Finest Worksongs
110 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 days ago - ★★★★★ - 59 ratingsLet’s discuss the great albums, they said. Let’s listen, you said.
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Episodes
Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little pill
April 05, 2024 10:18 - 46 minutes - 107 MBAlanis Morissette's 1995 album "Jagged Little Pill" was ripe for mid-90s success -- and it more than delivered. Morissette -- previously a child actor and dance-pop artist -- dug into her soul, and (with the help of songwriter Glen Ballard) released an album of angry, frank and catchy post-grunge rock hits. To say these songs struck a nerve is an understatement. Six singles came off this album with five of them becoming bonafide radio and MTV hits: "Hand in My Pocket," "Ironic," "You Oughta ...
Cyndi Lauper – She's So Unusual
March 18, 2024 10:34 - 44 minutes - 102 MBIn an era of iconic music (and fashion) superstars, Cyndi Lauper burst onto the scene in the 1980s with a flash of neon-infused female-forward pop. She was perfect for the MTV generation, as her look took the pop culture world by storm. But “She’s So Unusual” was not just a vehicle to get her on TVs. The album is packed with timeless classics like “Time After Time,” “All Through the Night” and the VERY progressive for its time “She Bop.” But with “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” Lauper delivered...
Led Zeppelin IV
March 05, 2024 22:14 - 45 minutes - 105 MB"And as we wind on down the road ..." of Season 10 of Finest Worksongs, we turn our attention to perhaps the original Monsters of Rock: Lez Zeppelin. Their fourth album (sometimes called "IV," sometimes referred to as "ZoSo") was released in 1971 and was an immediate and longstanding success. "IV" became one of those albums that everyone seemingly had thanks to the might of muscle of "Rock and Roll," "Black Dog," the marathon majesty of "Stairway to Heaven," and the mystical and mysterious "...
Usher – Confessions
February 07, 2024 04:22 - 45 minutes - 104 MBSure, it's been 20 years since Usher's "Confessions" album was unleashed on the world and solidified Usher Raymond IV as one of the biggest musical and entertainment artists of his generation. But an artist like Usher is timeless, and his pick to rock the Super Bowl halftime in 2024 speaks to that. "Confessions" is the second best-selling album of the 2000s decade, and it spawned a number of (consecutive) No. 1 songs, including the iconic "Yeah!" But it wasn't just the music that made Usher...
Listener’s Choice – Billy Joel
January 10, 2024 11:38 - 41 minutes - 95 MBFor our season-ending "Listener's Choice" epipod, we dive into Billy Joel's fifth album, his 1977 offering, "The Stranger." The album made it to No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 thanks to singles such as "Just the Way Your Are," "Only the Good Die Young," and "She's Always a Woman," but it has long since become critically appreciated (especially by fans) due to Joel's ability to capture the Big Apple via tunes "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" and "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," along with "V...
Christmas 2023 – My Morning Jacket
December 13, 2023 03:34 - 42 minutes - 96.7 MBThe boys are back with another special Christmas epipod! For the fifth annual edition, Matt & Matt are bringing you something fresh. One offering is a brand new (as of Thanksgiving 2023!) holiday album from Jim James and the boys from My Morning Jacket. The other is a serious deep cut: the early-80s funky and wacky album "Merry Christmas to You" by Joseph Washington Jr. Both albums are memorable in their own right, and we hope you enjoy the discussion this season. Merry Christmas from Finest...
Christmas 2023
December 13, 2023 03:34 - 42 minutes - 97.9 MBThe boys are back with another special Christmas epipod! For the fifth annual edition, Matt & Matt are bringing you something fresh. One offering is a brand new (as of Thanksgiving 2023!) holiday album from Jim James and the boys from My Morning Jacket. The other is a serious deep cut: the early-80s funky and wacky album "Merry Christmas to You" by Joseph Washington Jr. Both albums are memorable in their own right, and we hope you enjoy the discussion this season. Merry Christmas from Finest...
The Sundays – Reading, Writing & Arithmetic
December 01, 2023 11:24 - 45 minutes - 103 MBIf it seemed like England's The Sundays came out of nowhere in the early 1990s it's because, well, they sorta did. The dreampop quartet didn't start out with the idea of being major music stars -- they just wanted to have a little fun and make some music. But there were a couple problems with this: Harriet Wheeler and David Gavurin. Harriet's lilting, songbird voice made her one of the most distinctive female voices in pop music; and the gorgeous guitar work by David made The Sundays alterna...
Garth Brooks – Ropin’ The Wind
November 16, 2023 11:39 - 42 minutes - 98.2 MBFew artists have had as much crossover success as Garth Brooks. The Okie not only took the country world by storm in the early-to-mid-1990s, but he was a certified mega pop star as well. And in doing so, Brooks redefined how country music was perceived -- and performed. Brooks made country music arena-friendly. His songs were radio friendly as well, as his 1991 album "Ropin' The Wind" proved. The album would go on to sale more than 14 million copies and produced hits (and Brooks standards) l...
Whitney Houston - Our 100th Epipod!
November 03, 2023 21:26 - 42 minutes - 98.1 MBLong before there was a TV singing competition called "The Voice," there was Whitney Houston -- aka "The Voice." But there really was no competition. Houston's power and range was second to no one else of her generation. In fact, the term of "The Voice" was something of an insult; it suggested that she was given a gift of singing from above, that it had little to do with talent. But to those who heard "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" or "Greatest Love of All" Or "I Will Always Love You" or an...
Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms
October 26, 2023 10:05 - 49 minutes - 113 MBEarly computer animation. Sports bloopers. Pastel sport coats. And "I want my MTV." On the surface, it's hard to get more "1980s" than Dire Straits during their "Brothers in Arms" era. But peak MTV era was also quite superficial, and with Dire Straits, there was always more just below the surface. Even with mega radio and music video hits like "Walk of Life" and "Money For Nothing," 1985's "Brothers in Arms" is yet another album with frontman and guitar god Mark Knopfler weaving stories abo...
Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
October 09, 2023 10:00 - 43 minutes - 100 MBLucinda Williams' fifth album, released in the summer of 1998, not only cemented the artist as a bonafide songwriting juggernaut, but it solidified her place among America's best storytellers. "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" would go on to be named The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop (critics) Album of the Year, and to date it is among Rolling Stone's top 500 albums of all time. And for good reason. Williams bemoans (and even moans) about love and loss in songs like "Right In Time," Lake Charles" a...
Weezer – Weezer (Blue Album)
September 29, 2023 17:10 - 36 minutes - 82.5 MBIn 1994, heavy metal and hard rock were on the way out and grunge ruled supreme. But that mattered not to a young, quick-witted songwriter named Rivers Cuomo. Raised on KISS, Iron Maiden and the rest, Cuomo and his band Weezer brought forth an amalgamation of rock that embraced the angst of grunge with the chops of metal -- all framed by the disposition and perspective of a loner. Weezer's self-titled debut (aka "The Blue Album") set the music world on fire with radio and MTV hits "Buddy Hol...
Van Morrison – Moondance
September 19, 2023 10:05 - 42 minutes - 97 MBHow does a young songwriter come back from releasing a mega hit that EVERYBODY knows? For Van Morrison, he followed the success of "Brown Eyed Girl" with two different approaches. First came "Astral Weeks," an album built on and around Morrison's jazz upbringing. Next came "Moondance," which bridged the gap (eventually) between his love of various genres of music with a nod to a more pop-friendly format. It worked. Like "Brown Eyed Girl," the title track has since become a standard, but the ...
Listener’s Choice – The Allman Brothers
July 14, 2023 10:03 - 44 minutes - 103 MB"With the help of God and true friends, I come to realize / I still had two strong legs and even wings to fly." Those are among some of the first lines of the first song ("Ain't Wastin' Time No More") from "Eat a Peach," the double album by the Allman Brothers Band, which was released in early 1972. The lines and the song -- heck, SEVERAL of the songs -- underscore a lot of what the Allman Brothers were all about throughout their career -- but perhaps never more so than at this point. They...
Missy Elliott – Under Construction
July 06, 2023 15:00 - 41 minutes - 95.7 MBFew musical genres have the level of deep-seated appreciation for its forefathers (and mothers) like rap and hip hop. And Missy Elliott's 2002 album, "Under Construction" is a wonderful homage to "the good old days" when it was about "British Knights and gold chains," as Elliott raps on "Back in the Day." But for all the looking back, this was also an album where Elliott continued to put her stamp on music. While the single "Work It" continues to be one of the Virginia-born Elliott's biggest...
Rage Against The Machine – self-titled debut
June 01, 2023 10:02 - 44 minutes - 103 MBSure, prior to 1992 there had been combinations of rap and rock. But they were mostly of the novelty variety - a way to offer a safe crossover of different genres and audiences. When Rage Against the Machine unloaded their debut album in 1992, they kicked the crap out of the novelty and drew a line in the sand that told the world that playtime was over. This wasn't "Walk this Way" or "I'm the Man." Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford laid down some of the heaviest, grooviest music arou...
Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes
May 23, 2023 10:01 - 43 minutes - 100 MBPerhaps no band benefited from the beauty of the mix tape better than the Violent Femmes. However, you could argue that no other band led to the proliferation of the art form of creating a mix tape more than the Femmes. The simpleness of song structure (and production) and the adolescent lyrical content (one reviewer calling it "uber-elementary sing-alongs") were absolutely {chef's kiss} to represent frustrated, angsty teenagers of the 1980s and '90s. It makes sense -- chief songwriter Gordo...
Dolly Parton – Jolene
May 05, 2023 10:02 - 45 minutes - 105 MBFew artists have enjoyed a resurgence in appreciation over the past decade like Dolly Parton. But in the 1970s, she fought against the perception that she was just a sidekick to Porter Wagoner ... or just a pretty face. It also goes without saying that a lot of people think of other things first when thinking about Dolly, instead of thinking about her talents as a songwriter, singer and musician. But Dolly has remained true to her roots and to herself, and in recent years, she has begun to ...
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
April 13, 2023 10:04 - 45 minutes - 104 MBWith his 1971 album, "What's Going On," Motown staple Marvin Gaye turned the R&B world -- and the pop music world for that matter -- upside down, smashing conventional ideas about pop songs, album topics and even song themes. It's an album -- and one you really should listen to from start to finish -- about a Vietnam vet returning from war to find an America weighted down by racism, drugs, hatred and injustice. Not surprising, Gaye had to fight hard to have his vision come to life. It was de...
Matchbox Twenty – Yourself Or Someone Like You
March 29, 2023 10:04 - 39 minutes - 91.2 MB"And I said baby ... it's 3 a.m., I must be lonely." If you were anywhere within earshot of a radio or MTV in the mid-to-late 1990s, that little slice of earworm was no doubt getting stuck in your head. The culprits? Rob Thomas and his band mates in Matchbox Twenty, whose debut album, "Yourself or Someone Like You," took pop radio by storm. Hits like the aforementioned "3AM," "Push," "Real World" and more pushed the sales of this album upwards of MILLIONS of copies. (It sold just over 600 co...
Elvis Presley – From Elvis in Memphis
March 20, 2023 10:04 - 44 minutes - 102 MBFirst, let's get something out of the way. This is an album podcast. It always will be, first and foremost. Therein lies some limitations around how to talk about some of the early pioneers of rock and roll and pop music. Many of them "released" albums that were nothing more than a collection of disparate singles. Or they loosely put together a collection of songs, threw a cover on it and called in an "album." Elvis Presley was no different. However, with "From Elvis in Memphis," The King ha...
We Were Guests On A Podcast!
March 14, 2023 01:23 - 5 minutes - 13.6 MBMatt and Matt were invited to talk podcasting with Tav and Aidan of Being Human Beings. We've posted a clip here, check out the full episode on Apple or Spotify Oh, and follow them on Instagram!
Pulp Fiction: Music From the Motion Picture
March 03, 2023 11:10 - 46 minutes - 107 MB"Hooray for Hollywood / That screwy ballyhooey Hollywood ..." Just in time for this year's Academy Awards, Finest Worksongs is offering up our first-ever Oscars Edition where we feature a movie soundtrack. And what a doozy. The %!@ album we chose is so %!@ good, so innovative and clever, that we just had to %!@ talk about it. "Pulp Fiction" was such a game-changer of a film; however, you can't talk about the movie without talking about how methodical the song choices were for the soundtrack....
Oasis - (What’s The Story) Morning Glory
February 19, 2023 19:48 - 44 minutes - 102 MBNo one knows you quite like a sibling. That can result in a familiarity and a closeness that results in beautiful things. It can also result in sibling rivalries and infighting -- as in the case of the Gallagher brothers in Oasis. Noel and Liam, the creative centers of the British band, aren't exactly the closest of brothers these days. But back in their peak, they created some music magic that still resonates to this day -- even if their relationship doesn't. On "(What's the Story) Morning ...
Tracy Chapman – self-titled debut
February 02, 2023 11:01 - 52 minutes - 121 MBSmack dab in the middle of the decline of hard rock and the rise of grunge (and in the rising tide of hip hop), Tracy Chapman threw a folk music haymaker on mainstream music beginning in 1988. And boy did she land the punch. Chapman burst on the scene with her huge hit single, "Fast Car," which painted a picture of desperation, of longing for more from a world of loss, darkness and despair. (Spoiler alert: We never really find out if the protagonist gets to experience anything more in life.)...
Listener’s Choice – Dave Matthews Band
January 06, 2023 17:29 - 50 minutes - 117 MBOnce again, we close out our season with the “Listener’s Choice” epipod. And once again, Finest Workfan Kyle Hipp comes out on top with this year’s submission of Dave Matthews Band’s “Busted Stuff.” This album rose from the ashes of the now legendary “Lillywhite Sessions,” of which the band was not happy. So Dave and his band regrouped and re-recorded the tunes (and added a couple others), resulting in “Busted Stuff,” the stripped-down 2002 album that spawned the hit “Where Are You Going?” a...
Christmas 2022
December 16, 2022 15:29 - 42 minutes - 97.5 MBIt’s our fourth annual Christmas epipod! And we’re getting mellow this year with two beautiful albums. The syrupy soft rock of The Caepenters’ “Christmas Portrait” has become holiday radio staples thanks to Karen Carpenter’s voice and brother Richard’s orchestral arrangements. Equally poignant is Hiss Golden Messenger’s 2021 “O Come All Ye Faithful,” which is almost like a non-traditional prayer for the lost and seeking. The album is a mix of standards, traditional songs and even holiday-es...
Frightened Rabbit – Pedestrian Verse
December 06, 2022 12:49 - 47 minutes - 108 MBWith his band Frightened Rabbit, Scottish songwriter Scott Hutchison created anthems for the lonely and the cynical -- yet they were songs of hope. Hutchison took his own life in May 2018, yet his legacy -- and impact -- lives on. The band's 2013 album, "Pedestrian Verse," captures the essence of what made the group so spectacular. (It was also the first offering by the band to include songwriting efforts by all of its members.) Songs like "Backyard Skulls" and "Late March, Death March" cont...
Radiohead – OK Computer
November 17, 2022 11:08 - 49 minutes - 114 MBIt's exceedingly rare to enjoy the 1-2-punch of creating an album that is instantaneously both a critical and commercial success, but in 1997 Radiohead accomplished such a feat with OK Computer. To create something so different, so .... "odd" yet so beautiful -- especially in the midst of such chart-topping offerings as the Spice Girls, LeAnn Rimes and Mariah Carey -- speaks to what a pivot OK Computer truly was. The album has remained a critical favorite -- and even one that seemed to predi...
Tina Turner – Private Dancer
October 28, 2022 03:07 - 46 minutes - 107 MBFor decades people have debated over who had the best crossover. While Allen Iverson's NBA crossover may have been lethal, it was nothing compared to Tina Turner's iconic crossover into the pop mainstream. After years in partnership with an abusive and overbearing Ike Turner, Tina stepped out on her own to find her own voice. And boy, did she ever. Ike could only sit back and watch Tina step right over him as she created some of the most monstrous hits of the 1980's. And like Tyronn Lue, Ike...
Fleetwood Mac –Rumours
October 13, 2022 10:01 - 39 minutes - 90.5 MBFor as famous as Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" is -- and it IS -- just as famous was the drama and infighting that was going on between band members when it was recorded. The inter-band dynamics were insane at the time: band members divorcing and breaking up from one another, "diss" track after diss track recorded -- and directed at one another, and drugs. SO many drugs. For better or worse, the result is one of the most widely revered albums of all time. The 1975 album boasts Mac classics like ...
Shania Twain - Come On Over
October 01, 2022 22:02 - 47 minutes - 108 MBBoasting arguably the most famous midriff of the 1990s, Shania Twain rose out of Canada (and poverty) and reinvented country music and even the notion of what constitutes a female superstar. And she did it on her (and her producer-husband's) terms. Her 1997 album, "Come On Over," was a country and crossover tour de force, boasting eight singles including "Still the One," "From This Moment On," "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and "That Don't Impress Me Much." In doing so, Twain dominated a male-d...
Listener’s Choice – Foo Fighters
August 05, 2022 17:50 - 39 minutes - 90.4 MBDave Grohl is like the Forrest Gump of the rock'n'roll world. From Scream to Nirvana to Foo Fighters, he's traversed not only the country but the globe, making friends and funny videos along the way. The winner of our sixth Listener's Choice contest, Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace had us rocking the suburbs this summer (literally, it took us all summer to finally record this one, not to mention the slow edit!). This album was full of surprises - the story of trapped Australian miners for...
Bob Marley – Legend
June 22, 2022 10:04 - 51 minutes - 118 MBThere's more than a 50/50 chance you actually own this album – or did at some point in your life (Especially if you're a kid of the 80s/90s and the CD/cassette clubs like BMG or Columbia House). There's a good reason why Bob Marley and the Wailers' "Legend" was in so many disc changers back in the day and continues to be in regular rotation for many. As far as greatest hits compilations go, this one may be the greatest of them all. It contains 10 of Marley's UK top 40 hits including and feat...
David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
June 01, 2022 10:00 - 42 minutes - 97.5 MBDavid Bowie, according to U2’s Bono, was “like a creature falling from the sky.” America may have put a man on the moon, but “we had our own British guy from space.” Bono is referring to when, in 1972, Bowie performed “Starman” on “Top of the Pops,” a seminal moment for young, inspired musicians everywhere. “Starman” was a single on Bowie’s sci-fi/apocalyptic/androgynous concept album, “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” and the album propelled Bowie into the stra...
TLC – CrazySexyCool
May 26, 2022 10:04 - 44 minutes - 102 MBThe title of TLC’s 1994 album “CrazySexyCool” was appropriate as it defined the three members of the group individually and collectively. The group – made up of Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas – lays claim as arguably (still) the most successful girl group of all time. And this album is one major reason why. It’s a fierce collection of strong, confident and even risky songs that, quite frankly, female artists weren’t doing at the time. “Creep” and “W...
AC/DC – Back in Black
May 04, 2022 10:00 - 46 minutes - 106 MBAsk someone to name some of the best-selling albums of all time, and there’s a very good chance they will overlook AC/DC’s “Back in Black.” In some ways, it’s easy to dismiss the band as overly simplistic .. or even stuck in time. But that would be a mistake to discount the impact that the band has had on the trajectory of rock and roll. “Back in Black” came out in summer of 1980, and it’s such a great summer party album. (Or course, you could probably say that about every AC/DC album.) “Bac...
Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
April 22, 2022 17:03 - 46 minutes - 107 MBShe may be petite and blonde, but don't let that fool you. Phoebe Bridgers is a GIANT. A songwriting giant. And her mid-2020 album "Punisher" was not only the perfect accompaniment to Covid quarantine, but it solidified the Californian as a bona fide commercial and critical star. Her ability to weave in angst, anger, humor and indifference into compelling, catchy, layered songs resulted in a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album, while "Kyoto" was also nominated for Best Rock So...
Midnight Oil – Blue Sky Mining
March 29, 2022 10:04 - 41 minutes - 95.6 MBMidnight Oil burst onto the TV screens all over America in 1987 with the videos to "Beds Are Burning" and "The Dead Heart." It was like they were from another world. Well, they kinda were. They were from the other side of the world, at least: Australia. But their follow-up album, 1990's "Blue Sky Mining," proved the Oils were more than just a one- (or two-)hit wonder, or just a vehicle to showcase the frenetic dancing of the tall, lanky, and bald lead singer Peter Garrett. "Blue Sky Mining" ...
Arrested Development – 3years, 5 months, and 2 days in the life of...
March 09, 2022 11:04 - 41 minutes - 95 MBSometimes the albums we discuss are deemed classic by the masses; sometimes they are deemed classic by a Matt (singular). Sometimes those albums are classic ...question mark? In the case of Arrested Development's debut album, "3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of ..." (so-called because that was how long it took the group to land a recording contract), the question is not really whether it's a classic album or not. It's not. But it is an important album. When it was released in 1992, ...
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik
February 14, 2022 12:05 - 44 minutes - 103 MBReleased on the exact same day as both Nirvana’s “Nevermind" and A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Low End Theory,” the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” took radio and MTV by storm thanks to massive hits like “Give It Away” and especially “Under the Bridge.” The Rick Rubin produced album was a crossover hit for a band largely known for funk, punk, and wild on-stage antics. The antics continued, but now to much larger, mainstream audiences. And while the album is full of things that l...
James Taylor - Greatest Hits, Volume One
February 08, 2022 11:04 - 50 minutes - 117 MBIt’s an amazing story, really. A well-born son of New England (and thus AMERICAN) heraldry battles drugs and romances only to find solace in songwriting. On a whim, the young man heads oversees and finds himself auditioning for Beatles. Not only do they love his music, they end up signing him to their label, playing on his debut album, and – in the case of George Harrison – being “inspired” by one of the young man’s songs enough to write arguably HIS greatest ever song. This is the story of ...
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
January 27, 2022 10:26 - 40 minutes - 91.7 MBIf ever there was a band that has come close to "out-U2ing" U2, it is Coldplay. Think about it: four good friends from their school days form a band – led by a charismatic lead singer – and create atmospheric, emotional, sing-along stadium anthems. And with "A Rush of Blood to the Head," Chris Martin & Co. culled together the quintessential Coldplay "sound": chiming piano, uncluttered (and occasionally ringing) guitar, driving bass and drum parts that fill the space and complement the mood. ...
Boyz II Men – Cooleyhighharmony
January 12, 2022 11:04 - 50 minutes - 115 MB"Not too hard and not too soft." That phrase personifies, in many ways, the music AND appeal of R&B hitmakers Boyz II Men. They could sing the harmonious, emotional acapella high points with songs like "End of the Road" and "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" but they could also bring the heat. (See "Uhh Ahh.") However, there was nothing soft about their success. When their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony, hit in 1991, it hit HARD. Fueled by the Michael Bivins-produced "origin story" "...
Christmas 2021
December 20, 2021 11:04 - 49 minutes - 114 MBIt’s been … one year since the last Finest Worksongs Christmas epipod. But Matt & Matt are back to offer up a couple of Yuletide faves ….and both are quirky and fun - in their own special ways. Barenaked Ladies’ “Barenaked for the Holidays” is quintessential BNL: moments of musical brilliance combined with moments of inane levity. “A Very Special Christmas 3” once again brought music’s top heavy hitters together to put their own, uh, unique spins on holiday classics — and a couple (then) new...
Listener‘s Choice: Taylor Swift‘s folklore
December 09, 2021 05:27 - 46 minutes - 107 MBThis Listener's Choice epipod stays "in the family" as the boys discuss Taylor Swift's 2020 album folklore, which was chosen by Matt Stevens' daughter MC. The adoration and sheer respect for Swift shines through in the discussion – from hosts and guest alike. After all, this was not just a career-defining album for T. Swift, but also a life-changing musical experience for many. The stripped-down and introspective songs were the perfect sounds to arrive during quarantine. And with assistance ...
Def Leppard - Pyromania
November 23, 2021 19:43 - 45 minutes - 105 MBIn 1983, Def Leppard emerged from the burgeoning British hard rock/metal landscape as, arguably, the biggest cats around. On the strength of mega hits (and fantastically "1980s-esque" videos) like "Photograph," Rock of Ages," "Foolin'" and "Too Late For Love," the boys from Sheffield were able to become MTV darlings while still leaning into the spike bracelets and fist-pumping ethos. Their third album, "Pyromania," was a break-out success. Their ascension hit a slight bump when drummer Rick A...
Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair
November 11, 2021 19:06 - 37 minutes - 86.3 MB1985 was a big year in pop music. The list of Billboard-topping albums is like a "who's who" of 80s powerhouses: "Born in the USA" ... "Purple Rain" ... "No Jacket Required" .... "We Are the World" ... "Like a Virgin" ... and so on. But one album that made a splash that summer was Tears For Fears' "Songs from the Big Chair." All of a sudden, with hits like "Shout," "Head Over Heels" and "Everybody Wants to Rule The World," Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal were punching above their class with th...
Fugees - The Score
November 03, 2021 20:04 - 44 minutes - 102 MBTwenty-five years ago, a hip-hop album hit the scene so hard – and so somewhat unexpectedly – that it is still amazing to reflect on the remarkable impact that it had. In a time where gangster rap was shouting the loudest, "The Score," the second album by Fugees, resonated with virtually everyone, scoring Grammys, selling millions of copies, and being the soundtrack to dance clubs for years to come – while underscoring many of the same issues that their more bombastic contemporaries were als...