Category: Episodes

246. Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band + The Rutles

~ ernopepper ~ 2 Comments

(January 2020) Episode 246 is the BONZO DOG DOO-DAH BAND and THE RUTLES. I started this episode, and did these together, following the death of Neil Innes.  The Bonzos were an oddball comedy outfit.  The humor is mostly too old or too British (or both) for my comprehension, and so they’re mostly a historical curiosity.  The Rutles, however, are timeless as the best-ever send-up of The Beatles. Their soundtrack album remains classic, and the follow-up is pretty good too.

Favourite Bonzos album: The Doughnut in Granny’s Greenhouse

Favourite Bonzos song: The Intro and the Outro*

Favourite Rutles album: The Rutles

Favourite Rutles song: Doubleback Alley

Compared to expectations: same

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* Mike Oldfield fancied the “master of ceremonies” format so he used it on Tubular Bells, with the Bonzos’ Viv Standshall also performing the role there

245. Oh Sees

~ ernopepper ~ 1 Comment

(January 2020) Episode 245 is OH SEES (also known as OCS and Thee Oh Sees).  One of my favorite bands of the ’10s; a good representation of the music I’ve been into in recent years, although its style is hard to describe. Their initial lo-fi experimentalism is not so interesting, but they hit the gas around 2010 with psychedelic garage-rock freakouts.  The evolution to space- and prog-rock in the recent albums is excellent.

Favorite song: The Dream

Favorite album: Floating Coffin

Compared to expectations: ↑

Floating_Coffin

244. Jimmie Rodgers

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(December 2019) Episode 244 is JIMMIE RODGERS.  He is known as the “Father of Country Music” because of his immeasurable influence there. Much of the music itself, however, is indistinguishable from the blues, demonstrating that blues, country, folk, and later rock all emanate from the same authentic American musical tradition.  Everything gets a yodel.

Favorite song: In the Jailhouse Now

Favorite ballad: I’ve Ranged, I’ve Roamed, I’ve Traveled

Compared to expectations: same

 

Jimmie_Rodgers.jpg

243. Johnny Cash

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(December 2019) Episode 243  is JOHNNY CASH. If there were a Mount Rushmore of the Voices of America, he would be on it. I appreciate the independent, even rebellious, spirit of his long and storied career – resisting capture by corporate Nashville, collaborating with artists across genres (U2, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, etc.), exploring concept albums.  I love his musical expression of a personal ideology that defied political categorization: respect for the forgotten/downtrodden/persecuted man (exemplified by “Man in Black” and “Bitter Tears”) – a rare wokeness for its time and his genre.  But most of all his songs are just plain enjoyable (even though I’m not a fan of country music).  This was a long one, at ~80 albums.

Favorite album: American Recordings

Favorite song: Man in Black

Favorite duet: If I Were A Carpenter (with June)

Worst album: The Rambler

Favorite Period: Sun recordings

Least favorite genre: gospel

Compared to expectations: same

johnnycash

242. Hüsker Dü

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(December 2019) Episode 242 is HÜSKER DÜ. This is what I should have been listening to in the 1980s instead of what I was listening to.  Well, at least the first two kick-ass punk-ish albums; the rest were rather meh.  Highlight is drummer Grant Hart until he let the gated reverb ruin it.  IMHO Hüsker Dü is America’s The Jam.

Favorite album: Zen Arcade

Favorite song: I’ll Never Forget

Compared to expectations: same

HuskerDuZenArcade

241. Aaron Copland

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(December 2019) Episode 241  is AARON COPLAND.  I admit my first exposure was through Emerson, Lake & palmer.  He is deservedly dubbed the “Dean of American Composers” for incorporating American themes and landscapes in his compositions.  I like those, but I prefer his more abstract, modernist works.

Favorite work: Symphony #3

Favorite short piece: Fanfare for the Common Man

Favorite chamber piece: Quartet for Strings

Favorite ballet: Appalachian Spring

Compared to expectations: same

aaron copland

240. Gustav Mahler

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(November 2019) Episode 240 is GUSTAV MAHLER.  He composed only songs and symphonies but, wow, what symphonies. Each one is a full course meal with several helpings — like a final culmination of the recipe refined by Beethoven (including the vocal elements), or an opera of his idol Wagner condensed into 75 minutes (without the theatrics).

Favorite piece: Symphony #5

Compared to expectations: same

Mahler

239. Nazz

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(November 2019) Episode 239 is NAZZ. This psychedelic-tinged group out of Philadelphia enjoyably touched the sounds of the late 60s.  As the launching pad for Todd Rundgren, Nazz also, not surprisingly, previewed power pop and soft rock.

Favorite album: Nazz

Favorite song: Open My Eyes

Compared to expectations: same

Nazz

238. Acid Mothers Temple

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(November 2019) Episode 238 of the “opus project” is ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE and its various emanations.*  In all my project, there is no greater gap between the love I have for a group and the revulsion that others have of it.  I adore Beautiful Noise, and they are masters — feedback, distortion, psychedelic, freakouts, weirdness.  AMT is a Japan-based collective of musicians with Makoto Kawabata at its center, producing prolifically (80 studio + 48 live albums).  They humorously honor their inspirations (Zappa, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Terry Riley, etc.) with clever word-play album and song titles.** A-E-D-A-G-D

Favorite album: Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Under the Stars

Favorite song: The Tales of Solar Sail ~ Dark Stars in the Dazzling Sky

Best psychedelic: Crystal Rainbow Pyramid

Best acid rock: Cosmic Soul Death Disco

Best space rock: Pink Lady Lemonade

Best ambient: The Holly Mountain in the Counter Clock World

Best drone: In D

Compared to expectations: ↑

AMT Crystal_Rainbow_Pyramid_Under_the_Stars

* Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.

Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno

Acid Maso Temple

Acid Mothers Afrirampo

Acid Mothers Gong

Acid Mothers Guru Guru

Acid Mothers Guru Guru Gong

Acid Mothers Kaidan

Acid Mothers Temple & Space Paranoid

Acid Mothers Temple & The Pink Ladies Blues

Acid Mothers Temple SWR

Tsurubami

Yamamoto Seiichi & Acid Mothers Temple

 

** Top 20 punny AMT album/song titles

  1. Son of a Bitches Brew
  2. Starless and Bible Black Sabbath
  3. 41st Century Splendid Man
  4. Absolutely Freak Out (Zap Your Mind!!)
  5. The Ripper at the Heaven’s Gates of Dark
  6. Does the Cosmic Shepherd Dream of Electric Tapirs?
  7. Minstrel in the Galaxy
  8. Pataphysical Freak Out MU!!
  9. Ziggy Sitar Dust Raga
  10. Are We Experimental?
  11. Doobie Wonderland
  12. Babe, I’m Gonna Reave You
  13. Hardcore Uncle Meat
  14. Electric Heavyland
  15. In Search of the Lost Divine Arc
  16. Shine on You Crazy Dynamite
  17. Just Another Band from the Cosmic Inferno
  18. Maggot Head Cheese
  19. Born Free Stone Free
  20. Close Encounters of the Mutants