The Record Player

The Record Player

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The Record Player episodes

  • Bonus Track: Andrew Sandoval (The Kinks, The Monkees)

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    Grammy-nominated producer Andrew Sandoval is our guest for the latest Bonus Track. He joins Matt to discuss the new Kinks box set devoted to their Muswell Hillbillies/Everybody's in Show-Biz  albums. The new reissue is available in a variety of formats and features bonus materials which include fresh remixes of 11 tracks by Ray Davies.

    Andrew digs deep into the history behind both albums, while also detailing some exciting new projects that he has in the works. We discuss his research process behind last year's updated edition of The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story book, a mammoth collection that clocks in at over 700 pages.

    You can find Andrew on the radio each Monday hosting Come to the Sunshine on WFUV-FM from 6pm-9pm EST.  Listen live or access archived broadcasts and playlists for his show on the station's website.

    If you enjoy these episodes, please consider supporting our Patreon. Join our Record Club and receive access to a wealth of additional interviews and audio related to the podcast. Thanks for listening!

    The Starter | Music, Memory & the Songs We Keep
    You hear a song, and a memory opens up. Personal audio essays by Stephen Hollowell.

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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    1 hr 1 min
  • Bob James and David Sanborn - Double Vision (1986)

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    Jeff and Matt are flying solo for today's musical expedition, diving deep into the world of smooth jazz to take a listen to the first official collaboration between Bob James and David Sanborn.

    Double Vision features liner notes stacked with players you know and a cameo appearance by Al Jarreau. We're not going to spoil it, you're just going to have to listen.

    Along the way, we talk about Moonlighting, The Avengers (but not in the way you might think) and a bevy of additional topics. Matt demands some justice for Kenny G.

    Some additional reading you should dig into after hearing this episode: Please go get yourself a copy of The Ballad of Tommy LiPuma by Ben Sidran. If you like a good music industry read, you'll dig Ben's book.

    The Record Player is on Twitter, waiting for your follow and/or complaints and shameless praise.

    We also have a Patreon and would love for you to join our Record Club. Get cool stuff in addition to and related to these episodes! Thanks for listening!

    The Starter | Music, Memory & the Songs We Keep
    You hear a song, and a memory opens up. Personal audio essays by Stephen Hollowell.

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    Support the show

    52 min
  • Bonus Track: Spencer Proffer (Quiet Riot, Guns N' Roses)

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    Producer Spencer Proffer arguably became a household name with his work on Quiet Riot's Metal Health, which became the first heavy metal album to hit number one. But that's just one sliver of his fascinating career.

    Spencer joins Matt for a special Bonus Track to discuss his career, including The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's "American Pie," which is streaming now on Paramount Plus.

    He shares updates on the documentary that he's currently working on about fellow legendary producer Eddie Kramer (KISS, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones). We discuss his own work with Aussie singer-songwriter Billy Thorpe ("Children of the Sun"), Guns N' Roses, Clive Davis and lots more.

    Spencer also tells us how he ended up pivoting to working on television, film and multimedia projects with his company Meteor 17.

    If you enjoy this podcast, please consider signing on with our Patreon. As a member of our Record Club, you'll receive early access to episodes, bonus interviews, additional content and lots more. Thanks for the support and your listening ears!

    The Starter | Music, Memory & the Songs We Keep
    You hear a song, and a memory opens up. Personal audio essays by Stephen Hollowell.

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    Support the show

    54 min
  • Tom Waits - Mule Variations (1999)

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    Singer-songwriter Cory Branan is our guest to chatter about Mule Variations, the 1999 album from Tom Waits.

    We've been looking forward to being able to share this conversation with you all. Cory has a fantastic new album, When I Go I Ghost, which is being released this week (10/14/22).

    The album features guests Jason Isbell, Brian Fallon and Garrison Starr and is hands down, one of our favorite records of the year. From the moment you drop the proverbial needle and hear "When in Rome, When in Memphis," it's a sure bet that you'll be on board with this release from Cory.

    Cory had great insights regarding Waits and it was a real pleasure to welcome him to The Record Player. Check out his music and dates for his fall tour which is  in progress as we speak. Get out and see a show. You'll thank us later.

    The Starter | Music, Memory & the Songs We Keep
    You hear a song, and a memory opens up. Personal audio essays by Stephen Hollowell.

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    Support the show

    1 hr 17 min
  • Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

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    Former Chicago vocalist Jason Scheff joins Jeff and Matt to discuss Generation Radio, his new band with Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts (and a wealth of other players that fellow liner notes nerds will appreciate). We dig into a few of the less familiar corners of his career and Jason shares his love and appreciation for Elton John's classic Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album.

    Find out more about Generation Radio by visiting their official website for music and upcoming tour dates!

    If you enjoy our podcast, consider joining our Patreon. Become a Record Club member for advance audio, bonus interviews and lots more! We appreciate your support!

    The Starter | Music, Memory & the Songs We Keep
    You hear a song, and a memory opens up. Personal audio essays by Stephen Hollowell.

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    Support the show

    1 hr 9 min
  • Bonus Track: David Libert (Alice Cooper, Guns N' Roses)

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    Matt chats with David Libert who was on the road with the original Alice Cooper Group in their prime. But that's just one chapter of David's amazing career, which has now been immortalized in his new book.

    Rock and Roll Warrior: My Misadventures with Alice Cooper, Prince, George Clinton, Living Colour, The Runaways, and More... is exactly the wild ride you'd expect from the title. It was a pleasure to converse with David and hear him expand on some of the stories in the book. He also shared some anecdotes that didn't make it into the pages.

    You can get an autographed copy of David's book via his website. It's also available wherever you get your books.

    If you enjoy this podcast, we invite you to become a member of our Patreon. Join our Record Club for bonus audio, interviews and more!

    The Starter | Music, Memory & the Songs We Keep
    You hear a song, and a memory opens up. Personal audio essays by Stephen Hollowell.

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    Support the show

    50 min
  • Wes Montgomery - Down Here On The Ground (1968)

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    On today's podcast, Jeff and Matt are taking a look at the brief, but very prolific career of Wes Montgomery. Austin guitar legend Eric Johnson joins us to share how Montgomery's work, particularly 1968's  Down Here On The Ground, influenced his own career.

    Eric is celebrating the release of two new albums, The Book of Making and Yesterday Meets Today. The new releases find Eric digging back into his archives while also writing some exciting new material. Fans who purchase the albums directly from Blue Elan Records will receive a bonus digital EP of additional tracks.

    If you enjoy this podcast, please consider joining our Patreon. Become a member of our Record Club and receive access to a wealth of additional bonus material including extra interviews and tons of audio connected to these shows.

    You can find us on Twitter @RecordPlayerPod. Thanks for listening!

    The Starter | Music, Memory & the Songs We Keep
    You hear a song, and a memory opens up. Personal audio essays by Stephen Hollowell.

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    Support the show

    42 min
  • The Beach Boys Today! (1965)

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    Dennis Diken of the Smithereens is our guest to discuss 1965's The Beach Boys Today! album. In addition to his longtime role as drummer for the legendary New Jersey group, you'll find Dennis' words in a variety of places, including his liner notes for the 2000 reissue of 15 Big Ones by the Beach Boys.

    He went solo in 2009 with the release of Late Music, the debut album by Dennis Diken with Bell Sound, his collaboration with longtime friend Pete DiBella. Recently, he reissued a rare track from that pairing that was not on the album. "Bear (In My Garden)" is now available on his Bandcamp page with all proceeds going to benefit the people of the Ukraine.

    The Smithereens will release The Lost Album on September 23, an entire album's worth of songs that were recorded in 1993  that were shelved in favor of the group's subsequent 1994 album A Date with the Smithereens.

    The record is an intriguing look at what the band was up to after they departed Capitol Records and decided they were going to write and record an entire album of material to release on their own label. While that never came to pass, the songs they captured during the month they spent recording in New York City at Crystal Sound Studios are an interesting snapshot from the period and fans will be delighted to hear a new, previously unheard slice of that classic Smithereens sound.

    Dennis came armed with a lot of good stories, including tales of an ill-fated show with ZZ Top and Ted Nugent as well as the details behind their night as the backing band for Ray and Dave Davies of the Kinks in 1991.

    Our thanks to Dennis for spending some time with us talking music!

    If you enjoy The Record Player, please consider joining our Patreon to support the podcast. You'll receive access to a ton of additional bonus material including exclusive interviews and other fun stuff.

    The Starter | Music, Memory & the Songs We Keep
    You hear a song, and a memory opens up. Personal audio essays by Stephen Hollowell.

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    Support the show

    1 hr 10 min
  • Ben Kweller - Sha Sha (2000)

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    Today we're digging into Ben Kweller's amazing Sha Sha album from 2000.

    Our guest Annie Dressner joins us to share some of her favorite moments regarding the record and how it connects back to her own personal history as a songwriter.

    Annie also plays a couple of songs live for Jeff and Matt during this conversation, which happened just a few days before she went back out on tour. She discusses "I've Always Been Like This," her newest collaboration with Matthew Caws of Nada Surf and lots more. We had a blast speaking with Annie and look forward to seeing what's ahead as she continues to work on new music.

    Visit Annie's website for upcoming tour dates, music and more!

    If you enjoy these episodes, please consider joining our Patreon to  become a member of our Record Club. We appreciate your support!

    The Starter | Music, Memory & the Songs We Keep
    You hear a song, and a memory opens up. Personal audio essays by Stephen Hollowell.

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    Support the show

    1 hr 2 min
  • Bonus Track: Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads, Modern Lovers)

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    Legendary producer and Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison joins Matt to discuss his current reunion with Adrian Belew. The pair are celebrating the Remain in Light album with a special performance in Los Angeles on September 29 at the Wiltern.

    He digs deep into his time with both Talking Heads and the Modern Lovers and how his time working with Jonathan Richman informed his eventual collaboration with David Byrne. We also discuss a number of other subjects including working with Brian Eno, the Remain in Light period and the legendary gigs that produced the Stop Making Sense concert film.

    If you enjoy our podcast, please consider becoming a member of our Record Club via Patreon. We appreciate your support!

    Share your feedback regarding the podcast on Twitter @RecordPlayerPod. 

    Thank you for listening.

    The Starter | Music, Memory & the Songs We Keep
    You hear a song, and a memory opens up. Personal audio essays by Stephen Hollowell.

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

    Support the show

    29 min

About The Record Player

From the publisher's feed

Shuffling music has its rewards, but there's still nothing like listening to a good old-fashioned album, start to finish — and that's what The Record Player is all about. With every episode, we'll dig…