. She also talks about the status of The Black Tones’ second album and the band’s video game, They Want Us Dead!

Be sure to follow Eva and The Black Tones!

Twitter: @The_Black_Tones

Instagram: @theblacktones

And visit The Black Tones’ website!

https://theblacktones.bandcamp.com/

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

0:59 Eva joins the show

1:43 Eva had a difficult time choosing an album to discuss

3:49 Eva first listened to Maggot Brain because of the album artwork

6:28 Al never understood why Parliament-Funkadlelic was hyphenated

7:44 Eva talks about listening to her mother’s records growing up

10:12 Seattle didn’t always embrace Jimi Hendrix

13:18 Maggot Brain completely defied Al’s expectations

18:29 Is there funk on Maggot Brain?

Observations about specific tracks

20:18 Hit It And Quit It

24:31 Wars of Armageddon (and a discussion of upbeat sad songs)

31:12 Maggot Brain

33:03 Can You Get To That (and a discussion of misheard lyrics)

36:37 You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks

41:45 The link between You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks and The Black Tones’ Blue Matrimony

44:39 Super Stupid

47:29 Back In Our Minds

50:42 Eva talks about her musical influences

53:39 Eva discusses The Black Tones’ current plans

56:24 One of the early reviews of Cobain and Cornbread had an issue with song structure

57:17 Eva explains the lyrics to “Plaid Pants” and “Welcome Mr. Pink”

1:01:32 Eva talks about The Black Tones’ video game

Outro is from “Welcome Mr. Pink” by The Black Tones

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Rat — the guitarist for Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and Obey Robots — makes a return visit to YMAAA, and with a connection to his first visit. On Ep 29, he introduced Al to Public Service Broadcasting’s The Race for Space. Recently, Rat saw PSB live, and he was impressed by the support band, Pale Blue Eyes. He immediately went out and bought PBE’s debut album, Souvenirs, and now he is here to let us know why we should know this album, too. In addition to discussing Souvenirs, Rat talks about Obey Robots’ soon-to-be-released debut album, One In A Thousand, and upcoming plans for Ned’s Atomic Dustbin.

Rat and Al talked about Obey Robots’ video for “Let It Snow,” and if you haven’t seen it yet, you should! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb734Q9HuK4

Be sure to follow Rat for all Ned’s and Obey Robots developments...

Twitter: @Rat_Ned

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rat.ned/

And check out his weekly playlist, as discussed on this episode:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/ratned?si=b9000f6ea2944018

And while you’re at it, keep up with Rat’s OR bandmate, Laura Kidd, too!

Twitter and Instagram: @penfriendrocks

Facebook: search for Laura Kidd or Penfriend

Website: https://penfriend.rocks/

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is now free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s new Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:07 Rat joins the show

1:45 Rat talks about how he first learned about Pale Blue Eyes

4:34 Rat explains what makes Pale Blue Eyes a great live act

7:52 Rat encourages us to support the support bands

9:44 Souvenirs’ sequencing adds to the listening experience for Rat

Observations about specific tracks

12:41 Chelsea

16:53 Honeybear

20:59 Little Gem

24:29 Champagne (and a discussion of ‘80s music)

30:36 TV Flicker

31:52 Globe

33:04 Dr Pong

35:29 Neither Rat nor Al bothered much with listening to the lyrics

37:19 Sing It Like We Used To

38:52 Under Northern Sky

41:21 Rat and Al talk about the new Obey Robots album and videos

45:25 What’s next for Obey Robots?

47:25 What’s coming up for Ned’s Atomic Dustbin?

50:44 Rat talks about his new weekly playlists

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YMAAA winds up its first 100 episodes with a great last splash! Kelley Deal of The Breeders and R. Ring joins Al to discuss Julian Cope’s 1990 lo-fi album, Droolian. Kelley talks about the unusual circumstance in which she first listened to Droolian, the narratives she has created around the album and what she loves about it. She also talks about her involvement with The Amps’ Pacer album and what a busy 2023 has in store for her and The Breeders.

R. Ring’s brand-new album, War Poems, We Rested, is out, and it’s great! https://rring.bandcamp.com/album/war-poems-we-rested

Kelley had mentioned a cover of a Guided By Voices song, “Scalding Creek,” that she recorded with Buffalo Killers. It’s worth your time to check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vZAOwdXhYc

Al made a couple of error in his discussion with Kelley:

He said Kelley was listed on the Pacer Wikipedia page, but what he was thinking of was her inclusion on The Amps’ Wikipedia page.

He mentioned a piano melody on R.E.M.’s “Why Not Smile,” but it’s actually played on a marimba (he thinks).

Be sure to follow Kelley on Twitter and Instagram! @kelleydeal…

…and check out her online store: store.kelleydeal.com

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is now free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s new Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:10 Kelley joins the show

1:51 Al singles out a great Kelley Deal lyric

4:06 Kelley talks about her involvement with The Amps’ Pacer album

7:28 Al’s previous exposure to Julian Cope was almost exclusively through The Teardrop Explodes

8:03 Kelley was first exposed to Droolian in an unusual way

14:13 Kelley and Al consider how the nature of fandom has changed

15:57 Kelley talks about her deep dive into Cope’s catalog

17:32 Kelley compares Droolian with its predecessor, Skellington

20:30 Kelley also listened to some of Cope’s more polished albums

21:28 Droolian was love at first listen for Kelley

Discussion of specific tracks

23:49 Look After Your Leathers

28:30 Commin Down

31:00 Yeah Yeah Yeah

32:15 Jellypop Perky Jean/Louis 14th

34:34 …Atonement of Wasp

36:00 Gentleman Dude

37:45 Kelly

41:12 Kelley wants to borrow a harmony from a Teardrop Explodes song

42:33 Church of England 1991/Sqwubbsy

46:46 Kelley explains why her favorite Droolian lyrics are her favorites

50:16 Al wants to try listening to an album the way Kelley first listened to Droolian

51:02 Kelley talks about some of her other CD discoveries

53:13 Kelley discusses R. Ring’s origins

57:18 Kelley previews her 2023 plans with R. Ring, The Breeders and Protomartyr

1:00:09 Is Kelley a competitive knitter?

Outro is from "Def Sup" by R. Ring.

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Singer/songwriter/poet Caleb Nichols (Port O’Brien, Soft People) gets Al acquainted with Blur’s 1997 self-titled album, and they also discuss the album’s significance in Blur’s discography as well as to them personally. Caleb talks about how Blur has influenced their own music and the important role that The Beatles have played in their life. Caleb also delves into their Beatles-inspired solo debut album, Ramon, and a couple of current projects.

Be sure to follow Caleb on Twitter and Instagram at @seanickels!

Caleb is also on TikTok: @theecalebnichols

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

The show also has an account on Mastodon: @[email protected].

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is now free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s new Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:02 Caleb joins the show

1:28 Caleb recalls when they first got into The Beatles

3:15 Caleb talks about other artists they listened to growing up

7:22 The Blur album was a launchpad into indie rock for Caleb

9:36 Caleb and Al talk about the Blur-Oasis rivalry

15:16 Caleb explains why they chose to discuss Blur on this episode

17:10 Caleb zeroes in on Graham Coxon’s contributions to the album

23:55 Al was surprised by his initial reaction to the album

24:51 Caleb and Al talk about the benefits of listening to an album multiple times

30:02 Caleb likes the blending of random noises with pop elements

34:53 Caleb identifies their favorite parts of the album

37:42 Caleb appreciates how Blur put themselves into a conversation with David Bowie

38:45 How is Blur a dangerous album?

44:41 Al talks about his favorite parts of the album

47:20 Caleb notes Blur’s use of older synth sounds

50:16 Something in “Essex Dogs/Interlude” shocked Al

54:41 Caleb mentions an athletic feat from Graham Coxon that they witnessed

56:02 Caleb comments on a few more tracks

58:44 Some confusion over Supertramp

59:58 Caleb talks about their upcoming album and book of poems

Outro is from “Run Rabbit Run” by Caleb Nichols.

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Portland-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Sam Coomes (Quasi, Jon Spencer and the HITmakers, Heatmiser, The Donner Party) takes a break from a busy 2023 to get Al up to speed on the Velvet Underground. Specifically, he introduces our host to VU’s second album, White Light/White Heat. Sam goes in depth on the album’s 17-minute closer, “Sister Ray,” and also talks about the tracks that were his favorites when he first starting listening to the album. He also talks about Quasi’s soon-to-be-released (Feb. 10) album, Breaking the Balls of History, and their upcoming tour.

On this episode, Al made reference to an appearance Sam made on Joe Wong’s podcast, The Trap Set. You can listen to that episode here: http://www.thetrapset.net/290-sam-coomes-quasi/.

Sam mentioned that Quasi would be releasing a third single from Breaking the Balls of History shortly after the recording of this episode. In fact, that single — “Nowheresville” — is out now, and there’s a great video for it, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODVN6LoNL5g&list=RDODVN6LoNL5g&start_radio=1

Be sure to follow Sam on Instagram! @theecoomes

Quasi are worth a follow, too! @thee.quasi on Instagram and @TheeQuasi on Twitter

For the time being, Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

The show also has an account on Mastodon: @[email protected].

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is now free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s new Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:21 Sam joins the show

2:09 The Velvet Underground’s first album was Sam’s introduction to the band

4:29 Sam talks about the group that inspired him to play in a band

8:03 Sam and Al wax nostalgic about record stores

9:10 Sam explains why he chose White Light/White Heat

10:17 Is “Sister Ray” prog?

13:27 Sam hears “Sister Ray” as a discussion

16:29 “Sister Ray” was the last song on the album that Sam got into

18:19 The Velvet Underground add unconventional elements to conventional rock songs

21:23 Sam identifies the elements of White Light/White Heat that made him love the album initially

26:33 Al had trouble with some of the more grisly lyrics

27:23 Sam used to focus more on the music than the lyrics in “The Gift”

29:16 Sam talks about the paradox of Lou Reed’s lyrics

31:59 The Velvet Underground got tighter as a band on White Light/White Heat

33:47 Al asks Sam if he models his own sounds on those of Velvet Underground

35:48 Al asks Sam about his hypothetical prog rock podcast

43:08 Sam talks about the soon-to-be-released Quasi album

46:33 Sam discusses his near-term touring plans

Outro is from "Doomscrollers" by Quasi.

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Music journalist and sportswriter Natalie Weiner kicks off the 2023 episodes of YMAAA on a jazzy note, as she introduces Al to the 1962 album, Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley. Natalie talks about how she got into jazz when she was in high school, why she selected this album for this episode and what she loves about both Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley. She also delves into what’s been different about music in the 2020s and the projects she will be working on in the coming year.

Natalie mentioned an essay by Nicholas Payton about why jazz “died” in 1959. You can read it here: https://nicholaspayton.com/on-why-jazz-isnt-cool-anymore/

Be sure to follow Natalie on TwItter (@natalieweiner) and Instagram (@natalieweinerwrites)...

...and check out her website: natalieweiner.com!

For the time being, Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

The show also has an account on Mastodon: @[email protected].

You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter is now free to all subscribers! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, please check out the show’s new Patreon site, https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and keep this show going.

1:20 Natalie joins the show

1:57 Playing bass was Natalie’s gateway to getting deeper into music

5:24 Natalie’s jazz band teacher was instrumental to expanding her jazz knowledge

9:06 Natalie talks about the first piece of music writing she got paid to do

11:02 Learning to play “So What” was a turning point for Natalie

12:37 Natalie explains why she chose this album for this episode

15:49 Al found listening to the album relaxing

17:16 Al looks to Natalie to help him hear Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley in a different context

21:51 Al really enjoyed Nancy Wilson’s vocals

22:40 Natalie highlights some of the aspects that make the album special

26:51 Natalie talks about what she loves about Cannonball Adderley’s style of playing

28:49 Natalie appreciates the relative simplicity of the sound on this album

30:29 Natalie and Al talk about the album’s dynamics

32:30 Natalie gets into the particulars of Nancy Wilson’s performance

34:35 Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley came out in the aftermath of what many consider to be jazz’s peak

37:31 Nalalie credits the producers with the album’s high-quality sound

39:33 Al asks Natalie about the sequencing on the different versions of the album

40:30 The song arrangements are part of the album’s appeal for Natalie

46:53 Natalie recommends the album as an introduction to other work by Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley

50:45 Natalie’s music listening habits have changed in the 2020s

54:17 Natalie talks about her current and upcoming projects

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Musician, songwriter and producer D.K. Lyons makes his second appearance on YMAAA, and just as with The 1975's I Like It When You Sleep..., he chooses an album that's a real challenge for Al. For the first time ever on this show, Al and his guest discuss an album from the current year, as D.K. picked Charli XCX’s Crash for this episode. D.K. talks about how he first got acquainted with Charli XCX’s music, why he chose Crash for this episode, what he likes musically and lyrically about the album and what releases we can expect from him in 2023.

Keep up with D.K. on Instagram at @d.k.lyonsmusic.

Also be sure to check out the D.K. Lyons YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@user-sk4wz2tf1d, and his website, https://dklyonsmusic.com/.

For the time being, Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

The show now has an account on Mastodon: @[email protected].

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year and has brought it back after a hiatus. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:05 D.K. (re)joins the show

2:03 D.K. talks about his reaction to The 1975’s Being Funny in a Foreign Language

5:01 D.K. explains how he started listening to Charli XCX and why he chose to discuss Crash

7:24 Al heard Crash differently after doing some research on the album

9:18 D.K. and Al talk about Charli XCX’s experimental side

11:56 Al found a particular spot to listen to Crash that helped him to appreciate it more

14:32 D.K. and Al identify aspects of the album’s production that they don’t like

17:54 Crash doesn’t lack for memorable hooks

21:44 D.K. and Al talk about Charli XCX’s collaborators on “New Shapes”

23:41 D.K. talks about the connection between a song from The Goofy Movie and “New Shapes”

24:53 The title track is a standout song for D.K.

26:25 D.K. and Al hear some similarities between Charli XCX and The 1975

27:50 “Good Ones” and “Constant Repeat” are earworms for both D.K. and Al

33:09 Al has a hard time thinking of songs from Crash where he really likes the lyrics

34:50 D.K. noted a few songs where he appreciates the lyrics

37:18 D.K. has a theory about why Charli XCX processes her vocals as much as she does

39:55 D.K. talks about the album’s four bonus tracks

44:56 D.K. sums up what he enjoys about Crash

46:50 D.K. gives Al a recommendation for where to continue his Charli XCX exploration

49:56 D.K. talks about his recent and upcoming releases

Outro is from “The Sadness” by D.K. Lyons

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Drummer, producer, visual artist and designer Steve Luongo (Rat Race Choir, TorQue) takes the guest seat on this week’s You, Me and An Album to discuss Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick. Steve talks about why this album is special to him, which parts are his favorites and whether he considers Jethro Tull to be a prog band. He also delves into the John Entiwistle Oxhumed rarities albums he has been working on.

Al talked about some other prog rock suites that were released around the same time as Thick as a Brick, and in doing so, he incorrectly stated that “Supper’s Ready” comprises the second side of Foxtrot by Genesis. Al is mortified at this error, as he is a fan of Steve Hackett’s instrumental, “Horizons,” which kicks off Side 2 before “Supper’s Ready” embarks on its 23-minute run.

Steve mentioned a video of West Side Story’s “America” that includes performances from both the 1961 and 2021 versions. Here it is! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0jVQT0Brzw

Keep up with Steve and his many projects!
Twitter: @drumcrusher
Instagram: @steveluongo4real
Website: steveluongo.com

For more information on John Entwistle Rarities Oxhumed, go to johnentwistle.com.

For the time being, Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

The show is also now on Mastodon. @[email protected].

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year and has brought it back after a hiatus. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:24 Steve joins the show

2:35 Is Jethro Tull a prog band?

4:02 Steve recalls how he got introduced to Jethro Tull’s music

6:19 Steve explains why Jethro Tull resonated for him more than some other bands

7:19 Steve details why he chose Thick as a Brick for this episode

8:50 Al compares Thick as a Brick with other early ‘70s prog suites

10:51 Steve gives an example of how Jethro Tull is “orchestral”

14:41 Is Thick as a Brick a parody of prog rock?

16:06 Steve and Al agree on their favorite part of the album

17:40 Why aren’t rock flautists more of a thing?

19:49 Steve learned a lot of lessons about drumming from Thick as a Brick

23:34 Steve would still love the album even if he weren’t a drummer

26:22 Steve wonders how the various parts all came together

28:36 The drum solo…too much or just right?

31:29 Steve singles out the key difference between Thick as a Brick and Aqualung

35:05 Steve talks about some music that he appreciates as a listener (as opposed to as a drummer)

43:11 Steve discusses a couple more standout sections of the album

47:24 Would Steve rather listen to a remixed version of this album?

49:34 Steve talks about current projects, including the John Entwistle rarities albums

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Economics and finance writer/editor Heidi Moore introduces Al to singer-songwriter Joe Pug and his 2010 album, Messenger. Heidi talks about other artists who are a part of Pug’s “cinematic universe,” why the songs of Messenger resonate with her and why she didn’t choose to discuss a Bastille album instead.

Heidi mentioned Pug’s weekly Sunday livestreams and his podcast, Working Songwriter. Find them via the following links…

Livestream: https://joepugmusic.com/livestream

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-working-songwriter/id1079001185

Al talked about how an essay he wrote for Bandcamp Daily earlier this year relates to some of themes covered on Messenger. You can read that essay here: https://daily.bandcamp.com/resonance/quasi-seal-the-deal-essay.

As Heidi mentioned, she has accounts on multiple social media platforms, but you are most likely to find her on Twitter. She is at @moorehn.

For the time being, Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

The show is also now on Mastodon. @[email protected].

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year and has brought it back after a hiatus. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:00 Heidi joins the show

1:38 Why didn’t Heidi choose a Bastille album?

4:24 Al and Heidi talk about shows they’ve attended during the pandemic

6:23 Heidi explains why she chose Messenger for this episode

8:33 Heidi names some other artists she considered discussing

11:36 Heidi talks about the song that started her Joe Pug fandom

16:17 Pug was prescient about how society would change with social media

18:22 The lyrics of Messenger made a huge impression on Al

21:05 Al related to “How Good You Are” in particular

23:16 Heidi compares Pug to Joni Mitchell

29:01 Themes that Pug raises provide lessons that were relevant for the Trump era

39:56 “Disguised as Someone Else” is a meaningful track for both Heidi and Al

44:26 Al sees the opening and closing tracks as outliers on the album

47:01 Heidi explains why she can’t listen to “Unsophisticated Heart” often

52:54 Is songwriting magic?

54:08 Heidi and Al see contrasts between Messenger and Fiona Apple’s Tidal

57:53 Heidi and Al revisit a line from “Unsophisticated Heart” they like

1:00:06 Heidi talks about Pug’s training as a playwright

1:01:50 “The First Time I Saw You” is another of Heidi’s favorite tracks from the album

1:05:44 Heidi talks about a couple of albums she’s been listening to lately

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Author and Middlebury College English and American Literatures professor Megan Mayhew Bergman pays a visit to YMAAA to talk about Fiona Apple’s debut album, Tidal. She revisits the time in her life when she first heard the album, why it was important then and continues to be important to her now, and which songs are her favorites (and which ones she is liable to skip).

Megan and Al got into a little bit of a discussion about Genesis as well, and Al stated that he thought Tony Banks wrote “In Too Deep.” Phil Collins is credited with the lyrics, so he was at least partly wrong about this.

Al also alluded to a series of Genesis interviews conducted in 2014. You can find them on YouTube in four installments. The first one is here — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeGVDk0mSY8 — and links to the others are in the notes for that video.

One last Genesis-related note: Megan mentioned a baby Jesus statue in Mexico that resembles Phil Collins. Here is one of many stories regarding said statue. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/jesus-statue-phil-collins-trnd/index.html

Follow Megan on Twitter and Instagram at @mayhewbergman! Also be sure to keep up with her many, many projects at http://www.mayhewbergman.com/.

For the time being, Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

The show is also now on Mastodon. @[email protected].

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year and has brought it back after a hiatus. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:14 Megan joins the show

2:18 Megan has an awesome Genesis t-shirt

3:07 Megan first heard Tidal during a difficult and lonely period of her life

4:38 Megan and Al are impressed by the maturity and sophistication Apple showed on this album

6:47 Megan discusses the specific ways that Tidal helped her get through a difficult time

10:03 Megan breaks down how the drums and percussion amplify the emotional impact of “Sleep to Dream”

11:28 “Criminal” and “Never Is a Promise” also evoke strong emotions

13:54 Megan has a different relationship with Tidal now than when she was in her teens…

18:46 …but some of the messages carry just as much weight now as then

20:30 Megan and Al marvel at how Apple was able to create such an influential album in her teens

25:06 Megan highlights her favorite musical moments on Tidal

28:23 There are songs on the album that Megan will skip

32:28 Megan and Al discuss Tidal’s sequencing

34:32 Megan reveals which song from the album is her favorite now

36:28 Megan likes the “big character energy” of “Criminal”

38:36 Megan appreciates the videos Apple made for this album

41:19 A bonus Genesis discussion!

50:14 Megan talks about her upcoming book on the International Sweethearts of Rhythm

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Mary Beth Melchior returns to You, Me and An Album to discuss the first full-length album she ever listened to -- and just in advance of her and Al's 33-1/3 year wedding anniversary! The original Jesus Christ Superstar concept album has been an important album to Mary Beth for nearly her entire life, and Al finally gets better acquainted with it so they can discuss it for this episode. Mary Beth talks about the circumstances of her first listening to the album, why it's been an important part of her life and why she likes it much better than the other versions that have been released.

Follow Mary Beth on Twitter at @mbmelchior!

For the time being, Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

As Al mentioned, he also just joined Mastodon, though he slightly botched his handle there. It's @[email protected].

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year and has brought it back after a hiatus. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:18 Mary Beth joins the show

2:24 Mary Beth distinguishes between the Jesus Christ Superstar concept album and other versions

7:35 Mary Beth explains why she wanted to talk about this album on this episode

9:31 Mary Beth talks about how she first heard the JCS album at the age of 5 or 6

13:54 JCS appeared in Mary Beth’s migraine auras

15:00 Do Al and Mary Beth find JCS emotionally draining?

21:14 Was Al justified in thinking that JCS was a “freaky” album?

25:02 JCS allowed Mary Beth to relate to religion without her parents’ filter

27:27 One song from the album still grates on Al

30:12 Mary Beth gives Al a different perspective on how JCS treats Pilate

37:17 Al talks about his favorite track from JCS

41;14 Mary Beth asks Al if he likes her favorite song on the album

44:41 Does JCS have any bangers?

49:41 Al heard “Superstar” in a totally different way than before

52:43 Al considers tracks he would listen to as one-offs

55:23 Mary Beth does have a song from JCS she listens to as a one-off

58:40 Mary Beth talks about her changing relationship with the album

1:02:50 Al sums up his feelings about the album

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American Studies professor Jeff Melnick normally teaches at University of Massachusetts Boston, but on this episode, he gives Al an education on Terry Melcher and his 1974 self-titled debut album. Jeff talks about Melcher's connections with Charles Manson (which Jeff also details in his book, Creepy Crawling: Charles Manson and the Many Lives of America’s Most Infamous Family), how they inform the themes of this album and Melcher's role in the '60s L.A. music scene. Jeff also discusses the book he is currently working on, which deals with the Boston music scene in the '70s, '80s and '90s.

Follow Jeff on Twitter! @melnickjeffrey1

Al (for the time being) is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

1:07 Jeff joins the show

2:06 How Al and Jeff met on Twitter

4:11 Jeff explains how his interest in Charles Manson developed

7:19 Jeff suggests that learning about the Manson Family can tell us a lot about L.A. culture in the late ‘60s

8:56 Jeff’s interest in Terry Melcher preceded his work on Creepy Crawling

10:30 Al’s wife, Mary Beth, had an interest in studying the Manson Family when she was in high school

11:36 Jeff explains how Melcher was connected to Manson

20:14 Jeff ponders why Melcher waited until 1974 to release a solo album

22:15 Jeff conceives of Melcher’s solo debut as a loose concept album

27:31 Al and Jeff find some of Melcher’s vocals hard to listen to

31:10 Jeff appreciates how Melcher captures the miserable side of LA. In the ‘70s

36:33 Self-pity is another major theme of the album

41:08 “Dr. Horowitz” doesn’t necessarily convey the message Melcher intended

42:55 Jeff sees the “Halls of Justice” medley as serving two purposes

57:35 Jeff thinks “covers” is not always the right word to describe the previously-recorded songs Melcher performed on this album

1:02:20 Does Jeff actually love this album?

1:06:50 Jeff talks about the book on the Boston music scene he’s been working on

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Portland indie rock legend Gilly Ann Hanner (Calamity Jane, Starpower, Braille Stars, No. 2, Desír) drops by the show to introduce Al to X's 1983 album, More Fun in the New World. Gilly talks about how she first learned about X, why this album is one of her favorites and how it has influenced her music. She also talks about the recently-released albums by Desír and No. 2, and the time that Calamity Jane opened for Nirvana in Argentina.

Al mentioned in this episode that he wrote a piece for Bandcamp Daily about No. 2 and their new album, First Love.  You can read it here: https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/no-2-first-love-interview

Keep up with Gilly and her bands on Instagram!
Gilly: @gillyann
Desír: @desirmusique
No. 2: @___numberdeux___

...and also be sure to check out her website, gillyannhanner.com.

As Gilly mentions, you can buy or stream her music on Bandcamp.
Desír: https://desirmusique.bandcamp.com/
No. 2: https://no2music.bandcamp.com/album/first-love
Braille Stars: https://braillestars.bandcamp.com/album/golden-dream

1:26 Gilly joins the show

3:14 Al found a connection between Gilly and Liz Phair

6:07 Al explains why he had never listened to X before

8:37 Gilly learned about X from People magazine

11:00 Gilly and Al marvel at completists

13:15 Gilly loves X’s lyrics

14:16 Is More Fun in the New World a punk album?

20:37 “Devil Doll” destroyed many of Al’s preconceptions about punk

21:52 Gilly says X is still a great band live and on record

23:48 Gilly and Al compare X with the B-52s

28:10 Gilly talks about X’s and B-52s’ influence on her own music

31:07 Gilly and Al admire John Doe’s vocals

31:54 Al was surprised by all of the references to older music on More Fun in the New World

37:30 Gilly gives an example of how X supports their lyrics with their music

40:10 Gilly appreciates X’s vocal harmonies

41:39 “True Love Pt. 2” reminds Al and Gilly of a particular classic rock song

43:46 Gilly makes some recommendations for some X-related films to watch

45:20 Gilly talks about the making of Desír’s first album

50:47 Gilly discusses some past projects

52:11 Gilly talks about getting back into making music after a long hiatus

57:08 Gilly recounts Calamity Jane’s infamous show in Argentina, when they opened for Nirvana

1:04:22 Gilly talks about when she first knew Kurt Cobain in Olympia

Outro is from “Pugilist” by Desír.

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Doug "Cosmo" Clifford -- yes, that Cosmo Clifford -- drummer for Creedence Clearwater Revival, joins Al for a discussion of Doug Sahm's 1974 album, Groover's Paradise.  Cosmo talks about why he thinks Groover's Paradise is a special album and why more people should know about Sahm and his music. Cosmo also discusses his role on the album, which he produced and played drums on. He also talks about the recent release of his album with Bobby Whitlock, California Gold, which was recorded in 1978.


Follow Doug on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/DougCosmoClifford

Also, you can find links to stream or buy Doug's albums at https://dougcosmoclifford.com/.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

1:13 Cosmo joins the show

1:19 Cosmo reacts to the new CCR documentary

4:19 Doug Sahm liked pot

7:03 Cosmo reveals his favorite track from Groover’s Paradise

9:37 Cosmo talks about the variety of musical styles on the album

15:28 Cosmo held out a “green carrot” for Sahm

16:12 Cosmo discusses the process for creating the sound for the album

20:54 Cosmo wants music fans to know how talented Sahm was

22:49 Sahm liked to give his songs a sense of place

24:49 Sahm had a couple of hits in the ‘60s with the Sir Douglas Quintet

26:17 Cosmo talks about how he first got to know Sahm

29:08 Cosmo discusses one of the recording choices made on “Just Groove Me”

32:33 Cosmo talks about Augie Meyers’ contribution on “Beautiful Texas Sunshine”

34:40 It may not be easy to get a copy of Groover’s Paradise now

36:07 Cosmo explains why he released California Gold 44 years after it was recorded

42:43 Cosmo explains why California Gold sounds like it could have been recorded more recently than 1978

44:23 Cosmo talks about his current plans

Outro is from “Rollin’ On” by Doug Clifford featuring Bobby Whitlock

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Smithereens drummer and music historian Dennis Diken joins Al for this episode to talk about The Lovin' Spoonful's second album, Daydream. Dennis shares why he thinks this is an album worth knowing and why he has been a Lovin' Spoonful fan ever since their first album came out. He also discusses The Smithereens' newly-released LP, The Lost Album, and what the band has in store for the future.

As Dennis mentioned, you can stream his weekly radio show. Check it out here! https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/DI

Be sure to keep up with Dennis and The Smithereens!
Twitter: @SmithereensHQ
Instagram: @the_smithereens_official

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

1:03 Dennis joins the show

3:03 Dennis talks about “The Empty Set” and his connection to Scott McCaughey

9:15 Al explains why he picked Daydream from Dennis’ short list

10:42 Dennis discusses a couple of personal connections he has with The Lovin’ Spoonful

15:38 Dennis remembers exactly when he first heard The Spoonful

18:22 Dennis explains why he chose Daydream for his short list

19:25 “Summer in the City” was one of the most memorable songs from Al’s childhood

22:15 There is a reason why The Spoonful's singles sounded so different from each other

24:19 The Spoonful's music was a strong influence on Dennis

28:36 Dennis clears up Al’s confusion about who is singing lead vocals

31:45 Dennis and Al dig into “Butchie’s Tune”

36:16 They talk about the album’s two hit singles

40:34 Dennis walks through what he likes about the remaining tracks

44:42 Dennis had a dilemma when he bought Daydream

47:29 Dennis likes the fun vibe of The Spoonful’s albums

50:01 Dennis talks about The Smithereens’ Lost Album

56:04 Dennis talks about his show on WFMU.org

59:38 Dennis has some news about The Smithereens

Outro music is from “A World Apart” by The Smithereens.

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This week's guest is director/writer/poet Kristin Hanggi, who received a Tony Award nomination for Best Director of a Musical for Rock of Ages. Kristin is also the author  of God, Sex and Musical Theatre (which is in the process of being adapted for a musical) and the co-host (with Natalie Roy) of Let’s Play: The C.R.E.A.T.E. Podcast. She chose the 2017 India.Arie EP, SongVersation: Medicine for this episode. Kristin talks about why this collection of songs is special to her, which lyrics from the EP resonate most strongly with her and how her approach to listening to music informs her work as a director and storyteller.

Kristin talked briefly about  the heroine’s journey as a conceptual framework for storytelling. If you want to hear her talk about this extensively, be sure to listen to her most recent appearance on Rob Bell’s Robcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-heroines-journey/id956742638?i=1000569043767

To learn more about Kristin's various projects, workshops and other resources for storytellers, visit her website, kristinhanggi.com.

Also be sure to follow Kristin at @hanggilove on Twitter and Instagram.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

1:13 Kristin joins the show

1:25 Al is intrigued by Kristin’s use of the heroine’s journey as a storytelling framework

3:39 Kristin discusses why she chose SongVersation: Medicine for this episode

5:25 Kristin identifies what it is she loves about India Arie’s music

6:18 Kristin talks about the Arie track that motivated her to check out more of her songs

8:00 There are certain types of moments when Kristin especially enjoys listening to the EP

9:34 Kristin gives an example of a song from the EP that teaches the listener how to process emotional pain

10:30 Al talks about his initial reactions to the EP

12:37 SongVersation: Medicine is different from the type of music that many people associate Kristin with

15:29 The EP helps Kristin when the world feels especially crazy

16:49 Kristin thinks the authenticity of Arie’s writing is key to the album’s ability to move her

18:27 Al was surprised by the album’s dynamics

20:07 Kristin really relates to “Chicken Soup in a Song”

21:30 Kristin likes how the EP helps her to slow down

25:37 Kristin talks about the importance of being emotionally attuned in her work

28:00 Kristin identifies the healing elements of Arie’s music

30:49 Kristin’s approach to listening to music is influenced by her work as a director

32:17 Al points out some of the features of the EP that he enjoys

33:41 Kristin talks about how she would listen to albums growing up — and how that impacts her listening now

37:23 Kristin and Al share some of their favorite lyrics from the EP

49:58 Al came across an Arie song that was a true earworm

51:34 Kristin talks about working with other writers as a “story doctor”

57:10 Kristin discusses her current and upcoming projects

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This week’s guest is Elle Archer, a Portland-based multi-instrumentalist who records as Shaylee, and she gets Al acquainted with Liz Phair’s debut album, Exile in Guyville. Elle talks about how she first wound up listening to the album, and she identifies the features of the album that make it special. She also talks about her first album with Kill Rock Stars, Short-Sighted Security, and her upcoming plans for Shaylee.

Follow Elle/Shaylee!

Instagram @shayleeband

TikTok @shayleetheband

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

1:13 Elle joins the show

2:03 Elle explains why she first sought out Exile in Guyville

4:34 Elle talks about why she chose this album for this episode

6:47 Elle discusses how she sees the relationship between Exile in Guyville and Exile on Main St.

11:09 Al hears some musical similarities between Liz Phair and The Rolling Stones

12:33 Elle refers to Phair’s own comments about the album’s relationship with Exile on Main St.

Observations about specific tracks

14:30 6’1”

19:59 Dance of the Seven Veils

21:56 Never Said/Soap Star Joe

23:04 F*ck and Run

30:10 Explain It to Me

34:25 Elle surmises why Exile in Guyville wasn’t more popular when it was released

39:57 Elle and Al talk about the subsequent critical backlash against Phair

46:08 Elle thinks the production is part of what makes Exile in Guyville so effective

50:49 Elle talks about the difficulty in making a sonically diverse album

55:05 Elle explains how she wound up recording covers of Elliott Smith, Unwound, Jeff Hanson and Deerhoof songs

1:00:08 Elle talks about recording the new Shaylee single, “Clearwater”

1:00:43 Elle eludes to the planned changes for future Shaylee recordings

1:01:30 Elle discusses what’s coming up next for Shaylee

The outro music is from “Clearwater” by Shaylee

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Musician and author Stephanie Phillips is this week’s guest, and she introduces Al to The Amps’ one-and-only album, Pacer. Steph talks about why she picked Pacer for this episode, the differences and similarities between this album and Kim Deal’s other work with Pixies and The Breeders and which tracks on the album stand out to her. She also talks about her band Big Joanie’s upcoming album and tour and her book, Why Solange Matters.

Follow Steph!

@Stephanopolus on Twitter

@steffimusics on Instagram

And follow Big Joanie, too!

@Big_Joanie on Twitter

@bigjoanieband on Instagram

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

1:11 Steph joins the show

1:45 Is Pacer a “lost Breeders album”?

2:55 Al’s preparation for this episode was a little different

3:42 Steph explains why she picked Pacer for this episode

5:15 Steph details what’s special about Kim Deal’s songwriting and vocals

8:11 Deal’s approach to playing has influenced Steph’s songwriting

10:30 Steph and Al have trouble categorizing The Breeders and The Amps

12:06 Al found the title track to be an odd pick for an opener

15:19 Steph enjoys the entire album as a journey, rather than focusing on individual tracks

17:28 Steph views some Pacer tracks as a harbinger of future Breeders albums

18:27 Steph and Al both like “Breaking the Split Screen Barrier”

22:31 Steph points out that Deal repurposed a couple of the tracks on Pacer

Observations about additional tracks:

24:15 Bragging Party

27:59 Mom’s Drunk/First Revival

30:06 Hoverin’

31:55 Tipp City

33:43 Empty Glasses

34:32 Al missed some of the album’s subtleties on his initial listens

36:07 There are a couple of tracks that Steph will listen to on their own

37:57 Al talks about his favorite track from Pacer

39:23 Steph thinks Pacer is a good album for getting a feel for Deal as a songwriter

40:56 Steph recommends watching videos of The Amps’ live performances

42:25 Steph talks about the music she listened to around the same time she was initially listening to Pacer

43:50 Steph explains how she decided to write Why Solange Matters

47:09 Steph discusses Big Joanie’s upcoming tour plans

The outro is from “In My Arms” by Big Joanie.

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Levi Weaver, who covers the Texas Rangers for The Athletic, joins Al on this episode to introduce him to the David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion) solo album, Curse Your Branches.  Levi discusses how this album has helped him to navigate the uncertainty that has come with questioning his religious faith, as well as what he loves about the album musically. He also talks about his career as a recording and touring musician, including a period when he was touring as a member of Imogen Heap's band, and how he transitioned into a sportswriting career.

Al mentioned a video in which Imogen Heap talks about gloves she invented that help her to perform live music. It's part of an NPR Tiny Desk Concert performance and very much worth watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QtklTXbKUQ

Levi is on Twitter at @ThreeTwoEephus.

Follow Levi’s great Rangers coverage on The Athletic here: https://theathletic.com/author/levi-weaver/

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

1:11 Levi joins the show

3:19 Levi talks about playing in Imogen Heap’s band

9:06 Levi explains what about Curse Your Branches appeals to him

12:35 Al and Levi were both impressed by the intro to “Hard to Be”

15:09 Levi recounts the first time he listened to Curse Your Branches

19:13 Levi talks about the role the album has played in his “wrestling match” with his faith

25:21 Levi explains how Bazan is making an analogy between addiction and religious faith

27:26 Levi talks about some lyrics that were especially resonant

31:19 Levi helps Al to clarify the meaning of “In Stitches”

37:06 Al and Levi appreciate how well Bazan can perform music at a slow tempo

40:13 Levi picks out some of the musical moments from the album he loves the most

42:01 Levi points out a few more notable moments from the album

47:12 Levi explains why he left music and how he began his sportswriting career

48:56 Levis talks about his life as a touring musician

The outro is from "Apostate" by Levi Weaver.

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Former Red Sox pitcher and current Red Sox television analyst Lenny DiNardo drops by for You, Me and An Album’s latest music/baseball crossover. Lenny gets Al better acquainted with The Lemonheads’ fifth album, It’s a Shame About Ray. They talk about why Lenny chose this album for the show, how he got to know The Lemonheads’ Evan Dando personally, what Lenny likes about each of the album's tracks and his own journey as a guitarist.

As Lenny had mentioned, his Hot Stove Cool Music performance of “The Outdoor Type” with Evan Dando is on YouTube. Watch/listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbDtcu257Cc

Lenny had shared with Al this video on the making of The Dropkick Murphys’ “Tessie,” and now he's sharing it with you. If you love music, baseball or both, it’s a worthwhile watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKymxOS44Pw&t=5s

Be sure to give Lenny a follow on Twitter at @DinardoLenny and on Instagram at @dinardolhp.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

1:14 Lenny joins the show

3:02 Lenny talks about the eclectic mix of music he grew up with

5:46 Lenny explains what hooked him on It’s a Shame About Ray

6:44 Nic Dalton did a cool thing in the YouTube comments

9:40 Lenny talks about how he met Evan Dando…

12:00 …and how he wound up playing a gig with Evan

13:25 Lenny names a couple of other albums he considered discussing on this episode instead

14:56 Lenny explains why he chose It’s a Shame About Ray

Discussion of specific tracks

16:16 Hannah & Gabi

20:28 My Drug Buddy

22:58 Lenny has to listen to the album all the way through

24:35 Rockin Stroll

26:45 It’s a Shame About Ray

29:03 Confetti, Rudderless and the importance of lyrics and vocals

35:56 Mrs. Robinson

39:28 Frank Mills

40:40 The Turnpike Down

42:24 Bit Part/“Shorty Shea”

44:30 Allison’s Starting to Happen

47:08 Lenny talks about how The Lemonheads have evolved over time

50:26 Lenny helped The Baseball Project out with one of their songs

55:46 Lenny recounts some of his experiences with recording music

1:00:48 The one thing Lenny would change in his life if he could

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This episode is dedicated to the memory of Lelya Turcihin, a great friend and a wonderful soul who loved INXS and left us far too early and far too long ago.

Sherry Thomas, host of the Analog Smile podcast and contributing writer for The Aquarian, is this episode’s guest, as she gets Al better acquainted with INXS’ fourth album, The Swing. They discuss what Sherry loves about this album and about INXS in general, how she got into music journalism and what made her start her latest podcast.

Be sure to follow Sherry on Twitter at @sherryt1970 and on Instagram at @readcoffeerepeat. Also find Sherry on Facebook at Analog Smile Podcast.

And listen to Analog Smile! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analog-smile/id1611061065?mt=2&ls=1

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:08 Sherry joins the show

2:39 Sherry identifies her favorite musical decade

5:00 Sherry sees The Swing as a pivotal album in INXS’ catalog

9:40 Sherry and Al talk about Original Sin as a centerpiece of the album

17:02 Sherry explains why she thinks Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence were a great songwriting team

Discussion of other tracks

18:34 Dancing on the Jetty

22:15 Johnson’s Aeroplane

27:02 Original Sin (remake)

28:37 Sherry talks about Michael Hutchence’s tragic passing

31:40 I Send a Message

33:12 Burn for You

34:02 Melting in the Sun

35:28 Face the Change/Love Is (What I Say)

38:18 Al explains why he was glad Sherry picked this album

42:00 Sherry names her favorite INXS album(s)

45:02 Sherry talks about how she got into music journalism

48:54 Sherry explains why she started Analog Smile

53:06 Al asks Sherry about the origins of her podcast’s name

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Andrew Stern, one-half of the Americana duo 3 Pairs of Boots (along with his wife, Laura Arias), joins Al to discuss Rosanne Cash’s 2014 album, The River & The Thread. Andrew talks about why he considers this album a “desert island” pick and how this album has influenced his own work as a producer and a musician. He also talks about 3 Pairs of Boots’ upcoming release, Mighty Love.

Where to keep up with Andrew and Laura…

@3pairsofboots on Twitter and Instagram

Website: 3pairsofboots.com

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:08 Andrew joins the show

1:23 Andrew explains why he picked The River & The Thread for this episode

7:37 Andrew talks about the ways that John Leventhal has influenced his own work

10:47 Andrew discusses his process for producing an album

18:25 Andrew picks out some examples of great production and arrangement from The River & The Thread

26:28 Al likes how the music complements the lyrics on “Night School”

27:25 Andrew explains to Al how the songs for The River & The Thread were written

29:53 Lyrics are the hardest part of songwriting for Andrew

33:40 Andrew finds the trajectory of Rosanne Cash’s life interesting

36:50 Al and Andrew talk about the theme of homecoming on The River & The Thread

39:06 Al and Andrew have a difference of opinion about the album closer

43:10 Al cites “The Sunken Lands” as another example of great lyrics

43:55 Andrew discusses his favorite tracks on the album

53:47 The River & The Thread reminds Andrew of Bob Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways

55:59 Andrew talks about how he got used to listening to “relaxed” music

1:02:08 Andrew and Laura are already working on another album

1:07:00 Andrew discusses the origins of the 3 Pairs of Boots name

Outro is from “Evensong” by 3 Pairs of Boots.

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This episode's guest is David Moss, who performs with his twin brother, Adam, as The Brother Brothers. David introduces Al to Richard and Linda Thompson's first album, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight.  David shares how he first became acquainted with the album and what is special about it, and he also talks about The Brother Brothers' new album, Cover to Cover, and the duo's upcoming plans.

You can follow the Brother Brothers on Twitter at @thebrobros and on Instagram at @thebrotherbrothers. As David mentioned, he and Adam also have a website, where you can get tour information, videos and more...http://www.thebrotherbrothersmusic.com/.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:11 David joins the show

1:26 David explains why he chose I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

1:55 David remembers the exact moment that the album took on special meaning for him

4:30 David talks about the elements of the album that set it apart

Discussion of specific tracks:

6:13 Calvary Cross

14:57 The End of the Rainbow

18:52 The Little Beggar Girl

20:44 What makes this a seminal folk rock album?

24:49 David and Al appreciate Linda Thompson’s vocal versatility

26:03 I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

31:46 The Great Valerio

35:41 David explains why the Brother Brothers made a covers album

37:57 David tells us about what’s coming up for the Brother Brothers

38:46 David recommends an additional album for us to listen to

The outro music is from the Brother Brothers' cover of Richard Thompson's "Waltzing's for Dreamers."

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Musician/songwriter/producer Tim Friese-Greene (solo, Short-Haired Domestic, Heligoland, Talk Talk) joins Al to talk about My Bloody Valentine's 1988 debut, Isn't Anything. Tim talks about why this is an important album and which tracks stand out for him. He also discusses his new album, Melodic Apoptosis, and upcoming projects.

Tim briefly alluded to the novel process used to write and record the last two Talk Talk albums. Al looked for some documentation of that process to share here in the notes, but was not able to find many sources, but this piece provides a start:  https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/sep/13/talk-talk-mark-hollis.

Tim also mentioned that he kept and published a Twitter blog that documented his experience of creating Melodic Apoptosis. You can find it at https://twitter.com/fatpet3.

Be sure to check out Tim's website, https://www.timfriesegreene.co.uk/,  and his Bandcamp page, https://calciumchloride.bandcamp.com/!

You can also follow Tim on Twitter at @curonianspit2.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:42 Tim joins the show

2:29 Al’s normal routine for preparing for the show did not serve him well this time

4:06 Tim describes how he and his family listen to music at home

5:47 Tim explains why Isn’t Anything is an important album for him

10:18 Was Talk Talk affected by 1980s music trends that Tim wasn’t fond of?

13:31 Tim explains why he chose Isn’t Anything instead of Loveless

19:06 Tim recounts the one time he met Kevin Shields

21:20 Tim gives an example of the messiness of Isn’t Anything

23:00 Tim appreciates the sound of Isn’t Anything

24:27 Tim is reluctant to call Isn’t Anything a rock album

29:02 Tim imagines what Isn’t Anything would sound like if recorded by an American rock band

31:55 Tim talks about how he typically listens to Isn’t Anything

33:29 Tim gives the songs on Isn’t Anything a passing grade on the “busker’s test”

36:01 Tim identifies a pair of standout tracks

44:02 Tim is curious about My Bloody Valentine’s process for recording acoustic tracks

46:01 Sometimes Tim reflexively analyzes music

47:35 Tim talks about how he connects with Isn’t Anything

50:56 Tim offers Al a suggestion on how he might get more out of the album

54:48 Tim discusses the circumstances around the recording of Melodic Apoptosis

1:01:07 Tim is happy with the way the Short-Haired Domestic album came out

1:01:47 Tim talks about his upcoming albums

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Superorganism's lead vocalist and artist Orono joins Al and picks this week's album, which is Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?  by The Unicorns. Orono explains why she chose this album and what makes it one of her favorites. She also delves into the process Superorganism used to record their new album, World Wide Pop, and the videos they released along with it, and she also talks about her friendship with "cool dad" Stephen Malkmus.

Superorganisim YouTube channel (featuring videos discussed on this episode): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDWISefDYGwbspN9w6kyLSw

Superorganisim's website (with tour dates!): https://www.wearesuperorganism.com/

Superorganism on Twitter and Instagram: @sprorgnsm

As Orono noted, you can follow her on Twitter (@oronooo) and Instagram (@
oronooooo). Just make sure you type the right number of "o"s depending on the platform.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:12 Orono joins the show

2:05 Orono explains how Superorganism wound up appearing on Legion

4:29 Orono’s friend suggested that she choose Who Will Cut Our Hair

6:20 Al tells Orono what his impression of the album is

9:26 Orono loved The Unicorns right at her first listen

12:22 Orono talks about the similarities between The Unicorns and Superorganism

15:54 Orono doesn’t have a favorite track

Observations about specific tracks

17:18 I Don’t Wanna Die

20:10 Child Star

25:00 Emasculate the Masculine

27:05 Is this a pop album?

30:18 Inoculate the Innocuous

31:34 Jellybones

32:11 Tuff Luff/Sea Ghost

34:59 Tuff Ghost

36:59 Les Os

39:42 Let’s Get Known

41:36 Orono wishes The Unicorns had stayed together longer

43:28 Orono explains how she got to be friends with Stephen Malkmus

47:13 Orono outlines Superorganism’s process for writing songs for World Wide Pop

50:50 Is Orono an Arizona Diamondbacks fan?

52:27 Orono talks about how Superorganism’s videos get made

54:52 Orono discusses her other current projects

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Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer Carla Olson is this week's guest, and she introduces Al to The Jimi Hendrix Experience's second album, Axis: Bold as Love. Carla co-founded The Textones (with Kathy Valentine), collaborated with Mick Taylor, Bob Dylan, Gene Clark and countless others, and co-produced and performed on the new compilation album, Americana Railroad. Carla talks about her favorite things about Axis, as well as her own encounter with Hendrix, her work with Taylor, the story behind Americana Railroad and much more.

Al referred to an interview that Carla did with Harold Lapidis, where she discussed performing in Bob Dylan's video for "Sweetheart Like You," among many other topics. You can check out the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG0QzQ_8Ejk&t=1838s

Also, you can see Carla's performance on the "Sweetheart Like You" video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpRKstHl7Y0

As Carla mentioned, you can stream/purchase Americana Railroad everywhere now. Here is one place to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nH73kV_CiBB9ooznmJi3W-BLiz6YdcOLg

There are lots of places to keep current with Carla's work!

@CarlaOlsonMusic on Twitter and Instagram

@CarlaBOlson on Instagram

@haveharmonywilltravel on Instagram

Textones Facebook page

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:24 Carla joins the show

2:08 Carla talks about the time she met Jimi Hendrix

14:27 Carla talks about playing guitar growing up

21:15 Carla recalls how she got introduced to Kathy Valentine

25:46 Carla pinpoints what it is about Jimi Hendrix that made him great

28:00 Carla discusses what was new for Hendrix on Axis

31:36 Carla tells us what Don Henley’s pet peeve with Hendrix was

32:38 Carla and Al talk about how Axis is meant to be listened to in its entirety

33:31 Carla says that the era in which Axis was recorded and toured was one of rapid growth for Hendrix as a musician

34:53 Carla and Al discuss Noel Redding and his pop sensibility

38:14 Carla and Al talk about Hendrix as a vocalist and lyricist

42:07 Listening to Axis has helped Al to better appreciate Hendrix’s impact

49:07 Al wonders why tracks from Axis didn’t get more radio airplay

55:33 Carla recounts the crisis that could have prevented Axis from getting released

59:13 Carla explains how she started working with Mick Taylor

1:05:15 The Americana Railroad compilation album was decades in the making

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This episode is an audio-only version of the livestream event that occurred on Monday, June 20. The participants discussed musical artists they have listened to the most in their lives, the benefits of digging deeply into their favorite artists' work and whether they feel FOMO when focusing their listening attention narrowly. The participants and host also picked albums that they wanted the other participants to hear.

The participants were:
Ellen Adair (actor, baseball analyst, podcast host)
Rebecca Clay Cole (keyboardist, Pavement)
Eric Gilde (actor, writer, podcast host)
Mariana Timony (senior editor, Bandcamp Daily)

Host:
Al Melchior

2:18 Introductions
3:55 The artists we have listened to the most
15:55 What are we looking for when we get immersed in certain artists' music?
32:33 Do we get musical FOMO?
43:42 Albums we want to share with others

If you want to actually see (as well as hear) this conversation, head on over to the You, Me and An Album channel on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVv9NLptU7Q

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Matt Norlander, basketball writer and analyst for CBS Sports and host of the Records & Riffs podcast, is this episode's guest, and he introduces Al to Pearl Jam's fifth album, Yield.  Matt talks about his fandom for Pearl Jam in general and his love for this particular album, commenting in detail on nearly every track. He also delves into his viral moment involving a Guster sticker and what's coming up for him, both at CBS Sports and on Records & Riffs.

This was not a great episode for Al in terms of correctly citing song titles. He referred to "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" from Vs., as "Elderly Lady," and "Red Dot" from Yield as "Red Bar."

Be sure to follow Matt on Twitter and Instagram at @mattnorlander, and to check out his website, mattnorlander.com. Also find the archive of episodes for Records and Riffs at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/records-riffs/id1038311526?mt=2.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter earlier this year. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

Finally, You, Me and An Album now has a YouTube channel! If you missed the recent livestream episode with Rebecca Clay Cole, Mariana Timony, Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde, you can replay it there...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbABgYqn4lMrG4NE3dqniIw.

1:24 Matt joins the show

2:22 Matt talks about interviewing Steve Lillywhite for his music podcast

5:46 Matt explains why he picked Yield

8:37 1998 was a great music year for Matt

10:39 Why is Yield Matt’s favorite Pearl Jam album?

19:00 Al references albums that were the first ones he loved from certain bands

19:32 Al appreciates the elements that make Yield different from previous Pearl Jam albums

22:31 Matt thinks the band’s collaborative approach on Yield produced great results

25:38 Matt singles out his favorite songwriter in Pearl Jam

Discussion of specific tracks

27:52 No Way/Faithful

31:50 Wishlist and an appreciation of Jack Irons

34:22 Given to Fly

36:28 Brain of J./Do the Evolution

38:33 Red Dot/Push Me, Pull Me

42:15 Matt surmises which other albums Yield’s tracks could have been placed on

43:45 MFC

45:57 Low Light

47:42 Matt admires Brendan O’Brien’s production on Yield

48:44 Matt’s closing thoughts on the album

52:04 Matt talks about his current work at CBS Sports and with Records & Riffs

56:29 Matt talks about the viral moment he had with his Guster laptop sticker

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On this episode, Al unveils the new You, Me and An Album YouTube channel.  He announces the first offerings on the channel -- namely, a new playlist and a livestream event. In discussing the livestream, Al revisits excerpts from some previous episodes that featured the livestream guests: Eric Gilde, Rebecca Clay Cole, Ellen Adair and Mariana Timony.

YMAAA Livestream/Q&A
Monday, June 20 at 2pm ET/11am PT
https://youtu.be/SVv9NLptU7Q

Special guests:

REBECCA CLAY COLE (Pavement, Wild Flag, The Minders), MARIANA TIMONY (Bandcamp Daily), ELLEN ADAIR (The Sinner, Homeland, MLB Network), ERIC GILDE (Cryptid, Narrator Syndrome)

Topic: our experiences of being deeply immersed in our favorite music

Playlist: Cuts from 30 Rockin' Albums (but not all rock)
One track from each of the last 30 albums featured on YMAAA
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDQFLu8I78OMLEgFNsaL0vDsRSni7eKij

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LIVESTEAM INFO!!

As Al mentioned towards the end of this episode, he will be bringing You, Me and An Album to YouTube! Be sure to set your reminder for viewing the first YMAAA livestream on Monday, June 20 at 2pm ET/11am PT by going directly to the livestream page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVv9NLptU7Q

Al’s guests will be:

Rebecca Clay Cole (Pavement, Wild Flag, The Minders)

Mariana Timony (Bandcamp Daily, The Weird Girls Post)

Ellen Adair (Homeland, The Sinner, Take Me In To the Ballgame podcast)

Eric Gilde (Cryptid, Narrator Syndrome, Take Me In To the Ballgame podcast)

There will be Q&A…submit your questions in the live chat or DM them to Al ahead of time at @youmealbum on Twitter or Instagram!

_________________________

Uncle Tupelo…yet another band that Al had heard about and read about, but never actually listened to. Jeff Erickson of RotoWire remedies that on this episode, as he introduces Al to the band via their 1990 debut album, No Depression. Jeff and Al talk about several of the album’s tracks, the importance of Uncle Tupelo to the alt-country subgenre, Jeff’s experiences with listening to Wilco and Son Volt, and the nature of being a fan of a band that becomes more popular over time.

As he promised, Jeff provided a link to a video of Uncle Tupelo playing live in 1994. Watch and enjoy…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWiUkQMs5zM

Let Jeff know how much you love Uncle Tupelo on Facebook and at @Jeff_Erickson on Twitter.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:02 Jeff joins the show

2:23 Jeff explains how he discovered No Depression

4:42 Al discusses his experience of seeing Wilco live

6:31 Jeff identifies the reasons why he chose this album

8:12 Jeff connected with No Depression’s earnest tone

9:42 Al appreciates Uncle Tupelo, even if they didn’t totally click for him

13:15 Jeff talks about Uncle Tupelo’s early years, and Al recalls hearing about the band in that era

16:05 Al and Jeff find parallels between Uncle Tupelo and R.E.M.

17:51 Al has a hard time imagining Uncle Tupelo as a punk band

19:08 Al and Jeff compare Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy

22:12 Jeff names some of his favorite songs from the album

24:12 Uncle Tupelo doesn’t take credit for creating alt-country, even though others do

25:54 Al talks about a couple of his favorite tracks

28:12 Jeff and Al discuss their struggles with enjoying their favorite bands after they became popular

33:39 No Depression hits Jeff the same way now as it did when he first heard it

34:59 Jeff and Al pick out some of their favorite lyrics from No Depression

42:09 Jeff compares and contrasts Uncle Tupelo with Wilco and Son Volt

48:46 Al asks Jeff where to continue his Farrar/Tweedy exploration

52:00 Jeff talks about his work with RotoWire

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Not only does Massachusetts-based musician, songwriter and producer Henning Ohlenbusch introduce Al to an album he didn’t know on this week’s episode, but with Ha!-Ha!-Ha!, he opens Al up to a whole era of Ultravox! that he didn’t even know existed. Henning talks about why this album is special to him, shares his observations on each of the album’s eight tracks and discusses the making of his new solo album, The Dream is to Dream.

Henning’s label, Rubwrongways Records, publishes a playlist called 25 Songs for This Week every Monday. Check it out here! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7fyuMn8ZZh8N3FoJnaP7jo

You can find Henning’s work on the Rubwrongways website (rubwrongways.com), as well as on his Bandcamp page (https://henningohlenbusch.bandcamp.com/).

Be sure to give Henning a follow! @ItsMeHenning on Twitter and @henningo on Instagram

You can also find all things Henning on his website, henningo.com.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

LIVESTEAM INFO!!

Also, as mentioned at the outset of this episode, Al will be bringing You, Me and An Album to YouTube! Be sure to set your reminder for viewing the first YMAAA livestream on Monday, June 20 at 2pm ET/11am PT by going directly to the livestream page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVv9NLptU7Q

And don’t forget to send your questions for Rebecca Clay Cole, Mariana Timony, Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde by Twitter DM to @youmealbum or in the YouTube chat during the live show.

0:00 A special announcement

2:16 Henning joins the show

3:15 Henning talks about what he likes about the Northampton music scene

4:36 Al’s first experience of listening to Ha!-Ha!-Ha! was a bit of a shock

6:23 Henning has a strong preference for one version of Ultravox over the other

10:05 Henning names some other bands he could have chosen for this episode

11:28 Al had to reset his expectations for the album

Discussion of specific tracks:

12:20 Distant Smile

18:35 ROckWrok

19:07 The Frozen Ones

22:58 Fear in the Western World

25:56 Comparing Side 1 vs. Side 2

27:50 The Man Who Dies Every Day

32:24 Artificial Life

36:56 While I’m Still Alive

41:50 Hiroshima Mon Amour

47:56 Henning is impressed by the loudness of this album

49:50 Henning has had a hard time getting others to explore Ha!-Ha!-Ha!

51:14 Henning has an interesting idea about how the album-listening habit gets formed

53:20 Henning talks about his approach to recording his new album

1:01:44 Henning discusses what’s next for him

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Days before the release of Slang’s debut album, Cockroach in a Ghost Town, guitarist Anita Lee Elliott dropped by to talk about Ace Frehley’s self-titled solo album. Anita discussed how she first learned about this album, why she loves it and how she imagines it was received by Ace’s Kiss bandmates. She also talked about how she joined Slang and what some of her favorite tracks are from the band’s new album.

Slang's Cockroach in a Ghost Town is out! Stream/buy it here: https://theeslang.bandcamp.com/releases

Al highly recommends the video for Viva Voce's "Alive with Pleasure," as he and Anita discussed on this episode. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_X7m7xFVJw

As discussed on the show, Anita Lee and The Handsome Three have a Facebook page. Check it out...https://www.facebook.com/anitaleeandhandsome3/

You can follow Slang on Twitter at @realslang and on Instagram at @theeslang.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:07 Anita joins the show

1:44 Anita explains how she wound up getting Ace Frehley’s debut album

4:38 Anita discusses the extent of her Kiss fandom

6:47 This album fit right in with other popular rock music of its time

9:48 Anita is a music-first, lyrics-second type of music listener

11:48 Anita’s parents helped her forge a strong connection with albums

15:20 Growing up near Muscle Shoals influenced Anita’s love of electric guitar

Discussion of specific tracks

17:35 Speedin’ Back to My Baby

20:10 I’m in Need of Love/Ozone

24:55 New York Groove

29:29 Anita likes how Ace proved his doubters wrong

32:24 Rip It Out

35:01 Wiped-Out

37:16 Fractured Mirror

39:11 What’s on Your Mind?

39:57 This album has been a part of Anita’s life since childhood

40:49 Al asks Anita about a video she made when she was in Viva Voce

44:42 Anita talks about joining Slang

46:46 Anita discussed the recording process for Cockroach in a Ghost Town

48:44 Anita reveals Slang’s tour plans

51:11 Anita identifies some of her favorite moments from Cockroach in a Ghost Town

55:28 Anita talks about her other band, Anita Lee and The Handsome Three

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Music journalist Maggie Serota (formerly of SPIN) pays Al a visit to get him acquainted with the 1980 debut album from The Teardrop Explodes, Kilimanjaro. Maggie delves into what she loves about this band and this album, breaks down some of her favorite tracks and discusses the many dramas that surrounded this short-lived band and its frontman, Julian Cope.

Be sure to give Maggie a follow on Twitter at @maggieserota!

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:05 Maggie joins the show

2:01 Kilimanjaro takes Al right back to 1980

5:21 Maggie explains how she wound up getting into The Teardrop Explodes

9:10 Maggie and Al talk about The Teardrop Explodes’ tumultuous history

12:07 Al identifies a song he might skip

14:41 Maggie is fascinated by Julian Cope’s contradictions

18:38 Maggie discovers the meaning behind a cryptic Cope lyrical reference

21:25 Maggie likes some of the tracks on the deluxe version of the album

25:20 Maggie and Al talk about the album’s closer, “When I Dream”

28:06 Al stuns Maggie by admitting he has never done karaoke

31:05 Al likes the keyboard sound on “Thief of Baghdad”

32:54 Maggie likes how seamless the album’s sequencing is

34:57 Maggie talks about the Julian Cope-Ian McCulloch rivalry

37:31 Maggie explains why she chose Kilimanjaro for this episode

42:09 Maggie and Al take a detour to talk about U2

47:42 Maggie brings up another Julian Cope rivalry 

48:33 Maggie and Al each have a track where they have trouble focusing

49:32 “Poppies in the Field” reminds Al of The Police

52:18 Maggie recommends that Al explore more of Cope’s solo work

55:02 Maggie revisits a piece she wrote about So I Married an Axe Murderer

59:21 Maggie talks about recent changes in her work situation

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Country musicians Willie Heath Neal and Kira Annalise, who perform as The Waymores, introduce Al to an album by their band’s namesake, Honky Tonk Heroes by Waylon Jennings. Willie and Kira talk about why this album is so special to them, and they also tell Al about their farm in central Georgia and discuss their new album, Stone Sessions.

Be sure to follow Willie and Kira on Twitter at @TWaymores and on Instagram at @thewaymores!

As they mentioned, they also have a YouTube channel. Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJWGJRTKouBz7IO3YkUJD4Q.

You can also find out more about the band’s music and tour dates on their website, thewaymores.com.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:22 Willie and Kira join the show

1:49 Willie and Kira cite the other albums they considered for this episode

3:05 Willie and Kira talk about the origins of The Waymores

8:23 Kira and Willie revisit Kira’s introduction to Honky Tonk Heroes

13:03 Willie thinks about Honky Tonk Heroes as a concept album

13:33 Willie recounts his first experience of closely listening to Honky Tonk Heroes

16:00 Kira and Willie explain why they think the album is brilliant

17:58 Al had trouble focusing on the music on the album

19:25 Waylon Jennings’ message and vocal delivery made the album meaningful for Kira

21:09 Shoddy production is part of the album’s charm for Willie

23:06 Willie and Kira delve into the particulars of Waylon’s vocal delivery

26:28 Willie talks about his long-standing fixation with Honky Tonk Heroes

29:00 Kira tells the story behind the partnership of Waylon and Billy Joe Shaver

34:31 Kira and Willie laud the quality and uniqueness of Waylon’s voice

37:37 Willie repeats a story told to him by Billy Joe Shaver

Discussion of selected tracks:

39:35 We Had It All

42:00 Ain’t No God in Mexico

42:44 Low Down Freedom/Omaha

46:59 Kira and Willie talk about a particular lesson they take from Waylon’s songwriting

49:21 Honky Tonk Heroes was an aberration for a country album in the early ‘70s

50:56 Kira and Willie talk extensively about “outlaw” vs. “outcast” country

55:29 Willie likes how spacious Honky Tonk Heroes is

57:19 Kira and Willie appreciate the way Waylon paints a picture with his songs

1:00:56 Kira and Willie talk about their farm and their love of animals

1:08:06 Kira and Willie talk about their new album, Stone Sessions

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The man who taught Al everything he knows about podcasting — podcast and video host Adam Aizer of CBSSports.com — pays a visit to the show, and he introduces Al to Aerosmith’s 1993 album, Get a Grip. In addition to discussing the album and nearly all of its tracks in detail, Adam and Al reminisce about their time podcasting together for CBSSports.com and explore the lack of overlap in their musical tastes.

Al made a reference to a Misheard Lyrics video for Pearl Jam’s Yellow Ledbetter. He and Adam highly recommend it. Give it a watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLd22ha_-VU

1:07 Adam joins the show

1:48 Al acknowledges his debt to Adam

2:27 Adam recalls a tense podcast that he and Al did

4:56 Adam and Al are continuing previous conversations about Get a Grip

6:18 Adam explains how he got into Aerosmith and Get a Grip

10:07 Adam and Al talk about the videos Aerosmith made for tracks on Get a Grip

12:12 Al discovers why he hasn’t liked Aerosmith more

14:48 Adam describes how he sees the evolution of Aerosmith’s personality

19:03 Adam addresses one criticism of Get a Grip

19:38 Al has lumped Aerosmith in with several ‘70s artists who changed their style in the ‘80s

21:46 Adam and Al disagree on who is the best American rock band

23:30 Adam reveals something about his music-listening habits

24:52 Al — and not Adam — picked this episode’s album

25:23 Adam also liked the albums Aerosmith released after Get a Grip

27:33 Adam talks about why Get a Grip is his favorite Aerosmith album

Observations about specific tracks:

29:09 Amazing

31:34 Crazy

33:13 Livin’ on the Edge

35:55 Adam ranks his six favorite tracks from the album

37:04 Eat the Rich

41:46 Adam brings up the most unfortunate part of the album

43:33 Shut Up and Dance

45:00 Line Up

47:05 Gotta Love It

48:31 Al compares Eat the Rich with Livin’ on the Edge

50:16 Adam thinks the sequencing of Get a Grip is interesting

52:29 Al takes another crack at comparing Eat the Rich and Livin’ on the Edge

54:46 Al sums up his opinion of Get a Grip

55:20 Adam recommends another album for Al to listen to

56:38 Adam discusses his work with CBSSports.com

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Music journalist Marissa R. Moss, author of the soon-to-be-released Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed to Be, stops by to get me acquainted with Margo Price’s 2016 debut album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter. Marissa talks about the circumstances that brought her to Nashville, how she became acquainted with Price’s music, and what makes Midwest Farmer’s Daughter a special album.

Give Marissa a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @marissarmoss!

You can also learn more about Marissa and her work at her website, https://www.marissarmoss.com/.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:12 Marissa joins the show

2:22 Marissa explains why she moved to Nashville

7:14 Marissa first saw Margo Price with Buffalo Clover

10:43 Margo Price’s music isn’t necessarily easy to categorize

12:42 Marissa knew Midwest Farmer’s Daughter was special almost instantly

Observations about (nearly all of) the album’s tracks:

14:16 Hands of Time

19:57 Marissa helps Al understand the distinction between Americana and country music

24:05 Hurtin’ (On the Bottle)

25:19 This Town Gets Around

26:15 Since You Put Me Down

30:27 Tennessee Song

32:46 Four Years of Chances

38:26 Hurtin’ (On the Bottle), again

41:55 How the Mighty Have Fallen

48:35 Weekender/World’s GreatestLoser/Desperate and Depressed

55:38 Marissa talks about why she wanted to tell the story she tells in Her Country

1:00:58 Marissa discusses her upcoming plans

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You, Me and An Album takes the show on the road for this episode, recording at WRSI The River studios in Northampton, Mass. The station’s program director, production director and afternoon host, Joan Holliday, was not only gracious enough to join me on this episode and introduce me to Al Stewart’s Modern Times, but also to provide a wonderful venue for our conversation. In addition to talking about the tracks from this 1975 album, as well as some others from Stewart’s discography, Joan discussed her friendship with Stewart, her career in radio and The River’s unique approach to programming.

As Joan mentioned on the show, you can reach her via mail: [email protected].

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:01 Joan joins the show

2:25 Joan explains how she chose Modern Times for this episode

3:37 Joan recounts how she became an Al Stewart fan

4:52 Joan talks about her friendship with Al Stewart

9:49 Joan contrasts Modern Times with Year of the Cat

12:35 Joan appreciates how Al Stewart can embody different characters in a song

13:22 Joan and Al discuss how albums like Modern Times don’t become pop albums anymore

15:03 Joan highlights the aspects of Al Stewart’s music that she loves

17:46 Joan has seen Al Stewart perform too many times to count

Reaction to (nearly all of) the album’s tracks:

19:05 Apple Cider Re-Constitution

21:29 Not the One

24:25 Sirens of Titan

25:46 Carol

28:12 What’s Going On?

30:37 The Dark and the Rolling Sea

34:54 Next Time

38:10 Joan implores us to explore more of Al Stewart’s catalog

42:10 Joan talks about how Al Stewart’s sound changed after the success of Year of the Cat

44:04 Does Tony Banks sound like Al Stewart?

45:24 Joan talks about how she started at The River

46:43 Joan describes The River’s approach to programming

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Al has had issues with Bruce Springsteen’s music for more than 40 years, and singer/songwriter Rain Perry is here to help him work through them. She introduces Al to Springsteen’s first solo album, Nebraska, and analyzes his particular approach to songcraft. Rain also talks about how she became a Springsteen fan, as well as what she doesn’t like about his music. She also delves into her soon-to-be-released A White Album.

Correction: Al cites April 15 as the release date for Rain’s new album and the tax filing deadline in the U.S. While this is the correct date for Rain’s album release, Tax Day is actually April 18 this year.

Buy Rain’s music! https://rainperry.bandcamp.com

While you’re at it, sign up for her mailing list at rainperry.com.

Also, you can follow Rain on Twitter and Instagram at @rainperry.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

0:59 Rain joins the show

1:37 Al feels like the only person in the world who doesn’t like Bruce Springsteen’s music

3:24 Rain talks about her formative musical experiences

6:51 Springsteen’s music resonates with Rain because of the way he tells personal stories

8:22 Rain identifies which Springsteen album she first got into

9:26 Rain explains why she chose Nebraska instead of another Springsteen album

11:53 The track “Johnny 99” highlighted Al’s sense of disconnect with Springsteen’s songs

14:53 Rain talks about her initial impressions of Nebraska

17:01 The six major themes of Springsteen’s songs

Reactions to selected tracks:

18:16 Johnny 99

22:11 Highway Patrolman

27:46 Nebraska

30:13 Reason to Believe

33:45 Atlantic City/Used Cars

37:21 Open All Night

38:42 Springsteen on Broadway left an impression on Rain

42:11 Springsteen inspires Rain to write from other people’s perspectives

47:27 Rain talks about what she likes and dislikes about Springsteen’s songs musically

54:56 Rain and Al discuss her new record, A White Album

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Glen Phillips from Toad the Wet Sprocket pays Al a visit to talk about Dirty Projectors’ ninth and most recent album, Lamp Lit Prose. Glen explains why he loves this album, what lessons he takes from it for his own work and what’s in store for him in the studio and on the road. He also talks about other artists he admires, other albums he thought about discussing here and a past project of his that Al just discovered.

Al’s notes:

As I mentioned on this episode, Glen was Brian Koppelman’s guest on his podcast, The Moment, several years ago. It’s a great conversation, and they get deeper into Glen’s career than he and I did on this podcast. Check it out here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/glen-phillips-9-6-16/id814550071?i=1000519286763

Glen made reference to “the Bob Schneider songwriting game.” I admit I had to look this up after recording the episode. Glen described it well here, but if you want to know more about it, this article is a good place to start. https://www.npr.org/2013/11/24/246755925/for-a-few-musicians-beating-songwriters-block-is-all-in-the-game

Websites:
http://www.glenphillips.com/
https://toadthewetsprocket.com/.
https://toadthewetsprocket.bandcamp.com/

Though Glen said he doesn’t use social media much, you can still give him a follow on Twitter at @glenphillips. You can access his weekly livestream concerts there or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/glenphillipsofficial.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:03 Glen joins the show

1:32 Glen talks about how he has been influenced by Talk Talk and Peter Gabriel

3:03 Glen discusses his EP, Secrets of the New Explorers

5:21 Glen has known Brian Koppelman since his late teens

6:16 Glen and Al talk about how much they love Talk Talk

9:52 Glen lists other albums he thought about picking for this episode

12:11 Glen talks about how he got into Dirty Projectors

14:51 Al shares his reaction to Lamp Lit Prose

Reactions to selected tracks:

15:43 That’s a Lifestyle

20:53 I Feel Energy

23:54 I Found It In U

24:46 Zombie Conqueror (and a discussion of drummers who play out of the pocket)

31:01 Right Now

38:03 Al talks about exploring other Dirty Projectors albums

40:56 Right Now (cont., and a discussion of hocketing)

44:23 Break-Thru

48:13 Glen talks about how different his songwriting approach is compared to David Longstreth’s

51:24 Glen considers whether Dirty Projectors has influenced his music

56:59 Glen also admires the work of Bjork and tUnE-yArDs

58:45 One of Glen’s favorite musicians almost never performs

1:01:14 Glen enjoys leading a community choir

1:05:18 Al explains why he dug further into this album than others discussed on this podcast

1:06:33 Glen talks about the solo project he’s been working on and the upcoming Toad the Wet Sprocket tour

Outro musi

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There have been few episodes to date where Al has never heard of the artist or the album being discussed, but fantasy baseball analyst and pet supply store proprietor Sam Wirsching chose an album that fits that category. Sam selected Tonio K.s Life in the Foodchain for this episode, and it’s an album that played an important and memorable role in his childhood. In addition to analyzing several of the album’s tracks, Sam talks about how well the album has held up for him, other artists he listened to growing up and his new podcast, Peace Love Baseball.

Sam mentioned a clip he had seen of Janis Joplin performing “What’s New Pussycat” with Tom Jones, but I was unable to find it. I did find this performance of “Raise Your Hand,” and it’s definitely worth checking out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZmiefQ5y4U.

I was also able to locate the clip of CSNY and Tom Jones  performing “Long Time Gone” that I had mentioned (though I incorrectly said it was CSN). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIDzA0YDso8

Find and follow Sam on Twitter! @SamFBB1

Sam’s Peace Love Baseball podcast has a Twitter account. Follow his show at @plbpodcast.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/

1:11 Sam joins the show

2:29 Sam explains why he chose Life in the Foodchain as his album

3:03 Sam and Al try to find ways to describe Tonio K’s music

5:21 Sam likes the album’s irreverent tone

7:31 Al shares his initial reaction to the album

Reactions to (nearly all of) the album tracks:

8:53 The Funky Western Civilization

12:40 Life in the Food Chain

14:51 Al and Sam wax nostalgic about music from the late 70s

17:47 Sam and Al highlight what makes Tonio K. unique

20:44 Sam and Al wind up taking a detour to talk about Tom Jones

23:29 Life in the Food Chain (cont.)

28:55 Willie and the Pigman/The Ballad of the Night the Clocks All Quit (And the Government Failed)

36:55 H-A-T-R-E-D

43:03 A Lover’s Plea

47:40 How Come I Can’t See You In My Mirror?

50:53 Better Late Than Never

53:15 Sam talks about some other artists he listened to growing up

58:26 Sam discusses his new baseball podcast

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Mike Lord and Tom Roche — co-hosts of Tabletop Genesis — take a busman’s holiday from their own podcast to have a Genesis-adjacent conversation on this podcast. Mike, Tom and Al discuss Phil Collins’ seventh solo album, Testify — an album that Al had never explored despite being an ardent Genesis and Phil Collins fan. Mike explains why he recommended this album to Al, despite its less-than-glowing reviews, and Tom discusses his own journey with the album. The whole crew reveals where they would rank Testify among Phil’s albums.

Some assorted notes:

I criticized Phil for having a lyrical theme that was too close to that of a big hit by The Police. Then I referred to “Every Breath You Take” as “Every Step You Take,” which was a far greater offense than the thing I was criticizing.

I could not find a link to the Toyota Avalon commercial with "Can’t Stop Loving You." In my searches I did, however, learn that Taylor Swift did her own cover version in 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6FXmdoGut8

I recommended a couple of YouTube channels, so here are the links!

Tim Pierce: https://www.youtube.com/c/timpierceguitar

Leland Sklar: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs5yDeiOgkyRZGZGphlSbIw

And here is the episode where Lee tells the story about playing on Leo Sayer’s version of “Can’t Stop Loving You.” It starts at 16:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I74es0kSFlw&t=1062s

Follow Tom and Mike on Twitter!

Tom Roche is @burningfirebush

Mike Lord is @zorknapp

Their Tabletop Genesis podcast is on Twitter, too! Follow them at @GenesisTabletop

The show also has a Facebook page (Tabletop Genesis) and a website, http://tabletopgenesis.com/, where you can get the podcast, take their polls and learn more about the program.

(To the tune of Follow You, Follow Me) You can follow them, will you follow me…

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com

1:16 Mike and Tom join the show

3:01 Al and Mike explain how this episode came to be

6:47 Tom hadn’t listened to Testify much before preparing for this episode

8:53 Al didn’t even know Testify existed until several years after its release

9:49 Al wonders if he can evaluate Testify fairly and enlists Tom and MIke’s help

16:40 Mike and Al consider whether they would have liked Testify 20 years ago

17:54 Phil Collins’ albums often reflect his mood at the time he records them

18:47 Testify has a different sound than Phil’s other albums

Reactions to the album’s tracks (slightly out of order)

20:14 Wake Up Call

26:37 Testify

30:38 Come with Me

35:47 Don’t Get Me Started

40:34 Swing Low

44:28 It’s Not Too Late

50:46 This Love This Heart

53:08 Driving Me Crazy

57:55 The Least You Can Do

1:00:27 Can’t Stop Loving You

1:06:58 Thru My Eyes

1:09:31 You Touch My Heart

1:11:36 Tom, Mike and Al consider how to re-sequence the album

1:13:48 Tom, Mike and Al determine where they’d rank Testify among Phil’s albums

1:22:24 Mike was plea

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NOTES: This episode includes some discussion of graphic and disturbing lyrics during the section on the track, “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.,” beginning at the 9:47 mark.

Also, there were some issues with audio quality on this episode. I apologize for the quality in some spots and hope you can bear with them (I think you’ll find it’s worth it!).

Behavioral health therapist Sean Inderbitzen joins Al for this episode, as he introduces him to Sufjan Stevens’ critically-acclaimed 2005 album, Illinois. Sean discusses why he chose this album and how he came to love it. Sean also delves into how he sees the album’s songs as a reflection of the times they were created in and the more timeless meaning that they hold for him.

1:32 Sean joins the show

1:44 Al explains how he and Sean know each other

3:28 Al consciously avoided listening to Sufjan Stevens’ work

4:21 It took Sean several years to appreciate Sufjan’s work

6:12 “Chicago” was the gateway for Sean “getting” this album

9:47 Sean is fascinated by “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” (WARNING: Includes discussion of graphic and disturbing lyrics)

14:50 Sean and Al have a hard time finding something to compare Illinois to

18:59 The intensity of Illinois reflects the time in which it was made

22:09 Sean reflects more on the message of “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.”

Reactions to additional tracks

24:00 Casimir Pulaski Day

26:21 Concerning the UFO Sighting near Highland, Illinois

30:22 A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, but for Very Good Reasons

32:34 Prairie Fire That Wanders About

33:52 Casimir Pulaski Day (again)

34:55 The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!

35:31 Chicago (again)

39:48 Come On! Feel the Illinoise!

46:32 Why didn’t Sean choose a Machine Gun Kelly album?

48:26 Digging further into the album will require more than the usual effort for Al

50:11 Sean talks about a project he’s excited about

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Radio/TV/podcast host and talent booker Mara Davis introduces Al to the The Chicks’ (formerly The Dixie Chicks) Taking the Long Way, released in 2006. Several of the tracks address the backlash to lead singer Natalie Maines' comments about President George W. Bush made three years earlier, and Mara talked about how The Chicks’ response to the incident helped to make her a fan of the group. She also highlighted her favorite tracks on the album, discussed the Spotify-Joe Rogan-Neil Young controversy and talked about the VOTEHER podcast that she co-hosts with Georgia state senator Jen Jordan.

You can find all of the episodes of Mara and Jen’s VOTEHER podcast right here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/voteher-podcast-with-jen-jordan-and-mara-davis/id1529098225

While you’ve got your podcast app open, you owe it to yourself to check out The Jump with Shirley Manson (Mara books the guests for this show!): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jump-with-shirley-manson/id1469077859

Follow Mara on Twitter! @maradavis

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com

Al wrote a piece for Bandcamp Daily! It's about a Quasi song that has made Al rethink his ideas about the importance of achievement. You can give it a read here: https://daily.bandcamp.com/resonance/quasi-seal-the-deal-essay

0:50 Mara joins the show

1:48 Mara talks about The Chicks’ crossover into more pop-oriented music

3:52 Mara appreciates how The Chicks dealt with the George W. Bush controversy

6:43 Mara was only slightly familiar with The Chicks prior to the controversy

7:45 The Chicks' albums were not representative of the type of music that Mara previously listened to

9:14 Mara had no doubt about which album to discuss

10:55 Mara and Al don’t respond to "The Long Way Around" the same way

13:49 Mara discusses some of her other favorite tracks from the album

17:40 Mara also admires Kacey Musgraves

19:42 The Chicks have not been welcomed back the way that Morgan Wallen has been

22:48 Mara is also impressed by The Chicks as a live act

25:00 Mara gets back to some of her other favorite tracks

27:48 Al has some opinions about the album’s track sequence

29:41 Mara contrasts the current Spotify controversy with the treatment of The Chicks

37:44 One more track that Mara loves: “So Hard”

39:34 The tracks that stood out to Al

44:00 Mara talks about why she connects with the female artists she loves

45:33 The one track that Mara skips sometimes

47:00 Mara and Al talk about the album’s writing collaborations

48:52 Mara now listens to a lot more country music

52:43 Mara explains how she started the VOTEHER podcast with Jen Jordan

58:55 Mara talks about booking talent for Shirley Manson’s podcast, The Jump

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ESPN and Baltimore Orioles broadcaster Kevin Brown makes his return to You, Me and An Album, after first appearing on episode 15 (with Lindsey Adler) to discuss Oasis’ Definitely Maybe, This time, Kevin chose Kacey Musgraves’ 2018 album, Golden Hour. Kevin talked about how he got into this album, which tracks are his favorites and what makes this album one that he still goes back to listen to regularly.

Corrections and clarifications:

Kevin asked me how many other repeat guests have been on the show, and I wasn’t sure of the exact number. I can now confirm that he is the fourth guest to have appeared on two episodes of this podcast.

I referred to there being auto-tune at the beginning and end of “Oh. What a World.” Kevin noted that those sections featured vocoder, and in retrospect, I realized that I mistook vocoder for an auto-tuned vocal. I will be writing more on this in the upcoming edition of YMAAA: The Newsletter.

I misspoke in my analysis of “Happy & Sad” I said it was “simplistic but not simple,” but I actually meant to say it the other way around. In any event, I was just trying to say it’s a great song.

Be sure to follow Kevin on Twitter at @kevinnbrown and to read his posts at https://www.kevinreviewsthings.com/!

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com

1:14 Kevin joins the show

4:34 Listening to Kacey Musgraves — and country music generally — is a bit of a departure for Kevin

8:17 Al and Kevin had similar experiences with their first listens to Golden Hour

11:19 Kevin explains why he decided to give Golden Hour a try

13:55 Al wouldn’t mind doing a whole episode just on “Slow Burn”

15:48 Kevin loves the production on Golden Hour

Reactions to the album’s tracks

17:20 Slow Burn

21:19 Lonely Weekend

24:41 Butterflies

26:34 Oh, What a World

31:59 Mother

34:15 Love Is a Wild Thing

37:26 Space Cowboy

40:44 Happy & Sad

44:01 Velvet Elvis/Wonder Woman

46:43 High Horse

48:28 Golden Hour/Rainbow

52:08 Kevin recaps Golden Hour’s great moments

53:04 Kevin recommends another Kacey Musgraves album

54:46 Kevin talks about writing about his memories of listening to Meat Loaf and emotional connections to music

57:07 Al tells his own Meat Loaf-related story

58:55 Kevin is staying busy even in the absence of baseball activity

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