At First Listen

Although Diamond loves the song "Enter Sandman," she's always been too dubious of heavy metal to venture further into Metallica's catalog.  But we face our fears here on  At First Listen , and challenge ourselves (we are so brave). So on this episode of the podcast, we're digging into Metallica's seminal 1991 self-titled album — affectionately referred to as the Black Album. Does Diamond deem Meta...

After 10 episodes (and 11 albums), Andrew and Diamond take this week to recap some of their favorite music from their At First Listen podcast era.  If you're weighing what episodes to listen to or where to start with our show, this should put you on track with our highest recommendations (and hottest takes) so far.  Also, Andrew tried to get some real music on the show with a combination of an unp...

AppleMusic recently named  The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill the greatest album OF ALL TIME, and while we're dubious, Miseducation received glowing reviews from critics at the time of its release and it is still viewed as a touchstone recording in hip-hip and R&B. Diamond grew up listening to  The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill , while Andrew knows very little about Ms. Hill's work beyond the Fugee...

Our guest Andrew Pugliese from Elvis Duran and the Morning Show brings in one of his favorite albums ever, Lana Del Rey's celebrated 2019 album Norman F---ing Rockwell! , to the show. Despite impressive record sales, luminary status with critics and a ravenous fanbase, Lana's music has for most of her career remained on the fringes of mainstream culture. NFR! is widely considered a turning point i...

Andrew and Diamond finally get to an album they've been looking forward to since launching the podcast, Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life .  Everyone knows at least a few of the numerous hits from Songs in the Key of Life  — "Isn't She Lovely," "I Wish," "Sir Duke," "As" — but as Andrew and Diamond learn, Stevie Wonder's 1976 opus is packed with funk, soul, jazz and salient social commentar...

We have a wide-ranging conversation with CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota about the Ramones, her intimate history with punk rock, her career in news, Prince (!) and especially her must-read memoir, Combat Love .   The Ramones are undoubtedly one of the most important punk bands of all-time and their career remains a crucial chapter in the history of American music. The band's third studio album, 1977's ...

Q104.3 New York's Maria Milito joins the podcast to continue Diamond's introduction to rock 'n' roll with an exploration of one of the most influential rock records of all-time, Led Zeppelin II .  Led Zeppelin's early career was such a whirlwind that much of the band's second album was written during rehearsals and in-between roadtrips. The LP was recorded and mixed quickly at a number of differen...

For  At First Listen 's first true rock album, Andrew picked The White Stripes hit 2003 LP,  Elephant . The band's fourth album overall,  Elephant contains the most iconic rock anthem of its generation in "Seven Nation Army" and earned the band a Grammy award for 'Best Alternative Music' album. But Elephant contains no other bonafide hits, and is on the whole kind of an odd record. While Diamond w...

On March 29, 2024, Beyoncé released her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter , to worldwide acclaim.  After taking a week to listen, Beyoncé superfan Diamond and Beyoncé ambivalent Andrew jumped into a studio to record a bonus episode on  At First Listen and to find out whether or not they agreed on anything about the new album. (Note: We curse many times on this episode.) Subscribe so you don't mis...

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Songwriters Hall of Famer Nile Rodgers is our inaugural guest on the At First Listen podcast! On this episode, Andrew and Diamond dive into Chic's 1978 sophomore album,  C'est Chic , with Nile himself as their guide. Nile offers recollections from creating legendary hits like "Le Freak," "I Want Your Love," "Chic Cheer" and others, as well as memories of his close r...

Diamond invites Andrew to visit her childhood with Usher's most iconic studio album,  Confessions .  One of the best-selling albums of the 2000s,  Confessions contains a parade of classic Usher singles, including "Yeah!," "Burn," "Caught Up" and "My Boo." It's also one of the most gossiped about albums of all-time, as its revealing concept and scandalous lyrics had fans asking questions for years...

Andrew introduces Diamond to Elton John with one of Elton's classic albums from the '70s, Honky Chateau . While Elton and collaborator Bernie Taupin were widely regarded as hitmakers prior to 1972, Chateau marked a turning point in the duo's career, as the first of seven consecutive U.S. number one albums they co-authored from '72 - '75. But more than 50 years after it hit number 1 on the pop char...

Dearly beloved, Andrew and Diamond thought they knew 'Purple Rain,' but did listening to the album in its entirety for the first time raise more questions than answers? On the first episode of 'At First Listen,' our cohosts grapple with one of the most iconic albums of the 1980s, 40 years after it became a global phenomenon that made Prince legend. But does 'Purple Rain' hold up? Do Andrew and Dia...