S5: October Records of the Month - Trapper Haskins, Muse, GA-20, and Journey

On this episode of the Blind Tiger Record Club Podcast, David W. Williams and Kevin Lee kick off the fall with a discussion of the Blind Tiger Record Club's October Records of the Month.

We discuss all four styles of the B.T.R.C. Records of the Month - Singer Songwriter, Rock & Alternative, Jazz Soul & Blues, and Classics.  Normally, each style would have its own club episode, but this month, we have them all combined in one show.

We discuss new releases and reissues from Trapper Haskins, Muse, GA-20, and Journey.  The albums from these artists are discussed and clips of songs from the albums are played.  We talk about a very special album, Blood In The Honey, By Trapper Haskins and how unique the production and arrangements are on this album.  You can catch our LP Interview with Trapper Haskins on October 24th and listen to Haskins tell us all about vintage baseball, boatmaking, and the writing and production of this album.  We also discuss Will of the People by Muse and how visual the album is even though it's not officially a concept album.  We talk about GA-20's Crackdown, the duo's follow up to 2019's Lonely Soul.  We discuss the groups traditional blues, country, and rock influence and how the pair are really "blues revivalist".  The last album we discuss is the epic classic rock album, Escape (E5C4P3), by Journey, celebrating over 40 years since its release.  We cover the albums chart positioning worldwide and the singles.  We talk about the importance of "Open Arms" to the "power ballad" at pop radio and how incredible Steve Perry's vocals are on this Journey album in particular..  We also talk about how the album was produced by former Lynyrd Skynyrd's sound engineer, Kevin Elson and Queen engineer Mike Stone as well as the role played by Jonathan Cain who replaced Gregg Rolie on keyboards for this album.  We also discuss the biggest song of the 20th century - "Don't Stop Believin'" and how it competes for downloads with a certain song by Survivor - much to that band's chagrins. 

We also briefly discuss U2 and Bono's new book and book tour,  Surrender: 40 Songs.  We also discuss a very important milestone achieved by Apple Music and how some songs still penetrate the larger culture like "I Ain't Worried" by One Republic.

   

Here are the albums included in this episode of the Blind Tiger Record Club Podcast:

• Singer Songwriter October Record of the Month:  Trapper Haskins | Blood In The Honey (Autographed 180G Vinyl w/ sticker)
• Rock & Alternative October Record of the Month:  Muse | Will of the People (Ltd. Dust Bone Vinyl)
• Jazz Soul & Blues October Record of the Month:  GA-20 | Crackdown (Ltd Ed. Purple Vinyl)
• Classics October Record of the Month:  Journey | Escape (E5C4P3)  (Ltd. Ed. 180G 40th Anniversary Remaster)

Whether or not you are a member of Blind Tiger Record Club, the B.T.R.C. Podcast is a great way to get introduced to some new artists and discover some albums that you may not be familiar with.  All the music in our subscription program and that we discuss on this show are on vinyl and have been released or reissued in the last 30 - 60 days.  The show is designed to be a discovery platform for new music "on vinyl", but even if you do not collect or listen to vinyl, it's still a fun way to explore new music.

*The Blind Tiger Record Club Podcast is sponsored by 85 Supply.  Go to 85supply.comor e