Adventures in Record Collecting

I'll be switching to Sunday releases, yet my fumbling toward a theme song (still in progress) pushed me behind schedule. Nevertheless, I kick off season 3 with a pop punk classic from 1994. I discuss adventures in concert going, aging along with a band, and I indulged in a bit of (qualified) nostalgia.

I close out Season 2 with the follow up to Bob Newhart's debut, released later that same year. I talk about the different flavors of dated, how AI has made certain elements of 66-year old material fresh again, and how the algorithm is collapsing pop culture. I'll be back the first Friday in October with Season 3!

I discuss the UK's biggest single of the 1960s, and its long journey to the top of the charts here. I talk about bootlegs, pirates, and counterfeits, as well as the circle of influences.

It's time to revisit the career of Adam Ant, this time with his final album under the Adam and the Ants banner. I talk about image, record label expectations, the UK/US divide in popularity, and the difference between enjoying an album and having it hold up under repeated close listening. I also touch on the pitfalls of white people rapping.

What a way to come back! I'm cramming both the full album episodes with the singles, so that each week has both an album and a single. And what a single here! Sure, the Beatles would go on to create some truly innovative work, but they had to start somewhere. And they started here. I give (a version of) their origin story, including why a single recorded in 1962 was released in the US in 1964.

I'm back after an impromptu hiatus, discussing (sometimes flailing) Laurie Anderson's second album Mister Heartbreak. I talk myths, wrangle with discomfort, and say "future episode" a whole lot. Come for the Synclavier; stay for the vocoder.

The last of the Wings-related content for a long time, I talk about Bond, myths and legends, grammar, and what makes a good Bond theme. *I also left out a qualifier--the bulk of the budget for the music for the movie went to Paul, but it would be easy to parse what I said as being the bulk of the film's budget, which is not accurate.

I'm back on my merde , as I discuss the first LP from French rock star and actor Jacques Dutronc. I cover the perils of analogy, Dylan impressions, garage rock and more. In addition to many men named Jacques, I also mention Spielberg, Truffaut, and of course, since it wouldn't be an episode of French pop music otherwise, Johnny Hallyday.

A brief detour back into the English language, and Paul's first post-breakup #1. I talk about satisfying chord progressions, funny voices, and singalongs. I also touch on diss tracks.

Salut, les copains! I tackle the birth of yéyé pop, a distinctly French phenomenon of the 60s. I talk about cultural chauvinism, disparate influences, and the dominance of female singers in the French music scene, and how that might have been a double-edged sword. I also, despite having decent French language skills, struggle with switching back and forth between English and French within a single...

As I mentioned on the previous episode, Red Rose Speedway was originally conceived of as a double album. When EMI said "nope", Paul shuffled some stuff around and compressed it into a single. In 2018, Paul reconstructed the original vision for the album. So I bought it. I talk about sequencing, vibes, and counterfactuals.

We're still in the throes of a Maccathon. While I wait for The Boys of Dungeon Lane, we might as well talk about Wings' second album, and its long and winding road (hah!). I talk banning, touring, and harmonies. This week, I cover the single LP version as it was released in 1973.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the breakup of the Beatles was a fraught hot mess. It was also a slo-mo train wreck, and in alternate timelines, it is possible that the end could have been delayed, if not completely avoided. However, the release of Instant Karma, and its chart success, was probably the point of no return. I discuss the song, as well as the paradox that is John Lennon,...

After covering covering four studio albums from Wings (plus one modern repress auxiliary copy and a belated post hoc release), we return to the beginning. I cover the origins of Wings, how the band got its name, and why Paul may have rushed into the studio after a few weeks of jamming in Scotland. Eliot Robert's deep dive into Paul's discography: https://youtu.be/WIOMiAMyKJ0?si=hz9eScgZonl...

We return to Weird Paul and his bleep bloops! I talk about my second copy of McCartney II, why the Archive Collection version is on my Discogs wantlist, and go on a discursive journey about how streaming has allowed many people to too aggressively curate their music listening habits, which might stunt their musical taste. And if that weren't enough, I cover side two! RIP John Lennon; you would...

Is this Paul McCartney's most divisive album? Probably. While other albums might be less loved, few are more hated. I dig its weirdness. I talk about ambivalence, experimentation, and the inadvisability of bringing a big ol' bag o' weed into Japan. I also present my lukewarmest of lukewarm Beatles takes.

It's Ringo! This time, Ringo, after hanging out with Marc Bolan, goes a little glam with Back off Boogaloo. Is it a diss track? If it is, while Ringo wouldn't have been alone in being baffled by Ram, saying so in the press (and that it didn't have any good songs on it) was perhaps a little rich. The B-side was Ringo's stab at writing a theme song for a spaghetti western that he was...

Grab your tickets, folks! It's a live album! Duran Duran came to my city in 1984, and I was champing at the bit to go. Alas, I did not receive parental permission (being only 13 and those being different times). I work through my disappointment, discuss the importance of MTV in breaking Duran Duran in the US, and more!

When are The Beatles not The Beatles? The answer this week is when they're Badfinger. Before they were a rock and roll cautionary tale about scummy managers, they were a band from Wales with a Liverpool connection when they were brought into the Beatles' orbit. This single, at least the A-side is pretty Beatlesque, which is not surprising, as it was written and produced by Paul McCartney.

Back in 1982, I wanted my MTV, and certainly one reason was this episode's artist, Adam Ant. I dive into his solo debut, Friend or Foe, talk about art school and New Wave, Punk Rock icon Jordan, and muse on the shelf life of songs in the internet era.

Before I finish off One Hand Clapping, I take a brief interlude to discuss a couple of singles from Wings: Hi Hi Hi/C Moon and Helen Wheels/Country Dreamer. Because all four songs are also handled elsewhere, I skim the surface and compare and contrast versions. Then it's onto side four and the bonus EP. There's a mini rant about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a request for a couple of bag...

It's double album time! I tackle the first three sides of this 2024 release of the 1974 One Hand Clapping Sessions. I give a recap of As the Band Turns and share some hot (or maybe lukewarm) takes involving hits and Bond themes.

Ringo! As the four Beatles started to figure out who they were without the other three, Ringo went to Nashville and recorded his first country album. And we have the single--the title track, backed with a non-album B-side.

It is possible to recognize an album as being the best, but having another as your favorite. I tease apart why I consider Band on the Run to be the best Wings album, but Back to the Egg is my favorite. I talk about the lore surrounding the album, tease out some biographical breadcrumbs nestled within the lyrics, and talk about how, even now, fans go wild when Paul plays one of these songs live.

We've got another extended dance mix for all you fans of 80s synth pop! The single Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go, backed with Memorabilia and Tainted Dub. I talk covers, instrumentation and used record seredipity!