Welcome to the album nerds podcast with your
hosts Don and dude. Oh That sounds weird. It
does. So that's the first time we've played that
live to drop without Andy This is the album nerds
podcast. I got Don with me Andy has taken early
retirement Maybe someday he'll be back, but there'll
be just the two of us for a while here on the
album nerds podcast Hey doing Donnie, I don't
know feels feels a little lonely Yeah. Well,
the fab three is no more. All right. So back
to business. This is the album. There's podcasts.
We love albums, the album format, finding all
kinds of stupid ways to talk about them in this
record rumble series where we pretend that albums
are boxing each other. This will be the final
record Rumble will be moving on to a something
even dumber. Yeah It's not quite dumber It's
less complicated. That's for sure Alright, so
this will be the grand finale of the record Rumbles
where two albums enter the ring and go head -to
-head track to track and toe -to -toe as always
Don will be asking us Deep question. We're also
gonna have shout outs to some other albums and
album related items we're digging, and then we
will spin the wheel of musical discovery to learn
where our summer journey will lead. But for now,
the battle of the Beatles. Let's get it on! Two
landmark solo albums from former bandmates go
head to head, each offering a radically different
vision in the wake of a legendary group's breakup.
One album channels raw emotion and personal pain
through stripped -down arrangements and confessional
lyrics, while the other bursts with playful experimentation,
melodic inventiveness, and domestic bliss. This
record grumble pits unfiltered introspection
against whimsical pop craftsmanship, inviting
listeners to decide which post -breakup statement
resonates more deeply. Yeah, we, you know, this,
this kind of hits close to home with us having
a little shake up here at the show without Ringo
around. It's gotta be tough. I thought I was
Ringo. Not anymore, brother. You've been promoted.
So yeah, uh, the Beatles, for those that love
them, we love them deeply and we, uh, had the
solo albums to cling onto afterwards. And of
course all this happened before we were born,
but still, uh, It could get passionate up in
here. So why don't we get in to the big beetle
battle? In this corner, weighing in with 3 .4
million sold, full of raw emotion and a knockout
punch of honesty, hailing from the land of peace
and bed -ins, the champ of primal screams, the
sultan of soul -bearing, the one and only working
class hero, give it up for the heavyweight of
heartbreak, the confessor in chief, John Lennon
Plastic Ono Man. The Confessor in Chief, I got
to give that one to you. So John Lennon Plastic
Ono Band was released in December 1970. It's
the first solo album for John Lennon. It happened
right after the breakup of the Beatles, of course.
He was born John Winston Lennon in Liverpool
in 1940. Very stripped down album, just features
a trio basically of John on piano and guitar,
Ringo Starr on drums and Klaus Vorman on bass.
It was produced by Phil Spector, John Lennon,
and Yoko Ono. Actually, there's also, what would
you call it, a sister album called Yoko Ono Plastic
Ono Band. Maybe a spousal album. Yeah. So they
were both released at the same time. The Yoko
one actually features that same trio, but it's
a lot of vocal weird stuff. But yeah, this was
a very raw and personal album. that came out
when John Lennon was undergoing this primal scream
therapy, which we'll get to more in a second.
Who's he going up against? Choose your fighter.
And in this corner weighing in at 4 .6 million
equivalent albums sold. That's where we are now.
With whimsical melodies, lo -fi weirdness, and
a whole lot of Beatle baggage. He's the bass
playing Beatle, the melody king, the man who
put the pop and pop rock back by his wife, Linda,
and armed with a barn full of sonic surprises.
It's Paul and Linda McCartney with Raals. The
melody king. So Paul and Linda McCartney are
the official artists on this one. I think most
people think of it as a Paul McCartney album.
I know I always did as a kid. My dad had this.
So Sir James Paul McCartney, English singer,
songwriter, musician, Beatles, Linda, his wife,
photographer. She kind of became his musical
partner in this phase of his career. She was
new to it. So a lot of, you know, some of the
stuff he said that he was used to for years,
he had done harmonies with men. So her freshness
and energy and their love and their family and
stuff with the fuel behind a lot of the Paul
McCartney and Wings stuff. She was a part of
that as well. So yeah, very family oriented here,
much like what John and Yoko were doing in the
early part of his solo career. It's funny how
the romantic partners became kind of their musical
partners. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Paul and John both
had spent their entire youth and careers leaning
on their songwriting partners and their friends.
And I think it was necessary for their creative
juices to flow to be able to have a muse and
a. and a partner. So all right. So Ram was released
on May 17th, 1971, the second solo album by Paul
McCartney and the only one credited to both Paul
and Linda recorded in New York and Los Angeles.
This one, instead of recording it by himself
like he did on McCartney, the first solo record,
the album features contributions from session
musicians, including guitarist David Spinoza,
Hugh McCracken and drummer Denny Sewell, who
I believe ended up in Wings. The album showcases
McCartney's eclectic musical style, elements
of rock, pop, folk. Initially met with mixed
reviews, Ram has since been reevaluated and now
considered a significant work in McCartney's
solo discography. Now that we've introduced our
fighters, it's time to put on the gloves. And
here we go! So here we are round one opening
cuts the opening song of great album should capture
attention Set the tone for what's to come and
draw the listener in what are you coming out
with? You're done. What's John Lennon bring it
to the table coming out swinging with a track
called? Yeah, so you get a I don't know that
kind of sets the tone for the album So as I mentioned
earlier, you know, this was written while Lenin
was undergoing intensive primal scream therapy
with a doctor named Arthur Janov. So, I mean,
this song and a few of the others have some kind
of visceral screams. But this song supposedly
addresses the abandonment by his parents, his
father, Alf Lenin. Wow. Like Gordon Shumway?
Yes. No, don't eat the cat. That's a terrible
80s show with a puppet alien. Sorry, people.
Yeah, so Alf left the family when John was an
infant and his mother died in a car accident
when he was 17 So you've got lyrics like mother
you had me, but I never had you father You left
me, but I never left you. Yeah, like the whole
album kind of raw emotive Very simple. It's uncomfortable.
I think that's what you either hate or love about
this Yes, and I go back and forth because it's
just so like I'm sitting in his session Yeah,
where he's with this psychologist or whatever
it feels weird It's an album, I think that you
just listen to alone. It's just kind of weird
with a group of people, you know, to all of a
sudden have them scream in the background. And
there's not even one banger on there where it's
like, you know, like even though imagine it's
not a beat song, people sing along with it and
can listen to it together. But yeah. And the
song does begin with four like funeral bells.
Some people suggest that. marks the death of
the Beatles. Others say that it marks the end
of the 1960s idealistic era. Others say it just
sounded cool from the production standpoint.
I don't know. I mean, yeah, you've pretty much
dug into it. I mean, the sparse and raw and uncomfortable,
personal, but unforgettable. And it's like a
mission statement of emotional truth that is
definitely saying I am boring my heart out. Everybody
get ready. I thought you said boring. I'm boring.
I'm bold. All right. Well, how unforgettable
is the opening cut for Paul McCartney's Ram?
Ram came out with its horns. Here's Too Many
People. So co -credited to Paul and Linda, the
song is widely interpreted as a pointed critique
of his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon and
John Lennon's partner Yoko Ono. McCartney later
acknowledged that certain lines such as Too Many
People preaching practices were directed at Lenin
and Ono reflecting his frustration with all their
public activism and stuff that was going on when
the Beatles were still together and it kind of
detracted from the Beatles. Musically, it's very
versatile, diverse, budding acoustic and electric
guitars, layered harmonies. Dynamic Shifts, I
think this is probably the most Beatle -esque
album of Paul McCartney's career, and I don't
know that John Lennon ever made an album that
was Beatle -esque. Yeah, so I mean, it's just
a matter of... personal preference, not only
as a listener, but as the two artists that we're
talking about here. McCartney preferred to go
big and experiment and play with sounds and old
fashioned things and new fashioned things. And
John preferred to rip the band aid off. So, yeah,
I mean, there is commentary and musical sophistication
here. But yeah, I think this is a strong opening
cut for the album. I think the first few times
I listened to the album, you know, I wasn't in
love with it and it kind of. It broke through
after a few listens. Alright, well, we've gotten
our first punches in, and as with any monumental,
pugilistic event, right as the action starts,
gotta have a little break, let's hear a word
from our friends over at the Worst Podcast on
Mars. I'm Amanda, and that's Evan. Say hi, Evan.
Hi, Evan. And we're the hosts of the worst podcast
on Mars. This is the podcast that talks music.
And on Fridays, we work our way through the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 200 definitive
albums. I do a bunch of research trying to figure
out why it's on this list. And on Tuesdays, we
do smaller episodes that are not part of the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list. And Evan,
well, he just literally shows up. So if that's
what you're into, please find us on Apple Music
or Spotify. But not Mars. Yet. Come on, Evan.
Come on, help the lady out, huh? In this round,
we'll select the standout cut, the best song
from our perspective, the strongest track to
try to deal some damage to our opponent. Don,
what's Mr. Lennon bringing to us? Yeah, well,
I actually struggled to pick one because there's
a few I could have gone with, you know, including
like working class hero love. But instead, I
chose isolation. The way he breaks out that I
yeah, ah I mean it makes it even more isolated
because it's just I this is minimalism I think
at its best just that little that trailing the
It's just so impactful and it's just, you know,
a couple of notes on the piano. Normal people
can get away with that, though. A normal person
would play that and sing something and people
would be like, dude, you know, you'd set that
up. But that's all he needs. Yeah, it is. fun
that we're doing these two albums because they
really are almost opposites. They really went
in completely different directions. This is another
song where the lyrics are very personal. He's
confronting fears of abandonment and public scrutiny
despite his fame. Well, the scrutiny, some of
it too, there was the whole racial aspect with
Yoko being Japanese. You know, not that there
isn't racism and hate, but people didn't hold
back in the press of being very negative about
her largely because of her race and identity.
So and they were kind of targeted for their activism
and their kind of just seemingly somewhat strange
relationship. So they're artists. That's part
of the that's part of the gig being a little
off the beaten path. Yeah. I think another thing
that's that's good about the song is so even
though it's somewhat specific to them, I do think
it's something that we can all relate to, right?
We all fear isolation and have anxieties. But
yeah, I just think the haunting piano and a little
bit of organ there just really makes it a standout
cut. Well, time for me to punch back with Uncle
Albert, Admiral Halsey, Medley. It starts off
kind of like slow and simple like John, but it
does shift quite a bit. I mean, it's a medley,
the middle section is that typical kind of Paul
McCartney old fashioned announcer voice. And
then we phase into the Admiral Halsey section,
a hands across the water section. I always thought
it was called hands across the water when, you
know, when my dad would play that record. Butter
pie sounds good. it up and are more of a surrealist
thing similar to like Lewis Carroll's Alice in
Wonderland, that kind of image. I was just thinking
like a big block of butter just in crust. Gross.
Yeah, so it's very different, very Abbey Road
-esque. Definitely. Co -credited to Paul and
Linda. Whimsical, you know, that Uncle Albert
section's a nostalgic nod to McCartney's Uncle
Albert Kendall, symbolizing an apology for the
McCartney's generation to their elders for, you
know, their nonsense, I guess. And then the Admiral
Halsey segment introduces like this, it's referencing
Fleet Admiral William Bull Halsey as an authoritarian
figure who ought to be ignored. So that's kind
of hands across the water thing. But yeah, it's
very Beatle -ish features. some orchestral arrangements
by George Martin. So that makes sense. He was
the producer for Beatles records, added some
sound effects, but it was McCartney's first post
Beatles number one hit in the United States.
What do you think about this one? I like it.
When I was in college and I was really going
through a Beatles. you know, period. I remember
hearing this song on the radio and I'm like,
wait a minute, you know, I don't have this Beatles
song. But then, you know, it turned out it was
a solo record. Yeah, I like it. I mean, I'm a
sucker for those those medleys. I think some
people criticize that approach because it's like
you have three unfinished songs, you know. So
rather than finishing them, you just put them
together. But I mean, I think it's an effective
approach. So Paul's first album, McCartney, just
him, more sparse, kind of it felt like demos
more than songs. And I think people responded
to this because it sounded like a Beatles song.
All right. So that was our haymakers. Let's move
on to round three. Okay, round three, opponent
cuts. We're doing it a little differently this
week. Usually we're highlighting a weakness in
our opponent's track list. This week, because
we have two artists kind of trading jabs, we
figured we'd highlight some songs where they're
going at each other. So which track from John
Lennon's Plastic Ono Band did you want to highlight?
We're going to go with God. Let's kick it off.
So that's kind of the moment, I think, in the
song that was historic or impactful. You know,
the dream is over and all that stuff that the
Beatles are really done and it's time to move
on and grow up and all that that comes with it.
This is a powerful song, but it's very repetitive.
I don't believe in magic. I don't believe in
the Bible. I don't believe in God. I don't believe
in Hitler. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't
believe, you know, I don't believe in Kennedy.
I don't believe in Buddha. It just goes on and
on. And it's it's so preachy when it's like not
it's supposed to be not preachy in some ways.
I hear that. Yeah, I don't I mean, I don't. I
guess I just felt like it was an honest moment.
And I think he like really is at the point where
he's doesn't really believe in anything. And,
you know, that's kind of his he's letting you
in on his approach to life at the moment. So
I'm not sure that he's judging the rest of the
population here. Yeah. Yeah. I kind of like I
mean, I really like the end, you know, where
he's sort of saying, you know, it's the dream
is over and it's time to move on. So it's like
he's. addressing the listener directly. So, yeah,
it's a powerful song. I think it probably should
be or could have been the end of the album, but
of course it's not. All right, Don, what did
you pick from Sir Paul and Lady Linda? Yeah,
well, as it turns out, I think this McCartney
album has way more shots at the other Beatles
than this first Lennon one does. But yeah, one
that seemed pretty obvious is the song Three
Legs. So Three Legs is rooted in blues and it's
like a loose jam -like structure, call and response
vocals between Paul and Linda. It's interpreted
as You know, depicting McCartney's feelings about
his former bandmates. So you've got the lines,
when I thought you was my friend, but you let
me down. You know, apparently he's feeling betrayed
or something. And then the three legged dog that
can't run, you know, might be a reference to
the remaining trio of Beatles suggesting that
they're dysfunctional or, you know, can't they're
incomplete with without him. Yeah, the accusatory
tone. There's definitely some. leftover feelings
here of the way it went down. I guess John had
told the band he was going to leave, but they
were planning out how it was going to happen
and they were still releasing things. And then
Paul made his solo thing and released it. And
that kind of let the cat out of the bag. And
I guess he had a breakdown. I don't know. It
was a mess. And I think this album trying to
kind of lean into his new life and heal at the
same time and some. Shit came out in the process.
But yeah, the metaphor is clumsy. It feels kind
of like filler to me Yeah, I mean it I don't
love it. It felt like a typical Beatles moment
on an album, you know, cuz I mean they have song
particularly on the white album You know their
songs that don't really stand out, but they're
kind of there to add color So like I thought
this kind of bluesy jam, you know thrown in early
in the album, you know kind of worked It's funny
that people even paid attention to the lyrics
and made a connection. Well, the fans, I'm sure
I wasn't there, but I would have been anything
I could get my hands on to find out what they're
doing. And are they going to get back together?
That would, you know, if I had been the kind
of fan of the Beatles I am now, I would have
been losing my shit. I would have been listening
to everything. Yeah. Every clue I could find.
Yeah. It's kind of like what people do with Taylor
Swift now. Like, what was this about? you know,
whatever guy. Right. All right. So we've gotten
a bunch of punches in. Why don't we give our
brains a break before we return to the ring and
answer a question. Excuse me. I'd like to ask
you a few questions. It's time again for deep
questions by Don. So of course we're doing two
albums that came in the aftermath of a huge breakup.
What if the Album Nerds podcast broke up? What
would your next podcast be? I'm sure we'll find
out what Andy's next podcast is soon. Probably
the Record Geeks podcast or something like that.
No, I guess I'd probably go with Fantasy Football.
I know there's a million of them out there, but
my thought was to have a fantasy football podcast
where you share your league with your listeners
and they get to vote every week on lineup changes
to your shared team and you approach it from
that perspective. Talking about the stats of
why you're choosing this particular guy over
this one, something maybe it's been done. I don't
know. There's so many. That's probably where
I would go. What about you, Don? Well, I've jokingly
in the past, you know, said I have the Donnie
Leakey podcast. There you go. Where you just
talk about all the things you like. Yes. That
might be interesting. There's all sorts of things
you could do. You know, let's say you discover
a new shampoo or conditioner you love and be
like, Donnie like Epert plus. And you could just
go on about it. Yeah. And then lots of influencing
opportunities there. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. But
I was actually thinking thinking about because
I often say that I want to learn music theory,
although I never do. But I thought it might be
kind of a. fun podcast, you know, something like,
you know, Don learns music or something. And
so like each week I learned some basic principle
of music theory and talk about it and maybe try
to find examples of it in popular music. But
that really sounds like a lot of work. Yeah.
And then at the end, the final episode would
be you debuting the most perfect album ever created.
Yeah. Cool. I'm looking forward to it. What's
your great podcast idea? Let us know on the socials
at Album Nerds. We won't steal your idea. I promise.
Finish them. OK, back to the fight. The closing
cuts. This is round four. Closing song of a great
album should wrap things up, make you satisfied,
make you feel like the experience was worth it
and maybe go spin that record again. What's your
closing cut there? Donnie, do you likey? Well,
this is an interesting one. This is one called
My Mummy's Dead. Clearly affected him very deeply.
So this comes right out of the track God. Kind
of like I said before, God kind of feels like
the closer. And then this is under a minute,
almost feels like a bonus track or something,
but it does. you know, again, reflect sort of
the mood of the whole album. You know, he's again
expressing grief about the loss of his mother,
just like in the track Mother and also back on
the White Album, Julia. It's just I think it's
just him, you know, with a guitar. I can't find
the truth here. You know, some people say that
it is just the original demo. And I've also read
that they rerecorded it and just, you know, tried
to recreate the demo, which seems kind of pointless,
but. I don't know. I guess they have reasons
for doing these things. And then you may notice
that the melody is basically the nursery rhyme,
three blind mice. Yeah. You know, I, it kind
of reminds me of the trend that later happened
in the eighties and nineties on albums, when
you'd hear like a sketchy song like that, that
was recorded on someone's answering machine or
something, you know, that kind of stuff. So it's
powerful. And I think what it really, it's I
think it's supposed to be a book end with mother.
And it's kind of reminding us of, well, I think
this is, I mean, I'm no doctor, but what I think
was probably the source of the seed of all of
his pain was his mother, the relationship with
his mother. Even though his dad wasn't around,
Julia was really a huge presence in his life
and a huge hole in his life. And I think that's
what he's telling us here. How did Paul and Linda
choose to end Ram? By talking about teenagers
doing it in cars pretty much, I think. Let's
listen to a little bit of the backseat of my
car. Kind of dreamy, epic closer about youthful
rebellion, romantic freedom, melodrama. I guess
it was conceived during a 1968 vacation in Sardinia
with Paul's then girlfriend, Maggie McGivern.
An early version of this was introduced during
the Beatles get back sessions in 1969. McCartney
described as a teenage song with the stereotypical
parent who doesn't agree and the two lovers are
going to take on the world. Again, features orchestral
arrangements by George Martin, New York Philharmonic.
That's, you know, you can't get them unless you're
a big shot. Critics noted structural similarities
to the medleys on the on the Beatles Abbey Road.
Intricate harmonies are reminiscent of the Beach
Boys post -pet sounds work. What do you think
about this one, Don? It's kind of a hard comparison.
Yeah. Yeah, it's not fair at all. But yeah, I
mean, it seems like a fitting closer for the
album. You got another one of those medley things
going on. It still has aspects of it that sound
Beatles -ish. There's a few points on this record
where I hear the Brian Wilson, and this is one
of them. I think it's an apt closer for a solid
album. All right. Well, we've closed up the album.
Let's get to the fifth and final round, X -Factors.
All right, so in this final round, we're going
to look at some key metrics that we agreed upon
here. The digging factor, like overall enjoyable
listening experience, killer to filler, like
measuring the great songs versus the weak ones,
the production. Do you want to listen to these
albums again? And then the legacy, like what
was their influence? How do they impact society,
culture, music, et cetera? All right, Don, so
let's dig into this. Where are you on the digging
factor? for these albums. It's really tough just
because these albums are so different. I mean,
John Lennon's is just an honest statement about
what's going on in his brain at the time. And
it's just not fair to compare it to what Paul
McCartney was doing. And as an artistic statement,
I dig the John Lennon. much more. Yeah. But in
terms of just digging musically or what I might
want to listen to on an afternoon, I might lean
Paul McCartney. So it's tough. Yeah. Lennon channeled
his grief into raw minimalism. McCartney processed
his post -Beatles breakdown by chasing joy, chaos
and beauty with some darkness. You know, the
mutilated animals and three legs and rotten smiles
and smile away. But yeah. Raw emotional punch
to the chest is what John Lennon brings. Very
different, very different approaches. I dig them
both. I guess Ram I would listen to more just
because it's lighter. So what about the songs
themselves? Like how do you think, how do you
think we did here balance wise? He's loaded with
gems. Yeah. I think, I mean, you know, particularly
the John Lennon, I mean, working class hero we
haven't really talked about. Yeah. Oh, that's
an incredible song. Yep. And, you know, love,
you know, is a simple kind of ballad -y thing,
but is still somehow profound. And then, I mean,
there are some rockier tracks or bluesier tracks.
Well, Well, Well kind of. Yeah, I love that one.
You know, combines the scream and the blues,
which is pretty cool. On the McCartney, again,
Getting back to the Brian Wilson thing, that
Dear Boy really reminds me of some Beach Boys
tunes. I think Ramon is really good as well.
And I think the tracks that don't stand out,
just like with Beatles albums, I think they provide
some color to the album. So I think both albums
are good in terms of killer to filler. Yeah,
some killers we didn't get to talk about on the
Ram album. For me, we're Heart of the Country,
Monkberry Moon Delight. It's a weird title, but
it's just got this strut to it. It's kind of
stones -y a little bit. It's weird, but I like
it a lot. It's weird when he does voices. My
very moonlight. Yeah. Ta ta ta. And like, there's
just some weird sounds. It's cool, though. I
like that one. Long Haired Lady. No, I just don't
like that song. I don't like Linda's contribution
to it. I mean, it's not her fault. It's just
like, is that all I'm good for or something like
that about women and sex? I don't know. It just
is uncomfortable. Smile away. I didn't love.
I like the groove. but that breath, your breath
stinks, your feet stink, stuff is weird. But
there's some Lenin -y harmonies on there. There's
moments where I feel like they tried to replace
John Lennon a little bit. And for Plastic Ono
band, of course, you know, Hold On's great, Working
Class Hero. I feel like that's British Johnny
Cash. It's kind of a Johnny Cash song, you know.
Maybe mixed with Bob Dylan too. Definitely, yeah.
I found out I don't like that song too much,
but. That's probably the biggest stinker for
me on the album. How about production? Paul and
Linda supposedly produced Ram. But this guy,
Eric Wengberg, I think he was like an engineer.
Yeah. It's like Norwegian or something. Yeah.
He's given complete creative control because
they couldn't decide what they recorded tons
of songs. So he decided what songs he mixed the
album. They liked it. But yeah, it sounds good.
Yeah, it sounds good. It's rich and adventurous.
I think the mix works. It's very, like I said,
I think they took their cues from what George
Martin had been doing with the Beatles. And as
far as plastic, oh no, perfect. Perfect production
for what it was. There was no wall of sound here.
No, I know. It's so weird. John was the wall
of sound. Yeah. I mean, it's amazing that everybody
just fought the urge to. Well, yeah, this Phil
Spector is the producer too. This guy does up
to this point really did nothing but his way.
I think John was the boss here. Yeah. I almost
get the sense that Phil Spector wasn't fully
engaged with this album, but he ended up doing
the next album as well, right? Imagine. Yeah,
I agree. I think both are produced quite well.
I mean, the Ram production is somewhere between
like Beatles and Wings production. I remember
thinking that some of the later 70s McCartney
was maybe a little too shiny. And yeah, I do
think the Lennon album is very surface, right?
So like you listen to it once or twice and you
get it, you know, and the Ram is, I mean, there's
just hidden things that you notice each time.
So it's a, it's a gift that keeps on giving.
Right. So legacy wise, I think it's equal. Right.
I mean, these are very different albums, but
they kind of did the same thing for the artists.
Yeah, that's a good it's a good question. I feel
like McCartney is kind of rehashing Beatles stuff
here, whereas Lennon is kind of doing something
different. You know, I think he's doing what
he wanted to do on the later Beatles stuff and
wasn't really allowed to because that's why they
did the white album so that he could do songs
like this. Yeah. Yeah. So I think it's some way
I might give it to John Lennon. I'm not sure.
I don't know that there is like a starker and
darker pop record or, you know, not from a big
name anyway. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Right. Some
of what I read was Rams legacy is. that it became
a cult classic, even though it was kind of misunderstood
at the time and cited by Indian lo -fi artists
like Animal Collective Beck as a blueprint for
genre -mashing experimentation, but that was
really going on with the Beatles as well. And
Plastic Ono Band inspired generations of confessional
songwriters from Elliott Smith to Kurt Cobain
and did lay the groundwork for more minimalist
indie rock. So yeah, these both did some... some
big things. These were tough five rounds. Yeah.
Well, what an electro flying flying. What an
electro flying. Damn it. What an electrifying
clash between these post Beatles powerhouses.
One album bears its soul with raw honesty, while
the other dazzles with playful melodies and inventive
flair. Now the moment of truth arrives. Let's
see which solo statement reigns supreme as we
head to the scorecard. Let's send it back to
the center of the ring and hear tonight's results.
All right, Don, what do you got? What's your
scorecard look like here? All right. Mine's a
mess. Well, round one went to Paul McCartney.
I'm going to give him some credit for too many
people. Round two, I think isolation is the big
winner. So that's Lennon. Round three, I think
God is a pretty powerful track, much more interesting
than the... Three legs. And then for the final
track, that was a really tough one. I'll give
it to Paul McCartney, just because it's a real
song, I guess. And then for X -Factors, overall,
I just think the Lennon album is a more powerful
artistic statement. So Lennon wins that. So overall,
my scorecard reads three to two in favor of John
Lennon, Plastic Ono Band. How about you, dude?
My scorecard. Round one, I gave to Paul McCartney
for too many people. Round two, the Haymaker
was definitely John Lennon won that round. Round
three, I gave to John Lennon, even though I do
have some issues when he gets preachy about not
being preachy, I still think it's a more powerful
song. The closing track, round four, I gave that
to Paul McCartney as well, I think for the similar
reasons. And the X factors, I... I tried to calculate
it in many different ways, but ultimately I think
the impact, the legacy, all of that stuff really
does go to John Lennon. So I also have a scorecard
with Ram with two, Plastic Ono Band with three.
Things are looking good for John Lennon. How'd
the listeners vote? Well, it's a good thing that
we agreed because the audience was split. evenly.
So 50 -50. It's a draw according to the audience.
So that makes John Lennon Plastic Ono Band the
winner of this record rumble. At the beginning
of this, I thought Ram was going to be my choice
when we first started working through these records,
but that's why you got to listen to records,
folks. Lots of times. Change your mind. All right.
So congratulations to John Lennon defeating Sir
Paul McCartney, Plastic Ono Band, takes this
final record up. Can you dig it? Can you dig
it? All right, well, have you had a chance to
go outside the beetle universe and dig some other
things? Yeah, I've been digging some other stuff.
Let me check my my ball McShopping cart and see
what I've got. OK, good. Yeah, so I've been going
a little weird recently and I found something
I hadn't heard of before. I felt like laying
back a little bit, getting some modern yacht
rock. Mm. Kicking. So a group called Young Gun
Silver Fox. The album is Pleasure. The song is
Stevie and Sly. That is a pleasure. Young Gun
Silver Fox is a transatlantic duo of British
singer Andy Platts and American multi -instrumentalist
Sean Lee. Modern take on 1970s west coast pop
rock. Formed in 2012 they've built a reputation
for smooth harmonies, funk infused grooves and
polished production. sounding kind of like Steely
Dan, Doobie Brothers vibe. Pleasure was released
on May 2nd, 2025. It's her fifth studio album.
So the song's about Sly Stone. Stevie Wonder
and Sly Stone, yeah. Then for my next pick, I
always try to go to the collection, and this
time I wasn't sure what to do, so I had my wife.
point what section of the record shelves to go
to, and I randomly put my finger down and pulled
out Luke Combs. This one's for you. So then I
listened to this one this week as well. We know
Luke, North Carolina born country singer songwriter
known for powerful vocals and relatable lyrics.
Let's listen to a little bit of When It Rains
It Pours. Another big hit on the album was Hurricane.
one number away, another one. But, yeah, it kind
of blends traditional country themes with modern
edge. It's a fun one. We talked about that on
the show before, right, Doc? Oh, yeah, I guess
we did, didn't we? I bet Andy didn't like it.
He didn't hate it as much as I thought he would.
All right. What you got? All right. Young Gun
Silver Fox had pleasure. Broncho has Natural
Pleasure. So that's their latest album, again,
called Natural Pleasure. It's an indie rock band
from Norman, Oklahoma, formed in 2010. Here's
a song called Imagination. Sleepy time, isn't
it, dude? Week after week of these... So actually,
I mean, their previous albums didn't... weren't
quite as hazy and dreamlike as this, and this
kind of has more of a lo -fi sound, but it's
an interesting album. Another album that I'm
looking forward to comes from Grant Lee Phillips.
Do you remember the group Grant Lee Buffalo?
I sure do. This is, Grant Lee Phillips was the
front man for that band. So did he get remarried
and change his last name? From Buffalo to Phillips.
This is actually his 12th solo studio album,
kind of a folk singer. For Gilmore Girls fans,
he's actually the town troubadour that's always
walking around playing music. Never saw it. So
the new album is called In the Hour of Dust,
coming out September 5th. Here's the first cut
released, Closer Tonight. I wanna hear some electric
guitars from you next time, man. All right. Well,
what are you digging? Let us know. Join us on
the socials, Facebook, Instagram, threads and
blue sky and album nerds. It will be a discovery
of extraordinary value. Well, it's about that
time on the show and I'm reminded of the words
of John Lennon. I've made two discoveries in
my. Not going to do that again. I've made two
discoveries in my life, Paul McCartney and Yoko
Ono. I think that's a pretty damn good choice.
Yes. With that in mind, let's bring out the Wheel
of Musical Discovery and see what we'll be discovering
next time. and the Heart of Soul. We're exploring
albums that showcase the rich musical heritage
of the heart of Dixie. So we're going to start
our summer travels in Alabama. At the beginning
of the alphabet, apparently. Yeah, well, it was
it was randomly spun, I assure you all. So yeah,
that should be fun traveling across the country,
discovering albums from different states. So
yeah, Alabama is a great place to start. Greenbow,
Alabama. And a lot of Forrest Gump references,
most likely. All right, well, what are the best
records that came from Alabama? What else are
you listening to? Email us at podcast at albumnerds
.com or follow us on Instagram and other social
media at albumnerds. And also visit albumnerds
.com to listen to all 293 episodes The best way
to support the show is to share it. Please subscribe,
rate and review on your favorite podcast app.
Thank you once again for joining us on the Album
Nerds podcast. We'll catch you next time Sweet
Home Alabama. I just believe in me With Donnie
and me See you next time