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This week it is another listerner's pick as we dig into the debut solo LP by Texas music legend Doug Sahm, 1972’s Doug Sahm and Band.

Doug Sahm was by all accounts a musical prodigy, having mastered the guitar, steel guitar, mandolin, and fiddle by age 8. Born and raised in San Antonio, TX, Sahm was attracted to a variety of music: blues from the black clubs of his neighborhood, the  horn heavy conjunto music of the west side, country, polka, rock n' roll, really anything that had soul. Like a sponge, Sahm soaked it all up and used it to create his own sound, first with the Sir Douglas Quintet and later on his own as a solo artist, that was a unique blending of all of it.

For his first real solo effort Doug Sahm and Band, Sahm was joined by one heck of a studio band, with Bob Dylan, Dr. John, David "Fathead" Newman, Flaco Jimenez, David Bromberg and Kenny Kosek (to name a few). Instead the ego driven mess this could have been, the album is a fun and energetic romp that  draws upon all of his musical influences. Its eclectic and its a joy to listen to. 

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On this week's episode, we discuss Tomorrow, the criminally underappreciated 1968 self-titled debut album by the band Tomorrow.

Mostly known as a band that featured future Yes guitarist, Steve Howe.  Alongside bands like Pink Floyd and the Soft Machine,  Tomorrow was a pillar of the British underground scene, and their song "My White Bicycle" was considered by many to be its its anthem.  While heralded by critics, the album saw little success (an almost year long delay in its release didn't help). It has become somewhat of cult classic, but it deserves a much wider audience.  Quintessentially British, the music is whimsical and fun, even when the subject matter isn't.  And while the LP cover may be absent of color, the songs are not.  Full of amazing musicianship (especially Howe's guitar playing) and unique studio trickery, Tomorrow  is easily some of the best psychedelic rock ever committed to vinyl. 

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On this week's episode, we discuss the Band and their second LP, The Band (also affectionately known as the Brown Album).  With 50 plus years having passed, its difficult to understand the impact the Band had on the music industry, but it was HUGE. 

It is also hard to find a band that incorporated more American music traditions into their sound than the Band did, which is odd when you consider all but one of the members was Canadian. After years of honing their skills in individual groups, they found each other while playing together as unit backing rockabilly great Ronnie Hawkins and later backing the newly electrified Bob Dylan. On this, their second album, the Band continues the exploration of musical genres and lyrical themes they started with the debut album: Music From Big Pink.  Like its predecessor, The Band is a collection of outstanding songs played expertly by some of the best musicians in all of rock. Yet The Band  feels like a more cohesive statement and may arguably be their masterpiece. And it is fitting that we explore this album in the wake of the recent passing of main songwriter and guitarist, Robbie Robertson.

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On this weeks episode, we dive deep into the history of British rock legends Ten Years After and discuss their iconic 1971 album "A Space In Time." Their first record for new label Columbia showcased a notable shift towards a more acoustic and melodic direction compared to their previous works. Alvin Lee, widely regarded as the Flash Gordon of guitar, delivered some of his most memorable guitar licks throughout the record.  This collection also includes the instantly recognizable number, "I'd Love To Change The World."

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On this weeks episode, its another listerner's pick! We give listen to  1978's Heaven Tonight, Cheap Trick's third  studio album,  and considered by many to be their best.  Having explored their harder rock side on their self-titled debut, and embracing their power pop leaning on their second LP In Color, Heaven Tonight finds the band finding a happy middle ground between both to fantastic results.  From the opener fantastic "Surrender", an ode to the generation gap (considered one of the greatest power pop songs ever), to the bouncy piano send off of "How Are You", Heaven Tonight is a whirlwind of crunchy guitars, soaring vocals, and impossible hooks. 

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This week we look at The Stranger, Billy Joel’s 1978 tour de force. 

Teaming up with producer Phil Ramone for his fifth LP The Stranger,  Billy Joel finally found the critical and commercial success that had eluded him previously.  Recorded with his own band, the album represents Joel at the pinnacle of his art. Containing such Joel standards as "Just the Way You Are", "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", "Only the Good Die Young", and "She's Always a Woman"; as well as fan favorites "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" and "Vienna,” The Stranger  would eventually sell over 10 million copies on its way to becoming Columbia's bestselling release of all time.

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This week we talk about Five Days in July, the fifth album by the Canadian country-rock band, Blue Rodeo. 

Formed in 1984 by high school pals Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, Blue Rodeo became mainstays of the country and roots-rock revival in Toronto during the mid-1980s. 

In 1993, the band gathered  at Greg Keelor’s farmhouse to begin work on their next album, Five Days In July , which was actually recorded in five days. Bucking the trend of popular music at the time (grunge anyone?) the band made their most acoustic album to date. The lack of loud, distorted guitar didn’t seem to matter to their Canadian fans. Full of tunes about love and loss, many of of the songs on Five Days in July would become some of the band’s most adored songs. The album would end up being the band’s biggest commercial success,  and cement their standing as one of Canada’s most beloved bands. 

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On this week’s episode, we dig into the eponymous third album by the “Queen of Americana” 1988’s Lucinda Williams. 

After a move to California, Lucinda Williams found herself in the middle of a burgeoning roots rock scene, where traditional music was being performed with a punk-rock attitude. She formed a band of ace musicians and began making a name for herself as part of the scene. Eventually signed by Rough Trade after several labels passed, Williams recorded a self-titled LP that is the work of a pioneering artist who has finally found her voice. Its a transformative album that is genre-defining; deftly blending country, blues, and folk to create a sound that is accessible and compelling. Williams' voice and songwriting are on full display here, creating songs that are personal, heartbreaking, defiant and utterly unique.

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On this week’s episode, its another “Listener Pick,” the band and LP that gave the world Glam Rock: 1971’s Electric Warrior,  the second album by T. Rex.

Marc Bolan, T-Rex's charismatic front man played a pivotal role in early 70’s British rock. Forming the folk-rock duo/band Tyrannosaurus Rex, Bolan would embrace the shortened moniker “T. Rex” at the dawn of the 1970’s, as well as a more flamboyant look, attitude, and sound, essentially ushering in the Glam Rock era. Bolan and T. Rex became huge in the UK, even rivaling the Beatles in popularity.

Considered by many to be the first true Glam Rock record, Electric Warrior is the culmination of everything Bolan wanted to accomplish with T. Rex. and is lauded as one of the most iconic and influential albums of all time.

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On this weeks episode, we take a listen to the third album by Wilco, 1999’s Summerteeth.

Wilco rose from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo trying to find its  footing in the shadow of Son Volt, the band  Jay Farrar founded. Wilco lead singer and main songwriter Jeff Tweedy had the vision of letting multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett play just about any keyboard he could get his hands on while he and the rest of the band provided strong backing that let the songs sound like pop tunes from another time, even though lyrics could be dark and, in some cases, disturbing. While a transitional album for the band that portends what is to come, it stands on its own and contains some of Tweedy’s most compelling (and catchy) songwriting. 

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