1001 Album Complaints

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  The Pogues were born out of the Irish diaspora in London and out of Shane McGowan's love of the downtrodden. The guys welcome a special (and very relevant) guest to discuss gritty vocals, the ulian pipes, and punk energy filtered through traditional music. Check out Stephen's record club here and reach o...

On our Patreon-only bonus show Song Battle - we pick 16 songs to enter a bracket competition, write tweets about each one while telling a short backstory about how they were made, then vote on who should advance. This is episode 1 of 5 in total in the series. If you like this episode - listen to the entire series right now over on Patreon - it's free to join and it means a heck of a lot to us. Plu...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Isaac Hayes was a back-of-house songwriter who got thrust to the front of a struggling record label called Stax Records. The guys are live together in the room and talk about 70s funk innovations, massive amounts of confidence, and Phil's spoken word album coming in 2026. Join the comment threa...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Blue Cheer were innovators of the noise and loudness approach to rock music in the San Francisco 1960s. The team get together to discuss cover songs getting a modern makeover, bass cabinets rattling in the studio, and terrible mixing decisions. Join the comment thread NOW available on our free...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Brian Eno broke away from Roxy Music and began a prolific solo career both as a solo artist and a highly sought after producer. The boys welcome a special guest and discuss hyper visual audio, anagrams, and 80s British stop motion kids programming. Join the comment thread NOW available on our f...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Frank Zappa assembled the Mothers to make anti-authoritarian, anti-hippie, anti-commercial music. This record is unlike anything else you will hear. The boys discuss the avant garde, skewering 60s culture while it's at its peak, and of course, pretentiousness in music. Join the comment thread N...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Slayer was birthed from the bowels of hell (Orange Country, CA) and burst onto the scene with harder, louder, faster music than ever heard before. The fellas tell Slayer's backstory while discussing chaotic guitar solos, wild drum antics, and underbaked lyrics. Join the comment thread NOW avail...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Lloyd Cole started the Commotions as a soul band in Glasgow but after some home demos landed himself a recording contract and took the UK airwaves by storm. The crew welcome a very special guest and touch on golf handicaps, Miami Vice, and Johnny Marr. Join the comment thread NOW available on o...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  The Offspring gigged for 10 years before their huge breakthrough success came in 1994. The boys come together to discuss Dexter's signature vocal timbre, phrygian dominant scales, and heavy metal rhythm guitar patterns. Join the comment thread NOW available on our free Patreon to continue the c...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  The Stones Roses were the "it" band for a brief period, but bad contracts and struggling to follow up their hit debut tanked their chances at lasting stardom. The boys welcome a very special guest and discuss long & suspenseful intros, slacker vocal tone, and the Spike Island chemical dump....

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Limp Bizkit went out of their way to make the world dislike them - as a strategy! Then with a multiplatinum album already under their belts, they upped the ante with their next release. The guys get together to discuss a true classic of nu-metal and they touch on Fred's vocal stylings, Wes' out...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Digital Underground was the brainchild of Shock G, a multi-instrumentalist based in Oakland trying to find his hip-hop niche. The guys get together to discuss fake nose accessorizing, water-based rap crews, and Burger King bathrooms. Join the comment thread NOW available on our free Patreon to...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Lana Del Rey is a prolific songwriter and dream pop goddess of the modern era who shuffled through some different personas before finding her niche. The team welcome a very special guest and discuss sad girl indie, unexpected melodic changes, and an acrobatic vocal style. Get More our our Speci...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Yes went through multiple lineups changes and their biggest hits before heading into the studio for their most ambitious project by far. The boys welcome Marty as a first time host and discuss gnome villages, terrible alternate band names, and the music of insects. Join the comment thread NOW a...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  De La Soul were still kids when they got a record deal and access to a full studio's worth of gear to record their debut LP. The boys get together and talk about a complete lack of self-editing, early adventures in creative sampling, and the importance of being charming, Join the comment thread...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Abba had an impressive run of pop hits while touring the world non-stop in the 1970s, but as the 1980s came around, they were close to a breaking point, both personally and professionally. The team get together to talk about being in a band with your wife, the Swedish wrecking crew, and where pop cat...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Santana formed as a collective in the swinging San Francisco 60s, and hit the big time during their breakout set at Woodstock. The boys get together to discuss mood music, minor pentatonics, and snake-fighting on stage in front of 400K people. Join the comment thread NOW available on our free Patreon...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Franz Ferdinand formed in Glasgow with the express purpose of making music that would make women want to dance. And - they did. The boys discuss the full backstory of the band and in the process touch on stacked guitar-monies, sing-talking, and the art rock-modded disco beats of the early 2000s...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Christina Aguilera went from pre-teen singing phenom to Disney channel star and then decided she wanted to make a different kind of music. The team get together to discuss genre-hopping, excessive vamps, and the challenges of pop stardom. Join the comment thread NOW available on our free Patreon to c...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Janis Joplin dreamed of being a famous blues singer and moved from Texas to San Francisco to make it happen. The guys discuss psych rock's delta blues origins, 70s keyboard aesthetics, and the importance of repertoire. Join the comment thread NOW available on our free Patreon to continue the co...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Fugees took a big label advance and built a studio in their New Jersey basement so they could relax and take their time making The Score . The fellows get together to discuss low harmonies, creative sample repurposing, and yodeling in hip hop. Join the comment thread NOW available on our free P...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  Sex Pistols arose from a clothing store in London and rode a wave of controversy straight to the top on their debut album. The team discuss partial bass playing, political jabbering in punk, and rolling your R's as a frontman. Join the comment thread NOW available on our free Patreon to continu...

The Beverly Crushers themselves (Rob and Tom from 1001 Album Complaints) recount how a modern indie band makes and releases a record. Plus we answer listener submitted questions about the process - from songwriting to arrangment to track order and mixing decisions. Buy a copy of The Beverly Crushers "Enterprise" (Rob and Tom's new album) and have a chance to pick what album we cover next   Join ou...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  David Bowie finally locked in on a way to connect with the record buying public - by transforming himself into an alien savior / fame monster. The guys continue their 200th episode celebration and talk about unintelligible but cool lyrics, the melodic bass of Trevor Bolder, and those persistent...

Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums.  David Bowie wanted to be a star. It took a few tries but after changing his name and shaving his eyebrows off, he finally made it. The boys celebrate a big milestone episode and discuss methods for learning vocal harmony, ancient Egyptian religions, and vocal cord rupturing single takes. Join t...