Listen Closely with Jon & Chris

Your favorite podcast co-hosts share some exciting news regarding new episodes of Listen Closely with Jon & Chris, as well as a subpar Michael McDonald impression. 

Jon and Chris are joined by Jim Moscater and Listen Closely newcomer, Mike Slatky, for the finale of season two. The four take an insightful and entertaining look at Tattoo You from The Rolling Stones. Released nearly forty years ago and consisting almost entirely of previously unreleased demos and outtakes, Tattoo You was the surprise hit album of 1981, and the album's second side is considered by many fans and critics to contain some of the Stones' most ambitious and innovative work. Tattoo You and the outlandish music videos from the album also helped introduce a new generation of fans to The Rolling Stones, with the album being released less than a month after the premiere of a new 24 hour music television network known as MTV.

In a career that has spanned an impressive sixty years, the great American troubadour, Neil Diamond, has given the world plenty of hits (and a few misses). One of the more fascinating moments in this career came when he joined forces with Robbie Robertson of The Band (much to the chagrin of Robertson's bandmates) for 1976s Beautiful Noise. While the album produced little in the way of commercial hits, it contains some of Diamond's most moving, sentimental, and admired songs (the album's closing track, Dry Your Eyes, was notably covered by Sinatra).  For the penultimate episode of Season 2 of Listen Closely with Jon & Chris, the co-hosts honor the incomparable Neil Diamond on the occasion of his 80th birthday (January 24th), and take a closer look and listen at this nostalgic 1976 ode to Tin Pan Alley and to days of yore. 

Starting 2021 off with the most contemporary album they have discussed to date, Chris and Jon do a deep dive into 2014s Lost in the Dream from American indie rock band, The War on Drugs. Upon its release, this album quickly garnered praise from critics, many of whom considered it to be one of the best albums of the year.  Lost in the Dream is a moody, atmospheric, and emotional journey that showcases the talents of prolific singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Adam Granduciel, and this hauntingly beautiful album has its roots in American folk-rock, synth-rock, 1980s new wave, and psychedelic rock. 

Jon and Chris welcome Jim Moscater back to the podcast, and the three say goodbye to 2020 in style by paying homage to the Brazilian Bossa Nova craze of the 1960s, and the album that started it all. Featuring the brilliant American saxophonist, Stan Getz. and the legendary Brazilian guitarist, Joao Gilberto, the album introduced America to the beautiful and stylish songs of songwriter and pianist, Antonio Carlos Jobim. Getz/Gilberto also made an unlikely star of Gilberto's wife, Astrud, who sang vocals on the album's biggest single, 'The Girl from Ipanema' (a song that would become one of the most recorded in the history of popular music, and would also go on to inspire two Playboy spreads), and the album helped to usher in an era of smooth lounge music in the mid-1960s that would pave the way for chill pop music in decades to come. 

In this very special (and somewhat long) episode, hosts Jon and Chris take a fond and sentimental look back at their favorite Christmas music of all time, and each of them count down their top five Christmas carols. The duo also discuss their December 1985 acting debuts in a third grade production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, in which Jon portrayed The Ghost of Christmas Present and Chris had a three-line 'cameo' as Boy With Turkey.

There was no escaping the Fine Young Cannibals and their chart-topping album, The Raw and the Cooked, in 1989 and 1990. Combining new wave, techno, and soul sounds, the album was #1 for seven consecutive weeks during the summer of 1989, and their lead singer, Roland Gift, graced the cover of Rolling Stone, was named one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People, and had a golden voice that drew comparisons to Al Green, Sam Cooke, and Mick Jagger.  And while their success was short-lived (The Raw and the Cooked was the group's second and final studio album), their music left an indelible impression on pop music and on Chris and Jon. Listen as the two take a look back on this vital and hugely successful 1989 album, as well as their shared affinity for peanut butter sauce.

As the lead singer and principal songwriter of the pioneering 1970s soft rock group, Bread, David Gates was one of the decade's most successful and accomplished songsmiths. Releasing six studio albums in their less than a decade together, Bread had more than a dozen hit singles (five of which peaked in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 between 1970 and 1976), and over the years, Gates' songs have been covered by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Hootie & the Blowfish.  David Gates will celebrate his 80th birthday on December 11th, and in honor of this very special occasion, Jon and Chris take a sentimental look back at the songs of this groundbreaking, brilliant, and often unsung hero of soft rock. 

Though they had been together since the late 1970s, Sheffield, England's Pulp would ride the Britpop wave of the 1990s to finally achieve superstar status in the UK and beyond. Fronted by the cheeky and lanky singer/songwriter, Jarvis Cocker, the group combined new wave, disco and synth-pop sounds with Cocker's irreverent, witty, and often times depraved lyrics to create some of the most memorable alternative music of the 1990s. Their 1995 album, Different Class, is a watershed moment in Britpop and 1990s alt-rock, ultimately making Pulp rival the likes of Oasis and Blur.  On the 25th anniversary of the release of Different Class, Jon and Chris look back on an album that is anthemic, sexy, at times dark, but still incredibly relevant a quarter-century after its release. 

By the mid-1970s, Fleetwood Mac were a well-established blues/rock band with a cult following and a revolving door of guitarists. Widespread commercial success, however, had eluded them. That would all change in 1975 with the addition of a brilliant young guitarist and singer, Lindsey Buckingham, and his incredibly talented on-again/off-again girlfriend, Stevie Nicks. This would catapult Mick Fleetwood and company into superstardom, and their incredible songs and behind-the-scenes drama would make them one of the most successful and endearing bands of the 1970s and 1980s. Forty-five years after its release, Jon and Chris look back at this landmark album's mostly exceptional eleven tracks, Buckingham's guitar virtuosity, and the band's secret weapon: Christine McVie.

Though it had been fifteen years since their debut, Genesis released their eponymous album in the fall of 1983. This was a fitting move, as the album signaled both a change in the group's songwriting process, and also a move toward a new, more accessible pop/rock sound with traces of their progressive roots interspersed periodically. Across the course of nine well-crafted tracks, Phil Collins and company tackle a garden-variety of strange topics on the album, including a haunted seaside cottage, illegal immigration, and a visit to a Cuban brothel. Genesis guitarist and bassist, Mike Rutherford, considers this 1983 effort to be one of the band's finest, and so do Chris and Jon. Take a listen as the co-hosts fondly look back on this catchy, schizophrenic, and at times demented album.

Rock and Roll can often times be a bit of a soap opera, and the circumstances surrounding the making of this landmark album were no exception. Addicted to heroin, drinking heavily, and obsessed with a gorgeous blonde model (who happened to be married to his best friend, George Harrison), a young Eric Clapton assembled a stellar line-up of musicians to create one of rock's most intense and harrowing albums. This line-up included an up and coming Southern rock guitar virtuoso and an accomplished drummer who also happened to be a deranged madman. Add lots of whisky and cocaine to the mix, along with a young Rita Coolidge, and the writings of a 12th century Persian poet, and you have the makings of one insane rock and roll experience. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its release, Jon and Chris celebrate this heart-wrenching and bluesy magnum opus from Eric Clapton and company.

The 1990s were quite the decade for U2. They reinvented their sound and style with the daring album, Achtung Baby, and then quickly released the equally impressive follow-up album, Zooropa, less than two years later. But 1997s Pop proved to be a commercial and critical disappointment, and left many wondering if Bono and the boys were starting to run out of ideas. And then they made a triumphant return to form in 2000 with All That You Can't Leave Behind, an upbeat and often uplifting album that proved to be the perfect soundtrack to the optimism associated with the dawn of the 21st century. The album would also later provide the songs that would help a bruised and bloodied world begin to heal in the days and weeks immediately following the September 11th attacks. On the twentieth anniversary of it's release, Chris and Jon look back at the milestone album that would mark the beginning of the third chapter in the story of one of rock music's most important and successful groups. The duo also discusses a wide array of topics oddly related to their memories of this album including different types of cheese, a late night drunken pizza bender in Hartford back in June of 2001, and Kaiser Soze.

Despite the massive commercial success of their debut single, Creep, in 1993, most critics dismissed Radiohead as a one-hit wonder. But two years later, their sophomore effort, The Bends, took the world by storm and by surprise. Filled with dark and lovely ballads, soaring vocals, and grinding guitars, the album would go on to be considered one of the best albums of the 1990s, and eventually one of the best of all time. It would also cement Radiohead's reputation as one of the most brilliant and innovative acts in rock history.  Take a listen as Jon and Chris celebrate this epic masterpiece twenty-five years after its release. 

Jon and Chris take a look back at the career and legacy of the great Eddie Van Halen, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 65, and the music of Van Halen. 

Released nearly five years before their commercial blockbuster, Brothers in Arms, made them MTV superstars, 1980s Making Movies is considered by most critics and fans to be Dire Straits' true masterpiece. Though it contains only seven tracks, each of them tell a spectacular tale (from star-crossed lovers, to a sultry girl on roller skates, to the leather-clad homosexual Berlin underground from days of yore) and are expertly crafted and perfectly played and by the great Mark Knopfler and company (featuring the E Street Band's Roy Bittan on piano and keyboards). On the 40th anniversary of its release, Jon and Chris take a look at this landmark album from a legendary group.

When it was released in the summer of 2004, Hot Fuss- the debut album from the Vegas-based band, The Killers- took America (and eventually the world) by storm. Chock-full of catchy, anthemic songs and a synth-laden sound that calls to mind the best of 1980s New Wave, Hot Fuss went on to become one of the most well-received albums of the new millennium, and is considered to be one of the most successful debut albums of all time. It also solidified The Killers' place in the annals of modern rock. Listen as Jon and Chris finally embrace 21st century music (Chris boldly proclaims The Killers to be his favorite band of the 21st century) and do a deep dive on this monumental and incredibly infectious album.

From his early days as the frontman for the pioneering art-rock band, Roxy Music, right up until present day, the great Bryan Ferry has crafted both a sound and style that has been imitated countless times, but never quite duplicated. In honor of this suave and dapper crooner and songwriter's 75th birthday on September 26th, Jon and Chris take a look at his 1987 solo effort, Bete Noire. And while the two have a heated disagreement regarding the album's nadir, they both agree that the album is Ferry's undisputed solo masterpiece, and that gender reveal parties are one of the most asinine trends in modern society.

His upbeat and snappy 1988 solo debut, Faith, made him an unexpected global superstar and- in his own words- ‘every little hungry schoolgirl's pride and joy.' But with his 1990 follow-up, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, the late George Michael did an about-face and released a stripped-down, deeply personal collection of songs that reflected his own struggles with both fame and his private life. Critics and fans (and, in particular, his record label) were left perplexed and even a bit disappointed. But the album grew in popularity over the years, and on the occasion of its thirtieth anniversary, Jon and Chris examine this milestone achievement from an immensely talented singer and songwriter.

There isn't much to be said about the 1976 masterpiece from the Eagles, 'Hotel California,' that hasn't already been said. And yet, in the Season Two premiere of Listen Closely with Jon & Chris, the two manage to devote an entire hour to the album. Featuring their trademark polished harmonies, Hotel California also includes some of the finest work that Don Henley and Glenn Frey ever turned out (and a stellar songwriting cameo from then Eagles newcomer, Joe Walsh). With a long and weird summer quickly coming to a close, and a season of uncertainty looming on the horizon, Jon and Chris discuss how this groundbreaking album is the perfect soundtrack to paradise lost, to the summer that slipped away, and- as Chris put it- to dashed dreams.

Widely regarded as one of the most influential bands of all time (they're Jon's #1 favorite band) and long praised by critics, Roxy Music were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame in 2019. Yet their 1980 album, Flesh + Blood, was largely panned by critics and dismissed by many die-hard Roxy Music fans. In the final episode of season one of Listen Closely with Jon and Chris, the two make a compelling argument as to why (despite one painfully terrible track) Flesh + Blood is the very definition of a summer album, and is one that contains some incredible songs and deserves a closer listen.

In the penultimate (a word both Jon and Chris are quite fond of) episode of season one of Listen Closely with Jon & Chris, the guys are joined by longtime friend and fellow popular music enthusiast, Jim Moscater. The three discuss the jazzy, funky, and cryptic 1977 masterpiece, Aja, by Steely Dan. Featuring the finest session musicians of the era, infectious grooves, and Steely Dan's trademark perplexing lyrics, the album captures Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker at their creative zenith.

After a five-year disappearing act which landed him on a mountaintop surrounded by Buddhist monks, the charming and eloquent Canadian singer-songwriter/poet/ladies man returned to the music scene refreshed and reinvigorated with several new songs (ten, to be exact), Cohen also joined forces with this album's secret weapon: Sharon Robinson, a multi-talented singer-songwriter and instrumentalist. Jon and Chris discuss this moving collection of songs- Cohen's first of the 21st century- and the start of what would be the long and productive last chapter of his incredible life and career.

On July 13th, 1985, the Live Aid concerts were held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia. They featured the top pop and rock musicians of the day, and over sixteen hours of live music. Organized by a fading post-punk/new wave performer (Bob Geldof) the purpose of the concerts (which were referred to as a 'Global Jukebox') were to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. The result was a wild, raucous, and often entertaining day of music, insanity, and strange hairstyles. Chris and Jon take a look back at a few of the few highlights and several of the lowlights from this seminal day in rock and roll history, thirty-five years later.

Perfect July 4th Weekend listening, this landmark album from the legendary Boz Scaggs is blue-eyed 70s soul at its absolute finest. Featuring incredible musicianship, smooth vocals, and slick production, the album is filled with infectious melodies and bizarre lyrics (track #2, 'Georgia,' is not an ode to the Peachtree state, but is instead about a man's relationship with a much, much younger female). Get the dirty lowdown on this amazing collection of songs as Jon and Chris rave about this sentimental summer favorite from 1976.

A monumental album from The Boss. Chris loves it, Jon has mixed feelings about it. But both agree that this is one of the most important and significant rock albums of the 1980s and perhaps even of all time. Listen as Chris gets all professorial while discussing the finer points of the title track, and Jon spends a large part of the episode singing the praises of a song that's not even on the album,

Jon and Chris look back on twenty-five years since high school graduation. They are joined by their old friend and classmate, Joe Beleznay, and the three take a nostalgic trip down memory lane and revisit the good (and not so good) songs that defined the long, hot, crazy summer of 1995.

Summer is kicking into high gear, and in the midst of Covid-19 and nationwide unrest, it's time for a little distraction. And what better way to do that than with with the seminal glam rock album from the late, legendary, iconic David Bowie?!

One of the most underrated bands of the 1990s (and beyond) is undoubtedly the multi-talented Manchester band, James. Produced by the legendary, Brian Eno, their 1993 album - which contains the hit song, 'Laid'- is widely considered to be one of the best to come out of the UK in the 1990s. Take a close listen as Jon and Chris examine the album, and make a compelling argument for why (more than a quarter-century after it was released) the album sounds as fresh and relevant as ever.

This genre of music (often referred to as 'Yacht Rock' or Marina Rock') is so near and dear to both Chris and Jon that they obnoxiously devote over an hour to it. Listen to this often entertaining and occasionally rambling analysis of the smooth, easy sounds of the late-70s and early-80s. And what better way is there to launch a summer of isolation and social distancing then by extolling the virtues of Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins and Boz Scaggs?

Breakout your favorite red headband, and listen closely as Jon and Chris discuss one of the most popular and successful rock albums of the 1980s. And while the two agree that the album (featuring incredible guitar, vocals and lyrics by the incomparable Mark Knopfler) is a watershed moment of 1980s music, take a listen as Jon and Chris nearly end a friendship that has lasted more than three decades simply because of 'Walk of Life.'

Wait. What?! Weren't these guys a throwaway one-hit wonder? Guess again and listen closely. The album is a wild rollercoaster of a ride, but Jon and Chris make a compelling argument for this being one of the finest (and most misunderstood) albums of the 1990s. 

Chris celebrates his birthday, and Jon uses the word 'disillusionment' 63 times in thirty minutes. The two also discuss what is widely considered to be Elton John and Bernie Taupin's masterpiece, an album that seems ironically apropos for quarantine life.

Mysterious, angry, boozy, sweeping. These are just a few words to describe this often underrated 1980s masterpiece by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. The album finds Costello at the peak of his powers as a singer/songwriter, and the album's production was unlike anything he had done before or since. Listen as Chris and Jon analyze this haunting and troubling collection of songs. 

Dark, brooding, funky, and sexy. This album reintroduced the world to U2, who returned after a lengthy hiatus with a new sound and a new style. Chris and Jon take a close look at this masterpiece, and discuss its staying power and how- nearly thirty years after its release- it is still as relevant, intense, and bold as ever.

He was everywhere in 1985, as a singer, songwriter, drummer, producer, actor (!). But how well does Phil Collins' wildly successful, seminal 1985 album No Jacket Required hold up 35 years later? Take a listen as I'm joined by my friend and fellow music nostalgia fanatic, Chris Ciarmiello, as we pull apart anything and everything about this synth-heavy, sometimes somber, classic by Phil Collins.

Mick, Keith and the boys at their swaggering and sexy best. Not just a landmark Rolling Stone's album, but the benchmark by which all other great rock albums are measured. Doom and gloom lurk at every corner of these finely crafted ten songs, and while the Stones would have a hell of a run in the 1970s (and beyond) it's questionable that they would ever top this masterpiece.