That Record Got Me High Podcast

Alan Peter Kuperschmidt - better known as Al Kooper - is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician who throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s was a prolific studio musician, playing organ on Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", French horn and piano on the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want", and lead guitar on Rita Coolidge's "The Lady's Not for Sale". He also formed and named Blood, Sweat & Tea...

Like many music lovers who came of age in the mid-70s, returning guest Oscar Herrera (The Sleep Of Reason, Halo, El Duende, Black Tape For A Blue Girl) first encountered Queen upon hearing their unlikely smash-hit single Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio. That song - and the album it came from, 1975s 'A Night At The Opera' - got him - and countless others - high. Including the host of this podcast.
"Nothing really matters, anyone ...

A member of the world-famous Wrecking Crew studio band, drummer Hal Blaine was thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions, 6,000 singles,and 150 US top 10 hits - 40 of which went to number one! This week's guest, drummer Bob Bert (Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Lydia Lunch Retrovirus), brings us Hal's bonkers 1967 release, 'Psychedelic Percussion'. Dig it!

Songs discussed ...

This week, Austin-based guitarist, singer-songwriter, composer, and recording producer Don Cento (Cento Threeo) brings us Elvis Costello's second studio album - and the first with his crack new band the Attractions - 1978's 'This Year's Model'
Always a singer-songwriter in spirit but a punk in attitude, this collection of songs proved Costello's stunning debut 'My Aim Is True' was no fluke.

Songs discussed in this episode: No A...

As far as debut albums go, there's some that seem to appear out of nowhere as a fully-formed, perfectly realized statement-of-purpose. New Jersey-based drummer, blogger, and lawyer Steve Kirsch makes the case that Hoodoo Gurus 1984 debut 'Stoneage Romeos' is just such a record. Chock full of pop culture references AND hooks for days, these Australian pop/garage gurus came out of the gate swinging with a stone cold classic.

Songs di...

While other punk/hardcore bands of their time seemed to be in a race to be the heaviest AND fastest, San Francisco's Flipper slowed things down to a crawl, and imbued their brand of existential nihilism with a healthy dose of detached irony. Hoboken New Jersey musician Dan Cuddy (Hypnolovewheel, The Special Pillow) brings us their landmark debut, 1982's 'Album - Generic Flipper', in all its ragged glory. Strap in!

Songs discussed i...

It might be easier to mention the bands this week's guest Dan Bonebrake HASN'T played with - his bass playing has graced the likes of Lightworkers, The Honest Liars, Manta Wray, Dashboard Confessional, Grey & Orange, John Ralston, War Generation, Vacant Andys, Enablers, Seville, Quit, Fay Wray, Pivot, Anchorman, Where Fear and Weapons Meet, Cori Elba, The Stiff and on and on... This week, Dan, brings us Washington D.C. post-har...

For this special BONUS episode we asked our Patrons to send in some of their favorite songs by a band featuring someone OTHER THAN the usual front person. Let's show the sidemen (or side-women) some love!

Songs featured in this episode: I'm Sticking With You - The Velvet Underground; Sleeping On The Sidewalk - Queen; Coffee & TV - Blur; Where's The Money? - French, Frith, Kaiser & Thompson; Broken Chair - Luna; Years Long A...

Soundly maligned upon its release in 1971, Paul (and Linda) McCartney's whimsically pastoral 'RAM' has only grown in stature over the years, with some insisting that this joyfully strange collection of songs basically invented indie-pop. This week's guest, musician Nick Estes (The Parts. Wonderful Smith), joins known Beatles agnostic Rob to unpack this post-fab-four classic. Ram on!

Songs discussed in this episode: Too Many Pe...

When Chicago blues pianist, singer and songwriter Johnny Iguana (The Claudettes) discovered bands like Minutemen and Husker Du as a teen in Philadelphia, it opened up a world of musical possibilities he's STILL unpacking. He eventually came into possession of The Roxy London WC2 - a live album of recordings taken from various punk bands that played at The Roxy club in Covent Garden, London between January and April 1977 - and the r...

Author Chris Connelly (Cargo Recording Studios 1977-1985) joins us to unpack criminally underrated UK band The Chameleons and their 1983 debut album 'Script Of The Bridge'.
Cargo Studios, though only active from 1977 to 1985 in Rochdale, quickly became the epicentre for post-punk and independent recording bands across the UK, including The Fall, Joy Division, OMD, Gang Of Four, Felt and many many more. Chris was THERE for some ...

This week, Marina and Mick Muhlfriedel of the late 70s/early 80s techno-pop band Vivabeat, join us to discuss the endlessly innovative Brian Eno and his 1977 solo album, 'Before and After Science'.
"Here he comes
The boy who tried to vanish
To the future or past, is no longer here..."

King's Lead Hat (Brian Eno cover) - Ultravox; Man From China (Live, 1983), Wild World (Live, 1979) - Vivabeat; Virginia Plain - Roxy Musi...

This week's guest, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist for the Portland, Oregon-based band The Builders and The Butchers' Ryan Sollee, brings us Fugazi and their third full-length record, 1993's 'In On The Kill Taker'. Raw, visceral and at times raggedly beautiful, it's the sound of a band that - true to their DIY ethos - refused to compromise.

Songs discussed in this episode: Facet Squared (Live, Los Angeles CA 03-08-99) - Fugazi; ...

For this special episode, Rob asked artist, musician and flight attendant Cori Elba - who ALSO happens to be his daughter - to curate a playlist of songs by female artists/female-fronted bands that had an effect on her life. As you'll hear, these aren't just 'favorite songs', but songs she's listened to literally hundreds of times and that ultimately played a huge role in her development as an independent, badass female h...

Musician, songwriter, film and TV composer and record producer Ben Vaughn (Straight From The Hat with Ben Vaughn) brings us Alan Vega and his 1980 self-titled debut solo album. On this release, Vega - one-half of groundbreaking New York synth-punk duo Suicide - delivers stripped-down, minimalist songs that manage to feel both ancient AND avant-garde!

Songs discussed in this episode: Bye Bye Bayou (Alan Vega cover) - LCD Soundsystem...

This week's guest, singer Anne Richmond Boston (longtime member of Atlanta band The Swimming Pool Q's), brings us World Party and their wonderfully effortless pop-rock gem, 'Goodbye Jumbo'. Essentially the solo project of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger, this 1990 release - which according to Q magazine and dozens of critics was one of the best albums of that year - definitely warrants a deep-dive...

Blur's third album, 1994's 'Parklife', was released the same year as Oasis' debut 'Definitely Maybe'. And while many saw this as Britpop's answer to a Beatles/Stones rivalry, none other than Ray Davies himself considered Blur - and especially Parklife - as the heir apparent to ANOTHER classic British band, The Kinks. This week's returning guest Corey duBrowa once again brings the goods as he and Rob attempt to unpack this UK Classi...

Derisively referred to as "Nobody's favorite Neil Young album", Young's 1986 release 'Landing On Water' was conceived at a time when his own record label, Geffen, sued him for creating albums unrepresentative of his familiar style. This week's guest, Musician/Filmmaker Rossellini, contends that this confoundingly claustrophobic release - filled with icy-loud drums, synclavier and synthesizers - deserves a second look...

For this special BONUS Patron-curated episode, we asked Patrons of the show to send in a song where the bass playing really caught their ear...and GOT THEM HIGH!

Songs discussed in this episode: Big Bottom - Spinal Tap; Good Times Bad Times - Led Zeppelin; Don't Look Any Further - Dennis Edwards; Iron Fist - Motorhead; Slow Hand - Three Mile Pilot; Psycho Killer - Talking Heads; Effort To Waste - Saccharine Trust; Rope Ladder To Th...