WEBVTT 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:09.699 Welcome to the album nerds podcast with your 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:13.560 hosts Don and dude. Oh That sounds weird. It 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:15.699 does. So that's the first time we've played that 00:00:15.699 --> 00:00:18.859 live to drop without Andy This is the album nerds 00:00:18.859 --> 00:00:22.199 podcast. I got Don with me Andy has taken early 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:24.800 retirement Maybe someday he'll be back, but there'll 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:26.800 be just the two of us for a while here on the 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:32.000 album nerds podcast Hey doing Donnie, I don't 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:35.310 know feels feels a little lonely Yeah. Well, 00:00:35.369 --> 00:00:39.369 the fab three is no more. All right. So back 00:00:39.369 --> 00:00:41.729 to business. This is the album. There's podcasts. 00:00:41.890 --> 00:00:44.710 We love albums, the album format, finding all 00:00:44.710 --> 00:00:47.109 kinds of stupid ways to talk about them in this 00:00:47.109 --> 00:00:50.390 record rumble series where we pretend that albums 00:00:50.390 --> 00:00:54.380 are boxing each other. This will be the final 00:00:54.380 --> 00:00:56.640 record Rumble will be moving on to a something 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:02.240 even dumber. Yeah It's not quite dumber It's 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:05.599 less complicated. That's for sure Alright, so 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:08.379 this will be the grand finale of the record Rumbles 00:01:08.379 --> 00:01:10.980 where two albums enter the ring and go head -to 00:01:10.980 --> 00:01:14.120 -head track to track and toe -to -toe as always 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:17.370 Don will be asking us Deep question. We're also 00:01:17.370 --> 00:01:19.709 gonna have shout outs to some other albums and 00:01:19.709 --> 00:01:21.629 album related items we're digging, and then we 00:01:21.629 --> 00:01:25.750 will spin the wheel of musical discovery to learn 00:01:25.750 --> 00:01:29.890 where our summer journey will lead. But for now, 00:01:30.109 --> 00:01:34.870 the battle of the Beatles. Let's get it on! Two 00:01:34.870 --> 00:01:37.810 landmark solo albums from former bandmates go 00:01:37.810 --> 00:01:40.250 head to head, each offering a radically different 00:01:40.250 --> 00:01:42.590 vision in the wake of a legendary group's breakup. 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:45.780 One album channels raw emotion and personal pain 00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:48.099 through stripped -down arrangements and confessional 00:01:48.099 --> 00:01:51.260 lyrics, while the other bursts with playful experimentation, 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:54.680 melodic inventiveness, and domestic bliss. This 00:01:54.680 --> 00:01:57.319 record grumble pits unfiltered introspection 00:01:57.319 --> 00:01:59.819 against whimsical pop craftsmanship, inviting 00:01:59.819 --> 00:02:02.480 listeners to decide which post -breakup statement 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:06.000 resonates more deeply. Yeah, we, you know, this, 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:07.879 this kind of hits close to home with us having 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:10.400 a little shake up here at the show without Ringo 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:15.039 around. It's gotta be tough. I thought I was 00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:18.659 Ringo. Not anymore, brother. You've been promoted. 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:22.840 So yeah, uh, the Beatles, for those that love 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:27.139 them, we love them deeply and we, uh, had the 00:02:27.139 --> 00:02:29.740 solo albums to cling onto afterwards. And of 00:02:29.740 --> 00:02:31.979 course all this happened before we were born, 00:02:31.979 --> 00:02:35.009 but still, uh, It could get passionate up in 00:02:35.009 --> 00:02:38.069 here. So why don't we get in to the big beetle 00:02:38.069 --> 00:02:50.340 battle? In this corner, weighing in with 3 .4 00:02:50.340 --> 00:02:53.539 million sold, full of raw emotion and a knockout 00:02:53.539 --> 00:02:56.460 punch of honesty, hailing from the land of peace 00:02:56.460 --> 00:02:59.620 and bed -ins, the champ of primal screams, the 00:02:59.620 --> 00:03:02.439 sultan of soul -bearing, the one and only working 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:05.000 class hero, give it up for the heavyweight of 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:08.219 heartbreak, the confessor in chief, John Lennon 00:03:08.219 --> 00:03:12.500 Plastic Ono Man. The Confessor in Chief, I got 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:15.759 to give that one to you. So John Lennon Plastic 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:18.520 Ono Band was released in December 1970. It's 00:03:18.520 --> 00:03:22.560 the first solo album for John Lennon. It happened 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:25.819 right after the breakup of the Beatles, of course. 00:03:26.020 --> 00:03:28.620 He was born John Winston Lennon in Liverpool 00:03:28.620 --> 00:03:32.159 in 1940. Very stripped down album, just features 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:36.120 a trio basically of John on piano and guitar, 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:39.759 Ringo Starr on drums and Klaus Vorman on bass. 00:03:40.270 --> 00:03:42.629 It was produced by Phil Spector, John Lennon, 00:03:42.770 --> 00:03:45.210 and Yoko Ono. Actually, there's also, what would 00:03:45.210 --> 00:03:49.590 you call it, a sister album called Yoko Ono Plastic 00:03:49.590 --> 00:03:55.169 Ono Band. Maybe a spousal album. Yeah. So they 00:03:55.169 --> 00:03:57.069 were both released at the same time. The Yoko 00:03:57.069 --> 00:03:59.949 one actually features that same trio, but it's 00:03:59.949 --> 00:04:04.969 a lot of vocal weird stuff. But yeah, this was 00:04:04.969 --> 00:04:09.699 a very raw and personal album. that came out 00:04:09.699 --> 00:04:12.340 when John Lennon was undergoing this primal scream 00:04:12.340 --> 00:04:15.120 therapy, which we'll get to more in a second. 00:04:15.539 --> 00:04:18.459 Who's he going up against? Choose your fighter. 00:04:20.139 --> 00:04:22.920 And in this corner weighing in at 4 .6 million 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:25.819 equivalent albums sold. That's where we are now. 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.279 With whimsical melodies, lo -fi weirdness, and 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:31.800 a whole lot of Beatle baggage. He's the bass 00:04:31.800 --> 00:04:34.240 playing Beatle, the melody king, the man who 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:36.860 put the pop and pop rock back by his wife, Linda, 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:39.000 and armed with a barn full of sonic surprises. 00:04:39.220 --> 00:04:43.939 It's Paul and Linda McCartney with Raals. The 00:04:43.939 --> 00:04:47.360 melody king. So Paul and Linda McCartney are 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:49.839 the official artists on this one. I think most 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:52.300 people think of it as a Paul McCartney album. 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:55.240 I know I always did as a kid. My dad had this. 00:04:55.470 --> 00:04:58.410 So Sir James Paul McCartney, English singer, 00:04:58.410 --> 00:05:01.290 songwriter, musician, Beatles, Linda, his wife, 00:05:01.589 --> 00:05:03.910 photographer. She kind of became his musical 00:05:03.910 --> 00:05:07.269 partner in this phase of his career. She was 00:05:07.269 --> 00:05:09.709 new to it. So a lot of, you know, some of the 00:05:09.709 --> 00:05:12.310 stuff he said that he was used to for years, 00:05:12.310 --> 00:05:16.310 he had done harmonies with men. So her freshness 00:05:16.310 --> 00:05:19.430 and energy and their love and their family and 00:05:19.430 --> 00:05:21.870 stuff with the fuel behind a lot of the Paul 00:05:21.870 --> 00:05:24.350 McCartney and Wings stuff. She was a part of 00:05:24.350 --> 00:05:27.670 that as well. So yeah, very family oriented here, 00:05:28.050 --> 00:05:30.910 much like what John and Yoko were doing in the 00:05:30.910 --> 00:05:32.810 early part of his solo career. It's funny how 00:05:32.810 --> 00:05:35.230 the romantic partners became kind of their musical 00:05:35.230 --> 00:05:37.870 partners. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Paul and John both 00:05:37.870 --> 00:05:41.629 had spent their entire youth and careers leaning 00:05:41.629 --> 00:05:44.350 on their songwriting partners and their friends. 00:05:44.990 --> 00:05:47.850 And I think it was necessary for their creative 00:05:47.850 --> 00:05:51.089 juices to flow to be able to have a muse and 00:05:51.089 --> 00:05:53.540 a. and a partner. So all right. So Ram was released 00:05:53.540 --> 00:05:57.060 on May 17th, 1971, the second solo album by Paul 00:05:57.060 --> 00:05:59.360 McCartney and the only one credited to both Paul 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:01.600 and Linda recorded in New York and Los Angeles. 00:06:01.899 --> 00:06:04.540 This one, instead of recording it by himself 00:06:04.540 --> 00:06:07.560 like he did on McCartney, the first solo record, 00:06:07.620 --> 00:06:09.600 the album features contributions from session 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:12.379 musicians, including guitarist David Spinoza, 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:15.420 Hugh McCracken and drummer Denny Sewell, who 00:06:15.420 --> 00:06:18.180 I believe ended up in Wings. The album showcases 00:06:18.180 --> 00:06:20.519 McCartney's eclectic musical style, elements 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:22.839 of rock, pop, folk. Initially met with mixed 00:06:22.839 --> 00:06:25.339 reviews, Ram has since been reevaluated and now 00:06:25.339 --> 00:06:27.879 considered a significant work in McCartney's 00:06:27.879 --> 00:06:30.199 solo discography. Now that we've introduced our 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:32.939 fighters, it's time to put on the gloves. And 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:36.750 here we go! So here we are round one opening 00:06:36.750 --> 00:06:39.709 cuts the opening song of great album should capture 00:06:39.709 --> 00:06:42.209 attention Set the tone for what's to come and 00:06:42.209 --> 00:06:44.029 draw the listener in what are you coming out 00:06:44.029 --> 00:06:46.290 with? You're done. What's John Lennon bring it 00:06:46.290 --> 00:06:49.029 to the table coming out swinging with a track 00:06:49.029 --> 00:06:59.910 called? Yeah, so you get a I don't know that 00:06:59.910 --> 00:07:05.399 kind of sets the tone for the album So as I mentioned 00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:08.019 earlier, you know, this was written while Lenin 00:07:08.019 --> 00:07:11.139 was undergoing intensive primal scream therapy 00:07:11.139 --> 00:07:14.560 with a doctor named Arthur Janov. So, I mean, 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:16.980 this song and a few of the others have some kind 00:07:16.980 --> 00:07:19.939 of visceral screams. But this song supposedly 00:07:19.939 --> 00:07:23.060 addresses the abandonment by his parents, his 00:07:23.060 --> 00:07:26.860 father, Alf Lenin. Wow. Like Gordon Shumway? 00:07:27.420 --> 00:07:33.759 Yes. No, don't eat the cat. That's a terrible 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:36.279 80s show with a puppet alien. Sorry, people. 00:07:37.059 --> 00:07:40.279 Yeah, so Alf left the family when John was an 00:07:40.279 --> 00:07:42.600 infant and his mother died in a car accident 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:44.920 when he was 17 So you've got lyrics like mother 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:47.120 you had me, but I never had you father You left 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:49.480 me, but I never left you. Yeah, like the whole 00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:54.740 album kind of raw emotive Very simple. It's uncomfortable. 00:07:54.779 --> 00:07:57.740 I think that's what you either hate or love about 00:07:57.740 --> 00:08:00.000 this Yes, and I go back and forth because it's 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:02.600 just so like I'm sitting in his session Yeah, 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:04.680 where he's with this psychologist or whatever 00:08:04.680 --> 00:08:07.470 it feels weird It's an album, I think that you 00:08:07.470 --> 00:08:09.889 just listen to alone. It's just kind of weird 00:08:09.889 --> 00:08:11.769 with a group of people, you know, to all of a 00:08:11.769 --> 00:08:14.089 sudden have them scream in the background. And 00:08:14.089 --> 00:08:16.629 there's not even one banger on there where it's 00:08:16.629 --> 00:08:18.649 like, you know, like even though imagine it's 00:08:18.649 --> 00:08:21.350 not a beat song, people sing along with it and 00:08:21.350 --> 00:08:23.589 can listen to it together. But yeah. And the 00:08:23.589 --> 00:08:26.269 song does begin with four like funeral bells. 00:08:26.430 --> 00:08:30.000 Some people suggest that. marks the death of 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:32.960 the Beatles. Others say that it marks the end 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:37.120 of the 1960s idealistic era. Others say it just 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:39.539 sounded cool from the production standpoint. 00:08:39.779 --> 00:08:43.129 I don't know. I mean, yeah, you've pretty much 00:08:43.129 --> 00:08:48.230 dug into it. I mean, the sparse and raw and uncomfortable, 00:08:48.610 --> 00:08:51.909 personal, but unforgettable. And it's like a 00:08:51.909 --> 00:08:53.950 mission statement of emotional truth that is 00:08:53.950 --> 00:08:57.250 definitely saying I am boring my heart out. Everybody 00:08:57.250 --> 00:08:59.490 get ready. I thought you said boring. I'm boring. 00:09:01.049 --> 00:09:05.429 I'm bold. All right. Well, how unforgettable 00:09:05.429 --> 00:09:08.129 is the opening cut for Paul McCartney's Ram? 00:09:08.299 --> 00:09:10.820 Ram came out with its horns. Here's Too Many 00:09:10.820 --> 00:09:22.440 People. So co -credited to Paul and Linda, the 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:24.919 song is widely interpreted as a pointed critique 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:28.120 of his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon and 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:31.159 John Lennon's partner Yoko Ono. McCartney later 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:32.980 acknowledged that certain lines such as Too Many 00:09:32.980 --> 00:09:36.269 People preaching practices were directed at Lenin 00:09:36.269 --> 00:09:38.870 and Ono reflecting his frustration with all their 00:09:38.870 --> 00:09:41.610 public activism and stuff that was going on when 00:09:41.610 --> 00:09:43.389 the Beatles were still together and it kind of 00:09:43.389 --> 00:09:47.009 detracted from the Beatles. Musically, it's very 00:09:47.009 --> 00:09:49.750 versatile, diverse, budding acoustic and electric 00:09:49.750 --> 00:09:53.179 guitars, layered harmonies. Dynamic Shifts, I 00:09:53.179 --> 00:09:55.919 think this is probably the most Beatle -esque 00:09:55.919 --> 00:09:59.059 album of Paul McCartney's career, and I don't 00:09:59.059 --> 00:10:00.980 know that John Lennon ever made an album that 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:04.679 was Beatle -esque. Yeah, so I mean, it's just 00:10:04.679 --> 00:10:07.620 a matter of... personal preference, not only 00:10:07.620 --> 00:10:10.480 as a listener, but as the two artists that we're 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:12.820 talking about here. McCartney preferred to go 00:10:12.820 --> 00:10:16.120 big and experiment and play with sounds and old 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:19.080 fashioned things and new fashioned things. And 00:10:19.080 --> 00:10:22.539 John preferred to rip the band aid off. So, yeah, 00:10:22.539 --> 00:10:25.679 I mean, there is commentary and musical sophistication 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:28.700 here. But yeah, I think this is a strong opening 00:10:28.700 --> 00:10:31.240 cut for the album. I think the first few times 00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:33.580 I listened to the album, you know, I wasn't in 00:10:33.580 --> 00:10:35.700 love with it and it kind of. It broke through 00:10:35.700 --> 00:10:41.659 after a few listens. Alright, well, we've gotten 00:10:41.659 --> 00:10:45.559 our first punches in, and as with any monumental, 00:10:45.700 --> 00:10:48.460 pugilistic event, right as the action starts, 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:50.419 gotta have a little break, let's hear a word 00:10:50.419 --> 00:10:52.679 from our friends over at the Worst Podcast on 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:56.169 Mars. I'm Amanda, and that's Evan. Say hi, Evan. 00:10:56.370 --> 00:10:59.470 Hi, Evan. And we're the hosts of the worst podcast 00:10:59.470 --> 00:11:02.210 on Mars. This is the podcast that talks music. 00:11:02.509 --> 00:11:04.750 And on Fridays, we work our way through the Rock 00:11:04.750 --> 00:11:06.929 and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 200 definitive 00:11:06.929 --> 00:11:09.590 albums. I do a bunch of research trying to figure 00:11:09.590 --> 00:11:12.730 out why it's on this list. And on Tuesdays, we 00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:15.210 do smaller episodes that are not part of the 00:11:15.210 --> 00:11:17.289 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list. And Evan, 00:11:17.549 --> 00:11:20.070 well, he just literally shows up. So if that's 00:11:20.070 --> 00:11:22.529 what you're into, please find us on Apple Music 00:11:22.529 --> 00:11:26.320 or Spotify. But not Mars. Yet. Come on, Evan. 00:11:26.500 --> 00:11:31.000 Come on, help the lady out, huh? In this round, 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:34.039 we'll select the standout cut, the best song 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:36.940 from our perspective, the strongest track to 00:11:36.940 --> 00:11:39.659 try to deal some damage to our opponent. Don, 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:43.419 what's Mr. Lennon bringing to us? Yeah, well, 00:11:43.419 --> 00:11:46.320 I actually struggled to pick one because there's 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:48.139 a few I could have gone with, you know, including 00:11:48.139 --> 00:11:51.600 like working class hero love. But instead, I 00:11:51.600 --> 00:12:05.120 chose isolation. The way he breaks out that I 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:10.039 yeah, ah I mean it makes it even more isolated 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:12.960 because it's just I this is minimalism I think 00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:15.559 at its best just that little that trailing the 00:12:17.570 --> 00:12:20.070 It's just so impactful and it's just, you know, 00:12:20.210 --> 00:12:22.629 a couple of notes on the piano. Normal people 00:12:22.629 --> 00:12:24.649 can get away with that, though. A normal person 00:12:24.649 --> 00:12:26.529 would play that and sing something and people 00:12:26.529 --> 00:12:28.769 would be like, dude, you know, you'd set that 00:12:28.769 --> 00:12:32.059 up. But that's all he needs. Yeah, it is. fun 00:12:32.059 --> 00:12:33.539 that we're doing these two albums because they 00:12:33.539 --> 00:12:36.179 really are almost opposites. They really went 00:12:36.179 --> 00:12:39.679 in completely different directions. This is another 00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:42.320 song where the lyrics are very personal. He's 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:45.320 confronting fears of abandonment and public scrutiny 00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:48.500 despite his fame. Well, the scrutiny, some of 00:12:48.500 --> 00:12:51.419 it too, there was the whole racial aspect with 00:12:51.419 --> 00:12:55.330 Yoko being Japanese. You know, not that there 00:12:55.330 --> 00:12:58.029 isn't racism and hate, but people didn't hold 00:12:58.029 --> 00:13:01.350 back in the press of being very negative about 00:13:01.350 --> 00:13:04.250 her largely because of her race and identity. 00:13:04.649 --> 00:13:07.990 So and they were kind of targeted for their activism 00:13:07.990 --> 00:13:10.809 and their kind of just seemingly somewhat strange 00:13:10.809 --> 00:13:13.929 relationship. So they're artists. That's part 00:13:13.929 --> 00:13:15.649 of the that's part of the gig being a little 00:13:15.649 --> 00:13:18.169 off the beaten path. Yeah. I think another thing 00:13:18.169 --> 00:13:20.850 that's that's good about the song is so even 00:13:20.850 --> 00:13:23.529 though it's somewhat specific to them, I do think 00:13:23.529 --> 00:13:26.370 it's something that we can all relate to, right? 00:13:26.570 --> 00:13:30.990 We all fear isolation and have anxieties. But 00:13:30.990 --> 00:13:33.769 yeah, I just think the haunting piano and a little 00:13:33.769 --> 00:13:36.529 bit of organ there just really makes it a standout 00:13:36.529 --> 00:13:39.029 cut. Well, time for me to punch back with Uncle 00:13:39.029 --> 00:13:49.360 Albert, Admiral Halsey, Medley. It starts off 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:53.320 kind of like slow and simple like John, but it 00:13:53.320 --> 00:13:56.000 does shift quite a bit. I mean, it's a medley, 00:13:56.320 --> 00:13:59.399 the middle section is that typical kind of Paul 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:02.820 McCartney old fashioned announcer voice. And 00:14:02.820 --> 00:14:07.320 then we phase into the Admiral Halsey section, 00:14:07.620 --> 00:14:10.340 a hands across the water section. I always thought 00:14:10.340 --> 00:14:12.419 it was called hands across the water when, you 00:14:12.419 --> 00:14:14.659 know, when my dad would play that record. Butter 00:14:14.659 --> 00:14:19.120 pie sounds good. it up and are more of a surrealist 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:21.480 thing similar to like Lewis Carroll's Alice in 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:23.779 Wonderland, that kind of image. I was just thinking 00:14:23.779 --> 00:14:27.460 like a big block of butter just in crust. Gross. 00:14:28.200 --> 00:14:32.039 Yeah, so it's very different, very Abbey Road 00:14:32.039 --> 00:14:34.440 -esque. Definitely. Co -credited to Paul and 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:37.460 Linda. Whimsical, you know, that Uncle Albert 00:14:37.460 --> 00:14:39.600 section's a nostalgic nod to McCartney's Uncle 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:42.379 Albert Kendall, symbolizing an apology for the 00:14:42.379 --> 00:14:44.820 McCartney's generation to their elders for, you 00:14:44.820 --> 00:14:47.600 know, their nonsense, I guess. And then the Admiral 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:50.820 Halsey segment introduces like this, it's referencing 00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:54.100 Fleet Admiral William Bull Halsey as an authoritarian 00:14:54.100 --> 00:14:56.899 figure who ought to be ignored. So that's kind 00:14:56.899 --> 00:15:00.039 of hands across the water thing. But yeah, it's 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:03.470 very Beatle -ish features. some orchestral arrangements 00:15:03.470 --> 00:15:05.590 by George Martin. So that makes sense. He was 00:15:05.590 --> 00:15:07.990 the producer for Beatles records, added some 00:15:07.990 --> 00:15:10.669 sound effects, but it was McCartney's first post 00:15:10.669 --> 00:15:12.889 Beatles number one hit in the United States. 00:15:13.169 --> 00:15:16.350 What do you think about this one? I like it. 00:15:16.470 --> 00:15:19.049 When I was in college and I was really going 00:15:19.049 --> 00:15:22.039 through a Beatles. you know, period. I remember 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:24.700 hearing this song on the radio and I'm like, 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:26.480 wait a minute, you know, I don't have this Beatles 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:29.879 song. But then, you know, it turned out it was 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:32.720 a solo record. Yeah, I like it. I mean, I'm a 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:36.039 sucker for those those medleys. I think some 00:15:36.039 --> 00:15:39.759 people criticize that approach because it's like 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:42.740 you have three unfinished songs, you know. So 00:15:42.740 --> 00:15:44.159 rather than finishing them, you just put them 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:46.340 together. But I mean, I think it's an effective 00:15:46.340 --> 00:15:49.820 approach. So Paul's first album, McCartney, just 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:53.399 him, more sparse, kind of it felt like demos 00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:55.799 more than songs. And I think people responded 00:15:55.799 --> 00:15:57.960 to this because it sounded like a Beatles song. 00:15:58.220 --> 00:16:00.159 All right. So that was our haymakers. Let's move 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:06.590 on to round three. Okay, round three, opponent 00:16:06.590 --> 00:16:08.769 cuts. We're doing it a little differently this 00:16:08.769 --> 00:16:11.429 week. Usually we're highlighting a weakness in 00:16:11.429 --> 00:16:14.549 our opponent's track list. This week, because 00:16:14.549 --> 00:16:18.009 we have two artists kind of trading jabs, we 00:16:18.009 --> 00:16:20.289 figured we'd highlight some songs where they're 00:16:20.289 --> 00:16:22.509 going at each other. So which track from John 00:16:22.509 --> 00:16:24.350 Lennon's Plastic Ono Band did you want to highlight? 00:16:24.490 --> 00:16:27.070 We're going to go with God. Let's kick it off. 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:40.720 So that's kind of the moment, I think, in the 00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:44.899 song that was historic or impactful. You know, 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:47.980 the dream is over and all that stuff that the 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:50.559 Beatles are really done and it's time to move 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:53.059 on and grow up and all that that comes with it. 00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:56.220 This is a powerful song, but it's very repetitive. 00:16:56.490 --> 00:16:59.690 I don't believe in magic. I don't believe in 00:16:59.690 --> 00:17:01.710 the Bible. I don't believe in God. I don't believe 00:17:01.710 --> 00:17:03.269 in Hitler. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't 00:17:03.269 --> 00:17:04.710 believe, you know, I don't believe in Kennedy. 00:17:04.809 --> 00:17:06.710 I don't believe in Buddha. It just goes on and 00:17:06.710 --> 00:17:09.710 on. And it's it's so preachy when it's like not 00:17:09.710 --> 00:17:12.089 it's supposed to be not preachy in some ways. 00:17:12.289 --> 00:17:14.799 I hear that. Yeah, I don't I mean, I don't. I 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:16.940 guess I just felt like it was an honest moment. 00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:19.220 And I think he like really is at the point where 00:17:19.220 --> 00:17:22.380 he's doesn't really believe in anything. And, 00:17:22.380 --> 00:17:24.160 you know, that's kind of his he's letting you 00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:26.559 in on his approach to life at the moment. So 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:28.480 I'm not sure that he's judging the rest of the 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:31.380 population here. Yeah. Yeah. I kind of like I 00:17:31.380 --> 00:17:33.559 mean, I really like the end, you know, where 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:36.160 he's sort of saying, you know, it's the dream 00:17:36.160 --> 00:17:38.880 is over and it's time to move on. So it's like 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:43.900 he's. addressing the listener directly. So, yeah, 00:17:44.039 --> 00:17:47.460 it's a powerful song. I think it probably should 00:17:47.460 --> 00:17:49.880 be or could have been the end of the album, but 00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:53.700 of course it's not. All right, Don, what did 00:17:53.700 --> 00:17:57.160 you pick from Sir Paul and Lady Linda? Yeah, 00:17:57.180 --> 00:18:00.279 well, as it turns out, I think this McCartney 00:18:00.279 --> 00:18:03.880 album has way more shots at the other Beatles 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:07.309 than this first Lennon one does. But yeah, one 00:18:07.309 --> 00:18:09.950 that seemed pretty obvious is the song Three 00:18:09.950 --> 00:18:22.710 Legs. So Three Legs is rooted in blues and it's 00:18:22.710 --> 00:18:26.390 like a loose jam -like structure, call and response 00:18:26.390 --> 00:18:29.490 vocals between Paul and Linda. It's interpreted 00:18:29.490 --> 00:18:32.839 as You know, depicting McCartney's feelings about 00:18:32.839 --> 00:18:35.720 his former bandmates. So you've got the lines, 00:18:35.779 --> 00:18:37.720 when I thought you was my friend, but you let 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:40.680 me down. You know, apparently he's feeling betrayed 00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:43.779 or something. And then the three legged dog that 00:18:43.779 --> 00:18:46.519 can't run, you know, might be a reference to 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:49.880 the remaining trio of Beatles suggesting that 00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:52.579 they're dysfunctional or, you know, can't they're 00:18:52.579 --> 00:18:55.640 incomplete with without him. Yeah, the accusatory 00:18:55.640 --> 00:18:58.549 tone. There's definitely some. leftover feelings 00:18:58.549 --> 00:19:01.170 here of the way it went down. I guess John had 00:19:01.170 --> 00:19:02.650 told the band he was going to leave, but they 00:19:02.650 --> 00:19:04.769 were planning out how it was going to happen 00:19:04.769 --> 00:19:07.069 and they were still releasing things. And then 00:19:07.069 --> 00:19:10.049 Paul made his solo thing and released it. And 00:19:10.049 --> 00:19:13.109 that kind of let the cat out of the bag. And 00:19:13.109 --> 00:19:15.369 I guess he had a breakdown. I don't know. It 00:19:15.369 --> 00:19:19.349 was a mess. And I think this album trying to 00:19:19.349 --> 00:19:21.789 kind of lean into his new life and heal at the 00:19:21.789 --> 00:19:24.829 same time and some. Shit came out in the process. 00:19:24.829 --> 00:19:27.589 But yeah, the metaphor is clumsy. It feels kind 00:19:27.589 --> 00:19:30.269 of like filler to me Yeah, I mean it I don't 00:19:30.269 --> 00:19:33.809 love it. It felt like a typical Beatles moment 00:19:33.809 --> 00:19:36.390 on an album, you know, cuz I mean they have song 00:19:36.390 --> 00:19:37.930 particularly on the white album You know their 00:19:37.930 --> 00:19:39.630 songs that don't really stand out, but they're 00:19:39.630 --> 00:19:42.589 kind of there to add color So like I thought 00:19:42.589 --> 00:19:45.970 this kind of bluesy jam, you know thrown in early 00:19:45.970 --> 00:19:48.230 in the album, you know kind of worked It's funny 00:19:48.230 --> 00:19:50.480 that people even paid attention to the lyrics 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:54.900 and made a connection. Well, the fans, I'm sure 00:19:54.900 --> 00:19:58.420 I wasn't there, but I would have been anything 00:19:58.420 --> 00:20:01.019 I could get my hands on to find out what they're 00:20:01.019 --> 00:20:03.119 doing. And are they going to get back together? 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:05.380 That would, you know, if I had been the kind 00:20:05.380 --> 00:20:07.559 of fan of the Beatles I am now, I would have 00:20:07.559 --> 00:20:09.319 been losing my shit. I would have been listening 00:20:09.319 --> 00:20:11.559 to everything. Yeah. Every clue I could find. 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:13.480 Yeah. It's kind of like what people do with Taylor 00:20:13.480 --> 00:20:15.990 Swift now. Like, what was this about? you know, 00:20:16.049 --> 00:20:19.029 whatever guy. Right. All right. So we've gotten 00:20:19.029 --> 00:20:21.630 a bunch of punches in. Why don't we give our 00:20:21.630 --> 00:20:24.730 brains a break before we return to the ring and 00:20:24.730 --> 00:20:31.230 answer a question. Excuse me. I'd like to ask 00:20:31.230 --> 00:20:36.269 you a few questions. It's time again for deep 00:20:36.269 --> 00:20:40.789 questions by Don. So of course we're doing two 00:20:40.789 --> 00:20:45.029 albums that came in the aftermath of a huge breakup. 00:20:45.470 --> 00:20:48.170 What if the Album Nerds podcast broke up? What 00:20:48.170 --> 00:20:51.109 would your next podcast be? I'm sure we'll find 00:20:51.109 --> 00:20:54.009 out what Andy's next podcast is soon. Probably 00:20:54.009 --> 00:20:57.150 the Record Geeks podcast or something like that. 00:20:58.549 --> 00:21:02.930 No, I guess I'd probably go with Fantasy Football. 00:21:03.029 --> 00:21:05.109 I know there's a million of them out there, but 00:21:05.109 --> 00:21:08.400 my thought was to have a fantasy football podcast 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:11.960 where you share your league with your listeners 00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:15.579 and they get to vote every week on lineup changes 00:21:15.579 --> 00:21:17.839 to your shared team and you approach it from 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:21.220 that perspective. Talking about the stats of 00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:23.160 why you're choosing this particular guy over 00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:26.039 this one, something maybe it's been done. I don't 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:28.440 know. There's so many. That's probably where 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:31.299 I would go. What about you, Don? Well, I've jokingly 00:21:31.299 --> 00:21:33.740 in the past, you know, said I have the Donnie 00:21:33.740 --> 00:21:36.660 Leakey podcast. There you go. Where you just 00:21:36.660 --> 00:21:40.140 talk about all the things you like. Yes. That 00:21:40.140 --> 00:21:42.000 might be interesting. There's all sorts of things 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:43.920 you could do. You know, let's say you discover 00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:46.200 a new shampoo or conditioner you love and be 00:21:46.200 --> 00:21:48.640 like, Donnie like Epert plus. And you could just 00:21:48.640 --> 00:21:51.019 go on about it. Yeah. And then lots of influencing 00:21:51.019 --> 00:21:54.200 opportunities there. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. But 00:21:54.200 --> 00:21:56.960 I was actually thinking thinking about because 00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:59.279 I often say that I want to learn music theory, 00:21:59.380 --> 00:22:01.240 although I never do. But I thought it might be 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:03.730 kind of a. fun podcast, you know, something like, 00:22:03.730 --> 00:22:05.950 you know, Don learns music or something. And 00:22:05.950 --> 00:22:08.910 so like each week I learned some basic principle 00:22:08.910 --> 00:22:11.150 of music theory and talk about it and maybe try 00:22:11.150 --> 00:22:14.509 to find examples of it in popular music. But 00:22:14.509 --> 00:22:17.269 that really sounds like a lot of work. Yeah. 00:22:17.450 --> 00:22:19.710 And then at the end, the final episode would 00:22:19.710 --> 00:22:23.849 be you debuting the most perfect album ever created. 00:22:23.849 --> 00:22:26.569 Yeah. Cool. I'm looking forward to it. What's 00:22:26.569 --> 00:22:29.630 your great podcast idea? Let us know on the socials 00:22:29.630 --> 00:22:32.670 at Album Nerds. We won't steal your idea. I promise. 00:22:34.849 --> 00:22:37.930 Finish them. OK, back to the fight. The closing 00:22:37.930 --> 00:22:40.349 cuts. This is round four. Closing song of a great 00:22:40.349 --> 00:22:42.769 album should wrap things up, make you satisfied, 00:22:42.890 --> 00:22:45.329 make you feel like the experience was worth it 00:22:45.329 --> 00:22:48.630 and maybe go spin that record again. What's your 00:22:48.630 --> 00:22:52.220 closing cut there? Donnie, do you likey? Well, 00:22:52.220 --> 00:22:55.319 this is an interesting one. This is one called 00:22:55.319 --> 00:23:06.539 My Mummy's Dead. Clearly affected him very deeply. 00:23:07.099 --> 00:23:11.839 So this comes right out of the track God. Kind 00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:13.839 of like I said before, God kind of feels like 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:16.420 the closer. And then this is under a minute, 00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:18.640 almost feels like a bonus track or something, 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:21.380 but it does. you know, again, reflect sort of 00:23:21.380 --> 00:23:24.539 the mood of the whole album. You know, he's again 00:23:24.539 --> 00:23:28.259 expressing grief about the loss of his mother, 00:23:28.579 --> 00:23:30.960 just like in the track Mother and also back on 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:34.000 the White Album, Julia. It's just I think it's 00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:37.680 just him, you know, with a guitar. I can't find 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:39.940 the truth here. You know, some people say that 00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:43.319 it is just the original demo. And I've also read 00:23:43.319 --> 00:23:46.019 that they rerecorded it and just, you know, tried 00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:48.380 to recreate the demo, which seems kind of pointless, 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:50.250 but. I don't know. I guess they have reasons 00:23:50.250 --> 00:23:52.029 for doing these things. And then you may notice 00:23:52.029 --> 00:23:54.289 that the melody is basically the nursery rhyme, 00:23:54.529 --> 00:23:57.950 three blind mice. Yeah. You know, I, it kind 00:23:57.950 --> 00:24:00.029 of reminds me of the trend that later happened 00:24:00.029 --> 00:24:02.430 in the eighties and nineties on albums, when 00:24:02.430 --> 00:24:05.529 you'd hear like a sketchy song like that, that 00:24:05.529 --> 00:24:08.049 was recorded on someone's answering machine or 00:24:08.049 --> 00:24:10.630 something, you know, that kind of stuff. So it's 00:24:10.630 --> 00:24:14.339 powerful. And I think what it really, it's I 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:16.240 think it's supposed to be a book end with mother. 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:20.079 And it's kind of reminding us of, well, I think 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:23.160 this is, I mean, I'm no doctor, but what I think 00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:26.599 was probably the source of the seed of all of 00:24:26.599 --> 00:24:29.700 his pain was his mother, the relationship with 00:24:29.700 --> 00:24:31.920 his mother. Even though his dad wasn't around, 00:24:32.140 --> 00:24:35.180 Julia was really a huge presence in his life 00:24:35.180 --> 00:24:38.039 and a huge hole in his life. And I think that's 00:24:38.039 --> 00:24:40.579 what he's telling us here. How did Paul and Linda 00:24:40.579 --> 00:24:44.910 choose to end Ram? By talking about teenagers 00:24:44.910 --> 00:24:48.329 doing it in cars pretty much, I think. Let's 00:24:48.329 --> 00:24:52.309 listen to a little bit of the backseat of my 00:24:52.309 --> 00:25:02.210 car. Kind of dreamy, epic closer about youthful 00:25:02.210 --> 00:25:05.730 rebellion, romantic freedom, melodrama. I guess 00:25:05.730 --> 00:25:09.309 it was conceived during a 1968 vacation in Sardinia 00:25:09.309 --> 00:25:12.289 with Paul's then girlfriend, Maggie McGivern. 00:25:12.730 --> 00:25:14.609 An early version of this was introduced during 00:25:14.609 --> 00:25:18.549 the Beatles get back sessions in 1969. McCartney 00:25:18.549 --> 00:25:21.289 described as a teenage song with the stereotypical 00:25:21.289 --> 00:25:23.529 parent who doesn't agree and the two lovers are 00:25:23.529 --> 00:25:26.329 going to take on the world. Again, features orchestral 00:25:26.329 --> 00:25:29.170 arrangements by George Martin, New York Philharmonic. 00:25:29.450 --> 00:25:31.829 That's, you know, you can't get them unless you're 00:25:31.829 --> 00:25:36.559 a big shot. Critics noted structural similarities 00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:39.380 to the medleys on the on the Beatles Abbey Road. 00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:41.759 Intricate harmonies are reminiscent of the Beach 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:44.119 Boys post -pet sounds work. What do you think 00:25:44.119 --> 00:25:47.799 about this one, Don? It's kind of a hard comparison. 00:25:48.420 --> 00:25:51.279 Yeah. Yeah, it's not fair at all. But yeah, I 00:25:51.279 --> 00:25:53.680 mean, it seems like a fitting closer for the 00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:56.460 album. You got another one of those medley things 00:25:56.460 --> 00:26:00.519 going on. It still has aspects of it that sound 00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:04.490 Beatles -ish. There's a few points on this record 00:26:04.490 --> 00:26:08.269 where I hear the Brian Wilson, and this is one 00:26:08.269 --> 00:26:12.809 of them. I think it's an apt closer for a solid 00:26:12.809 --> 00:26:15.589 album. All right. Well, we've closed up the album. 00:26:15.930 --> 00:26:18.890 Let's get to the fifth and final round, X -Factors. 00:26:21.729 --> 00:26:24.329 All right, so in this final round, we're going 00:26:24.329 --> 00:26:27.329 to look at some key metrics that we agreed upon 00:26:27.329 --> 00:26:30.470 here. The digging factor, like overall enjoyable 00:26:30.470 --> 00:26:33.349 listening experience, killer to filler, like 00:26:33.349 --> 00:26:35.450 measuring the great songs versus the weak ones, 00:26:35.750 --> 00:26:37.829 the production. Do you want to listen to these 00:26:37.829 --> 00:26:39.910 albums again? And then the legacy, like what 00:26:39.910 --> 00:26:43.170 was their influence? How do they impact society, 00:26:43.269 --> 00:26:46.009 culture, music, et cetera? All right, Don, so 00:26:46.009 --> 00:26:48.769 let's dig into this. Where are you on the digging 00:26:48.769 --> 00:26:52.019 factor? for these albums. It's really tough just 00:26:52.019 --> 00:26:55.859 because these albums are so different. I mean, 00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:59.019 John Lennon's is just an honest statement about 00:26:59.019 --> 00:27:03.279 what's going on in his brain at the time. And 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:05.720 it's just not fair to compare it to what Paul 00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:11.220 McCartney was doing. And as an artistic statement, 00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:16.549 I dig the John Lennon. much more. Yeah. But in 00:27:16.549 --> 00:27:20.089 terms of just digging musically or what I might 00:27:20.089 --> 00:27:23.710 want to listen to on an afternoon, I might lean 00:27:23.710 --> 00:27:27.069 Paul McCartney. So it's tough. Yeah. Lennon channeled 00:27:27.069 --> 00:27:29.970 his grief into raw minimalism. McCartney processed 00:27:29.970 --> 00:27:33.069 his post -Beatles breakdown by chasing joy, chaos 00:27:33.069 --> 00:27:35.769 and beauty with some darkness. You know, the 00:27:35.769 --> 00:27:38.690 mutilated animals and three legs and rotten smiles 00:27:38.690 --> 00:27:42.779 and smile away. But yeah. Raw emotional punch 00:27:42.779 --> 00:27:45.599 to the chest is what John Lennon brings. Very 00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:47.440 different, very different approaches. I dig them 00:27:47.440 --> 00:27:50.839 both. I guess Ram I would listen to more just 00:27:50.839 --> 00:27:53.160 because it's lighter. So what about the songs 00:27:53.160 --> 00:27:55.140 themselves? Like how do you think, how do you 00:27:55.140 --> 00:27:57.990 think we did here balance wise? He's loaded with 00:27:57.990 --> 00:28:01.250 gems. Yeah. I think, I mean, you know, particularly 00:28:01.250 --> 00:28:04.029 the John Lennon, I mean, working class hero we 00:28:04.029 --> 00:28:06.009 haven't really talked about. Yeah. Oh, that's 00:28:06.009 --> 00:28:08.529 an incredible song. Yep. And, you know, love, 00:28:08.529 --> 00:28:11.930 you know, is a simple kind of ballad -y thing, 00:28:11.930 --> 00:28:14.730 but is still somehow profound. And then, I mean, 00:28:14.750 --> 00:28:17.730 there are some rockier tracks or bluesier tracks. 00:28:18.130 --> 00:28:20.230 Well, Well, Well kind of. Yeah, I love that one. 00:28:20.230 --> 00:28:23.250 You know, combines the scream and the blues, 00:28:23.569 --> 00:28:26.269 which is pretty cool. On the McCartney, again, 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:27.740 Getting back to the Brian Wilson thing, that 00:28:27.740 --> 00:28:30.720 Dear Boy really reminds me of some Beach Boys 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:34.039 tunes. I think Ramon is really good as well. 00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:36.839 And I think the tracks that don't stand out, 00:28:36.980 --> 00:28:40.539 just like with Beatles albums, I think they provide 00:28:40.539 --> 00:28:44.299 some color to the album. So I think both albums 00:28:44.299 --> 00:28:46.720 are good in terms of killer to filler. Yeah, 00:28:46.759 --> 00:28:49.119 some killers we didn't get to talk about on the 00:28:49.119 --> 00:28:51.579 Ram album. For me, we're Heart of the Country, 00:28:52.400 --> 00:28:55.019 Monkberry Moon Delight. It's a weird title, but 00:28:55.019 --> 00:28:58.240 it's just got this strut to it. It's kind of 00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:01.140 stones -y a little bit. It's weird, but I like 00:29:01.140 --> 00:29:03.779 it a lot. It's weird when he does voices. My 00:29:03.779 --> 00:29:08.200 very moonlight. Yeah. Ta ta ta. And like, there's 00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:10.140 just some weird sounds. It's cool, though. I 00:29:10.140 --> 00:29:13.559 like that one. Long Haired Lady. No, I just don't 00:29:13.559 --> 00:29:16.640 like that song. I don't like Linda's contribution 00:29:16.640 --> 00:29:18.880 to it. I mean, it's not her fault. It's just 00:29:18.880 --> 00:29:21.000 like, is that all I'm good for or something like 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:23.039 that about women and sex? I don't know. It just 00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:26.019 is uncomfortable. Smile away. I didn't love. 00:29:26.279 --> 00:29:29.509 I like the groove. but that breath, your breath 00:29:29.509 --> 00:29:32.170 stinks, your feet stink, stuff is weird. But 00:29:32.170 --> 00:29:33.950 there's some Lenin -y harmonies on there. There's 00:29:33.950 --> 00:29:35.809 moments where I feel like they tried to replace 00:29:35.809 --> 00:29:39.009 John Lennon a little bit. And for Plastic Ono 00:29:39.009 --> 00:29:42.029 band, of course, you know, Hold On's great, Working 00:29:42.029 --> 00:29:44.529 Class Hero. I feel like that's British Johnny 00:29:44.529 --> 00:29:46.990 Cash. It's kind of a Johnny Cash song, you know. 00:29:47.970 --> 00:29:50.990 Maybe mixed with Bob Dylan too. Definitely, yeah. 00:29:51.269 --> 00:29:53.490 I found out I don't like that song too much, 00:29:53.750 --> 00:29:55.799 but. That's probably the biggest stinker for 00:29:55.799 --> 00:29:58.539 me on the album. How about production? Paul and 00:29:58.539 --> 00:30:01.779 Linda supposedly produced Ram. But this guy, 00:30:02.680 --> 00:30:05.079 Eric Wengberg, I think he was like an engineer. 00:30:05.079 --> 00:30:07.599 Yeah. It's like Norwegian or something. Yeah. 00:30:07.839 --> 00:30:09.900 He's given complete creative control because 00:30:09.900 --> 00:30:11.799 they couldn't decide what they recorded tons 00:30:11.799 --> 00:30:15.420 of songs. So he decided what songs he mixed the 00:30:15.420 --> 00:30:19.680 album. They liked it. But yeah, it sounds good. 00:30:19.859 --> 00:30:22.269 Yeah, it sounds good. It's rich and adventurous. 00:30:22.829 --> 00:30:26.529 I think the mix works. It's very, like I said, 00:30:26.650 --> 00:30:28.470 I think they took their cues from what George 00:30:28.470 --> 00:30:31.130 Martin had been doing with the Beatles. And as 00:30:31.130 --> 00:30:34.589 far as plastic, oh no, perfect. Perfect production 00:30:34.589 --> 00:30:37.569 for what it was. There was no wall of sound here. 00:30:37.670 --> 00:30:39.730 No, I know. It's so weird. John was the wall 00:30:39.730 --> 00:30:42.470 of sound. Yeah. I mean, it's amazing that everybody 00:30:42.470 --> 00:30:45.299 just fought the urge to. Well, yeah, this Phil 00:30:45.299 --> 00:30:48.859 Spector is the producer too. This guy does up 00:30:48.859 --> 00:30:51.279 to this point really did nothing but his way. 00:30:51.460 --> 00:30:54.299 I think John was the boss here. Yeah. I almost 00:30:54.299 --> 00:30:56.180 get the sense that Phil Spector wasn't fully 00:30:56.180 --> 00:30:58.720 engaged with this album, but he ended up doing 00:30:58.720 --> 00:31:00.880 the next album as well, right? Imagine. Yeah, 00:31:01.059 --> 00:31:04.460 I agree. I think both are produced quite well. 00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:06.900 I mean, the Ram production is somewhere between 00:31:06.900 --> 00:31:10.339 like Beatles and Wings production. I remember 00:31:10.339 --> 00:31:13.160 thinking that some of the later 70s McCartney 00:31:13.160 --> 00:31:17.319 was maybe a little too shiny. And yeah, I do 00:31:17.319 --> 00:31:21.720 think the Lennon album is very surface, right? 00:31:21.819 --> 00:31:24.160 So like you listen to it once or twice and you 00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:28.059 get it, you know, and the Ram is, I mean, there's 00:31:28.059 --> 00:31:31.079 just hidden things that you notice each time. 00:31:31.140 --> 00:31:33.640 So it's a, it's a gift that keeps on giving. 00:31:34.039 --> 00:31:38.119 Right. So legacy wise, I think it's equal. Right. 00:31:38.259 --> 00:31:40.680 I mean, these are very different albums, but 00:31:40.680 --> 00:31:43.519 they kind of did the same thing for the artists. 00:31:44.359 --> 00:31:47.059 Yeah, that's a good it's a good question. I feel 00:31:47.059 --> 00:31:50.799 like McCartney is kind of rehashing Beatles stuff 00:31:50.799 --> 00:31:54.759 here, whereas Lennon is kind of doing something 00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:57.319 different. You know, I think he's doing what 00:31:57.319 --> 00:32:00.279 he wanted to do on the later Beatles stuff and 00:32:00.279 --> 00:32:02.960 wasn't really allowed to because that's why they 00:32:02.960 --> 00:32:04.440 did the white album so that he could do songs 00:32:04.440 --> 00:32:07.200 like this. Yeah. Yeah. So I think it's some way 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:10.000 I might give it to John Lennon. I'm not sure. 00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:13.940 I don't know that there is like a starker and 00:32:13.940 --> 00:32:17.859 darker pop record or, you know, not from a big 00:32:17.859 --> 00:32:21.380 name anyway. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Right. Some 00:32:21.380 --> 00:32:24.799 of what I read was Rams legacy is. that it became 00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:26.940 a cult classic, even though it was kind of misunderstood 00:32:26.940 --> 00:32:29.700 at the time and cited by Indian lo -fi artists 00:32:29.700 --> 00:32:33.039 like Animal Collective Beck as a blueprint for 00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:35.079 genre -mashing experimentation, but that was 00:32:35.079 --> 00:32:37.740 really going on with the Beatles as well. And 00:32:37.740 --> 00:32:41.420 Plastic Ono Band inspired generations of confessional 00:32:41.420 --> 00:32:43.859 songwriters from Elliott Smith to Kurt Cobain 00:32:43.859 --> 00:32:47.039 and did lay the groundwork for more minimalist 00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:51.500 indie rock. So yeah, these both did some... some 00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:54.420 big things. These were tough five rounds. Yeah. 00:32:55.319 --> 00:32:58.880 Well, what an electro flying flying. What an 00:32:58.880 --> 00:33:04.140 electro flying. Damn it. What an electrifying 00:33:04.140 --> 00:33:06.880 clash between these post Beatles powerhouses. 00:33:07.319 --> 00:33:10.000 One album bears its soul with raw honesty, while 00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:12.819 the other dazzles with playful melodies and inventive 00:33:12.819 --> 00:33:15.640 flair. Now the moment of truth arrives. Let's 00:33:15.640 --> 00:33:18.240 see which solo statement reigns supreme as we 00:33:18.240 --> 00:33:24.500 head to the scorecard. Let's send it back to 00:33:24.500 --> 00:33:26.640 the center of the ring and hear tonight's results. 00:33:26.779 --> 00:33:28.740 All right, Don, what do you got? What's your 00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:30.619 scorecard look like here? All right. Mine's a 00:33:30.619 --> 00:33:34.779 mess. Well, round one went to Paul McCartney. 00:33:34.859 --> 00:33:36.619 I'm going to give him some credit for too many 00:33:36.619 --> 00:33:40.579 people. Round two, I think isolation is the big 00:33:40.579 --> 00:33:45.279 winner. So that's Lennon. Round three, I think 00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:50.200 God is a pretty powerful track, much more interesting 00:33:50.200 --> 00:33:53.240 than the... Three legs. And then for the final 00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:56.180 track, that was a really tough one. I'll give 00:33:56.180 --> 00:33:58.960 it to Paul McCartney, just because it's a real 00:33:58.960 --> 00:34:03.759 song, I guess. And then for X -Factors, overall, 00:34:04.019 --> 00:34:07.099 I just think the Lennon album is a more powerful 00:34:07.099 --> 00:34:10.920 artistic statement. So Lennon wins that. So overall, 00:34:11.099 --> 00:34:15.340 my scorecard reads three to two in favor of John 00:34:15.340 --> 00:34:18.260 Lennon, Plastic Ono Band. How about you, dude? 00:34:18.460 --> 00:34:22.599 My scorecard. Round one, I gave to Paul McCartney 00:34:22.599 --> 00:34:25.400 for too many people. Round two, the Haymaker 00:34:25.400 --> 00:34:28.579 was definitely John Lennon won that round. Round 00:34:28.579 --> 00:34:32.119 three, I gave to John Lennon, even though I do 00:34:32.119 --> 00:34:34.900 have some issues when he gets preachy about not 00:34:34.900 --> 00:34:37.219 being preachy, I still think it's a more powerful 00:34:37.219 --> 00:34:40.460 song. The closing track, round four, I gave that 00:34:40.460 --> 00:34:42.460 to Paul McCartney as well, I think for the similar 00:34:42.460 --> 00:34:46.989 reasons. And the X factors, I... I tried to calculate 00:34:46.989 --> 00:34:49.869 it in many different ways, but ultimately I think 00:34:49.869 --> 00:34:54.670 the impact, the legacy, all of that stuff really 00:34:54.670 --> 00:34:57.929 does go to John Lennon. So I also have a scorecard 00:34:57.929 --> 00:35:00.909 with Ram with two, Plastic Ono Band with three. 00:35:01.389 --> 00:35:04.269 Things are looking good for John Lennon. How'd 00:35:04.269 --> 00:35:08.869 the listeners vote? Well, it's a good thing that 00:35:08.869 --> 00:35:12.190 we agreed because the audience was split. evenly. 00:35:12.889 --> 00:35:16.730 So 50 -50. It's a draw according to the audience. 00:35:17.349 --> 00:35:21.309 So that makes John Lennon Plastic Ono Band the 00:35:21.309 --> 00:35:27.510 winner of this record rumble. At the beginning 00:35:27.510 --> 00:35:29.510 of this, I thought Ram was going to be my choice 00:35:29.510 --> 00:35:31.730 when we first started working through these records, 00:35:31.769 --> 00:35:34.269 but that's why you got to listen to records, 00:35:34.469 --> 00:35:37.309 folks. Lots of times. Change your mind. All right. 00:35:37.329 --> 00:35:41.489 So congratulations to John Lennon defeating Sir 00:35:41.489 --> 00:35:44.670 Paul McCartney, Plastic Ono Band, takes this 00:35:44.670 --> 00:35:49.809 final record up. Can you dig it? Can you dig 00:35:49.809 --> 00:35:58.699 it? All right, well, have you had a chance to 00:35:58.699 --> 00:36:01.760 go outside the beetle universe and dig some other 00:36:01.760 --> 00:36:04.719 things? Yeah, I've been digging some other stuff. 00:36:04.860 --> 00:36:08.099 Let me check my my ball McShopping cart and see 00:36:08.099 --> 00:36:13.320 what I've got. OK, good. Yeah, so I've been going 00:36:13.320 --> 00:36:16.179 a little weird recently and I found something 00:36:16.179 --> 00:36:18.860 I hadn't heard of before. I felt like laying 00:36:18.860 --> 00:36:20.920 back a little bit, getting some modern yacht 00:36:20.920 --> 00:36:24.489 rock. Mm. Kicking. So a group called Young Gun 00:36:24.489 --> 00:36:28.090 Silver Fox. The album is Pleasure. The song is 00:36:28.090 --> 00:36:37.239 Stevie and Sly. That is a pleasure. Young Gun 00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:40.239 Silver Fox is a transatlantic duo of British 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:43.199 singer Andy Platts and American multi -instrumentalist 00:36:43.199 --> 00:36:47.900 Sean Lee. Modern take on 1970s west coast pop 00:36:47.900 --> 00:36:50.559 rock. Formed in 2012 they've built a reputation 00:36:50.559 --> 00:36:53.480 for smooth harmonies, funk infused grooves and 00:36:53.480 --> 00:36:55.699 polished production. sounding kind of like Steely 00:36:55.699 --> 00:36:58.639 Dan, Doobie Brothers vibe. Pleasure was released 00:36:58.639 --> 00:37:02.159 on May 2nd, 2025. It's her fifth studio album. 00:37:02.440 --> 00:37:06.099 So the song's about Sly Stone. Stevie Wonder 00:37:06.099 --> 00:37:09.679 and Sly Stone, yeah. Then for my next pick, I 00:37:09.679 --> 00:37:12.079 always try to go to the collection, and this 00:37:12.079 --> 00:37:15.179 time I wasn't sure what to do, so I had my wife. 00:37:15.389 --> 00:37:18.070 point what section of the record shelves to go 00:37:18.070 --> 00:37:20.650 to, and I randomly put my finger down and pulled 00:37:20.650 --> 00:37:23.750 out Luke Combs. This one's for you. So then I 00:37:23.750 --> 00:37:25.750 listened to this one this week as well. We know 00:37:25.750 --> 00:37:29.050 Luke, North Carolina born country singer songwriter 00:37:29.050 --> 00:37:31.969 known for powerful vocals and relatable lyrics. 00:37:32.170 --> 00:37:33.969 Let's listen to a little bit of When It Rains 00:37:33.969 --> 00:37:43.409 It Pours. Another big hit on the album was Hurricane. 00:37:43.820 --> 00:37:46.440 one number away, another one. But, yeah, it kind 00:37:46.440 --> 00:37:48.380 of blends traditional country themes with modern 00:37:48.380 --> 00:37:50.619 edge. It's a fun one. We talked about that on 00:37:50.619 --> 00:37:53.000 the show before, right, Doc? Oh, yeah, I guess 00:37:53.000 --> 00:37:55.300 we did, didn't we? I bet Andy didn't like it. 00:37:55.800 --> 00:37:58.059 He didn't hate it as much as I thought he would. 00:37:58.719 --> 00:38:01.139 All right. What you got? All right. Young Gun 00:38:01.139 --> 00:38:04.820 Silver Fox had pleasure. Broncho has Natural 00:38:04.820 --> 00:38:07.579 Pleasure. So that's their latest album, again, 00:38:07.639 --> 00:38:09.780 called Natural Pleasure. It's an indie rock band 00:38:09.780 --> 00:38:12.860 from Norman, Oklahoma, formed in 2010. Here's 00:38:12.860 --> 00:38:21.739 a song called Imagination. Sleepy time, isn't 00:38:21.739 --> 00:38:27.179 it, dude? Week after week of these... So actually, 00:38:27.300 --> 00:38:30.289 I mean, their previous albums didn't... weren't 00:38:30.289 --> 00:38:33.030 quite as hazy and dreamlike as this, and this 00:38:33.030 --> 00:38:36.929 kind of has more of a lo -fi sound, but it's 00:38:36.929 --> 00:38:39.570 an interesting album. Another album that I'm 00:38:39.570 --> 00:38:42.269 looking forward to comes from Grant Lee Phillips. 00:38:42.730 --> 00:38:44.489 Do you remember the group Grant Lee Buffalo? 00:38:44.650 --> 00:38:48.349 I sure do. This is, Grant Lee Phillips was the 00:38:48.349 --> 00:38:51.769 front man for that band. So did he get remarried 00:38:51.769 --> 00:38:55.860 and change his last name? From Buffalo to Phillips. 00:38:56.260 --> 00:38:59.300 This is actually his 12th solo studio album, 00:38:59.579 --> 00:39:01.940 kind of a folk singer. For Gilmore Girls fans, 00:39:02.159 --> 00:39:04.599 he's actually the town troubadour that's always 00:39:04.599 --> 00:39:08.559 walking around playing music. Never saw it. So 00:39:08.559 --> 00:39:10.679 the new album is called In the Hour of Dust, 00:39:10.760 --> 00:39:13.679 coming out September 5th. Here's the first cut 00:39:13.679 --> 00:39:21.139 released, Closer Tonight. I wanna hear some electric 00:39:21.139 --> 00:39:25.519 guitars from you next time, man. All right. Well, 00:39:25.519 --> 00:39:27.360 what are you digging? Let us know. Join us on 00:39:27.360 --> 00:39:29.559 the socials, Facebook, Instagram, threads and 00:39:29.559 --> 00:39:36.639 blue sky and album nerds. It will be a discovery 00:39:36.639 --> 00:39:43.380 of extraordinary value. Well, it's about that 00:39:43.380 --> 00:39:45.980 time on the show and I'm reminded of the words 00:39:45.980 --> 00:39:48.599 of John Lennon. I've made two discoveries in 00:39:48.599 --> 00:39:52.539 my. Not going to do that again. I've made two 00:39:52.539 --> 00:39:55.280 discoveries in my life, Paul McCartney and Yoko 00:39:55.280 --> 00:39:58.019 Ono. I think that's a pretty damn good choice. 00:39:58.320 --> 00:40:00.760 Yes. With that in mind, let's bring out the Wheel 00:40:00.760 --> 00:40:03.480 of Musical Discovery and see what we'll be discovering 00:40:03.480 --> 00:40:23.099 next time. and the Heart of Soul. We're exploring 00:40:23.099 --> 00:40:25.960 albums that showcase the rich musical heritage 00:40:25.960 --> 00:40:29.000 of the heart of Dixie. So we're going to start 00:40:29.000 --> 00:40:32.300 our summer travels in Alabama. At the beginning 00:40:32.300 --> 00:40:35.340 of the alphabet, apparently. Yeah, well, it was 00:40:35.340 --> 00:40:38.409 it was randomly spun, I assure you all. So yeah, 00:40:38.409 --> 00:40:41.449 that should be fun traveling across the country, 00:40:41.630 --> 00:40:43.989 discovering albums from different states. So 00:40:43.989 --> 00:40:46.929 yeah, Alabama is a great place to start. Greenbow, 00:40:46.969 --> 00:40:51.730 Alabama. And a lot of Forrest Gump references, 00:40:51.889 --> 00:40:54.190 most likely. All right, well, what are the best 00:40:54.190 --> 00:40:56.269 records that came from Alabama? What else are 00:40:56.269 --> 00:40:58.889 you listening to? Email us at podcast at albumnerds 00:40:58.889 --> 00:41:01.510 .com or follow us on Instagram and other social 00:41:01.510 --> 00:41:04.309 media at albumnerds. And also visit albumnerds 00:41:04.309 --> 00:41:08.610 .com to listen to all 293 episodes The best way 00:41:08.610 --> 00:41:11.369 to support the show is to share it. Please subscribe, 00:41:11.570 --> 00:41:13.570 rate and review on your favorite podcast app. 00:41:13.949 --> 00:41:15.730 Thank you once again for joining us on the Album 00:41:15.730 --> 00:41:18.329 Nerds podcast. We'll catch you next time Sweet 00:41:18.329 --> 00:41:39.480 Home Alabama. I just believe in me With Donnie 00:41:39.480 --> 00:41:41.039 and me See you next time