Episode 23 – What the Hell is Art Rock?

The possibly despicable term “art rock” is where pop, prog & rock meet, with a generous layer of quirk embedded throughout. Art rock is pop without restraint, prog with good table manners, rock stretching its creative fibers beyond the norm. And yet, gray areas abound! In episode 23 of Radical Research, we offer an hour-long survey of several artists in this realm: Crack the Sky, Be Bop Deluxe, Godley & Creme, Split Enz and Max Webster. Leaping off from the platform built by the Beatles, David Bowie, Roxy Music, 10cc and Queen, we crash-land onto beguiling terrain. Note I: Other than the featured artists & foundational art rock gods mentioned above, more bands we recommend not featured in this episode: Alan Parsons Project, City Boy, Brian Eno (1973-1977), Phil Manzanera, Citizen Band, Angel (1975-1976), Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (1977-1980), Buggles, Japan, Sparks, Tubes, Eddie Jobson/Zinc, and even select Cheap Trick tunes. Blue Oyster Cult also intersect with this family of bands. And there are more… Note II: We’re proud to be sponsored for 2019 by Lamentations of The Flame Princess, Weird Fantasy Role Playing! We encourage you to check out their award-winning (and sometimes banned!) products here: www.lotfp.com/RPG/

Music cited, in order of appearance: Cheap Trick, “High Priest of Rhythmic Noise” (All Shook Up, 1980) Crack the Sky, “Ice” (Crack the Sky, 1975) Crack the Sky, “Nuclear Apathy” (Safety in Numbers, 1978) Be Bop Deluxe, “Sister Seagull” (Futurama, 1975) Be Bop Deluxe, “Kiss of Light” (Modern Music, 1976) Godley & Creme, “The Sporting Life” (L, 1978) Godley & Creme, “I Pity Inanimate Objects” (Freeze Frame, 1979) Split Enz, “Crosswords” (Dizrythmia, 1978) Split Enz, “In the Wars” (1980 b-side) Max Webster, “Toronto Tontos” (Max Webster, 1976) Max Webster, “Battle Scar” (Universal Juveniles, 1980) Blue Oyster Cult, “Hungry Boys” (Cultosaurus Erectus, 1980) Episode 24 preview: Nasty Savage, “Abstract Reality” (Abstract Reality, 1988) Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it. This is Radical Research Podcast episode 23