281. Urthboy on A Tribe Called Quest 'The Low End Theory' (1991)

Today on the show I'm joined by the legendary Jeff Trott - songwriter, producer and guitarist - for a deep dive into the making of a classic record he produced and largely co-wrote, Sheryl Crow's 1997 self-titled album. Jeff opens up about writing If It Makes You Happy, getting drafted in last minute to salvage the production of the record after the original producer bailed, how Robbie Robertson saved Every Day Is A Winding Road from the scrap heap, how the songs evolved in the studio, the secret to maintaining a three decade long creative partnership and what it's like to constantly encounter music you helped create every time you go to buy groceries.

23 Loka 202345min

On today's episode, one of Australia's most acclaimed singer-songwriters, Cash Savage, joins me on the show to put some respect onto Salt-N-Pepa's landmark classic album 'Very Necessary'. Cash talks about discovering the album as a twelve year old and then returning to it with a new perspective as an adult, the pioneering sexual politics of the record, how contemporary the album still feels, how it flips so many of the genre's gender norms, the melding of pop and hip-hop, being sex and sex worker positive, the audio play about the AIDS crisis that closes the record and more. Cash also talks about the reaction to her and the Last Drinks' latest album 'So This Is Love', the most emotionally charged songs to perform live, misinterpretations of her lyrics and her game 'meaningful or nonsense'.

13 Loka 202344min

Today polymath, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and all around Renaissance woman Georgia Mooney joins me for a deep dive into the making of her glorious debut solo album 'Full of Moon', a month after it's release. We talk about the concept of authenticity, the strange intricacies of recording an entire album with rich orchestrations remotely during the panini, the alternate history version of the album, choosing which parts of your personality to reveal and funnel into songwriting and public performance and much more.

4 Loka 202345min

Australian singer-songwriter Hayley Marsten joins me to talk about the seminal album that soundtracked her journey into adulthood, Taylor Swift's seminal 2012 album 'Red'.  Now that this album has finally been chosen for an episode, we make a real meal out of it, getting into how the album marked a fork in the road that forecasted the second half of Taylor's career to date, why taking the big swing is sometimes the less risky path, the musical eclecticism of the album, All Too Well (regular and 10 minute versions) and how Taylor has managed to flatten time and build her own multiverse of madness.

25 Elo 202343min

Today legendary sound engineer Pete Keppler joins me for another look behind the scenes at David Byrne's American Utopia (check out episode 376 of this podcast for our audio documentary on the show), from conception to the world tour to Broadway, dealing with the technical and creative challenges inherent in reinventing the whole idea of a rock'n'roll band. Plus Pete talks about his time on the road with David Bowie as the sound engineer for his last ever tour.

5 Heinä 202333min

One of today's most renowned and skilful Americana singer-songwriters, Jason Isbell, talks about the classic record that helped inspire the genre - The Rolling Stones 1971 LP 'Sticky Fingers'. We talk about how growing up around Muscle Shoals Alabama got Jason into the record as a child, how the album shows the Stones maturing as a band as they entered the 70s, why the self-destructive lyrics of 'Sway' resonated with Jason as he endured his own struggles, what he misses about being in the Drive By Truckers, which song from 'Southeastern' was inspired by the Stones, how the Stones used their business acumen to assert creative control and whether authenticity matters. Plus Jason reveals special moment when he met Bruce Springsteen recently backstage at New Orleans Jazz Festival, and we argue over the merits of the ganjo and producer Dave Cobb's wardrobe.

21 Kesä 202335min

Billions creator Brian Koppelman is one of our most loved returning champions and he joins me once again today to bring things full circle by discussing the album that was the subject of his first ever appearance on the podcast - Jason Isbell's 'Southeastern' - to celebrate it's ten year anniversary. The album that turned Isbell from a cult hero to one of the most acclaimed songwriters of his generation, that set the path and the standard for all his future work and locked in multiple entries in the classic songbook of the 21st century. Brian and I revisit the album's immediate impact on first listen and set it in the context of Isbell's career to date and subsequent acclaimed albums, the discipline and rigour behind his songwriting, his gift for melody, the lack of vanity in his lyrics and much much more.

7 Kesä 202349min

Today, author, music journalist and podcaster James Campion joins me to delve into one of the most iconic and enduring songs in the history of popular music as he gives a taste of his book Take A Sad Song: The Emotional Currency of Hey Jude. We talk about how McCartney took a song inspired by John Lennon's son Julian's feelings about his parents divorce and refined it into one of the most universal songs ever written, how John Lennon was the first of many people to think it was about himself, the difficulty of writing in second person, the songs unusual take on male friendship and how it acts as a sequel to She Loves You, how the recording saw the Beatles take another leap forward in the studio and the revolutionary elements of the track that now seem classic and inevitable.

16 Touko 202336min