How tough was it to pick our "album bookends" this week (that is, albums that have a great first and last track)? You could say that's impossible, that's im-poss-i-ble. But, fortunately, we're everywhere that you are!

We're un-alone for this discussion, because (if you couldn't have guessed) we have guitarist/singer/songwriter Steve Barton and drummer Dave Scheff from one of the best American bands of the '80s, Translator! Translator released four excellent albums for 415/Columbia: Heartbeats and Triggers (1982), No Time Like Now (1983), Translator (1985), and Evening of the Harvest (1986).

At the end of their initial run, they played a final gig at the Farm in their home base of San Francisco. Captured on a cassette, nearly 40 years later, that incendiary live set is out for the first time on download, LP, or CD as Beyond Today: Live at the Farm San Francisco: 1986. from Liberation Hall. https://translatorlive.bandcamp.com

As an added treat for fans, Beyond Today also contains two brand new Translator songs, "These Days to Come" and "With Your Dreams", both wonderfully mixed by Ed Stasium.

Special thanks to Randy Haecker from Prime Mover Media for the introduction and coordination!

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We've got a sumptuous six pack of swoonworthy new tunes to kick off your weekend!

1) Amelia & The Housewives - 'Maybe' (single, Damaged Goods)

2) Last Tourist - 'Slowly Fade' (single, 1991recordings)

3) Splitsville - 'I Hate Going to Hutzler's' (from the LP Mobtown, Big Stir Records)

4) Lammping & Bloodshot Bill - 'Never Never' (from the LP Never Never, We Are Busy Bodies)

5) Jeanines - 'What's Lost' (single, Skep Wax Records / from the LP How Long Can It Last, Slumberland Records)

6) Nah - 'Summer Follows Spring' (from the LP Koffers Collected)

Also, we are pleased to present the newest O3L PodPerk - 41% off at https://cozyearth.com!  Cozy Earth sells the most luxurious, comfortable sheets, bedding, loungewear, pajamas, hoodies, sweaters, robes and more.  Their cool and comfy bamboo sheets are so incredible that they were honored as one of "Oprah’s Favorite Things".  Use promo code O3L to start saving!

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Get ready to do the "Lube the Anaconda and the Candle" (or maybe just a more sensible Twist or Watusi), as we hit the floor with songs that are about, inspired, or mention dance crazes. Joining us for all sorts of "idiot dancing" is the triumphant return of Barry Andrews to O3L!

During Barry's last appearance in E246, we talked about his career spanning from the early days of Swindon's finest, XTC, to Iggy and Fripp, to Shriekback's extensive and ambitious catalogue. This time, we have more cause for celebration, as the new Shriekback album, MONUMENT, is out now, and is among his finest releases! He's not shouting at you...or is he?!?

Plus, we've got a brand new O3L game for you - "Dancing with Ourselves." Do you have what it takes to go up against Barry and Uncle Gregg to name dance craze related songs?

This is a fun one, kids. Now let's do all 16 dances!

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We haven't given you a Weekend Six Pack in a while...so what better way to kick off the summer than with a fresh flight of new music?

1) Heavenly - 'Portland Town' (Skep Wax)

2) The Parachute Testers - 'Halfway to Everywhere'

3) B-Movie - 'Polar Opposites'

4) Gun-Shy Butterfly - 'Manchild'

5) Budapest - 'Me & Everything'

6) Nelson Bragg - 'Death of Caroline' (Big Stir Records)

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As arguably the single most important, most influential group in pop music history, The Beatles have been honored with thousands of cover versions. This week, Uncle Gregg, Brett, and Third Lad Arthur Alexander hand pick some of the fabbest and gearest of 'em all.

101 episodes ago, power pop hero Arthur Alexander joined us to recount his fascinating life and career: growing up in Communist Poland, getting exiled to the U.S., and being a driving force in two of the NYC's seminal power pop bands - The Poppees and Sorrows - before putting out his fine solo records One Bar Left and ...steppin' out! He was one of our favorite guests yet, so we were ecstatic to have him join us for this topic that is near and dear to his heart.

Big Stir Records presents Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow, the long lost thrid album by NYC power pop legends SORROWS, recorded in 1981 during a one-night session at the peak of their energy. This final chapter in their musical legacy includes the indie hit “Out Of My Head” and ten unreleased originals, plus three covers. The band, formed from the ashes of The Poppees, had previously made waves with their debut Teenage Heartbreak and faced struggles with their ill-fated second album (Love Too Late), which nearly ended their career. Forty years later, Arthur Alexander and the band recovered the rights to the material, leading to the surprise 2021 release of Love Too Late... The Real Album. Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow captures the band in raw form, fueled by the frustration of industry interference, delivering high-energy rock tracks like “Never Mind,” the heartfelt elegy for John Lennon “Cricket Man,” and the rockabilly scorcher “Let Me Know.” Recorded at Mediasound Studios in NYC, it’s a powerful testament to the band’s sound and vision, offering a cohesive, fiery farewell with timeless tracks that reflect both their struggle and resilience.

Thanks to Rex Broome and Christina Bulbenko from Big Stir Records. You are both amazing!

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We are thrilled to welcome one of the seminal figures of alternative music - David J. Haskins (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets, solo). O3L's Brett Vargo chats with David J about his new poetry book, Rhapsody, Threnody & Prayer, and the accompanying album of five of the poems set to music, The Mother Tree.

There are plenty of new tales to tell!

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Listen to the thrilling conclusion of our epic chat with The Big Takeover magazine magnate and Springhouse drummer Jack Rabid. We cover the top 3 of our choices for the artists/bands with the best run from 1980-84, as well as more amazing "Jack"-anory stories!

If you haven't already, be sure to check out Part 1 in Episode 275!

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This week, we examine the first half of the '80s to ask the question - which artists had the best run during that span? Bringing us the funny sugar in this episode is our friend Jack (where our fellow '60s music nerds at?!?).

That's right, Jack Rabid, publisher/writer for The Big Takeover magazine and drummer for '80s New York hardcore band Even Worse and dreamy '90s indie band Springhouse is our Third Lad this week. And we had such a fab time that this one is a two parter! Part two will be dropping in a few days, so stay tuned...

Springhouse released two albums of sparkling, melancholy guitar pop for Caroline Records in the early '90s - 1991's Land Falls and 1993's Postcards From The Attic. They were the first major label signed, nationally touring U.S. "shoegaze" band, with the 'Layers' video getting MTV airplay, and sharing stages with the likes of House of Love, The Chills, Psychedelic Furs, Belly, and the Lemonheads. In 2008, the band returned for a melodic, orchestral-pop masterpiece on Independent Project Records, From Now To OK. Originally released on limited edition CD only, it has now been reissued as a deluxe edition on vinyl, CD, and digital, and presented in a beautiful package from IPR co-owner/master designer Bruce Licher. https://springhouse.bandcamp.com

The Big Takeover is a bi-annual music magazine founded by Jack Rabid and Dave Stein in May 1980, originally as a fanzine for New York punkers The Stimulators. For over 45 years, Rabid and Big T contributors have been thrilling alternative music fans with in-depth interviews, coverage of lesser known artists, and a huge review section - including Jack's always entertaining "Top 40" section. https://www.bigtakeover.com.

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We are saddened to learn of the passing of our friend Terry Draper from Klaatu. We remember Terry, his musical legacy, his sense of humor, and zeal for life. This is a repost of an episode from November 9, 2021.

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Featuring over 30 minutes of material from our extended conversation with Terry Draper that did not appear in the main episode!

We were very fortunate this week to have Third Lad Terry Draper from Klaatu join us this week.  In 1976, Klaatu let their music do the talking, with a blend of whimsical psychedelia, spacy progressive rock and melodic power pop...so much so that masses of people believed that they could be The Beatles under a pseudonym!  The brilliant, essential debut album 3:47 EST and single "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft" became hits on FM radio, with "Occupants" covered by none other than '70s pop icons The Carpenters.  

But the Terry Draper story doesn't end with the demise of Klaatu in 1982.  Since returning to the record bins in 1997, he has remained incredibly prolific with new music.  Following 2020's Lost comes the ambitious new album The Other Side.  If you are a fan of adventurous yet always tuneful music (and we know you are), pick up his latest releases at ⁠www.terrydraper.com.⁠

Terry shares fascinating stories from his rock n' roll life, from his beginnings in the mid-60s to encounters with Mick Jagger, Ozzy and Boy George, shares his recipe for a "songwriting cake", and how he continues to make progress after over 50 years of music.

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It's time for another label spotlight, as we count down some of the best singles from the legendary New Zealand indie Flying Nun Records. Joining us for this discussion is a musician who, despite being on the other side of the world in Los Angeles, has felt the impact of Flying Nun very profoundly - Sharif Dumani from Exploding Flowers.

Flying Nun was formed in Christchurch in 1981 by music store manager Roger Shepherd.  Described by The Guardian as "one of the world's great independent labels", Flying Nun is notable for bringing global attention to the "Dunedin Sound", often characterized by jangly guitars and a lo-fi, DIY production. Pivotal bands on the Flying Nun in the '80s and '90s include The Clean, The Chills, The Bats, Tall Dwarfs, Sneaky Feelings, Straitjacket Fits, 3Ds, Look Blue Go Purple, The Verlaines, and Jean-Paul Sartre Experience. The label continues to flourish, with a crop of 21st century artists like Betchadupa, Aldous Harding, Fazerdaze, The Courtneys, and Vera Allen.

Exploding Flowers are a Los Angeles quartet who have crafted their own universe of guitar-based pop, with its flourishes of piano, organ, synthesizers, vibraphone and glockenspiel on top of a foundational rhythm section. Led by Sharif Dumani, who has worked with a variety of artists from '60s underground heroes Nick Garrie and Silver Apples; punk and post-punk pioneers such as Alice Bag (The Bags), Rachel Love (Dolly Mixture), Jowe Head (Swell Maps, Television Personalities), and Nikki Sudden (Swell Maps); and artists and bands like Cody Chesnutt, Sex Stains, the Moon Upstairs, Classics Of Love, and many more.

Watermelon/Peacock is Exploding Flowers' third release packed with analog production, poetic lyricism, and the same strong melodies and hooks we’ve now come to expect from a band that prioritizes its songwriting with smart left turns. Both economic and expansive, they utilize all measures to craft something both beautiful, grand, and driving.

Link: https://explodingflowers.bandcamp.com/

Plus: play along with a brand new O3L game, "Who Needs Wings to Fly?!?"

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