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On this "very special episode" of This Is Vinyl Tap, we bring in special guest Mike Middleton to talk about Seconds of Pleasure by the band Rockpile. 

Mike is a Austin drummer who was a member of Mojo Nixon's band the Toadliquors. He has also played with Junior Brown, Rosie Flores, Dave Alvin, John Doe, Beaver Nelson, and members of the Beat Farmers (just to name a few).  Mike brings his unique perspective to our discussion of what is considered one of the greatest rock & roll bands of the 1980s.

Rockpile was guitarists/vocalists Dave Edmunds and Billy Bremner, bassist/vocalist Nick Lowe, and drummer Terry Williams.  Before releasing what would be their only official release under the name Rockpile, these four guys played on several solo albums by Edmunds and Lowe and are, as a result, responsible for some of the most accessibly fun albums ever released. Seconds of Pleasure has it all: fantastic playing, stellar production, epic harmony, and hooks to spare.  It's rootsy, it's poppy, but best of all, it's a superb slab of of some of the finest Rock n' Roll ever put to vinyl!

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On this very special episode, we honor the memory of one of music's biggest icons, Dolly Parton, who passed away August 25, at age 80.  

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On this week's episode, we dive into Loaded, the fourth LP by the Velvet Underground, and the last one to feature founding member Lou Reed, who left before the album was released. 

Loaded  is roundly regarded as the Velvets at their most accessible. After leaving MGM/Verve for Atlantic, the band was "encouraged" by their new label to focus on making hits (hence the title, alluding to the album being "loaded" with hits).  Reed gave up some the reigns of the band he co-founded to newcomer Doug Yule, an multi-instrumentalist with an uncanny knack for sounding a lot like Reed.  The album features some of the band's best-known and enduring songs, including "Rock & Roll" and "Sweat Jane." Even though one more album would be released Under The Velvet Underground moniker, drummer Mo Tucker and guitarist Sterling Morrison left soon after the tour to support to support Loaded, making it arguably the last true Velvet Underground album.

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On this week's episode, we discuss 1997's Kontiki, by Cotton Mather.

Produced by the band's songwriter and lead singer Robert Harrison and recorded on 4-track cassettes and ADAT, Kontiki is a low-fi sonic masterpiece that has garnered comparisons to the Beatles and Big Star.  Originally released in 1997, Kontiki was not an initial commercial success. A re-release in the UK in 1999 breathed new life into the album and led to Noel Gallagher of Oasis to praise the album in the press as one he wished he'd recorded.

Kontiki is quite simply a brilliantly crafted album, one that channels the melodic brilliance of classic '60s pop while creating something that is fresh, unique, and deeply personal. Every track is packed with hooks, rich harmonies, and clever lyrical turns, making it an album that rewards repeated listens.

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On this episode we talk about the historic seventh studio album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,Will the Circle Be Unbroken. 

Having proved their worth with a hit cover of the Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mister Bojangles," the Dirt Band and were given the go ahead to work on  an unusual yet inspired project: an album of old county and bluegrass tunes where the Dirt band would act as a supporting a cast for several legendary bluegrass and country artists, such as Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Merle Travis, and Jimmy Martin, to name a few, allowing them to be the real stars.   The songs were performed live, and often in one or two takes, giving the album immediacy and warmth.  

Released in November 1972, the album bridged the generational and musical gap between the old guard of Nashville and the burgeoning country rock scene of the early 1970's and was an unlikely, yet huge success.  

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As long-time listener's know, as a part of all of our discussions, we have a segment called Connections, where we connect the artist and album we are currently talking about to artists and albums we have discussed on previous episodes. For our interview with singer-songwriter Beaver Nelson, we played an extended version of Connections with him.  Beaver has worked with a ton of people in the music industry, and as a result, he came prepared to show us what a real game of Connections is all about. 

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On this episode of This Is Vinyl Tap, we do something a little different from our typical fare and interview Austin singer-songwriter Beaver Nelson. 

Beaver Nelson has been on the Austin scene since before he graduated from high school. His talent as a songwriter was almost immediately recognized by some of the finest singer-songwriters at the time, which gave him the opportunity to perform and record with some of the biggest names in the Austin music scene at the time. His songs are full of clever, introspective, and personal lyrics backed by a fantastic array of musicians. We talk to Beaver about some of those songs and stories behind them, as well as his history as a working musician in the Austin scene.

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On this episode we tackle the LP that introduced the world to Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band: 1967's Safe as Milk. 

Captain Beefheart, né Don Van Vliet, is best known for having recorded one of the most heralded rock albums of all time -Trout Mask Replica. But for many, that double album is a confounding listen with it's atonal song structures, disconcerting time signatures, and bizarre vocals.  However, before that was Safe As Milk. Thanks to the presence of 20-year-old Ry Cooder, some of Beefhearts's more eccentric instincts were reigned in. As a result, Safe as Milk is an intriguing listen.  It can be challenging in places, as it does have elements of what the future holds for Captain Beefheart and His magic Band. But it also has moments of whimsy and some good old 1967 rock n' roll (albeit through a Beefheart lens). And then there's Beefheart's chameleon-like vocals which are often strange, sometimes brilliant, and always compelling. 

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On this episode we discuss Dave Alvin and his 1994 LP, King of California. 

Dave Alvin started his storied career in Los Angeles with the Blasters, a band he founded with his brother Phil. Full of energy and attitude, the Blasters found themselves embraced by the LA  punk scene. The band did find some commercial success, but they fought like cats and dogs, which while it added to their intensity, but not their long-term possibilities, leading Dave to strike out on his own.

After a couple of attempts at solo recordings, he finally found his voice on King of California. Taking his tried and true approach of complimenting new songs with re-recording, and some outstanding covers, he stripped-down the arrangements on King of California and hit pay-dirt. Considered by many to be his best collection of songs, King of California  is the album where Alvin's abilities as a performer mesh with his talent as a song writer. It contains some of his best original songs, including a superb version of "Fourth of July," and a stunning duet with Rosie Flores that in itself is worth a listen.

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On this episode we discuss one America's great modern singer-songwriters -Robbie Fulks, and his wonderful 2016 album Upland Stories. 

Produced by the late, great Steve Albini, Upland Stories combines folk and traditional country elements into a rich collection of narrative-driven songs. The album and the fantastic opening track “Alabama at Night” both earned a Grammy nominations, recognition for what is considered by many to be Fulks' finest batch of songs. The album is full of poignant character studies, told with emotional and literary lyrics that are deeply rooted in American storytelling (Let Us Now Praise Famous Men - James Agees' Great Depression account of impoverished tenant farmers is a major touchstone). Like much of Fulks' discography, the album is an eclectic yet highly satisfying mix of tunes, both serious and humorous. Upland Stories explores diverse themes sung by a remarkably rich voice, backed by some topnotch musicianship, and told by a songwriter at the absolute top of his game.  

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