Bassist Will Turpin of Collective Soul joins Al to talk about one of his favorite albums, Diorama (2002) by the Australian band Silverchair. Will explains what makes the orchestral arrangements on this album special, and he and Al contrast the orchestral tracks with the ones that are more typical of Silverchair’s earlier grunge sound. Will also talks about Collective Soul’s new album, Here to Eternity, and how he and the band will go about determining setlists for their upcoming tour with Hootie and the Blowfish and Edwin McCain.
Be sure to give Will a follow on Instagram at @willturpin!
You can also keep up Will and Collective Soul at @collectivesoul on Instagram, @collectivesoultv on YouTube, and on the band’s website collectivesoul.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/
A video about the making of Diorama is, as Will predicted, available on YouTube. You can view it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZsl387ka48&t=89s.
1:27 Will joins the show
1:55 Will explains how he became familiar with Silverchair
4:17 The songs’ orchestrations are a large part of the album’s appeal for Will
6:47 Will and Al talk about the early 2000s transition to digital music
8:08 Will explains what makes the orchestral arrangements on Diorama superb
11:54 Al describes his initial impression of Diorama
15:14 It didn’t take Will long to warm up to the album
16:01 Will cites the reasons for why “Tuna in the Brine” is one of his favorite tracks
18:04 Does Will focus more on music or lyrics?
19:31 Will wants to teach a master class on a trio of Sting albums
22:33 Will and Al talk about Diorama’s mix of orchestral and grungy songs
28:16 Will and Al discuss the highlights from the latter half of the album
32:20 Will talks about the experience of making the 1995 self-titled Collective Soul album
38:30 Will shares the experience of recording Here to Eternity at the Elvis Presley estate in Palm Springs
41:24 Al asked about a potential influence on Ed Roland’s vocal performance
43:30 Will explains how Collective Soul will form their setlists for their upcoming tour
48:17 Will discusses upcoming projects for himself and Collective Soul
Outro music is from “Let It Flow” by Collective Soul.