Category: Episodes

206. Lead Belly

~ ernopepper ~ 1 Comment

(March 2019) I have completed episode 206 of my “opus project.” This edition: LEAD BELLY. A master in blues and folk, Lead Belly’s songs also touched on gospel, children’s songs and topics of the day like FDR, Hitler and the Titanic. His songs were thankfully preserved by the Lomax recordings for the Library of Congress, making him influential, particularly for his technique on his big 12-string guitar. Despite, or maybe because of, his scoundrel-ish life, his voice always sounds like he’s having a great time.

Favorite song: Bottle Up and Go (love the guitar work)

Compared to expectations: same

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205. Green Day

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(March 2019) I have completed episode 205 of my “opus project.” This edition: GREEN DAY. Based on their radio play, I had dismissed them as safe-space punk for the masses. But with this review, I was selling them far short. The rhythm section is *chef’s kiss* and the guitars are hooky and loud. Early on, the over-production was unsuited to the genre, but as they grew the songwriting caught up and broadened into power pop and guitar rock. Billy Joe’s affected vocals, once irritating and dominating, got better integrated. Green Day is a model for how a band matures and adds dynamism without letting go of their foundational tone.

Favorite album: Insomniac

Favorite song: American Idiot

Favorite power ballad: Redundant

Favorite rock opera: 21st Century Breakdown (better than American Idiot)

Special sauce: Tré Cool

Compared to expectations: ⇑

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204. John Adams

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(February 2019) I have completed episode 204 of my “opus project.” This edition: JOHN ADAMS. One of the top living American composers, his music has its roots in minimalism but it’s rather hard to categorize, incorporating and mixing several styles of early and late 20th century music. He composed several operas, but since opera’s not my thing, I prefer the orchestral and piano pieces, especially when it takes an ethereal turn.

Favorite piece: Harmonielehre

Favorite opera: Nixon in China

Favorite ambient piece: Light over Water

Compared to expectations: same

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203. Weezer

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(February 2019) I have completed episode 203 of my “opus project.” This edition: WEEZER. I just listened to 12 Weezer albums and the only songs I remember are Buddy Holly and the Sweater Song. The fun of their debut album – the right sound with the right attitude at the right moment – serves to accentuate the banality of the following releases, with the most sterile lyrics I’ve heard since I did Foreigner.

Favorite album: Weezer (the Blue Album)

Favorite song: Undone — The Sweater Song

Compared to expectations: ↓

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202. Love

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(February 2019) I have completed episode 202 of my “opus project.” This edition: LOVE. The distinctive style of this late 60s band is hard to label — “thespian hippy” is my best attempt. After their masterpiece, Forever Changes, their sound became more conventional for the era. Also noted (for the time) for the racial diversity of their lineup.

Favorite album: Forever Changes

Favorite song: Seven and Seven Is

Compared to expectations: same

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201. Richard Wagner

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(February 2019) I have completed episode 201 of my “opus project.” This edition: RICHARD WAGNER. Opera is my least favorite form in classical music, and since opera is Wagner’s specialty, this episode was a grind. But a greatest hits collection of his top overtures and preludes is worth having. The Tannhäuser Overture is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever.

Favorite piece: Tannhäuser Overture

Favorite opera (for the music): Parisfal

Compared to expectations: ↓

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200. The Mamas and the Papas

~ ernopepper ~ 1 Comment

(January 2019) I have completed episode 200 of my “opus project.” This edition: THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS. Groovy, hippy, warm rays of sunshine to bring a smile to your face. And, oh, those harmonies! Their run was brief, but their role in popularizing folk rock was huge.

Favorite album: If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears

Favorite song: Got a Feelin’

Special sauce: Mama Cass

Compared to expectations: same

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199. Terry Riley

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(January 2019) I have completed episode 199 of my “opus project.” This edition: TERRY RILEY. A (still living) composer of experimental music and pioneer of minimalism, Riley gained fame with works featuring loops and delay effects. Many of his pieces feature Indian musical and jazz elements. A multi-instrumentalist, the majority of his compositions are on keyboard, some of which sound new-agey to the ear. I prefer the early experimental stuff.

Favorite album: A Rainbow in Curved Air

Favorite piece (song): A Rainbow in Curved Air

Favorite live performance: Persian Surgery Dervishes

Favorite soundtrack: Les Yeux Fermés

Favorite later piece: The Cusp of Magic (with Kronos Quartet)

Compared to expectations: ↑

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198. Gang of Four

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(January 2019) I have completed episode 198 of my “opus project.” This edition: GANG OF FOUR. The first two albums are great post-punk material. But then they adopt 80s synths and I lose interest, and my interest finds no reason to return on the several unremarkable albums after that.

Favorite album: Entertainment!

Favorite song: Ether

Compared to expectations: ↓

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197. The Beau Brummels

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(January 2019) I have completed episode 197 of my “opus project.” This edition: THE BEAU BRUMMELS. Before there was the San Francisco Sound, there was The Beau Brummels. This relatively unknown Bay Area outfit not only earned the distinction as perhaps the first American band to mimic the music of the British Invasion, they also introduced folk rock before the Byrds popularized it.

Favorite album: Triangle

Favorite song: Laugh Laugh

Compared to expectations: same

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