Personal Records

In this episode Scott and Chris talk about albums that made them fall in love with a band and become true, die-hard fans. Featuring: Primus The Beatles Stretch Armstrong Bjork A Static Lullaby & Pedro the Lion There's no way these six bands have ever been discussed on a single podcast. Let us know what album made you fall in love with a band!

Sixteen debut albums. One tournament. One Last Record Standing. Scott and Chris return for Debut Albums Vol. 4, putting another stacked field of first albums head-to-head. The winner will claim the fourth and final championship spot alongside Weezer, Boston and Counting Crows. FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS: Rush vs. Bad Company   Deep Purple vs. Steppenwolf   Crowded House vs. Pet Shop Boys   Poison vs. Ci...

One great album is hard. Three in a row? That's rare. On Episode 11 of Personal Records, Scott and Chris each pick three artists who delivered a killer three album run. Eighteen records, six artists, and a fairly direct route from the Christian bookstore to the mosh pit. Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Petra, Huey Lewis and the News, Poison the Well, and Misery Signals all make an appearance. If you...

16 debut albums. One spot in the Final Four. Scott and Chris return for the third installment of Last Album Standing, putting another 16 debut records head-to-head until only one remains. From grunge and alternative rock to hip-hop and ska, this bracket makes for some tough calls. The opening matchups: • Goldfinger vs. blink-182 • Five Iron Frenzy vs. The O.C. Supertones • A Tribe Called Quest vs....

1977 was a massive year for music, but which albums still matter most to us? Scott and Chris were both born in 1978, so this episode takes Personal Records back to the year before either of us arrived. We each count down our five favorite albums released in 1977, including records from Pink Floyd, Rush, Steely Dan, Billy Joel, Cheap Trick, Meat Loaf, Steve Miller Band, Jimmy Buffett, Foreigner and...

1996 was absolutely stacked. Weezer, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Korn, Rage Against the Machine, The Cure, and that barely scratches the surface. Scott and Chris take turns drafting 20 albums from 1996, building rival ten-record collections one pick at a time. Who assembled the better team? Let us know the winner, the biggest steal and the most unforgivable omission. Personal Records with Scott an...

Sixteen more debut albums enter Last Record Standing, and only one will earn a place in our ultimate Final Four. This bracket brings together Linkin Park vs. Papa Roach, Wu-Tang Clan vs. Nas, Snoop Dogg vs. Dr. Dre, Boston vs. Blue Öyster Cult and plenty more. With nu-metal, hip-hop, indie rock, grunge and classic rock colliding, Scott and Chris are forced to make some genuinely painful decisions....

Scott and Chris each rank their five favorite concept albums, covering classic rock operas, progressive sci-fi, emo, metal and modern hip-hop. The conversation includes Pink Floyd, Rush, Coheed and Cambria, Kendrick Lamar, The Who, Armor for Sleep and more, plus honorable mentions and two very different album recommendations. What is the greatest concept album ever made? Let us know what belongs a...

Chris and Scott take a trip back to the year 2000, when everyone thought that a computer glitch was going to take down humanity. 

We put 16 legendary debut albums in a bracket to determine which one will be the Last Record Standing. In the first volume of our new album tournament, Scott and Chris go matchup by matchup, debating these classic debuts: The Cars vs. Van Halen The Go-Go's vs. Duran Duran Rage Against the Machine vs. Stone Temple Pilots Nirvana vs. Pearl Jam Oasis vs. Weezer Silverchair vs. Foo Fighters Arcade Fir...

In this episode of Personal Records , Scott and Chris take a deep dive into HUM , the Illinois space-rock band behind You'd Prefer an Astronaut , Downward Is Heavenward , and Inlet . We talk about the band's massive guitar sound, sci-fi imagery, emotional weight, cult following, and why HUM still feels bigger than their mainstream reputation suggests. From "Stars" to Downward Is Heavenward to the...

Scott and Chris go back to 1987 for a full album draft. We started with a pool of 50 records released that year, then took turns selecting 10 albums apiece to build the strongest possible team. There are huge albums, questionable reaches, a few steals, and at least one pick that probably should have caused a brief suspension of the podcast. Watch the draft, check out both final teams, and let us k...

Scott and Chris kick off Personal Records with a trip back to 1997 — a weird, loaded, ridiculously good year for albums. Each of us brings our five favorite records from the year and explains what makes them so special to us.

Welcome to Personal Records. In this short intro episode, Scott and Chris explain what the show is, why they wanted to start it, and what listeners can expect from future episodes. Personal Records is a music conversation podcast about the albums we love, the records that shaped us, and the weirdly personal reasons certain songs stick around. Expect album rankings, drafts, year-by-year debates, de...