Explore every episode of the podcast The Record Player
Dive into the complete episode list for The Record Player. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
In picking her favorite album, author K.L. Doty let us know up front that she couldn't settle on just one -- something which we're all familiar with as music fans, right? So we talk about a lot of different music. But in regards to Disintegration by the Cure, specifically, she shared a thought that will land with many of us who have grown up (I guess that's all of us) and made our way out into the real world, which can maybe be the first real moment where you learn about things like compromise. Prior to the interview, K.L. told us the reason for her love of Disintegration comes back to this: "It reminds me of dreams and all the things I wanted as a child that I ultimately left to go chase."
Her story is an interesting one, because she's been chasing a lot of different things for a good amount of time. There's been both happiness and heartbreak -- that's life in a nutshell on some days -- but also, redemption and discovery. Her newest project found her spending the past few years helping former Great White vocalist Jack Russell put his memories on paper and her book was the result of the hours of conversations they had. The True Tale of Mista Bone: A Rock + Roll Narrative was released this summer and is an unvarnished look at Russell's life and career. Through Doty, Russell puts it all out on the table. We enjoyed talking with K.L. to learn about how the book came together, but also, we spoke about her general life journey that has brought her to this point and what's ahead. We hope you enjoy this conversation!
You might know Brian Wecht as Ninja Brian. Or maybe you know him as Trey Magnifique. Perhaps, you just know him as Brian and that's fine too. Matt and Jeff were just thrilled to have him on the podcast to talk about Al Jarreau's mighty fine Breakin' Away album. But there were conditions. First, an impromptu 20 minute discussion about Kenny G. You'll see. Is there a Chicago reference followed by some scathing condemnation? You know there is.
As it happens, Brian, er, Trey Magnifique has a new holiday EP, Let it Blow, available now as you're listening to this. We talk about that and you should buy it and give Brian some of your hard-earned money that you were planning to spend on Christmas cookies. Was Jim Morrison on the receiving end? What does it all mean? I guess it means that we had a really fun and extremely random conversation with Brian that covers a lot of different topics. Which frankly, it feels like that's exactly what needed to happen.
Our thanks to Brian for spending time talking tunes with us. We look forward to having him back on the podcast soon! Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, but also follow him on BlueSky. You know he has a podcast, right? It's called Leighton Night and you can listen here.
P.S. This episode has some filthy language. You kind of expected that, didn't you?
Our latest Bonus Track features a great conversation with the legendary Leland Sklar and director Denny Tedesco regarding his film, The Immediate Family. That's right, someone finally made a movie about Lee Sklar, Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel and Russ Kunkel. If you're a liner notes nerd, you know those names!
Here's one example:
Jackson Browne's Running on Empty album was one where the music fans got to be part of the process. Because it was recorded live on stage in concert -- and at other points along the touring trail, backstage, in hotel rooms and even on the tour bus - it was a unique and often chaotic experience for those involved in the recording.
As Sklar told me, Running on Empty was unlike anything he had ever been a part of. While bands and artists are very used to the uncomfortable nature of playing new material in front of an audience that's just there to hear the hits, Running on Empty captured moments with Browne and the band where they were playing new songs that the audiences hadn't even had a chance to get on an album yet, because they hadn't been recorded.
For Sklar, it was just one experience of many songs and albums that he's played on across the decades. While he's worked with countless names, there were a few that kept coming up -- guitarist Waddy Wachtel, guitarist Danny Kortchmar and drummer Russ Kunkel. The four became known as The Section, the '70s heir apparent to The Wrecking Crew of the '60s. Collectively and often together, they've played on thousands of albums.
In more recent years, they've acquired a new moniker, one which fits well with their connection to the legendary albums they played on by Warren Zevon, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Don Henley and many others -- The Immediate Family. Adding vocalist Steve Postell to their ranks, they've put out several albums.
But it was Tedesco who decided to tell the story of the guys, through the words of their famous employers and associates. He's well-suited for the task, having put out a film about The Wrecking Crew, the group of session musicians that featured his father, guitarist Tommy Tedesco. He saw the natural throughline that connected that collective with what Kortchmar, Wachtel, Sklar and Kunkel continued with the Section.
The Immediate Family is a fascinating journey, one which weaves together valuable history as recounted by those who were there. The film was recently released on DVD and Blu-ray and continues to screen nationally. You can find further details at immediatefamilyfilm.com.
I loved chatting with Denny and Lee -- and it was exciting to hear some details from Denny about his next project, a movie about Wolfman Jack that's currently in process! Can't wait!
P.S. I mention it during the episode, but here's a direct link to Leland's YouTube channel.
Jackyl's Jesse James Dupree is with Matt to discuss his upcoming appearance as one of the experts on The Booze, Bets and Sex That Built America, the new series that premieres Sunday night (06/12/22) at 8pm Eastern on The History Channel.
We also talk about the new Jackyl song, "Get All Up in It (Another Round of Mother Funker)." Watch the music video here.
Jesse shares additional Jackyl news, an Aerosmith story and reflects on the inspiration he took from Metallica. Our thanks to Jesse for the time as always.
Follow us on Twitter @RecordPlayerPod and if you enjoy these episodes, consider joining our Patreon! We appreciate the support!
Author and journalist Mitchell Cohen joins Jeff and Matt to discuss Willie Nile's 1980 self-titled debut on Arista Records. The Buffalo, N.Y. singer-songwriter has enjoyed a long career that has been especially prolific in the last decade. Mitchell helps us trace the early days of Nile's career and how it all began.
We also discuss Mitchell's new book, Looking for the Magic: New York City, the '70s and the Rise of Arista Records, which is a fascinating read covering the birth of the label and its initial history as an independent venture. Along the way, we dig into a few additional chapters of Cohen's A&R career including his experiences with Savage Garden and he shares his thoughts on Milli Vanilli.
You can find the show notes for this episode right here.
If you enjoy the Record Player, consider joining our Patreon and become a member of the Record Club. You'll receive additional bonus content related to these episodes as well as early access to the shows as we record them. We appreciate your support!
Visit @RecordPlayerPod on Twitter and find our complete episode archive here. Thanks for listening!
Howard Jones joins Jeff and Matt to discuss the 30th anniversary of his album, In the Running. It was his fifth release and marked a departure from his signature synth-driven style. There was a vulnerability to both the sound and the songwriting which made the record a really engaging listen. To date, it's probably one of his most underrated releases, so it was a pleasure to get a chance to discuss it with Howard.
We also dig into the stories regarding Dialogue, his newest album, which will be released in September. Dialogue is the third album in a planned four album series and Jones tells us about how the series of work developed and has evolved.
Howard Jones will be on the road this summer beginning in June for a series of concerts with Midge Ure. Both artists are touring with a band and this is a bill not to be missed. Visit Howard's website for details on both the tour and the new album.
If you enjoy this podcast, please consider joining our Record Club on Patreon to support what we do. We greatly appreciate it!
It's been a minute since Jeff and Matt have gotten together for a Cassingle. With a holiday weekend looming, it was good to get together and discuss a busy week of new releases. Bruce Hornsby, Def Leppard, Wilco and others have new albums out. Top Gun: Maverick is in the theaters and the fourth season of Stranger Things has just been released.
If you enjoy this podcast, consider joining our Patreon. Become a member of the Record Club and receive early access to episodes as they are recorded, bonus content related to the shows and lots more. We appreciate your support!
Singer-songwriter Bill Deasy joins Jeff and Matt to discuss Jackson Browne's third album, 1974's Late for the Sky. The discussion leads to the songwriting muse, how long to spend on a song before moving on and how Bill's own writing has changed.
We also dig into the details behindIf The Creek Don't Rise, the latest solo release from Bill. He discusses his past work with the Gathering Field, meeting Michael Stanley and co-writing with a wide range of artists including Maia Sharp, Kim Richey, Howard Jones, Jane Wiedlin and more. You can hear a sample of material from Bill's album at the end of the episode.
Find us on Twitter @RecordPlayerPod and if you enjoy what you hear here, please support this podcast by joining our Patreon for additional bonus content and interviews related to these episodes. We appreciate your support!
Today's Bonus Track features a trio of short conversations. First, Kelly Carlin joins Matt to discuss George Carlin's American Dream, the new documentary from Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio which premieres this weekend in two parts on HBO Max beginning on Friday, May 21.
'80s rocker Corey Hart shares the stage with the Go-Go's, Soft Cell and Charli XCX as part of a special virtual concert happening on June 23 presented by Doritos and Stranger Things.
In his early days as a singer-songwriter, Dan Miraldi met Matt. While the wise thing would have been to run away screaming, Dan did one better than that -- he moved to New York City. But in the years since that initial meeting, Dan and Matt continued to cross paths occasionally and one thing that was always consistent was that they were guaranteed to spend some time nerding out about music.
Today, we continue that tradition, digging deep into Dan's latest album, Radio Friendly Darling. But we also discuss a wide variety of additional subjects, from Ben Kweller and Radish to KISS. It was a blast speaking with him and hopefully you'll enjoy our chat.
We reference a lot of different things and you'll find links to many of them in the show notes.
Dan has shows coming up soon in both Cleveland and the New York area. Visit his website for all of the details.
If you enjoy The Record Player, please consider supporting our Patreon by joining our Record Club. We appreciate it!
Not long after we launched this podcast, we got an email from Matt Sledge, suggesting that if we ever wanted to discuss R.E.M.'s New Adventures in Hi-Fi, he'd love to be the one to sit in with us. So here we are, Jeff, Matt and Matt, discussing the tenth studio album from the Athens band.
It's arguably one of the most interesting records in their catalog in the sense that it found the group taking a really intriguing journey in song. The liner notes of the 2021 expanded reissue pull the curtain back a bit to add some more details to what we already knew about the innovative approach they took to capturing the songs on the album. In short, it was every bit of the adventure that was advertised in the album title and then some.
Find the show notes for this episode right here.
If you enjoy this podcast (and hey, it seems like you do), consider joining our Patreon to become a member of the Record Club. We appreciate your support!
Today's Bonus Track features Steve Forbert, who joins Matt to share stories from his career and he also performs a couple of songs from his new record acoustically. They discuss his latest album as well as his recent memoir. Steve is currently on tour and perhaps he's headed your way.
Join our Patreon to become a preferred subscriber to this podcast and you'll receive access to a wealth of materials related to the show. We appreciate your support.
With a mix of folk, roots-rock, and richly delivered storytelling, Steve Forbert is truly a pioneer of the roots-rock genre. He's been a torchbearer of the sound for more than four decades since, navigating the twists and turns of an acclaimed career that's taken him from gold records to Grammy nominations, from New York City's CBGB to Nashville's Bluebird Cafe, from his 1978 debut album to 2022's vital and versatile Moving Through America.
The songs take centerstage once again with Moving Through America. Filled with character portraits and quirky insights, the album unfolds like a mosaic of modern-day American life, delivered by someone who's been crisscrossing the country for nearly half a century. With an author's nuance and a humorist's wit, Forbert offer glimpses into the everyday lives of his characters: a dog running from the sky's thunderclaps; a Houston man preparing to take his girlfriend out for fried oysters; a former drug dealer celebrating his freedom after incarceration; a road-tripping motorist steadily making his way across the midwest.
Forbert inhabits each character, turning their storylines into first-person narratives that blur the lines between subject and scribe. Backed by the same band that appeared on his collection of cover songs, I, in 2020, he sounds every bit as spirited as he did in the late 1970s, back when he left his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, and headed to New York in search of new horizons.
We're sticking around in 1990 for one more week after our episodes about REO Speedwagon and Eric Johnson. This week, Jeff and Matt are discussing Michael McDonald's third solo album, 1990's Take it to Heart. The album featured a variety of collaborations and guest players and big names like Don Was and Diane Warren in the mix behind the scenes. If you haven't heard this album, it's time for you to hear this album.
Support this podcast and join our Record Club on Patreon. Receive bonus content related to our episodes including additional interviews. We appreciate the love!
The 1974 Project continues as we welcome back our friend and A&R man Peter Lubin to discuss Pussy Cats by Harry Nilsson. Produced by John Lennon, Pussy Cats is an interesting and at times, unfortunate mile marker in Nilsson's career -- and the guys discuss why that is.
There is once again a great tribute album at the heart of all of this Nilsson stuff for Jeff and Matt, 1995's For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson. Jeff describes the doors that opened for him as a music fan after he heard that album. We talk about the many peculiarities of Harry's career -- including the fact that he never toured.
How did everyone not die while recording Pussy Cats? Good question. Okay, so that scratches the surface, rather roughly, on some of the areas that we cover in today's episode. All you really need to know is that whether you worship this album, or you've never heard Harry's music, there's something here for everyone. Thanks for listening!
Related:
The Harry Nilsson documentary (which is a great watch and very much worth your time) An article that Jeff wrote about Pussy Cats for Ultimate Classic Rock The mega-Nilsson playlist that Matt knew Jeff had somewhere in his digital back pocket. Can you finish it?
Jesse Harms began writing songs in 1989 with REO Speedwagon vocalist Kevin Cronin who had been exploring some creative projects outside of the group. The chemistry between the pair was good and Harms was invited to join REO Speedwagon.
Though his stint in the group was a short one, he ended up co-writing six out of the 11 tracks on the band's next album as well as co-producing the record.
Harms joins Jeff and Matt to discuss his experiences working on REO's 1990 album, The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken -- as well as the subsequent tour.
He also shares some initial details regarding All Sides, the new six disc box set from Melodicrock Classics that collects decades of his songwriting, including previously unreleased songs with Sammy Hagar, John Waite, Patty Smyth and others.
Hear two songs from the new box set here and stay tuned for pre-order details.
Read more about Jesse's extensive career as an artist, songwriter and producer here.
If you enjoy these episodes, we'd love to have you join our Patreon and become a Record Club member. You'll receive bonus content, early access to episodes as soon as they are recorded, additional interviews and other fun things! We appreciate your support.
What an absolute thrill it is to welcome guitar legend Eric Gales to our program today to discuss Eric Johnson's pivotal Ah Via Musicom album. Gales joins Matt and Jeff to dig into his love of the Austin guitarist's music and how Johnson's playing influenced his own path as an artist.
Both guitarists have new music that you should be aware of. Gales has been turning a lot of heads this year (yet again) thanks to the arrival of Crown, his newest album produced by Joe Bonamassa. We discuss the raw and emotional circumstances that influenced these latest songs.
Eric also shares some memories at the beginning of our conversation about his early days, including the work he did with Survivor's Jimi Jamison, who came in to sing background vocals on the first two Eric Gales Band albums.
After this interview, news broke regarding Voodoo Nation, the newest Supersonic Blues Machine album, which features Eric, guitarist Sonny Landreth, Blackberry Smoke's Charlie Starr and many others. Look for that in your favorite record store June 24th.
As mentioned, Eric Johnson will also be releasing two (!) new albums this summer. Visit his website for details on how you can acquire them -- including a special package where you can order both albums and receive seven additional songs.
We have a Patreon where you can receive lots of additional bonus material related to these episodes and a ton of fun stuff beyond that. So if you enjoy this podcast, please join our Record Club. We appreciate your support!
Irish-born/NYC-based rocker Pierce Turner joins Matt for today's Bonus Track to discuss Terrible Good, his latest album, which was released in late February on StorySound Records. The songs for the album came together over a four year period and Turner paired up with guitarist Gerry Leonard (David Bowie, Rufus Wainwright, Suzanne Vega) to bring them to life.
The two Irishmen, who have spent the greater part of their lives living and experimenting with music in New York City, have married those experiences to produce an Irish album recorded with a New York attitude.
The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including Pierce's early collaborations with Black 47's Larry Kirwan. Matt and Pierce also discuss legendary freeform NYC radio DJ Vin Scelsa and how people like Vin were so important to music fans. Pierce shares tales of his time working in a record store. That's merely a thumbnail sketch of everything that was discussed.
By the way, here's the video of Pierce's complete performance at Joe's Pub that is referenced during the chat.
If you like what you're hearing with each of these episodes, consider supporting our Patreon. We appreciate the support and you'll receive a ton of bonus content related to the shows.
Matt and Jeff are joined by author Daryl Gregory to discuss David Bowie's classic 1971 album Hunky Dory. They get into a number of other stray topics including the Hardy Boys and Daryl's latest book, Revelator.
Remember, only you can prevent forest fires. Which is why it's probably a good idea for you to join our Record Club on Patreon. We appreciate your support of this podcast. Thanks for listening!
Jeff and Matt are joined by longtime friend Michael Fortes, the biggest Weather Report fan they've encountered in this life. As they'll learn, he's not the holder of that title for the world. That is an honor that surely must go to the guy who wrote a book about the band (along with running the most impressive fan site on the internet for many, many years).
Michael stopped by The Record Player to discuss Sweetnighter, the band's third album and we loved exploring a bit of the group's history through his eyes.
If you like what you're hearing, please consider supporting this podcast and join our Record Club. We appreciate your support!
Guitar maestro Andy Timmons joins Jeff and Matt for a unique conversation about the classic Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Having recorded his own version of the album, Timmons has spent a good amount of time exploring the music of the Liverpool group, both as a musician and many times, simply a music fan. He brought his guitar and it was a true joy to talk with Andy.
His new album, Electric Truth, is out this week and deserves your ears. We enjoyed hearing the stories about how the record came together. In general, Andy is a fellow music nerd like us and we can't wait for a chance to speak with him again down the road.
Join our Record Club to access additional content and bonus materials related to all of our episodes. For a little more than the cost of a cup of coffee each month, you can help to support this podcast. We appreciate everything!
Matt and Jeff are talking about the Eagles, both solo and together. We discuss a few of the week's new releases very briefly and give a nod to the Low Culture Boil podcast (they're talking about Twinkies and ramen and we couldn't look away).
Jeff and Matt are joined by Miles Francis and Lizzie Loveless (and their dog, Tony) for a special Bonus Track. They both have new albums that deserve your ears. Check out Miles' Good Man and Lizzie's You Don't Know (which Miles produced).
The journey that each of them took to arrive at the albums that they ended up with is a pretty compelling story, which we dig into during this episode. This conversation ends up being a special time capsule as well. Miles and Lizzie got engaged just a few days before this episode was recorded. Congratulations!
The incredible Rax King is our guest to discuss Sleater-Kinney's 1997 album Dig Me Out. But we're also talking about the other Rax King, a restaurant called Rax, the band Creed and the Lazarus of Christian rock.
There's a new Cowboy Junkies collection on the horizon and it's one to be excited about. Guitarist and songwriter Michael Timmins joins Matt to discuss Songs of the Recollection, which will be released on March 25.
Michael shares a lot of good stories, including his memories of Vic Chesnutt, and also, the band's collaboration with Garth Hudson of the Band, just to name a couple. It was a real pleasure to speak with him.
The band will be back on tour starting in April. Check out the tour dates to see if they're coming your way.
Join our Record Club to access bonus content and audio related to each of our episodes. We appreciate your support.
In 1984, Christopher Cross added a unique new entry to his discography. "A Chance For Heaven" was selected as the official swimming theme for the Olympics. I bet you didn't even know there was an official swimming theme that year, did you? Neither did we. Discovering that factoid during our episode about Christopher's 1985 album, Every Turn of the World, was enough to send us out on an important quest.
What if we were to discuss the Olympics soundtrack albums for 1984, 1988 and 1992? That's the task that Jeff and Matt decided to tackle on today's episode of The Record Player. It's not an easy one, because none of the three volumes are on streaming. Which means, YouTube to the rescue!
This is a wide-ranging discussion that explores the bulk of the first two compilations track-by-track with scattered thoughts on Barcelona Gold, because we were at the clock limit and honestly, the tone of the song curation changed with Barcelona Gold in a way that felt less specific to the Olympics. But where else are you going to find En Vogue and Damn Yankees back to back on the same album? That's a really good question.
There are references along the way to the Ghostbusters soundtrack, the We Are the World album and a bunch of other things -- including the most excellent Little Feat-related tribute album from the '90s, Rock & Roll Doctor: A Tribute to Lowell George. Streaming the Lowell tribute appears to be a bit of a chore -- it's on Apple Music at the very least, but finding it on Spotify was an elusive task.
Anyway, we talk about some things and you've got some fresh listening material to enjoy now as well. Thanks as always for listening and don't forget to visit Jefitoblog for even more thoughts from Jeff. Have a good weekend!
Del Amitri's Justin Currie is our guest to discuss all things Dels-related, including Change Everything, the band's third album, which turns 30 this year.
While Change Everything is one element of our conversation with the Dels frontman, we dig deep into other stories regarding the band's catalog of work. We appreciate Justin's time and insights. It was such a thrill.
Jeff had a scheduling conflict, so producer and A&R man Peter Lubin, a previous guest on our fourth episode (and a big fan of the group), joined Matt and Justin for the conversation.
You can find show notes regarding the episode here.
Join our Record Club to access additional content related to the episodes as well as a wealth of bonus material. We appreciate your support.
Matt and Jeff are celebrating 311 Day. March 11 is also a great day, because it means there's now a brand new live album from the Georgia Satellites that you can listen to. Cowboy Junkies have a new album coming out later this month and Matt just spoke with Michael Timmins from the band. Those are just a few of the many topics we dig into.
We enjoyed having guitarist George Marinelli on the podcast earlier this year to talk about some of his favorite music, including Ahmad Jamal.
He's back for a special Bonus Track to discuss Sign Here, his new solo album that's being released on March 10. You can pre-order the album now and all proceeds are being donated to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
We also discussed a good amount of music, including Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, the Police and more. He shares the story of how he connected with Bonnie and also some cool anecdotes about working with Don Was on a number of projects.
The show notes for this episode can be found here.
Join our Record Club for additional audio and other materials related to the episodes. We appreciate your support!
Okay, so on today's episode, we actually discuss two albums by Mew, 2005's And the Glass Handed Kites and 2009's No More Stories. Our show intro features "Introducing Palace Players" from the latter album.
Yvette Young is our guest to discuss these records from the Danish band that provided interesting influence on her own career as a musician and songwriter. As you'll hear, Yvette is always wrapped up in a bunch of different musical projects. Truly, she lives, breathes and sleeps (not necessarily in that order) music all of the time.
She announced a tour with her band, Covet, not long after we recorded this episode. You can find details on the Frogwild tour (best tour name EVER) here.
Stay tuned for the show notes for this episode, which will be here.
Join our Record Club for advance access to show episodes, bonus audio and interview related to the shows and lots more.
It's weird being online. Remember when friendship disagreements involved a conversation instead of the block button? That's one topic of today's Cassingle. Jeff and Matt also discuss Klassik '78, a great band that fans of '70s KISS should be aware of. Are you watching The Afterparty? Well, you should be.
Podcasting pioneer, funny guy and fellow music nerd Jimmy Pardo (Never Not Funny, The Tonight Show, Conan O'Brien) is our guest to discuss Peter Cetera's third solo album, One More Story.
But his real credentials for being on this episode are that he once spent actual time writing up setlists for Peter Cetera that he did not actually deliver to Peter Cetera. In all seriousness, we had so much fun discussing Peter Cetera and all things Chicago with Jimmy for this episode. We'll look forward to speaking with him again soon to continue our music nerd session.
Until that happens, check out Never Not Funny and for a whole bunch of music nerdery, Jimmy's Records and Tapes.
On the heels of our conversation with David Wild regarding Ringo Starr's Time Takes Time album, which turns 30 this year, we went a bit deeper. (As if David's great interview with Don Was in that same episode wasn't impressive enough....)
Former Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch (a talented producer and songwriter himself) had the pleasure of co-writing a song for the Ringo album called "Don't Know a Thing About Love." He got on the phone to share his memories of writing the track with Richard Feldman, enlisting Sheryl Crow to sing on the demo and lots more.
Stan has new music on tap for release this year from The Speaker Wars and also, The Chefs, his band with Dan Baird, is readying a second course (read: second album). He gives us an update on both pending releases.
Show Notes:
Our conversation with David Wild regarding Ringo Starr’s Time Takes Time (with David’s bonus interview with Don Was regarding his work on the Ringo album). Thanks to Dan Baird for connecting us with Stan Georgia Satellites - Lightnin' in a Bottle: Live in Cleveland 1988 Stan is organized. Stan’s parents The Speaker Wars, Stan’s latest band. The Speaker Wars and Andy Timmons The Speaker Wars - "Never Ready to Go" Andy Timmons - Electric Truth album The 30th anniversary of Ringo Starr’s Time Takes Time album Stan’s song on Ringo’s album, “Don’t Know a Thing About Love” Richard Feldman Eric Clapton - “Promises” June Pointer - “Love Calling” The birth of “Don’t Know a Thing About Love” Writing for Ringo Sheryl Crow Stan’s history with Don Was Was (Not Was) = awesome Going to hear the finished song Meeting Ringo All roads lead to Ringo Stan sitting in with Ringo and the All-Starr Band Ringo Starr, the drummer Stan’s impression of the Get Back documentary The demo of Stan’s song vs. what ended up on Time Takes Time New music from Stan and Dan Baird - the second album from The Chefs Someone/Anyone Todd Rundgren tribute Was Stan a Rundgren fan back in the day? Stan and The Speaker Wars have recorded different versions of “No Matter What” for a Badfinger tribute
Legendary rock scribe David Wild joins Matt and Jeff to discuss Ringo Starr'sTime Takes Time on the brink of the album's 30th anniversary. But that's not all -- David came armed with audio from Ringo Starr and additional audio of a conversation he had with Don Was to revisit Don's experience as one of the producers on Time Takes Time.
While David's wife just wants him to listen to more Rick Springfield (that's our flimsy tease for one of the subjects of this episode), we somehow convinced him to tell us about working with Ringo on the new book, Lifted. The book is available now in two different editions, with profits benefiting The Lotus Foundation charity.
David has also teamed up with Phil Rosenthal (Everybody Loves Raymond) for the forthcoming podcast, Naked Lunch. He shares plenty of details on that exciting endeavor as well.
No worries, he tells plenty of rock and roll war stories also. We had so much fun chatting with David and we're already plotting to get him back.
Join the Record Club for additional content related to all of our episodes, including this one. We appreciate your support.
Show Notes:
David’s famous experience trying to interview Van Morrison David’s Bob Dylan story Bob Dylan’s Hearts of Fire movie Ringo Starr - Time Takes TimeEPK David’s experience working on Ringo Starr’s new book, Lifted. Ringo Starr on Jimmy Kimmel David spoke with Don Was for this episode David’s Flowers in the Dirt story Paul McCartney - “Figure of Eight” Paul McCartney - “Distractions” Ringo Starr - “Weight of the World” The Ringo audio Ringo Starr - Don’t Go Where The Road Don’t Go Paul McCartney - “1985” David’s Paul McCartney Grammy story Ringo Starr - “Don’t Know a Thing About Love” Ringo Starr - “Golden Blunders” Ringo Starr - “In a Heartbeat” Mickey Thomas and Robin Zander are, in fact, awesome. Matt’s defense of “We Built This City” Starship - “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” Mickey Thomas - Alive Alone Elvin Bishop - “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” Jeff’s UCR article regarding Jefferson Starship and Starship David Wild’s 1992 Rolling Stone profile on Time Takes Time Ringo’s Old Wave album David’s new podcast with Phil Rosenthal David’s appearance on Jimmy Pardo’s Never Not Funny
Nearly 30 years after the record first hit the shelves, it remains an extremely compelling listen. We enjoyed having the chance to revisit the album with Mike. It proved to be the catalyst for a number of interesting discussions. Visit Mike at his website, where you'll find details on his new book, which we also talk about.
Join our Record Club for additional content related to all of our episodes, including this one. We appreciate your support!
Show Notes
Cleveland memories The Twinemen and Morphine Dana Colley “The guy who played two saxophones at the same time.” Morphine - ‘Sharks” Morphine in Cleveland Meeting Mark Sandman at a diner The History of Bones: A Memoir by John Lurie The threads that connect our favorite musicians Warren Zevon Mike’s experiences touring with Warren Zevon Running into Steve Buscemi at a Tom Waits show in Columbus, Ohio Playing Woodstock ‘99 Almost getting beaten up as the opening act for a concert Opening for Art Garfunkel America - Crying in My Sleep (not written by Art, but written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by Art) Art Garfunkel - The Singer (I called it “The Songwriter.” Dammit, Jeff wins again!) Richard Marx, Night Ranger and Kevin Cronin Mike’s book Big questions about songwriting The similarities between songwriters and astrophysicists Twitter rage caused by Martians The allure of a chorus The movie Contact and why it’s Mike’s favorite sci-fi film, but why it’s also a horrible movie. Giving prospective songwriters a map that doesn’t exist Jeff Giles 2011 interview with Mike Errico Pancakes and the importance of milk The Wallflowers - Bringing Down the Horse Battling self-esteem issues with a project Students walking the alternate path Battling against the urge to quit. George Saunders Trusting the universe and being open to taking a different path Mike’s path to Sparklehorse Analyzing the sound of Sparklehorse Contemporaries of Sparklehorse What was it like submitting this album to Capitol Records? Alessandro Nivola and the movie Laurel Canyon, which uses two of Mark Linkous’s songs from Sparklehorse Mark’s vision for his songs, “Every song is a different planet.” Mark Linkous interview by Chip Midnight S
Matt speaks with Mitchell Stuart, writer/director of the new film, Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York. The movie is now available to stream and also can be found on select cable networks. Highly recommended for radio nerds, music fans and anybody who loves a good documentary watch. Stuart details his experiences working on the film with radio legends Scott Shannon and Elvis Duran.
Join the Record Club for more content related to this and other episodes. We appreciate your support!
Show Notes:
Some information on Scott Shannon Some Z100 history Official film trailer Where to watch Sean Ross’ review of the film New York Post story on the film (with a great Bruce Springsteen story - Mitchell Stuart’s introduction to Z100 and Scott Shannon Scott Shannon is not easy to deal with, but neither is Mitchell Jim Kerr and the radio wars Z100 going from worst to first in less than three months What is the story that Mitchell regrets cutting from the film? Nile Rodgers rules Outtakes, there are lots. Matt’s WMMS oral history The rare audio and video Mitchell used in the film Working with Scott Shannon The best story from Scott Z100’s sound processing / Frank Foti
In our first Bonus Track of 2024, legendary artist and producer Narada Michael Walden tells Matt about his time working with the late Tommy Bolin. It's an emotional subject for Narada, but also a period in his career that he retains a lot of love and affection for.
We spoke in November of 2023 as Narada was just about to release his newest solo album, Euphoria. The record features a wealth of exciting new compositions -- and also, a long-in-the-works collaboration with Sting, Carlos Santana and Stevie Wonder.
You can hear "The More I Love My Life," the song which came out of the collaboration and read more about how it happened right here.
Thanks for listening and don't forget to visit Jefitoblog!
If you're listening to this podcast on YouTube, you can also find it wherever you get your other podcasts, including Apple Music and Spotify. Here's a complete list of providers.
He pointed out that February 18 is the 30th anniversary of the release of Little Village by Little Village, featuring John Hiatt, Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner. Would we be interested in discussing the album? Hell yes.
If you enjoy what you hear on today's episode, nab yourself a copy of Michael's book. He spoke with all involved with Little Village to get the definitive story behind the album for the first time. It's a great read (and if you're a Hiatt fan, you already know this is an essential acquisition).
Join the Record Club for more content related to this episode and all of our episodes. We appreciate the support!
Show Notes:
Have a Little Faith: The John Hiatt Story The birth of the book What was the alternate plan if Hiatt didn’t participate? Interviewing Hiatt Ry Cooder Little Village in the book Initial thoughts on the Little Village album How those initial thoughts changed with time Traveling Little Village Wilburys? Nick Lowe’s Party of One The catalyst for Little Village The tour for the Little Village album What could it be holding up a Little Village reunion? Collaborating by fax It’s a good time to be these guys -- they can call their own shots. The second generation of Little Village The Bodyguard and Nick Lowe Bring The Family Again…..The Little Avengers 30 years later..what do you really love about this album? What should people listen to in order to get into this album? The importance of believing in yourself and the ideas that you have. Michael's John Hiatt playlist/soundtrack to the book
Rickie Lee Jones' 1981 album Pirates emerged on the other side of what had been a complex period for the artist. Her 1979 self-titled debut charted top five on the Billboard Album Charts and her single "Chuck E.'s in Love" performed similarly well.
Touring extensively, her popularity continued to rise as additional media exposure, including a performance on Saturday Night Live, further elevated her profile. She would face challenges both personally and professionally as she began planning for her sophomore album.
Singer-songwriter Steve Poltz joins Jeff and Matt to look back at Pirates and everything surrounding the album. He goes deep with rock and roll war stories from his own career and we discuss Stardust and Satellites, his newest solo album.
As we get started, Steve shows us a bunch of personal memorabilia that he has on his walls. Here's a video of that portion so you can actually see what he's showing us!
Join our Record Club to help support this podcast + get access to additional audio and bonus material! We appreciate your support.
Another week has come and gone and Jeff and Matt are back to try to make sense of it all. There's plenty for you to listen to and read, as you'll hear (and read in the show notes below). The guys preview the next two episodes that are on tap for this week.
The great Bill Lloyd of Foster & Lloyd fame is our guest for today's edition of The Record Player. Bill beamed in from Nashville to discuss one of his favorite albums from the McCartney catalog, 1971's Ram.
Ram emerged as the Beatles were in the process of legally dissolving their existence as a band. Credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, the album arrived after 1970's McCartney. His proper solo debut. Wild Life, the first outing with Wings shows up later in 1971, so Ram is an interesting divider between the two.
In the midst of our album discussion with Bill, we also talk about some exciting things he has in process for 2022 and beyond.
Guitarist George Marinelli, known for his years of work with both Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Hornsby, as well as many others, joins Matt and Jeff to discuss one of his favorite albums.
Ahmad Jamal's At the Pershing: But Not for Me, recorded live in January of 1958 and released later that same year, is an album which carries some interesting history -- including that fun fact that Jamal himself was reportedly an influence on Miles Davis.
George discusses how he came across the album + also shares some good tales from his time working with Billy Vera and an interesting stint filling in as a member of James Taylor's band. He's got a keen interest in a number of different musical genres, so we dig into that. Plus, we talk about some of George's most recent work on the solo side.
Matt and Jeff are discussing John Mellencamp's new album, the press he has been doing around it (which you should listen to) and why Brian Boone (longtime friend of the podcast) needs to come on to discuss John Mellencamp. There's a new Patreon for the show which you can read about here, where we're planning to share materials related to the podcast in addition to some fun pop culture stuff. Check out further details here and thanks for digging what we do!
P.S. Matt meant to plug Mike Joseph's conversation with Glen Phillips on Detoxicity (which he teases while mentioning Glen's conversation with Brian Koppelman). Since that didn't happen, go and listen to Mike's conversation with Glen. It's an essential listen.
Cassingle Notes:
John Mellencamp - Strictly a One-Eyed Jack John Mellencamp and Brian Boone Advice from circa-1982 "John Cougar." John Mellencamp on Marc Maron John Mellencamp on The Moment with Brian Koppelman John Mellencamp - GQ profile Has Jeff listened to the new Mellencamp yet? Mellencamp's voice Why you should listen to John Mellencamp's new album. John Mellencamp - "Driving in the Rain" Reader mail The origin of Meat Loaf's name (for Judd) There are many different variations on the origins of Meat Loaf's name. Peter Lubin (who joined us for our John Hiatt episode) will join us again to share further stories from the music biz (including Jim Steinman stories) Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman. Jim Steinman's legacy extends way beyond his work with Meat Loaf. Thanks to Jason Hare and Scott Malchus for the episode/podcast feedback Dragnet (1987). How did this happen? A stray mention of Dick Tracy (1990) Why did Jeff go to see Dragnet? You can watch Dragnet on Amazon Prime for the low, low price of $2.99 The Dragnet guys go to the zoo. The genius of Tom Hanks on display Cast Away (2000) Samm Henshaw - Untidy Soul (thanks to Mike Joseph for the heads up!) Greensky Bluegrass - Stress Dreams Somebody Somewhere on HBO Patreon and a new feature, At the Gig.
Styx's Lawrence Gowan joins up with Jeff and Matt to nerd out about progressive rock. Specifically, Genesis and 1973's Selling England by the Pound, arriving as the prelude to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, which would be released the following year.
Lawrence and Matt also dig deep to share their thoughts on the current Genesis tour which is probably their farewell.
Don't miss Styx as they return to the road this summer for the Live and UnZoomed tour with REO Speedwagon and Loverboy.
Show Notes:
Intro Did Jeff ever listen to '70s Genesis back in the day? Okay, '80s Genesis is not the same band, you're right. Jeff's first Genesis album purchase. Jeff & Matt's previous discussion of We Can't Dance by Genesis on 1991: The Year AOR Ate Itself with special guest Jason Hare. Christopher Cross - Every Turn of the World(1985) The concept of fixing cassettes and on a separate topic, we call it streaming. Sonic defects that are burned into your brain. '70s Genesis with Peter Gabriel Steve Hackett revisiting the Genesis albums with his solo shows = gateway drug The Musical Box -- a tribute to '70s Genesis. Ray Wilson of Genesis has an unfortunate Spinal Tap moment. Here's the story we referenced. A masterful segue in introducing our guest Jeff's shocking comments regarding Tony Banks, please share your feedback with us on Twitter. "Do your worst." Styx - Crash of the Crown (2021) Lawrence Gowan's introduction to the music of Genesis Genesis - "Watcher of the Skies" Genesis - Selling England by the Pound Genesis - "Firth of Fifth" Jeff hears Selling England by the Pound and A Trick of the Tail for the first time. Jeff reveals his controversial opinion of Tony Banks Genesis and their tricky time signatures How "Supper's Ready" set the table for subsequent lengthy excursions. "The Battle of Epping Forest" Selling England by the Pound is a great headphone record. Where Lawrence ranks Tony Banks on the list of his favorite keyboardists. How Tony Banks became a minimalist from Duke forward. Trying to learn how to play Genesis songs in the '70s The evolution of groups through the '70s and '80s The dilemmas that bands face as the years pass Watching the Genesis guys perform on this current tour. Lawrence's favorite part of the Genesis show on this tour. The interesting parts of the setlist. Phil's "party tricks" prior to "
On the heels of the news regarding the passing of Meat Loaf, Jeff and Matt share some of their individual memories and experiences with his music. We're also discussing carbonated beverages (thanks, Sloane Spencer!), a recent book by Daryl Gregory that's worthy of your reading time, Dweezil Zappa's excellent Van Halen podcast and other topics. See the show notes below for more details.
Cassingle Notes:
The passing of Meat Loaf Losing control of your art The long road to the success of Bat Jeff’s UCR article on Meat Loaf and Steve Popovich of Cleveland International Records An unexpected wedding ritual involving “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” Seeing Meat Loaf live for the first time in the ‘90s Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell tour on Rockpalast in 1978 Matt's interview with Bruce Kulick about playing in Meat Loaf's band on the Bat Out of Hell tour. Reader Mail Bonnie Raitt’s ‘70s albums on Warner Brothers Book recommendation: Revelator by Daryl Gregory Podcast recommendations: Bubble Bottles and also, One Hit History, hosted by Sloane Spencer Favorite carbonated beverages Dr. Pepper vs. Mr. Pibb Bob Seger - The Fire Inside retro t-shirt Regional and small batch sodas - Fizzy Izzy Root Beer is awesome! Rocket Fizz “I’ve listened to 10 hours of you assholes over the past few days” - Jason Hare Jason Hare keeps receipts Linda Martell - "Color Me Father" Holly G and Black Opry Dweezil Zappa’s Van Halen podcast is awesome Details on the next episode! Closing remarks -- leave us reviews on your favorite podcast platform!
Matt and Jeff take a look back at John Hiatt's breakthrough album with a huge assist from producer and A&R man Peter Lubin, who gives us a glimpse of the fascinating untold story behind the making of the record.
We love listener feedback! Share your thoughts and questions via Twitter @RecordPlayerPod.
Jeff had the idea to do "minisodes" to discuss random things we're digging and who knows what else. We're contrary and also nostalgic, so we decided to call them "cassingles."
it's a way to share feedback we get about the episodes, things we got wrong, things we forgot about and maybe occasionally, some wisdom. For today's inaugural run, we read some feedback on our episode about the Wallflowers album Breach . We also wonder whether or not Allison Rapp will mention us in the future when she wins a Grammy.
We discuss the pros and cons of how the flow of information has changed over the years and the lies that press kits contained in the '80s and '90s. Matt has a rom com recommendation and we talk about a cool project that Annie Dressner, one of our upcoming guests, is involved with.
Cassingle Notes:
Twitter "mail" and episode feedback The similarities between The Wallflowers' Breach and Pinkerton by Weezer The story behind the interview featured our Wallflowers episode Some fun MTV anecdotes The pain of not knowing what is going on with your favorite artist prior to social media Press kits and that one time the Thompson Twins went to Egypt Giving albums you don't like time to grow Approaching music without bias The Allman Brothers Band in the '80s (a stray and somewhat random mention) Curiosity and "bad" albums Good on Paper (Netflix) Green Ice Michigan Rattlers - That Kind of Life Greg Caz Joan Osborne - Radio Waves Don Henley and Steely Dan's "Peg" Major Dudes: A Steely Dan Companion The New York Rock and Soul Revue -Live at the Beacon Steely Dan interviews Annie Dressner - Coffee at the Corner Bar A Wizard, A True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio by Paul Myers Tasty (for mice) Bee Gees cassingles and regrettable megamixes
The magnificent Davia Schendel joins Jeff and Matt to discuss Suzi Quatro's second album, Quatro.
Today's conversation definitely goes deep into "music nerd" territory. We talk about record stores of the past, making playlists devoted to things like gated reverb and snare hits. Should we talk about the underrated power player in music that is known as the saxophone? You're darn right, we should. How much does the bass rule? We've got thoughts.There are stray conversations about movie soundtracks, AOR soundtrack rarities , Roxy Music and Duran Duran. We discuss some non-musical things too, you know, the related and relevant topics like the holy trinity of oxygen machines, smoking and gambling.
But there's also wisdom. Davia puts the thought out there about how "nothing is singular." We're keeping that as our new mantra. It was truly a joy to speak with Davia about so many things and it's a conversation that we both walked away from feeling energized and inspired.
Check out Through the Deluge, Davia's newest EP -- and make sure to sign up for her newsletter/podcast, Zeitgest Deterrent. Our huge thanks to Davia for spending the time with us.
Thanks for listening and don't forget to visit Jefitoblog!
If you're listening to this podcast on YouTube, you can also find it wherever you get your other podcasts, including Apple Music and Spotify. Here's a complete list of providers.
Related links:
Davia's snare hit playlist Davia's sax playlist Her Celluloid Tracks podcast (the prelude to her current Zeitgeist Deterrent podcast) The Suzi Q documentary about Suzi Quatro The AOR soundtrack rarities playlist. Kathy Valentine's memoir.
Jeff and Matt are discussing (Breach), the album that Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers released in 2000 after the mega-success of Bringing Down the Horse, the group's breakout second record that was released in 1996. Journalist Allison Rapp in on board to talk about (Breach) and the interesting evolution of the band through the years.
David Baerwald joins Matt and Jeff to take an extended look at his career, including a lengthy discussion regarding his Triage album, which turns 30 later this year. He also shares some details regarding his next project. Stay up to date with David via his Twitter account.
The audio for this episode has been newly remastered as of May 2023.