Author: ernopepper

294. ZZ Top

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Episode 294 is ZZ TOP. There are tons of boogie-blues bands out there, but none finer than ZZ Top, who stand out with their tight, top-notch musicianship, wry lyrics and proclivity for funky grooves. While their 80s synth- and gated drum-laden songs and videos were their height of popularity, I prefer the Texas BBQ-drenched 70s classics we grew up on, like “Cheap Sunglasses.”  I still chuckle that Frank Beard is the only member without a beard.

Favorite album: Tres Hombres

Favorite song: La Grange

Compared to expectations: same

Best inside-album cover ever:

293. Wendy Carlos

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(October 2020) Episode 293 is WENDY CARLOS. A pioneer of electronic music and arguably its earliest popularizer through her synthesized versions of classical works (like “Switched on Bach”).  You may know her best through the excellent soundtrack to “A Clockwork Orange.”  While the classical albums presented the possibilities of Moogs, it was her own compositional explorations that proved most influential — “Sonic Seasonings” practically invented the New Age and ambient genres. 

Favorite album: Sonic Seasonings

Favorite song: Spring

Compared to expectations: same

292. Chuck Berry

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Episode 292 is CHUCK BERRY. Of the Founders of Rock ‘n Roll, he is the most important. He cemented the guitar as its primary idiom, not only for the intro and the solo, but as an essential lyrical element on par with voice (see: “School Days”).  Plus, his antics and teen-focused, innuendo-filled lyrics set the form and attitude of rock.  Like his fellow Founders, his early hits are the essential stuff, and the subsequent albums are largely redundant, unless you really love old-timey rock ‘n roll. But to his credit, he never departed from his commitment to it (as in, he never had a disco phase). 

Favorite album: Chuck Berry Is On Top

Favorite song: Johnny B. Goode

Compared to expectations: same

291. Dream Syndicate

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Episode 291 of the “opus project” is DREAM SYNDICATE. I did this episode because they are identified with the Paisley Underground and emerged from my college town, and on the strength of the Lou Reed-flavored initial EP. But the mid-80s albums sound little better than a strained-voice, strum-beat bar band.  The reformed band’s recent three albums are OK.

Favorite album: The Days of Wine and Roses

Favorite song: Apropos for Nothing

Compared to expectations: ↓

290. Alban Berg

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(October 2020) Episode 290 is ALBAN BERG. He is one of the important composers of one of my favorite periods (early 20th Century modernism/avant-garde), although his body of work is not large. His compositions tend to have a more Romantic aesthetic than others of the time, such as his mentor Schoenberg. 

Favorite piece: Violin Concerto

Favorite piano piece: Piano Sonata

Compared to expectations: same

289. Electric Wizard

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(October 2020) Episode 289 is ELECTRIC WIZARD. This is what Black Sabbath would/should have become if evolution has been allowed to run its course (after Vol. 4).  And that appears to be EW’s mission statement. Heavier, darker, deeper. Even if you’re not into the doom metal ethos, it’s worth the bone-rattling sonic experience of guitars drop-tuned so low that that the wavelengths are more felt that heard. Thus, you should listen in an enclosed space (room or car) to ensure the floorboards shake (headphones won’t do). Just try it. 

Favourite album: Dopethrone

Favourite song: Mind Transferral

Compared to expectations: ↑

288. The Three O’Clock

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(October 2020) Episode 288 is THE THREE O’CLOCK.  I’m surprised I never got into deeper the Paisley Underground (beyond The Bangles), but The Three O’Clock is a good place to start.  The first 3½ albums are quality Brit-philic power pop, but the last two are synth pop abominations.  Quercio’s voice can get a bit too twee.

Favorite album: Sixteen Tambourines

Favorite song: Jet Fighter

Compared to expectations: same

287. The Supremes

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(October 2020) Episode 287 is THE SUPREMES.  At their mid-60s peak with the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team, they churned out so many hits that are seared into our collective brain, rightly earning them the reputation as the top Motown act.  I thought it was unfair to Mary and Florence (then Cindy) to rename them ‘Diana Ross and the Supremes,’ but the value of Diana’s contribution was revealed by the declining quality of recordings after she left. Their discs provide a history of the Motown evolution from doo-wop to the pop-soul merger, psychedelic soul, gritty 70s soul and disco.

Favorite album: The Supremes A’ Go-Go

Favorite song: Love Child

Compared to expectations: same

286. Frédéric Chopin

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(October 2020) Episode 286 is FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN. Mr. Piano’s technical wizardry was balanced by delicate textures and melodic harmonies, inventing ways a piano could telling a musical story.  The intimacy of his works contrasts with the over-wrought flourishes that can burden Romantic-era music.  His dedication to composing almost exclusively on piano (avoiding operas, cantatas, lieder, etc.) is commendable and refreshing, and made for an enjoyable episode.

Favorite piece: Piano Sonata #2 (including the famous “Funeral March”)

Favorite small piano piece: Polonaise in A♭ major (“Heroic”)

Favorite orchestral piece: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2

Compared to expectations: same

285. Bad Brains

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(September 2020) Episode 285 is BAD BRAINS.  Ground-breaking and iconic, a D.C. original.  Who would think of combining punk and reggae?  Not surprisingly, I like the early punk material best, and the reggae is good, but the metal phase is a mixed affair (for which I find H.R.’s voice ill-fitting, not unlike Dave Mustaine with Megadeth). 

Favorite album: Bad Brains (Black Dots, the collection of early singles, is the best, but I can’t count it as it’s a compilation)

Favorite song: Don’t Bother Me

Compared to expectations: same