Life of the Record

For the 30th anniversary of L7’s breakthrough third album, BRICKS ARE HEAVY, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After L7 had released albums on venerable west coast indie labels, Epitaph and Sub Pop, they decided to go for major label distribution with their third album. Seminal Los Angeles label, Slash Records, allowed them more reach as well as a larger recording budget than ever before. After visiting their friends in Nirvana at Sound City during the recording of NEVERMIND, they met Butch Vig and decided he would be the right producer for their next album. In late 1991, they headed to Madison, Wisconsin to record at Butch Vig’s Smart Studios, just as NEVERMIND was blowing up and changing the face of popular music. In this episode, Donita Sparks describes L7 in this pivitol moment when they were going from the underground to the mainstream. Sparks talks about gaining confidence with her songwriting, getting more specific with her lyrics and embracing her pop side more than ever before. The result was BRICKS ARE HEAVY, an album full of personal songs by Sparks, Suzi Gardner and Jennifer Finch that went on to become generational anthems. From the mind blowing place in the mainstream to major label guilt to using songwriting as revenge to getting the nod from Yoko Ono, we’ll hear the stories around how the album came together.

For the 50th anniversary of Big Star’s iconic debut, #1 RECORD, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After Chris Bell, Andy Hummel and Jody Stephens had taken recording classes from Ardent Studios owner, John Fry, they began to learn the art of recording. John Fry generously allowed them to use the studio during the night as they recorded under the names, Icewater and Rock City. Meanwhile, Alex Chilton had quit the Box Tops and was living in New York City before deciding to return to his hometown of Memphis. Chris Bell invited him to join the band as they began recording what would become #1 RECORD. In this episode, Big Star drummer, Jody Stephens describes being a teenager caught under the spell of his bandmates’ talents and the creative environment of Ardent Studios. Engineer/keyboardist, Terry Manning, reflects on his close friendships with Chris Bell, Alex Chilton and the Big Star clique, and his contributions to #1 RECORD. Holly George-Warren, author of A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton, from Box Tops to Big Star to Backdoor Man, discusses Alex Chilton’s unlikely journey of being the 16-year-old lead singer of a hit group to learning to be a songwriter and an independent person. Rich Tupica, author of There Was a Light: The Cosmic History of Chris Bell and the Rise of Big Star, describes Chris Bell’s sonic vision for #1 RECORD as well as his deterioration in the aftermath of the failure of its release. From wanting to be the Memphis Beatles to endless hours of recording through the night to bringing motorcycles into the studio to Alex discovering a new voice to the Bell/Chilton collaboration and rivalry to the distribution disaster, we’ll hear the stories of how the album came together.

For the 10th anniversary of Japandroids’ second album, CELEBRATION ROCK, we take a detailed look at how the record was made. After the unlikely success of their debut album, POST-NOTHING, Japandroids found themselves leaving their hometown of Vancouver to tour the world and play to much larger audiences than they ever dreamed of. The expectations for their second album began to build as the band felt tremendous pressure to deliver a followup record that proved they weren’t just a one-hit wonder. In between multiple tours, they would record in two-day sessions with longtime engineer/producer, Jesse Gander. Eventually, they rented a house in Nashville to focus on writing the remaining songs for what would become CELEBRATION ROCK. In this episode, David Prowse describes how he and Brian King pushed themselves to make a record that would far surpass any expectations they ever had for the band. Engineer/producer, Jesse Gander, takes us through his first impression of Japandroids and how he was able to capture their unique punk and classic rock-influenced sound. Additionally, author and music critic, Steven Hyden, offers his perspective on Japandroids’ embrace of classic rock mythology and why the record connected with so many people. From Brian’s attempt at revitalizing classic rock tropes to the difficulty of recording fireworks to capturing the feeling of being young to the unabashed embrace of the power of rock and roll, we’ll hear the stories around how the record came together.

For the 30th anniversary of the 2x Grammy Award winning group, Arrested Development’s, pioneering debut album, 3 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AND 2 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF…, Speech joins us for a detailed look at how the record was made. After getting his start in a high school hip hop group in Milwaukee called Attack, Speech left for more opportunities in Atlanta. He connected with Headliner at The Art Institute of Atlanta and the two of them formed Arrested Development, gradually adding group members, Aerle Taree, Montsho Eshe, Rasa Don and Baba Oje, along the way. Eventually, Arrested Development signed a deal with Chrysalis Records, which took exactly 3 years, 5 months and 2 days, giving their debut album its title. In this episode, Speech describes how we became conscious and wanted to form a hip hop group that was an alternative to the gangsta rap that was popular at the time. From being one of the first hip hop groups out of Atlanta to developing a melodic rhyming style to 4-track bedroom recording to the expensive art of sampling to Dionne Farris’s incredible guest vocals, we’ll hear the stories of how the album came together.

For the 15th anniversary of the landmark of Montreal album, HISSING FAUNA, ARE YOU THE DESTROYER?, Kevin Barnes joins us for a detailed look at how the record was made. After of Montreal had already released multiple albums by this point, Barnes had mostly been writing in a conceptual and fantastical style as a way to avoid writing personal songs. For HISSING FAUNA, Barnes decided to write autobiographically about the difficulties they were experiencing in their personal life during this period. Barnes had gotten married and moved to Norway while expecting their first child and was struggling with anxiety and depression. The isolation and stress they were feeling informed the deeply personal songs that ended up on the record. After splitting with their wife, Nina, part way through the sessions, Barnes finished the remaining songs in Athens while writing from the perspective of the Georgie Fruit character they had created. From alienating band members by working alone to using the studio as an escape to the struggle to earn a living as an artist to the problematic Georgie Fruit character, we’ll hear the stories around how the record came together.

For the 25th anniversary of Built to Spill’s astonishing third album, PERFECT FROM NOW ON, Doug Martsch joins us for a detailed look at how the record was made. After Built to Spill released their first two records on indie labels, they ended up signing with Warner Bros. for their third album. Signing with a major label left Martsch feeling conflicted but inspired to experiment in the studio and was determined to make an ambitious album that deserved to be heard by a larger audience. Martsch’s original vision was to change the lineup for the third time and play the majority of the instruments himself with Peter Lansdowne on drums. After reconnecting with producer, Phil Ek, in Seattle, they recorded the first version of the album but were dissatisfied with the results. Martsch then decided to bring bassist, Brett Nelson, back, along with new drummer, Scott Plouff, and record the album a second time. After Phil Ek drove with the tapes from Seattle to Boise, they found that the tapes had been damaged. The band ended up recording the album a third time and brought in collaborators, Brett Netson, John McMahon and Robert Roth to help fill out the arrangements. From envisioning a classic rock sound to the difficulties of analog recording in the nineties to combining ideas to make collage-style songs to stealing lyrics from his wife to the never-ending quest for perfection, we’ll hear the stories around how the album came together.

For the 50th anniversary of the baroque pop classic, ONE YEAR, Colin Blunstone looks back on the unique circumstances around how his first solo album was made. After the end of The Zombies, a band he formed as a teenager with Rod Argent, Hugh Grundy, Paul Atkinson and Paul Arnold, Blunstone found himself unsure about continuing in the music business. The Zombies had recorded ODESSEY AND ORACLE at Abbey Road Studios in 1967, but the initial singles failed to generate interest so the band called it quits before the album was released. Blunstone began working as an insurance clerk in London when “Time of the Season” unexpectedly started to chart in the United States in 1969. Producer, Mike Hurst, convinced Blunstone to make music again and he released a few singles under the pseudonym, Neil MacArthur. Later, former Zombies bandmates, Rod Argent and Chris White, talked Blunstone into recording a solo album under his own name with the two of them co-producing. From Chris Gunning’s breathtaking string arrangements to an unlikely hit of a 21-piece orchestra pop tune to a painfully honest account of his breakup with actress, Caroline Munro, to getting the old Zombies team back together again, we’ll hear the stories around how ONE YEAR came together.

For the 25th anniversary of Heatmiser’s third and final album, MIC CITY SONS, Neil Gust, Tony Lash and Sam Coomes talk openly and in detail about the unique circumstances around how this record was made. When Heatmiser embarked on recording their third album, it was a huge turning point for the band, as they signed a deal with a major label and began building their own studio. Elliott Smith was starting to have success as a solo artist and was coming into his own with songwriting and recording, which led to a lot of tension over the direction of the band. Neil Gust talks about forming his close friendship with Elliott and bonding over music, but how that was changing rapidly in the wake of Elliott’s success. Tony Lash describes butting heads with Elliott in the studio since they were teenagers and how it was reaching a breaking point. Sam Coomes gives an outsider’s perspective as he talks about never officially joining the band and attempting to play peacekeeper during the fraught sessions. As the tensions rose, Neil, Tony and Sam describe the decision to bring in Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock as outside producers to help get the record finished. From drastically changing the sound of the band mid-tour to writing songs about interpersonal band dynamics to guys in their twenties being unable to communicate to the contractual obligation that ultimately ended the band, we’ll hear the stories around how the record came together.

For the 50th anniversary of John Prine’s debut album, we take a detailed look at the extraordinary circumstances of how this record came to be. In this episode, John’s older brother, Dave Prine, describes the shocking moment when he realized his brother’s staggering talent. Erin Osmon, author of the forthcoming 33 1/3 book about this album, takes us through John’s discovery story and how he first made an impact at folk clubs in Chicago before being discovered by Kris Kristofferson and Jerry Wexler. We’ll hear about the unlikely pairing of Prine with legendary Atlantic producer, Arif Mardin, and session players, the Memphis Boys, who had never made a folk record before. Keyboardist, Bobby Wood, and drummer, Gene Chrisman, of the Memphis Boys, discuss what it was like to record these songs at American Sound Studio with a very nervous and inexperienced young performer. Additionally, we’ll hear from another generation of Nashville songwriters and Prine collaborators, Margo Price and Amanda Shires, who describe why many of the songs from this record have become standards. From Prine’s wry sense of humor to his ability to write characters to covertly writing about controversial subjects to his deep empathy, we’ll hear the stories around how this record came together and why it ended up becoming one of Prine’s most enduring works.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary, Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack reflect on the writing and recording of the third Wye Oak album, CIVILIAN. In this episode, they describe this intense period as a young band when they were taking every touring opportunity available and were getting burnt out by working constantly. For CIVILIAN, they were moving out of their comfort zone with recording as they sought help beyond their tight knit Baltimore community and went to Dallas to have the record mixed by John Congleton. On a personal level, Jenn talks about the panic attacks she was experiencing along with a sense of shame that she was feeling in response to her music career taking off, distancing her from the people she loved. In addition, Jenn and Andy talk about a key romantic relationship that was ending, which greatly informed the songwriting for this record. From ominous energy in Dallas to questioning religion and long-term relationships to capturing the right guitar solo to making beautiful ugliness, we’ll hear the stories around how the record came together.