Beyond Radio Presents: Recent Episodes
Beyond Radio with Tim Harris and Jeff Morris
Where music nostalgia and music discovery collide.
Along with my friend Jeff Morris, we bring music nostalgia and music discovery together with this Podcast. The current release of episodes has been about 1 to 2 a month and the episodes relate to a larger playlist of music that is featured on Spotify.
The premise is to draw off my history of personal charting to relate new to old, old to new and everywhere in between. Jeff gets presented with the playlist and acts as kind of an audience member, giving his feedback and perspective as it relates to his life, thus bringing in other nuances.
Our hope is that the audience will also provide their feedback on the music and suggestions of how the songs relate to their personal soundtracks. We want the music discovery to be circular and run through the decades.
The playlists (or Pod-Castlists as we refer to them) have a thematic flow that definitely meanders and breaks off into many tangents.
In the 4th part of 8Trax with Chris Morin, we talk about the songs from other artists each side brings to the table. Chris talks about one of his influences, Jacques Brel, and tells the story of how he became part of our Provincetown experience. A music listening party for Raye's new album with Chris and former guest on the podcast, Tom Santos, is also mentioned.
As is typical of me, I had a song for Chris and Jeff to listen to, but because of the delay in getting the interview done, I scrapped that one for another, which I felt would lead to a more interesting discussion. I do feature that original song for our listeners to hear.
My song choice illuminates a trend on Pop radio in 2026. For purposes of discussion, I enlisted AI to perhaps see why this trend is happening. It compared 2026 to 1975 (A year I had recently been researching), bringing up an interesting comparison. Chris lamented on how AI is detrimental to creativity, and a couple of bands from 40-plus years ago pop up near the end.
Check out Chris's website at topherinsolitude.com where you can read his biography, listen to, and download his music.
Well, Part 3 of 8Trax with Chris Morin isn't the last part of the interview. Because of the length of the final section, I decided to break it down into parts 3 and 4. Part 3 finishes up our discussion of Chris's music. We get to hear several songs not amongst the 6 that we originally selected. As with the previous episode, the range of styles is dramatic. We get to hear a lot about his Flash In Blue guitarist Tony and his love for a metal guitar God, and a snippet from his other original band. You'll have to wait for the name of that one. The next selection from Chris has one of his artistic influences all over it. I hear it in the vocal while he states the influence is mainly on his lyrics. From there we head into video territory. I chose a song in which I was featured in the video, one that Jeff had already seen. Can you meld metal, pop, and doo-wop in a song? Maybe. I also finally understand what the title of the song means. The final song is a beloved '70s song that Chris had wanted to cover for a long time, and it finally ended up on Jeannie's Bloomin'. Jeff had not seen this video yet, so we watched together and had some laughs
As we get into the real premise of the 8Trax episodes, each of the first 4 songs we explore come with their own set of musical influences. From '70s pop, folky jam band stylings, a post-grunge sound that Jeff likens to the actual local Boston music scene, and early '80s new wave, each of the song picks are uniquely different from the previous one. The end of the episode takes another left turn that will be explored more in depth in the last of the 8Trax episodes.
We learn about Chris' radio shows with Carmelita at WAAF and Shred at WBCN, a difficult story about one of his band incarnations, one of the best band names and origin stories ever, and a bit about his vocal coach Mark Baxter and one of his producers, Joel Simches. Plus you get the story of how Chris was responsible for meeting my husband John, 36 years ago, at a dive bar at the foot of Beacon Hill..
The next 3 episodes feature an interview with my friend, singer-songwriter Chris Morin, that we did back in April. It is another 8trax style interview where we bring 3 songs from the artist to the table for discussion, and the guest does as well. It becomes a springboard to talk about more of their music. The final 2 songs are from a different artist that each side wants to present to the other. In this lead-up episode, we hear about Chris' early life with music, including a great story related to Jesus Christ Superstar. We also learn about his website, TopherInSolitude.com, and his latest music project, Topher's Trio.
After teasing it at the end of Episode 1, we finally unveil my #2 and #1 songs of 1975. The spotlight leans heavily on #2—an unexpectedly rewarding rediscovery that hit me in a way I didn't see coming after nearly 50 years. There's a lot going on beneath the surface, and we dig into it.
From there, we jump ahead 16 years to a song that doesn't immediately feel connected—but give it a minute. It ties into our upcoming Part 3 interview for the 100th episode celebration and even shares some subtle DNA with that earlier track. And, in true fashion, it found its way to me twice in just a couple of weeks… which usually means something.
Jeff starts to squirm a bit when we bring up the next artist—someone who recently passed—and calls me out for making this a habit. Fair enough. But by the end, he's glad we went there. There's something about this artist that echoes the careers of the women we highlighted in Part 1. His voice has a quality that is noticed by Jeff.
While Part 1 leaned into female artists, this episode shifts to a more male-centered lens. When Jeff asks what's currently catching my ear, I bring up two artists with country-tinged, seasoned vocals that feel especially compelling right now. One of them is a cover that completely reimagines the original.
That naturally leads to this year's music party theme—cover songs—which reminds me there's yet another one sitting on my current personal chart. And fittingly, it's a Pointer Sisters track from their '80s dance-pop era… a perfect full-circle moment to close things out.
Featured Songs:
The Tubes/What Do You Want From Life?
Marc Almond/Jacky
Raul Malo/I Said I Love You
Raul Malo/Today
Kashus Culpepper/Believe
Stephen Wilson Jr./ Tonight, Tonight
Royal Republic/I'm So Excited
Intro Song:
Crystal Waters/100% Pure Love
Outro Song:
Pointer Sisters/Going Down Slowly
Artists of mention:
Sweet
Frank Zappa
Jacques Brel
Smashing Pumpkins
After nearly 8 years, we've reached an incredible milestone worth celebrating! This episode will be the first of at least three parts, kicking off with a wild holiday story that takes up about a quarter of the show—stories are a big part of this podcast, and I love to weave in music behind them.
From there, the spotlight shifts to two earworms that have been stuck in my head for the past five months: one, a massive Pop Top 10 international hit, and the other, a gem from 1975 I stumbled upon while researching music from that era. I also touch on a potential new trend emerging on Pop radio.
The common thread between these two tracks is that both artists have explored multiple music genres in their careers. And the "gift from the universe"? My procrastination paid off, allowing me to release this episode on the very day the current artist's second album drops.
Featured songs:
Raye/Where Is My Husband
Raye/Escapism
The Pointer Sisters/Going Down Slowly
Artists worth mentioning:
En Vogue
Laufey
Olivia Dean
Allen Toussaint
MTV?
This is probably the longest episode that we've put out, but a reason for that will become evident as we move through this one. Before I focus on this year's music party, we must talk about Yungblud (again) and a fun Uber ride. Once we get to the party, the first song we discuss revolves around my friend Chris Morin, whom we have mentioned numerous times over the years. He is a singer-songwriter and has just debuted his website topherinsolitude.com, where you can read about his life with music and listen to a plethora of tunes he has produced over the years with his bands. Ladies dominate most of the discussion of the music party, and one particular female artist dominated the top 50. The party featured 2 song games, one for the current year and one for 1995, the year John and I moved into our house. The #1 song for the 1995 list has a back story involving Jeff and his wife, Jen. In the end, the ladies win again. I also reveal a little secret concerning a female led 90's band. The last third of the episode focuses on the solo album by the lead singer of my favorite band of the last 10 years, the Struts. There is a through line from Bond music, Jacques Brel, Jellyfish, Lennon & McCartney, Broadway, and finally Queen (one of our most oft talked about bands). To round out the episode, Jeff needs to touch back on the brit band Sleep Token we talked about in the previous episode. Definitely some head scratching involved. In the hour and 16-minute episode, we mention over 65 songs or artists. I believe that is a record. Featured songs My Only Angel/Aerosmith & Yungblud Firestarters/Sawyer Hill Mystical Magical/Benson Boone Joyride/Kesha Guess/Charli XCX & Billie Eilish Messy/Lola Young I Alone /Live Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes and Wine/Luke Spiller Devil In Me/Luke Spiller Magic At Midnight in Mel's Diner/Luke Spiller Intro Song: Everyone But You/The Front Bottoms Outro song: Could Have Been Me/The Struts featuring Brian May 42nd Annual Music Party Top 50 of 2024/25 1 CHAPPELL ROAN Pink Pony Club 2 LADY GAGA Abracadabra 3 LADY GAGA & BRUNO MARS Die With A Smile 4 HOZIER Too Sweet 5 LOLA YOUNG Messy 6 CHAPPELL ROAN Hot To Go! 7 BILLIE EILISH Birds Of A Feather 8 CHAPPELL ROAN Red Wine Supernova 9 CHARLI XCX f/ BILLIE EILISH Guess 10 CHAPPELL ROAN Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl 11 YUNGBLUD Hello Heaven, Hello 12 SABRINA CARPENTER Please Please Please 13 KENDRICK LAMAR Not Like Us 14 KESHA Joyride 15 LISA f/ DOJA CAT & RAYE Born Again 16 BILLIE EILISH Lunch 17 SABRINA CARPENTER Espresso 18 ROSE & BRUNO MARS APT 19 KYLIE MINOGUE Lights, Camera, Action 20 LADY GAGA Disease 21 CHAPPELL ROAN The Giver 22 FOSTER THE PEOPLE Lost In Space 23 DOECHII Denial Is A River 24 CHARLI XCX 360 25 HOZIER Nobody's Soldier 26 KENDRICK LAMAR f/ SZA Luther 27 BENSON BOONE Slow It Down 28 TATE MCRAE Sports Car 29 SHINEDOWN Three Six Five 30 JAMES BAY f/ THE LUMINEERS & NOAH KAHAN Up All Night 31 LINKIN PARK The Emptiness Machine 32 BENSON BOONE Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else 33 BON JOVI The People's House 34 DOECHII Anxiety 35 THREE DAYS GRACE Mayday 36 PEARL JAM Wreckage 37 MORGAN WALLEN Love Somebody 38 GINTRONIX Alchemy 39 CHAPPELL ROAN Good Luck, Babe! 40 MUMFORD & SONS Rushmere 41 EMINEM Houdini 42 ALMOST MONDAY Can't Slow Down 43 BUTCH WALKER Hot Girls In Good Moods 44 FALLING IN REVERSE & JELLY ROLL All My Life 45 SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR Freedom Of The Night 46 LADY GAGA Vanish Into You 47 TEDDY SWIMS The Door 48 JACK WHITE Archbishop Harold Holmes 49 SHINEDOWN Dance, Kid, Dance 50 BENSON BOONE Mystical Magical 1995 Party Game Top 50 1 LIVE I Alone 2 GARBAGE Only Happy When It Rains 3 CRYSTAL WATERS 100% Pure Love 4 LIVE Lightning Crashes 5 TLC Waterfalls 6 ALANIS MORISSETTE You Oughta Know 7 NATALIE MERCHANT Carnival 8 CRANBERRIES Zombie 9 COOLIO Gangsta's Paradise 10 MONTELL JORDAN This Is How We Do It 11 TOADIES Possum Kingdom 12 BLUES TRAVELER Hook 13 PEARL JAM Better Man 14 SEAL Kiss From A Rose 15 ALANIS MORISSETTE Ironic 16 ANNIE LENNOX No More I Love You's 17 BJORK It's Oh So Quiet 18 LIVE Iris 19 CORONA The Rhythm Of The Night 20 EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL Missing 21 DES'REE You Gotta Be 22 MADONNA Take A Bow 23 TRACY CHAPMAN Give Me One Reason 24 HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH Hold My Hand 25 LETTERS TO CLEO Here And Now 26 BLUES TRAVELER Runaround 27 DIONNE FARRIS I Know 28 ACE OF BASE Beautiful Life 29 PEARL JAM Corduroy 30 ALANIS MORISSETTE All I Really Want 31 ALANIS MORISSETTE Hand In My Pocket 32 TLC Creep 33 OASIS Wonderwall 34 MICHAEL JACKSON & JANET JACKSON Scream 35 MARIAH CAREY Fantasy 36 SPACEHOG In The Meantime 37 LIGHTNING SEEDS & ALISON MOYET My Best Day 38 NATALIE MERCHANT Wonder 39 HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH Ony Wanna Be With You 40 RADIOHEAD High And Dry 41 EDWYN COLLINS A Girl Like You 42 NO DOUBT Just A Girl 43 VANESSA WILLIAMS Colors Of The Wind 44 JOAN OSBOURNE One Of Us 45 RADIOHEAD The Bends 46 GIN BLOSSOMS Til I Hear It From You 47 FOLK IMPLOSION Natural One 48 ALANIS MORISSETTE Forgiven 49 DEEP BLUE SOMETHING Breakfast At Tiffany's 50 SEVEN MARY THREE Cumbersome
The British band Sleep Token and related bands take up much of the first half of this episode. How do Whitney Houston, Outkast, and Billie Eilish factor in? You'll see. Sleep Token and another band from the genre perform a feat that has not happened since 2013, relating back to the protagonist of the last episode.
It takes a long time to get to why 3 of the featured songs are connected, especially since they come from very distinct styles of music. One of these bands is taking up the mantle of a particular genre, and the other shows the surprising origin of a very well-known band from the late '70s and '80s.
Featured songs:
Emergence/Sleep Token
Damocles/Sleep Token
Give it Time/Goose
King Clave/Mickey Hart
Kahoutek/Journey
Intro song: Steal Your Heart/The Karma Effect
Outro song: Dancin' Fool/Frank Zappa
The summer hiatus is over. Coming back with a new trilogy of episodes, the first begins with honoring the passing of Ozzy Osbourne. This is a packed episode, focusing mainly on a trio of artists and featuring a brief aside at the end. In all 45 songs/artists are highlighted or mentioned. There are strong connections between Ozzy and Yungblud, as well as unexpected connections linking all three artists in certain ways. In the end, it is a nice mix of emotional, spiritual, and fun music.
The main featured songs:
Gods Of Rock 'n Roll/ Billy Morrison w/ Ozzy Osbourne & Seve Smith
Ghosts/ Yungblud
Let's Go Psycho!/Those Damn Crows
Dreaming/Those Damn Crows
Other songs of note
Top Gun Anthem/Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Smith
Aerosmith & Yungblud/My Only Angel
Turn It Around/Those Damn Crows
The Spell/Mammoth
The Subway/Chappell Roan
Esa Diva/Melody
Steal Your Heart/The Karma Effect
Artists instrumental to the discussion:
Billy Idol
Black Sabbath
U2
AC/DC
Lady Gaga
Other artists mentioned:
Hanson
4 Non Blondes
Deep Purple
Shinedown
Daughtry
Charli XCX
Black Stone Cherry
Styx
Oh, what a way to end an arc! Tom and I are blindsided by the connection the first song has to Jeff's daughter Eva - something potentially under our noses, but we were completely unaware of. We kind of rabbit-hole the band in question, and I unearth how the mastermind of this outfit was responsible for a slew of Euro-Dance and Pop of the '80s and '90s (one startling connection!). Next up, a relatively recent discovery by my husband John, but actually from 2004. A certain lyric is at the center. Of course, it's a sort of remake of a song from a Dutch band from twenty years prior, and hilarity ensues.
The final song of our conversation was not part of the day but from another Uber encounter. Fitting, as we started episode one with an Uber encounter. Jeff has some info on one of the artists on this song because of Eva. Having a college-age child brings a music perspective you might not have otherwise.
A simple statement from Tom at the end of the conversation became another gift from the universe. I focused on one word to determine the outro song. In this search, I stumbled upon a song that connects back to a singer from the first episode. I love my life.
Part 2 of our conversation with Tom begins in concert territory. Unfortunately, we miss one that is happening that day. Jeff becomes intrigued with a video playlist that Tom and John (mostly) contribute to. From there, we revert to music from our youth, connected to our siblings, once annoying and now not so much. As we move on, a musical family spans from opera to a folky skunk, and an interesting instrument emerges.
Castlist 15 is a trio of episodes that all revolve around one afternoon of music at our house in March. Our friends Tom and Tony were over as they often are. Tom is a music junkie in a different way than me, and all four of us, my husband John included, connect to music deeply in various ways. I had a playlist on, which is typical, but the way the afternoon unfolded, that was put by the wayside, and an interesting path of music emerged. Part 1 begins with a song not part of that day, but one that needed to be brought to the table because of an Uber encounter the morning of our chat. From there, penmanship became a catalyst for a fantastic connection that led us to listen to an entire album. And thus the journey began. So much of this afternoon is connected to Tom, so I asked him to join us, at first maybe hesitant, but he agreed, and it was a great decision. There is so much to unpack in these three episodes: many stories, Uber encounters, blindsides during the conversation, and much laughter. In this episode alone, there are SIX!, what I call gifts from the universe. Enjoy the ride!
Wow, it's been a while since I put out an episode under 30 minutes. Don't be fooled, it's packed with lots of great stuff.
The final thought in the Songs of the Summer, 2024 edition, includes 3 songs that piqued my interest back then. It starts with a country artist doing a collab with a prolific alternative artist. Jeff couldn't even get through 3 seconds of a song that was more indicative of his style which led to my revealing a new female artist whose voice elicits a similar feeling in me.
The second song is another collab which showcases a different side of 2 well-known artists and features a killer harmonica from another huge artist. I openly reveal my lack of music knowledge when it comes to this song. Researching another song from the album showcases another revelation or 2.
Jeff helped me make the connection for the third song that I had a hard time placing (another revelation!). Once he said it, it all made sense. This Americana group has been shuffling around for over 2 decades and this is the first of theirs to make a strong impact on my personal chart.
Focus songs
Orville Peck & Beck/ Death Valley High
Orville Peck/C'mon Baby Cry
Jessie Murph & Teddy Swims/Dirty
Slash & Brian Johnson/Killing Floor
Steppenwolf/The Pusher
The Avett Brothers/ Love Of A Girl
Intro song- Lump/The Presidents of the U.S.A.
Outro song - Hollywood Baby/100 Gecs
100 Gecs (Live) - Frog On The Floor (Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall) (4/26/2023)
Orville Peck & Beck - Death Valley High (Official Music Video)
Orville Peck - C'mon Baby, Cry (Official Video)
Jessie Murph, Teddy Swims - Dirty (Official Video)
Slash feat. Brian Johnson - "Killing Floor" (Official Music Video)
The Pusher - Wikipedia
The Avett Brothers - Love Of A Girl (stop-motion, multimedia version)
We still have our guest, Jeff's daughter Eva, for the first part of this episode. They introduce me to a song by 100 Gecs and then we get into the meat of the matter, the summertime explosion of Chappell Roan, We pretty much mention almost half of her phenomenal album "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess".
From there it's an actress who can sing and how she connects to an '80s classic and a trio from the '70s. One of that trio of brothers was, I believe, my first male crush.
Up next, a newly discovered gem from 1975 by Elton John and a great track from his album "Caribou". In between we explore the evolution of underage hookups through song (in a fun way).
At the end I share the gift of connection, only given because it took so long to get this episode out. Through the course of this podcast it is often that a delay in conversation or editing leads to something unexpected. And one of those things just happened yesterday.
Primary Songs discussed
100 Gecs/ Frog On The Floor
Chappell Roan/Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl
Chappell Roan/Hot To Go
Chappell Roan/Red Wine Supernova
Chappell Roan/Pink Pony Club
Kate Hudson/Gonna Find Out
Kate Hudson/Voices Carry
Hudson Brothers/So You Are A Star
Elton John/Sick City
Benny Mardones/Into The Night
Steve Perry/You Better Wait
Elton John/I've Seen The Saucers
Fun links
Chucky Margolis - Finger Breaks & Hickies
Dad Reacts to Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
2025 Best New Artist Grammy winner Chappell Roan performs with Sir Elton John at EJAF Oscar party
Chappell Roan & Elton John: "Good Luck, Babe!", New Music & Songwriting | Apple Music - YouTube
After the playlist misstep at the end of the last episode, we resume with the real playlist. This episode features a great Uber story, the most bizarre of my 8 year history. A long defunct band surfaces with a new song, appropriate for the discussion. This begins the rabbit hole and a prolific singer/songwriter/producer touches a lot of artists and songs I love. Through this I discover a 2006 song by the artist that I fell in love with instantly.
A second song from my Song of the Summer contender reveals a connection to my first favorite artist and inappropriate kissing of mothers. Before we move onto the next playlist entry (which won't happen until the next episode) I have Jeff listen to an '80s nugget my sister reminded me about that is pure cheese. This leads to an unexpected Leif Garrett reference. Jeff's daughter makes a guest appearance at the end and agrees the song is a karaoke keeper.
Primary Songs discussed
Royal Republic/Wow! Wow! Wow!
Marvelous 3/Psalm Of The Summer
Butch Walker/Hot Girls In Good Moods
Royal Republic/Superlove
Sheriff/When I'm With You
It's taken a while to finally get this episode out. Circumstances in the fall delayed a conversation with Jeff and then the holiday season did its usual thing. Before we even get to the first song a story about my sister and her car takes center stage, along with Thanksgiving catch ups.
Once we get into my first contender for Song of the Summer, Jeff says he has not much to offer on the songs from the latest playlist. It seemed strange at the time as he had mentioned the song "All My Life" at the end of the last episode as he had found it on one of my current Spotify playlists. Clearly he had stuff to say about it.
There was a lot surrounding this song and Jeff had to listen to some songs for the first time, which is always a fun, on the spot, endeavor.
This episode's tangent revolved around Billboard's Song of the Summer, which leads to this year's Grammy discussion, always a thorn in my side. One of the on the spot listens for Jeff was Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" which was unknown to him. Obviously it is possible to have no clue about the world aroud you, wink.
As we move towards my other contender for Song of the Summer we abruptly stop as Jeff was listening to a fake playlist again. To be fair the guy works his butt off. And it's a real life moment, we laugh about it and move on.
Primary songs discussed
Falling In Reverse featuring Jelly Roll/All My Life
Falling In Reverse/Gangsta's Paradise
All Time Low featuring I Prevail
Shabbozey/A Bar Song (Tipsy)
Intro Song
Murray Head/Superstar from "Jesus Christ Superstar"
Outro Song
Erasure/Drama
We continue the discussion of some dance tunes, 1 new and 2 old ones that are associated with 2 great stories, one about my husband and the other from an Uber ride. A concert coincidence comes up and I torture Jeff for a moment (which I always like to do).
Primary songs discussed
Honey Boy/Purple Disco Machine
Libertine/Kate Ryan
I Specialize In Love/Sharon Brown
Intro Song, Disco Night (Rock Freak)/G.Q.
Outro Song, It's Time To Go Now/Gladys Knight & The Pips
In this episode, we start off with a dance collaboration that unexpectedly showed up on the music party countdown and I reveal this year's top 5. Somebody has 2 songs in the top 5 and I feel one of the artists could win Best New Artist at next year's Grammys. One of the artists in the collaboration brings an instrumental to the mix that harkens back to 30 years ago. What does it remind me of? Well, kind of a massive dance song from 2000 that might be the last instrumental song to reach the Pop Top 40 in the States (a version of Mom's favorite tune from the '80s might be in contention as well). Jeff brings in a story about a fake song list!!!! Is it possible? We blame Spotify. We finish the episode with a father/daughter duo that just must love music of all genres. Focus songs One Night, All Night/Justice & Tame Impala Generator/Justice Sandstorm/Darude Alchemy/Gintronix Intro: Get Up And Dance/Gintronix Closer: I Love Music/The O'Jays In all 37 songs/artists are discussed.
Summer stories will be the bulk of Castlist 014. First off a tie back to an artist from a recent episode. Then I'm in concert mode with 2 great shows. The second concert artist ends up tying into the discussion of the next song, just another universe connection that always seems to be part of the process. The annual music party comes into the picture and we end on an obscure song from the mid-'90s that impacted both of us at the time.
Focus Songs
The Struts/Somebody Someday
Ian Hunter/Irene Wilde
Ian Hunter/All American Alien Boy
The Struts/Bad Decisions
The Struts/Do What You Want
Keane/Bedshaped
Keane/Somewhere Only We Know
Space/Female Of The Species
The Walker Brothers-Keane/The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
Pizzicato Five/Twiggy Twiggy
A continuation of our discussion about Jobriath's music, this episode features a trio of his songs that other major artists have recorded. Two artists are prominent in this episode, Def Leppard and Kylie Minogue. Joe Elliot from Def Leppard was very connected to 70's glam as a youth and fascinated by Jobriath. While Kylie Minogue has no connection to Jobriath, she does have a connection to the over-arching conversation. Hilarity ensues as we have differing opinions on a certain song, and a tragique duet is discussed
The second half of the episode features a conversation about 2 gifts, one given to me from Jeff, and the other from my mother on her birthday. His is music-oriented while her's is just another of the myriad stories of my connection to the energy of the universe. It's actually an uplifting end to a tragique story.
Primary Songs discussed
Heartbeat/Def Leppard
Unbreakable/Def Leppard
I'm A Man/ Adam Lambert or Jobriath
Morning Starship/Morrissey of Jobriath
Padam Padam/Kylie Minogue
Aphrodite/Kylie Minogue
Where The Wild Roses Grow/Kylie Minogue & Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Take Me I'm Yours/Jobriath
A continuation of our discussion about Jobriath's music, this episode features a trio of his songs that other major artists have recorded. Two artists are prominent in this episode, Def Leppard and Kylie Minogue. Joe Elliot from Def Leppard was very connected to 70's glam as a youth and fascinated by Jobriath. While Kylie Minogue has no connection to Jobriath, she does have a connection to the over-arching conversation. Hilarity ensues as we have differing opinions on a certain song, and a tragique duet is discussed
The second half of the episode features a conversation about 2 gifts, one given to me from Jeff, and the other from my mother on her birthday. His is music-oriented while her's is just another of the myriad stories of my connection to the energy of the universe. It's actually an uplifting end to a tragique story.
Primary Songs discussed
Heartbeat/Def Leppard
Unbreakable/Def Leppard
I'm A Man/ Adam Lambert or Jobriath
Morning Starship/Morrissey of Jobriath
Padam Padam/Kylie Minogue
Aphrodite/Kylie Minogue
Where The Wild Roses Grow/Kylie Minogue & Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Take Me I'm Yours/Jobriath
This episode focuses on early '70's glam, a few well-known artists, and an obscure one who has an amazing and crazy story behind him. The lead singer of one of the bands featured gets a lot more time on the clock than I expected but it is well deserved. There is a saxophone having an aneurism, a woman on a rant, and a Broadway show run amok.
Primary songs discussed
Suffragette City/David Bowie
All The Way From Memphis/Mott The Hoople
Cleveland Rocks/Ian Hunter
We Gotta Get Out Of Here/Ian Hunter
Rock Of Ages/Jobriath
I'm A Man/Jobriath
This episode continues the discussion of the Canadian band Mother Mother with the fun and playful side of the artist. I felt the song "The Stand" was a no-brainer for Jeff to enjoy and I was right. We also explore how their most streamed song came about 12 years after its release.
We up the flamboyance factor with the next song by the Scarlet Opera. The band is full of glam and disco which leads into a story about my coming out experience. From there I throw a little cheese into the mix from the late '70's. Sexual innuendo, a hippie 7th grade teacher, and bad music movies enter the conversation.
Finally we get all theatrical with a perfect song for the end of Act One of a ficticious Broadway musical. The unavoidable comparison to Queen happens and another Billie Eilish cover versions is discovered.
Focus Songs
The Stand/Mother Mother
Problems/Mother Mother
Hayloft I and II/Mother Mother
The Place To Be/The Scarlet Opera
Big City Thing/The Scarlet Opera
Heaven on the 7th Floor/Paul Nicholas
Cousin Kevin/Tommy the Movie
Alive/The Scarlet Opera
In My Defence/Freddie Mercury
Catch Me If You Can/The Scarlet Opera
What Was I Made For?/The Scarlet Opera
This playlist starts with one of my favorite songs from 1974 that came to me while I was sleeping. The episode has a lot of energy, music spanning from the 60's through today, a couple of fun Uber stories, a French songstress, hardcore punk, and 3 versions of the same song (twice!). You'll also find out who wasn't a big fan of Cher, how the mother of one of the biggest voices of our lifetime factors into the discussion, and the most awesome way a Reddit contributor connects 2 British bands. Oh how I love how the narrative plays out in the editing process.
On this episode we explore an Australian band that came together over 20 years ago and a duo that produced one album in 1990. Jeff definitely had differing opinions on each. I find positive qualities from both artists.
If you know where that lyric is from, I love you!
This episode starts with another artist that we talk about their evolution. This band went on to be one of the premiere alt/dance acts of the last 40 years.
The transition to the next song was a jarring one for Jeff (of course that was on purpose) and he didn't get the connection between the songs :( but that is OK. This song is a very important song in my history and absoutely stunning in its execution. And of course it led to a revelation I wasn't expecting.
Hilarity ensues with the next transition and this song has inadvertently become the pinnacle of my love for pop/rock.
From there 3 songs from 1973 round out the episode bringing joy and a beat.
I am dedicating this episode to my high school classmate Thomas Campbell who recently passed away. He was a huge music enthusiast and musician plus an occasional listener to the podcast who has corrected me on occasion (which I appreciated). We were not close in high school though if we had been my music knowledge and diversity would probably have come sooner than it did. I also think he would have appreciated this particular episode as it features artists from the '70s and '80s who were on the cutting edge of music that I imagine he followed at the time.
The conversation in this episode builds off my annual look back at previous years. I had been re-evaluating music from the years 1973, 1983, and 1993 during 2023 and the first 2 episodes of Castlist 12 feature songs from those years. In this episode the songs chosen are the catalyst to a discussion of how artists evolve over time. The 4 primary songs of this episode are "The Paris Match" by The Style Council, "Strange Town" by The Jam, "Rising' by Midge Ure and "Hoover Dam" by Sugar. Maybe all are new to you but they are all important to me.
There's a lot of history in this episode. Influences range from Jazz to Glam Rock, Punk to Soul, 60's Brit Pop to Sythn Pop to Grunge.
Which song sounds like a movie montage to Jeff? What is a Glass Pinecone? How to do ruin a song with an updated version? (IMO). How did we land on The Daily Show at the end of the episode?
The opening song is the latest track from Sheryl Crow, the song "Evolution", a solid offfering and preview to her upcoming twelfth studio album, coming out at the end of March.
Wow this episode has a lot of stuff going on in it. We first explore the world of the song of the summer and an emerging trend associated with it. It is certainly adding an interesting wrinkle to the Pop universe. A viral video becomes part of that conversation, as does a wee bit of political commentary.
Next up, an artist up for Best New Artist at next year's Grammys who has been plugging away for over 2 decades. I then offer up contenders for my song of the summer and Jeff is really digging the winner.
From there it's the "IT" guy of the summer based on my Uber experiences, and one who Jeff's daughter Eva was in on at (or near) the beginning.
The real fun starts with 3 consecutive days and 3 chance meetings in my life as an Uber driver. Meeting 2 was not nearly as impactful as 1 and 3 but fits into an artsy pattern. It all leads to a 70's music scene that started in northern England and an unexpected concert. The Grammys come up again and there is an appearance by Santa (well not really) and a tornado (really).
This episode is nostalgia centric though it does stem from a fun summer story. There are lots of movie and television references in the episode as well.
From the title, the Maureen McGovern song The Morning After leads us down a movie path and towards one of my favorite shows of all-time. Plus a group with a cheesy '70s instrumental has ties to the early days of hip hop.
We move to the Carpenters where more TV is discussed and we end with my sister on stage at the Garden State Arts Center.
After that we return to a major fav artist of mine and re-visit the idea of song bridges where connections between The Knack, The Flaming Lips, The The, and Prince are made.
You can find the corresponding playlist on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
Email me at tim@beyondradio.com with comments
This is the first of 3 episodes focusing on a few music-oriented stories from this past summer. The first episode talks about things from my 40th annual music party (the Castlist 002 episodes from the fall of 2018 talk about the #1's at the parties). It was a great party, the weather cooperated and there were a few key moments that I talked about in the episode. Here I am posting the top 50 songs from the party game and the top 50 artists of the last 40 years. We mentioned and/or used 43 songs in this episode. And I brought up the Peanuts cartoon and the TV show Kids Incorporated. The top 50 for the party game. 1 PINK Never Gonna Not Dance Again 2 KELLY CLARKSON Happier Than Ever 3 HARRY STYLES Music For A Sushi Restaurant 4 SAM SMITH & KIM PETRAS Unholy 5 PINK Trustfall 6 LIZZO About Damn Time 7 MILEY CYRUS Flowers 8 MANESKIN The Loneliest 9 HARRY STYLES As It Was 10 HARRY STYLES Late Night Talking 11 GHOST Jesus He Knows Me 11 THE WOMBATS This Car Drives All By Itself 13 MAMMOTH WVH Mr. Ed 14 JVKE Golden Hour 15 TAYLOR SWIFT Anti-Hero 16 SHINEDOWN A Symptom Of Being Human 17 GUSTER Emily Ivory 18 LEWIS CAPALDI Forget Me 19 PALAYE ROYALE f/ LP Line It Up 20 CARLY RAE JEPSEN Beach House 21 KEITH URBAN Brown Eyes Baby 22 PANIC! AT THE DISCO Don't Let The Light Go Out 23 GHOST Spillways 24 KELLY CLARKSON Mine 25 DOLLY PARTON World On Fire 26 LUKE COMBS The Kind Of Love We Make 27 KATE BUSH Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) 28 ELTON JOHN & BRITNEY SPEARS Hold Me Closer 29 ED SHEERAN Eyes Closed 30 SZA Kill Bill 31 LIZZO f/ SZA Special 32 WE ARE SCIENTISTS Handshake Agreement 33 JESSIE WARE Free Yourself 34 MAMMOTH WVH Epiphany 35 SON MIEUX Multicolor 36 WE ARE SCIENTISTS Turn It Up 37 DOJA CAT Vegas 38 DNCE Move 39 BEYONCE Summer Renaissance 40 IMAGINE DRAGONS Bones 41 FALL OUT BOY Love From The Other Side 42 BEYONCE Break My Soul 43 LIVE Operation Spirit 44 MANESKIN Gossip 45 BEYONCE Cuff It 46 RUFUS DU SOL On My Knees 47 TEGAN & SARA Smoking Weed Alone 48 ARCADE FIRE Unconditional (Lookout Kid) 49 COIN Brad Pitt 50 CARLY RAE JEPSEN Talking To Yourself Top Music Party Artists 1983-2023 pos/# of songs/Points 1. 27 1421.4 MADONNA 2. 25 1342.4 U2 3. 26 1292.5 PINK 4. 16 958.5 LADY GAGA 5. 19 830 KELLY CLARKSON 6. 19 818.9 BRUNO MARS 7. 14 738.2 DUA LIPA 8. 13 716.9 ELTON JOHN 9. 11 690.4 ADELE 10. 13 619.8 R.E.M./MICHAEL STIPE 11. 18 617.6 EURYTHMICS/ANNIE LENNOX 12. 11 576.6 INXS 13. 12 546.4 MATCHBOX 20/ROB THOMAS 14. 10 544 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE/N-SYNC 15. 8 542.5 ED SHEERAN 16. 11 540.6 CHRISTINA AGUILERA 17. 12 525.2 KYLIE MINOGUE 18. 8 524.3 ALANIS MORRISSETTE 19. 15 523.9 BEYONCE/DESTINY'S CHILD 20. 13 522.9 BRITNEY SPEARS 21. 9 502.4 HARRY STYLES/ONE DIRECTION 22. 10 492.4 THE KILLERS 23. 11 474.5 MAROON 5/ADAM LEVINE 24. 9 459.9 CELINE DION 25. 10 454.2 BACKSTREET BOYS 26. 11 451.2 GEORGE MICHAEL 27. 9 439.8 BLACK EYED PEAS/FERGIE 28. 9 422.4 IMAGINE DRAGONS 29. 10 419.1 SHINEDOWN 30. 11 415.9 FOO FIGHTERS 31. 8 413.3 SAM SMITH 32. 9 411.2 ARIANA GRANDE 33. 8 407.7 KEANE 34. 11 404.8 RIHANNA 35. 11 398.3 JANET JACKSON 36. 9 375.2 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 37. 9 368.3 PRINCE 38. 9 361.7 TAYLOR SWIFT 39. 10 361.6 MARIAH CAREY 40. 6 358 LINKIN PARK 41. 10 356.7 KATY PERRY 42. 9 353.5 STING/THE POLICE 43. 8 352 COLDPLAY 44. 8 350.9 THE WEEKND 45. 7 345.8 DAVID BOWIE 46. 6 344.4 LIZZO 47. 8 342.6 JONAS BROTHERS/DNCE/NICK JONAS 48. 5 336.3 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE 49. 7 336.2 RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS 50. 5 330.3 TRAIN
This is the inaugural episode of our artist interview podcast (a two-parter). The title, 8Trax, harkens back to the era of the 8 Track tapes and indicates that 8 main songs will be discussed. The interview style is set up as follows. The artist brings 3 of their lesser-known songs that they love to the table and I do the same. The conversation moves through the stories of these songs and of course, leads down many roads. I felt that proceeding in this manner gets people deeper into an artist while my approach is that of a fan. The remaining 2 tracks are from different artists we wanted the other to hear. I love the idea of artists promoting other artists.
With my weekly personal chart background I have delved deep into many artist's catalogues. For these indie rockers from Nashville, I charted 20 songs from their 3 records with all but one making my weekly top 20 and 12 of them going to #1. Yes, I am an absolute fan.
Even though they haven't put out new music since 2015 this year they have been featured on 6 episodes of Beyond Radio Presents so far. A 2-part episode comparing them to major bands of the last 50 years (Queen, Live, Muse, etc.), a most beautiful interview, and snippets from the interviews that became their own mini-episodes.
I explained the premise of 8trax to them and they wanted to be guinea pigs for the pilot episode. Clearly, there was still much to discuss as it is another 2-parter. David, Hildee (Jeff), and Andy are fun, cerebral, spiritual, introspective, and serious (I'm sure the same can be said for the missing members, other Jeff and Matt). I consider them a gift unto my life. Most importantly, their music deserves to be heard.
In all over 30 songs were discussed or mentioned and all but one of those can be found on the companion playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.
This is the inaugural episode of our artist interview podcast (a two-parter). The title, 8Trax, harkens back to the era of the 8 Track tapes and indicates that 8 main songs will be discussed. The interview style is set up as follows. The artist brings 3 of their lesser-known songs that they love to the table and I do the same. The conversation moves through the stories of these songs and of course, leads down many roads. I felt that proceeding in this manner gets people deeper into an artist while my approach is that of a fan. The remaining 2 tracks are from different artists we wanted the other to hear. I love the idea of artists promoting other artists.
With my weekly personal chart background I have delved deep into many artist's catalogues. For these indie rockers from Nashville, I charted 20 songs from their 3 records with all but one making my weekly top 20 and 12 of them going to #1. Yes, I am an absolute fan.
Even though they haven't put out new music since 2015 this year they have been featured on 6 episodes of Beyond Radio Presents so far. A 2-part episode comparing them to major bands of the last 50 years (Queen, Live, Muse, etc.), a most beautiful interview, and snippets from the interviews that became their own mini-episodes.
I explained the premise of 8trax to them and they wanted to be guinea pigs for the pilot episode. Clearly, there was still much to discuss as it is another 2-parter. David, Hildee (Jeff), and Andy are fun, cerebral, spiritual, introspective, and serious (I'm sure the same can be said for the missing members, Jeff and Matt). I consider them a gift unto my life. Most importantly, their music deserves to be heard.
In all over 30 songs were discussed or mentioned and all but one of those can be found on the companion playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.
This is a non-music related episode that was the beginning of a conversation that will be out later this summer. It's a bit of a therapy session with my new friends from Manic Bloom (though they feel like old friends). It was just what I needed today to get me back in the game.
We continue to explore the bridges in songs and start in a really fun place. Jeff's memory of the first song leads to a find in my music studio just to the left of where I was sitting.
As we move along a number of my all-time favorites are explored, to varying affects on Jeff. As it should be.
This is a slightly updated version of the podcast originally posted in April 2020. One of my faves. Lots of laugh and definitely emotional for me. We start by exploring Guster, past and present (and some meows for good measure) and then move into some of my favorite songs of all time. One of those I only discovered this past fall and I tear up also every time I hear it.
And what episode would be complete without a crazy series of seeming coincidences. Jeff found a lot he liked, and I got to challenge him on the twang factor. Along with a few great stories in the mix, we end with the busiest man alive.
Some of the other artists we discuss include Live, Counting Crows, Screaming Trees, Travis Tritt, Lily Allen, The Glorious Sons, and one of my Mom's favorites, The Carpenters.
This is the full conversation that portions were taken from for Castlist 10, Ep 4. The song certainly was impactful on David, Jeff, and Andy.
As the title suggests we start to explore the bridges in songs and this leads to a '70s band popping up again, a ghost singer (?), a '90s music magazine trend, and 2 of my favorite albums of all-time. I test Jeff's memory (some things click, others don't) and we end with an intense vocalist whose legacy is tragic on more than one level. Oh and a guest appearance by a couple of members of Manic Bloom.
This was the most gorgeous conversation with one of my favorite bands. If you haven't listened to the 2 part episode featuring the band ( episodes 5 and 6 of Castlist 009) this is a great introduction. It is a wonderful music therapy session filled with talk of the struggles bands go through, the triumph of brotherhood, and how spirituality and humanity bond us together. A truly special Moment and perfect for release when Easter, Passover, and Ramadan intersect. And it won't be the last time you hear from the band.
This episode starts with the flow-through between Queen's "Death On Two Legs" and Manic Bloom's "Push Off The Ground", a bit of a recap of the prior Manic Bloom songs we spoke about and the reveal of the connection to Wilder Woods from the last episode.
We talk about the upcoming interview and Jeff had a great line "and it's not their fault they make great music".
The jump to the next artist leads into alien territory and conspiracy theories and we venture into the world of Japanese metal. I also have a couple of fun stories connected to the band.
The origin of the band connects to my favorite album of the '90s. Somehow references to Coldplay and Rod Stewart show up along with Kelly Clarkson (a second time in the episode) and Anthrax. Now that would be a concert experience. The direct connection between the artists ends up being a prolific music producer over the last 50 plus years.
We get to the final Manic Bloom song which brings up a piece that I hadn't thought I would bring up but it was meant to be. And another crazy synchronicity in post-production involves Mary J. Blige showing up twice.
Towards the end of the episode my oft used Nickelback joke comes up and we talk about the lead singer of Alice In Chains, an obscure Psychobilly band and another American Idol alumus.
The next 3 episodes are inter-related and create an arc that has become something I had not necessarily intended. The original premise and core of the episodes is to take songs from one of my favorite lesser known bands of the last 15 years and revealing what I feel are influences on the band. These influences include some of the biggest bands in the last 50 years.
This episode starts with a project that I've been working on ever since the beginning of Covid. The first song we discuss may seem to not be related to the overall discussion and its placement becomes evident eventually. It was a last minute inclusion that ended up changing the overall narrative of Part 1 and Part 2.
In researching the artist Wilder Woods and the band Needtobreathe it led me to the Texas band the Toadies. This started the discussion about the search for a higher plane/higher power.
We finally get to the core artist after about 18 minutes, the Nashville indie rock band Manic Bloom. On their website they term themselves "Epic Melodic Rock" and the moniker is a good one. They put out three records (An EP and two albums) between 2008-15. This band commanded my personal chart between 2009 and 2016 with nine #1's, two #2's and 5 more songs making my top 15.
By comparing their music to well-known bands we get into some background on those bands. The first of those bands had my favorite song of all-time for a period of time from the mid-90's to the mid-2000's. We talk about Eastern philosophy, where energy comes, an 80's-style guitar solo from and an iconic album from the '70's (one one of favorites of the era).
This is a long episode but has 3 sections so easy to take a break between sections. The first section is a followup to our Hopeful Boy Pop episode where we re-visit previous artists and songs discussed while bringing in some new stuff as well. Through it we stumble upon a new trend, the sped up or slowed down versions of songs.
Section 2 highlights a number of songs from 1972 that have had greater impact on me now, 50 years later. This is part of a yearly project that I prompted myself to do a bit after the podcast started in 2018. This leads into a look at, IMO, some of the worst songs of the '70s and a couple of bands from the era that I want to dive deeper into.
Section 3 jumps to 1992, which saw a mix up in my top 6 songs of the year, with the new #1 of 1992 now possibly in my top 10 of all-time.
In this episode I compare one of the biggest songs on my personal chart this year to the original version that was out in 2021. The contrast between the 2 versions is sharp. The discussion goes to songs that could take over at the top spot, some previous chart toppers and songs that missed because of the impact of that song. We had a lot of fun with the song that ends up dethroning the 8 week champ. In the end I give you a quick rundown of my top songs of 2022.
In this episode I present new songs to Jeff from artists he has enjoyed in the past, hoping they click with him. In the process it becomes evident that there is connective tissue between the selections that comes about through the research and the music angels that are always watching over me.
We veer out of Castlist 008 for a handful of episodes that hinge on recent developments. In this first episode I follow up on the concert that Jeff was going to see the last time we talked. Initailly I was going to I relate 2 other songs to the band Superorganism and we end up on a tangent right away, talking about the Swedish band Ghost. As is typical, unexpected narratives develop and a project I have been working on brings in a perfect fit from the 70's band 10cc. Somehow Icehouse, the song "Shannon", Chic and Depeche Mode also join in the fun. When Jeff and I get together it can go in any direction. I was also able to link into this weekend's untimely death of Irene Cara.
In this episode we look back at my 39th Annual Music Party that happened at the end of June. It had been a long time since Jeff & his wife Jen were both at the party. We look back at the best songs of 21/22 and 1982 according to the participants. They did choose songs for the 1982 list but not the current year so I let Jeff know how the songs I know he liked from the past year might have affected the outcome if he submitted a list.
We end the episode with a fun band that Jeff and Jen were going to see live. In the end that band figures in nicely with the time of year.
This episode is the full interview I had with Daniel Blair and his production partner Jackson Harbour. We had a blast.
This was such a fun episode. It was supposed to be the beginning of an episode that recaps this summer's music party but it became an entity unto itself. I present a number of songs that have impacted Pop radio in the States in recent months to Jeff, exploring a trend that I am seeing develop. Inadvertently, as is often the case, I am led to an artist that I did not know would fit the narrative, and in the end, I interview him and his production partner; the first artist interview since beginning the podcast in 2018. There is a magical moment that happens with his music, perhaps one of my favorite moments ever (certainly in the top 10). Snippets of the interview are included and the full interview is its own episode. Towards the end of the episode, I bring up an episode of Switched On Pop (a great podcast) and explore a number of spoken word songs over music. Jeff's comments often can lead to the opening or closing song to the episode and this time both. Opening Song - "Empty Nesters" by Toro Y Moi Closing Song - "Find My Way" by Gabe Dixon
This is an artist-centric episode though as has been typical lately, I have a song for Jeff to hear for the first time before we get into things, Stories about my Mom and my Dad fit nicely into the narrative. A couple of perennial favorites from past episodes show up in the discussion and we get an idea of 2 artists Jeff is not quite fond of.
In the final discussion of our boy band arc of episodes there is actually a lot to unpack. New music from 5 Seconds of Summer and Harry Styles. How All Time Low found their biggest success 15 years into their career (and a wonderful coincidence that follows it). A boy band that has a connection to Kanye West and finally how the Jonas Brothers tie into a lot of nostalgia about Billboard's Hot 100. There's also a #2 Pop hit from this year that I had never heard and a podcast fav artist sees their first top 40 hit.
After a 2 month hiatus the cliffhanger is finally revealed. We really only focus on 2 bands in this episode but talk about influences, paying homage and sampling.
We try to pinpoint the origin of something Jeff can't get out of his head, talk about college and in the end have to push off the continuation of the discussion to the next episode. This time, however, the follow up episode will come out hours later instead of 2 months from now.
As the boy band discussion continues we talk about a popular pop punk band of the aughts, an obscure band from Southern California and Boys who like Girls from Massachusetts.
The mood shifts towards the end of the episode and we get a little '80s nostalgia thrown in.
In this episode, we explore 2 bands of the second British Invasion, Duran Duran and Wham which leads into a great story about "I'm Too Sexy".
I torture Jeff with a Pop-Gospel-ish song that segues into a discussion about svengali boy band producers (well at least one of them was) and the R&B style of the late '80s and early '90s, New Jack Swing.
The episode ends with a call and an unlikely source of music inspiration.
In this episode we do a slight recap of the previous episode which was so much fun, I present 2 new songs to Jeff cold, and we discuss some shifting of priorities in the Beyond Radio universe; introducing the new playlist series Retro Aesthetic.
My favorite episode so far! Huge laughs, heartfelt emotion, one of my favorite artists, a pivotal moment in my life, and a great Christmas song. I love putting these episodes together. Too Much Fun!!
We pick up our conversation in episode 2 with a little history of the Monkees and have a moment of silence for Mike Nesmith who passed away in December. By the end of the episode we have dropped a house in the best way.
We are back for Season 8! After almost a year since we last recorded we had a little catching up to do. Before we get into the crux of the playlist I have 2 new songs for Jeff to listen to cold, with one of them leading into a discussion that will take up probably the first 5 episodes of this season.
In this 52nd episode we talk about one of the biggest groups ever for the first time plus a group that brings Jeff back to his high school days. Jeff has some memory issues that tie up the episode in a nice way.
Our top 4 are revealed plus a bevy of honorable mentions. Halloween gets brought up again, and false endings may become a rule. We also get to hear about Jeff's 5 least favorite songs from the Pod-Castlist and one of my favorite songs of all-time is in that mix. I'm so dejected.
Our 50th episode! The first leg of our top 10 lists are revealed with a fun story near the beginning that ties back in at the end. Also, Jeff mentions one of the worst songs from a musical I have ever heard. This episode was recorded 2 and a half years ago and this, along with part 2, are the last episodes that we had in the can waiting to be edited.
There was a long period of time between this and the last episode, but not on purpose. Through the summer and fall I had my annual music party, my 60th birthday, a number of little vacations, and the adjustment of getting back into a regular work pattern after not driving Uber for almost 18 months. I believe as we move forward we'll probably take a summer break, probably June-September, each year.
In this episode after a 2 month hiatus, and the final in the Podcast-list 006 arc (before out top 10's), we explore a bit of where popular music and theater meet. Artists like the Dear Hunter, Styx and Panic At The Disco all fit into certain aspects of this. We throw a little Sade, Fiona Apple and Beck into the mix and of course a couple of tangents. What seemed, at first, to be a shorter episode, ended up with 2 false endings. In the end, even though Billie Eilish could have killed the party, it all ends on a super cool joyous note.
This is one of the most personal episodes we have put out so far. The first half of the episode is focused mainly on my mother and the episode coincides with her birthday and the 20th anniversary of her passing. When we recorded this in March 2019 I had no idea this is when it would see the light of day, but the universe seems to have had a hand in it.
It is a long episode but I didn't want to break it up into a 2-parter. There is a natural break in the middle though.
The episode is focused on people who have passed and how music relates to that, but it is not a somber episode. It's an episode about the stories behind the connections and the gifts they have become. I think I blindsided Jeff since he did not know where the episode was going at first and it was hard for him to articulate his responses. I also was nervous before getting into the episode because I didn't know how emotional I would become. In the end my emotions have been confined to the to lead up and editing process.
The main takeaway is how personal everyone's connection to music is and the triggers that make a song stay a part of your life forever. And that is truly a gift.
In this mini episode (for us) we refer back to previous discussions and artists and a long the way bring up some new music as well. A remake of a sad song turns into a extremely happy song for my friend Tom. A song that will keep a song I love from hitting #1 on my chart, has both of us thinking it's about one thing when it's actually something else. A Brit artist who was not a stateside name when we recorded this episode has now had 2 major U.S. hits. Also, an Australian artist who should be on people's radar is given a second look and Jeff compares her to Neneh Cherry.
We continue our discussion about the connection between early '70s R&B and Soul and the more recent revival of the style. As with the last episode and a late connection to the Grammy nominated Black Pumas, our 2 year old discussion relates to a new song by Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak that fits into the narrative nicely.
During our discussion we found an exception to a Jeff rule of thumb, we analyze how my capacity for absorbing music relates to my creation of a weekly personal chart, and discover a website that may have become one of Jeff's favorites.
Artists discussed include the Staple Singers, Hozier, Leon Bridges, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, and Tone Loc. The companion playlist of Spotify, "The Strings of the Soul" features 50 songs discussed over the 2 episodes in this arc.
The first half of this 2-parter starts to explore the connection between early '70s Soul and R&B and more recent artists that have been reviving the style. We cover a lot of ground from later Motown to Quiet Storm to Funk and '90s Hip-Hop with a total of 31 songs mentioned.
Jeff helps me to identify a sound and I show him how a voice can sound like a guitar. In the end he finds 2 songs he loves, 2 that appeal to him overall and 2 possible throwaways.
As is appropriate for an episode 2 days before the Grammys, the songs that bookend the episode are by an artist that is up for Record and Album of the Year.
The third in our Now and Then trilogy, we have some fun with Toto and Weezer. Though we start off with Jeff's refusal to listen to the first song we do find our happy place pretty quickly. In the end he finds his Toto sweet spot, especially with a song that wasn't included originally.
This is a nice quick episode with the question, are Night Ranger hair metal or are they not? We do manage a couple of asides from the main discussion. A country song kept a newer Night Ranger song from #1 on my personal chart which I did not subject Jeff to, but I do include it here.
The first of a series of 3 side stage episodes that feature music from different times of an artist's career. Kim Wilde came on the scene in 1981, has been releasing music for going on 40 years, her music recent new music in 2018 and a live album in 2019.
We also side step into a conversation about radio in Boston in the '80s. It was a great time for radio and a great city for it.
In the final episode of our year in review we venture back 50 years to 1970 and I present some of my favorite songs of 1970 (and 1969) to Jeff. It begins and ends with 2 stories that are just 2 more of the myriad coincidences that have happened to me since beginning this adventure.
In the middle of the episode we end up paying homage to a band that has been cranking out quality music for the better part of 3 decades.
By the end of the episode we have discussed drugs a number of times, I decided that 2020 was a year of discovery and hope (for me), and folded in more discussion about Jeff's daughter Eva, Hanson, and AJR. Oh, and a newer song that has infiltrated my mind in a fantastic way.
Of the 43 songs featured we span from 1960-2020. Songs you know, songs you don't and songs you should. I hope you find some joy out of the joy that I experience in putting these podcast episodes together.
With this month being the 3 year anniversary of our starting to record these podcasts, I reflect back on the story of how it came about, to begin with, and we can owe it all to Jeff.
I talk a bit about the blog writing I've been doing in 2020 and more of that will come up in part 4.
As we discuss a handful of songs that had a big impact on me in 2020, music from the last 30 plus years gets thrown into the mix, we get into a big discussion about Shinedown, Jeff re-discovers a genre that he did not know the name of and Harry Styles does a great impression of Peter Gabriel.
We end on a sea creature and a band with that name.
In this episode we discuss the biggest songs on the Beyond Radio chart this year and how they relate to the Grammy nominations. In the second half of the episode we finally bring Jeff's daughter in, our first interview, to discuss a band that has had their best year in 2020. And, though unintended, the band connects to the band that was a focal point of the first 2020 Year in Review episode, Hanson. Will Eva become a fan, time will tell, but she may become our social media guru.
In part 1 of our Year-End review we talk about my new studio, that I love, the songs that popped up on our Spotify Wrapped 2020 playlists, and other favorites of mine from the year.
We do a breakdown of my #1 song of the year that, not surprisingly, links to a story from Jeff that I wasn't expecting. His daughter Eva, may or may not show up in this episode as well.
Part 2 will explore the biggest songs of the year on Beyond Radio and some Grammy commentary.
The songs in this episode all connect in a sort of succession. A large part of the episode focuses on early Elton John deep cuts that had an impact on my childhood. They connect in ways to my favorite Keith Urban song, Moulin Rouge and an arc about actors who sing and how they are connected.
This was a hot and cold mix of music for Jeff but he is always a good sport. Not always knowing where the next connection was going, a few surprises were revealed. Of those was one that blew me away.
It's a long episode, a little over 75 minutes, but there was no good way to break it up. As always there are laughs to be had.
I teased Jeff and the audience at the end of the last episode by ending before he was aware of the transition from the Editors "Hallelujah" to the Eels.
Once we establish that we delve a bit into that band's music, sampling, and Beck. This segues nicely to the next artist, who exemplify how Alternative music has changed from the '90s 'til now.
From there we deep dive into Country (Jeff's not so favorite place) and talk about that genre's connection to Pop music over the years. Jeff needs to make a point about the effects of Twang on him and how it relates to a spoken vocal style as well.
In the end, I allude to the theme of the next podcast which also includes some Country music and will feature a great backstory, one of my favorite stories connected to the podcast.
This episode makes connections between '80s Goth and Dark Wave and more recent songs in those styles. It starts on a completely different path at first. Jeff wants to play me a song by a local Maine artist that I find was part of 2 groups I know. This leads to another Struts conversation and 2 collaboration songs.
Once the actual theme starts a few different concert experiences come into play, the lack of baritone and bass vocals in popular music, and a lot of talk about songs that build. This seems to be a comfort zone for Jeff, who offers some interesting connections which leads to one that only I became aware of during editing. This process is always so much fun.
We end on a highlight for Jeff that will lead to the next episode.
In episode 2 we continue our conversation with a song title that references a book series but from a content perspective has nothing to do with it. It does lead us into a more in depth look at supergroups, transitioning from an Alt/Metal group to one of the biggest supergroups of all time. A fact that Jeff was unaware of.
Discussing a song by the Last Shadow Puppets that Jeff was kind of sour on may have helped to turn him around on it. And a member of one of the bands it was born from links to another supergroup that connects back to 2 previously discussed bands.
We settle into an alternative comfort zone for Jeff where he appreciates 2 songs he did not know, he talks about a song I don't remember and find out about one of his favorite albums.
In the end, we have some fun with Morrissey and that brings back a connection to a conversation we had in the second episode of the podcast (I thought it was the first).
Enjoy the music discussed and featured on this Spotify playlist. As more episodes are added other songs we discuss will be added to the playlist.
The Pod-Castlist 006 Playlist
In this inaugural episode of Pod-Castlist 006 Jeff and I discuss a handful of songs from bands with quirky names and that tend to go in multiple musical directions during the course of 3 or 4 minutes. As often seems to happen there is some kind of connection to Queen on the episode as well.
A sub-thread about supergroups starts in this episode and extends into episode 2 (the intention was 1 episode but it would have been over 90 minutes).
A short-lived band (and 1 of my favorites) from the early 90's makes a prominent appearance in the second half of the episode and as is usually the case, there is a perfectly timed discovery while editing this episode (which was recorded in Oct. 2018). I must be in sync with the universe.
Enjoy the music discussed and featured on this Spotify playlist. As more episodes are added other songs we discuss will be added to the playlist.
The Pod-Castlist 006 Playlist
Another supersize episode that is chock full of music. It's funny how these top 10 episodes can end up being great introductions into the podcasts from the Castlist playlist if you haven't listened to the others.
Jeff floored me again with 2 of the songs in his top 4. After the top 10 we talk about honorable mentions and what he calls his off list. He found so much music to like in what I add to the playlist through our discussions and the narrative that unfolds. In the end he has become a Harry Styles fanboy. We all should be.
Too much to fit into one super-sized episode so breaking it down into 2 parts. We get part of the way through our top 10's and then go on a COVID-19 tangent. Definitely some surprises (and pleasant ones) on both lists. I think I might have overwhelmed Jeff with all the songs that got added to the playlists after the episodes. We talk about A LOT of music over the course of a Castlist.
Over 2 years in the making, this is the culmination of the "Glam Bam, Thank You M'am, Tonight You're #1" Castlist. The corresponding Spotify playlist for this Castlist now sports 150 songs that we talked about or used in these episodes.
This is also a great episode to introduce yourself to what we do. We provide some background information that helps to tie everything together. And there is a game involved in the countdown that makes it all the more fun. If you've ever attended one of my music parties then you have an idea of what the game is.
But the best part is that this is our 30th episode, posted on the 30th of June in the 30th year of my relationship with my husband John. With all the crazy coincidences that have come up through these 30 episodes it seems quite fitting.
Another great thing about this episode is that it highlights a lot of under the radar artists and songs. And editing it was like hearing it for the first time. This particular episode was recorded towards the end of June 2018.
We continue our discussion linking current music to 50 years ago though Jeff, on face value, thinks the connections are crazy. We throw some love at Sly and The Family Stone and Jeff recalls a link to kids television that proves to be accurate.
We took a break between recording the first and second halves of this episode and in the meantime Covid-19 reared its ugly head. That put a different spin on a song by Canadian's Elephant Stone. This discussion brought in a sitar sub-thread (bringing Harry Styles back for a cameo) and leads to sound-a-likes, plagarism and the Who's Tommy.
Other featured artists include Labrinth, Imagine Dragons, Sudan Archives, The Beatles, Vampire Weekend, The Stone Roses, George Harrison, The Chiffons, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Dirty Honey, Jackyl, Greta Van Fleet, Led Zeppelin, Muddy Waters, The Shocking Blue, Bananarama and Mama Cass. And how does the song "Venus" connect to "Oh Susanna"?
The title says it all. Jeff sheds some light on the hybrid of Country and Hip Hop, painfully executed by Justin Bieber and Florida Georgia Line. Of course this would not be complete without a connection to the Tiger King.
As we move into the actual theme of the episode, the aside does kind of make for a nice transition. New music from Morrissey keeps the wacky quotient up and we get into a 50 year loop that features a well known actor, a disco diva and Solid Gold.
Old soul Harry Styles continues that trend and inadvertently brings in Up With People, lesbians and that actor again. Finally Jeff heard something that I completely missed on the next song by Cod War Kids. As I state in the episode, "I love my life!"
In a continuation of our discuss of the Music Therapy Playlists on the Beyond Radio website, we start in a fun place and mention an oft covered song. After that a talk that includes my high school reunion, Meat Loaf and a musical. From there the best comedy song of all time (IMO) leads to a dark place and then leads to Yacht Rock, so in the end we are all still happy, except maybe my friend Brian.
A Soul Pop band fronted by 2 siblings was discovered through a variety of sources and ends in a great origin story. Then an 80's icon leads to a favorite bonding song among my friends which is a re-discovery for Jeff that he calls a gem.
Finally Queen gets a mention again (in almost every episode LOL) but the real centerpiece is Adam Lambert. Somehow we do end in Billie Eilish territory (but in a good way).
I think this is my favorite episode so far. Lots of laugh and definitely emotional for me. We start by exploring Guster, past and present (and some meows for good measure) and then move into some of my favorite songs of all time. One of those I only discovered this past fall and I tear up also every time I hear it.
And what episode would be complete without a crazy series of seeming coincidences. Jeff found a lot he liked, and I got to challenge him on the twang factor. Along with a few great stories in the mix, we end with the busiest man alive.
Some of the other artists we discuss include Live, Counting Crows, Screaming Trees, Travis Tritt, Lily Allen, The Glorious Sons and one of my Mom's favorites, The Carpenters.
Episode 1 has been a long time coming. Part of it was first recorded before the Grammys and the second half was recorded a couple of weeks after. It was my intention to get the first part out before the Grammys, of course best laid plans.
It became a painstaking process to get this done for many reasons but here it finally is. I almost split it into 2 episodes because it runs 56 minutes but that would have just slowed the process down more.
It starts in a great place where we both agree on a remake of one of the biggest songs of last year, and as is typical, there is a perfect unintended connection when Jeff brings in some music. Grammy predictions follow and then Grammy follow up.
Once we get out of Grammy mode, I bring up Hanson because of a connection to the previously released episode from Castlist 003, Tonight You're #1 Episode 9. This ends up bringing us back to the Grammy telecast, musical theater, Billie Eilish and another coincidence, so in the end a full circle episode.
Part 2 of "Tonight You're #1" is now available. Here we break down 2 other threads connected to the song "Tonite" by LCD Soundsystem. We start off on a progressive note, discussing bands like Spoon, Genesis and Pink Floyd. At times it might get a little somber but it ends in boy band territory where joy and laughter are brought back into the fold. I love how in the end it circles back to the repetition discussion of Part 1 and circles back to a major artist from Castlist 001. Of course there were hidden connections in the music selected for the episode and you'll learn who (if you don't already know) one of my favorite artists is. Some of the other artists brought into the discussion include Beastie Boys, Sheryl Crow, NKOTB, DC Talk, Everclear, Kenny Loggins, Grandmaster Flash and Toto.
In this episode we refer back to a couple of songs from Castlist 001, Ep 5 before diving into the first part of our discussion relating to the song "Tonite" by LCD Soundsystem.
The overall themes of this episode are about complexity, atmosphere and repetition. This episode is jammed with lots of analysis and information and connects at times to my annual music party, which was discussed at length in the 5 episodes of Castlist 002.
In the end Jeff was eager to hear more songs from one of the bands discussed.
The second part travels back over 40 years in my life and how a song by the man who transformed my life, Elton John, connects to current events. And how that experience is transforming my life once again. This episode is extremely personal to me and mentions a lot of people who are important in my life. This episode explains the evolution of the Beyond Radio website and how gifts are all around us if we can see them. This is a video that is explained in the episode. Here is the companion Spotify playlist
The first part is the rant and connects back to the last episode about Caitlyn Smith and also back to the original Old Man Rant and Rave episodes from earlier this year. In the end it's about how artists are marketed and how fun may be coming back to pop radio. The catalyst to that may be Lizzo and see how she may be the next big thing in these 2 videos.
16 months since we recorded our vocals for this episode it finally sees the light of day. And it couldn't be more appropriate than to be released the day, Friday Sept. 13 2019, that Caitlyn Smith releases a new song. That song will be featured in the next episode.
Here, on what is called a side stage episode, I introduce Jeff to my favorite new female vocalist and knowing his love (hiccup) for country music we will see how he responds. I compare her to Sheryl Crow and Maria McKee, we talk about the state of country radio and we side step on the side stage for a taste of cowpunk (Yes it is a thing).
The final episode in our Glam Rock arc. This podcast features one last Struts song, the marriage of Liv Tyler and a place where glam and blues collide. In addition we explore whether new rock music exists (indeed it does!) while being bombastic and slightly sleazy.
Back to the Struts and Glam Rock discussion. Starting with the song "Dirty Sexy Money" we explore glam as party music, follow more of the history from the 70's to now and end with a bonding moment. In between as always we make connections to a myriad of artists, groupies and guardians.
We continue our discussion with a second rave from the Grammys, an unexpected rant about the Grammys and then the next complete rant, more an annoyance. As usual tangents abound and a great story from my past emerges.
A side stage where where I rant about the current state of pop radio, the lack of variety, the voices and more. Plus the Grammys where there is a rant and a rave. And somehow Dolly Parton brings a thematic fluidity to the episode. I never know where the final narrative is going to go when I start the process. And that's part of the fun!
In this episode we transition from our discussion of Queen to a few diva voices and then move to a handful of recent dance pop songs that I think should have seen radio airplay.
As we move into our third series of podcasts, in episode 1 we start with a discussion of the origins of Glam Rock and focus on the current standard bearers of the genre, The Struts. Within our discussion we also talk about a couple of 80's hair metal bands, Robert Palmer/Power Station, some movie connections and re-visit the topic of booty charts.
Months in the making, this episode is a continuation of the discussion that ended Episode 3 when we lost connection. At the beginning of the episode we discuss songs that made the Village Voice's Pazz and Pop list in 1997. The final four #1's also lead to a tangent concerning Billboard's 60th Anniversary of the Hot 100 and their list of the biggest songs of the last 6 decades. I also lament on= the methodology changes over the years.
In the last episode one major story was overlooked in our discussion that centered on the 1988 party. That story leads to a deeper look at the music, especially in the top 10. After that we re-visit a duet I introduced in the last episode by U2 and Mary J. Blige. As I expected Jeff and I come from different ends of the spectrum on that one.
In this episode we start to explore the party #1's that we had not previously discussed. We talk about #1's from the last 80's to the late 90's and quickly realize that the discussion elevates to the iconic albums that they came from.
In this episode we discuss some honorable mentions on our favorites side and then go into each of our 5 least favorite of the music party #1's.
This Pod-Castlist is a great memory lane edition and perfect introduction to Beyond Radio Presents, focusing on Tim’s annual music party where Jeff and Tim pick their top 5 and bottom 5 from the #1’s of the 35 years. A fun overview of 1983-2018, offering some of Tim’s music journey and bringing in some other great music.
Here we each present our top 5 songs from the Pod-Castlist and we find a little bit of crossover on our lists. And one of mine which Jeff called generic at first, was elevated in status in his mind.
In the final look at the influences that shaped the Partridge Family music we have a little rock, psychedelia and quasi-country. In the end we bring some bubblegum back into the mix. As I try to relate the Brady Bunch to a choral rock band called The Polyphonic Spree, Jeff hears something completely different, thus cementing the subjective nature of music appreciation.
In what we refer to as a side stage, Tim gives Jeff a primer on 2 major alternative bands from Canada, The Arkells and July Talk.
A simple yet important song in the Partridge Family canon sparks a look at another actor/singer of the era which brings in Tim’s sister, Bobby Darin and Nick Cave. Then Jeff sees a connection to Jefferson Airplane on one of the Partridge Family’s bigger hits. Finally we look at a song that should have been resurrected for the MeToo movement.
A quick look at how a song called “Sunshine” planted the seeds for a penchant for Gospel and Christian influenced Pop. Somehow Art of Noise and Tom Jones join the discussion.
A look at a few of Tim’s favorite Partridge Family tracks, the 60’s band the group was fashioned after along with his connection to musical theater which evolves into a connection between Julie Andrews and the Canadian band Theory of A Deadman.
The second episode starts a discussion about the band that started Tim on his passionate journey of music discovery. At age 9, the TV series the Partridge Family debuted and became the catalyst for an un-ending quest for new music. The episode links a disparate array of artists, including Eric B. and Rakim, The Soul Searchers, Twenty-One Pilots and Everclear.
1/12/2021 I just listened to this episode after I put out our 40th episode. The funny thing about it is #1 we were so green. We had never done anything like this before and you can certainly tell. #2, what you might or might not detect is that I had to re-record my vocal for it. I can't remember exactly why but the quality of the original was awful. I transcribed it and then recreated it and I think it came out way too animated. For me a little cringeworthy, but hey, it was just the start.
In the first episode we explain the concept of the podcast, a marriage of music nostalgia and music discovery. We discuss the songs that were #1 the day we each were born and the songs that we remember as the first we were cognizant of as a child. And how did we get into a discussion about elevator/beautiful music?