WEBVTT 00:00:06.630 --> 00:00:09.689 Welcome to the Album Nerds Podcast with your 00:00:09.689 --> 00:00:14.230 hosts, Andy, Don, and Dude. You down with RTB? 00:00:14.390 --> 00:00:16.530 Yeah, you know me. It's the Album Nerds Podcast. 00:00:16.910 --> 00:00:21.170 I'm Dude. I got Andy and Don with me. How you 00:00:21.170 --> 00:00:23.829 fellas doing? Andy, you ready to get into some 00:00:23.829 --> 00:00:28.429 Roy Thomas Baker? Yeah, I've been baking pretty 00:00:28.429 --> 00:00:32.049 hard since yesterday, so I got some loaves lined 00:00:32.049 --> 00:00:36.719 up. ready to go okay was rtb the big gun and 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:42.500 um doom that's that's the uh the bfg the bfg 00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:45.359 right yes we'll leave the acronym up to your 00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:49.859 imagination geez so yes this is the album nerds 00:00:49.859 --> 00:00:53.259 podcast we love albums the album format finding 00:00:53.259 --> 00:00:55.719 all kinds of excuses to talk about them like 00:00:55.719 --> 00:00:57.359 this for instance we've got a great show for 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:00.420 you we're each going to bring an album to discuss 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:04.299 that was produced by Roy Thomas Baker. See how 00:01:04.299 --> 00:01:06.159 much we want to talk about albums? It's just 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:09.659 crazy. Don's going to ask us a deep question. 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:11.379 Then we're going to have some shout -outs to 00:01:11.379 --> 00:01:13.739 other albums and album -related items that we're 00:01:13.739 --> 00:01:16.180 digging. And then that wheel of musical discovery 00:01:16.180 --> 00:01:18.040 is going to get a spin, and we'll find out what 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:20.959 we'll talk about next time. But this week, RTB 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:24.980 for you and me. That's what I'm talking about! 00:01:26.010 --> 00:01:28.329 Renowned for his innovative production techniques 00:01:28.329 --> 00:01:30.950 and distinctive sound, Roy Thomas Baker has shaped 00:01:30.950 --> 00:01:33.310 the landscape of rock and pop music since the 00:01:33.310 --> 00:01:36.450 1970s. He began his career at Decca Records at 00:01:36.450 --> 00:01:39.689 age 14 and later worked at Trident Studios, co 00:01:39.689 --> 00:01:42.829 -founded Neptune Productions, and signed a production 00:01:42.829 --> 00:01:45.980 deal with CBS Music. He also later in his career 00:01:45.980 --> 00:01:48.939 served as senior vice president of A &R at Electra 00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:51.920 Records. His work spans decades and genres, leaving 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:54.340 a lasting impact on the industry through a catalog 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:56.780 of albums that showcases unique ability to blend 00:01:56.780 --> 00:01:59.540 artistic ambition with commercial success. And 00:01:59.540 --> 00:02:01.599 today, each of us will present an album produced 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:04.260 by Roy Thomas Baker. Are we just going to go 00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:06.620 buy RTB the rest of the show? That's way cooler, 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:10.039 right? Some people call it that. It's always. 00:02:10.620 --> 00:02:13.780 interesting for us to focus on a producer to 00:02:13.780 --> 00:02:16.240 group together albums to talk about depending 00:02:16.240 --> 00:02:20.080 on their interests and talents they can span 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:22.699 lots of different genres lots of different eras 00:02:22.699 --> 00:02:26.500 sometimes there are hits there are misses there 00:02:26.500 --> 00:02:30.669 are missteps so Approaching Roy Thomas Baker, 00:02:30.949 --> 00:02:33.210 how did you guys do? What other albums did you 00:02:33.210 --> 00:02:36.509 consider as we poured through the list before 00:02:36.509 --> 00:02:39.189 making your final decision? Well, I think I see 00:02:39.189 --> 00:02:43.210 it in the golden era of RTB in the mid to late 00:02:43.210 --> 00:02:46.449 70s there. I listened to some lesser known projects 00:02:46.449 --> 00:02:48.750 that I wasn't familiar with. The one that stuck 00:02:48.750 --> 00:02:51.580 out to me was from a group called Man. They're 00:02:51.580 --> 00:02:54.900 a psychedelic rock group from Wales. The name 00:02:54.900 --> 00:02:56.840 of the album that RTB produced is called Rhinos, 00:02:56.840 --> 00:02:59.900 Winos, and Lunatics. It's pretty fun. They're 00:02:59.900 --> 00:03:02.680 a five -piece, more traditional psychedelic sound, 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:04.819 but there's also some really scorching guitar 00:03:04.819 --> 00:03:08.000 solos that made the album pretty fun to listen 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:09.560 to. Though I would say it was a little uneven. 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:12.659 But yeah, great 70s sound, man. He definitely 00:03:12.659 --> 00:03:15.159 had some records that filled that bill pretty 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:17.939 nicely. How about you, Don? Well, in addition 00:03:17.939 --> 00:03:20.699 to an artist that we're going to talk about later, 00:03:20.900 --> 00:03:24.340 he's also known for working with the Cars. So 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:26.840 I believe he produced their first four records. 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:29.620 Yeah. I think my favorite, I go back and forth 00:03:29.620 --> 00:03:32.719 between the self -titled debut and Candio from 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:35.199 1979. So one of these days I'll get around to 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:37.159 talking about Candio. Really good record. It's 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:39.659 got It's All I Can Do and Let's Go and Dangerous 00:03:39.659 --> 00:03:42.110 Type. Yeah. Those really car records are the 00:03:42.110 --> 00:03:46.430 greatest hits albums. I mean, ultimately, the 00:03:46.430 --> 00:03:48.629 Cars would have been one of the best selections 00:03:48.629 --> 00:03:51.569 to make because it's among some of his best work. 00:03:51.770 --> 00:03:54.669 But, you know, in these instances, we're really 00:03:54.669 --> 00:03:58.169 trying to learn about things ourselves, explore 00:03:58.169 --> 00:04:00.810 albums we haven't done before. So for those of 00:04:00.810 --> 00:04:02.689 you out there, when you hear our picks and you 00:04:02.689 --> 00:04:04.069 go, hey, you should have done the Cars. Well, 00:04:04.169 --> 00:04:08.080 we didn't. We have done some of their albums 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:09.819 and we will do more, I'm sure, in the future. 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:11.960 But the first thing that came to mind for me 00:04:11.960 --> 00:04:15.819 was an album by The Darkness from 2005. So the 00:04:15.819 --> 00:04:20.300 tail end of Roy's production career, I think, 00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:23.180 in that era. One Way Ticket to Hell and Back. 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:26.139 It was their second studio album. I loved Permission 00:04:26.139 --> 00:04:28.620 to Land. from a couple years before, and I was 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:30.439 very excited about this. Went and bought it the 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:33.399 day it came out, and I didn't enjoy it as much. 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:36.720 And I still, I tried, and I still don't love 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:39.620 it. I don't think Roy's to blame. I think they 00:04:39.620 --> 00:04:42.180 were, at the time, they were vocally compared 00:04:42.180 --> 00:04:45.379 to Queen to some degree. And the lead singer, 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:48.500 Justin Hawkins, is a huge Queen fan, lifelong 00:04:48.500 --> 00:04:51.480 Queen fan. And having Roy Thomas Baker produce, 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:55.180 I'm sure, was a huge... But it was just too polished. 00:04:55.319 --> 00:04:57.560 The lyrics doing the tongue -in -cheek funny 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:01.139 stuff just didn't work. And it kind of fell flat. 00:05:01.220 --> 00:05:03.399 It's not terrible, but it fell flat for me. And 00:05:03.399 --> 00:05:05.660 I just didn't think it was a great example of 00:05:05.660 --> 00:05:09.399 that really necessary, harmonious connection 00:05:09.399 --> 00:05:12.660 between producer and performer. And that's what 00:05:12.660 --> 00:05:15.459 we were looking for in our actual Ch -Ch -Ch 00:05:15.459 --> 00:05:18.740 -Choices. So why don't we get to them? You choo 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:27.209 -choo -choose me? All right, for my Roy Thomas 00:05:27.209 --> 00:05:30.949 Baker selection, I'm talking about Robert Calvert 00:05:30.949 --> 00:05:34.649 and his album Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters. 00:05:34.889 --> 00:05:39.089 Oh, God. Yes, get ready. This is kind of a niche 00:05:39.089 --> 00:05:41.470 record here. This is the debut album for the 00:05:41.470 --> 00:05:45.990 English musician. Mr. Calvert is a poet and on 00:05:45.990 --> 00:05:48.310 and off again frontman for the Pioneer Space 00:05:48.310 --> 00:05:51.579 Rock Group. Hawkwind. You guys heard of Hawkwind 00:05:51.579 --> 00:05:55.160 before? I have now. I have, only because of reading 00:05:55.160 --> 00:05:57.519 about other artists that were part of Hawkwind 00:05:57.519 --> 00:05:59.259 at different times, but I don't think I've really 00:05:59.259 --> 00:06:01.579 explored their discography. There's more records 00:06:01.579 --> 00:06:02.899 than I thought. Yeah, they've been around for 00:06:02.899 --> 00:06:04.800 a long time. They were sold together in some 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:07.480 form. All right, well, this record here is a 00:06:07.480 --> 00:06:10.600 concept album. It's about a very specific concept. 00:06:11.629 --> 00:06:14.670 It's dealing with the Germany's Air Force purchase 00:06:14.670 --> 00:06:18.290 of the specific fighter plane called the Lockheed 00:06:18.290 --> 00:06:21.310 F -104 Starfighter. It's an American -produced 00:06:21.310 --> 00:06:25.329 single -engine supersonic aircraft. It was known 00:06:25.329 --> 00:06:28.829 for being particularly unsafe. Germans lost over 00:06:28.829 --> 00:06:32.519 116 pilots out of the... Jeez. about a thousand 00:06:32.519 --> 00:06:34.920 aircrafts that they purchased. So this album 00:06:34.920 --> 00:06:36.740 is kind of just throwing shade at this aircraft. 00:06:37.180 --> 00:06:40.360 And it's kind of odd, but I kind of liked it 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:43.660 by the end. So let's jump in here and play. This 00:06:43.660 --> 00:06:46.319 is track six of the album. It's called The Right 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:50.740 Stuff. Oh, the right stuff. Different right stuff. 00:06:51.199 --> 00:07:01.199 Damn it. Donnie Wahlberg does not sound well 00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:08.079 there. All right, so that's, I guess, kind of 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:12.000 about our main character here, who is a test 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:14.439 pilot. He has nerves of steel, as they discuss 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:18.439 in the song there. This album kind of is a series 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:22.920 of political, satirical comedy sketches interwoven 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:25.560 throughout. They tell a loose story about a general, 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:28.360 and he's trying to buy some aircrafts, and there's 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:30.660 this salesman. He's trying to sell him these 00:07:30.660 --> 00:07:33.629 kind of shady... airplanes my clickbait headline 00:07:33.629 --> 00:07:37.129 for robert calvert's captain lockheed and the 00:07:37.129 --> 00:07:39.990 starfighters is strapping boys it's going to 00:07:39.990 --> 00:07:42.490 be a bumpy flight but have faith captain calvert 00:07:42.490 --> 00:07:45.629 will get us home one way or another okay if you 00:07:45.629 --> 00:07:48.810 say so might be in a body bag but we'll get there 00:07:49.790 --> 00:07:52.829 Yeah, I think it's interesting from a production 00:07:52.829 --> 00:07:55.949 standpoint when it's so theatrical and there's 00:07:55.949 --> 00:07:58.810 all this kind of spoken word passages and, you 00:07:58.810 --> 00:08:01.069 know, the song, the more standard songs are still 00:08:01.069 --> 00:08:05.449 sometimes moments of those radio opera, you know, 00:08:05.449 --> 00:08:10.879 moments where it interrupts. right right there's 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:13.560 just a few albums out there that like if i'm 00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:16.000 driving around listening to it like i'll turn 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:18.699 it down just so like people don't hear it and 00:08:18.699 --> 00:08:20.680 like wonder what the hell's going on because 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:23.399 like like the like the the hitler sounding guy 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:29.079 you know like right talking in german loudly 00:08:29.079 --> 00:08:32.220 you're in your car getting indoctrinated while 00:08:32.220 --> 00:08:37.080 you wait for your coffee Yeah, if you were just 00:08:37.080 --> 00:08:38.559 kind of driving by and listening to it, that 00:08:38.559 --> 00:08:41.059 could sound a little suspicious, but if you listen 00:08:41.059 --> 00:08:43.820 closely, it's pretty funny, and they're kind 00:08:43.820 --> 00:08:46.700 of poking fun at Germany here, I would say, generally. 00:08:47.179 --> 00:08:49.679 I mean, it's also important to recognize that 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:52.460 this is from an English -European perspective, 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:55.379 too, so it's... Yeah. Post -World War II. It's 00:08:55.379 --> 00:08:58.480 different than the way that maybe we were raised 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:02.340 to think about that era. It's just a very different 00:09:02.340 --> 00:09:04.919 perspective. Yeah. Calvert, as a boy, grew up 00:09:04.919 --> 00:09:07.600 in England and dreamed of being a fighter pilot, 00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:09.600 which I'm sure was kind of tied into some of 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:11.240 the way you were just saying there, dude. I think 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:13.340 that's really where this album stems from, this 00:09:13.340 --> 00:09:15.899 kind of childhood fantasy of his and kind of 00:09:15.899 --> 00:09:18.559 ran with it. And I appreciate how just dedicated 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:21.649 they are to this concept. They go all in on it. 00:09:21.750 --> 00:09:23.889 Definitely put a lot of work into it. The sketches 00:09:23.889 --> 00:09:28.929 are pretty elaborate and odd. Now, Andy, how 00:09:28.929 --> 00:09:31.049 would you categorize this musically? Because 00:09:31.049 --> 00:09:34.950 it's really a little more sort of, to me, Frank 00:09:34.950 --> 00:09:39.129 Zappa rocky, you know, than seems like fits for 00:09:39.129 --> 00:09:42.190 some of the narration. Yeah. It has that weird 00:09:42.190 --> 00:09:44.649 Zappa quality to it that you might expect. I 00:09:44.649 --> 00:09:46.070 think this is generally classified as like an 00:09:46.070 --> 00:09:48.970 early space rock record, which is kind of like 00:09:48.970 --> 00:09:51.190 adjacent to psychedelic. rock, but maybe a little 00:09:51.190 --> 00:09:55.730 bit more droney and jammy orientated. Yeah, I 00:09:55.730 --> 00:09:57.470 think RTB does a nice job of kind of weaving 00:09:57.470 --> 00:09:59.970 some of those disparate vocal tracks in with 00:09:59.970 --> 00:10:02.490 some of the musical tracks. It plays fairly well, 00:10:02.490 --> 00:10:03.690 though I think it maybe goes a little bit off 00:10:03.690 --> 00:10:05.230 the rails by the time we get to the end. Why 00:10:05.230 --> 00:10:06.590 don't we jump in and play one of those tracks 00:10:06.590 --> 00:10:08.049 that does have a little bit more of a focused 00:10:08.049 --> 00:10:11.629 musical element to it. This is called The Widowmaker. 00:10:20.460 --> 00:10:22.940 Yeah, you gotta watch out for those rain shakers. 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:28.519 What the hell's that mean? I'm not sure. I think 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:31.340 it's, yeah, it must be, you know, pilot lingo 00:10:31.340 --> 00:10:33.000 or something. I don't know. Going through the 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:35.559 clouds, maybe? I don't know. Here's the homework. 00:10:35.740 --> 00:10:38.460 Just see how this lands with people. So the next 00:10:38.460 --> 00:10:41.320 time you have some kind of tense moment with 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:43.620 your wives, call her a real rain shaker and see 00:10:43.620 --> 00:10:47.120 how it goes. See how she takes it. Yeah, you 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:51.169 try that one first, man. All right, well, The 00:10:51.169 --> 00:10:53.470 Widowmaker was co -written by Calvert and Dave 00:10:53.470 --> 00:10:57.090 Brock. So again, you know, this Lockheed F -104 00:10:57.090 --> 00:11:00.850 had like a sleek... dart like design that's why 00:11:00.850 --> 00:11:03.629 they called it a starfighter um so it had narrow 00:11:03.629 --> 00:11:06.029 wings which gave it like high speed performance 00:11:06.029 --> 00:11:08.450 but unfortunately it made it really difficult 00:11:08.450 --> 00:11:11.590 to control at lower speeds um and of course that's 00:11:11.590 --> 00:11:13.389 you know taking off and landing so those are 00:11:13.389 --> 00:11:15.629 pretty crucial parts i'm not a pilot but i understand 00:11:15.629 --> 00:11:17.350 that that's you know kind of the hardest part 00:11:17.350 --> 00:11:20.269 of flying we've all seen top gun right so we 00:11:20.269 --> 00:11:23.269 know how it goes we know what's necessary so 00:11:23.269 --> 00:11:26.990 as andy alluded to before this Jet had a grim 00:11:26.990 --> 00:11:29.470 reputation, and so it became known as the Der 00:11:29.470 --> 00:11:33.629 Witwenmacher, which is the Widowmaker. So what's 00:11:33.629 --> 00:11:36.169 kind of cool about this track is, you know, I 00:11:36.169 --> 00:11:38.789 think they're actually trying to sort of capture 00:11:38.789 --> 00:11:42.690 the sonic experience of one of these jets. you 00:11:42.690 --> 00:11:44.750 know i guess flying and then falling to disaster 00:11:44.750 --> 00:11:47.309 so there's like a distorted guitar riff at the 00:11:47.309 --> 00:11:49.509 beginning which is supposed to be like the engines 00:11:49.509 --> 00:11:51.649 and then all of a sudden it gets really punkish 00:11:51.649 --> 00:11:53.570 like the part you just heard there um and it 00:11:53.570 --> 00:11:56.149 has like that brass that kind of chaotic brass 00:11:56.149 --> 00:11:58.049 in the end and that's when i guess things go 00:11:58.049 --> 00:12:01.009 wrong on the plane i don't know why i'm laughing 00:12:01.009 --> 00:12:05.730 that's not really funny but yeah well there is 00:12:05.730 --> 00:12:10.220 a certain monty python sort of flavor to things 00:12:10.220 --> 00:12:12.659 and maybe i'm just hearing that because it's 00:12:12.659 --> 00:12:15.919 british and i'm projecting that on there but 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:18.779 it feels a little bit like that somehow that 00:12:18.779 --> 00:12:21.320 came to mind as well and i think that's i guess 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:23.820 similar to monty python monty python doesn't 00:12:23.820 --> 00:12:28.120 always land with me you know like apparently 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:33.840 yeah Anyway, my clickbait headline is Captain 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:35.899 Lockheed and the Starfighters is a brilliant 00:12:35.899 --> 00:12:38.820 concept, but it crashes one's patience. Yeah. 00:12:39.379 --> 00:12:42.519 I mean, I think it's cool. I love concept albums. 00:12:42.820 --> 00:12:44.899 I mean, Andy's usually... good at bringing interesting 00:12:44.899 --> 00:12:46.700 ones to the table. I remember that Mike Watt 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:49.419 one about sailing that was really goofy, too. 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:52.980 Sailor man, sailor man, sailor man. So, I mean, 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:56.059 it serves its purpose. I ended up having to read 00:12:56.059 --> 00:12:59.879 up about this failed jet and all the corruption 00:12:59.879 --> 00:13:04.580 and cover -up of the German military. So, I mean, 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:07.000 it's a history lesson, so it works in that way. 00:13:07.159 --> 00:13:10.519 I think musically, I actually enjoyed it. I like 00:13:10.519 --> 00:13:12.820 the sound of the songs. I don't know. It's just 00:13:12.820 --> 00:13:15.750 not like enjoyable experience i think listening 00:13:15.750 --> 00:13:18.809 to the whole album yeah they could have cut down 00:13:18.809 --> 00:13:22.629 on the theatrical you know conversation stuff 00:13:22.629 --> 00:13:25.210 that what's on like news announcements and things 00:13:25.210 --> 00:13:28.730 it's just it's kind of distracting and maybe 00:13:28.730 --> 00:13:31.549 it's because of the era of streaming and not 00:13:31.549 --> 00:13:33.549 just sitting down and listening to a record looking 00:13:33.549 --> 00:13:37.340 at the liner notes but it was very disjointed 00:13:37.340 --> 00:13:40.440 feeling, I think, because when we're listening 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:42.860 to music these days, we're often doing other 00:13:42.860 --> 00:13:47.059 things, and it was hard to focus. It sounds more 00:13:47.059 --> 00:13:50.899 like a radio play than an album or a podcast 00:13:50.899 --> 00:13:53.879 or something. Yeah, War of the Worlds with a 00:13:53.879 --> 00:13:56.159 little bit of backing music. Yeah, I put together 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:58.919 a playlist of just the musical tracks. It's about 00:13:58.919 --> 00:14:01.600 28 minutes of the 42 -minute whole runtime is 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:03.759 just music. I think that is a little bit out 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:05.820 of balance, to be honest. I agree with you guys. 00:14:05.870 --> 00:14:08.529 but you know it's it is what it is it's kind 00:14:08.529 --> 00:14:11.210 of a weird oddity of its time um i appreciate 00:14:11.210 --> 00:14:13.250 it for that let's jump in here a cut towards 00:14:13.250 --> 00:14:15.570 the end of the record this one kind of fits right 00:14:15.570 --> 00:14:26.019 in that theme it's called ejection A little Steve 00:14:26.019 --> 00:14:29.399 Miller band vibe there from my perspective, you 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:32.059 know, a little saxophone. Yeah, like, you know, 00:14:32.059 --> 00:14:33.779 I think we've pretty much said it all when it 00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:36.879 comes to the, I wouldn't say overreaching, but 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:38.919 they really went for it here. And I wouldn't 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:42.899 say it's a failure. It just is more than I bargained 00:14:42.899 --> 00:14:45.480 for. And I think that's what Andy is great at 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:49.360 finding those albums that challenge us. It's 00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:51.720 a very nice way of putting that. Especially with 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:54.419 Roy Thomas Baker here, his involvement in this. 00:14:54.860 --> 00:14:57.440 with other albums in the same year from very 00:14:57.440 --> 00:15:01.899 different bands, and his ability to work with 00:15:01.899 --> 00:15:04.139 artists that have completely different goals. 00:15:04.340 --> 00:15:08.100 My clickbait headline to describe the album, 00:15:08.340 --> 00:15:12.600 Aerospace, Fighter Planes, and RTB. Captain Lockheed 00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:14.940 and the album, I'm Not Cool Enough to Understand. 00:15:15.340 --> 00:15:18.070 So maybe that's what it comes down to. See, you're 00:15:18.070 --> 00:15:19.389 doing the thing where you're making yourself 00:15:19.389 --> 00:15:22.610 look cool by saying you're not cool enough to 00:15:22.610 --> 00:15:25.629 understand something that's lame. That's just 00:15:25.629 --> 00:15:29.309 your interpretation, man. So I think what's more 00:15:29.309 --> 00:15:33.730 important here is how you view me. Yeah, I mean, 00:15:33.769 --> 00:15:37.389 like I said, this was an unwelcome challenge, 00:15:37.490 --> 00:15:43.090 but I'm glad that we were faced with it. It definitely... 00:15:43.659 --> 00:15:47.019 forced us to uh look at this producer from every 00:15:47.019 --> 00:15:49.360 direction you know and it's a good way to start 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:51.419 this conversation yeah there's a lot of detail 00:15:51.419 --> 00:15:53.059 in here like you tell a lot of love when they're 00:15:53.059 --> 00:15:55.279 making this record and i appreciate that aspect 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:56.879 of it i'll just mention here some of the members 00:15:56.879 --> 00:15:59.779 who played in this band so i mean hawkwind was 00:16:00.139 --> 00:16:02.519 pretty much the backing band here for Mr. Cabot. 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:07.019 And that includes Dave Brock and Lemmy for Motorhead 00:16:07.019 --> 00:16:10.720 on guitars. Cool. As well as Brian Eno is on 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:14.200 synthesizers and electronical effects. That's 00:16:14.200 --> 00:16:17.120 nice. Yeah, pretty impressive collection of guys 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:19.379 here. Yeah, so if you're looking for the definitive 00:16:19.379 --> 00:16:21.460 space rock record that explores the pros and 00:16:21.460 --> 00:16:24.820 cons of the Lockheed F -104G Starfighter airplane. 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:28.259 Of the many that are out there, this is the best. 00:16:28.419 --> 00:16:30.350 I think this is the one to go. with yeah sure 00:16:30.350 --> 00:16:35.049 check out robert calvert captain lockheed and 00:16:35.049 --> 00:16:41.070 the star fighters before we continue our journey 00:16:41.070 --> 00:16:45.110 with rtb aren't we here A little bit about what's 00:16:45.110 --> 00:16:47.590 going on with Friend of the Podcast, Music Notes 00:16:47.590 --> 00:16:50.690 with Jess. As our listeners know, Music Notes 00:16:50.690 --> 00:16:54.750 by Jess is Jessica Ann Katina. She does great 00:16:54.750 --> 00:16:58.690 pieces about artists on the pop charts. Jess's 00:16:58.690 --> 00:17:01.490 latest episode deals with Lady A. But yeah, so 00:17:01.490 --> 00:17:04.250 I mean, she's really good at telling the story 00:17:04.250 --> 00:17:07.549 of these groups. And she provides a top 10 list 00:17:07.549 --> 00:17:10.509 of their best songs, which is fun. Yeah, just 00:17:10.509 --> 00:17:13.349 to show that she's, you know, doesn't focus on 00:17:13.349 --> 00:17:16.589 just one genre. Her episode before that was about 00:17:16.589 --> 00:17:20.589 Doji, who just won, I think, best rap album at 00:17:20.589 --> 00:17:24.109 the Grammys. She draws parallels with Janet Jackson. 00:17:24.470 --> 00:17:27.769 So, you know, the whole realm of pop music, you 00:17:27.769 --> 00:17:35.589 know, Jess is your source. All right. So my pick 00:17:35.589 --> 00:17:40.069 for an album produced by the great RTB, Roy Thomas 00:17:40.069 --> 00:17:52.190 Baker. is tapow tapow tapow With their debut 00:17:52.190 --> 00:17:54.710 album, Bridge of Spies, which was released in 00:17:54.710 --> 00:17:59.930 September 1987. T 'Pau was formed in 1986 in 00:17:59.930 --> 00:18:02.390 Shrewsbury, England by vocalist Carol Decker 00:18:02.390 --> 00:18:06.329 and guitarist Ronnie Rogers. All the songs on 00:18:06.329 --> 00:18:08.410 this album were written by Decker and Rogers. 00:18:08.609 --> 00:18:12.829 And the name T 'Pau comes from Star Trek. You 00:18:12.829 --> 00:18:15.130 Trekkies out there, season two, episode one, 00:18:15.269 --> 00:18:18.630 Amok Time, the Vulcan leader, the matriarch, 00:18:18.630 --> 00:18:22.730 her name is T 'Pau. Wow. That was one of my favorites. 00:18:22.789 --> 00:18:24.910 That's when Spock and Kirk have to fight, right? 00:18:24.910 --> 00:18:30.109 It is a good episode. Yeah. I love that music. 00:18:30.289 --> 00:18:32.349 And he, like, sabotages the course of the Enterprise 00:18:32.349 --> 00:18:34.930 to get to Vulcan because he's, like... Well, 00:18:34.990 --> 00:18:37.529 he's all horny. Yeah. Yeah, it's really a good 00:18:37.529 --> 00:18:41.529 episode. Wait, is Spock horny or is Kirk horny? 00:18:41.529 --> 00:18:43.970 Oh, yeah. Yeah, he's like a heat kind of. Oh, 00:18:43.970 --> 00:18:46.450 my gosh. Yeah. Well, that's how they lose all 00:18:46.450 --> 00:18:48.750 their logic when they're supposed to go mate. 00:18:49.349 --> 00:18:53.029 Well, yes, that makes sense. That tracks. Mating 00:18:53.029 --> 00:18:56.289 is not logical. All right. Well, wrong podcast. 00:18:57.170 --> 00:19:02.650 Let's talk about the album. Here's the big hit, 00:19:02.670 --> 00:19:04.609 at least here in the States, Heart and Soul. 00:19:05.869 --> 00:19:08.809 Heart and Soul. Heart and Soul. Heart and Soul. 00:19:13.069 --> 00:19:16.529 That's a little bit different than fighter jet 00:19:16.529 --> 00:19:21.769 drama. It's definitely drama. So, Ronnie Rogers, 00:19:21.950 --> 00:19:25.990 who plays guitar and is one of the... co -songwriters. 00:19:26.150 --> 00:19:28.609 He was actually experimenting with a new keyboard 00:19:28.609 --> 00:19:31.809 that I guess had a built -in sequencer. And somehow 00:19:31.809 --> 00:19:36.390 he created that bass line. And so Decker just 00:19:36.390 --> 00:19:39.269 improvised a melody in the opening line, more 00:19:39.269 --> 00:19:42.410 than oceans keep us apart. So apparently they 00:19:42.410 --> 00:19:44.509 were romantically involved. And so it was sort 00:19:44.509 --> 00:19:47.109 of about her longing for him when she was out 00:19:47.109 --> 00:19:49.609 of the country or something like that. But the 00:19:49.609 --> 00:19:52.490 song, the lyrics ended up taking on kind of a 00:19:52.490 --> 00:19:55.019 different theme of longing and emotional distance 00:19:55.019 --> 00:19:59.019 also declarations of like self -worth so it's 00:19:59.019 --> 00:20:01.299 kind of a lot of this album there's sort of a 00:20:01.299 --> 00:20:04.400 tension between I guess vulnerability and resilience 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:08.500 but we'll get back to that I think the song is 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:11.589 kind of known for that rap interlude Yeah. Apparently 00:20:11.589 --> 00:20:15.029 not RTB, but some guy named Andy Piercy, who 00:20:15.029 --> 00:20:17.329 I guess they brought a demo of this song to. 00:20:18.109 --> 00:20:20.470 He pointed out that there were some kind of gaps 00:20:20.470 --> 00:20:22.730 in the arrangement. And he's the one that actually 00:20:22.730 --> 00:20:26.089 encouraged Decker to write a rap, you know, to 00:20:26.089 --> 00:20:27.970 fill in. Maybe should have left that out. This 00:20:27.970 --> 00:20:30.470 is about RTB, brother. Yeah. But Piercy doesn't 00:20:30.470 --> 00:20:33.890 get any credit at all. Well, now he did. I guess 00:20:33.890 --> 00:20:36.329 in interviews. Yeah. That's pretty unique style. 00:20:36.509 --> 00:20:38.289 That did catch on for a while, right? Or was 00:20:38.289 --> 00:20:42.539 it? Like an early use of this? Or was that pretty 00:20:42.539 --> 00:20:45.420 common at this point already? Yeah, Blondie's 00:20:45.420 --> 00:20:47.720 Rapture kind of did that before. But what's different 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:50.579 here is I love how it's worked under the chorus. 00:20:50.660 --> 00:20:54.420 It's not like a featured thing. It's just how 00:20:54.420 --> 00:20:56.559 it continues underneath the chorus. It's very 00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:58.549 cool. I remember at the time thinking it was 00:20:58.549 --> 00:21:01.109 actually two different people. Yeah, that makes 00:21:01.109 --> 00:21:02.990 sense. I mean, we didn't know anything about 00:21:02.990 --> 00:21:05.049 what they could do in the studio at that age. 00:21:05.190 --> 00:21:08.190 But yeah, I found this a compelling pop song 00:21:08.190 --> 00:21:10.970 at the time. I mean, I didn't go crazy for it, 00:21:11.009 --> 00:21:13.190 but if it was on the radio, I didn't turn it 00:21:13.190 --> 00:21:15.789 off. Were you breaking to it? Were you popping 00:21:15.789 --> 00:21:18.490 and locking? No popping and locking to this one. 00:21:18.569 --> 00:21:22.670 By 87, I had given up that life. Almost ready 00:21:22.670 --> 00:21:24.809 to start shopping for flannels, but not yet. 00:21:25.009 --> 00:21:29.210 No, no, no. That was a little ways off. Well, 00:21:29.289 --> 00:21:33.170 my clickbait headline is Bridge of Spies is highly 00:21:33.170 --> 00:21:37.849 illogical, Captain. Sorry. We'll keep going with 00:21:37.849 --> 00:21:40.569 the Trek stuff. Most illogical. You know, just 00:21:40.569 --> 00:21:44.490 despite being a very. polished and processed 00:21:44.490 --> 00:21:47.730 pop album. I think that there is a lot of raw 00:21:47.730 --> 00:21:50.750 emotion in it and I wouldn't call it, you know, 00:21:50.750 --> 00:21:53.910 it's not soul and her voice isn't really soulful, 00:21:53.970 --> 00:21:56.369 but it's bold. I think when we were talking about 00:21:56.369 --> 00:21:58.509 this before, I think dude, I think you used the 00:21:58.509 --> 00:22:02.170 word sassy. Yes, I did. It's sassy. Yes. Yeah. 00:22:02.230 --> 00:22:04.289 She's got a little, little spunkiness in her 00:22:04.289 --> 00:22:07.089 voice. A little. Yeah. Yeah. She might, she might 00:22:07.089 --> 00:22:10.140 smack you in the face. Yeah. It kind of reminded 00:22:10.140 --> 00:22:12.539 me of some other kind of British pop acts at 00:22:12.539 --> 00:22:15.539 the time. You remember Roxette? Oh, totally Roxette. 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:18.519 Yeah. Must have been love, but it's over now. 00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:20.559 This feels, I think just because of her voice, 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:22.940 there's maybe a little more of an edge to it. 00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:25.440 Taylor Dane kind of thing too. I'll buy that 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:27.019 too. And of course, I mean, you know, I think 00:22:27.019 --> 00:22:29.220 the reason, you know, record labels were really 00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:31.539 leaning into some female pop groups is because 00:22:31.539 --> 00:22:35.829 of Madonna. Right. Right. Well, let's. Let's 00:22:35.829 --> 00:22:38.069 keep moving through the record. Here's Monkey 00:22:38.069 --> 00:22:51.769 House. I mean, literally any other title and 00:22:51.769 --> 00:22:57.259 way of telling this. Because the lyrics to Monkey 00:22:57.259 --> 00:23:00.160 House critique societal conformity and kind of 00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:02.380 the suppression of individual thought under this 00:23:02.380 --> 00:23:04.700 mental hygiene that keeps being mentioned through 00:23:04.700 --> 00:23:07.180 the song. Lines like, we'll teach you how to 00:23:07.180 --> 00:23:09.799 think a clean way and now for your own good, 00:23:09.900 --> 00:23:12.400 we will take the choice away. Suggesting this 00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:15.599 kind of enforced uniformity. Using Monkey House, 00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:17.880 you know, it's clean up the monkey house. It's 00:23:17.880 --> 00:23:21.079 like you're cleaning up poop. Like what? Why? 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:23.640 I don't understand that choice. Mental poop. 00:23:24.569 --> 00:23:28.319 It's a metaphor. Sure. Right. I know, but you 00:23:28.319 --> 00:23:32.200 don't, the metaphor sometimes outshines the lyrical 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:36.000 content or the music itself when I'm picturing 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:39.420 literally people sweeping up turds. That is not 00:23:39.420 --> 00:23:41.839 the image you want. I don't think. Maybe that's 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:44.420 what you wanted. You know, it stuck with you, 00:23:44.460 --> 00:23:47.259 man. I mean, we're captivated by it here, so 00:23:47.259 --> 00:23:49.980 I don't know. It's a pile. That's the pile on 00:23:49.980 --> 00:23:51.799 your face. Yeah, there you go. It is a catchy 00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:55.579 tune. It is catchy. Yeah. That show would be 00:23:55.579 --> 00:23:58.740 perfect for a getting it done montage in an 80s 00:23:58.740 --> 00:24:01.460 movie. Right. Yeah, there's a lot of good montage 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:05.880 music on this album. I mean, I was drawn to the 00:24:05.880 --> 00:24:07.440 song because when I was first listening, I'd 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:09.579 never heard the whole album before. And I was 00:24:09.579 --> 00:24:12.819 like, did she? Monkey House? What? What are we 00:24:12.819 --> 00:24:16.289 doing? My clickbait headline to describe the 00:24:16.289 --> 00:24:19.809 album, Tapao's Bridge of Spies, RTB's Studio 00:24:19.809 --> 00:24:23.390 Sorcery, turns hairspray into gold until the 00:24:23.390 --> 00:24:26.130 can runs dry. And I feel like Heart and Soul 00:24:26.130 --> 00:24:29.170 kind of blew the whole can of Aquanet or whatever 00:24:29.170 --> 00:24:33.650 hairspray people were using in 1987. It's a good 00:24:33.650 --> 00:24:36.410 song with really interesting production layers, 00:24:36.569 --> 00:24:40.329 and I feel like the rest of the album doesn't 00:24:40.329 --> 00:24:43.759 reach that. There's a lot of... attempts lyrically 00:24:43.759 --> 00:24:48.160 to go deep. It sounds insincere at times, I think 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:52.740 just because the music is not lifting those lyrics 00:24:52.740 --> 00:24:56.339 as high as they should have. Yeah, I felt similar. 00:24:56.519 --> 00:24:59.160 Some tracks just felt like so much more produced 00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:02.279 than others. And when they did have that extra 00:25:02.279 --> 00:25:04.099 level of attention, I think that they were at 00:25:04.099 --> 00:25:07.039 their best by far. Yeah, I think that was pretty 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:10.019 common in the 80s. I feel like even the first 00:25:10.019 --> 00:25:11.740 time you heard the album and you only knew of 00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:13.380 one single, you kind of knew which ones were 00:25:13.380 --> 00:25:15.660 going to be highlighted in the singles. Because 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:18.559 you could tell they just put a little more time 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:21.200 in getting them right. All right, well, let's 00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:24.480 hear one of the other singles. Here's China In 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:34.579 Your Hand. China In Your Hand That's one of the 00:25:34.579 --> 00:25:37.359 better songs too. Yeah, that song spent five 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:40.180 weeks at the top of the UK singles chart in 87. 00:25:40.759 --> 00:25:43.079 I read that it was based on the concepts of the 00:25:43.079 --> 00:25:44.619 Frankenstein story, you know, Mary Shelley's 00:25:44.619 --> 00:25:46.839 Frankenstein. It does seem to be about kind of 00:25:46.839 --> 00:25:49.059 like cautioning the listener not to push too 00:25:49.059 --> 00:25:52.420 hard or your dreams may come true and then destroy 00:25:52.420 --> 00:25:55.799 you. It seems to be the lesson. Interesting message. 00:25:55.900 --> 00:25:58.099 There's some really, I'll say bizarre, but just 00:25:58.099 --> 00:26:00.599 kind of nuanced lyrical messages here that you 00:26:00.599 --> 00:26:03.779 wouldn't maybe expect in an 80s kind of pop record. 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:07.500 Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I think the lyrics are more 00:26:07.500 --> 00:26:11.160 poetic than the music can support. Yeah. That 00:26:11.160 --> 00:26:14.099 style, that 80s style. Yeah. I mean, at this 00:26:14.099 --> 00:26:16.460 period, your dance moves were more important 00:26:16.460 --> 00:26:19.920 than the words of music, you know? My clickbait 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:22.759 headline for this album is, Decker gives Tapao 00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:25.650 some kapow. But Bridge of Spies is a bridge too 00:26:25.650 --> 00:26:27.789 far for this album nerd. There's definitely moments 00:26:27.789 --> 00:26:29.390 in here, like I think Dude and I were saying, 00:26:29.549 --> 00:26:31.690 where it feels like they really did add some 00:26:31.690 --> 00:26:34.910 attention and extra sauce to this to make it 00:26:34.910 --> 00:26:37.289 feel like a really satisfying meal. But a lot 00:26:37.289 --> 00:26:39.470 of this just felt kind of cookie -cutter and 00:26:39.470 --> 00:26:43.630 a little bit less interesting to me. But there 00:26:43.630 --> 00:26:45.509 are moments. I think towards the end of the record, 00:26:45.650 --> 00:26:47.210 there's a track called Thank You for Goodbye. 00:26:47.630 --> 00:26:49.329 I really enjoyed that track. There's some nice 00:26:49.329 --> 00:26:51.450 arrangements on it. There's some horns come in. 00:26:52.009 --> 00:26:54.910 ITB is really good at kind of having each instrument 00:26:54.910 --> 00:26:57.569 have its own space in the mix. I've been noticing 00:26:57.569 --> 00:26:59.430 that across all these albums where you really 00:26:59.430 --> 00:27:01.490 can identify what's going on pretty clearly. 00:27:01.750 --> 00:27:05.130 I do appreciate that aspect to it. Yeah, so it's 00:27:05.130 --> 00:27:07.529 cool to hear. It is a little different than I 00:27:07.529 --> 00:27:08.789 would have expected it to be. There's a little 00:27:08.789 --> 00:27:11.490 more going on. But I think maybe a little bit 00:27:11.490 --> 00:27:13.769 more time in the studio maybe would have produced 00:27:13.769 --> 00:27:16.390 a really stellar album. Was it just needed a 00:27:16.390 --> 00:27:22.759 few more minutes in the oven? Baker, yes. Yeah, 00:27:22.859 --> 00:27:25.700 I think some of it is the era as well. I don't 00:27:25.700 --> 00:27:27.920 think it was necessarily a production issue. 00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:31.480 I think a producer takes what the band gives 00:27:31.480 --> 00:27:34.680 them and tries to sharpen it up the most that 00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:36.759 they can, get the best performances out of the 00:27:36.759 --> 00:27:40.059 band. This is just more of a taste critique, 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:43.539 I think, than necessarily a quality critique 00:27:43.539 --> 00:27:46.359 of the production or even of the songwriting 00:27:46.359 --> 00:27:48.819 or anything else. If you compare it to its contemporaries, 00:27:48.819 --> 00:27:52.180 this is probably... pretty advanced for that 00:27:52.180 --> 00:27:54.960 era. All right. Well, Bridge of Spies stands 00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:57.980 out among the shiny pop of the late 1980s, marrying 00:27:57.980 --> 00:28:00.859 Roy Thomas Baker's studio prowess with DePauw's 00:28:00.859 --> 00:28:03.599 thematic depth and melodic ingenuity. Check it 00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:10.140 out. Excuse me. I'd like to ask you a few questions. 00:28:12.079 --> 00:28:15.579 All right. It's time again for Deep Questions 00:28:15.579 --> 00:28:20.009 by Don. So we're exploring the world of Roy Thomas 00:28:20.009 --> 00:28:23.190 Baker. And, you know, I think with that name 00:28:23.190 --> 00:28:25.650 comes, you know, certain expectations about what 00:28:25.650 --> 00:28:27.750 a record is going to sound like that is produced 00:28:27.750 --> 00:28:30.910 by him. What other names out there come with 00:28:30.910 --> 00:28:35.150 expectations? The Album Nerds podcast, of course. 00:28:35.309 --> 00:28:37.710 Expectation of quality and impeccable taste. 00:28:38.210 --> 00:28:42.970 Yes. I was thinking about movies mostly. So I 00:28:42.970 --> 00:28:45.390 was like. What movies have like an iconic look 00:28:45.390 --> 00:28:47.269 to them? And some of the ones I came up with 00:28:47.269 --> 00:28:50.269 immediately were Studio Ghibli. It was like animation 00:28:50.269 --> 00:28:52.950 style. It's a very iconic style. And just like 00:28:52.950 --> 00:28:55.009 I could recognize those films just by a single 00:28:55.009 --> 00:28:58.210 frame. I don't know of any of them. Studio Ghibli? 00:28:58.329 --> 00:29:01.890 Really? Is it a cartoon? Yes. Then I avoid it. 00:29:04.269 --> 00:29:06.410 What about Pixar? I feel like Pixar has a pretty 00:29:06.410 --> 00:29:09.410 definitive or pre -recognizable visual style 00:29:09.410 --> 00:29:12.140 as well in their films. It does. I avoid that 00:29:12.140 --> 00:29:15.339 one too, but yes. It's a good storytelling you're 00:29:15.339 --> 00:29:17.720 missing out on, man. Yeah, it's the same story 00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:21.940 over and over. Wow, yeah. But the other ones 00:29:21.940 --> 00:29:23.640 in more adult films I could think of would be 00:29:23.640 --> 00:29:25.599 Wes Anderson and Stanley Kubrick. I think you 00:29:25.599 --> 00:29:28.299 could really... Wes Anderson especially has such 00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:31.440 a distinct visual style. It's almost too on the 00:29:31.440 --> 00:29:33.740 nose sometimes. I got worried when you said adult 00:29:33.740 --> 00:29:38.480 films. Yeah, I got some expectations there for 00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:44.369 sure. How about you, Dan? Yeah, I mean, certainly 00:29:44.369 --> 00:29:48.950 movies came to mind for me as well, like Tarantino 00:29:48.950 --> 00:29:51.150 and things of that nature, usually coming from 00:29:51.150 --> 00:29:53.569 the director side of things. But I also thought 00:29:53.569 --> 00:29:59.019 about TV series. and creators of tv series and 00:29:59.019 --> 00:30:01.940 you know guys like dick wolf that have you know 00:30:01.940 --> 00:30:06.119 all those law and orders and fbi series and stuff 00:30:06.119 --> 00:30:07.940 you can go into this show that might be about 00:30:07.940 --> 00:30:11.220 different and in this case it seems like a form 00:30:11.220 --> 00:30:16.619 of policing but you kind of know what you're 00:30:16.619 --> 00:30:21.380 in for yeah vibe wise maybe even quality of you 00:30:21.380 --> 00:30:24.710 know good casting and things like that Or even 00:30:24.710 --> 00:30:27.869 Aaron Spelling back in the day with things like 00:30:27.869 --> 00:30:31.210 Charlie's Angels and Love Boat and that stuff. 00:30:31.569 --> 00:30:34.289 Right. Sometimes you're looking for something 00:30:34.289 --> 00:30:36.049 to watch and you see one of those recognizable 00:30:36.049 --> 00:30:37.990 names as the creator of the show. It's like, 00:30:38.049 --> 00:30:39.369 I'm going to give this a shot because I like 00:30:39.369 --> 00:30:42.630 their other stuff. These prolific TV creators. 00:30:43.670 --> 00:30:46.890 Yeah. Actually, my answer comes from TV as well. 00:30:47.009 --> 00:30:50.430 Bill Lawrence, who was a creator of shows like 00:30:50.430 --> 00:30:55.119 Scrubs, Cougar Town. ted lasso and shrinking 00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:58.380 they're all very similar and and i think what 00:30:58.380 --> 00:31:00.980 it is um i mean sometimes i mean they're all 00:31:00.980 --> 00:31:03.160 comedies and so they're funny but they do go 00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:05.700 to dark places you know and tackle some big issues 00:31:05.700 --> 00:31:07.799 but there's always like a there's just like a 00:31:07.799 --> 00:31:10.500 goodness about them or like a positive thing 00:31:10.500 --> 00:31:12.900 like i remember ted lasso kind of came out during 00:31:12.900 --> 00:31:15.759 the pandemic and it felt like a you know, just 00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:18.519 a perfect show that was like needed at the time 00:31:18.519 --> 00:31:21.019 because of that, that goodness. Yeah. Goodness, 00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:24.720 positive attitude through adversity, being in 00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:27.200 an unfamiliar situation and finding your way 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:29.480 through it, which, you know, people could relate 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:32.160 to. Yeah. All right. Well, what other names come 00:31:32.160 --> 00:31:34.460 with expectations? Let us know on Instagram and 00:31:34.460 --> 00:31:36.880 Facebook or leave a comment on our website, albumnerds 00:31:36.880 --> 00:31:43.619 .com. This is the time where we pull out the 00:31:43.619 --> 00:31:47.160 big guns for the Roy Thomas Baker. We're going 00:31:47.160 --> 00:31:51.220 to talk about a Queen album, which I think everyone 00:31:51.220 --> 00:31:54.819 probably expects. Queen being formed in London 00:31:54.819 --> 00:31:57.579 in 1970. Of course, the classic lineup, Brian 00:31:57.579 --> 00:32:01.200 May on guitar, drummer Roger Taylor, pianist 00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:04.920 and vocalist Freddie Mercury, and bassist John 00:32:04.920 --> 00:32:07.579 Deacon. Each member contributed to the songwriting 00:32:07.579 --> 00:32:12.799 in sort of a Beatles style. and they became one 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:15.119 of the most creative and versatile bands in rock 00:32:15.119 --> 00:32:18.900 history. So Queen's third studio album, Sheer 00:32:18.900 --> 00:32:22.440 Heart Attack, came out in November of 1974. They 00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:24.839 had been battling some serious setbacks during 00:32:24.839 --> 00:32:28.359 their U .S. tour with Mata Hoople. Mata Hoople? 00:32:28.579 --> 00:32:32.799 Mata Hoople? Yeah, Mata Hoople. Brian May was 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:37.200 very sick and hospitalized off and on, and it 00:32:37.200 --> 00:32:40.359 was a struggle. They sort of abandoned that pure 00:32:40.359 --> 00:32:44.500 fantasy world of like Queen 2, and this brought 00:32:44.500 --> 00:32:47.980 in more humor, swagger, and speed. The album 00:32:47.980 --> 00:32:50.980 pushed boundaries, incorporating a lot of musical 00:32:50.980 --> 00:32:53.380 styles and influences. Again, I heard in an interview 00:32:53.380 --> 00:32:55.400 where they said that kind of a Beatles approach 00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:58.680 in those Sgt. Pepper years of just really exploring 00:32:58.680 --> 00:33:01.559 different types of sounds. And it all started 00:33:01.559 --> 00:33:04.420 with the big hit single, Killer Queen. Let's 00:33:04.420 --> 00:33:17.960 give it a listen. A little chime with my wife's 00:33:17.960 --> 00:33:19.980 ringtone drives me crazy whenever I hear it. 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:25.160 Oh yeah? So this one was written by lead vocalist 00:33:25.160 --> 00:33:27.279 Freddie Mercury. Big breakthrough for the band, 00:33:27.400 --> 00:33:30.319 their first big hit in the United States. And 00:33:30.319 --> 00:33:32.200 it's about a glamorous and cunning woman who 00:33:32.200 --> 00:33:34.930 uses her charm to manipulate and control. It's 00:33:34.930 --> 00:33:36.829 one of Queen's best examples of their witty, 00:33:36.890 --> 00:33:39.710 narrative -driven songwriting with sharp satirical 00:33:39.710 --> 00:33:43.829 takes on the world of power and seduction. Theatrical 00:33:43.829 --> 00:33:48.009 and the layering vocals, the layering guitars 00:33:48.009 --> 00:33:52.589 where they really start to hone this sort of 00:33:52.589 --> 00:33:56.190 jack -of -all -trades sound with all these... 00:33:56.680 --> 00:33:59.779 different influences and not being the first 00:33:59.779 --> 00:34:01.720 two albums leaned a little more hard rock and 00:34:01.720 --> 00:34:03.480 this is when i think they started to form their 00:34:03.480 --> 00:34:06.420 signature sound my clickbait headline to describe 00:34:06.420 --> 00:34:09.880 the album from multi -tracking to sonic mastery 00:34:09.880 --> 00:34:14.119 rtb guides queen's hard rock evolution not revolution 00:34:14.119 --> 00:34:17.420 but evolution where i think they took that that 00:34:17.420 --> 00:34:21.300 sort of beatles approach to production and detail 00:34:21.300 --> 00:34:24.980 in the studio and took it into the hard rock 00:34:24.980 --> 00:34:27.820 world like they took it somewhere else that shaped 00:34:27.820 --> 00:34:32.139 the music to come including other genres so why 00:34:32.139 --> 00:34:34.219 don't we check out the opening track let's listen 00:34:34.219 --> 00:34:42.599 to Brighton Rock That track was written by guitarist 00:34:42.599 --> 00:34:45.099 Brian May during sessions for the previous album, 00:34:45.179 --> 00:34:48.059 Queen 2. It contains a three -met guitar solo 00:34:48.059 --> 00:34:49.780 right at the beginning of the album, which I 00:34:49.780 --> 00:34:52.860 kind of love. It was ranked number 41 on Guitar 00:34:52.860 --> 00:34:56.000 World's greatest guitar solos of all time. Woo 00:34:56.000 --> 00:34:58.900 -hoo. Mm -hmm. That's a something. My clickbait 00:34:58.900 --> 00:35:01.739 headline for Queen's sheer heart attack is... 00:35:01.960 --> 00:35:03.260 As long as you're not recovering from serious 00:35:03.260 --> 00:35:05.679 injury or experiencing symptoms like dizziness 00:35:05.679 --> 00:35:08.360 or chest pain, Sheer Heart Tech gets this album 00:35:08.360 --> 00:35:12.340 nerd's doctor's seal of approval. This album 00:35:12.340 --> 00:35:14.539 kind of demands a lot of a listener, as you might 00:35:14.539 --> 00:35:16.920 expect from a Queen album. But things really 00:35:16.920 --> 00:35:20.300 do coalesce here in a nice way, I would say, 00:35:20.340 --> 00:35:23.219 in comparison to the first two records. It kind 00:35:23.219 --> 00:35:25.440 of smacks you in the face, takes no prisoner 00:35:25.440 --> 00:35:28.900 kind of record, from my opinion. It's beautifully 00:35:28.900 --> 00:35:31.599 recorded. I think this is one of the... Probably 00:35:31.599 --> 00:35:33.280 the best examples we've heard of just the production 00:35:33.280 --> 00:35:36.300 really just sounding top notch of the three albums 00:35:36.300 --> 00:35:38.260 we talked about today. You can really hear each 00:35:38.260 --> 00:35:41.320 member clearly in the mix. They all have distinct 00:35:41.320 --> 00:35:44.739 voices. But he does something, I don't really 00:35:44.739 --> 00:35:47.099 know what in the studio you would do to accomplish 00:35:47.099 --> 00:35:49.300 this, but he kind of swirls some of the sounds 00:35:49.300 --> 00:35:51.420 together at times and make them sound almost 00:35:51.420 --> 00:35:54.159 like the vocals and the guitar will come together 00:35:54.159 --> 00:35:57.539 and sometimes to create this sort of, I don't 00:35:57.539 --> 00:36:00.550 know, sonic... viral i don't even know how to 00:36:00.550 --> 00:36:02.750 describe it it sounds pretty cool really that 00:36:02.750 --> 00:36:04.550 that harmony i guess is what it is that's that 00:36:04.550 --> 00:36:07.329 that queen harmony just is that able to harmonize 00:36:07.329 --> 00:36:09.769 like anything together and it works and then 00:36:09.769 --> 00:36:12.929 harmonize with themselves too with all that that 00:36:12.929 --> 00:36:15.949 layering of those harmonies it's just this beautiful 00:36:15.949 --> 00:36:19.449 like angelic type sound mixed with this hard 00:36:19.449 --> 00:36:22.829 rock experimentation and you know it one thing 00:36:22.829 --> 00:36:24.929 we should mention is queen's first album was 00:36:24.929 --> 00:36:30.010 1973 queen to 1974 This one, 1974. Night at the 00:36:30.010 --> 00:36:35.070 Opera, 1975. This evolution was happening quickly. 00:36:35.090 --> 00:36:36.730 That's why there's so much crossover between 00:36:36.730 --> 00:36:39.030 when they wrote. Brian wrote the song for a Queen 00:36:39.030 --> 00:36:41.210 II album, and then it makes it onto another one. 00:36:41.329 --> 00:36:43.789 The song Share Heart Attack, it's not on this 00:36:43.789 --> 00:36:47.289 album. Yeah, you just got so many songs coming 00:36:47.289 --> 00:36:49.889 out of it at this point. You can't get them on 00:36:49.889 --> 00:36:53.030 records fast enough. And Queen co -produced this 00:36:53.030 --> 00:36:55.949 with Roy Thomas Baker, which he continued to 00:36:55.949 --> 00:36:58.190 work with them on other albums in the future 00:36:58.190 --> 00:37:01.269 as well. But this is where I feel like probably 00:37:01.269 --> 00:37:03.489 the connection he had with the Cars, where they 00:37:03.489 --> 00:37:06.409 bring out, you know, bringing out the best and 00:37:06.409 --> 00:37:09.789 the material that you're being provided to from 00:37:09.789 --> 00:37:12.469 Queen and the Cars. Yeah, it helps when you have 00:37:12.469 --> 00:37:15.070 the top -notch musicians and some of the best 00:37:15.070 --> 00:37:17.690 ever. Yes. When you have that kind of level where 00:37:17.690 --> 00:37:20.530 it's like anything is possible in this, you know, 00:37:20.550 --> 00:37:23.090 whatever the world that it lives in, let's find 00:37:23.090 --> 00:37:25.809 out what we can do. With Brian May being out 00:37:25.809 --> 00:37:28.070 for many of the sessions too, they had to put 00:37:28.070 --> 00:37:30.409 things together and have him come in later and 00:37:30.409 --> 00:37:33.570 put the guitar in. So to me, this is, I'd say 00:37:33.570 --> 00:37:36.670 it's their second best album. The best being 00:37:36.670 --> 00:37:39.110 Night at the Opera. I really enjoy this record. 00:37:39.309 --> 00:37:42.059 It's a good one. My very favorite Queen song 00:37:42.059 --> 00:37:44.380 of all time is on it. So why don't we get into 00:37:44.380 --> 00:37:55.119 that one and let Don talk Stone Cold Crazy. Stone 00:37:55.119 --> 00:37:58.519 Cold Crazy is a rare occurrence of all four members 00:37:58.519 --> 00:38:01.199 of the band receiving songwriting credit. It's 00:38:01.199 --> 00:38:03.039 actually among the first compositions the band 00:38:03.039 --> 00:38:06.159 performed together, dating back as far as 1970. 00:38:06.699 --> 00:38:09.380 Apparently, the original version had a different 00:38:09.380 --> 00:38:12.420 structure and tempo. Mercury had written some 00:38:12.420 --> 00:38:15.079 lyrics with his previous band, Wreckage, and 00:38:15.079 --> 00:38:17.800 according to May, the initial rift was kind of 00:38:17.800 --> 00:38:20.920 soft. He felt that the frenetic nature of the 00:38:20.920 --> 00:38:23.699 lyrics deserved equally energetic music, and 00:38:23.699 --> 00:38:26.380 so that's how we end up with this version. They 00:38:26.380 --> 00:38:30.159 delivered. Yeah. So, you know, fast tempo, heavy 00:38:30.159 --> 00:38:32.840 guitar distortion. And some people will claim 00:38:32.840 --> 00:38:37.820 that this is kind of the birth of thrash. i think 00:38:37.820 --> 00:38:40.699 you know i saw may sort of like poo -pooing that 00:38:40.699 --> 00:38:45.239 idea but you know i definitely hear bits of of 00:38:45.239 --> 00:38:48.340 what iron maiden and saxon and bands like that 00:38:48.340 --> 00:38:51.059 were doing a couple years later in this so i 00:38:51.059 --> 00:38:52.960 bet it was some inspiration i don't necessarily 00:38:52.960 --> 00:38:55.760 it doesn't mean that they invented thrash metal 00:38:55.760 --> 00:38:58.840 but certainly inspired somebody else with a guitar 00:38:58.840 --> 00:39:02.000 to move forward with it yeah And Roger Taylor 00:39:02.000 --> 00:39:04.300 sounds really good on this track. I mean, you 00:39:04.300 --> 00:39:06.860 know, the drumming is really incredible. And 00:39:06.860 --> 00:39:09.400 the lyrics just seem to deal with the gangsters. 00:39:09.579 --> 00:39:11.340 You know, there's like an Al Capone reference. 00:39:11.679 --> 00:39:14.800 I guess they're stone cold. So my clickbait headline 00:39:14.800 --> 00:39:18.159 is sheer heart attack is a royal celebration 00:39:18.159 --> 00:39:21.889 of the rock riff. Yeah, it's royal. But yeah, 00:39:21.909 --> 00:39:24.809 I mean, the riffs here are great. And I do think 00:39:24.809 --> 00:39:28.170 this maybe paves the way for that British wave 00:39:28.170 --> 00:39:30.429 of heavy metal, maybe a little bit. Yeah, it 00:39:30.429 --> 00:39:32.630 paves the way for a lot of things. Yeah, yeah. 00:39:32.750 --> 00:39:34.710 I mean, this sounds like a dual guitar attack 00:39:34.710 --> 00:39:38.409 when it's one guitar. True. And that's part of 00:39:38.409 --> 00:39:40.809 what became a signature piece of that thrash 00:39:40.809 --> 00:39:46.289 sound and stuff. He had one guitar! Sorry. That's 00:39:46.289 --> 00:39:48.329 Foreigner. Well, Foreigner. Yeah, well, Roy Thomas 00:39:48.329 --> 00:39:50.730 Baker did produce a Foreigner album as well. 00:39:51.639 --> 00:39:53.059 Lyrically, it's kind of hard to piece some of 00:39:53.059 --> 00:39:55.659 these tracks together. There's not really a theme 00:39:55.659 --> 00:39:58.659 or concept or anything, literally, to tie these 00:39:58.659 --> 00:40:00.960 songs together literally, right? I don't think 00:40:00.960 --> 00:40:04.239 so. Yeah, this is more one of the things I read 00:40:04.239 --> 00:40:07.420 was that they get more into the real world on 00:40:07.420 --> 00:40:09.980 this album, where the songs are about vignettes 00:40:09.980 --> 00:40:12.559 in life or real things that are occurring, like 00:40:12.559 --> 00:40:15.340 the track Now I'm Here. There's that line down 00:40:15.340 --> 00:40:17.940 in the city, just Hoople and me, mentioning that 00:40:17.940 --> 00:40:21.360 time they spent together touring. And then Roger 00:40:21.360 --> 00:40:24.579 Taylor singing on Tenement Funster, punk -inspired 00:40:24.579 --> 00:40:28.420 track. And yeah, there's a little bit of everything 00:40:28.420 --> 00:40:32.340 here. It's that beginning of that ability, that 00:40:32.340 --> 00:40:35.460 smorgasbord of providing folk and everything 00:40:35.460 --> 00:40:39.400 else you could possibly hear, like bring back 00:40:39.400 --> 00:40:41.940 that Leroy Brown. I mean, what the hell is that? 00:40:42.360 --> 00:40:47.420 Yeah, who is that? What do you guys think of 00:40:47.420 --> 00:40:51.980 In the Lap of the Gods? That vocal approach at 00:40:51.980 --> 00:40:54.179 the beginning with that distorted sort of deep 00:40:54.179 --> 00:40:58.300 voiced Freddie. Yeah. I think that that kind 00:40:58.300 --> 00:41:01.579 of risk taking, I mean, the whole, the band was 00:41:01.579 --> 00:41:05.760 built on his soaring vocals and for him to test 00:41:05.760 --> 00:41:08.539 the waters of all these different tones and styles 00:41:08.539 --> 00:41:14.239 and vocally dance with the instruments is just 00:41:14.239 --> 00:41:16.559 what makes it so amazing. I mean, this album 00:41:16.559 --> 00:41:18.820 wouldn't have been as good if I produced it. 00:41:19.409 --> 00:41:21.949 you know i'm not i'm no roy thomas baker but 00:41:21.949 --> 00:41:23.570 it would still have been pretty damn good because 00:41:23.570 --> 00:41:27.289 it's a band that's true that's true they're they're 00:41:27.289 --> 00:41:28.989 one of those like we've talked about the who 00:41:28.989 --> 00:41:34.389 led zeppelin where everybody in it is is a virtuoso 00:41:34.389 --> 00:41:37.710 and offering something new to the sonic palette 00:41:37.710 --> 00:41:41.760 well said So Roy Thomas Baker, who in many ways, 00:41:41.760 --> 00:41:44.360 this collaboration made his bones and helped 00:41:44.360 --> 00:41:47.940 him put a stamp and a foot in the industry. And 00:41:47.940 --> 00:41:50.320 it's been really fun exploring all of it and 00:41:50.320 --> 00:41:52.599 especially listening to a bunch of Queen albums. 00:41:52.800 --> 00:41:55.280 So go check out Sheer Heart Attack and all the 00:41:55.280 --> 00:41:58.139 rest while you're at it. Can you dig it? Can 00:41:58.139 --> 00:42:06.829 you dig it? All right. Well, it's been a week 00:42:06.829 --> 00:42:09.769 of Roy Thomas Baker. Did you take a break from 00:42:09.769 --> 00:42:12.710 him at any point and try to dig anything else? 00:42:12.710 --> 00:42:15.530 I got a couple of things here hidden behind my... 00:42:16.250 --> 00:42:19.090 careful suspicious sunglasses that i wear indoors 00:42:19.090 --> 00:42:23.570 okay all right first one up is from saxophonist 00:42:23.570 --> 00:42:25.550 from my neck of the woods in buffalo new york 00:42:25.550 --> 00:42:28.230 james brandon lewis he has a new album out called 00:42:28.230 --> 00:42:31.429 apple cores so you got away from roy thomas baker 00:42:31.429 --> 00:42:36.769 but had to find a three -named person jbo yep 00:42:36.769 --> 00:42:39.730 yep you got it 16 studio album first release 00:42:39.730 --> 00:42:48.150 on anti records this is prince eugene Why does 00:42:48.150 --> 00:42:53.889 that sound naughty? How's that possible? Sounds 00:42:53.889 --> 00:42:55.650 like someone's up to something. You're naughty. 00:42:55.789 --> 00:42:59.449 I don't even know where to go with that. All 00:42:59.449 --> 00:43:03.489 right, well, that's a very kind of groovy, unconventional 00:43:03.489 --> 00:43:05.409 jazz record. Some really interesting melodies 00:43:05.409 --> 00:43:09.690 he explores on there. Number 11 on my 2025 list. 00:43:09.789 --> 00:43:13.889 Oh, yes. Just like taunting you guys with those 00:43:13.889 --> 00:43:17.849 numbers. And the last one for me is from a singer 00:43:17.849 --> 00:43:19.530 -songwriter from Newcastle, England, Richard 00:43:19.530 --> 00:43:26.570 Dawson. Survey says... What's going on? That 00:43:26.570 --> 00:43:29.190 was the original host of The Family Feud. Oh 00:43:29.190 --> 00:43:33.030 my gosh. Richard Dawson. Over my head with these 00:43:33.030 --> 00:43:38.960 dated references. The album is entitled End of 00:43:38.960 --> 00:43:41.739 the Middle. It's about family and passing things 00:43:41.739 --> 00:43:44.119 down from generation to generation. On this good 00:43:44.119 --> 00:43:46.340 quote here, he says, the characters do have a 00:43:46.340 --> 00:43:48.579 lot of sadness, but I hope each one in every 00:43:48.579 --> 00:43:51.159 song is having a moment where they are somehow 00:43:51.159 --> 00:43:53.500 breaking that cycle or at least starting to shake 00:43:53.500 --> 00:43:56.300 the spiral. Let's play a little bit of Gondola. 00:44:00.679 --> 00:44:03.840 Gondola I'm still picturing the game show hosts 00:44:03.840 --> 00:44:09.179 singing. Yeah, me too. With his checkered suits. 00:44:09.519 --> 00:44:13.599 Oh, that guy. That's a really intimate, dark, 00:44:13.780 --> 00:44:16.860 kind of sometimes funny at times record. Number 00:44:16.860 --> 00:44:20.239 20 on my list. What you been digging on, Don? 00:44:20.699 --> 00:44:24.590 Well, I... Discovered a band called Wet Leg. 00:44:25.050 --> 00:44:28.050 Actually saw them on the Tonight Show. It's a 00:44:28.050 --> 00:44:31.690 British indie rock group from the Isle of Wight 00:44:31.690 --> 00:44:36.110 founded in 2019 by Rhian Teasdale and Hester 00:44:36.110 --> 00:44:38.630 Chambers. They have an album coming out July 00:44:38.630 --> 00:44:42.150 11th called Moisturizer. And here's a song called 00:44:42.150 --> 00:44:44.889 Catch These Fists. Called Wet Leg and they have 00:44:44.889 --> 00:44:54.730 an album called Moisturizer. Yeah. Okay. Feeling 00:44:54.730 --> 00:44:57.230 some of that little Riot Grrrl vibe there with 00:44:57.230 --> 00:45:00.409 some more pop, I think. Riot Grrrl meets Blondie. 00:45:00.530 --> 00:45:03.230 There it is. I like that. All right. And another 00:45:03.230 --> 00:45:05.769 one, there's a group called Animal Liberation 00:45:05.769 --> 00:45:09.489 Organization, abbreviated as ALO. They have a 00:45:09.489 --> 00:45:12.750 new album called Frames, kind of a jam band. 00:45:13.050 --> 00:45:15.949 They actually have like 11 studio albums at this 00:45:15.949 --> 00:45:18.190 point. They're from Saratoga, California. There's 00:45:18.190 --> 00:45:26.150 a song called Black Canvas. It sounds like country 00:45:26.150 --> 00:45:31.909 music with the wrong music. Right? There's something 00:45:31.909 --> 00:45:35.250 in the delivery that sounds like a country song, 00:45:35.329 --> 00:45:37.610 but then the music doesn't really match. Kind 00:45:37.610 --> 00:45:40.130 of like a Jack Johnson vibe maybe or something. 00:45:40.449 --> 00:45:42.570 Yeah, I could see that. Supposedly the album 00:45:42.570 --> 00:45:45.710 explores themes of finding balance amidst the 00:45:45.710 --> 00:45:48.309 rapid pace of modern life and emphasizes the 00:45:48.309 --> 00:45:50.429 importance of reflection and connection in the 00:45:50.429 --> 00:45:53.590 space between frames. That's why it's called 00:45:53.590 --> 00:45:57.050 Frames. Nice. What are you digging, dude? I went 00:45:57.050 --> 00:46:01.170 with something from 2024 that I missed. Too late. 00:46:01.409 --> 00:46:04.289 Never too late. It's never too late for now. 00:46:04.670 --> 00:46:08.269 Chain Saint is the band. Blindside is the album. 00:46:08.550 --> 00:46:11.690 Chain Saint's a teenage thrash band from South 00:46:11.690 --> 00:46:14.929 Florida. Their debut album, Blindside, came out 00:46:14.929 --> 00:46:18.570 in August of 2024. They are all teenagers, and 00:46:18.570 --> 00:46:22.070 it was produced by William Duvall, the co -lead 00:46:22.070 --> 00:46:25.250 singer of Alice in Chains. It recorded entirely 00:46:25.250 --> 00:46:28.550 to analog tape, preserving a natural, unpolished 00:46:28.550 --> 00:46:30.730 sound. Let's check out a little bit of animosity. 00:46:33.130 --> 00:46:39.659 I wonder what band they like. Definitely some 00:46:39.659 --> 00:46:43.099 heavy -duty Metallica vibes there, which is what 00:46:43.099 --> 00:46:44.880 I like about it. You know, young people playing 00:46:44.880 --> 00:46:47.380 that kind of music, hopefully they'll continue 00:46:47.380 --> 00:46:50.820 to develop, add new flavors to that sound, and 00:46:50.820 --> 00:46:54.380 do something interesting with it. So these young 00:46:54.380 --> 00:46:56.199 metal bands, that's what I'm hoping for. They 00:46:56.199 --> 00:46:58.619 start by sounding like they're heroes, and then 00:46:58.619 --> 00:47:01.599 hopefully they turn it into something more. Yeah. 00:47:01.659 --> 00:47:04.239 Good to know that sound is carrying on. And then 00:47:04.239 --> 00:47:07.840 next up is from my vinyl collection. I was talking 00:47:07.840 --> 00:47:10.780 to my wife about seeing Stone Temple Pilots back 00:47:10.780 --> 00:47:15.619 in 2008 or so, and the opening band was Rose 00:47:15.619 --> 00:47:18.559 Hill Drive, and I bought their album Moon is 00:47:18.559 --> 00:47:21.880 the New Earth right there on the spot. And I 00:47:21.880 --> 00:47:23.960 hadn't listened to it in a while, so pulled it 00:47:23.960 --> 00:47:27.099 off the shelf, and let's give it a listen now. 00:47:27.179 --> 00:47:28.980 Let's hear a little bit of Sneak Out. I've got 00:47:28.980 --> 00:47:34.619 a little love to give, wait and see. So this 00:47:34.619 --> 00:47:38.079 is Roundabout, behind that Black Keys blues rock 00:47:38.079 --> 00:47:40.900 revival, a little mini blues rock revival thing. 00:47:41.039 --> 00:47:43.099 And this was a three -piece band. I was just 00:47:43.099 --> 00:47:45.239 really impressed with them, enough so to pick 00:47:45.239 --> 00:47:48.199 up their record. But it's a fun listen. It's 00:47:48.199 --> 00:47:52.400 not a world beater necessarily, but it's fun 00:47:52.400 --> 00:47:54.940 to go through your collection and find these 00:47:54.940 --> 00:47:57.719 moments of time. I picked it up because I was 00:47:57.719 --> 00:48:02.579 impressed. If you're feeling plucky, go check 00:48:02.579 --> 00:48:04.860 out Rose Hill Drive. They're still touring. Well, 00:48:04.940 --> 00:48:06.679 what are you digging? Let us know. Join us on 00:48:06.679 --> 00:48:08.960 the socials, Facebook, Instagram, and threads. 00:48:09.199 --> 00:48:16.239 Also on our website, albumnerds .com. It will 00:48:16.239 --> 00:48:22.860 be a discovery of extraordinary value. Well, 00:48:23.019 --> 00:48:24.639 it's about that time on the show when I'm reminded 00:48:24.639 --> 00:48:26.800 of the great English record producer, Roy Thomas 00:48:26.800 --> 00:48:29.780 Baker. Wow. Never heard of him. Yeah. You guys 00:48:29.780 --> 00:48:33.159 not familiar? I haven't said it 50 times today. 00:48:34.199 --> 00:48:35.940 Well, he had something to say, and I thought 00:48:35.940 --> 00:48:38.500 I'd quote it here. He said, Freddie Mercury taught 00:48:38.500 --> 00:48:40.900 me three things. Don't take anything too seriously, 00:48:41.139 --> 00:48:48.059 have fun, and always fly first class. With that 00:48:48.059 --> 00:48:49.420 in mind, let's bring up my friend and yours, 00:48:49.500 --> 00:48:51.420 Wadbot, to see what we'll be talking about on 00:48:51.420 --> 00:49:01.619 next week's episode. Sometimes the best creativity 00:49:01.619 --> 00:49:05.039 happens outside the spotlight. Next time, you 00:49:05.039 --> 00:49:07.679 will be exploring side project albums, where 00:49:07.679 --> 00:49:09.960 artists stepped away from their main gigs to 00:49:09.960 --> 00:49:12.900 explore new sounds, fresh ideas, and unexpected 00:49:12.900 --> 00:49:17.480 collaborations. On the side. Down low. We were 00:49:17.480 --> 00:49:21.099 on a break! Yeah, so those other projects that 00:49:21.099 --> 00:49:24.039 musicians might work on when their band's on 00:49:24.039 --> 00:49:26.440 a break. This should be interesting. A lot to 00:49:26.440 --> 00:49:29.570 sift through. Yeah, little tendrils going off 00:49:29.570 --> 00:49:33.789 the main roots. Yeah, and even sometimes they 00:49:33.789 --> 00:49:38.090 outshine the original band. Maybe, right? Sometimes. 00:49:38.349 --> 00:49:41.690 It's like our podcast side projects. Oh, yeah? 00:49:41.889 --> 00:49:45.949 You got a side piece here, Don? Stay tuned. Oh. 00:49:46.570 --> 00:49:50.869 Yeah, it's just a series of deep questions that 00:49:50.869 --> 00:49:55.710 Don asks himself. All right. Well, what's your 00:49:55.710 --> 00:49:58.030 favorite side project? What else are you listening 00:49:58.030 --> 00:50:00.670 to? Email us at podcast at album nerds dot com. 00:50:00.809 --> 00:50:03.650 Follow us on Facebook, Instagram threads and 00:50:03.650 --> 00:50:06.949 blue sky at album nerds and visit album nerds 00:50:06.949 --> 00:50:09.750 dot com to suggest topics for the show. Peruse 00:50:09.750 --> 00:50:12.050 the Hall of Fame and listen to all two hundred 00:50:12.050 --> 00:50:14.309 and eighty six episodes. And the best way to 00:50:14.309 --> 00:50:16.269 support the show is to share it. Please subscribe, 00:50:16.510 --> 00:50:18.670 rate and review on your favorite podcast app. 00:50:19.070 --> 00:50:21.070 Thank you, as always, for joining us here on 00:50:21.070 --> 00:50:22.710 the Album Nerds Podcast. We'll catch you next 00:50:22.710 --> 00:50:25.190 time. See what happens during those breaks. But 00:50:25.190 --> 00:50:27.590 we're not on a break. See ya. Thanks for listening, 00:50:27.610 --> 00:50:30.090 everybody. See you next week. She's a killer. 00:50:30.550 --> 00:50:35.789 I can't find the key. Duh. Queen gunpowder gelatine. 00:50:36.670 --> 00:50:39.869 Dynamite with a laser beam. Why? Why wouldn't 00:50:39.869 --> 00:50:42.429 you go for tapow or something that is within 00:50:42.429 --> 00:50:46.230 your grasp, at least? Give a little bit of honey. 00:50:48.929 --> 00:50:51.750 That didn't help. At least you're reinforcing 00:50:51.750 --> 00:50:54.550 the great talents of the artists that we talked 00:50:54.550 --> 00:50:56.769 about. That's what I do. We need RGB in there, 00:50:56.809 --> 00:51:00.989 so smooth things out, maybe. Cool. It'd be a 00:51:00.989 --> 00:51:01.630 lot of speckle.