1001 Album Complaints

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Gang Starr were a hugely influential rap duo in the 1990s New York scene, and Step in the Arena is considered by many to be their first masterpiece. The boys talk about DJ craft, vocab words, and the legacy of the gritty sample. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gma...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Thelonius Monk felt misunderstood for most of his career, but had a breakthrough on Brilliant Corners. The boys discuss notoriously difficult songs, an all-star backing band, and what it's like to be clenching your jaw through Take 24 in the recording studio. Email us your complaints (or questions / comme...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. The Flying Burrito Brothers had a rotating cast of star players and a pocketful of Byrds royalties cash to spend on The Gilded Palace of Sin. The boys discuss hard panned harmonies, overly busy bass lines, and eating too much Mexican food while drunk. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Lenny Kravitz was born cool as the only son of a hugely successful sitcom actress and a jazz promoter. He spent years honing his abilities on various instruments and his talents eventually converged on his debut album "Let Love Rule". The boys discuss the burden of having famous friends, SNL saxophone rif...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Kid Rock had had a few swings at stardom already when he finally hit a home run with "Devil Without a Cause" in 1998. The boys discuss single chord songs, lowest common denominator songwriting, and the "carnival of bravado" on display here. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumCo...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Super Furry Animals emerged from the Welsh "Cool Cymru" scene in 1990s and have become a cult favorite in the decades since. The team discuss studio indulgences, perfectly stacked harmonies, and the meaning of celebrity album cameos. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaint...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. We continue our celebrations of 50 episodes by voting for, then counting down the BEST and WORST songs we've covered so far. Apart from our definitive rankings, we discuss other surprises and random extrapolations from the voting ballots. The data does not lie. Email us your complaints (or questions / com...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Pink Floyd stepped into the studio to layout a concept record about LIFE itself. We celebrate a momentous occasion (our 50th episode) by analyzing an undisputed classic album: Dark Side. The discussion is long and rangy as the boys touch on Abbey Road drum sounds, suspended chords, and the importance of p...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Willie Nelson broke all the rules and retained full creative control on his country-western concept album "Red Headed Stranger". The boys discuss lead vocal phrasing, murderous preachers, and bass harmonicas. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Listen to our...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. A Tribe Called Quest sprung from the rich artistic history of St Albans, Queens and skyrocketed to stardom with "The Low End Theory". The boys discuss the creative use of samples, deep crate-diving habits, and Q-Tip with a cold. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gma...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Alanis Morissette gets her third shot at pop stardom (and nails it) with the mega hit "Jagged Little Pill". The boys discuss Dorian modes, tasteful bass, and bad harmonica. The true meaning of irony is not discussed. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Liste...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Black Sabbath arrive in Los Angeles and order in excessive quantities of cocaine to create "Vol 4". The boys discuss guitar riff overdubs, dueling solos, and Ozzy's singing voice. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Listen to our episode companion playlist (...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Steven Seagal sought to reinvent blues music. He succeeded on this album On a special bonus episode, the boys (finally) discuss a true classic. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Listen to our episode companion playlist (compilation of the songs we referenc...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. John Martyn experiments with British folk and 70s space rock on "Solid Air". The boys discuss echoplexes, Dave Matthews, and the album's far-reaching musical descendants. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Listen to our episode companion playlist (compilati...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Röyksopp drew from their childhood in far northern Norway to create the vibes and textures on their debut record "Melody A.M". The podcast team meets up in person to record (for the very first time) and touch on repeating melodies, patience in songwriting, and of course, bad guitar solos Email us your com...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Drive Like Jehu's short-lived but influential recording career ended with "Yank Crime". The boys discuss earning a long song length, shouted vocal performances, and comparisons to 1970s prog music. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Listen to our episode co...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. David Bowie consumes nothing but cocaine, milk, and bell peppers while going down an occultist rabbit hole and working all hours of the night on his 10th studio album "Station to Station". The boys talk about indulgent song lengths, tasty arpeggios, and the Thin White Duke's considerable vocal range. Emai...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Amy Winehouse had loads of talent but nonetheless ended in tragedy. The team discusses music as a commodity, single mic'ing drums, and whether anything is ever truly "new" anymore. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Listen to our episode companion playlist...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Sparks has been called the greatest band you've never heard of and are the subject of a recent documentary by Edgar Wright. Their catalog is vast and intimidating but Kimono My House is considered their biggest success. The boys discuss mustaches styles, carnival music, and the commitment to being strange...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. The Beatles attempt to recapture the live band spirit and are documented throughout (most of) the process. The boys discuss the album "Let It Be" and the Peter Jackson documentary "Get Back" from the perspective of having sat through thousands of hours of band rehearsal and inter-band passive aggressive m...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Rage Against the Machine comes out swinging on their debut album. The team discusses a funky rhythm section, innovative guitar playing, and 1990's mixing techniques. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Listen to our episode companion playlist (compilation of...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. A duo calling themselves Air set sail from the French touch scene of the Paris 1990s and find sonic alchemy on their debut "Moon Safari". The boys discuss tasty bass lines, chill out music, and vintage synthesizers. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Listen...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Green Day sets their sights on a punk rock opera and stages a huge comeback with American Idiot. The fellows discuss mid-2000s compression techniques, arena rock singalongs, and being creative with power chords. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Listen to...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. George Clinton and Funkadelic create "a musical experience" with their acid-infused album Maggot Brain. The boys discuss song length, naming rights, and echoplexes. Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Listen to our episode companion playlist (compilation of...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. The B-52's embraced surf rock, corny sci-fi, and 1950s kitsch on their 1979 self-titled debut. The boys welcome a special guest and discuss expressionist singing styles, improvised lyrics, and the power of "uncool". Email us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.com Listen...