Podcast appearances and mentions of Elton John

Stars of the music world and beyond are mourning the death of Ozzy Osbourne at the age 76, expressing affection and admiration for the heavy metal icon. Elton John called the Black Sabbath frontman a dear friend, a huge trailblazer and one of the funniest people he ever met.

Although this album was the fourth  Elton John studio album, it was also the third album released in 1971.  John had released a film soundtrack album and a live album previously in the year.  Madman Across the Water is a more progressive album than his previous outings, containing nine tracks with all but the final track exceeding four minutes.  Elton John also had Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman sit in on the sessions for two of the tracks, playing Hammond organ.  Although it went to number 8 on the US Billboard 200 chart, it did not do as well in his native UK.  The mediocre results in England may be partly explained by the song lengths not fitting nicely into the 3-minute span typical of singles.  Nevertheless, the album contains two singles which would prove to be amongst John's greatest hits. Contemporary critics had mixed reactions to the prog rock bent of the album, with some finding the lyrics confusing and the album as a whole too deep for new fans.  As with much of the discography of music icons like Elton John, reviews would trend more positive over time. Madman Across the Water finds Elton John on the cusp of his ascent to superstardom, when his next several albums would trend towards a glam rock approach and would start regularly topping the charts.Original host Brian Dickhute returns to "What the Riff" studios to help us finish off our podcast series focusing on the Months from 1965 to 1995. Tiny DancerThe lead off track takes its inspiration from two places.  Generally, it is inspired by the spirit of the women Bernie Taupin met in California, and how their styles contrasted with those in the U.K at the time.  More specifically it references Maxine Feibelman, who really was the "seamstress for the band," and supported John's elaborate stage costume style.  Feibelman and Taupin were married in March 1971, with Elton John serving as best man.LevonThe first single from the album tells the story of Levon, a man who is successful in the family business, but trapped in his lifestyle.  "Levon wears his war wound like a crown."  This symphonic piece uses a backing orchestra written, arranged, and conducted by Paul Buckmaster.  Madman Across the WaterThe title track to the album was originally supposed to be a track on John's previous studio album, but it was rearranged for this album.  The lyrics are about a man in a coastal mental institution who doesn't know if he belongs there or not.  Many have speculated that Taupin wrote this about then President Richard Nixon, speculation to which Taupin responds, "That is genius.  I could never have thought of that."Indian SunsetThe story about an American Indian warrior on the verge of defeat was inspired by Frederic Remington painting and/or a visit that Bernie Taupin paid to a reservation.  John has stated that the song is not a protest song, but a story.  The opening acapella verse sets the wistful tone of the rest of the song. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Main theme from the children's television series “Electric Company""Hey you guys!"  This children's educational show debuted in 1971.   STAFF PICKS:Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey by Paul and Linda McCartneyBruce begins the staff picks with a song from "Ram," the only album attributed to Paul and Linda McCartney.  It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1971, making it the first post-Beatles McCartney single to top the US charts.  It is actually a compilation of several song fragments assembled by engineer Eirik Wangberg.  The lyric "hands across the water/heads across the sky" refers to Linda and Paul being American and British.Rain Dance by the Guess WhoRob brings us a song penned by Burton Cummings and Kurt Winter which was the lead-off track from the Guess Who's eighth studio album, "So Long, Bannatyne."  Randy Bachman had departed the band by this time.  Many of the lyrics reference landmarks or businesses in their native Winnipeg, Canada.  You Say It by Al GreenWayne's staff pick is a fusion of funk and soul off Al Green's third studio album.  Green got his start at the age of nine in a gospel quartet. The lyrics from this song discuss the difficulties a guy has in picking up the phone to call his girl.  Al Green became a minister in 1976 and returned to gospel music in the mid-80's.I'd Love to Change the World by Ten Years AfterLynch features a song that is the sole top-40 single from the British blues rock group in the U.S., peaking at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The lyrics express the frustration of the counter culture movement in wanting to change the world, but realizing that solutions are harder to reach than thought.Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves by CherBrian finishes out the episode with a story from Cher. The lyrics are told from the perspective of a Gypsy girl born to a dancer in a traveling show.  When she is 16, she becomes pregnant from a young stranger who runs off, leaving her to raise a baby girl in the same situation as her mother raised her. Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock-worthy memes we can share.Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

This week on Content Is Profit, we're re-releasing two incredibly special episodes featuring the late, great Steve Sims. Steve, an acclaimed coach and bestselling author, profoundly impacted countless lives, including ours. His recent passing was deeply felt across the industry, and in his honor, we're bringing back these powerful conversations. More than just an episode, this is a tribute to Steve's bold, unapologetic spirit and invaluable wisdom. He was a man who fearlessly pursued his dreams, remaining true to himself, and in doing so, attracted an incredible network of successful individuals. Join us as we celebrate his legacy, and prepare to be inspired by a man who helped thousands! Do you know anyone that's worked with Sir Elton John or Elon Musk?  Sent people down to see the wreck of the Titanic on the sea bed? Or closed museums in Florence for a private dinner party and then had Andrea Bocelli serenade them while they eat their pasta? You do now. Steve Sims has crafted a space in the world as someone that can make things happen.  His “Go For Stupid” mindset has made him a high-achiever and is probably one of the most well-connected men on this planet. His daily job is to make the impossible possible.  Also, he recently published his second book: Go For Stupid. In this conversation, we explored:

Picked up in the great singer-songwriter sweep of the late 60s and signed to Elektra Records, David Ackles made four albums which went over the heads of the record-buying public, attracted over-the-top reviews and earned the undying devotion of fans like Elvis Costello and Elton John. Now Mark Brend's book brings together an appreciation of his work with an account of his career before and after the three period when he was going to be the next big thing, taking in…….the night he found himself supporting his biggest fan Elton John at the Troubadour in Los Angeles….his year in Berkshire planning and recording “American Gothic”, an album about his distant homeland…how two different record companies took him to their hearts but had no earthly clue how to promote him…why it is that rock fans who boast of their eclectic tastes can't deal with anything which sounds like musical theatre…will he ever join the pantheon in which we have installed Nick Drake, Judee Sill and the other late musicians we are pleased to call a “lost genius”?Buy Down River: In Search of David Ackles: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Down-River-Search-David-Ackles/dp/1916829228Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Picked up in the great singer-songwriter sweep of the late 60s and signed to Elektra Records, David Ackles made four albums which went over the heads of the record-buying public, attracted over-the-top reviews and earned the undying devotion of fans like Elvis Costello and Elton John. Now Mark Brend's book brings together an appreciation of his work with an account of his career before and after the three period when he was going to be the next big thing, taking in…….the night he found himself supporting his biggest fan Elton John at the Troubadour in Los Angeles….his year in Berkshire planning and recording “American Gothic”, an album about his distant homeland…how two different record companies took him to their hearts but had no earthly clue how to promote him…why it is that rock fans who boast of their eclectic tastes can't deal with anything which sounds like musical theatre…will he ever join the pantheon in which we have installed Nick Drake, Judee Sill and the other late musicians we are pleased to call a “lost genius”?Buy Down River: In Search of David Ackles: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Down-River-Search-David-Ackles/dp/1916829228Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MÓDULO 1 BEE GEES - YOU SHOULD BE DANCING (1977 - Remix) KC AND THE SUNSHINE BAND - DO YOU WANNA GO PARTY GREY AND HANKS - YOU FOOLED ME ROBERTA KELLY - ZODIACS DONNA SUMMER - LAST DANCE (1978) FRENÉTICAS - DANCIN` DAYS (1978 - Remix) A TASTE OF HONEY - BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE (1978) LOU RAWLS - SEE YOU WHEN I GIT THERE (1977) MÓDULO 2 DEE D. JACKSON - AUTOMATIC LOVER (1978) DONNA SUMMER - I LOVE YOU DAN HARTMAN - INSTANT REPLAY STEREO FUN INC. - GOT YOU WHERE I WANT YOU BABE (1982) ELTON JOHN & KIKI DEE - DON`T GO BREAKIN` MY HEART (1976) EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING - SHAME (1978) BARRY WHITE - I'M QUALIFIED TO SATISFY YOU (1977) MÓDULO 3 LONDON BEAT - I'VE BEEN THING ABOUT YOU (1990) MADONNA - OPEN YOUR HEART (Remix) PET SHOP BOYS - WEST END GIRLS RICK ASTLEY - NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP (1987) SWING OUT SISTER - BREAKOUT (1986) MICHAEL JACKSON - BLACK OR WHITE (1991) INXS - NEW SENSATION (Remix - 1987) MÓDULO 4 CASHMERE - TRY YOUR LOVIN` (1983) THE LIMIT - SAY YEAH ATLANTIS - KEEP ON MOVIN' AND GROOVIN' GARY`S GANG - KNOCK ME OUT THE STRIKERS - INCH BY INCH (1981) JIMMY ROSS - FIRST TRUE LOVE AFFAIR (A Melô da Bandinha - 1981) HEATWAVE - THE GROOVE LINE (1978) B.B. AND Q. BAND - ON THE BEAT (1981)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wood Brothers, Oliver and Chris, have emerged as one of the innovative American roots music bands on today's scene.  Each concentrated on differant genres of music before coming together to form their band.  Oliver leaned towards Blues and Rhythm & Blues, while Chris was more on the Jazz Fusion side of music.  Together, five of their collective albums have landed on the charts.  In 2018, they were nominated for the Grammys' Best Americana Album award for their One Drop Of Truth project.  The Wood Brothers' brand new CD is Puff of Smoke.  Show producer Ray White talks with the brothers about their early years and how they've built a solid following with their musical union, plus much more.  In our showcase segment, we feature a collaboration between Elton John and multi-Grammy winner Brandi Carlile, whose latest album is Who Believes In Angels?  Also, we feature an amazing award-winning Blues/Southern Rock stalwart, Tommy Castro, who recently released his Closer To The Bone CD.  The best from Roots to Americana to Blues, we've got it on the CAT!  

On this episode of Parenting is a Joke, Ophira Eisenberg talks with bestselling author and Under the Influence podcast host Jo Piazza about parenting three young kids while juggling a prolific writing career. Jo shares the moment she realized she was pregnant (it involved an Elton John concert and tequila), why she can't stand chickens, and how her latest thriller Everyone Is Lying to You takes aim at the surreal and insidious world of mom influencers. She opens up about trying to become an influencer herself—complete with a hired photographer, reluctant kids, and affiliate links for water shoes from the school giveaway bin—only to discover that she hated every minute of it. Jo and Ophira get into what postpartum really looks like and how mom influencers perpetuate impossible standards while profiting off our insecurities. They talk about breaking up with Cocomelon, teaching their kids media literacy, and raising children in a house where canceling plans is considered an act of love. Jo also reflects on the burnout of the girlboss era, the fantasy of the tradwife lifestyle, and why the influencer economy is both a trap and a lifeline for modern moms. Her happiest child eats like a roaming dog, and honestly, that might be the parenting win of the year.

This week on Content Is Profit, we're re-releasing two incredibly special episodes featuring the late, great Steve Sims. Steve, an acclaimed coach and bestselling author, profoundly impacted countless lives, including ours. His recent passing was deeply felt across the industry, and in his honor, we're bringing back these powerful conversations. More than just an episode, this is a tribute to Steve's bold, unapologetic spirit and invaluable wisdom. He was a man who fearlessly pursued his dreams, remaining true to himself, and in doing so, attracted an incredible network of successful individuals. Join us as we celebrate his legacy, and prepare to be inspired by a man who helped thousands! Do you know anyone that's worked with Sir Elton John or Elon Musk?  Sent people down to see the wreck of the Titanic on the sea bed? Or closed museums in Florence for a private dinner party and then had Andrea Bocelli serenade them while they eat their pasta? You do now. Steve Sims has crafted a space in the world as someone that can make things happen.  His “I Can” mindset has inspired many to go fight for what they want. He is known as “the Real Life Wizard of Oz”. His skill for making things happen allowed him to build the world's leading experiential concierge firm. Steve is probably one of the most well-connected men on this planet. His daily job is to make the impossible possible. Also, he recently published his book: Bluefishing. In this conversation, we explored:

Fáilte ar ais chuig eagrán nua de Ar An Lá Seo ar an 15ú lá de mí Iúil, liomsa Lauren Ní Loingsigh. I 1988 bhí an stocmhalartán Éireannach I mbaol tit má theipeann an táthcheangal. I 2005 d'aontaigh an Taoiseach agus na cheardchumainn go raibh airgeadh a chaitheamh ar na seirbhísí mar thosaíocht anois. I 1977 bhí onóir ann d'aireagóir fomhuireán ag Lios Ceannúir agus ón chabhlaigh Meiriceánach. I 1988 tháinig sé amach gur cheap an chomhairle go mbeadh séasúr na turasóireachta tubaisteach. Sin Hot Chocolate le So You Win Again – an t-amhrán is mó ar an lá seo I 1977 Ag lean ar aghaidh le nuacht cheoil ar an lá seo I 1972 shroich Elton John uimhir a haon I Meiriceá lena halbam Honky Chateau agus d'fhan sé ann ar feadh cúig sheachtain. Bhí sé a chéad albam a chuaigh chuig uimhir a haon I Meiriceá. Tháinig dhá amhrán ón albam amach mar singil, Rocket Man agus Honkey Cat. I 2000 mharaíodh leantóir Oasis nuair a rinne sé iarracht siúil abhaile ar an M61 sa Manchain tar éis a chan Oasis ag an stad Reebok. Agus ar deireadh breithlá daoine cáiliúla ar an lá seo rugadh amhránaí Olly Alexander sa Bhreatain I 1990 agus rugadh aisteoir Iain Armitage I Meiriceá ar an lá seo I 2008 agus seo chuid de na rudaí a rinne sé. Beidh mé ar ais libh amárach le heagrán nua de Ar An Lá Seo. Welcome back to another edition of Ar An Lá Seo on the 15th of July, with me Lauren Ní Loingsigh 1988: the irish stock exchange was facing slump if takeover bids failed. 2005: Taoiseach and unions agreed that spending money on services was now priority. 1977: Liscannor and U.S navy honored submarine inventor. 1988: The council painted a picture of disastrous tourist season. That was Hot Chocolate with So You Win Again – the biggest song on this day in 1977 Onto music news on this day In 1972 Elton John started a five week run at No.1 on the US album chart with his fifth studio album, "Honky Chateau." The album, which marked the British artist's first US chart topper. Two the tracks from the album, "Rocket Man" and "Honkey Cat," were released as singles. 2000 An Oasis fan was killed when he tried to walk home along the M61 motorway in Manchester, England after Oasis had played a sold-out gig at The Reebok stadium. And finally celebrity birthdays on this day – singer Olly Alexander was born in the UK in 1990 and actor Iain Armitage was born in America on this day in 2008 and this is some of the stuff he has done. I'll be back with you tomorrow with another edition of Ar An Lá Seo.

A mix of Top 40 hits from July 1980! Artists include Elton John, Joe Walsh, Bette Midler, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and more! (R)

Today's program features tuneage from Patti Smith, Jimmy Buffet, Sugarloaf, Lou Reed, John Lennon, Peter Frampton, Roxy Music, Nilsson, Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, Spanky & Our Gang, Steve Miller Band, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Lee Michaels, Queen, Paul & Linda McCartney, voy Brown, B.B. King, Flying Burrito Brothers, Little Feat, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Loggins & Messina, & NRBQ.  

Paulo and Dori come to you from a secret German bunker — The Hoff is down here, and so are Nena and Alphaville.But after this show, we don't think we'll be so big in Berlin.We right some wrongs from last week's show, which includes more sexy sax music than we remember — and dead gnomes.How many '80s movies were made on cocaine? The easier question is: how many weren't?We find out how Bill Murray made Hunter S. Thompson look silly, why Paulo hates City of Angels, and what happens when you slow down Kylie Minogue.Finally, we're voting for our favourite '80s ballad, and Paulo is tempted to give it to an animated cat.Jump To: St. Elmo's Fire Soundtrack & Saxophone Debate (00:03:07): https://youtu.be/rgYkL_V1pmE?si=XcyHJyKjjs0BEQOLDawie Die Kabouter and Gnome Deaths (00:09:58): https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/54d5zo/til_that_the_last_episode_of_the_80s_kids_cartoon/Timelessness of Back to the Future (00:14:20): https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/03/back-to-the-future-at-40Movies Fuelled by Cocaine (00:16:29): https://www.cracked.com/article_47203_23-movies-brought-to-you-mostly-by-cocaine.htmlWings of Desire: Plot and Differences from City of Angels (00:30:13): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liAOEb5rnbAPaulo's Movie Review: Where the Buffalo Roam (00:37:52): https://youtu.be/_ZT6fziaIIw?si=p2mPbBCafjoICDd4Rick Astley's Song Choices and an 80s Conspiracy (00:44:04): https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jul/06/rick-astley-honest-playlist-kylie-donna-summer-biffy-clyro-abbahttps://youtu.be/N40qlumASq4?si=mJiTjWtvxWjoZsVRBBC 80s Duet Countdown (00:48:09): https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2025/bbc-radio-2-ultimate-80s-duet#1980s pop culture, #St. Elmo's Fire, #saxophone music, #Berlin Wall, #David Hasselhoff, #German culture, #corrections, #podcast, #nostalgia, #Back to the Future, #Bob Gale, #Game of Thrones, #The White Lotus, #incest in media, #cultural norms, #Wings of Desire, #Wim Wenders, #City of Angels, #black and white film, #Nick Cave, #Hunter S. Thompson, #Where the Buffalo Roam, #Bill Murray, #Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, #Rick Astley, #1980s duets, #music recommendations, #ABBA, #Marvin Gaye, #conspiracy theories, #BBC countdown, #ultimate 1980s duets, #Al Green, #Aretha Franklin, #Barbra Streisand, #Bryan Adams, #Elton John, #Freddie Mercury, #Lionel Richie, #pop music, #film soundtracks, #1980s movies, #cultural impact, #generational appeal, #drug use in films, #chaotic productions, #animated shows, #nostalgia, #humor, #film analysis, #cinematic portrayals.

Recording of Off the Shelf Radio Show from WDLR with co-hosts Nicole Fowles and Molly Meyers-LaBadie.  This week we chat with Michelle Lowe and Angie Mack from Stockhands Horses for Healing about the new partnership for the Read with the Horses program! Recommendations include The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, The Memory Library by Kate Storey, Farewell Yellow Brick Road by Elton John, and The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry. Read more about today's episode here.  Listen live every Friday morning at 9 AM https://wdlrradio.com/program-schedule/off-the-shelf/   This episode originally aired on July 11, 2025.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2025 is: contrite • kun-TRYTE • adjective Contrite is a formal adjective used to describe someone who feels regret for their bad behavior, or something, such as an apology, that shows such regret. // Although the mayor appeared contrite about the most recent scandal plaguing city hall, many constituents remained unpersuaded. See the entry > Examples: “At the restaurant, late into the meal, ‘Honey, Honey,' from the ‘Mamma Mia' soundtrack began to play, with [Amanda] Seyfried's 22-year-old voice issuing through the restaurant's speakers. The waitress came over, contrite. The song was just part of the usual play list. ‘Listen, I love having a stake in pop culture,' Seyfried reassured her. ‘It's really nice.'” — Alexis Soloski, The New York Times, 11 Mar. 2025 Did you know? Props to Elton John: sorry really does seem to be the hardest word. But saying it (in something other than a nonapology, of course) is an important part of being contrite—that is, feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for one's bad behavior. Contrite traces back to the Latin verb conterere, meaning “to pound to pieces,” “to crush, “to wear out or down,” or “to exhaust mentally or physically.” In Medieval Latin—the Latin used in Medieval times especially for religious or literary purposes—conterere came to mean “to crush in spirit with a sense of one's sin,” or “to render contrite.” Anglo-French speakers borrowed a form of the verb conterere and made it the adjective contrit, which was in turn adopted into English in the 1300s.

From Blue Fishing to Going for Stupid: The Steve Sims StoryIn this episode of the Roots to Riches podcast, we delve into the life and legacy of the incredible Steve Sims. I'm your host, Justin Benton, and today we reflect on the profound impact Steve had on so many lives. Known for his book "Blue Fishing" and his unique ability to connect people, Steve was a mentor and a friend who recently passed away after battling cancer.We revisit an interview with Steve, where he shared his journey from a bricklayer in London to becoming a super-connector for some of the world's most influential people, including Elon Musk and Elton John. Steve's insights into human interaction, his philosophy on life, and his relentless pursuit of success are truly inspiring.Steve also discussed his latest book, "Go For Stupid," which challenges the current societal norms of tearing each other down and instead promotes a culture of support and encouragement. He shared stories about his experiences with high-profile individuals and his thoughts on the importance of having meaningful conversations, even with controversial figures like Hitler and Putin.Throughout the episode, we also touch on Steve's passion for motorcycles and his unique approach to life, emphasizing the importance of understanding one's own value and leveraging it to create impactful connections.Join us as we honor Steve Sims, a legend who wore his heart on his sleeve and never pulled a punch. Rest in peace, brother.ASK THIS EPISODE ANYTHINGTIME STAMPS00:00:10 - 00:00:41: Introduction and Social Commentary00:00:41 - 00:01:02: Welcome to Roots to Riches00:01:03 - 00:01:13: Episode Overview00:01:13 - 00:01:55: Tribute to Steve Sims00:01:55 - 00:02:07: Steve Sims' Legacy00:02:07 - 00:02:50: Interview Introduction00:02:50 - 00:03:11: Steve Sims' Background00:03:11 - 00:03:53: Steve Sims' Books00:03:53 - 00:04:45: Steve Sims' Philosophy00:04:45 - 00:05:06: Impact and Respect00:05:06 - 00:05:31: Steve Sims' Approach to Life00:05:31 - 00:06:12: Recording an Audiobook00:06:12 - 00:07:04: Steve Sims' Career Journey00:07:04 - 00:08:12: From Building Sites to Nightclubs00:08:12 - 00:09:17: Learning from the Door00:09:17 - 00:10:12: Pivotal Moments00:10:12 - 00:11:05: Grandfather's Advice00:11:05 - 00:12:07: Leaving the Building Site00:12:07 - 00:13:00: Becoming a Doorman00:13:00 - 00:14:04: Observing Human Interaction00:14:04 - 00:14:53: Controlling the Front Door00:14:53 - 00:15:14: Creating Great Events00:15:14 - 00:16:06: Reason for Writing the Book00:16:06 - 00:17:09: Elon Musk's Cybertruck00:17:09 - 00:18:09: Society's Reaction to Innovation00:18:09 - 00:19:09: Jeering vs. Applauding00:19:09 - 00:20:08: Stories in the Book00:20:08 - 00:21:22: Connecting with Elon Musk00:21:22 - 00:22:38: Motorcycle Enthusiasm00:22:38 - 00:23:00: Different Experiences with Bikes00:23:00 - 00:24:05: Advice for New Entrepreneurs00:24:05 - 00:25:19: Defining Success00:25:19 - 00:26:12: Return on Effort and Energy00:26:12 - 00:27:02: Finding Your Unicorn00:27:02 - 00:28:10: Dream Connections00:28:10 - 00:29:00: Final Thoughts and Farewell Thank you for tuning in to the Miracle Plant Podcast. Remember, our mission is to heal the world with the power of this miracle plant. Join us next time for more inspiring stories and insights into the world of cannabis. Produced by PodConx 101cbd - https://101cbd.org/Email Justin Benton - jbenton@101cbd.orgGet a free consultation - askjanet.orgKaneh Bosm Connection - https://youtube.com/@kanehbosmconnection

July 13 is the 40th Anniversary of LIVE AID, one of the greatest rock festivals of all time! We each share our memories of watching it live on the day, the excitement that surrounded the event, and some of the stories behind bands that didn't appear for various reasons. Each of us has picked our five favorite performances / bands / moments to talk about at length, and we mention some of the lowlights as well (and yes, there were a few). Some of the acts that get a mention are Duran Duran, Black Sabbath, Madonna, Run DMC, Elton John, the Who, Simple Minds, Judas Priest, Tom Petty, the Pretenders, and many others. And of course, it's virtually impossible to have any discussion about Live Aid without mentioning Queen, Bowie, and U2. Hope you'll join us for a fun discussion! Do you have a special memory of Live Aid? WERE YOU THERE?? Drop us a line at modernmusicology1@gmail.com or just leave a comment on our socials or whatever podcast platform you're listening to us.  Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMusicology  Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmusicologypodcast/  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ModrnMusicology  Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk-MlcGy5u3fK1j4bVty1Kw  Modern Musicology is part of the ESO Podcast Network. https://esonetwork.com/  Find more about us: Rob Levy: https://kdhx.org/shows/show/juxtaposition  Stephanie Seymour: www.therearebirds.com   R. Alan Siler: www.kozmiccreative.com   Anthony Williams: https://watchers4d.podbean.com/

July 11, 2025 Today we look at the top songs debuting on the Billboard chart this week back in 1985, 1995, 2005, & 2015. Dustin & Jason reintroduce an old Drunken Lullabies regular, Aaron (aka Hippie). We discuss 12 songs from this week in music history, including 3 Top 10s and 2 #1s.  We have new songs from Gwen Stefani, Elton John, Janet Jackson, Motley Crue, and more. Want to be cool like us and watch the music videos for all the songs? Then here's a convenient playlist that has them all in order of discussion.

This Summer marks the 40th anniversary of the most ambitious and successful benefit concerts for the purpose of aiding war-torn refugees from the nation of Ethiopia. Two concerts were organized by singer Bob Geldof; one at Wembley Stadium in London, and the other in JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. This episode features select performances from the Wembley Show. The Live Aid charity is still active today to assist with medicine and nutrition to regions that are still in war zones, like The Gaza Strip and Ukraine. Please make a donation to The Band Aid Charitable TrustIf you would, please make a donation of love and hope to St. Jude Children's HospitalMake an impact on the lives of St. Jude kids - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (stjude.org)Also Other Items of Interest:Kathy Bushnell Website for Emily Muff bandHome | Kathy Bushnell | Em & MooListen to previous shows at the main webpage at:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1329053Pamela Des Barres Home page for books, autographs, clothing and online writing classes.Pamela Des Barres | The Official Website of the Legendary Groupie and Author (pameladesbarresofficial.com)Listen to more music by Laurie Larson at:Home | Shashké Music and Art (laurielarson.net)View the most amazing paintings by Marijke Koger-Dunham (Formally of the 1960's artists collective, "The Fool").Psychedelic, Visionary and Fantasy Art by Marijke Koger (marijkekogerart.com)For unique Candles have a look at Stardust Lady's Etsy shopWhere art and armor become one where gods are by TwistedByStardust (etsy.com)For your astrological chart reading, contact Astrologer Tisch Aitken at:https://www.facebook.com/AstrologerTisch/Tarot card readings by Kalinda available atThe Mythical Muse | FacebookEmma Bonner-Morgan Facebook music pageThe Music Of Emma Bonner-Morgan | FacebookFor booking Children's parties and character parties in the Los Angeles area contact Kalinda Gray at:https://www.facebook.com/wishingwellparties/I'm listed in Feedspot's "Top 10 Psychedelic Podcasts You Must Follow". https://blog.feedspot.com/psychedelic_podcasts/Please feel free to donate or Tip Jar the show at my Venmo account@jessie-DelgadoII

Monster of an episode this week as we discuss this fan favourite melodic hit! How is it this long with no music and little information, we hear you ask? Well, we love dissecting the music in this one! Dan also has the pleasure of explaining Eric Cantona and Madness to an American in this one. So, come on, come on, come... listen to our No.1 music section!We also dissect Elton John's Classic "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' in the pre-show. Become a subscriber here: https://www.patreon.com/arcticpodcast

Scottish pop-rock legend David Paton is one of the most quietly influential musicians of the past fifty years. Born and raised in Edinburgh, David made his mark as the founder, lead singer, bassist, and chief songwriter for the 70s pop band Pilot — the group behind the timeless hits “Magic” and “January.” These catchy, melodic tracks flew up the UK Singles Charts in 1974 and 1975, cementing Pilot's place in the classic pop-rock hall of fame.Pilot began when David, fresh from playing in local Scottish bands and even a short stint with the Bay City Rollers, teamed up with the late Billy Lyall, a fellow ex-Bay City Roller and brilliant keyboardist. With guitarist Ian Bairnson and drummer Stuart Tosh, Pilot quickly gained attention for their crisp harmonies, soaring hooks, and the polish of producer Alan Parsons, who helped shape their signature studio sound.At their peak, Pilot was more than a one-hit wonder. Their debut album From the Album of the Same Name (1974) and the follow-up Second Flight (1975) gave pop fans not just “Magic” but the No.1 UK single “January,” a song that topped the charts for three weeks. The band's unique blend of soft rock, glam pop, and radio-friendly hooks made them stand out in a crowded 70s scene.Though lineup changes and industry missteps led to Pilot's split by 1977, their legacy has endured. David Paton, the creative force behind the hits, went on to carve out an impressive career as a vocalist, bassist, and songwriter for other iconic acts. He played a vital role in The Alan Parsons Project, lending his vocals and bass to albums like Tales of Mystery and Imagination and I Robot, and fronted the progressive rock band Camel, where his vocals on “Heroes” from The Single Factor still mesmerise fans today.David's talents didn't stop there. As a sought-after session musician, he played bass on Elton John's hit “Nikita” and toured with Elton, worked alongside Kate Bush, Rick Wakeman, Jimmy Page, and even folk legends like Phil Cunningham and Dick Gaughan. His solo work reflects his Scottish roots too — with hauntingly beautiful arrangements of traditional songs by Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott.Still writing, recording, and performing, David's latest album, Communication (2024), shows that his knack for melody and emotional connection is as strong as ever. His autobiography, Magic: The David Paton Story, gives fans an honest, often funny look behind the curtain — from Pilot's dizzying success to the reality of life as an unsung rock hero.If you love timeless pop hooks, Scottish rock history, and the real story behind a band that gave us one of the catchiest songs ever written, dive deeper into the world of David Paton and Pilot — and experience the Magic for yourself.I know you'll enjoy the story of David Paton and relish the contribution he's made with his music.

Rick Flynn Presents, now on our 240th Episode, proudly rolls out the red carpet for our distinguished friend from the UK MICHAEL ARMSTRONG. Appearing in promotion of his brand-new album entitled "10" and his brand-new Lennon/McCartney composed single "Getting Better" now available for all on his website www.MichaelArmstrongMusic.co.uk for a limited number of signed copies and available unsigned wherever records and music is sold.Michael has had 2 USA Top 3 hits, including a 4-week run at No. 1 in the autumn of 2021 with his self-penned song 'Each Others Eyes'. In addition, the late great Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2 was the first to champion his music on radio and a whole host of other radio stations have since and continue to support him. In the genre of podcasting, Rick Flynn Presents has been promoting Michael for years and is proud to continue to do so. Michael has performed on global stages and worked alongside many of his musical heroes including Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Cliff Richard, Chris de Burgh, Glenn Fry (Eagles), Russell Watson, Suzi Quatro and he has even met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the now King Charles and Queen Camilla! 

National Ice cream sundae day.  Entertainment from 1986. Liberty Bell cracked, Erector Set invented, Last bare-knuckles boxing match.  Todays birthdays - John Pemberton, Jeffrey Tambor, Angelica Houston, Kevin Bacon, Toby Keith, Billy Crudup, Beck.  Ernest borgnine died.Intro - God did good - Dianna Corcoran   https://www.diannacorcoran.com/Ice cream sundae song - The Hungry Food BandThere'll be sad songs - Billy OceanHearts aren't made to break - Lee GreenwoodBirthdays - In da club - 50 Cent   https://www.50cent.com/I should have been a cowboy - Toby KeithLoser - BeckExit - One more drink - Cody Joe Hodges   https://codyjoehodges.com/homecountryundergroundradio.com History & Factoids webpage

Matt Bissonette. You've run across his name next to folks like Joe Satriani, Brian Wilson, Don Henley, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Elton John... SO many more actually. Also - Matt, along with his brother Greg and Andy Timmons make up the core of The Reddcoats, with elements of rock, funk and fusion. An INCREDIBLE mix of folks who are always playing with other bands, but enjoy getting together to play what they really want. We'll hear about and from their first two releases, fittingly, Reddcoats I and Reddcoats II.

We have a quick look at some of the events and activities going on throughout the community this week that you might want to add to your social calendar. This ranges from a sunset social to an art show, along with music from The Beatles to Elton John. 

Black Sabbath afholdt deres allersidste koncert i weekenden. K-live ser på, hvilken kapital der er i at sige farvel som band. Black Sabbath er nemlig ikke alene om at annoncere deres afsked: Elton John har spillet afskedsturné i fem år, Lars HUGs sidste koncert kunne ses i biografen - og så er der gendannelsesturnéerne, som Oasis for eksempel lige har påbegyndt. Medvirkende: Anders Bøtter, P6-vært og Elias Sadaq, forfatter. Vært: Linnea Albinus Lande Producer: Sarah Randeris Redaktør: Lasse Lauridsen

Send us a textDennis Blair is a seasoned entertainer known for his unique fusion of comedy and music, creating a distinctive performance style that has delighted audiences for decades. Beginning his musical journey at the tender age of 12, Blair's passion for music eventually led him to incorporate comedic elements, resulting in a delightful blend that spans different eras of music history. His clever and witty interpretations of songs by iconic artists such as David Bowie, Queen, and Elton John showcase his ability to connect with audiences through humor and nostalgia. Influenced by legendary comedians like George Carlin and Rodney Dangerfield, Blair has honed his craft in diverse settings, from comedy clubs to cruise ships, carving out a niche for himself as a talented comic musician. Dennis is currently working as the Opening Act for Barry Manilow doing large arena concerts.(00:06:41) Musical Time-travel Comedy with Dennis Blair(00:10:16) Stand-Up Comedy Evolution: Guitar to Crowd Work(00:12:06) Influences of Comedy Legends on Career(00:19:59) Tailoring Comedy Set for Diverse Crowds(00:25:22) Navigating Audience Responses in Arenas vs. Clubs(00:28:14) Comedic Music Artist Tributes with Dennis BlairSupport the show www.StandupComedyPodcastNetwork.com Free APP on all Apple & Android phones....check it out, podcast, jokes, blogs, and More!"NEW" Video Podcast: Tag Team Talent Podcast on Spotify & YouTube My suggestions for stuff I purchase on Amazon, Ck them out! Ice tea: https://amzn.to/4miicDu Portable Mics: https://amzn.to/3Faqix2 RODE Recording Board: https://amzn.to/3YIpEO2 Apple Watch: https://amzn.to/4kiZIRu Podcast Quality List: https://www.millionpodcasts.com/heritage-podcasts/ Please Write a Review: in-depth walk-through for leaving a review.Interested in Standup Comedy? Check out my books on Amazon..."20 Questions Answered about Being a Standup Comic""Be a Standup Comic...or just look like one"

On This Episode: The crew discussed Elton John saying Marijuana was a gate way drug and should be banned. TV shows vs Movies which ones do you prefer?

Madison Rattiner delivers the latest entertainment news on:- Elton John plays Robert Kraft, Dana Blumberg's star-studded July Fourth bash for guests including Howard Stern, Bon Jovi- Grieving Caitlyn Jenner seen for first time since tragic death of longtime friend and manager, Sophia Hutchins- Barely recognizable Bianca Censori goes blond, wears see-through dress in pics snapped by Kanye West: ‘Shot by Ye'

Helaine Witt joined me me to discuss watching Bonanza in color; Ed Sullivan Show; her mom not liking Jack Benny; going to Elmont High School; John Mulaney; seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and earlier on Jack Paar; Ringo not playing live at Shea; Elton John; teaching in 1970's NY; bad neighborhoods; being laid off by NYC; going to a stand up club in SF and taking classes; selling jokes to Joan Rivers; coming back to NY in 1991; working with Gladys Simon; working with Vanessa Hollingshead as a coach; going to the Actors Temple with Rabbi Jill; Simpsons "stealing" her jokes; Tom Padovano; my ending joke; Carrie Snow; her writing process; wanting to write for Gutfeld; being able to submit for Leno; more time for stand up after retiring from teaching in 2011; Governors Comedy Cub; Jewish Comedy Contest becomes a documentary called Still Standing; working with Jo Firestone on doc Good Timing; appearing on MSNBC and Wendy Williams; Joan Rivers didn't want a roast; Next Door app; Seinfeld; appearing in short film Singles Retreat and its premiere

(NOTE: Because of streaming rules you won't hear any music on these segments. Sorry about that.) Boomer thinks his prom song was Elton John's ‘Candle In The Wind', which Gio can't believe as it was a song about Marilyn Monroe dying young.

You've heard his voice sampled by Kendrick Lamar and SZA in “Luther,” but do you know his story? This week on One Song, Diallo and LUXXURY unpack the track that helped launch Luther Vandross into the spotlight – Change's “Searching.” They dig into his early days singing with David Bowie and Chic, explore the lore behind the Italo-disco group Change, and bask in the glow of Luther's isolated vocals.  One Song Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/40SIOpVROmrxTjOtH7Q1yw?si=fea71c7e24294487 Songs Discussed: “Luther” - Kendrick Lamar & SZA “Searching” - Change feat. Luther Vandross “If This World Were Mine” - Luther Vandross & Cheryl Lynn “If This World Were Mine” - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell “A House Is Not a Home” - Luther Vandross “Young Americans” - David Bowie “Funky Music (Is A Part Of Me)” - Luther Vandross “Fascination” - David Bowie “Foot Stomping - Part 1” - The Flares “Fame” - David Bowie “Le Freak” - Chic “I Want Your Love” - Chic “Everybody Dance” - Chic “I'm A Man” - The Spencer Davis Group “I'm A Man” - Macho “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” - Steam “Sugar, Sugar” - The Archies “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy” - Ohio Express “Man In The Mirror” - Michael Jackson “That's What Friends Are For” - Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder “The Glow of Love” - Change “Yakety Yak” - The Coasters “Body Language” - Queen “Juice” - Eva Shaw & DillanPonders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a mad old season 8 of AiC the boys roll into the final episode and talk about the big return of Oasis this weekend, the Glastonbury festival red button coverage, James Lilley's return to winning ways at BKFC in Birmingham and Rod Stewart buying Elton John a fridge. The lads talk about the sad passing of their friend and Swansea City legend Dudley Lewis, Paddy has been to see Rob Beckett and has got a fly infestation in his house and both boys had a great night watching Chris Coleman at a gentleman's evening. Peter Kaye has stolen Paddy's whole act, Ryan's fallen down a school shooting rabbit hole and the boys go recommendation crazy to keep everyone busy while they take a break before season 9 kicks off. When that will happen is anyone's guess….@ambitioniscritcal1997 on Instagram @TheAiCPodcast on Twitter

Norman Greenbaum gave the world "Spirit in the Sky," one of the greatest records ever made. He chats with us about his iconic classic, as well as other musical adventures and misadventures over the last few decades. PART ONE: Paul and Scott chat about Instagram, artist accessibility, and what the heck Norman Greenbaum looks like. PART TWO:Our in-depth conversation with Norman GreenbaumABOUT NORMAN GREENBAUMNorman Greenbaum might be known as a one hit wonder, but that one hit is one of the most wonderous records to ever hit the airwaves. With its infectious groove and unparalleled fuzz tone guitar, “Spirit in the Sky” was recorded in San Francisco in 1969 and quickly climbed to the Top 5 in the US and number 1 in a half dozen countries around the world. It has been certified double platinum for sales of over 2 million, and is among Rolling Stone magazine's “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” It has reached #1 in the UK in three different decades by three different artists and has been covered by everyone from Elton John to the Blind Boys of Alabama. After his debut LP, Greenbaum went on to release the albums Back Home Again and Petaluma in 1970 and 1972, respectively. Though he gave up recording in the early 1970s, “Spirit in the Sky” remains one of the most popular songs of all time. With nearly 600 million streams on Spotify alone, it has been featured in films such as Apollo 13, Oceans 11, and Guardians of the Galaxy, and in commercials for American Express, Chase Bank, Nike, and Budweiser. To celebrate the song's legacy, Craft Recordings has recently released a brand-new Dolby Atmos mix of the single as well as a new vinyl release of the long out-of-print Spirit in the Sky LP, cut from the original tapes. 

It's the 4th of July this weekend for our friend across the Pond, so we wanted to celebrate two American guests who represent their country in the best possible way! First up, the phenomenal singer-songwriter with one of the most recognisable voices in pop music. It's noughties icon Anastacia!Anastacia spoke to us about some amazing highs and difficult lows from her near-30-year career, including health troubles that have threatened her career and the harsh realities of the music industry - but also some iconic moments, like performing at Elton John's wedding and sharing the stage with Celine Dion for an unexpected rendition of ACDC!Fill out Stak's listener survey here to have a chance at winning a PS5! And for all the latest news, click here to follow us on Instagram!***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fáilte ar ais chuig eagrán nua de Ar An Lá Seo ar an 1ú lá de mí Iúil, liomsa Lauren Ní Loingsigh. I 1994 tháinig sé amach go raibh na cluichí Corn Domhanda deacair do na n-ospidéal. Bhí timpeall 90% de na daoine gortaithe tar éis gach cluiche agus bhí siad go léir ar meisce. I 2005 fuair tábhairneoir fíneáil de 66,500 míle euro de bharr go raibh déagóirí ag obair sa teach tábhairne gan cead. I 1961 bhí triúir cailín óg sa chúirt in Inis de bharr go raibh siad ag rothaíocht an triúr acu isteach taobh le taobh ar Shráid Uí Chonaill. Fuair siad rabhadh gan é a dhéanamh arís. I 2005 d'ordaigh breitheamh le Michael Donnellan chun cócaire a íoc a raibh ag obair dó ag a teach. Choinnigh sé 3,600 euro. Sin 2pac agus Elton John le Ghetto Gospel – an t-amhrán is mó ar an lá seo I 2005. Ag lean ar aghaidh le nuacht cheoil ar an lá seo I 1979 tháinig Sony amach leis an Walkman – rud a bhí tú ábalta éisteacht le ceoil agus tú taobh amuigh. Dhíol siad níos mó ná 385 milliúin dóibh I rith 30 bhliain agus bhí siad ceannaire margaidh go dtí gur tháinig Apple amach leis an iPod agus gléas eile. I 2017 chuaigh Ed Sheeran chuig uimhir a haon don cheathrú huair lena tríú halbam darbh ainm Divide. Chuaigh sé chuig barr na cairteacha I 14 tír eile agus bhuaigh sé Gradam Grammy chomh maith. Agus ar deireadh breithlá daoine cáiliúla ar an lá seo rugadh Carl Lewis I Meiriceá I 1961 agus rugadh amhránaí Tate McRae I gCeanada ar an lá seo I 2003 agus seo chuid de amhrán. Beidh mé ar ais libh amárach le heagrán nua de Ar An Lá Seo. Welcome back to another edition of Ar An Lá Seo on the 1st of July, with me Lauren Ní Loingsigh 1994: It was reported that Ireland's world cup match nights were causing major headaches for hospital casuality departments. Up to 90 percent of the injured after each match were reported to be drunk. 2005: A publican was fined for a record €66,500 for allowing teenage employees to work beyond permitted hours. 1961: 3 young Ennis girls appeared at the local court to anser summonses for cycling three abreast at O'Connell Street, Ennis. Justice Hurley warned the girls not to cycle three abreast again. 2005: Well Known Irish Dancer, Michael Donnellan, was ordered by a judge to pay a chef that worked at his establishment €3,600 as he allegeldy witheld wages. That was 2 Pac and Elton John with Ghetto Gospel – the biggest song on this day in 2005 Onto music news on this day In 1979 Sony introduced the Walkman, the first portable audio cassette player. Over the next 30 years they sold over 385 million Walkmans in cassette, CD, mini-disc and digital file versions, and were the market leaders until the arrival of Apple's iPod and other new digital devices. 2017 Ed Sheeran returned to No.1 for the forth time with his third studio album ÷ (pronounced ‘divide'). The album also topped the charts in 14 other countries and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. And finally celebrity birthdays on this day – athlete Carl Lewis was born in America in 1961 and singer Tate McRae was born in Canada on this day in 2003 and this is one of her songs. I'll be back with you tomorrow with another edition of Ar An Lá Seo.

Send us a textWelcome to Guess the Year! This is an interactive, competitive podcast series where you will be able to play along and compete against your fellow listeners. Here is how the scoring works:10 points: Get the year dead on!7 points: 1-2 years off4 points: 3-5 years off1 point: 6-10 years offGuesses can be emailed to drandrewmay@gmail.com or texted using the link at the top of the show notes (please leave your name).I will read your scores out before the next episode, along with the scores of your fellow listeners! Please email your guesses to Andrew no later than 12pm EST on the day the next episode posts if you want them read out on the episode (e.g., if an episode releases on Monday, then I need your guesses by 12pm EST on Wednesday; if an episode releases on Friday, then I need your guesses by 12 pm EST on Monday). Note: If you don't get your scores in on time, they will still be added to the overall scores I am keeping. So they will count for the final scores - in other words, you can catch up if you get behind, you just won't have your scores read out on the released episode. All I need is your guesses (e.g., Song 1 - 19xx, Song 2 - 20xx, Song 3 - 19xx, etc.). Please be honest with your guesses! Best of luck!!The answers to today's ten songs can be found below. If you are playing along, don't scroll down until you have made your guesses. .....Have you made your guesses yet? If so, you can scroll down and look at the answers......Okay, answers coming. Don't peek if you haven't made your guesses yet!.....Intro song: Come See About Me by Tedeschi Trucks Band (2011)Song 1: I'm Over It by Blushh (2018)Song 2: The Sounds of Science by Beastie Boys (1989)Song 3: Blue on Black by Kenny Wayne Shepherd (1997)Song 4: Little Angel by Nina Nastasia (2002)Song 5: Into the Great Wide Open by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1991)Song 6: We're Both in Love with a Sexy Lady by Flight of the Conchords (2009)Song 7: Physical by Dua Lipa (2020)Song 8: Candle in the Wind (Live in Australia) by Elton John (1987)Song 9: Think It Over by Buddy Holly & the Crickets (1958)Song 10: The Waker by Widespread Panic (1999)

Welcome back to another uplifting episode of Rick's Rambles! This week, we're celebrating Independence Day with a festive and thoughtful mix of stories, songs, and smiles. ✨ First up, our Fun Facts segment is lighting up the sky with all things fireworks! Discover the surprising history behind these dazzling displays, how they became part of our July 4th traditions, and some fun stats you probably didn't know.

What was the best gift ever? Rod Stewart just revealed the most epic gift Elton John ever gave him, while being interviewed backstage at Glastonbury. We then asked our listeners what their best gift is... and Batman fans, you're gonna be soooooo jealous!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tony Award-winning actor and director John Benjamin Hickey joins me on Tracks of Our Queers.From his breakout role in Terrence McNally's Love! Valour! Compassion! to his devastating turn in Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart, John has been at the heart of some of theatre's most important queer work. Far from being typecast, John has appeared in hundreds of roles across TV, film, and theatre (I loved him in The Big C, and of course, the dad in Pitch Perfect).Outside of acting and directing, John once presented his own music interview series on SiriusXM, My Favorite Song. It's a thrill to turn the interviewing tables on him and hear about some of his most cherished music, through a queer lense. The other bits:Tracks of Our Queers is recorded and edited between Gadigal and Ngarigo land in Australia, by me, Andy GottListen to all of the music discussed in the pod with the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers playlistYou can email me your own queer tracks or guest recommendations at tracksofourqueers@gmail.comOur beautiful artwork is illustrated by Luke Tribe.Support the showI'd love to hear about your queer tracks. Send me a voice note of a song, album, or artist that has resonated with your life, and I'll include it in an upcoming episode. You can email me your voicenote at tracksofourqueers@gmail.com. Help keep Tracks of Our Queers ad-free by shouting me a coffee right here. Thank you for your support.

Dog whistle think pieces seem to be back in fashion and right wingers are more frequently using rhetoric that sounds a bit like Enoch Powell. Powell was condemned for Rivers of Blood, why isn't sounding like him so damaging for the modern right? Plus – AI and copyright. It's put Labour at odds with Elton John, never a good place to be. Politico's Joseph Bambridge joins the panel to talk through the furore.  Read Joseph's piece in Politico: https://www.politico.eu/article/ai-copyright-political-nightmare-labour-uk-models-tech/    ESCAPE ROUTES  •  Rachel watched Virgin Island on Channel 4  • Raf has been reading Barbara Kingsolver novels • Joseph watched The Contestant  • Dorian watched Black Ops  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow    Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Rafael Behr and Rachel Cunliffe. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio. Production by: Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send us a textWelcome to Guess the Year! This is an interactive, competitive podcast series where you will be able to play along and compete against your fellow listeners. Here is how the scoring works:10 points: Get the year dead on!7 points: 1-2 years off4 points: 3-5 years off1 point: 6-10 years offGuesses can be emailed to drandrewmay@gmail.com or texted using the link at the top of the show notes (please leave your name).I will read your scores out before the next episode, along with the scores of your fellow listeners! Please email your guesses to Andrew no later than 12pm EST on the day the next episode posts if you want them read out on the episode (e.g., if an episode releases on Monday, then I need your guesses by 12pm EST on Wednesday; if an episode releases on Friday, then I need your guesses by 12 pm EST on Monday). Note: If you don't get your scores in on time, they will still be added to the overall scores I am keeping. So they will count for the final scores - in other words, you can catch up if you get behind, you just won't have your scores read out on the released episode. All I need is your guesses (e.g., Song 1 - 19xx, Song 2 - 20xx, Song 3 - 19xx, etc.). Please be honest with your guesses! Best of luck!!The answers to today's ten songs can be found below. If you are playing along, don't scroll down until you have made your guesses. .....Have you made your guesses yet? If so, you can scroll down and look at the answers......Okay, answers coming. Don't peek if you haven't made your guesses yet!.....Intro song: Intergalactic by Beastie Boys (1998)Song 1: Waiting Room by Fugazi (1989)Song 2: Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley (1961)Song 3: Operator by The Rubinoos (1979)Song 4: You Gots to Chill by EPMD (1988)Song 5: Levon by Elton John (1971)Song 6: Live Learn by The California Honeydrops (2018)Song 7: Summer Babe (Winter Version) by Pavement (1992)Song 8: Our Secret by Beat Happening (1984/1985)Song 9: Miss Gradenko by The Police (1983)Song 10: You Make Me Shake by Moving Sidewalks (1969)

Amazon Music SpotifyMore about artist BioBack in the mid-'80s, James Sifuentes began writing and recording some pretty goodpop rock. He and Bill, his brother and bandmate, dreamed of getting the songs re-recorded professionally, but life, other interests and careers intervened.Then came more life: age 50, cancer, Hodgkins's lymphoma. He beat that. Ten yearslater, July 2023, turmoil at the hospital where he had been an executive for 19 yearsresulted in his firing. A few months after that, January 2024, he suffered a heart attackwhile interviewing for his current regional manager position with the Chicago ParkDistrict.He didn't know about the heart attack until he went to urgent care after the interview.At this point, he tells himself that if he's going to put out his music, he ought to do it, andby March, he persuades himself to get it done.Then, January 2025, disaster for the second January in a row. He is diagnosed withstage 4 pancreatic cancer, but now he is seriously committed to putting out his music.And the result, a year later, is “Summertime,” the single, a jazzy pop-rock anthem to theseason, and Summertime, a 12-track album of some pretty good pop rock transformedinto seriously good pop rock.It's all under the name Sifuentes. It features Jim, his brother Bill on guitar, and MattRiggen, a multi-talented colleague from the park district, on drums, brass and piano.“Overall, it's pop rock, but there's some stuff that fits in different genres.”The single features the rocking guitar and beat you would expect from someoneinfluenced by the Beatles, especially John Lennon and Paul McCartney, funkadelic,(Parliament) and R&;B.And it also has some swinging brass work too.“The '60s, I was only a little kid,” said Sifuentes. “My dad actually bought Beatlesalbums, and we were just listening to them and, yeah, they became it.”Growing up, living and working in Chicago, “Summertime,” to him, means the end of theice, snow and cold of winter and the “beauty, the energy when people get to go out,wear shorts, barbecue, head to the beach and enjoy a different feeling.”“It's just trying to capture that feeling and make people feel good when they listen to thesong.”He has been writing, composing, playing and recording music ever since he and hisbrother were teens. At one time, he wanted to do that full time.“We just didn't pull the trigger, my brother and I. We wanted to get into the studio torecord these songs. We wanted to hear what they would have sounded likeprofessionally.”After the heart attack last year, “I said, ‘I'm gonna get these songs done.' In March oflast year, I said I'm gonna put out an album, so I set the goal.”But doubts set in: already 60, health not good, and though the music he had written andrecorded was good, he hadn't been playing much, or singing.Somewhere in here, his daughter Amanda says to him about “Summertime,” which hewrote in his 40s, “I love that song, Dad. You should finish it.”“And I said, ‘You know what? I'm going to do this album. I will release it aroundsummertime, so, I want that to be the title.”He began work, getting back into musical shape, working over his songs, and byNovember, he was back in the studio.Then January, and this time it's pancreatic cancer. But, “I'm always one to finish a goal.”Now it's June, and the album is out.“And I celebrated yesterday,” he said. “My staff here at the park district, we held alistening, they called it a listening event, and they played the album. My brother, Mattand I did some of the songs, five of them, just acoustic versions, but it was really nice.”And that's the story, he said. The love of music, the talent, the gift, has always beenthere, waiting to be unveiled.That's what he calls it, an unveiling.“People know I play guitar, kind of, but didn't know this other part of me, that I couldsing, or I can record, and I compose songs. It's an unveiling of another part of Jim thatpeople might not know.”He wrote most of the songs when he was 18-25. “The Memory” is about where he grewup, “walking around the park, going to school.” “Searching for Another Day” he wrotewhen he was 18.“Life,” coming more than 30 years later, after the first bout with cancer, “kind ofcomplements that song, saying, like, ‘After your search, this is where you're at.'”“Will You Be Mine” is R&B, “kind of a stepper.” “Loving You Dear,” “a catchy little clubsong.” The last song, “Yes, It's Me,” started out as a love song to a woman namedOrquídea, orchid in English. It features a Latin flavor and Sifuentes on guitar.“But it became in many ways more about me, showing everyone that it's me singing,recording, unveiling parts of me that were hidden, and still living fully.”He wrote other songs for people like him and his brother, people who grew up duringthe same period and listened to The Beatles, Elton John, The Who and others.“I'm hoping as they've grown and listened to music, it fits right into their lives.”One song, “Rumors,” a fast-moving rocker, is in its original recording of the Sifuentesbrothers from the late '80s, early '90s.“I just threw it in because I wanted to get 12 songs done, and it fits the mood of thealbum perfectly.”“Life,” a soft, lovely ballad, has special meaning.“It's the question every kid gets: What do you want to be in life? I just wanted to befamous and write songs, but you got to live your life for real.”The last lines are:Now that I'm older, I've come to beAll the gifts life has given meStill life comes asking one more thingIs this really what it means to be“I have this gift, and I wanted to share it, what I think my brother and I wanted to doback when. When you get that opportunity, like now, go ahead and make that happen.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/creator-to-creators-with-meosha-bean--4460322/support.

After the unexpected collaboration from Elton John and Marmite Bush and Richie asked the Hometime listeners to Marmite up an Elton Song also, we are onto The L of Britpop A to Z

We're back! RIP to my brother, Fare thee well, Terry, the Iran bombings, No Kings protest, MTG, Leavitt, the F bombs bursting in air, whose side is Tulsi on? and Tony does Elton John

Pro wrestling has plenty of stipulation matches, but one of the most common is the Street Fight. It's essentially just another name for a No DQ match... or a Hardcore match... or a Weapons Wild match... or whatever other silly name you come up with. Regardless of the name, this match type has inspired this episode. Andrew and returning guest Warren Hayes (The Mr. Warren Hayes Show, Voices of Wrestling) play songs that have street suffixes in the title (street, road, drive, avenue, etc.), or in some cases are the names of actual streets. Artists played include Elton John, TSHA, Radiohead, Annie Lennox, Bobby Womack, Portishead, Yellowcard, and many more. Put on a sleeveless t-shirt and strap your kneepads over your jeans, because this episode is one big street fight you don't want to miss!Theme song: "Hemispheres" by Silent PartnerBluesky: @MusicoftheMat / @justandrew / @mrwarrenhayes.showSubscribe to Warren on YouTube: Youtube.com/@MrWarrenHayesAll VOW podcasts, articles, previews, and reviews: VoicesofWrestling.comJoin the VOW Discord to discuss Music of the Mat and other shows/topics: VoicesofWrestling.com/DiscordDonate to Music of the Mat and other VOW podcasts: VoicesofWrestling.com/DonateAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For those who haven't heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a two-episode look at the song “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, and the intertwining careers of Joe Boyd, Sandy Denny, and Richard Thompson. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a forty-one-minute bonus episode available, on Judy Collins’ version of this song. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Erratum For about an hour this was uploaded with the wrong Elton John clip in place of “Saturday Sun”. This has now been fixed. Resources Because of the increasing problems with Mixcloud’s restrictions, I have decided to start sharing streaming playlists of the songs used in episodes instead of Mixcloud ones. This Tunemymusic link will let you listen to the playlist I created on your streaming platform of choice — however please note that not all the songs excerpted are currently available on streaming. The songs missing from the Tidal version are “Shanten Bells” by the Ian Campbell Folk Group, “Tom’s Gone to Hilo” by A.L. Lloyd, two by Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, three by Elton John & Linda Peters, “What Will I Do With Tomorrow” by Sandy Denny and “You Never Know” by Charlie Drake, but the other fifty-nine are there. Other songs may be missing from other services. The main books I used on Fairport Convention as a whole were Patrick Humphries' Meet On The Ledge, Clinton Heylin's What We Did Instead of Holidays, and Kevan Furbank's Fairport Convention on Track. Rob Young's Electric Eden is the most important book on the British folk-rock movement. Information on Richard Thompson comes from Patrick Humphries' Richard Thompson: Strange Affair and Thompson's own autobiography Beeswing.  Information on Sandy Denny comes from Clinton Heylin's No More Sad Refrains and Mick Houghton's I've Always Kept a Unicorn. I also used Joe Boyd's autobiography White Bicycles and Chris Blackwell's The Islander.  And this three-CD set is the best introduction to Fairport's music currently in print. Transcript Before we begin, this episode contains reference to alcohol and cocaine abuse and medical neglect leading to death. It also starts with some discussion of the fatal car accident that ended last episode. There’s also some mention of child neglect and spousal violence. If that’s likely to upset you, you might want to skip this episode or read the transcript. One of the inspirations for this podcast when I started it back in 2018 was a project by Richard Thompson, which appears (like many things in Thompson’s life) to have started out of sheer bloody-mindedness. In 1999 Playboy magazine asked various people to list their “songs of the Millennium”, and most of them, understanding the brief, chose a handful of songs from the latter half of the twentieth century. But Thompson determined that he was going to list his favourite songs *of the millennium*. He didn’t quite manage that, but he did cover seven hundred and forty years, and when Playboy chose not to publish it, he decided to turn it into a touring show, in which he covered all his favourite songs from “Sumer Is Icumen In” from 1260: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Sumer is Icumen In”] Through numerous traditional folk songs, union songs like “Blackleg Miner”, pieces by early-modern composers, Victorian and Edwardian music hall songs, and songs by the Beatles, the Ink Spots, the Kinks, and the Who, all the way to “Oops! I Did It Again”: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Oops! I Did it Again”] And to finish the show, and to show how all this music actually ties together, he would play what he described as a “medieval tune from Brittany”, “Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt”: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt”] We have said many times in this podcast that there is no first anything, but there’s a reason that Liege and Lief, Fairport Convention’s third album of 1969, and the album other than Unhalfbricking on which their reputation largely rests, was advertised with the slogan “The first (literally) British folk rock album ever”. Folk-rock, as the term had come to be known, and as it is still usually used today, had very little to do with traditional folk music. Rather, the records of bands like The Byrds or Simon and Garfunkel were essentially taking the sounds of British beat groups of the early sixties, particularly the Searchers, and applying those sounds to material by contemporary singer-songwriters. People like Paul Simon and Bob Dylan had come up through folk clubs, and their songs were called folk music because of that, but they weren’t what folk music had meant up to that point — songs that had been collected after being handed down through the folk process, changed by each individual singer, with no single identifiable author. They were authored songs by very idiosyncratic writers. But over their last few albums, Fairport Convention had done one or two tracks per album that weren’t like that, that were instead recordings of traditional folk songs, but arranged with rock instrumentation. They were not necessarily the first band to try traditional folk music with electric instruments — around the same time that Fairport started experimenting with the idea, so did an Irish band named Sweeney’s Men, who brought in a young electric guitarist named Henry McCullough briefly. But they do seem to have been the first to have fully embraced the idea. They had done so to an extent with “A Sailor’s Life” on Unhalfbricking, but now they were going to go much further: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Matty Groves” (from about 4:30)] There had been some doubt as to whether Fairport Convention would even continue to exist — by the time Unhalfbricking, their second album of the year, was released, they had been through the terrible car accident that had killed Martin Lamble, the band’s drummer, and Jeannie Franklyn, Richard Thompson’s girlfriend. Most of the rest of the band had been seriously injured, and they had made a conscious decision not to discuss the future of the band until they were all out of hospital. Ashley Hutchings was hospitalised the longest, and Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson, and Sandy Denny, the other three surviving members of the band, flew over to LA with their producer and manager, Joe Boyd, to recuperate there and get to know the American music scene. When they came back, the group all met up in the flat belonging to Denny’s boyfriend Trevor Lucas, and decided that they were going to continue the band. They made a few decisions then — they needed a new drummer, and as well as a drummer they wanted to get in Dave Swarbrick. Swarbrick had played violin on several tracks on Unhalfbricking as a session player, and they had all been thrilled to work with him. Swarbrick was one of the most experienced musicians on the British folk circuit. He had started out in the fifties playing guitar with Beryl Marriott’s Ceilidh Band before switching to fiddle, and in 1963, long before Fairport had formed, he had already appeared on TV with the Ian Campbell Folk Group, led by Ian Campbell, the father of Ali and Robin Campbell, later of UB40: [Excerpt: The Ian Campbell Folk Group, “Shanten Bells (medley on Hullaballoo!)”] He’d sung with Ewan MacColl and A.L. Lloyd: [Excerpt: A.L. Lloyd, “Tom’s Gone to Hilo” ] And he’d formed his hugely successful duo with Martin Carthy, releasing records like “Byker Hill” which are often considered among the best British folk music of all time: [Excerpt: Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, “Byker Hill”] By the time Fairport had invited him to play on Unhalfbricking, Swarbrick had already performed on twenty albums as a core band member, plus dozens more EPs, singles, and odd tracks on compilations. They had no reason to think they could actually get him to join their band. But they had three advantages. The first was that Swarbrick was sick of the traditional folk scene at the time, saying later “I didn’t like seven-eighths of the people involved in it, and it was extremely opportune to leave. I was suddenly presented with the possibilities of exploring the dramatic content of the songs to the full.” The second was that he was hugely excited to be playing with Richard Thompson, who was one of the most innovative guitarists of his generation, and Martin Carthy remembers him raving about Thompson after their initial sessions. (Carthy himself was and is no slouch on the guitar of course, and there was even talk of getting him to join the band at this point, though they decided against it — much to the relief of rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol, who is a perfectly fine player himself but didn’t want to be outclassed by *two* of the best guitarists in Britain at the same time). And the third was that Joe Boyd told him that Fairport were doing so well — they had a single just about to hit the charts with “Si Tu Dois Partir” — that he would only have to play a dozen gigs with Fairport in order to retire. As it turned out, Swarbrick would play with the group for a decade, and would never retire — I saw him on his last tour in 2015, only eight months before he died. The drummer the group picked was also a far more experienced musician than any of the rest, though in a very different genre. Dave Mattacks had no knowledge at all of the kind of music they played, having previously been a player in dance bands. When asked by Hutchings if he wanted to join the band, Mattacks’ response was “I don’t know anything about the music. I don’t understand it… I can’t tell one tune from another, they all sound the same… but if you want me to join the group, fine, because I really like it. I’m enjoying myself musically.” Mattacks brought a new level of professionalism to the band, thanks to his different background. Nicol said of him later “He was dilligent, clean, used to taking three white shirts to a gig… The application he could bring to his playing was amazing. With us, you only played well when you were feeling well.” This distinction applied to his playing as well. Nicol would later describe the difference between Mattacks’ drumming and Lamble’s by saying “Martin’s strength was as an imaginative drummer. DM came in with a strongly developed sense of rhythm, through keeping a big band of drunken saxophone players in order. A great time-keeper.” With this new line-up and a new sense of purpose, the group did as many of their contemporaries were doing and “got their heads together in the country”. Joe Boyd rented the group a mansion, Farley House, in Farley Chamberlayne, Hampshire, and they stayed there together for three months. At the start, the group seem to have thought that they were going to make another record like Unhalfbricking, with some originals, some songs by American songwriters, and a few traditional songs. Even after their stay in Farley Chamberlayne, in fact, they recorded a few of the American songs they’d rehearsed at the start of the process, Richard Farina’s “Quiet Joys of Brotherhood” and Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn’s “Ballad of Easy Rider”: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Ballad of Easy Rider”] Indeed, the whole idea of “getting our heads together in the country” (as the cliche quickly became in the late sixties as half of the bands in Britain went through much the same kind of process as Fairport were doing — but usually for reasons more to do with drug burnout or trend following than recovering from serious life-changing trauma) seems to have been inspired by Bob Dylan and the Band getting together in Big Pink. But very quickly they decided to follow the lead of Ashley Hutchings, who had had something of a Damascene conversion to the cause of traditional English folk music. They were listening mostly to Music From Big Pink by the Band, and to the first album by Sweeney’s Men: [Excerpt: Sweeney’s Men, “The Handsome Cabin Boy”] And they decided that they were going to make something that was as English as those records were North American and Irish (though in the event there were also a few Scottish songs included on the record). Hutchings in particular was becoming something of a scholar of traditional music, regularly visiting Cecil Sharp House and having long conversations with A.L. Lloyd, discovering versions of different traditional songs he’d never encountered before. This was both amusing and bemusing Sandy Denny, who had joined a rock group in part to get away from traditional music; but she was comfortable singing the material, and knew a lot of it and could make a lot of suggestions herself. Swarbrick obviously knew the repertoire intimately, and Nicol was amenable, while Mattacks was utterly clueless about the folk tradition at this point but knew this was the music he wanted to make. Thompson knew very little about traditional music, and of all the band members except Denny he was the one who has shown the least interest in the genre in his subsequent career — but as we heard at the beginning, showing the least interest in the genre is a relative thing, and while Thompson was not hugely familiar with the genre, he *was* able to work with it, and was also more than capable of writing songs that fit in with the genre. Of the eleven songs on the album, which was titled Liege and Lief (which means, roughly, Lord and Loyalty), there were no cover versions of singer-songwriters. Eight were traditional songs, and three were originals, all written in the style of traditional songs. The album opened with “Come All Ye”, an introduction written by Denny and Hutchings (the only time the two would ever write together): [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Come All Ye”] The other two originals were songs where Thompson had written new lyrics to traditional melodies. On “Crazy Man Michael”, Swarbrick had said to Thompson that the tune to which he had set his new words was weaker than the lyrics, to which Thompson had replied that if Swarbrick felt that way he should feel free to write a new melody. He did, and it became the first of the small number of Thompson/Swarbrick collaborations: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Crazy Man Michael”] Thompson and Swarbrick would become a brief songwriting team, but as much as anything else it was down to proximity — the two respected each other as musicians, but never got on very well. In 1981 Swarbrick would say “Richard and I never got on in the early days of FC… we thought we did, but we never did. We composed some bloody good songs together, but it was purely on a basis of “you write that and I’ll write this, and we’ll put it together.” But we never sat down and had real good chats.” The third original on the album, and by far the most affecting, is another song where Thompson put lyrics to a traditional tune. In this case he thought he was putting the lyrics to the tune of “Willie O'Winsbury”, but he was basing it on a recording by Sweeney’s Men. The problem was that Sweeney’s Men had accidentally sung the lyrics of “Willie O'Winsbury'” to the tune of a totally different song, “Fause Foodrage”: [Excerpt: Sweeney’s Men, “Willie O’Winsbury”] Thompson took that melody, and set to it lyrics about loss and separation. Thompson has never been one to discuss the meanings of his lyrics in any great detail, and in the case of this one has said “I really don't know what it means. This song came out of a dream, and I pretty much wrote it as I dreamt it (it was the sixties), and didn't spend very long analyzing it. So interpret as you wish – or replace with your own lines.” But in the context of the traffic accident that had killed his tailor girlfriend and a bandmate, and injured most of his other bandmates, the lyrics about lonely travellers, the winding road, bruised and beaten sons, saying goodbye, and never cutting cloth, seem fairly self-explanatory: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Farewell, Farewell”] The rest of the album, though, was taken up by traditional tunes. There was a long medley of four different fiddle reels; a version of “Reynardine” (a song about a seductive man — or is he a fox? Or perhaps both — which had been recorded by Swarbrick and Carthy on their most recent album); a 19th century song about a deserter saved from the firing squad by Prince Albert; and a long take on “Tam Lin”, one of the most famous pieces in the Scottish folk music canon, a song that has been adapted in different ways by everyone from the experimental noise band Current 93 to the dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah to the comics writer Grant Morrison: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Tam Lin”] And “Matty Groves”, a song about a man killing his cheating wife and her lover, which actually has a surprisingly similar story to that of “1921” from another great concept album from that year, the Who’s Tommy. “Matty Groves” became an excuse for long solos and shows of instrumental virtuosity: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Matty Groves”] The album was recorded in September 1969, after their return from their break in the country and a triumphal performance at the Royal Festival Hall, headlining over fellow Witchseason artists John and Beverly Martyn and Nick Drake. It became a classic of the traditional folk genre — arguably *the* classic of the traditional folk genre. In 2007 BBC Radio 2’s Folk Music Awards gave it an award for most influential folk album of all time, and while such things are hard to measure, I doubt there’s anyone with even the most cursory knowledge of British folk and folk-rock music who would not at least consider that a reasonable claim. But once again, by the time the album came out in November, the band had changed lineups yet again. There was a fundamental split in the band – on one side were Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson, whose stance was, roughly, that Liege and Lief was a great experiment and a fun thing to do once, but really the band had two first-rate songwriters in themselves, and that they should be concentrating on their own new material, not doing these old songs, good as they were. They wanted to take the form of the traditional songs and use that form for new material — they wanted to make British folk-rock, but with the emphasis on the rock side of things. Hutchings, on the other hand, was equally sure that he wanted to make traditional music and go further down the rabbit hole of antiquity. With the zeal of the convert he had gone in a couple of years from being the leader of a band who were labelled “the British Jefferson Airplane” to becoming a serious scholar of traditional folk music. Denny was tired of touring, as well — she wanted to spend more time at home with Trevor Lucas, who was sleeping with other women when she was away and making her insecure. When the time came for the group to go on a tour of Denmark, Denny decided she couldn’t make it, and Hutchings was jubilant — he decided he was going to get A.L. Lloyd into the band in her place and become a *real* folk group. Then Denny reconsidered, and Hutchings was crushed. He realised that while he had always been the leader, he wasn’t going to be able to lead the band any further in the traditionalist direction, and quit the group — but not before he was delegated by the other band members to fire Denny. Until the publication of Richard Thompson’s autobiography in 2022, every book on the group or its members said that Denny quit the band again, which was presumably a polite fiction that the band agreed, but according to Thompson “Before we flew home, we decided to fire Sandy. I don't remember who asked her to leave – it was probably Ashley, who usually did the dirty work. She was reportedly shocked that we would take that step. She may have been fragile beneath the confident facade, but she still knew her worth.” Thompson goes on to explain that the reasons for kicking her out were that “I suppose we felt that in her mind she had already left” and that “We were probably suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, though there wasn't a name for it back then.” They had considered inviting Trevor Lucas to join the band to make Denny more comfortable, but came to the (probably correct) conclusion that while he was someone they got on well with personally, he would be another big ego in a band that already had several, and that being around Denny and Lucas’ volatile relationship would, in Thompson’s phrasing, “have not always given one a feeling of peace and stability.” Hutchings originally decided he was going to join Sweeney’s Men, but that group were falling apart, and their first rehearsal with Hutchings would also be their last as a group, with only Hutchings and guitarist and mandolin player Terry Woods left in the band. They added Woods’ wife Gay, and another couple, Tim Hart and Maddy Prior, and formed a group called Steeleye Span, a name given them by Martin Carthy. That group, like Fairport, went to “get their heads together in the country” for three months and recorded an album of electric versions of traditional songs, Hark the Village Wait, on which Mattacks and another drummer, Gerry Conway, guested as Steeleye Span didn’t at the time have their own drummer: [Excerpt: Steeleye Span, “Blackleg Miner”] Steeleye Span would go on to have a moderately successful chart career in the seventies, but by that time most of the original lineup, including Hutchings, had left — Hutchings stayed with them for a few albums, then went on to form the first of a series of bands, all called the Albion Band or variations on that name, which continue to this day. And this is something that needs to be pointed out at this point — it is impossible to follow every single individual in this narrative as they move between bands. There is enough material in the history of the British folk-rock scene that someone could do a 500 Songs-style podcast just on that, and every time someone left Fairport, or Steeleye Span, or the Albion Band, or Matthews’ Southern Comfort, or any of the other bands we have mentioned or will mention, they would go off and form another band which would then fission, and some of its members would often join one of those other bands. There was a point in the mid-1970s where the Albion Band had two original members of Fairport Convention while Fairport Convention had none. So just in order to keep the narrative anything like wieldy, I’m going to keep the narrative concentrated on the two figures from Fairport — Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson — whose work outside the group has had the most influence on the wider world of rock music more broadly, and only deal with the other members when, as they often did, their careers intersected with those two. That doesn’t mean the other members are not themselves hugely important musicians, just that their importance has been primarily to the folk side of the folk-rock genre, and so somewhat outside the scope of this podcast. While Hutchings decided to form a band that would allow him to go deeper and deeper into traditional folk music, Sandy Denny’s next venture was rather different. For a long time she had been writing far more songs than she had ever played for her bandmates, like “Nothing More”, a song that many have suggested is about Thompson: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “Nothing More”] When Joe Boyd heard that Denny was leaving Fairport Convention, he was at first elated. Fairport’s records were being distributed by A&M in the US at that point, but Island Records was in the process of opening up a new US subsidiary which would then release all future Fairport product — *but*, as far as A&M were concerned, Sandy Denny *was* Fairport Convention. They were only interested in her. Boyd, on the other hand, loved Denny’s work intensely, but from his point of view *Richard Thompson* was Fairport Convention. If he could get Denny signed directly to A&M as a solo artist before Island started its US operations, Witchseason could get a huge advance on her first solo record, while Fairport could continue making records for Island — he’d have two lucrative acts, on different labels. Boyd went over and spoke to A&M and got an agreement in principle that they would give Denny a forty-thousand-dollar advance on her first solo album — twice what they were paying for Fairport albums. The problem was that Denny didn’t want to be a solo act. She wanted to be the lead singer of a band. She gave many reasons for this — the one she gave to many journalists was that she had seen a Judy Collins show and been impressed, but noticed that Collins’ band were definitely a “backing group”, and as she put it “But that's all they were – a backing group. I suddenly thought, If you're playing together on a stage you might as well be TOGETHER.” Most other people in her life, though, say that the main reason for her wanting to be in a band was her desire to be with her boyfriend, Trevor Lucas. Partly this was due to a genuine desire to spend more time with someone with whom she was very much in love, partly it was a fear that he would cheat on her if she was away from him for long periods of time, and part of it seems to have been Lucas’ dislike of being *too* overshadowed by his talented girlfriend — he didn’t mind acknowledging that she was a major talent, but he wanted to be thought of as at least a minor one. So instead of going solo, Denny formed Fotheringay, named after the song she had written for Fairport. This new band consisted at first of Denny on vocals and occasional piano, Lucas on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Lucas’ old Eclection bandmate Gerry Conway on drums. For a lead guitarist, they asked Richard Thompson who the best guitarist in Britain was, and he told them Albert Lee. Lee in turn brought in bass player Pat Donaldson, but this lineup of the band barely survived a fortnight. Lee *was* arguably the best guitarist in Britain, certainly a reasonable candidate if you could ever have a singular best (as indeed was Thompson himself), but he was the best *country* guitarist in Britain, and his style simply didn’t fit with Fotheringay’s folk-influenced songs. He was replaced by American guitarist Jerry Donahue, who was not anything like as proficient as Lee, but who was still very good, and fit the band’s style much better. The new group rehearsed together for a few weeks, did a quick tour, and then went into the recording studio to record their debut, self-titled, album. Joe Boyd produced the album, but admitted himself that he only paid attention to those songs he considered worthwhile — the album contained one song by Lucas, “The Ballad of Ned Kelly”, and two cover versions of American singer-songwriter material with Lucas singing lead. But everyone knew that the songs that actually *mattered* were Sandy Denny’s, and Boyd was far more interested in them, particularly the songs “The Sea” and “The Pond and the Stream”: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “The Pond and the Stream”] Fotheringay almost immediately hit financial problems, though. While other Witchseason acts were used to touring on the cheap, all packed together in the back of a Transit van with inexpensive equipment, Trevor Lucas had ambitions of being a rock star and wanted to put together a touring production to match, with expensive transport and equipment, including a speaker system that got nicknamed “Stonehenge” — but at the same time, Denny was unhappy being on the road, and didn’t play many gigs. As well as the band itself, the Fotheringay album also featured backing vocals from a couple of other people, including Denny’s friend Linda Peters. Peters was another singer from the folk clubs, and a good one, though less well-known than Denny — at this point she had only released a couple of singles, and those singles seemed to have been as much as anything else released as a novelty. The first of those, a version of Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” had been released as by “Paul McNeill and Linda Peters”: [Excerpt: Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”] But their second single, a version of John D. Loudermilk’s “You’re Taking My Bag”, was released on the tiny Page One label, owned by Larry Page, and was released under the name “Paul and Linda”, clearly with the intent of confusing particularly gullible members of the record-buying public into thinking this was the McCartneys: [Excerpt: Paul and Linda, “You’re Taking My Bag”] Peters was though more financially successful than almost anyone else in this story, as she was making a great deal of money as a session singer. She actually did another session involving most of Fotheringay around this time. Witchseason had a number of excellent songwriters on its roster, and had had some success getting covers by people like Judy Collins, but Joe Boyd thought that they might possibly do better at getting cover versions if they were performed in less idiosyncratic arrangements. Donahue, Donaldson, and Conway went into the studio to record backing tracks, and vocals were added by Peters and another session singer, who according to some sources also provided piano. They cut songs by Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band: [Excerpt: Linda Peters, “You Get Brighter”] Ed Carter, formerly of The New Nadir but by this time firmly ensconced in the Beach Boys’ touring band where he would remain for the next quarter-century: [Excerpt: Linda Peters, “I Don’t Mind”] John and Beverly Martyn, and Nick Drake: [Excerpt: Elton John, “Saturday Sun”] There are different lineups of musicians credited for those sessions in different sources, but I tend to believe that it’s mostly Fotheringay for the simple reason that Donahue says it was him, Donaldson and Conway who talked Lucas and Denny into the mistake that destroyed Fotheringay because of these sessions. Fotheringay were in financial trouble already, spending far more money than they were bringing in, but their album made the top twenty and they were getting respect both from critics and from the public — in September, Sandy Denny was voted best British female singer by the readers of Melody Maker in their annual poll, which led to shocked headlines in the tabloids about how this “unknown” could have beaten such big names as Dusty Springfield and Cilla Black. Only a couple of weeks after that, they were due to headline at the Albert Hall. It should have been a triumph. But Donahue, Donaldson, and Conway had asked that singing pianist to be their support act. As Donahue said later “That was a terrible miscast. It was our fault. He asked if [he] could do it. Actually Pat, Gerry and I had to talk Sandy and Trevor into [it]… We'd done these demos and the way he was playing – he was a wonderful piano player – he was sensitive enough. We knew very little about his stage-show. We thought he'd be a really good opener for us.” Unfortunately, Elton John was rather *too* good. As Donahue continued “we had no idea what he had in mind, that he was going to do the most incredible rock & roll show ever. He pretty much blew us off the stage before we even got on the stage.” To make matters worse, Fotheringay’s set, which was mostly comprised of new material, was underrehearsed and sloppy, and from that point on no matter what they did people were counting the hours until the band split up. They struggled along for a while though, and started working on a second record, with Boyd again producing, though as Boyd later said “I probably shouldn't have been producing the record. My lack of respect for the group was clear, and couldn't have helped the atmosphere. We'd put out a record that had sold disappointingly, A&M was unhappy. Sandy's tracks on the first record are among the best things she ever did – the rest of it, who cares? And the artwork, Trevor's sister, was terrible. It would have been one thing if I'd been unhappy with it and it sold, and the group was working all the time, making money, but that wasn't the case … I knew what Sandy was capable of, and it was very upsetting to me.” The record would not be released for thirty-eight years: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “Wild Mountain Thyme”] Witchseason was going badly into debt. Given all the fissioning of bands that we’ve already been talking about, Boyd had been stretched thin — he produced sixteen albums in 1970, and almost all of them lost money for the company. And he was getting more and more disillusioned with the people he was producing. He loved Beverly Martyn’s work, but had little time for her abusive husband John, who was dominating her recording and life more and more and would soon become a solo artist while making her stay at home (and stealing her ideas without giving her songwriting credit). The Incredible String Band were great, but they had recently converted to Scientology, which Boyd found annoying, and while he was working with all sorts of exciting artists like Vashti Bunyan and Nico, he was finding himself less and less important to the artists he mentored. Fairport Convention were a good example of this. After Denny and Hutchings had left the group, they’d decided to carry on as an electric folk group, performing an equal mix of originals by the Swarbrick and Thompson songwriting team and arrangements of traditional songs. The group were now far enough away from the “British Jefferson Airplane” label that they decided they didn’t need a female vocalist — and more realistically, while they’d been able to replace Judy Dyble, nobody was going to replace Sandy Denny. Though it’s rather surprising when one considers Thompson’s subsequent career that nobody seems to have thought of bringing in Denny’s friend Linda Peters, who was dating Joe Boyd at the time (as Denny had been before she met Lucas) as Denny’s replacement. Instead, they decided that Swarbrick and Thompson were going to share the vocals between them. They did, though, need a bass player to replace Hutchings. Swarbrick wanted to bring in Dave Pegg, with whom he had played in the Ian Campbell Folk Group, but the other band members initially thought the idea was a bad one. At the time, while they respected Swarbrick as a musician, they didn’t think he fully understood rock and roll yet, and they thought the idea of getting in a folkie who had played double bass rather than an electric rock bassist ridiculous. But they auditioned him to mollify Swarbrick, and found that he was exactly what they needed. As Joe Boyd later said “All those bass lines were great, Ashley invented them all, but he never could play them that well. He thought of them, but he was technically not a terrific bass player. He was a very inventive, melodic, bass player, but not a very powerful one technically. But having had the part explained to him once, Pegg was playing it better than Ashley had ever played it… In some rock bands, I think, ultimately, the bands that sound great, you can generally trace it to the bass player… it was at that point they became a great band, when they had Pegg.” The new lineup of Fairport decided to move in together, and found a former pub called the Angel, into which all the band members moved, along with their partners and children (Thompson was the only one who was single at this point) and their roadies. The group lived together quite happily, and one gets the impression that this was the period when they were most comfortable with each other, even though by this point they were a disparate group with disparate tastes, in music as in everything else. Several people have said that the only music all the band members could agree they liked at this point was the first two albums by The Band. With the departure of Hutchings from the band, Swarbrick and Thompson, as the strongest personalities and soloists, became in effect the joint leaders of the group, and they became collaborators as songwriters, trying to write new songs that were inspired by traditional music. Thompson described the process as “let’s take one line of this reel and slow it down and move it up a minor third and see what that does to it; let’s take one line of this ballad and make a whole song out of it. Chopping up the tradition to find new things to do… like a collage.” Generally speaking, Swarbrick and Thompson would sit by the fire and Swarbrick would play a melody he’d been working on, the two would work on it for a while, and Thompson would then go away and write the lyrics. This is how the two came up with songs like the nine-minute “Sloth”, a highlight of the next album, Full House, and one that would remain in Fairport’s live set for much of their career: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sloth”] “Sloth” was titled that way because Thompson and Swarbrick were working on two tunes, a slow one and a fast one, and they jokingly named them “Sloth” and “Fasth”, but the latter got renamed to “Walk Awhile”, while “Sloth” kept its working title. But by this point, Boyd and Thompson were having a lot of conflict in the studio. Boyd was never the most technical of producers — he was one of those producers whose job is to gently guide the artists in the studio and create a space for the music to flourish, rather than the Joe Meek type with an intimate technical knowledge of the studio — and as the artists he was working with gained confidence in their own work they felt they had less and less need of him. During the making of the Full House album, Thompson and Boyd, according to Boyd, clashed on everything — every time Boyd thought Thompson had done a good solo, Thompson would say to erase it and let him have another go, while every time Boyd thought Thompson could do better, Thompson would say that was the take to keep. One of their biggest clashes was over Thompson’s song “Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman”, which was originally intended for release on the album, and is included in current reissues of it: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman”] Thompson had written that song inspired by what he thought was the unjust treatment of Alex Bramham, the driver in Fairport’s fatal car crash, by the courts — Bramham had been given a prison sentence of a few months for dangerous driving, while the group members thought he had not been at fault. Boyd thought it was one of the best things recorded for the album, but Thompson wasn’t happy with his vocal — there was one note at the top of the melody that he couldn’t quite hit — and insisted it be kept off the record, even though that meant it would be a shorter album than normal. He did this at such a late stage that early copies of the album actually had the title printed on the sleeve, but then blacked out. He now says in his autobiography “I could have persevered, double-tracked the voice, warmed up for longer – anything. It was a good track, and the record was lacking without it. When the album was re-released, the track was restored with a more confident vocal, and it has stayed there ever since.” During the sessions for Full House the group also recorded one non-album single, Thompson and Swarbrick’s “Now Be Thankful”: [Excerpt, Fairport Convention, “Now Be Thankful”] The B-side to that was a medley of two traditional tunes plus a Swarbrick original, but was given the deliberately ridiculous title “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie”: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie”] The B. McKenzie in the title was a reference to the comic-strip character Barry McKenzie, a stereotype drunk Australian created for Private Eye magazine by the comedian Barry Humphries (later to become better known for his Dame Edna Everage character) but the title was chosen for one reason only — to get into the Guinness Book of Records for the song with the longest title. Which they did, though they were later displaced by the industrial band Test Dept, and their song “Long Live British Democracy Which Flourishes and Is Constantly Perfected Under the Immaculate Guidance of the Great, Honourable, Generous and Correct Margaret Hilda Thatcher. She Is the Blue Sky in the Hearts of All Nations. Our People Pay Homage and Bow in Deep Respect and Gratitude to Her. The Milk of Human Kindness”. Full House got excellent reviews in the music press, with Rolling Stone saying “The music shows that England has finally gotten her own equivalent to The Band… By calling Fairport an English equivalent of the Band, I meant that they have soaked up enough of the tradition of their countryfolk that it begins to show all over, while they maintain their roots in rock.” Off the back of this, the group went on their first US tour, culminating in a series of shows at the Troubadour in LA, on the same bill as Rick Nelson, which were recorded and later released as a live album: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sloth (live)”] The Troubadour was one of the hippest venues at the time, and over their residency there the group got seen by many celebrities, some of whom joined them on stage. The first was Linda Ronstadt, who initially demurred, saying she didn’t know any of their songs. On being told they knew all of hers, she joined in with a rendition of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”. Thompson was later asked to join Ronstadt’s backing band, who would go on to become the Eagles, but he said later of this offer “I would have hated it. I’d have hated being on the road with four or five miserable Americans — they always seem miserable. And if you see them now, they still look miserable on stage — like they don’t want to be there and they don’t like each other.” The group were also joined on stage at the Troubadour on one memorable night by some former bandmates of Pegg’s. Before joining the Ian Campbell Folk Group, Pegg had played around the Birmingham beat scene, and had been in bands with John Bonham and Robert Plant, who turned up to the Troubadour with their Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page (reports differ on whether the fourth member of Zeppelin, John Paul Jones, also came along). They all got up on stage together and jammed on songs like “Hey Joe”, “Louie Louie”, and various old Elvis tunes. The show was recorded, and the tapes are apparently still in the possession of Joe Boyd, who has said he refuses to release them in case he is murdered by the ghost of Peter Grant. According to Thompson, that night ended in a three-way drinking contest between Pegg, Bonham, and Janis Joplin, and it’s testament to how strong the drinking culture is around Fairport and the British folk scene in general that Pegg outdrank both of them. According to Thompson, Bonham was found naked by a swimming pool two days later, having missed two gigs. For all their hard rock image, Led Zeppelin were admirers of a lot of the British folk and folk-rock scene, and a few months later Sandy Denny would become the only outside vocalist ever to appear on a Led Zeppelin record when she duetted with Plant on “The Battle of Evermore” on the group’s fourth album: [Excerpt: Led Zeppelin, “The Battle of Evermore”] Denny would never actually get paid for her appearance on one of the best-selling albums of all time. That was, incidentally, not the only session that Denny was involved in around this time — she also sang on the soundtrack to a soft porn film titled Swedish Fly Girls, whose soundtrack was produced by Manfred Mann: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “What Will I Do With Tomorrow?”] Shortly after Fairport’s trip to America, Joe Boyd decided he was giving up on Witchseason. The company was now losing money, and he was finding himself having to produce work for more and more acts as the various bands fissioned. The only ones he really cared about were Richard Thompson, who he was finding it more and more difficult to work with, Nick Drake, who wanted to do his next album with just an acoustic guitar anyway, Sandy Denny, who he felt was wasting her talents in Fotheringay, and Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band, who was more distant since his conversion to Scientology. Boyd did make some attempts to keep the company going. On a trip to Sweden, he negotiated an agreement with the manager and publisher of a Swedish band whose songs he’d found intriguing, the Hep Stars. Boyd was going to publish their songs in the UK, and in return that publisher, Stig Anderson, would get the rights to Witchseason’s catalogue in Scandinavia — a straight swap, with no money changing hands. But before Boyd could get round to signing the paperwork, he got a better offer from Mo Ostin of Warners — Ostin wanted Boyd to come over to LA and head up Warners’ new film music department. Boyd sold Witchseason to Island Records and moved to LA with his fiancee Linda Peters, spending the next few years working on music for films like Deliverance and A Clockwork Orange, as well as making his own documentary about Jimi Hendrix, and thus missed out on getting the UK publishing rights for ABBA, and all the income that would have brought him, for no money. And it was that decision that led to the breakup of Fotheringay. Just before Christmas 1970, Fotheringay were having a difficult session, recording the track “John the Gun”: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “John the Gun”] Boyd got frustrated and kicked everyone out of the session, and went for a meal and several drinks with Denny. He kept insisting that she should dump the band and just go solo, and then something happened that the two of them would always describe differently. She asked him if he would continue to produce her records if she went solo, and he said he would. According to Boyd’s recollection of the events, he meant that he would fly back from California at some point to produce her records. According to Denny, he told her that if she went solo he would stay in Britain and not take the job in LA. This miscommunication was only discovered after Denny told the rest of Fotheringay after the Christmas break that she was splitting the band. Jerry Donahue has described that as the worst moment of his life, and Denny felt very guilty about breaking up a band with some of her closest friends in — and then when Boyd went over to the US anyway she felt a profound betrayal. Two days before Fotheringay’s final concert, in January 1971, Sandy Denny signed a solo deal with Island records, but her first solo album would not end up produced by Joe Boyd. Instead, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens was co-produced by Denny, John Wood — the engineer who had worked with Boyd on pretty much everything he’d produced, and Richard Thompson, who had just quit Fairport Convention, though he continued living with them at the Angel, at least until a truck crashed into the building in February 1971, destroying its entire front wall and forcing them to relocate. The songs chosen for The North Star Grassman and the Ravens reflected the kind of choices Denny would make on her future albums, and her eclectic taste in music. There was, of course, the obligatory Dylan cover, and the traditional folk ballad “Blackwaterside”, but there was also a cover version of Brenda Lee’s “Let’s Jump the Broomstick”: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Let’s Jump the Broomstick”] Most of the album, though, was made up of originals about various people in Denny’s life, like “Next Time Around”, about her ex-boyfriend Jackson C Frank: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Next Time Around”] The album made the top forty in the UK — Denny’s only solo album to do so — and led to her once again winning the “best female singer” award in Melody Maker’s readers’ poll that year — the male singer award was won by Rod Stewart. Both Stewart and Denny appeared the next year on the London Symphony Orchestra’s all-star version of The Who’s Tommy, which had originally been intended as a vehicle for Stewart before Roger Daltrey got involved. Stewart’s role was reduced to a single song, “Pinball Wizard”, while Denny sang on “It’s a Boy”: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “It’s a Boy”] While Fotheringay had split up, all the band members play on The North Star Grassman and the Ravens. Guitarists Donahue and Lucas only play on a couple of the tracks, with Richard Thompson playing most of the guitar on the record. But Fotheringay’s rhythm section of Pat Donaldson and Gerry Conway play on almost every track. Another musician on the album, Ian Whiteman, would possibly have a profound effect on the future direction of Richard Thompson’s career and life. Whiteman was the former keyboard player for the mod band The Action, having joined them just before they became the blues-rock band Mighty Baby. But Mighty Baby had split up when all of the band except the lead singer had converted to Islam. Richard Thompson was on his own spiritual journey at this point, and became a Sufi – the same branch of Islam as Whiteman – soon after the session, though Thompson has said that his conversion was independent of Whiteman’s. The two did become very close and work together a lot in the mid-seventies though. Thompson had supposedly left Fairport because he was writing material that wasn’t suited to the band, but he spent more than a year after quitting the group working on sessions rather than doing anything with his own material, and these sessions tended to involve the same core group of musicians. One of the more unusual was a folk-rock supergroup called The Bunch, put together by Trevor Lucas. Richard Branson had recently bought a recording studio, and wanted a band to test it out before opening it up for commercial customers, so with this free studio time Lucas decided to record a set of fifties rock and roll covers. He gathered together Thompson, Denny, Whiteman, Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Pat Donaldson, Gerry Conway, pianist Tony Cox, the horn section that would later form the core of the Average White Band, and Linda Peters, who had now split up with Joe Boyd and returned to the UK, and who had started dating Thompson. They recorded an album of covers of songs by Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, Johnny Otis and others: [Excerpt: The Bunch, “Willie and the Hand Jive”] The early seventies was a hugely productive time for this group of musicians, as they all continued playing on each other’s projects. One notable album was No Roses by Shirley Collins, which featured Thompson, Mattacks, Whiteman, Simon Nicol, Lal and Mike Waterson, and Ashley Hutchings, who was at that point married to Collins, as well as some more unusual musicians like the free jazz saxophonist Lol Coxhill: [Excerpt: Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band, “Claudy Banks”] Collins was at the time the most respected female singer in British traditional music, and already had a substantial career including a series of important records made with her sister Dolly, work with guitarists like Davey Graham, and time spent in the 1950s collecting folk songs in the Southern US with her then partner Alan Lomax – according to Collins she did much of the actual work, but Lomax only mentioned her in a single sentence in his book on this work. Some of the same group of musicians went on to work on an album of traditional Morris dancing tunes, titled Morris On, credited to “Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield”, with Collins singing lead on two tracks: [Excerpt: Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield with Shirley Collins, “The Willow Tree”] Thompson thought that that album was the best of the various side projects he was involved in at the time, comparing it favourably to Rock On, which he thought was rather slight, saying later “Conceptually, Fairport, Ashley and myself and Sandy were developing a more fragile style of music that nobody else was particularly interested in, a British Folk Rock idea that had a logical development to it, although we all presented it our own way. Morris On was rather more true to what we were doing. Rock On was rather a retro step. I'm not sure it was lasting enough as a record but Sandy did sing really well on the Buddy Holly songs.” Hutchings used the musicians on No Roses and Morris On as the basis for his band the Albion Band, which continues to this day. Simon Nicol and Dave Mattacks both quit Fairport to join the Albion Band, though Mattacks soon returned. Nicol would not return to Fairport for several years, though, and for a long period in the mid-seventies Fairport Convention had no original members. Unfortunately, while Collins was involved in the Albion Band early on, she and Hutchings ended up divorcing, and the stress from the divorce led to Collins developing spasmodic dysphonia, a stress-related illness which makes it impossible for the sufferer to sing. She did eventually regain her vocal ability, but between 1978 and 2016 she was unable to perform at all, and lost decades of her career. Richard Thompson occasionally performed with the Albion Band early on, but he was getting stretched a little thin with all these sessions. Linda Peters said later of him “When I came back from America, he was working in Sandy’s band, and doing sessions by the score. Always with Pat Donaldson and Dave Mattacks. Richard would turn up with his guitar, one day he went along to do a session with one of those folkie lady singers — and there were Pat and DM. They all cracked. Richard smashed his amp and said “Right! No more sessions!” In 1972 he got round to releasing his first solo album, Henry the Human Fly, which featured guest appearances by Linda Peters and Sandy Denny among others: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “The Angels Took My Racehorse Away”] Unfortunately, while that album has later become regarded as one of the classics of its genre, at the time it was absolutely slated by the music press. The review in Melody Maker, for example, read in part “Some of Richard Thompson’s ideas sound great – which is really the saving grace of this album, because most of the music doesn’t. The tragedy is that Thompson’s “British rock music” is such an unconvincing concoction… Even the songs that do integrate rock and traditional styles of electric guitar rhythms and accordion and fiddle decoration – and also include explicit, meaningful lyrics are marred by bottle-up vocals, uninspiring guitar phrases and a general lack of conviction in performance.” Henry the Human Fly was released in the US by Warners, who had a reciprocal licensing deal with Island (and for whom Joe Boyd was working at the time, which may have had something to do with that) but according to Thompson it became the lowest-selling record that Warners ever put out (though I’ve also seen that claim made about Van Dyke Parks’ Song Cycle, another album that has later been rediscovered). Thompson was hugely depressed by this reaction, and blamed his own singing. Happily, though, by this point he and Linda had become a couple — they would marry in 1972 — and they started playing folk clubs as a duo, or sometimes in a trio with Simon Nicol. Thompson was also playing with Sandy Denny’s backing band at this point, and played on every track on her second solo album, Sandy. This album was meant to be her big commercial breakthrough, with a glamorous cover photo by David Bailey, and with a more American sound, including steel guitar by Sneaky Pete Kleinow of the Flying Burrito Brothers (whose overdubs were supervised in LA by Joe Boyd): [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Tomorrow is a Long Time”] The album was given a big marketing push by Island, and “Listen, Listen” was made single of the week on the Radio 1 Breakfast show: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Listen, Listen”] But it did even worse than the previous album, sending her into something of a depression. Linda Thompson (as the former Linda Peters now was) said of this period “After the Sandy album, it got her down that her popularity didn't suddenly increase in leaps and bounds, and that was the start of her really fretting about the way her career was going. Things only escalated after that. People like me or Martin Carthy or Norma Waterson would think, ‘What are you on about? This is folk music.'” After Sandy’s release, Denny realised she could no longer afford to tour with a band, and so went back to performing just acoustically or on piano. The only new music to be released by either of these ex-members of Fairport Convention in 1973 was, oddly, on an album by the band they were no longer members of. After Thompson had left Fairport, the group had managed to release two whole albums with the same lineup — Swarbrick, Nicol, Pegg, and Mattacks. But then Nicol and Mattacks had both quit the band to join the Albion Band with their former bandmate Ashley Hutchings, leading to a situation where the Albion Band had two original members of Fairport plus their longtime drummer while Fairport Convention itself had no original members and was down to just Swarbrick and Pegg. Needing to fulfil their contracts, they then recruited three former members of Fotheringay — Lucas on vocals and rhythm guitar, Donahue on lead guitar, and Conway on drums. Conway was only a session player at the time, and Mattacks soon returned to the band, but Lucas and Donahue became full-time members. This new lineup of Fairport Convention released two albums in 1973, widely regarded as the group’s most inconsistent records, and on the title track of the first, “Rosie”, Richard Thompson guested on guitar, with Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson on backing vocals: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Rosie”] Neither Sandy Denny nor Richard Thompson released a record themselves in 1973, but in neither case was this through the artists’ choice. The record industry was changing in the early 1970s, as we’ll see in later episodes, and was less inclined to throw good money after bad in the pursuit of art. Island Records prided itself on being a home for great artists, but it was still a business, and needed to make money. We’ll talk about the OPEC oil crisis and its effect on the music industry much more when the podcast gets to 1973, but in brief, the production of oil by the US peaked in 1970 and started to decrease, leading to them importing more and more oil from the Middle East. As a result of this, oil prices rose slowly between 1971 and 1973, then very quickly towards the end of 1973 as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict that year. As vinyl is made of oil, suddenly producing records became much more expensive, and in this period a lot of labels decided not to release already-completed albums, until what they hoped would be a brief period of shortages passed. Both Denny and Thompson recorded albums at this point that got put to one side by Island. In the case of Thompson, it was the first album by Richard and Linda as a duo, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight”] Today, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, and as one of the two masterpieces that bookended Richard and Linda’s career as a duo and their marriage. But when they recorded the album, full of Richard’s dark songs, it was the opposite of commercial. Even a song that’s more or less a boy-girl song, like “Has He Got a Friend for Me?” has lyrics like “He wouldn’t notice me passing by/I could be in the gutter, or dangling down from a tree” [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “Has He got a Friend For Me?”] While something like “The Calvary Cross” is oblique and haunted, and seems to cast a pall over the entire album: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “The Calvary Cross”] The album itself had been cheap to make — it had been recorded in only a week, with Thompson bringing in musicians he knew well and had worked with a lot previously to cut the tracks as-live in only a handful of takes — but Island didn’t think it was worth releasing. The record stayed on the shelf for nearly a year after recording, until Island got a new head of A&R, Richard Williams. Williams said of the album’s release “Muff Winwood had been doing A&R, but he was more interested in production… I had a conversation with Muff as soon as I got there, and he said there are a few hangovers, some outstanding problems. And one of them was Richard Thompson. He said there’s this album we gave him the money to make — which was I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight — and nobody’s very interested in it. Henry the Human Fly had been a bit of a commercial disappointment, and although Island was altruistic and independent and known for only recording good stuff, success was important… Either a record had to do well or somebody had to believe in it a lot. And it seemed as if neither of those things were true at that point of Richard.” Williams, though, was hugely impressed when he listened to the album. He compared Richard Thompson’s guitar playing to John Coltrane’s sax, and called Thompson “the folk poet of the rainy streets”, but also said “Linda brightened it, made it more commercial. and I thought that “Bright Lights” itself seemed a really commercial song.” The rest of the management at Island got caught up in Williams’ enthusiasm, and even decided to release the title track as a single: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight”] Neither single nor album charted — indeed it would not be until 1991 that Richard Thompson would make a record that made the top forty in the UK — but the album got enough critical respect that Richard and Linda released two albums the year after. The first of these, Hokey Pokey, is a much more upbeat record than their previous one — Richard Thompson has called it “quite a music-hall influenced record” and cited the influence of George Formby and Harry Lauder. For once, the claim of music hall influence is audible in the music. Usually when a British musician is claimed to have a music ha

This week the guys welcome Hannah back to the show to talk about the not Elton John movie RocketMan from 1997. They talk about Harland Williams and his leading role, the monkey of course. Brad asks Hannah if she could survive with just Troy for 8 months and Brad summarizes that Jacob and him would just talk movies for 8 months. They also wonder what would happen if the astronauts slept for 8 months and Harland Williams made them his puppets. Troy gets his opportunity to pitch to Hannah and he blows it but it leads to the guys singing Elvis Presley. While Troy says he doesn't have Hannah's number and what if he was sending voice texts to Producer Gary.Checkout the new Hopecast website:https://thehopecastnetwork.com/Follow Movie Torture here:https://www.instagram.com/movietorturepod/Buy Merch here:https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-hopecast-network-swag/This show is brought to you by The Hopecast Networkhttps://www.instagram.com/hopecastnetwork/

Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield returns to Pop Pantheon for the second and final part in our Elton John series. Rob and Louie pick up on Elton's career after his initial run of hits in the 1970s at the tail end of his imperial phase. They then discuss his prolific career from 1975's autobiographical Captain Fantastic to his poorly received disco record in 79, Victim of Love, and his comeback via 1983's Too Low for Zero. Next, they tackle later era Elton, from his Disney hits to his work on Broadway, 1997's re-recording of "Candle in the Wind" and his collabs with pop ingénues like Dua Lipa. Finally, they rank Elton John in The Official Pop Pantheon.Listen to Pop Pantheon's Elton John Essentials PlaylistBUY TICKETS TO MAIN POP GIRLS: POP GIRL SUMMER ON 7/25 AT THE MEADOWS!Gorgeous Gorgeous LA Pride on June 20 at Los GlobosGorgeous Gorgeous NYC Pride on June 27 at Sultan RoomJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter