Mick and the PhatMan Talking Music

This episode’s a bit schizophrenic!  Firstly, we look at Kate Bush, whose first single “Wuthering Heights” was released against the wishes of her record company – too long and too weird, they said.  We all know how wrong they were, don’t we?  Our Album You Must Hear Before You Die is "Junkyard" by The Birthday Party, a band who embodied chaotic, confrontational music.  This is as far as...

This episode we look at the phenomena of hugely successful artists refusing to play the songs that made them!  First among these is Radiohead, whose “Creep” launched them onto the world stage.  Others include The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Madonna.    Our Album You Must Hear Before You Die is The Stranglers’ 1977 debut, the excellent “Rattus Norvegicus”, yet another punk r...

  In the mid-70's, one of our most outrageous bands burst out of Melbourne ready to shock a relatively conservative Australian society.  With wild costumes & makeup, songs touching on drugs, sexuality and masturbation, and Red’s four-letter word chants, what's not for teenagers to love?  We certainly did!  Mick just got a new book covering the life of American guitarist Dick Wagner. ...

One of NZ’s best-ever band exports is Split Enz.  Formed in the 70’s, Split Enz’ intelligent pop music made them one of our top bands for over a decade, and still beloved today. We look at how they got started and some highlights of their career and recordings.   We also talk about our annual trip to Bali, where we discovered a local band that played Pink Floyd's  “Wish You Were Here” (yes, r...

 This episode, we look at guest appearances.  From Duane Allman playing the famous lead on “Layla”, to Bob Seger doing backing vocals on The Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight”. It’s all here, from a moment in the studio to creation of an inspirational piece of music  It’s a chock-a-block episode. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” looks at Neil Sedaka, Charles Negron II of Three Dog Night, William "Billy B...

Sometimes, bands release only one album – no follow-up, no nothing! Some are great.  Some, not so much. This episode, we look at a bunch of what we’re calling “One-Album-Wonders".  In 1975, Aerosmith released their breakthrough album, “Toys in the Attic”.  Did we like it then? Do we like it now? In “Albums You Must Hear Before You Die”, we examine these and other mysteries.   All this and the...

 Linda Ronstadt has been described as the most successful and certainly the most durable and most gifted woman rock singer of her era. We look at her impact on music (and us!).  Our "Album You Must Listen to Before You Die" is 10cc’s “Sheet Music”, their 2nd album which announced to the world that they were a force to be reckoned with.  Did we like the album?  You bet!  Plus, more on Jef...

 When we watch movies & shows at the movies or, increasingly, on TV, the soundtrack is ever-present to set the mood and enhance the story. But we never stop to consider its’ role, how it’s changed over the years, and how it interacts with other elements, such as the title sequence. This episode we look at how the use of soundtracks has changed over the last 30 or more years and consider some v...

In Season 5 (2025), we talked about how double albums came about, and talked about some of the best double albums of the 70’s.  This episode, we look at some of the best double albums of the 80’s.   Our Album You Must Listen to Before You Die is “Out of the Blue”, by ELO. It WAS a huge hit in the 80’s. But was it any good? Hmmm.   In “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, we pay tribute to Rob Hirst (Midnig...

We’re back again for another year and kicking off by looking at supergroups – that “elite” class of rock bands made up of members of other top bands! What they are, how they form, and shining examples!   Our “Album You Must Hear Before You Die” is Cream’s 1967 album, “ Disraeli Gears” , a stunning work from a trio featuring Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker. With tracks like “Sunshine of...

A quick final episode to see out the year!    Christmas is many things to many people.  To us, it’s a chance to talk about themed music, or, in this case, movies that fit the theme.    We talk about Phil Spector’s “A Christmas gift for You”, which is nowhere near as bad as it could be with that title.  Elsewhere in Rolling Stone’s 25 Greatest Xmas Albums, (which lives up to the terrible standard s...

Well, we made it! 100 episodes & still going strong!  (Except for a bit of a medical interlude for both of us.) Who’d have thought the views of a pair of opinionated Aussie music fans could have entertained so many for so long?     In this episode, we celebrate the artists, music & events we’ve covered over the last five years, along with some special highlights - Mick’s habit of tapping t...

In this episode, we look at The Pretenders – where they started (& before they started!), the tragedies, and what’s happening these days. From the Kent State shootings to mid-70's punk, it’s a fascinating ride!  In Rock News , we look at David Gilmour’s new live concert film, Jimmy Page in court (again!), the latest on Oasis, Zak Starkey’s in The Who (or is it Oasis?), and Panama’s new al...

A special episode today to look at the huge amount of people who’ve recently died.  Obviously, Ozzy Osbourne is the most well-known, but there’s gonna be a queue a mile long at the Pearly Gates as they try to process everyone!  Let’s look at some highlights, such as Brian Wilson, Sly Stone, Aussie Col Joye, Hulk Hogan, David Johansen and Golden Earring’s George Kooymans.  We’re also going to look...

Is a double album a record label cash grab, or a way to deliver great music that can't be contained within the usual confines of a single LP? The double album has been both. This episode, we look at how the double album came to be, and some of the greatest double albums from the 70’s.  Most of these albums show career-best work from legendary artists such as The Beatles, The Clash, Bob Dylan,...

A “Deep Cut” is something that is recognisable or familiar to passionate fans but not usually to others.  As a special treat this week, we’ve delved into our collections to give you some deep cuts from our favourites – things like Queen, Bowie, Joe Cocker, Nick Cave and TISM. We think you’ll love them,    In Rock News, Jeff delves into songs that turn 60 on 2025, looks at Sunday Lunch with Toyah a...

Just because you’re successful doesn’t mean everyone likes you.  In fact, success can often draw criticisms that might not be given to other performers.  In Australia, we call that the “Tall Poppy Syndrome”, where people look for reasons to bring successful people down! We look at some criticisms (not by us - mainly!) of highly successful artists and try to find a reason for them.      This month...

A while back, we talked at length about Warren Zevon, one of the great American songwriters and one of our idols.  So, this year, Warren Zevon has been inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, along with Bad Company and Cyndi Lauper, and we thought that was a perfect excuse to close the loop on our coverage of his career.  It’s all here – his later career, final album, appearances on Letterman....

The late Steve Harley was most famous for his 1975 hit Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me), but there’s much more to the story than one good single.  We look at the band’s early albums and Steve Harley's career around and after that single and the band's break up.  As usual, Mick says their early stuff is way better than their later stuff! Our Album you Must Listen to Before You Die is “T...

Why do you like the music you do?  Is it as simple as “It’s what I heard on the radio”? Or something deeper? People with elder siblings may be exposed to music earlier than first children.   Jeff had an older brother, so was exposed earlier to cool music - Beatles, Janis, Hendrix, and so on.  Mick was the eldest in his family and had to find his own taste. (No surprise considering what he listens...

This episode, we look back at two hugely influential women artists – Patti Smith, whose 1975 “Horses” album inspired so many artists, and Marianne Faithfull, whose passing in January, 2025, is a huge loss.   “ Horses ”, with its confrontational approach - “ Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine ” - changed the landscape of rock music for the next few decades.  Produced by John Cale, of Velv...

Part 2 of our fascinating conversation with Radio Birdman's Rob Younger.  From music production styles, to why some people can't keep it in their pants, and the disgraceful lack of credit given to Stevie Wright for the success of The Easybeats, there's never a dull moment in this wide-ranging discussion.   Enjoy! References:  Rock producers, production styles, guitarists, band leade...

A special treat for you this episode!  Rob Younger, lead singer of legendary Australian group, Radio /Birdman, joins us in the studio to give us his thoughts on everything from music production to the influence of the Beatles on all rock music.    Rob’s near-encyclopedic knowledge of the rock era is impressive, and it's eye-opening to hear his opinions on the shameful treatment of Stevie Wrig...

In case you hadn’t noticed, we love a good cover version! This episode, we’re looking at covers - staples, covers from strange sources, and some songs that have had a LOT of covers, including a bunch of covers of David Bowie's “Heroes”, one of Mick's favourite songs of all time.  Our Album You Must Hear before You Die is “Is This It?” by The Strokes. This punk/Britpop-influenced album go...

Every band/artist has to have a first album.  Sometimes those albums are good, sometimes they’re not, and sometimes they just show potential.  This episode, we look at some first albums over the gamut of the rock era that we regard as great, including some Australian albums. You've probably heard of most, but not all.  In rock news, we look at Neil Young, The Wiggles (yes!), Joe Bonamassa, Je...