Underrated / Overhated: Recent Episodes
Jacob Waller
Here’s the second part of two about rock music - asking ‘what IS it?’, and ‘isn’t it dead, anyway?’. I can’t promise you that I answer either question completely, but I think I answer them entertainingly at least!
So, if you like rock music - new or old - and you’ve asked yourselves these questions, check out this video. I talk about everything from the Beatles (of course), to Polyphia, to - well, loads!
Here’s episode one of two, looking at rock music generally, asking ‘what is it?’ (harder to answer than you might think), and ‘is rock music dead’?I’ve made a couple videos looking at genre before, and I thought I should look at rock music as a whole - we can all recognise a rock band when we hear (or see) one, but I wanted to go a little deeper and see what really makes the style tick. Whether I’ve done it successively, only you can say!Lots of people - from Rick Beato, to the founder of Rolling Stone Magazine, to rock stars like Roger Daltrey and Gene Simmons - have lamented the death of rock music. But is it actually accurate or fair to say that it is dead? What would it even mean to say that it is dead?I’m not sure if I do manage to answer all these questions in my videos, but I have tried! Part two out soon
YouTube’s algorithms are mysterious and indecipherable - but are they any good? Well, in this video I do a little review of/reaction to Chypho’s album Entomongakum - a sort of electronic ambient album… about insects? It’s cute, it’s wholesome - it’s also weird, and imaginative: so, has YouTube done a good job in recommending it to me?
Is it better to be a generalist or a specialist as a musician? WHO KNOWS - but let's explore the subject a bit. In this video I look at Paul McCartney and another MYSTERY musician while asking what a generalist is, and what it means to be a specialist.Is one better than the other? Is the distinction a real one? Am I getting more and more unhinged with each passing video I make?All these questions and more go unanswered by me in this latest video essay. Enjoy!
Brian Wilson is one of my favourite songwriters, and he LOVES ii V Is (who doesn't). This video is a look at how 2 5 1s are used in the super underrated, and frankly BRILLIANT 1968 Beach Boys single, Break Away, which was written by Brian, and his father Murry.This is a mini follow up to a longer video I just put out about ii V Is generally in popular music, so check that one out too to learn about the chord progression generally!
My reaction video to the Rolling Stone list of 200 greatest singers.The Rolling Stone magazine love their ‘greatest’ lists, and their most recent one is their ‘200 greatest singers of all time’, published in January 2023’s edition. It has rather unsurprisingly generated a fair bit of controversy (and clicks!), and like a lot of people (and probably you), I’m not a massive fan. But maybe not for the reasons that you might expect! Check out my video reacting to the list!#rollingstone #200greatestsingers
ii V I chord progressions, or 2 5 1s, are super popular with songwriters, composers and improvisers in all genres. They are used to change key, or just to loop back to the tonic chord… but they’re also used in loads of very different, arguably even more interesting ways.
This video looks a bit at some standard ways to use 251s, with popular examples, as well as more slightly ‘out there’ versions and uses. In all honesty, there’s probably no limit to how many different ways you can use the famous progression!
Skip to 2:57 to go to the songs discussed
Examples talked about: - Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles) - Parisiene Walkways & Still Got the Blues (Gary Moore) - You Never Give Me Your Money (The Beatles) - I Feel Like I’m Fixin To Die Rag (Fish cheer) (Country Joe and the Fish) - Bear Necessities (Jungle Book) - New York State of Mind (William Joel) - Summer in the City (Lovin’ Spoonful) - Uncle Albert (Paul McCartnet) - Do You Want To Know a Secret (the Beatles) - Birdhouse in Your Soul (They Might Be Giants) - Hello (Lionel Ritchie) - Coleen (Joanna Newsom)
musictheory #circleoffifths #pop #rock
Queen are one of the greatest bands in rock history, with LOADS of classic songs and albums. Who doesn't love them?
With 13 number ones across the world, they are the only band where each member is credited as the sole writer of a chart topping hit. That's right: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon all wrote at least number one each.
BUT the story is actually a little bit more complicated than that. This is my second video about Queen's chart history, songwriting and general background. Hope you enjoy it!
queen #rogertaylor #johndeacon
Queen are one of the greatest bands in rock history, with LOADS of classic songs and albums. Who doesn't love them?
With 13 number ones across the world, they are the only band where each member is credited as the sole writer of a chart topping hit. That's right: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon all wrote at least number one each.
BUT the story is actually a little bit more complicated than that. This video is about Queen's chart history, songwriting and band background. Hope you enjoy it!
queen # brianmay #freddiemercury
So, this is the first video I've made where I'm disagreeing directly with another youtuber - David Bennet's videos are of course great, but I think he kind of missed the point with his one chord video, so I thought I'd explain my thoughts!
I can't pretend to have nailed everything on the topic down, myself, but hopefully you'll enjoy my take on the subject. I talk about everything from the Talking Heads, to The Beatles, Harry Nilsson, Creedence Clearwater Revival - and others!
What IS music genre? How important is it? Is it even really a thing?
These are all questions I tackle in this video - hopefully you find this video interesting, informative, and maybe even entertaining! I talk about everything from blues, to folk, to rock, to jazz - and artists from Jacob Collier to Chris Thile, to Duke Ellington... and everything in between!
In this episode, I'm joined by Everything Everything's Jonathan Higgs to talk about ugliness in music - how it works, how it doesn't work, and the boundaries between the two! We talk about a range of music, and discuss Everything Everything, their latest album, and their general approach to making music.
Enjoy!
Warren Zevon's Desperados Under the Eaves has one of the finest codas in rock/popular music, and some really interesting/weird/genuinely brilliant lyrics.
This is a video about how the song does what it does, and how it fits into the album on which it appears. Along the way, I talk about Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd's the Wall, and a bunch of other stuff.
The song is one of the rare examples of through composition in popular music (or at least the first half is).
Enjoy!
songwriting #music #warrenzevon
The 12 bar blues is probably the most popular chord progression in 20th century popular music, but most people mainly talk about it exclusively in terms of blues players and guitarists (or pianists or bassists... soloists basically) rather than in terms of songwriting.
This video looks at a load of famous songs that use the 12 bar blues progression, across a range of genres, from the 30s, to the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. I talk about tonnes of stuff, from Chuck Berry, to Queen. And yes, obviously the Beach Boys :D
12barblues #music #songwriting
A bit of a reaction video today: I got my American friend to listen to four weird British hits from years past, and tell me what she thinks of them.
We cover songs from the 70s, 80s and early 2000s - all of them at least a bit weird, but not TOO weird: I tried to capture the spirit of British weirdness without going for novelty tunes.
There's some psychedelia, some ska, some punk, and baroque pop!
What do you think of the songs we cover? Should I have included anything else?
Everyone who loves the blues, and loves guitar playing knows that Rory was a great guitarist, but much less attention is given to his songwriting, and his lyrics.
This video about how Rory's songwriting works, looking at Tattoo'd Lady, from his 1973 album Tattoo. It's pretty wide ranging, looking at the chord progression, lyrics, context, genre conventions and wider cultural references.
I'm sure any fan of Rory will enjoy this video! Come for the info, stay for the memes :)
Laura Nyro's Stoned Soul Picnic was most famously covered by The 5th Dimension, but her original version remains the best.
A whirlwind of music, great lyrics and awesome vocals, Stoned Soul Picnic was released in 1968 on the album Eli and the 13th Confession.
This video is about how the song works, and the word 'surry', used throughout the track (WHAT DOES IT EVEN MEAN?!)
Brian Wilson wrote Til I Die for the Beach Boys in 1969, but the song wasn’t released until 1971, on their underrated album Surf’s Up. One of my favourite Beach Boys songs, with possibly their best lyrics, Til I Die has a unique chord progression and is beautifully produced. Some people think that it’s the most depressing song they ever recorded, others think it’s at least a bit uplifting: either way, it’s beautiful!
It was also released as the B-side to the single Long Promised Road, which was one of the Boys’ least commercially successcul singles ever. A shame, becase both songs are fantastic!
In this video I analyse and review Til I Die, looking at the lyrics, the chords and the history behind it, exploring potential links with the Beatles’ ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ and with Irvin Berlin’s ‘How Deep Is the Ocean’. Think of this video as something of an informed reaction to a song I’ve listened to a million times.
Yes’ sixth album, Tales from Topographic Oceans, was released in December 1973, and is infamous in progressive rock circles and beyond. Bloated, longwinded, full of wacky hippy wierdness, trippy and just downright strange, Tales is an 80 minute album comprised of 4, 20ish minute long tracks (one per side).
The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) The Remembering (High the Memory) The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)
As you can see (and as you might expect), the song titles are all a bit silly – blame Jon Anderson and Steve Howe! Rick Wakeman famously disliked the finished album, thinking that there was simply too much padding and second rate material...
But I’m here to ask: is it actually a bad album? Is it actually the failure many people say it is? In spite of its reputation today, it was actually a commercial success at the time, and I maintain that there’s lots of good contained within those 80 minutes of music!
Country Joe and the Fish are best known today for The Fish Rag (also known as I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag), which they released as a single in 1967, and famously performed at Woodstock, One of the most enduring songs written in protest of the Vietnam War, this song has been used in films such as More American Graffiti, and TV series like The Wonder Years.
It’s a quite obviously anti-war song, and the band themselves were staunch non-conformists and communists. The band features a range of weird and wild instruments, from the kazoo to the calliope, and is a damning indictment of the American War Machine. In this video I take a look at what makes this song work, analysing the lyrics and the music.
NOTE: I had accidentally uploaded the unedited audio for this episode and as of 08/04/2022 this has been corrected
Paul Kossoff was the underrated and always tasteful guitarist for the 60s British blues and hard rock band Free, who are most famous for their song ‘All Right Now’. He tragically died at the age of 25 in 1976 but left us with lots of great guitar playing. Known for his immense tone and singular vibrato, this video takes a close look at his style, and one of his final recordings: the instrumental track, Time Away, which was recorded with John Martyn, and features some of Paul’s best guitar playing.
Guitarists from Joe Bonamassa through Dave Murray, Angus Young, Robin Trower and Paul Weller have lauded his playing – Eric Clapton even famously went to him for vibrato lessons! One of my favourite blues guitarists, and hopefully one of yours too now!
Be Bop Deluxe are such an underrated band, and Ships in the Night was the closest they got to a real hit. Bill Nelson fronted this band from 1972-78, and in that time they released five of the most underappreciated studio albums in British music, as well as a great live album. Glam, progressive rock, new wave, hard rock and blues; huge riffs, blazing solos – they do it all.
This video looks at what makes the Ships in the Night work: lyrics, chords production and arrangement, as well as looking a bit more widely at the band as a whole.
If you already know the band, watch this for a close look at and analysis of their biggest hit, and if they’re completely new to you – congratulations, you’ve now been introduced to a great song and a great band!
Folk songs are often known by many names, and this classic is no different! The Hills of Granemore / The Granemore Hare, with plenty of alternate spellings of Greenmore/Granemore/Greenmore...
The point though, is that it's a great song - one of my favourites! In this podcast episode (which is a video-less version of what you can find on my YouTube channel) I talk about some of my favourite versions of this song - by Martin Simpson, Daori Farrell, Dick Gaughan - and explore: 'what makes this song work'?
If you want someone who looks at songs a little more holistically than just 'it's great cos it uses these chords' - then my videos are for you!
Time to talk about the Beatles! A little bit indirectly I guess, because I'm talking about some of my favourite covers of Beatles' songs. From Stevie Wonder, to Aretha Franklin, through Jeff Beck, Joe Cocker and Joan Baez, i cover some great versions of the Fab Four's best songs!
What's the difference between 7/4 and 7/8? Watch this video to find out! I look at a bunch of great songs to expore to different ways of playing with septuple meter in songs.
Things obviously get a little proggy, because odd time signatures, but there's something for everyone here.
Songs mentioned in this video: - Money; Pink Floyd - Solsbury Hill; Peter Gabriel - Unsquare Dance; Dave Brubeck - Lucky Seven; Chris Squire - Thunder Child; Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds - Hello Hello; Caravan
When terrible music goes good: Life by Des'ree is an awful song, BUT IT'S ALSO SO GOOD.
Seriously, this song pleases me endlessly, and I think you'll like it too.
This episode is all about existential dread - yay. Pop and rock (and folk) songs by a range of artists: from Pink Floyd, to They Might Be Giants; Dan Deacon to the Beach Boys.
This is a fun episode :)
Everyone from Paul Simon, to Queen, the Beatles, Whitney Houston and George Michael use pauses in their songs, and it's a really great way to make a song more interesting.
This video looks at a few ways that different artists use pauses in their songwriting.
Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights is an absolute classic, and in this episode, I'm joined by Fire the Canon: Theo, Jackie and Rachel are here to talk Emily Bronte's original novel, and the classic prog song based on it.
Check out their podcast! https://firethecanonpod.com/
WHAT IS PROGRESSIVE ROCK? Beyond being the coolest genre ever, of course.
Well, in this episode of the Underrated/Overrated I tackle this MOST important of subjects. I talk about all the classic prog bands from Jethro Tull, to Yes, Rush and ELP, and what distinguishes this genre from other similar genres.
Why is it different from art rock and jazz fusion?
In fact, IS IT different? Who knows! Well, you will once you've listened to this.
Check out this playlist of prog rock if you're new to the genre https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1G6BrJ4ez7U1Edn9llFtLR?si=e0a90835b85e4d33
Repetition legitimises is an oft repeated phrase - basically a meme unto itself these days, and Adam Neely's videos on it are great... but what if we take that idea and run with it a little?
This video is about applying 'repetition legitimises' a bit more widely in songwriting.
With the recent release of the Green Knight film - based off of a medieval romance - I thought I'd make a shorter video recommending some songs worth listening to get into that medieval vibe. If you love prog or folk, check out the songs I talk about:
Gryphon - The Plowboy's Dream Renaissance - The Vultures Fly High Stan Rogers - Witch of the Westmorland Genesis - Dancing With The Moonlit Knight
And honourable mentions to: Magna Carta, The Strawbs and Carolanne Pegg.
The playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leQMXTmucOE&list=PLjFvLpebHshXXlOgbmqx2uWkkbS2m-vXj
And a full playlist with even more songs:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6FW1o7QSUxabRln5bMjOnE?si=57b597cc37884115
This is another episode where instead of talking about underrated music, we look at something worth mocking.
This time we look at the latest song released by Eric Clapton and Van Morrison. Not only is the song a real disappointment, but both Clapton and Morrison have been upping the ante on their wacky political views recently.
Joined again by Elections, Generally: go check them out!
Ahh Laurence Fox - more famous these days for talking rubbish on TV and radio than for being an actor, this man of many ahem talents has also had a go at writing and recording music. Which went about as well as you might expect.
In this episode, I am joined by Michael and Alex from Electrions, Generally, talking about Laurence's godawful music. We talk about this playlist of dreck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s9F8IEVH10&list=PLjFvLpebHshULr7qTMVP_s5q0-waKJdMw
The Distance The Distance (live on Jeremy Vine) Trainers
Hmm - I still can't work out whether I love this song or hate it. A bit of both I guess.
In this video I talk about patriotic songs generally, and go on a bit of a historical and cultural journey through right wing nonsense. It's a wild ride, but a fun one.
If you want to hear what a Brit thinks of American patriotic songs, you're in the right place. In this video I talk about everything from Lee Greenwood and Toby Keith - to Elton John and Woody Guthrie
This 60s classic is wacky, eccentric and silly - but is it cringe? Or maybe cute...?
Or maybe (just maybe) it's actually neither, and this is a silly false dichotomy. Listen and find out what Jackie from the Fire the Canon podcast thinks of this song (which was totally new to her), and is guided through it by me, BigYellowPraxis/Jacob.
Is this is the kind of song that only makes sense to Brits, or can Americans find a place in their hearts for the cockney silliness?
Chris Stapleton's song, Tennessee Whiskey is awesome - but is it a rip off? What even is a rip off? Where is the line between 'inspired by' and 'taken from'? Should we even care if a song is a rip off?
All these questions and more are explored in this video essay - there are tangents a-plenty, so hold on tight!
What makes a song work? In this episode I talk about The Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms and why it works so well as a song. I go through some music theory stuff, as well as what that actually does for or to the listener
What makes a song work? In this episode I talk about Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A Changin' and why it works so well as a song. I go through some music theory stuff, as well as what that actually does for the listener.
This episode can also be found in video essay format on my YouTube account - BigYellowPraxis - go there if you want some visuals and videos!
Enjoy!
Episode two in an ongoing series of listening to a song and asking 'is this cringe, or is it actually kinda cute?'.
This time I have my little brother on talking about a song by Thin Lizzy - a band I love: Boogie Woogie Dance, from the album Johnny the Fox.
This episode I am joined by NancArtMusic - who you can find through the links below - about weird songs. Nancy is a self-appointed 'basic' person in terms of her music taste, so I figured I'd send her some strange stuff.
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/nancy.art.music/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/NancyArtMusic And her YouTube channel is @NancyArtMusic
The songs we talk about are: Incredible String Band - Maker of Islands (a biiiiit weird) Funkadelic - One Nation Under The Groove Frank Zappa - Don't Eat The Yellow Snow King Crimson - Indiscipline
You can find me at: https://twitter.com/PraxisBig https://discord.gg/YdEs4uZ2 https://www.instagram.com/bigyellowpraxis
We all know and love Jim Steinman's music, even if we don't know we know and love his music. He was the man behind many great 70s and 80s hits, and he unfortunately died a few weeks ago. This is my tribute to the great songwriter and producer.
This episode, I talk with my friends James (sunderlorn on twitter), and we discuss: - Meatloaf, Bat out of Hell - Jim Steinman, Bad for Good - Bonnie Tyler, Total Eclipse of the Heart - Sisters of Mercy, Dominion
Part two in a series about great album covers. Please like and subscribe :)
You can find me at: https://twitter.com/PraxisBig https://discord.gg/YdEs4uZ2 https://www.instagram.com/bigyellowpraxis/
We talk about: Has It Come to This? - The Streets (Original Pirate Material) Mountain Road - Project Smok (Bayview) Fall Back - Factory Floor (Factory Floor) Pigs - Pink Floyd (Animals) Echo - Talisk (Abyss) Rotlicht - Oliver Huntemann (Propaganda)
In this episode I talk with Peter Saint-Andre about four underappreciated albums that run from very concept-y to slightly concept-y, while asking 'what is a concept album?'.
The albums we talk about are: Caravan - In the Land of Grey And Pink Riverside - Love, Fear and the Time Machine Ween - The Mollusk Hem - Departure and Farewell
You can find me elsewhere at: https://twitter.com/PraxisBig https://discord.gg/YdEs4uZ2 https://www.instagram.com/bigyellowpraxis/
My first and possibly only NSFW episode, about the history of filthy music - proceed at your own risk. A bit of a quick tour, but we cover some interesting ground!
This episode we talk about: Mozart - Leck mich m Arsch Lucille Bogan - Shave 'em Dry Cyndi Lauper - She Bop Salt n Pepa - Shoop Cardi B - WAP Lil Nas X - Montero
NOT FOR THE LACTOSE INTOLERANT
Now that you've been warned, it's time to dive into my defence of some of the cheesiest songs in pop - from the 60s to the 00s. All of the songs we cover are excellent, but they're certainly cheesy.
This episode I am joined by Will and Ash from the Listen2This podcast - find them wherever you listen to podcasts, and on Twitter @Listen2This_
The songs we talk about are: - The Monkees, Goin' Down - The Monkees, Randy Scouse Git - Abba, SOS - Cyndi Lauper, Girls Just Want to Have Fun - The Scissor Sisters. Take Your Mama
This is something of a special bonus episode in between longer episodes: I recently met someone... a bit of a freak of nature, if I may say... who doesn't like music.
Weird, I know! But, liking a challenge, I set upon trying to find some songs he would like - so in this episode I am joined by Jamie from the Mocking Jays Podcast (@iseejamie on instagram).
Check them out on Twitter and Youtube!
In this episode, we talk about: - Warren Zevon, My Shit's Fucked Up - Gladys Knight and the Pips, Midnight Train to Georgia - Wilson Philips, Hold On - Steve Hillage, Meditation of the Snake
Any long time listener to this podcast will know that I absolutely love the Beach Boys and the music of Brian Wilson. This is essentially my opportunity to talk at my guest about how they are the most misunderstood band in popular music.
My guest is Hamish from the STFU Dad music podcast (@silencefather on twitter) and I introduce him to some of my favourite Beach Boys tracks, and tell him some of the (weird and crazy) history of the band. If you're not already a fan, I'm sure much of it will surprise you!
This episode we talk about: - All I Wanna Do (Brian Wilson and Mike Love - Sunflower) - Feel Flows (Carl Wilson - Surf's Up) - Slip On Through (Dennis WIlson - Sunflower) - You Need a Mess of Help To Stand Alone (Brian WIlson and Jack Rieley - Carl and the Passions) - Never Learn Not to Love - (Dennis Wilson... and a certain someone else - 20/20) - And the entire Smiley Smile album!
Find me on Twitter@PraxisBig
The first in a series of episodes about songs that are right on that line between cute and cringe. This episode I am joined by my friend, Lotte and we talk about On Horseback, by Mike Oldfield.
Most famous for his debut album, Tubular Bells, Mike Oldfield released this song as part of his Ommadawn album. It's a weird one, for sure - though the album is one of the best progressive rock albums ever!
This is the first of possibly many episodes about album covers - this time I am talking to Kevin and Mark from the Yes Music Podcast, who can be found here https://yesmusicpodcast.com/
We talk about: Van Morrison - Hard Nose the Highway Ryley Walker - Golden Sings that Have Been Sung John Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow Ben Craven - Great and Terrible Potions Rick Wakeman - The Six Wives of Henry VIII Genesis - Nursery Cryme
Enother episode dedicated to just one great song, this time Devil Got My Woman by Skip James.
Again joined by James (@sunderlorn on Twitter) - we discuss Skip's original and a radically weird cover by British folky John Martyn.
Brilliant song, two brilliant artists! Check me out on Instagram, YouTube and everywhere as BigYellowPraxis for more content
Anyone who has listened to this podcast knows I love Van der Graaf Generator - they're weird, wonderful and totally unique! And cetainly underrated, even by prog listeners.
In this episode, I talk to Kelly from Tapestry Music podcast about a small selection of my favourite VdGG (as the cool kids call them) songs:
- Arrow
- Killer
- Lizard Play
- La Rossa
Kelly covers loads of music on her podcast - check her out! https://open.spotify.com/show/24K2Ut5HSij6mznq0ogMtw?si=gdiGdOKvRqa2hEEK1gMzgg
She can also be found on all the social medias under 'Tapestry Music Podcast'
Please follow me on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and any social media - you'll find me under 'BigYellowPraxis.
In this episode, I talk about folk music and folk revivals with musician Theo Chandler, from the podcast Fire the Canon. We cover everything from 1940s folk music, to the 2021 TikTok sea shanty trend.
If you want to learn all about folk music, and its many different types, this is the podcast for you! We talk about:
- Richard Dyer Bennet
- Odetta
- Phil Ochs
- Fairport Convention
- Bok, Muir and Trickett
- Planxty
- Bellowhead
- The Longest Johns
Check out Theo's music @: Website: theochandler.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/FireTheCanonPodcast
And check out The's podcast - Fire the Canon - about the English literary canon!
www.firethecanonpod.com https://www.instagram.com/firethecanonpod/
In this episode I chat to John Adams from the marketing and promotion agency, The Score, based in California.
We talk about guilty pleasures, and songs that are perfect for running and driving. We cover some great songs, some of which were totally new to me!
- John Denver - Mother Nature's Son
- Herb Alpert - Rise
- The Doobie Brothers - China Grove
- Stephen Ashbrook - I Feel Good
- Muse (Feat. UCLA Marching Band) - Pressure
- Pantera - Mouth For War
- Dschingis Khan - Moskau
- Phil Collins - Son of Man
- MelodySheep - Seize the Day
In this episode of my podcast about underrated music, I talk about Gentle Giant - one of the quintessential 70s prog bands - with Jake from the hard rock band Sleepcircle.
Gentle Giant are uniquely weird amongst the already uniquely weird 70s progressive rock bands, and never really saw the sort of commercial success that many of their peers did. They are definitely underrated, and worth listening to for any music fan.
Sleepcircle are a Vancouver, B.C based hard rock band who can be listened to on Spotify.
And are also on Twitter (@sleepcircleband), Instagram (@sleepcircle) and on Facebook.
Give them a listen and a like!
Not everyone loves comedy music - some people think it's just a bit goofy and silly. But I like it! And so does Brian from the TVTriviaPod podcast. You can find him on all the things @TVTriviaPod
This episode, we talk about a few of our favourite funny songs, and compare British to American humour.
In this podcast we talk about: The Wurzels - Combine Harvester Goldie Lookin' Chain - Guns Don't Kill People Jilted John - Jilted John Tenacious D - Tribute Lonely Island - Threw It On The Ground Weird Al - Trash Day Bad Lip Reading - Russian Unicorn
You can find me on YouTube, Instagram and Reddit at BigYellowPraxis, and on Twitter @PraxisBig
Will this train to hell ever end?
Probably, but not today! Here's another episode about terrible music, this time about music made by John, Paul, Ringo and George after they left the Beatles.
There's some shocking stuff here, so consider yourself fairly warned.
In this episode, we talk about: George Harrison - Under the Mersey Wall (Electronic Sound) Paul McCartney - Temporary Secretary, Evony and Ivory, & We All Stand Together Ringo Starr - Stop and Smell the Roses & Drumming is My Madness John Lennon - Cambridge 1969
You can find me on YouTube, Instagram and Reddit at BigYellowPraxis, and on Twitter @PraxisBig
The third episode in a series where I learn about music completely outside of what I listen to, and also teach a friend about a genre they never listen to.
This time I learn about sadcore from my friend Rebecca, and I talk to her about baroque pop. The genres are very different, but also similar in a way... sound intriguing? Then give this a listen!
We talk about: The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee The Zombies - A Rose For Emily The Millennium - To Claudia on Thursday Stevie Wonder - Pastime Paradise Dry Cleaning - Goodnight Porridge Radio - 7 Seconds Squid - The Cleaner FEET - English Weather
This is the second in a series of episodes in which I listen to music I never listen to, and introduce a friend to music that they never listen to!
Today I am talking with my friend Niall about the blues (which I listen to a lot) and EDM (which I do not listen to a lot!).
The songs we talk about in this episode are: Yer Blues - The Beatles Calling Card - Rory Gallagher Black Magic Woman - Fleetwood Mac Tocame - Sak Noel Baiana - Bakermat Feel - Mahmut Orhan
This episode we talk about four underrated Christmas songs - from No Doubt, through Stan Rogers to Jethro Tull. There are also some honourable mentions, and even our most disliked Christmas songs!
Corey Feldman, Paul Gascoigne and a 70s British news reporter all walk into a bar...
Not quite, but they do all star in this episode about awful music! The 5th episode in our 'Worst Music in the World' series, where we search for the absolute worst songs. Only listen if you are a true glutton for punishment.
This is the first episode of a genre swapping series - I make a playlist for a friend, and they make one in return, based on music that we know little about!
I am joined by my friend Felix, and he has given me some UK Drill to listen to, while I have given him some trad folk. Definitely an odd contrast.
in this episode we talk about the artists: SL, FOLHIO, Digga D, Dave, Tion Wayne, June Tabor, Martin Simpson, Daoirí Farrell and Stan Rogers
As something of a Part II to my previous episode on left wing folk (check it out!), in this episode I tackle right wing rock music.
I'm joined by Michael and Alex from the British political YouTube channel, 'Elections, Generally'. Find them here https://www.youtube.com/c/ElectionsGenerally
They're also on twitter at @fuzzy_hair and @AlexKennedy42
Funky post-rock celtic instrumental group, the olllam, released their debut (and so far only) album 'the olllam' in 2012 to great critical acclaim, but no where near as much commercial success as I think they deserve.
This is a genuinely brilliant album that blows me away with every listen. I'm joined in this episode by my friend Alex, who had never heard the album before, and we chat about it!
And no, I don't know why they like using so many letter 'l's, or why they avoid capital letters. It's cool though, isn't it?
The first episode in a series about great (but still under appreciated!) songs.
This one is about the Lead Belly song 'Out on the Western Plains', and two of the best covers of it: one by Van Morrison, and one by Rory 'No-Not-One-Of-The-Blokes-From-Oasis' Gallagher.
One of my favourite folk albums ever! Full of great singing and awesome, unconventional guitar playing - Dick Gaughan's 1981 album, Handful of Earth, is pretty much perfect from start to finish.
Joined by my friend Alastair, we talk about the album and why it's brilliant.
This episode covers a few songs, a couple of which we actually disagreed on!
The two dubious stars of the episode, though, are Brian Wilson's criminally unkown rap track, and the UK Christmas number one by Mr. Blobby. If you like awful music, you're in for a treat today!
If, however, you have good taste and self respect, you may be best off avoiding this episode.
Stan Rogers is arguably the most underrated folk musician of the 1970s. He had it all: the voice, the lyrics, the songs and the attitude. Tragically, he died at the age of 33 in a plane crash at his creative peak.
Luckily for us though, he left us a brilliant body of folk music, ranging from sea shanties to traditional ballads - all brilliantly performed and recorded. In this episode I talk to my brother about Stan's musicianship, and the skills of those who recorded with him.
Will my girlfriend ever love the Beach Boys as much as me?
Probably not! But I can at least get her to watch Love and Mercy - the critically acclaimed biopic of Brian Wilson - with me, and hopefully bring her one step closer...
This is the first podcast I've done on a music related film, rather than music itself, although we obviously go back and forth a bit between the film, the lives of the musicians, and the music itself. Enjoy!
Here's an episode about the difference between poetry and lyrics!
Every episode of this podcast revolves around a playlist of songs that I send to a friend or friends, and we talk about it. This time, I sent some lyrics out presented as poetry and then - after a week or two of digesting them - sent out the songs for them to listen to.
We talk about the difference between the lyrics when read as poetry and when heard in the context of a song.
All 3 of the songs are themes around 'life and death'. Enjoy!
My friend Katy hosts this episode and tells me all about Britpop and why it is an unfairly maligned scene.
If you would like to hear the music we talk about in this episode, check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Cg7euAXMkDqdjto4q4dM3?si=9wUieSZTSXKABovpPYxt-A
Working our way through the alphabet of names, we now come to GHI. Three awesome songs talked about in a neat little episode.
Apologies for the slightly lower audio quality in this episode. The songs we talk about here are: Geronimo's Cadillac by Michael Martin Murphy DIary of Horace Wimp by ELO Icarus by Martin Simpson
Join me again for the alphabet of names!
'I'm sorry, what?' Basically, I choose a song (or a few) with a person's name for each letter of the alphabet. For example: Annie's Song for A, Barbara Ann for B.
This time we're on to D, E and F, and it's a very folky one! Incredible String Band, Mr. Fox, some traditional irish folk... all great stuff!
If you'd like to hear the music we talk about in this episode, check out the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qFrK18boDsR70Hz51lsKQ?si=QYxu6oSoSfGP8_qNrnv-uw
Part three in a contuining series about terrible music. I hope you've all been enjoying the music so far (as far as you can enjoy the tracks we discuss...).
This time we are tackling The Shaggs, who are sort of the Shakespeare of Bad Pop Music. We also discuss an amazingly awful song by the interestingly named IceJJFish.
Enjoy!
Who doesn't like a lefitst folk song?!
Given their lack of popularity, probably a lot of people! Anyway, this is unfair - whatever your political inclination, there's lots of great music to listen to within this general field.
Here I talk with my friend Richard about some of the more (even more than usual) underrated and overhated lefty folky songs (a couple aren't actually folk, but I need a catchy title).
Enjoy! Here's the playlist of the songs we talk about: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Rw99Fn3lq8LJEt1H5SDuY?si=Em2-BhAuRRC5oF5MkfxNgA
What is the worst music in the world?
This is the second part in a series of episodes about terrible music. A bit of a change from the usual - talking about underrated music - but bad music can bring us joy and entertainment just as much as good music can!
Join us on the dubiously valuable journey of trying to find the Holy Grail of Bad Music, 'The Room' of Awful Audio.
This time, a couple of odd tracks essentially written by comittee: The Most Wanted Song, and The Most Unwanted Song.
OK, so this is a weird one. But basically, a few months ago I tried to think of a song with a name in for each letter of the alphabet.
For example: Annie's Song for A, Barbara Ann for B.
This is the first in a series of podcasts introducing some of these songs to my friends. We're starting at the beginning of the alphabet (crazy, I know), with A, B & C.
The songs discussed here are: Alucard by Gentle Giant; Barrett's Privateers by Stan Rogers; and Carmelita by Warren Zevon.
What is the worst music in the world?
This is the first in a series of episodes about terrible music. A bit of a change from the usual - talking about underrated music - but bad music can bring us joy and entertainment just as much as good music can!
Join us on the dubiously valuable journey of trying to find the Holy Grail of Bad Music, The Room of Awful Audio.
Second and final podcast themed around Rock vs High Culture.
This time we discuss rock music themed around Greek myths, and a few other topics.
If you're interested in listening to the music we talk about, the playlist can be found on spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1rBlEz2mcYqYT59j4O0qFh?si=GPuHAYn3SnKbeS25sHgV6w
The concluding second part where my friend James and I talk about 'the sublime' in popular music. It's another long 'un, so get comfortable!
We cover everything from New York synth punk to French Zeuhl... I almost feel like I owe my listeners an apology (but you shall get no such thing).
Enjoy!
If you want to listen to the music we talk about, the playlist can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1W64Q4rjfhF1f2wzdrpBTk?si=vLypfINkQ6uM5S_-TaC7cQ
Another episode about underrated music!
This time I am talking to three of my friends about rock music and it's relationship with 'high culture' (whatever the hell that is...).
Again, there's a playlist if you'd like to listen to the songs we talk about (and of course you do!): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1rBlEz2mcYqYT59j4O0qFh?si=jjvyKGPhRsKoEx3QxEexUA
What is 'the sublime'?
What does it make us feel?
Why is it so hard to articulate?
And most importantly: how on earth are Van der Graaf Generator so cool for a band with their name?
Join us for a chat about the sublime in popular music, and get answers (kinda) to all of these questions and more!
This is part one of two episodes, so look out for the next one, if you think you can stomach even more inane rambling.
If you're interested in the music we talk about in this episode (and you should be), check out the spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1W64Q4rjfhF1f2wzdrpBTk?si=AKT3pMuOSyS2Wt1QkrPv5Q
Continuing the trend of odd episode themes, this time I am talking to my brother about similar songs, and comparing them.
Not rip offs, per se, but similar in theme or subject matter... you'll just have to listen to see what I mean!
Either way, where else are you going to hear a classic Kate Bush song and the Pina Colada Song mentioned in the same breath?
If you're interested in listening to the music discussed in this episode, check out the playlist on spotify!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1zgMzbGZeZxx1Fa3M8cKVA?si=g-5dji9GTlCfJnQEEvU-iQ
This time we're listening to and talking about songs that are about science - my friend Alex and I discuss some underrated songs on their scientific accuracy.
Enjoy!
If you are interested inlistening to the music discussed, you can find it here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/48Ll3FVjv1Xzw7dmZctEy9?si=o-Hvht5MS8iLJXwOvp8t-A
Songs about food and drink!
Yes, maybe a weird topic, but what can I say. This time joined by my girlfriend (who loves all things food and drink). A longer podcast than usual, but there's some great music in this episode so sit back with your favourite beverage and your favourite dish and enjoy our ramblings.
And here is the playlist we talk about! Enjoy!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1XPzmtkxT7ah0r0Xi3Ogag?si=3Om1C3E4Ry2IqBG6ioeRUQ
Episode 3 is here.
This time talking to my friend and bandmate Lewis (whose music can be seen on youtube at The Misanthrope Man) about some underappreciated waltzes (and nearly waltzes) in popular music.
The playlist for this episode can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dE22uY1HklHTJIlv6Jass?si=_dNJgng1QtWU2uquCqBf0Q
Second episode of my podcast about underrated or unjustly hated music.
This time talking to my friend and bandmate, Brett about some 70s power trios!
The playlist for this episode can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/72tvJ4ELKsX79pp8PYQazP
First episode of my podcast about underated music - with my friend and bandmate Katy.
We talk about mostly 70s prog bands and their weird approach to sexy music. Bawdy lyrics and fun silliness abounds!
The playlist we listen to can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/60HPBJV0YGo9yRrjZUYxw6