Tim's Listening Party

Over the past year, Tim's Listening Party has seen Tim Burgess bring his world famous Twitter Listening Parties to the radio, as he's sat down to go through classic albums with the likes of New Order, Def Leppard, U2, Skunk Anansie, the Kinks, Tears For Fears, Simple Minds and many more. The show will return on April 14th with brand new episodes looking at some of the best albums ever made, with some of the biggest artists in the world.. Tune in to Absolute Radio from 10pm to hear the full show.

For this very special episode, Tim Burgess is was joined for a live Listening Party by Andy McCluskey, the lead singer and bassist of one of the most influential synth-pop acts in history, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.Pioneers of electronic music, OMD were one of the earliest synthesizer-led bands to emerge from the post-punk scene, influencing many artists since, and making their presence felt in the Second British Invasion in the US with the advent of MTV. Simply put, OMD are partly responsible for the sound that defined the 80s, and the album they are discussing, Architecture & Morality, remains one of the enduring records of that era.Architecture & Mortality was released on 6th November 1981 on Dindisc.

This episode, Tim Burgess hosted a Buzzcocks Listening Party for the final episode of this series.The band's 1978 album, ‘Love Bites', turned 45 years old this year and remains a seminal record for punk fans. So guitarist, Steve Diggle, joined Tim to talk all about the huge hit 'Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)', the legacy of the late great Pete Shelley, encounters with Mark E. Smith and of course, Manchester.Love Bites was released on 22nd September 1978 on United Artists.

This episode Tim is joined by one of the iconic figures from the 1990s British indie rock scene. Fronting the band Sleeper, Louise Wener was one of the biggest female stars in the Britpop era. She takes Tim through the band's second album, the It Girl, which was released in 1996 and reached the top 5 of the album charts, going platinum in the UK. It is one of the lasting records of the era and they discuss standing out in a music world that was considerably dominated by male bands, journalists and execs, escaping life the suburbs for the stage and their love of Blondie.The It Girl was released on 6th May 1996 on Indolent.

This episode Tim is joined by Ricky Ross & Lorraine McIntosh to talk through Deacon Blue's second album, When the World Knows Your Name. It was a number 1 album in the UK going double platinum and contained the band's first top 10 hit, and 4 subsequent singles reaching the top 30. Together they discuss the album, offer their unusual ways of remembering song ideas, talk about playing Deacon Blue songs at their daughter's wedding and pay tribute to the band's original guitarist, Graeme Kelling.When the World Knows Your Name was released on 6th April 1989 on Columbia.

Cerys Matthews joins Tim Burgess for this episode of his Listening Party. One of the most recognisable, unique and best voices of the 90s, Cerys talks Tim through Catatonia's triple platinum, number 1 album, International Velvet, on its 25th anniversary.They discuss finding their singing styles, finding strength from writing lyrics in order out get out of a tough personal places, and Cerys's place as a Welsh national treasure.International Velvet was released on 2nd February 1998 on Blanco y Negro.

This episode Tim is joined by the legendary Simple Minds. Jim Kerr & Charlie Burchill go through 1982's New Gold Dream, an album they credit as taking them to the next level as a band. They discuss writing their first commercial hits (some in the bath), staying in hotels with other 80s stars and manifesting their own success.New Gold Dream was released on 17th September 1982 on Virgin.

Tim's Listening Party returns with one of the biggest bands to come out of the 1980s, with one of the biggest and lasting albums of that decade. Tears For Fears' debut album, the Hurting, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, having reached number 1 in the UK charts and spawning 3 top 5 hit singles.Curt Smith & Roland Orzabal join Tim to discuss Mad World covers, contrasting the influences of Duran Duran & Joy Division on 80s music, as well as comparing their vocal styles.The Hurting was released on 7th March 1983 on Mercury & Phonogram.

So far, Tim Burgess has had listening parties with the likes of Sparks, The The, U2, New Order, Texas, The Bangles, the Kinks and Def Leppard just to name a few, so we are delighted to announce that Tim's Listening Party will return on 29th October with brand new episodes. Tune in to Absolute Radio from 10pm to hear the full show.

In this very special episode, Tim is joined by his Absolute Radio colleague, Danielle Perry, as she takes over the interviewing duties to go through The Charlatans' Tellin' Stories. Tim opens up about how the Charlatans overcame the trauma of losing keyboard player, Rob Collins, to make one of the stand out albums of the 90s. Tellin' Stories was released on 21st April 1997 on Beggars Banquet.

This episode, Tim Burgess is joined for a Listening Party by the Zutons to talk about their classic 00s indie album, Tired of Hanging Around. They talk about the pressures of being a band from Liverpool, standing out in the thriving UK indie scene of the time, and how their song Valerie was immortalised with help from Amy Winehouse. Tired of Hanging Around was released on 17th April 2006 on Deltasonic.

Joining Tim for a Listening Party is by New Order's Stephen Morris & Gillian Gilbert to talk about one of the greatest albums ever made, and Tim's favourite album of all time, Power, Corruption & Lies. From its iconic album cover, to the lead single that never appeared on the record, Blue Monday, it is a seminal album of mystery, beauty & greatness. This episode Stephen & Gillian revisit this classic album that is celebrating its 40 anniversary this year. It was released on 2nd May 1983 on Factory

This episode, Tim is joined by James & Rab Allan from Glasvegas to talk about the band's debut, self-titled album. Their self-titled first record went platinum and earned the band a Mercury Prize nomination. Glasvegas by Glasvegas stands out as one of the best debuts of the decade. It was released on 8th September 2008 on Columbia.

Lloyd Cole joins Tim for a Listening Party to speak about the Commotions' debut album, Rattlesnakes. A timeless pop album, Rattlesnakes is one of the best debuts of the 1980s, and its enduring popularity is evidenced by the fact that that record remains one of the most played back of Tim's Twitter Listening Parties. Rattlesnakes was released on 12th October 1984 on Polydor & Geffen.

Joining Tim for a Listening Party is Matt Johnson, the only constant member of highly influence group, The The. The The managed to combine technology of the time and play with experimental sounds, cross genres, and juxtapose these alongside thoughtful, clever, insightful and provocative lyrics. This episode Matt revisits this classic album that is celebrating its 40 anniversary this year, Soul Mining. It was released on 21st October 1983 on Some Bizzare/Epic.

This episode, Tim is joined by one of the most influential music acts of all time, Sparks. Ron & Russell Mael's imprint on the musical world can be seen across decades and genres, thanks to their extensive, enigmatic, witty and impossible to define back catalogue. For over 50 years they have broken the boundaries of musical categories and creativity, and that is no different with their latest release, The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte. It was released on 26th May 2023 on Island Records.

Rock legends Joe Elliott & Phil Collen from Def Leppard join Tim Burgess for a listening party to talk about their brand new album Drastic Symphonies recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. They go through this record of reimagined classics with the help of orchestral arranger Eric Gorfain, speaking about how they managed to take some of classic rock's greatest songs and give them a new classical edge. Drastic Symphonies was released on 19th May 2023 on the label Universal Music Recordings.

This episode, Tim is joined by Sharleen Spiteri, the guitarist, singer and songwriter in the band, Texas. Since their debut album in 1989, they've sold over 40 million records worldwide with 13 top 10 singles and 8 top ten albums in the UK. Sharleen talks about their fourth album, 1997's White on Blonde which topped the UK chart and has been certified 6 times platinum. It was released on Mercury in February 1997.

Joining Tim this episode is Susanna Hoffs, guitarist and singer in one of the most iconic bands of the 1980s. A pioneering all-female band, the Bangles provided some of the most recognisable hits of their era and represented a glorious sweetspot between rock and pop. Be sure to check out Susanna's new book, This Bird Has Flown. Susanna talks about the Bangles' second album, Different Light. It was released on 2nd January 1986 on Columbia.

This episode, Tim is joined by Skin, one of rock's most powerful singers, someone who broke ground as a black woman fronting the hard rock band Skunk Anansie, in the 1990s. A crucial role model in her field, she was recently made an OBE for services to music in a career spanning 30 years that's highlights include playing for Nelson Mandela, sharing a stage with David Bowie and headlining Glastonbury. Skin talks about Skunk Anansie's debut album, Paranoid and Sunburnt, which was released in September 1995. It came out on the label formerly known as One Little Indian & Epic.

Tim is joined this episode by one of the most recognisable faces and names in music, the Edge. A member of one of the biggest bands of all time, U2, for nearly 50 years, he has formed one of the most successful writing partnerships of all time, alongside Bono, and is himself one of the great guitarists. As a band they have garnered more Grammys than any other band and continue to sell out stadiums and achieve #1 albums. Tim sits down with the Edge to talk about U2's new album, Songs of Surrender, which contains 40 reworked classics. It came out on the labels Island & Interscope on 17th March.

Tim's guests this episode are one of the greatest and most important British rock groups of all time, the Kinks. They're Rock & Roll Hame of Fame inductees, a band with 22 top 20 UK singles, who have sold 50 million records worldwide. Their 60 year their legacy speaks for itself. Tim sits down with Ray Davies, Dave Davies & Mick Avory to talk about their new release, the Journey Part 1, which came out on BMG on 24th March, celebrating their 60 years in music.

This episode of Tim's Listening Party, Tim Burgess is joined by one of the most popular pop punk bands in the world, Fall Out Boy. They're a multi-Grammy nominated band, whose albums have gone multi-platinum internationally. They've had 4 number 1s on the Billboard 200 and they've headlined stadiums around the world. Tim chats to Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz & Andy Hurley to have a listening party for their brand new album, So Much (For) Stardust which came out on 24th March, on Fueled by Ramen and DCD2.

The Charlatans' Tim Burgess brings his world-famous Twitter Listening Party to Absolute Radio.