Album Nerds

Our I Love the 90s series lands on 1999, the year Regis wanted your final answer, Brandi Chastain's penalty kick won the World Cup, and everyone was trying to catch 'em all. Don and Dude split the TRL countdown between pop and nu-metal, pairing five Orlando harmonizers with a red-capped Jacksonville crew mixing turntables and seven-string riffs. The Albums Backstreet Boys – Millennium (1999) Nick...

Our I Love the 90s series lands on 1998, the year Seinfeld signed off, McGwire and Sosa chased the home run record, and every kid wanted a Furby. Don and Dude take on country and post-grunge, pairing a Texas trio bringing banjo and fiddle back to country radio with a Boston band mixing heavy riffs, witchcraft and movie samples. The Albums The Chicks – Wide Open Spaces (1998) Sisters Martie and Emi...

Our I Love the 90s series lands on 1997, the year Titanic and As Good as It Gets arrived in theaters and Tiger Woods won his first Masters. Don and Dude take on "the rest" and rock, pairing a gathering of Cuban musical veterans celebrating their country's traditions with a metal heavyweight chasing bluesy riffs and unexpected sounds. The Albums Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club (19...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1996, the year the Atlanta Olympics captivated the country and Bill Clinton edged out Bob Dole to win a second term in the White House. Don and Dude drop the needle on one studio album from festival rock royalty and one alt hip hop record that became a crossover phenomenon, connecting both records to a world of holiday shoppers fighting over Tick...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1995, the year the O.J. Simpson trial ended with a verdict that split the country in two and Beanie Babies turned into an overnight playground obsession. Don and Dude drop the needle on one arena ready rock record still riding grunge's fading wave and one horn driven pop album born out of a breakup happening inside the band itself, connecting bot...

Don and Dude step away from the I Love the 90s series for a guest appearance on The Retro Nostalgia Podcast with Chad and Cristina. They all pick teams of classic one hit wonders spanning three decades, working from VH1's ranked list of the genre's biggest names. The Draft Selections on the table range from A-ha's "Take On Me" and Sinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" to Dexys Midnight Runners'...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1994, the year a white Bronco led police across Los Angeles and Tonya Harding's camp clubbed Nancy Kerrigan's leg ahead of the Lillehammer Olympics. Don and Dude drop the needle on one stripped down country comeback and one guitar heavy alternative rock debut, connecting both records to a world of the World Cup landing on American soil, Friends p...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1993, when the World Wide Web quietly slipped into the public domain and Michael Jordan stunned the sports world by walking away from the Chicago Bulls at the height of his powers. Don and Dude drop the needle on one lush adult contemporary album and one shape shifting electronic rock release that show how differently each genre chased the decade...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1992, when Batman Returns and Wayne's World ruled the multiplex and Bill Clinton got saxy on The Arsenio Hall Show . Don and Dude drop the needle on one gritty, G funk hip hop album and one crushing heavy metal release that show the evolution of both genres, connecting both records to a world of the Dream Team dominating the Olympics, Mortal Komb...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1991, when kids lined up for Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis while nightly newscasts tracked the crumbling Soviet Union. Don and Dude drop the needle on one polished R&B and soul album and one heavy, alternative release that helped define the decade's sound, connecting both records to a world of Terminator 2 topping the box office, dial up...

Kicking off our I Love the 90s series, we rewind to 1990, when kids played GameBoy while parents watched Twin Peaks . Don and Dude drop the needle on one groundbreaking electronic album and one guitar driven rock release that set the tone for the decade to come, connecting both records to a world of slap bracelets, Pretty Woman at the box office and cassette mixtapes traded on school buses. The Al...

Our final stop on our Summer in the Cities tour is Chicago, where lakefront winds, crowded L tracks and glowing dive bars color the music echoing from basements, rehearsal halls and neighborhood clubs. Don and Dude drop the needle on two Chicago born records that traced how the city’s grit, pride and restless motion pressed into soul and horn heavy rock, turning street level stories and late night...

Our latest stop on our Summer in the Cities tour is Los Angeles, where sun faded billboards, winding canyons and late night freeways quietly shape the sounds coming out of bedrooms, warehouses and old studios. Don and Dude drop the needle on two Los Angeles born records that trace how the citys haze, tension and restless energy seep into confessional pop and psychedelic rock, turning private strug...

Our Summer in the Cities tour follows the highway south to Nashville, where neon honky tonks, studio doors and back porches blur the line between everyday life and song. Don and Dude drop the needle on two Nashville born records that carry the city’s twang, storytelling swagger and late night barroom heart in every riff and chorus. The Albums Dolly Parton – Coat of Many Colors (1971) Dolly Parton...

Our Summer in the Cities tour crosses the Atlantic and rolls into Manchester, where rain‑slick streets, brick mills and crowded terraces shape the sound as much as guitars and drum machines. Don and Dude drop the needle on two albums that channel the city’s gray skies, sharp wit and restless youth into vivid musical cityscapes. The Albums Joy Division – Closer ( 1980) Joy Division turn late‑70s Ma...

Our Summer in the Cities tour rolls into Detroit, where factory smoke hangs over freeways, muscle cars idle outside strip‑mall studios, and the music feels as combustible as the city’s history. Don and Dude drop the needle on two albums that channel Detroit’s battle‑rap ferocity, auto‑plant grind, and dive‑bar chaos into raw, world‑shaking sound. The Albums Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)...

Our Summer in the Cities tour rolls into Toronto, where streetcars hum past glass towers, lake breezes slip between neighborhoods, and the music feels as cosmopolitan as it is stubbornly local. From jazz‑brushed confessions to molten metal anthems, Don and Dude drop the needle on two records that channel Toronto’s coffeehouse introspection, blue‑collar grit, and noisy club‑scene swagger into city‑...

Our Summer in the Cities tour hits Austin, where humid nights, neon-lit bars, and guitar solos spilling out of every doorway create a sound that is rootsy, rebellious, and relentlessly forward looking. From country soul divorce tales to genre bending blues epics, Don and Dude drop the needle on two records that pin Austin’s independent spirit, musical diversity, and guitar obsessed heart to wax. T...

Our Summer in the Cities tour hits Glasgow, where rain-slicked streets, pub jukeboxes, and all-night clubs blur into a sound that is spiritual, scrappy, and just a bit strange. From gospel rave lift-offs to shimmering stadium dreams, Don and Dude dig into two records that lock Glasgow’s grit, melancholy, and imagination into vinyl. The Albums Primal Scream – Screamadelica (1991) Screamadelica catc...

Our "Summer in the Cities" tour kicks off in New York City, where skyscrapers, subway steam, and street corner speakers shape the soundtrack as much as any studio. From Brooklyn chipmunk soul to CBGB panic attacks, Don and Dude dive into two landmark records that lock NYC’s grit, hustle, and humor into permanent groove. The Albums Jay-Z – The Blueprint (2001) Recorded and released at the height of...

Don and Dude channel Ren & Stumpy and search for "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy." The boys explore two joyful records that turned pure happiness into chart gold and lifelong fan obsessions. From psychedelic club anthems to bar band singalongs, the guys trace how these albums turned big smiles, tight grooves, and radio hooks into proof that joy never goes out of style. The Albums Deee-Lite – World Cli...

Don and Dude dig into two self-titled records that turned personal identity into radio gold and lifelong fan obsessions. From diva-defining ballads to California soft-rock confessions, the guys trace how these albums relaunch careers, reset expectations, and prove that sometimes the simplest album title hides the messiest feelings. The Albums Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey (1990) A tightly controlled...

Don and Dude celebrate the Daves they know, zeroing in on how two very different Daves turned 90s rock into group therapy for anyone who ever yelled along in the car. From Charlottesville jam-club grooves to Seattle’s loud-quiet-loud confessions, the guys dig into how hooks, heartache, and live-band chemistry turned these records into permanent fixtures in rock nerd DNA. The Albums Dave Matthews B...

Don and Dude fire up an episode about albums built for a hazy 420 state of mind, from British space rock experiments to prairie bred retro rock perfect for late night clouds and long drives. Pink Floyd’s early psychedelia and The Sheepdogs’ warm, guitar heavy grooves share the spotlight as the guys explore how trippy textures and laid back riffs fuel the same smoky headspace. The Albums Pink Floyd...

Don and Dude rewind to the tiny shared spaces and thumping stereos of their college years for a pair of dorm room staples that shaped how they hear music and each other. Britpop era melancholy and messy alt rock chaos meet as they revisit the comfort, conflict, and late night oversharing baked into two records they once pushed on every friend who would listen. The Albums Morrissey – Vauxhall and I...