Tag: rock

355. KISS

~ ernopepper ~ 1 Comment

(September 2021) Episode 355 is KISS. I can’t think of a rock band whose fame is derived from a higher ratio of style over substance. Cock rock has not aged well (other than as period pieces in movie soundtracks), and KISS is no exception. It’s like they presciently made music in order to be mocked by Spinal Tap, and later made music that mimicked the mocking. I was too young for the KISS Army and like to think I would not have succumbed.

Favorite album: Destroyer

Favorite song: Dark Light

Oddest yet weirdly compelling album: Music from “The Elder”

Best late-period album: Carnival of Souls

Best 1978 solo album: Ace Frehley

Favorite member: Ace Frehley

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: don’t bother

353. The Polyphonic Spree

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(September 2021) Episode 353 is THE POLYPHONIC SPREE. I was captivated by their debut album, with a technicolor choir robe-adorned chorus playing trumpet and flute and singing mystical sunshiny lyrics, creating a very Age of Aquarius vibe.  But later recordings never matched the initial promise, and it descended into 10s-typical synth pop.

Favorite album: The Beginning Stages Of…

Favorite song: Have a Day/Celebratory

Compared to expectations: ↓

Recommendation: just first album

352. Everly Brothers

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(September 2021) Episode 352 is THE EVERLY BROTHERS. Their flawless harmonies gave us pop standards and were immensely influential to the development rock-n-roll.  To my ear, their harmony fit best outside their most popular, early 60s, somewhat bubblegum, period – in an early album of folk songs from an earlier generation (Songs Our Daddy Taught Us), and their later albums of country-rock (Roots). 

Favorite album: Two Yanks in England

Favorite song: Gone, Gone Gone

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: if you want to know that music that influenced the music you listen to

351. Mudhoney

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(August 2021) Episode 351 is MUDHONEY. I started this one while in the Seattle area.  They were delivering the grunge sound before the other Seattle-based bands who got more famous. I didn’t have Mudhoney in my playlist back then but I’m sure there are devotees who rank them above the others. They have a comparatively more punkish sound and sensibility and have been durable.

Favorite album: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

Favorite song: Thorn

Compared to expectations: same

Recommendation: pretty core if you like any grunge stuff

346. Mountain

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(August 2021) Episode 346 is MOUNTAIN. You know them for “Mississippi Queen” and perhaps for their appearance at Woodstock. Mostly their legacy comes from their heavy and loud sound which influenced the development of heavy metal. The first two albums are excellent period pieces and all that you need.

Favorite album: Climbing!

Favorite song:  Nantucket Sleighride

Compared to expectations: same

341. Joan Jett

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(July 2021) Episode 341 is JOAN JETT (and The Blackhearts). Your health demands an infusion of pure, unadulterated rock-n-roll from time to time, and Joan Jett provides that, with a tasty helping of snarl. But as with much straight-ahead rock, it can become tedious.

Favorite album: Bad Reputation

Favorite song:  Bad Reputation

Best late-period album: Sinner

Best collaboration: Evil Stig (with The Gits)

Compared to expectations: same

339. Weird Al Yankovic

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(July 2021) Episode 339 is WEIRD AL YANKOVIC. Simply put, he is a genius. There is no shortage of parody/satire music out there (esp. in the social media age) but Weird Al is the master and has been so for decades. His albums (and videos) are consistently clever, current and on point. I LOLd often. And his original songs are not only funny but show him to be a talented pop/rock songwriter (ex: Skipper Dan). Extra points for doing it clean and not resorting to prurience or profanity (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I look forward to the polka medleys.

Favorite album: Straight Outta Lynwood

Favorite song: Jurassic Park

Compared to expectations: ↑

325. The Band

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(March 2021) Episode 325 is THE BAND. Nobody doesn’t love The Band. They brought stories of the working man and the downtrodden — long at the heart of the blues, country and folk — into an unadorned rock format, synthesized into what we now call American roots rock (or more accurately North American roots rock, given that 4/5th were Canadian).  Go watch The Last Waltz too.

Favorite album: The Band

Favorite song: Up On Cripple Creek

Favorite Ballad: It Makes No Difference

Compared to expectations: same

323. The Essex Green

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(March 2021) Episode 323 is THE ESSEX GREEN. Another fine indie band from the Elephant 6 world, with a little more folk and country tones than others in the cohort. “Everything Is Green” is an excellent homage to 60s baroque psychedelic pop, and “Primrose” sounds more like the Zombies than anything else I can think of.

Favorite album: Everything Is Green

Favorite song: Primrose

Compared to expectations: same

322. Vanilla Fudge

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(March 2021) Episode 322 is VANILLA FUDGE. They made their mark with heavy, slowed, over-wrought versions of contemporary pop songs (you may recognize their version of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”) and, oddly, it still kinda holds up. I prefer the albums with more original material. Their heavy sound, slathered like so much fudge in Hammond organ and fuzzy guitars, helped birth heavy metal. You can hear it most immediately in Deep Purple’s early work, and Mark Stein’s vibrato vocals presaged the operatic style of Bruce Dickinson el at.

Favorite album: Renaissance

Favorite song: Good Good Lovin’

Compared to expectations: same