Love That Album

The process of recording music in 2023 has changed drastically to what it was in the latter half of the 20th century.....sort of. Sure, musicians can go in to a recording studio with an engineer and record in a way not dissimilar to the days of old. However, as technology changed inside professional studios, it changed for musicians who wanted to get a great sound in their bedroom. Many studios couldn't compete and only their legacy remains in our record collections.

....yet, EMI Studios at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, London endures. It has even been declared a national treasure.

Welcome to episode 168 of Love That Album.

Music fans have been treated to stories about many of the great studios in popular music history – Sun, Nashville RCA Studio B, Ardent Studios.....but arguably, the most famous is Abbey Road (as it is now called). Music journalist and broadcaster David Hepworth has written an excellent book, “Abbey Road: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Famous Recording Studio”. While the most casual music fan may only be aware of its Beatles connection (not least for the zebra crossing in front of it), the studio had an incredible history both before, during and after the Fabs reign. It may be one of the few big studios left. David joins me to talk about his research into the book and to tell some stories about the incredible musicians who recorded there and the technical innovation that took place there.....and to be honest (as Frank Santopadre would say), we only scratched the surface.

My gratitude to David for speaking with me about a fascinating piece of modern music history. What else besides Abbey Road have Richard Tauber, Mrs Mills and Noel Gallagher in common? Bugger all I'd suggest.

You can pick up “Abbey Road: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Famous Recording Studio” at all good bookshops, and online at the usual places that sell books. Check out the superb podcast David and Mark Ellen co-host, Word In Your Ear. Pretend your having a pint at the pub discussing music, and that's this show.

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at [email protected] (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a quote attributed to Louis Armstrong: “All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song”. Apocryphal? Who knows? Still, it does raise the question as to what folk music actually is. It can be contemporary contemporary or traditional. It can be associated with any number of cultures. It can be instrumental or songs without instrumental accompaniment. The songs can be about tales of heroes, cads, fair maidens, murder, politics, or.....that very infrequent topic of song – love.

Welcome to episode 167 of Love That Album podcast.

I am joined once again by Shane Pacey, singer and guitarist for The Bondi Cigars, The Shane Pacey Trio and Pacey, King & Doley. His own music may be rooted in blues (another category that's more varied than is often given credit for), but Shane has a passion and huge knowledge about English folk music. Together we discussed the music of Scottish guitarist Bert Jansch.

Bert was part of supergroup Pentangle (LTA episode 134), but before, during and after that group he recorded many albums in his own name. He has been put in the “folk” caregory, but he was part of a generation of UK musicians that were keen to expand what folk music could be. Bert and contemporaries like John Renbourn, Davy Graham, Wizz Jones and John Fahey were huge fans of American blues and jazz music. They sought to put all their musical passions into a pot and stir. Bert developed a guitar style that made him a revered figure amongst rock musicians like Johnny Marr, Jimmy Page and Neil Young, yet his playing was never about the flash or histrionics. He just quietly played original and traditional songs in HIS own sweet way....and his singing voice was not a classic voice in the rock sense, and yet it draws you in – there was no one who played or sang like him.

Shane and I talk about Bert as musician, our relation to his work, contemporaries, and we focus on two of his albums – 1971's “Rosemary Lane” and 1974's “L.A. Turnaround” (produced by a Monkee and featuring a 5th Beatle on bass). It's always great having Shane bring his musical expertise to the show. I hope you dig this one.

You can find Shane's music on line at https://shanepaceytrio.com.au/ or https://bondicigars.com/ or https://shanepacey.bandcamp.com/album/the-gardener.

Here's a link to a tribute concert to Bert that we mention in the show: https://youtu.be/Y_MyH_Uc--s

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at [email protected] (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up in the eighties, commercial AM and FM rock radio in Australia was very supportive of local bands (well...... to a point). The biggest of them all was Cold Chisel which had hit after hit. They broke up in 1983, but their songs never left Australia's consciousness. Their original era and reformation albums are the soundtrack to Baby Boomer and Gen X music fans.....and their offspring.

….but this episode isn't about Cold Chisel.

Welcome to episode 166 of Love That Album.

A case can be made that Don Walker is Australia's greatest living songwriter. Be it for Cold Chisel, Catfish, Tex Don and Charlie or his current band The Suave Fucks, he has always had a gift with writing about the gritty side of life – murder, death, the road, Kings Cross, society's hypocrisies, Australian history, and cleaning filthy souls are all part of his subject matter. He mixes great melodies and a brilliant way with words to come up with songs that are as much a part of this nation's soul as the songs of Vanda and Young (whom Walker strongly admires).

He's just released the first album in his own name in 10 years, Lightning In a Clear Blue Sky (there have been Cold Chisel releases as well as a Tex Don and Charlie album, so he's kept busy). I was rapt to have Don join me for a chat about creativity, the state of the world, and how people from his past have been written into his songs. We barely touch on Chisel, because he's been crafting great songs outside of his most well known venture. I want to shine a light on some of those songs. Wish I'd had 5 hours available to ask questions, but I'm grateful for the time I had.

Huge thanks go to Rina Ferris who made the connection.

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at [email protected] (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Easybeats April continues at LTA HQ. Welcome to episode 165 of Love That Album.

On the last episode, I spoke with author Jeff Apter about his book Friday On My Mind: The Life of George Young. His book looks at Young as musician with The Easybeats, and Young as songwriter and producer for Alberts Productions after the band broke up.

This time around, I am joined by host of Let It Roll podcast, “Kid” Nathan Wilcox to discuss the actual music of The Easybeats. Of course as in any of these shows, we had digressions to talk about the band's history, art versus commercial reality, and much conjecture as to why the band didn't translate to Beatlesque levels of popularity outside of Australia beyond THAT one hit single.

Rather than discuss a specific album of the Easybeats catalogue, Nate and I selected 5 songs each from the excellent Glenn A. Baker double LP compilation from 1980, "Absolute Anthology 1965 to 1969". We discussed the songs in order (mostly) of release to present an arc of the band that went from recording songs in a rock and roll vein, to one that became more experimental with their sounds to one that returned back to their rock and roll roots by the end. In discussing these songs, Nate and I try to make sense of their development. I had an absolute blast recording this episode and I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Let It Roll (also part of the Pantheon family) is dedicated to the discussion of recorded music history via conversations with authors of music related books. At two episodes per week, the number of books Nate reads and researches is staggering. The subject matter is diverse – Bob Marley, the Brill Building, Texas gospel, and the mob's involvement in the music business are just skimming the surface of what's offered in Let It Roll. Give Nate's show your attention. Get episodes from your favourite podcast app or at https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/letitroll

If that's not enough, he's also the head honcho at http://BloodyElbow.com, a website dedicated to martial arts and boxing journalism.

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at [email protected] (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask any Australian rock fan who is the greatest Australian performer or band over the history of the last 70 odd years and you'll get a multitude of answers (as you would anywhere). It's a subjective question and there are generational factors to be taken into account. However, an Australian Performing Rights Association panel declared “Friday On My Mind” by The Easybeats to be the greatest Australian song ever. That's gotta put The Easybeats somewhere in the pantheon of the greats, right?

Welcome to episode 164 of Love That Album.

The history of pop music is littered with artists who if lucky enough to achieve popularity and acclaim for their work have a limited shelf life before audiences and critics move onto the next thing. It's extremely rare for a musician or group to get a second wind. Harry Vanda and George Young are in that rare company. First finding Beatlesque levels of popularity in the Southern Hemisphere with The Easybeats, and then becoming songwriters and producers for other successful acts within the Alberts Productions “House of Hits” including George's kid brothers' band.....

I welcome back to the podcast biographer, Jeff Apter to discuss his book “Friday On My Mind: The Life of George Young”. It's a terrific read that looks at George's life as an immigrant from Scotland to the outskirts of Sydney and being determined to make it as a rock and roll musician. We discuss The Easybeats success and poor management, his advice to younger brothers Malcolm and Angus, Vanda and Young's second apprenticeship with “fake” bands, the tragedy of Stevie Wright post Easybeats and the empire Vanda and Young built.

My huge thanks to Jeff for coming back to the show. You can order his multitude of biographies on Australian musicians from http://jeffapter.com.au.

Part 2 of this special is coming in a week or so and will be a discussion with Nathan Wilcox of the Let It Roll Podcast about The Easybeats Absolute Anthology 1965 to 1969.

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at [email protected] (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There was a time where Australian bands felt that the only way they were going to get noticed was to leave the country and head to London. Sometimes, this would translate to great popularity ...and sometimes, it meant bands would live under difficult financial circumstances while their music was not in danger of bothering the top 40.

Welcome to episode 163 of Love That Album.

I'm joined by previous guest Doug (aka Fnord) Buissuant and first timer, Darrin Irvine to talk about The Go Betweens and their 1988 album 16 Lovers Lane. Of course, we talk about the journey the band took from their origins in Brisbane through to living in London, and finally relocating to Sydney before calling it a day (well...sorta). The music evolved from clever indie pop in the early 80s to lush, beautifully arranged pop in the late 80s. We talk about how we saw the music evolve, being a Brisbane band under the police state of Joh Bjelke-Petersen, the friendship of Grant Mclennan and Robert Forster (and what that supposedly made the rest of the band feel)....and unlike some other discussions about the Go Betweens, we DON'T talk about Fleetwood Mac. 16 Lovers Lane can be divisive among fans – some prefer the earlier albums that were more angular sounding, and others love the beauty of their final album in their original incarnation. Where do we stand? Tune in.

I am hugely grateful to the gents for taking the time to bring me their expertise and conversation about one of Australia's great bands that deserved more recognition from the wider public than they received. Also, thanks go to my friend, Pat Monaghan for the loan of his box set G Is For Go Betweens and for his conversations with me about the band (and about a ton of other music).

Check out the music on Doug's record label, Ape Sanctuary at https://apesanctuary.bandcamp.com/music

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at [email protected] (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum.

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1980s have often been derided musically. The truth is there was interesting stuff happening that we've conveniently forgotten. An interesting question is how the 80s treated musicians considered important in the 60s. How did they adapt with the technology and change in direction for songwriting? Once again, there are some who handled it better than others. Dylan started and finished the decade well, but.....what happened in between?

For the purposes of this conversation, we're going to focus on Pete Townshend.

Welcome to episode 162 of Love That Album podcast.

At the start of the eighties, Townshend created a couple of great records, but still with the shadow of The Who behind him. By 1985, The Who had split, so he could create a record that could reflect where his interests lay without having to worry about whether it sounded right for the 80s version of The Who – a different sounding band to what they had previously been. It could be argued that the 80s treated him well – certainly his solo albums are subjectively more interesting than the two studio Who albums of that period.

One thing Townshend followed on through his Who days was a love of telling long form stories. In 1985, he released White City: A Novel both in record and home video form. On this episode of Love That Album, I am joined by co host of Stinking Pause podcast Charlie Mahoney to talk about the music on the album, and whether the film Pete wrote and Richard Lowenstein directed was successful. In the mid eighties when the world was focused on apartheid South Africa, Townshend thought he'd use his story of a separated couple living in a council estate as a metaphor for for what was going on. Does it work?

My gratitude to Charlie for being my first co host following a hiatus of a few months. He brought great conversation to the show, and hopefully, it won't be another 7 years before he returns. You can catch Charlie, Scott and Paul discussing vintage cinema at https://stinkingpause.libsyn.com/

If you want to watch the film, it's available at https://vimeo.com/520512254

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at [email protected] (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been 3 months since I recorded the most recent episode of Love That Album. Real life interfered with being able to do something fun like speak into a microphone about great music. The show had to go into hiatus.

It's with the utmost joy I can say.....welcome to episode 161 of Love That Album.

The hiatus is going into....ummm...temporary hiatus as I present my annual episode of favourite discoveries / first time listens of the year. Normally, I speak with a number of my favourite co-presenters about what they enjoyed, but I wanted to get the show back on track in a quiet and easy way, so this time around it's just me.

I present 3 albums I heard for the first time in 2022...then I very briefly add a few more at the end of the show. What do I focus on???? You'll have to download to find out. I hope you'll enjoy my thoughts and recommendations.

Thanks to you, dear listener, for not unsubscribing LTA from your podcast app of choice....I assure you that I intend to do the show for a long time to come. A huge thanks to anyone who sent me messages to find out if I was alright.....your kindness has meant a lot to me.

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at [email protected] (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

If you’d consider writing an iTunes review I’d be immensely grateful. However, it’d be even better if you told a friend about the podcast and Pantheon – at a barbecue, over coffee, on social media….whatever way you choose, consider me grateful.

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Without repeating the details, over the years, John Hiatt has assumed the status of legend in LTA lore....go back to episode 100 if you need a refresher. His life story is the focus of episode 160 of the show. Is this episode any good? Have a little faith......

Welcome to episode 160 of Love That Album.

My friend of many years and fellow Hiatt fan Geoff Smith joins me as we welcome radio announcer and author Michael Elliott to the show. He has written the first ever biography of John Hiatt called “Have A Little Faith: The John Hiatt Story”. The book looks his life and work. The first half of the book tells the story of a talented songwriter who has faced adversity through family trut broken, substance abuse, and personal tragedy. In the 21t century, it' also unthinkable that an artist would go through three major labels before finding some public success at the fourth. His circumstances would have weakened many....but through his own determination, and the respect of his peers, Hiatt found his way.

Michael has written a wonderful book that while never salacious, doesn't shy away from the hardships of Hiatt's early life. We speak about how he tried many musical styles before he settled on what was true and honest artistically for him. We speak about songcraft, humour, the connection to David Bowie, why Emmylou Harris makes everything better, and many other topics around Hiatt's life and Michael's book.

My gratitude to Geoff for coming up with some great questions for Michael and bringing in his own experiences with John Hiatt. Also huge thanks goes to Michael for providing an entertaining discussion around his biographical subject.

If you feel so inspired to grab a copy of Have A Little Faith, you can find the links to any number of book stores at https://michael-elliott.com/. The site also has links to numerous articles Michael has written over the years for a variety of publications about all manner of musicians. If you live outside of the US, just walk into your local book store and tell them to order you a copy pronto.

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at [email protected] (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

If you’d consider writing an iTunes review I’d be immensely grateful. However, it’d be even better if you told a friend about the podcast and Pantheon – at a barbecue, over coffee, on social media….whatever way you choose, consider me grateful.

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the days before music streaming services became a ubiquitous, when physical media ruled the music world, the first thing a music fan encountered before playing the music on a record, a CD or a cassette was the artwork on the cover. The cover was the always gateway to the music. Some cover art is tastefully done, some covers have Facebook groups devoted to their awfulness. If done very well (or very poorly), cover art can come to define the music the listener is about to play.

Welcome to episode 159 of Love That Album.

Even before you play a note, looking at the covers of albums like Abbey Road, East or Whipped Cream and Other Delights will bring memories or impressions into your head. You may buy the record for the music, but it may well be the album cover that persuades you to pick it up in the record store in the first place. The very important role of cover designer often decides whether you decide to give an album a second glance.

One gentleman who knows this very well is Steven Jurgensmeyer. He may be known to podcast listeners as the host of the excellent All Music Books: Deep Dive podcast (also on the Pantheon network), but his day gig for many years has been in designing album covers. He worked for may years at Ryko and Rounder, so you may well know the artwork he's done for albums by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Sugar (featuring Bob Mould), Branford Marsalis, Robert Cray, Chris Bell and many others. We had a great discussion on his own work, whether an album's success and its artwork are linked, and the contrast between the previous world of physical art layout and its modern digital counterpart....we also take some time to talk about Steven's work with All Music Books. 

Thanks so much to Steven for his time and invaluable insight into a side of music that we know about, yet don't make as much a part of the conversation. 

You can check out all the album covers (and more) that we discuss at https://www.stevenjurgensmeyer.com/#/music/ and you can read reviews of a large library of music books at https://allmusicbooks.com/. AllMusicBooks: Deep Dive is also part of the Pantheon Network of music discussion podcasts and is available wherever you get your podcasts.

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at [email protected] (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum

If you’d consider writing an iTunes review I’d be immensely grateful. However, it’d be even better if you told a friend about the podcast and Pantheon – at a barbecue, over coffee, on social media….whatever way you choose, consider me grateful.

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices