Underrated / Overhated

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