Category: Episodes

523. The Isley Brothers

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(September 2023) Episode 523 is THE ISLEY BROTHERS. You might know them best for the classics “Shout” and “Twist and Shout,” prime examples of how gospel’s call-and-response helped define soul and rock. These late 50s recordings were just the beginning of a six-decade career of six brothers from Cincinnati, in various combinations, which is still going. They covered all the styles through that span: early R&B, soul, funk, disco, smooth R&B. My favorite period is 1969-75, their peak of funky soul, with hits like “It’s Your Thing” and “That Lady.” Everything from the 1980s on is not my thing. I commend their 1971 album “Givin’ It Back.” After a decade of watching White artists cover their material, they flip it by recording songs by Dylan, Stills, Young and Taylor. And they do it great.

Favorite album: 3+3

Favorite song: I Turned You On

Favorite cover song: Summer Breeze

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: Try those eight albums from 1969-75, or a greatest hits collection; make sure it includes the songs above and the funkalicious “If He Can You Can” and “The Heat Is On.”

522. Greta Van Fleet

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(September 2023) Episode 522 is GRETA VAN FLEET. This was a disappointment. I tuned in because they have been compared to Led Zeppelin, which was both very apt and promising based their initial, enjoyable EPs. But the three LPs that followed mostly bored or annoyed me. I’m not sure whether they were trying to move beyond the comparison* or embrace the epic aspects of LZ by ditching the gritty bluesy sound, but it didn’t work for me. It comes off as prog rock which, combined with the singer’s (unfortunate) choice to stay in the high register, makes them sound more like Triumph than Zep.

Favorite album: From the Fires (double EP)

Favorite song: Safari Song

Compared to expectations: ↓

Recommendation: I’d stick to the EPs, but you should try the LPs in case something grabs you that didn’t for me.

* a blatant case of homage can be found in the drum intro on “Sacred the Thread” from the third album, ripped directly from “When the Levee Breaks.”

521. Gloria Coates

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(September 2023) Episode 521 is GLORIA COATES, begun after her recent passing.  She was an American composer who spend most of her professional years in Germany who, when not composing, worked to bring American classical music to Germany. Her compositions are definitely avant-garde. She is known for her abundant portfolio of symphonies and chamber pieces. Her signature sound is strings gliding up and down the neck (glissando), creating a continuous microtonalism. This creates a dark and disturbing tone and while not intended as such, it would not be out of place in a horror film. This is why I like it!

Favorite piece: Symphony No. 9 “Homage to Van Gogh”

Favorite chamber piece: String Quartet No. 5

Favorite solo piece: Sonata for Violin

Compared to expectations: ↑

Recommendation: It is not easy listening music, but is interesting for its unique characteristics

520. The Silver Apples

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(September 2023) Episode 520 of the “opus project” is THE SILVER APPLES. This duo is known for being one of the first groups to use electronically-generated sound (via a home-made proto-synthesizer) as the basis for pop/rock songs, through a couple of obscure late 1960s albums that were later seen as influential in the development of electronic and synth music.  “Pop/rock,” however, is misleading as the songs are unconventional, even avant-garde, with surreal lyrics. They reunited in the 1990s for a reissue and some new, similarly eclectic, recordings.  This music is unique.

Favorite album: The Silver Apples

Favorite song: Oscillations

Compared to expectations: ↓

Recommendation: Mostly of historical interest I think, although those who appreciate enigmatic music may want to check it out.

519. The Muffs

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(September 2023) Episode 519 is THE MUFFS, the perfect combination of pop-punk and power-pop,* melding the tone of the former and the melodicism of the latter.  Kim Shattuck’s snotty snarl hits just the right attitude which, along with the unadorned delivery, makes it endearing. Their kicker tempo is what brings you in, but it’s Shattuck’s gift for melodic lines (and lyrics) that will keep you and make you want to revisit.

Favorite album: Blonder and Blonder

Favorite song: Agony

Compared to expectations: ↑

Recommendation: I do. I wish I had known them (and seen them) in the 1990s rather than finding them decades later.

* I know some people might say one is a subset of the other, but it’s my blog = my definitions.

518. Valerie Coleman

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(August 2023) Episode 518 is VALERIE COLEMAN, a contemporary composer and flutist who cofounded the wind quartet Imani Winds.  Not surprisingly, many of her compositions, whether solo, duo or group, feature the flute.  She has also penned works for strings for orchestra and chamber. Consistent with the voice of a flute, her works are generally lively and breezy, in contrast to the disquieted ambience I often hear from contemporaries I’ve reviewed.

Favorite piece (chamber): Shotgun Houses

Favorite orchestral piece Umoja, Anthem of Unity

Favorite solo/duo piece: Fanmi Imèn

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: Give it a try, especially if you like flute.

517. Merle Haggard

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(August 2023) Episode 517 is MERLE HAGGARD. If I have to go country I will choose outlaw country, with which Haggard is identified as a leader of the Bakersfield sound.  He was a very prolific songwriter, many of which became classics, resulting in 66 studio albums (this was a long episode), which stayed fairly consistent in quality across the years.  His career accompanies an amazing personal story of overcoming a troubled youth, having famously watched Johnny Cash perform at San Quentin prison. His songs “Okie from Muscogee” and “The Fighting Side of Me” gained him a conservative political audience although he denied the intention and resisted the association. Recognizing his gifts, to my untrained ear he comes off as more normie country (and thus less appealing) than other outlaws like Nelson, Jennings and Cash.

Favorite album: Mama Tried

Favorite song: Working Man Blues

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: A sampler will do for the casual listener.

516. Steppenwolf

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(August 2023) Episode 516 is STEPPENWOLF. Their fame is well-earned from two big hits, the anthemic “Born to be Wild” with its proto-metal riff and the psychedelic funk of “Magic Carpet Ride.” Steppenwolf’s late 60s albums of slightly acidic rock epitomize the sound of the Woodstock era, including some political messaging. Other than those hits, though, there is little to distinguish the music, other than John Kay’s gravelly baritone. They continued through some forgettable albums into the mid-70s.

Favorite album: The Second

Favorite song: Magic Carpet Ride

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: I own their greatest hits record but realize I haven’t put it on in decades, so I guess that tells me that the two hits are enough.

515. George Gershwin

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(August 2023) Episode 515 is GEORGE GERSHWIN.  If America had a soundtrack, Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Porgy and Bess” would surely be on it. He bridged classical and popular music, creating audience favorites played from living rooms to Broadway, movies and concert halls. The music is indelibly evocative of the Art Deco and the Jazz Age. That said, it’s not my favorite. I’m just not into Broadway musicals and related musical forms.  So I recognize Gershwin’s artistry but don’t tune into it.   

Favorite piece Rhapsody in Blue

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: Essential for any understanding of 20th century American music. If you like Broadway you’re probably into Gershwin, even though I’m not.

514. Cathedral

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(August 2023) Episode 514 is CATHEDRAL, a heavy metal band from England who made their mark with a debut album (Forest of Equilibrium, 1991) of classic doom metal with low, slow plodding riffs amid dark themes.  They modulated their style to more normal metal and prog metal, with a return to the delicious doom sound on their sixth album (Endtyme, 2001).

Favourite album: Endtyme

Favourite song: Melancholy Emperor

Compared to expectations: ↓

Recommendation: Try the 1st, 2nd or 6th albums for doomy goodness, but pass on the rest.