That Record Got Me High Podcast

As far as debut albums go, there's some that seem to appear out of nowhere as a fully-formed, perfectly realized statement-of-purpose. New Jersey-based drummer, blogger, and lawyer Steve Kirsch makes the case that Hoodoo Gurus 1984 debut 'Stoneage Romeos' is just such a record. Chock full of pop culture references AND hooks for days, these Australian pop/garage gurus came out of the gate swinging with a stone cold classic.

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While other punk/hardcore bands of their time seemed to be in a race to be the heaviest AND fastest, San Francisco's Flipper slowed things down to a crawl, and imbued their brand of existential nihilism with a healthy dose of detached irony. Hoboken New Jersey musician Dan Cuddy (Hypnolovewheel, The Special Pillow) brings us their landmark debut, 1982's 'Album - Generic Flipper', in all its ragged glory. Strap in!

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It might be easier to mention the bands this week's guest Dan Bonebrake HASN'T played with - his bass playing has graced the likes of Lightworkers, The Honest Liars, Manta Wray, Dashboard Confessional, Grey & Orange, John Ralston, War Generation, Vacant Andys, Enablers, Seville, Quit, Fay Wray, Pivot, Anchorman, Where Fear and Weapons Meet, Cori Elba, The Stiff and on and on... This week, Dan, brings us Washington D.C. post-har...

For this special BONUS episode we asked our Patrons to send in some of their favorite songs by a band featuring someone OTHER THAN the usual front person. Let's show the sidemen (or side-women) some love!

Songs featured in this episode: I'm Sticking With You - The Velvet Underground; Sleeping On The Sidewalk - Queen; Coffee & TV - Blur; Where's The Money? - French, Frith, Kaiser & Thompson; Broken Chair - Luna; Years Long A...

Soundly maligned upon its release in 1971, Paul (and Linda) McCartney's whimsically pastoral 'RAM' has only grown in stature over the years, with some insisting that this joyfully strange collection of songs basically invented indie-pop. This week's guest, musician Nick Estes (The Parts. Wonderful Smith), joins known Beatles agnostic Rob to unpack this post-fab-four classic. Ram on!

Songs discussed in this episode: Too Many Pe...

When Chicago blues pianist, singer and songwriter Johnny Iguana (The Claudettes) discovered bands like Minutemen and Husker Du as a teen in Philadelphia, it opened up a world of musical possibilities he's STILL unpacking. He eventually came into possession of The Roxy London WC2 - a live album of recordings taken from various punk bands that played at The Roxy club in Covent Garden, London between January and April 1977 - and the r...

Author Chris Connelly (Cargo Recording Studios 1977-1985) joins us to unpack criminally underrated UK band The Chameleons and their 1983 debut album 'Script Of The Bridge'.
Cargo Studios, though only active from 1977 to 1985 in Rochdale, quickly became the epicentre for post-punk and independent recording bands across the UK, including The Fall, Joy Division, OMD, Gang Of Four, Felt and many many more. Chris was THERE for some ...

This week, Marina and Mick Muhlfriedel of the late 70s/early 80s techno-pop band Vivabeat, join us to discuss the endlessly innovative Brian Eno and his 1977 solo album, 'Before and After Science'.
"Here he comes
The boy who tried to vanish
To the future or past, is no longer here..."

King's Lead Hat (Brian Eno cover) - Ultravox; Man From China (Live, 1983), Wild World (Live, 1979) - Vivabeat; Virginia Plain - Roxy Musi...

This week's guest, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist for the Portland, Oregon-based band The Builders and The Butchers' Ryan Sollee, brings us Fugazi and their third full-length record, 1993's 'In On The Kill Taker'. Raw, visceral and at times raggedly beautiful, it's the sound of a band that - true to their DIY ethos - refused to compromise.

Songs discussed in this episode: Facet Squared (Live, Los Angeles CA 03-08-99) - Fugazi; ...

For this special episode, Rob asked artist, musician and flight attendant Cori Elba - who ALSO happens to be his daughter - to curate a playlist of songs by female artists/female-fronted bands that had an effect on her life. As you'll hear, these aren't just 'favorite songs', but songs she's listened to literally hundreds of times and that ultimately played a huge role in her development as an independent, badass female h...

Musician, songwriter, film and TV composer and record producer Ben Vaughn (Straight From The Hat with Ben Vaughn) brings us Alan Vega and his 1980 self-titled debut solo album. On this release, Vega - one-half of groundbreaking New York synth-punk duo Suicide - delivers stripped-down, minimalist songs that manage to feel both ancient AND avant-garde!

Songs discussed in this episode: Bye Bye Bayou (Alan Vega cover) - LCD Soundsystem...

This week's guest, singer Anne Richmond Boston (longtime member of Atlanta band The Swimming Pool Q's), brings us World Party and their wonderfully effortless pop-rock gem, 'Goodbye Jumbo'. Essentially the solo project of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger, this 1990 release - which according to Q magazine and dozens of critics was one of the best albums of that year - definitely warrants a deep-dive...

Blur's third album, 1994's 'Parklife', was released the same year as Oasis' debut 'Definitely Maybe'. And while many saw this as Britpop's answer to a Beatles/Stones rivalry, none other than Ray Davies himself considered Blur - and especially Parklife - as the heir apparent to ANOTHER classic British band, The Kinks. This week's returning guest Corey duBrowa once again brings the goods as he and Rob attempt to unpack this UK Classi...

Derisively referred to as "Nobody's favorite Neil Young album", Young's 1986 release 'Landing On Water' was conceived at a time when his own record label, Geffen, sued him for creating albums unrepresentative of his familiar style. This week's guest, Musician/Filmmaker Rossellini, contends that this confoundingly claustrophobic release - filled with icy-loud drums, synclavier and synthesizers - deserves a second look...

For this special BONUS Patron-curated episode, we asked Patrons of the show to send in a song where the bass playing really caught their ear...and GOT THEM HIGH!

Songs discussed in this episode: Big Bottom - Spinal Tap; Good Times Bad Times - Led Zeppelin; Don't Look Any Further - Dennis Edwards; Iron Fist - Motorhead; Slow Hand - Three Mile Pilot; Psycho Killer - Talking Heads; Effort To Waste - Saccharine Trust; Rope Ladder To Th...

This week's guest, writer, director, producer, journalist and musician Gabriel Rotello, brings us the stunning debut studio album by Patti Smith, 'Horses'. Gabriel's latest book, 'The CBGB Conspiracy', is a gritty mystery novel set during the sweltering NYC summer of 1977, with Son of Sam on the prowl and the city rocked by the blackout. As both a musician who lived that scene and a longtime LGBTQ journalist, Gabriel's insight into...

Returning guest and long-time friend of the show Tom Lawery brings us Sub Pop band (by way of the Carolinas) Band Of Horses and their second album, 2007s 'Cease To Begin'. Both evocative AND rocking, it's a record that delivers big riffs in a beautiful, indie-guitar pop package.

Songs discussed in this episode: Luther (Kendrick Lamar and SZA cover) - Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell; Trinidad - Geese; The Funeral - Band Of Horses; ...

Technically Jeff Beck's seventh solo album - but only the second to bear only his name on the front cover - 1975s 'Blow By Blow' became a million-selling top-5 album, and proved once and for all there was truly nothing Jeff Beck could not do with a plank of wood and six strings. This week's guest, Filmmaker/Musician Peter Spirer (Rugged Entertainment), joins Rob as they attempt to unpack this instrumental classic.

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His songs have been covered by HUNDREDS of bands over the years, and he's rightly been nicknamed the "Father of Rock and Roll". John Lennon may have said it best, "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'."
This week's guest, New Orleans musician Smitti Supab (Captain Buckles), brings us 'The Great Twenty-Eight' by the late, great Chuck Berry.
"Hail, hail rock and roll!"

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