The Blastfrom staff discuss the rich history of popular music. At least that is the honest intention of this podcast which usually descends into madness.
A long swim back to the atomic age where no animal is safe from being launched into space and the era of Rock & Roll music is coming to an end. It's the year 1958. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Another ill advised rating of 3 rappers from across the decades. These ratings are based on a snapshot of each rappers career and has very little scientific basis.We discuss the following 'seasons' of each rappers career -Dr. Dre in 1992-93Kool G. Rap in 1995-96Future in 2015-16The categories are:RhymesTechniquePerformanceAcclaimPopularityComplaints can be voiced to blastfromcastfrom@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In 1994, Gang Starr released one of their most celebrated albums. It's still regarded as one of the very best albums of what was arguably the greatest year in the history of rap music. At the time the cassette was the format of choice and that would allow around an hour of audio and most artists were more than happy to fill that up. You've heard the saying 'do more with less' but in this instance we want to do less with more. Once again we try to edit down a beloved album to fit the single disc LP format. Was hard to Earn hard to edit? Direct your thoughts and feeling to blastfromcastfrom@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We review the reviewers in the latest Critical Lug, this time with a different format yet again. This time it's a three way dance of death pitting the top 3 best reviewed albums of the year 2024 against one another. The albums are'brat' by Charli XCX'Songs of a Lost World' by The Cure'Absolute Elsewhere' by Blood Incantationhttps://www.metacritic.com/news/best-albums-of-2024/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We're swimming back in rare chronological order with the year that directly followed 1973. Another Ted Heath update as well as a muddled retelling of the Watergate scandal. Plus the movies, television and music of 1974.If you'd like a Spotify playlist of songs from the year to soundtrack your journey with us, you can find that here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2lul9o7l30ghV2wRgbsu9O?si=OwBam23wQWeXXw-tPoYMtQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode we rate three rappers in five categories to arrive at a rating. This is not to be taken entirely seriously but is a fun discussion about Hip Hop's obsession with knowing who is the best in the world.Rather than focussing on the tired conversation of who is the greatest of all time, we take a snapshot of each rapper at a particular point in their career. Will Smith from 1997-1998Redman from 1992 - 1993KRS-One from 1996-1997The categories are:RhymesTechniquePerformanceAcclaimPopularityPlease accept our apologies in advance.Listen to the playlist here and see if you agree https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7lmSQKYtAUB5U69nxbBuFE?si=faf942537f5e426f Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aloha from the Blastfrom Castfrom. We're swimming back to the year 1973. David Bowie, Bruce Lee, Edward Heath, the mobile phone and the supposed birth date of Hip Hop are all topics of discussion. If you'd like a Spotify playlist of songs from the year to soundtrack your journey with us, here you go - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4XVHxwqJI4ZqHyxacTnQUu?si=00a74f92a17145d4
Another attempt to fit a square peg into a round hole. In this episode we talk about how OK Computer, the highly regarded album by Radiohead, could be reconstructed to fit onto a single sided LP. At our disposal is the entire OK Computer album in addition to the songs recorded in the same time period that were included in singles and the OK Not OK rerelease from a few years ago. We're not making any statements about the quality of the album - we're just playing a game of basic addition and subtraction. And because this is the internet, you should see this as a great opportunity become infuriated and think about how stupid we are that we left off your favourite song. Make your own suggestions at blastfromcastfrom@gmail.com Spotify Premium users can listen to a simulated version of the Blastfrom Edit of OK Computer on Blasfrom Music + Talk https://open.spotify.com/show/3KzWHQG3FW20u5rUjrGMAy?si=97acf26a0ef9423b
"I like early Kanye West..." we heard 'em say. On this episode we scrutinise the work of college dropout Kanye West, charting his transition from jobbing producer in the mid to late 90s to Rapper/Producer to Producer/Rapper and finally to supposed saviour of rap music in the mid 2000s.
The return of Perfect Breath also known as the Blastfrom Castfrom. As is now custom, we take a very short journey back to the year we have just endured - this time the year 2023. Can't remember what happened that year - well listen up and you'll discover we're all in the same boat.
It's Christmas time - a time to bring together your favourite festive songs and pit them against each other. Combatants this year include Elton John, the Andrews Sisters, Perry Como, Aqua, Destiny's Child, Tom Waits and many more. Once you've listened to this episode you can hear the winners in the playlist below, which also includes the winners of Part 1. Listen to the episode first though or it'll spoil the whole thing for you. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6XtCMjD3onbpcZw6mvhAsH?si=b07e4759cf644d74
We review the reviewers in the latest Critical Lug, this time with a slightly different format. This time we take two critically beloved albums from the year 2023 and pit them against each other. The music critics have to convince us which album is the most compelling. There albums are 'Guts' by Olivia Rodrigo 'Everything Harmony' by The Lemon Twigs If you'd like to follow along, we have included links to the reviews, compiled by Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/music/guts/olivia-rodrigo https://www.metacritic.com/music/everything-harmony/the-lemon-twigs
Blastfrom goes to the movies once again and this time we are meeting Jables and KG for the feature film debut of Tenacious D. Despite arriving in the middle of a red hot streak of hit movies for star Jack Black, the Pick of Destiny was a complete miss and deemed a box office bomb. In this episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom, we try to un-pick the reasons why.
The music of Deep Purple has spanned 7 decades and there have been 8 different line-ups during that time. But no line up has captured the record buying public quite like the 2nd version of the band, commonly referred to as Deep Purple Mark II. In this episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom we desks the highs, the lows, the breakups and the reunions of this version of one of the most successful rock bands of all time.
Come with us for a time swim to the year 1976. There were half as many people on earth as there are now and the doomsday clock had nearly 8 more minutes. Find out what else was going on and whether the music of the day eye wateringly better than it is today on the latest episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom. email: mail@blastfrom.com
The wise Reginald Standholt aka Baba Gadji joins the Blastfrom Castfrom one more time. We talk about what he has been up to since 2020 as well as his new show coming soon to Blastfrom Music + Talk.
The subject of this pukka podcast is Jamie Oliver. The overriding question is 'why?' or perhaps 'how?' If you're from the United Kingdom, the man needs no introduction. For everyone else, Jamie Oliver is a very rich and famous English chef, who likes to turn his hand at a number of activities - one of which is music. Top bloke! Get at us at mail@blastfrom.com
This is our review of the year 2022. Because in this diabolical decade each year is better than the next, we can look back on each preceding year with both something closely resembling fondness. The big topic of the year are the end of human civilisation with the birth of Skynet… I mean ChatGPT… and we look at how this could effect creativity in the future of popular music. Communications rendered by artificial intelligence can be sent to mail@blastfrom.com
The revolutionary force in music history podcasting is back with an episode that has nothing to do with music history. However, ancient historic musician Snoop [Doggy] Dogg has a big part to play in one of the most noteworthy moments of this years events. Let us guide you though our review of the annual festival of professional wrestling - Wrestlemania. Acknowledge us at mail@blastfrom.com
Local celebrity Robbie Williams gets the edit from the Blastfrom team. We take his critically derided, but highly successful 1998 album I've Been Expecting You and edit it down to tow sides of a single LP. Released in the heyday of the compact disc, this was a prime example of the technology. Square peg, meet round hole. Suggestions and protestations to mail@blastfrom.com
Warning: This episode contains every possible SPOILER for the movie Bad Boys (1995). To celebrate the recent announcement of the next Bad Boys sequel and also feed our newfound obsession with notorious Oscar slapper Will Smith - we present the review of the original Bad Boys movie. In hindsight, the huge success of this film leaves little for you to wonder about. But when it was released in 1995 there was no guarantee this would work at all. A generic Miami Vice rip off action movie, directed by a nobody and starring two sitcom actors. So we blast back to 1995 and see what all the fuss was about. Reviews of the review to mail@blastfrom.com
Bad Bunny was the most streamed artist on Spotify in the year 2022. Having no idea what a Bad Bunny sounds like, we turn to the music critics. Critical Lug is where we rely exclusively on the writing music critics to guide us on whether or not an album is worth listening to. How many overwrought analogies can they draw upon; how many platitudes can they produce to effectively describe the sound of Bad Bunny's 2022 album ‘Un Verano Sin Ti'? And is it possible for a person to become furious about music they've never heard? Your best wishes can be sent to mail@blastfrom.com
The Blastfrom Castfrom is back for another year and so are the BRIT Awards, the British Phonographic Industry's annual awards show. Like a regular health check-up, this is where we try to find out health of contemporary pop music. And as we get older these health check-ups get more arduous and increasingly terrifying. Next time we'll send Carlos. Comments and questions to mail@blastfrom.com
In this year we discuss the year 2021, also known as 2020 Part 2. This is the Blastfrom annual review of the year that just passed, except a lot later in the year than usual. Perhaps that additional time will have generated a greater fondness for what was a very uneven year.
Anthrax - Megadeth - Metallica - Slayer The Big 4 of Thrash Metal are to this day the most famous and influential America heavy metal bands of all time. And for a brief period of time, they made metal music very popular. In this episode we listen to all of the full length studio albums released by these four behemoths of metal - more than half a days with of music. For the one member of the squad familiar with thrash metal it was a delight. For the others it was interesting. And what is the best way to consume that much heavy metal. Questions and hate mail can be directed to blastfromcastfrom@gmail.com
Writing about music is like arching about dancitecture. In this episode we turn to the music critics among us - those tasked with trying to measure the worth of an art form and subsequently conveying that worth to their own audience. We have zoned in on the collected professional reviews of Harry Styles' recent album Harry's House. We try to glean, from the florid descriptions of this piece of popular music, what it actually sounds like. Then compare the reality. Yes, it is kind of reviewing the reviewers. Now we just need someone to review this podcast episode for civilisation to fold in on itself. Show notes: Send your reviews of the review of the reviews to blastfromcastfrom@gmail.com Co-host Mat Tabletop mentions a Spotify playlist, which is available to listen to here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1sqhZSpsMShkYZZR29wTUf?si=2c69678734f24513 You can also access the reviews mentioned in this episode at https://www.metacritic.com/music/harrys-house/harry-styles
Notorious Academy Award assailant Will Smith was once a very popular and successful musician. Not only is he a pioneering figure in the now burgeoning genre of assaulting comedians on stage, Smith was also once a trailblazer in the genre of Rap music - winning the first ever Grammy award for Best Rap Performance. Now that the 'Ali' actor's film career appears to be on the ropes, perhaps he'll turn his attention to his long neglected musical talent. With that in mind we take a listen to the multi-decade spanning album discography of the Fresh Prince.
For heavens sake, the Blastfrom Castfrom have reunited for some severe punishment. In this episode we have the the impossible task of editing Wu-Tang Forever (the Wu-Tang Clan's 1997 quadruple album) to a single disc LP. Will it be a great triumph, or a pile of dog zhit?
For the second year in a row, the Blastfrom Castfrom abandons the premise of being a music podcast to review the Grandaddy of them all - Wrestlemania.
The Blastfrom Castfrom is known to it's several dozen listeners as a time travelling podcast - where we look into the historical context and interesting stories in popular music history. Every now and then we check back in with more contemporary music... just to see what's going on. Kind of like a nosey neighbour peering through their blinds. Awards season is the perfect time to find out what that noise is and who is responsible. The BRIT Awards are like British Phonographic Industry's annual awards show. And we watched it.
It's been 20 years since Metallica made their first attempts at recording their 8th Studio album. Following the Load and Re-Load albums, this load took over 700 days to emerge. The whole process was almost entirely documented in the 2004 film Some Kind of Monster. In this episode of the Blastfrom Castform we discuss that eventful documentary as well as the fruits of their arduous labour - St. Anger; the counter argument to the old adage 'if at first you don't succeed...'
Hurling at you now is the latest episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom. The world of Wayne's World (or maybe that should just be Wayne's world, small 'w') has been quoted enough times on this podcast that it seemed worthy of further discussion. The original Wayne's World movie was an early 90's phenomenon - hugely successful and culturally significant. The sequel also happened. If you're interested by the premise of two slackers of indeterminate age bumbling their way through life... you'll hear them discuss Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2 on this podcast!
In this sequel to the Musicians in the Movies episode we discuss thespian invasion of pop music. People who imagine themselves so talented that one branch of the entertainment industry cannot hold them. Some people hate it - they're taking up space after all that could be allocated to professional musicians. Space in the studio. Space on the record release schedule. And finally space in the bargain bin. Now thanks to your favourite music streaming services, the efforts of these actors are now out of the bin and can take up space in your head - including Bruce Willis, Katey Segal, Eddie Murphy, Crispin Glover and many others. Listen along with us on the latest episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom. Not literally on the podcast, listen on your own time – we're terrified of the army of copyright infringement seeking robots, scouring the internet like dream shattering Terminators. Back to the Future II didn't predict that one.
Tim Michaelson returns to the Blastfrom Castfrom in a life changing episode. You might know the Village People as a novelty Disco act from the late 1970s. You might not know they are a source of inspiration for self improvement - where faith meets unwieldy muscularity. Tim lets us in on the secret of his success - turning the words of Village People into a way of life. A powerful life. Listen to the latest episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom and better your pathetic life today!
In this episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom we take a look and listen to David Bowie in his most financially successful incarnation - a bleach blonde superstar playing to the MTV generation. It was time to cash in on a decade of good will and critical acclaim. He reimagined himself once again, jettisoning his long time production partner Tony Visconti in favour of hit maker Nile Rodgers. Not only that, he managed to pack in a mediocre film career - most notably as the Goblin King in Jim Henson's Labrynth. All this and much more is discussed on the latest episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom.
For the unfamiliar – Beef Rap is not a bovine offshoot of the popular music genre. To have ‘beef’ with another person is to take umbrage with something they have done or said. In Rap music, these issues are best addressed through the medium of song. Fury is not always the motivation for starting a lyrical feud. Some are looking to make a name for themselves, assert their overall dominance over the entire genre or, if you’re in and around of the Ultramagentic MC’s, you do it for the belly laughs. As out of our depth as Busy Bee preparing for a battle rap with Kool Moe Dee, Blastfrom takes you through an idiots guide to Beef Rap on this episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom. We discuss the Bridge Wars, Tim Dog vs The City of Compton among others. And of course, we examine the most over analysed rap feud of all time – Jay-Z vs Nas. The fans, the ‘experts’ and the artists themselves have all addressed and come to their own conclusions about this legendary beef – but perhaps the feeble view of three Scottish dorks will finally settle the argument.
Imagine all the people enjoying the year 2020. In this episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom we terrible year and try to wring out what little pop culture related discussion points existed. We hope someday you will join us and listen to this episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom.
Gerrymania is running wild on the latest episode of Gerry’s Show on the Blastrom Castfrom. Rustlemania, more commonly referred to as WrestleMania, is presented every year by WWE. At Gerry’s suggestion, we abandon the entire premise of the Blastfrom Castfrom and talk about something current and with a very tenuous link to music. WWE’s WrestleMania features elbows, a liquid hat, butt shaking, special effects, absurd make up and a box-like structure – and that’s just in one match-up! Get ready to suspend your disbelief like never before in this episode of the Blastfrom Castform.
The western world has never been able to let go of the 1980s. For the last 3 decades we’ve been revisiting that time in our history, trying to recapture the magic. If you combined Michael Mann, Walter Hill and a Paul Schrader script with entirely too many ellipses you might get something like Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2011 film ‘Drive.’ The film stirred up a modernised 80s nostalgia that that was represented perfectly by the musical genre Synthwave. In this episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom we discuss Drive and it’s influential soundtrack, fawn over Ryan Gosling and argue about Albert Brooks.
In the absence of a live music experience over the last year, Blastfrom constructs the ultimate fantasy gig. In order to pass history class, we must collect historical figures from pop music history and force them to play before a packed San Dimas High School auditorium – this time without the guidance of George Carlin. Bear witness to the outcome of this absurd and convoluted premise in the latest episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom.
Cover songs – the tracing paper of pop music. Or perhaps its more like flat pack furniture. Or ‘Paint by Numbers’ might be more accurate. Overwrought analogies run even more wild than usual in the latest episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom (which is really saying something) as we cover the covers. We talk about Pat Boone, who made a name for himself reimagining R&B hits for a particular audience. Jimi Hendrix, Limp Bizkit, Aretha Franklin, Fugees, Big Mountain, the Cast of Glee are just some of the artists who wanted a piece of someone else’s action. What were the motivations behind these cover songs? Obviously money, but perhaps there’s something more. We (or at least two thirds of us) take a listen to well known cover songs and try to figure out – was it all worth it? The latest episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom is available on all the podcast services worth knowing.
The endlessly fascinating Lauryn Hill is a cherished icon of 90s Hip Hop and R&B. Her debut solo album was a smash hit, critically lauded and received an embarrassment of riches during awards season. In the years since, the reputation of this piece of work has grown. Retrospective reviews have heaped praise upon praise for Hill’s one and only solo studio album. It figures into just about every ‘best of’ list you can think of. In short, the people have held it up as a masterpiece. However, that doesn’t save ‘The Miseducation of Lauyn Hill’ from the Blastfrom Edit treatment. Released in 1998, deep into the Age of the Compact Disc, this album makes use of all everything the format has to offer. It would be impossible to cram every detail into a single disc LP. That’s what the Blastfrom Edits are all about. For no good reason other than it’s a thing to do, we take an album into our hearts, study it and find the most appealing way to butcher it into a format for which it was never designed.
Belly was a film released in 1998, starring rappers Nasir “Nas” Jones and Earl “DMX” Simmons. It was very poorly received in it’s initial run but quickly earned something of an odd cult status. It was also the bare beginnings of a burgeoning film career for DMX. He was a big deal at the time. Nas’s film career was not quite as… burgeoning. Written, directed and produced by Harold “Hype” Williams, Belly was his baby. A notorious and highly influential music video director at the time, Belly was his first and only step into the world of motion pictures. The film chronicles a turbulent year in the life of the two main characters as they begin selling a new kind of narcotic in Nebraska. It’s a distillation of every element of late 90s mainstream rap music and a milestone in the folklore of that scene. Which is why it’s amazing none of the Blastfrom contingent had ever seen Belly, until now. Feedback and opinions can be sent to mail@blastfrom.com. Remember to subscribe and follow on your favourite podcast service.
A Christmas Gift for You from Blastfrom. 24 festive songs are pulled from Santa’s sack are pitted against each other. We apply what is called Seasonal Reasoning among other things to decide which of these songs are etched into the Blastfrom Festive Playlist and which are banished forever into oblivion. If you disagree with any of the choices, there’s pretty much nothing you can do about it – recording’s over, you missed your chance. mail@blastform.com is the address if you want to say something regardless. Happy Holidays.
The first and possibly last Gerry Mak takeover on the Blastfrom Castfrom. As promised, topics of the day are addressed briefly before delving into the most interesting voices in pop music history. An additional strong disclaimer - do not follow the advice given by Gerry regarding social distancing. Maintain distance as recommended by government and health officials.
The heady days of the 1960s. So in love with ourselves and each other that space travel seemed of utmost importance. If extraterrestrial life exists, they'd be so pleased to see us right? We come in peace - and love. Fast forward to 2020 and we can't even stand to be around each other -why in the name of all that is good should we spread our disease-ridden, hate-filled bodies all over the universe? So travel with us back to a simpler, loving but equally confusing time. We're talking about the granola of Woodstock, Apollo 13, Captain Beefheart, Jim Morrison, The Beatles (of course) and The Shaggs.
Blastfrom goes to the movies. In the latest episode of the podcast we review the fascinating concerts film ‘The Song remains the Same’ starring Led Zeppelin. Released in 1976, The Song Remains the Same is an odd kind of concert film. The live performances at Madison Square Garden are interspersed with story sequences that apparently represent each band members particular tastes – mushrooms, fire swords, wigs, carpentry and mountain climbing. If you’d like to watch the film before you listen to the podcast, it’s available to buy from various online retailers. If not, listen anyway and get a slightly warped view of a concert film classic.
Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Adele, Linkin Park, Neil Young, Prince, Smash Mouth, Queen, Guns N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Rihanna and the Village People… These are some of the artists who would not appear on the Donald Trump playlist by their (or their estates) own volition. Toby ‘Suplex Machine’ Keith is eligible for the Donald Trump Playlist, among others. To hear a rundown of the musicians who endorse the 45th President of the United States, discussion of same and an earnest and admittedly failed attempt to remain completely impartial on the subject, listen to the latest episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom. As always, hate mail should be directed to mail@blastfrom.com.
Questionable popular culture is the lifeblood of Blastfrom. Nothing is more questionable than the popularity and cultural relevance of Wrestling in recent years. So we look back at some of the moments when music and Wrestling squared off. Music has been an integral part of the identity of Pro Wrestling for decades. You have the all important entrance themes, wrestlers who turn their talents to music and musicians who’ve decided to step foot in the ring. Speaking of which, we also watch along with a match of titanic importance. People often argue about intermingling fighting disciplines – Karate vs Judo, Mixed Martial Arts vs Boxing – now you can find out what happens when wrestler is pitted against musician. On the January 1st 2007 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, rapper Kevin Federline did battle with rapper/wrestler John Cena. If you’d like to watch along you should probably subscribe to the WWE Network and look for the above episode. We’ve also heard that you can use the search engine of your choice and somehow land on a copy of this fight… but that’s none of our business. But the way, did you know that the initials WWE don’t stand for anything? Once upon a time it used to stand for World Wrestling Entertainment but, according to the Wikipedia page on the subject, those initials no longer mean anything. Isn’t that weird?
Physical Graffiti was Led Zeppelin’s first and only double album. It’s reason for being is Led Zeppelin’s inability to part with any songs born in the freewheeling sessions at Headley Green. So impressed with their bounty, well over the 45 minutes or so required for a single LP, that editing was not an option. The output of these sessions would have amounted to something approaching an album an a half. Given that they couldn’t part with a second of their 1974 sessions, they stuck on a few outtakes from previous sessions, creating a double album. What has happened now is that four idiots, with very little musical background, have attempted to do what Led Zeppelin could not – make Physical Graffiti a single album. To many the very idea is sacrilege. Physical Graffiti might be their favourite Led Zeppelin album, or their favourite album of all time. Understand, we’re not attempting to make a better album. Through the process of reduction it’s entirely possible we’ve somehow made a much worse album. If you’d like to hear how we meandered our way to the final version of this album – listen to this episode of the Blastfrom Castfrom. We’d be delighted to hear your take on our version of the album or any alternative versions you might have come up with. Send your hate mail to mail@blastfrom.com.
Here at Blastfrom we live by the ancient adage that, when it comes to popular music, opinions are like ******** – many are utterly rotten and the vast majority should be kept from public view. [Editors note – tell me more about this exceptional minority…] The world famous metadata review site Rate Your Music encourages thousands upon thousands of it’s users to expose their opinions to the world. These ratings and reviews combine to create a chart detailing the top rated albums of all time. Rate Your Music has a very dedicated following and are credited as an excellent starting point for people wishing to explore the most highly regarded albums in any given genre, year or of all time. We felt that talking about the greatest albums of all time would not be in any way interesting. In fact it’s often divisive. We want to bring people together. And nothing brings people together more than ‘bad’ music. Speaking of bringing people together, we collect some past guests of the show to discuss a reconfigured and qualified take on Rate Your Music users least favourite albums of all time.
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