In July 1979 Steve Dahl organised a Disco Demolition Night at a baseball game in Comiskey Park, Chicago. Infuriated by disco music and its chart dominance it was the latest in a growing nationwide "Disco Sucks!" campaign. That night ended in a riot. But some have argued it also ended disco as a genre.

But now, is the distrust between a liberal elite and an embittered midwest back to where it was almost half a century ago? On this episode we look at the weird and unpleasant "Disco Sucks!" campaign and ask: "Could it happen again?"

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.

Sure, we've all got a favourite carol or maybe anthem and words matter with them. Hard to imagine a hymn with la-la-las instead of lyrics halfway through.

But you know how people say "I never forget a face, but I'm no good with names." It seems to be a badge of honour for some people to say they can't be bothered with lyrics, almost as if it shows strength of character.

But do lyrics matter? What's the history of lyrics in songs? Are they becoming more popular or less? How do they fit the current zeitgeist?

Take a medium-sized dive with Vinyl Maelstrom and find out. 

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.

Nigel Marsh has been hosting the 5 Of My Life podcast for many years now and in that time has interviewed all the great and the good, from prime ministers to rock stars, comedians to novelists, community workers to poets.

https://open.spotify.com/show/0SwVzJ5JWezUpuJoKUA1OU?si=af32aa090fd64575

One element of his show is guests picking out a track of their life - a song that, for whatever reason, means a great deal to them.

I asked Nigel to join me and pick out 10 musical highlights from over the years, and, after much ruthless shortlisting, he did just that. And, in an EXCLUSIVE, we discover what Nigel's own choice would be, were he to interview himself.

Here's a link to Nigel's list: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0vH1JbXp3LzKLdP4EWLbmI?si=1d47e58cadf64f47

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.

La jour de gloire est arrivée. Things can only get better. It's time. Born in the USA. Keep on rockin' in the free world.

Can music change anything when it is used in political campaigns?

Come with us now as we travel through various countries and multiple songs and anthems which have been devised to sway the voter. Some have been written especially for the task, some have been repurposed and some have been deployed in the teeth of fierce opposition from the people who actually wrote them in the first place.

And don't forget to vote!

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A few weeks ago Richard Osman on the Rest Is Entertainment podcast pointed out that only 3 bands had had #1s this decade. This was in contrast to the end of the previous century when bands dominated the charts.

Why is this? Have all bands disappeared? (Spoiler alert: no.). Why have pop bands fallen off a cliff? On this episode we investigate this new phenomenon and uncover some fascinating theories.

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.

If you're not an Australian it can be hard to identify a distinctive Australian sound or movement. One candidate is the Aussie Pub Rock phenomenon which flourished in the 70s and 80s and out of which bands like AC/DC emerged.

One of Australia's leading copywriters joins me in the studio to explain its origins, the secret to its success and its eventual demise. A fascinating episode and one from which I personally learned a lot.

Join me, your host Ian Forth, and Michael on this episode to have your Aussie pub rock questions answered. 

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.

Some people say there's no such thing as guilty pleasures in music. You either like it or you don't. So, own it.

Still, would it have a name if it didn't exist? 

(Well, yes, it might. There are no unicorns, after all.)

This episode seeks to understand why some people do feel a sense of guilt when they listen to certain types of music and why that should be. We cover the history of the idea, subjectivity versus objectivity, musical canons, forms of identity and so much more. 

See where we end up, if anywhere.

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.

Some academic bod has analysed every US presidential election and worked out the Keys To Success. He claims to correctly predict every populist vote.

Can we do the same for musical success? We can have a go. This is my equivalent - The Ten Keys To Music Success. It's obligatory to say "You won't believe Number 7!", but in reality it's entirely credible.

See if you agree.

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.

This episode is the the second of a double header. Steve Pringle, author of the classic Fall analysis "You Must Get Them All", gave us his thoughts on why the group resonate so strongly for so many in Part One. Here, he suggests to a nominal newcomer to the group's work where to get started on The Fall's vast catalogue. A handful of representative tracks from across the four decades the band flourished to get a rounded idea of where their appeal lay.

I took the liberty of adding a few of my own choice of tracks and assembled a playlist which complements the episode. There are a couple of tracks chosen by Steve not available on Spotify (New Puritan and Leave The Capitol) but they should be accessible on Youtube. Here's that playlist - and thanks again to Steve for his expert views.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6li5EHzkgG3Yel86A85oGm?si=ff505d67af4743de

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.

If an author writes a book analysing every single, every album, every phase and every lineup change of a band, it might be a decent-sized tome.

In the case of The Fall, there's over 50 members, over 30 albums, over 500 songs and over 40 years to process. 

That is exactly what Steve Pringle undertook to carry out and he achieved his aim magnificently in his definitive 650 page chronicle on the group entitled "You Must Get Them All".

It was a pleasure to talk to Steve and drill down on what made the Fall the wonderful and frightening group that they were. This is the first of two podcasts with Steve and in the second he'll be revealing where to start for those new to the group and their work.

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.