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Here's some outtakes from the Townes Van Zandt episode that you might find entertaining and informative.

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Legendary singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt waited a long time before releasing this album in 1987. His song, Pancho and Lefty, had just become a hit for Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, so he had money in the bank, and Van Zandt was struggling with demons that ultimately would help him succumb to complications from hip surgery on New Year's Day, 1997. On this album, Townes sings about aging and the disappointments that falling in love can bring. His voice is ragged, but the production and a crack band help move these songs along, especially on he album's closer, the Catfish Song, regarded by the TST crew as one of the greatest songs ever written.

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XTC was under the gun with this album. They were pressured by their record company to produce an album that would sell 70,000 units or they would be dropped. The cure? Sound less British. So, they brought in studio wiz, multi-instrumentalist, veteran producer Todd Rundgren, whom the band was only somewhat familiar with. The result? An album steeped in dreamy lyrics and atmosphere that evoked the English country side and working life. It is also is a continuous body of work that takes you through a day or a lifetime, depending on your perspective. And Tony introduces an album by a band that, surprisingly, had an influence XTC's front man, Andy Partridge: The Monkees' Good Times! 

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Badfinger is heralded as the seminal power pop band. And while they had all the ingredients needed to be a successful rock band (including catching the attention of the Beatles and being the first band signed to their Apple label), monetary and sustained commercial success eluded them largely due to the nefarious business practices of their manager. This album, the last of the classic line up, finds the band honing their skills and branching out into new directions, but still retaining their signature pop melodies and remarkable playing. Find out more about Wish You Were Here and about the tragedy Badfinger ultimately faced after releasing the album.

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Rod Stewart is perhaps the most frustrating figure in popular music. He is a man gifted with arguably the best voice in rock and roll and he can write some amazing songs, straight up rockers and heart-felt ballads. But Stewart eventually moved to cash in on that talent, epitomized in the 1978 album, Blondes Have More Fun. On this podcast, we look back at Stewart's most popular album before 1978, Every Picture Tells a Story, which finds Stewart, then a member of the ultimate pub rock band The Faces, in peak form both as a singer and songwriter. 

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The Pretenders first album consistently received high marks from the critics and was a top 10 album in the U.S. when it was released, although it sounded like nothing else like anything else in the Top 40 at the time. It's a rock album with gorgeous melodies that, at times, disguise the disturbing subject matter of the lyrics. Though most of the songs were written by singer and rhythm guitarist Chrissie Hynde, this is a band album where every member plays an integral part in the album's success.

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On this episode, we talk about a band named after the inventor of the seed drill, Jethro Tull, and perhaps the band's best-known album Aqualung,  which happens to be the name of the underwater breathing apparatus invented by Jacques Cousteau.  Why Aqualung? Who knows. But there's plenty of other stuff discussed in this episode, such as the band's charismatic flute-wielding leader, the all-around excellent musicianship, and the always thought-provoking  (and often difficult  ) themes of this album (human worth and organized religion).  

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Dave Mason may not be a household name, but you are familiar with his work, especially his guitar playing, which has been on some of the most acclaimed songs of the late 60s and early 70s (which is why our cohost Tony calls him "The Forest Gump of Rock"). After co-founding and "leaving" Traffic, Mason recorded his first solo album, Alone Together. Mason is joined in the studio with some of rock's best musicians, including his Traffic teammate, Jim Capaldi. Find out why this particular album by is regarded by many as his best. 

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Hailed by critics as Los Lobo's best album, Kiko found the band in an experimental frame of mind. The band members themselves can't recall where some of the tunes and sounds came from. On this album, the band worked with famed keyboardist and producer, Mitchell Vroom (Crowded House, Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney), whose bank of keyboards color this album and make the fine songs sound textured and more interesting. Also, Tony introduces us the first all-covers album from the band, just released this year.

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DPA MacManus, also known as Elvis Costello, made some of  the most interesting tunes of the late 20th Century. Part of his charm was his ability to write witty, intelligent, and interesting pop songs that straddled the boundaries of Punk, New Wave, and Power Pop. In this episode, we delve into his second album, This Year's Model, and the background that spawned one of the most critically acclaimed album of the 70s. 

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