Caropop

If all Klaus Voormann had done was design the cover of the Beatles’ Revolver, his place in rock history would be secure. The band needed artwork to match their bold musical leap forward, and he delivered striking black-and-white line drawings of his friends, with photos woven through their flowing hair. He recalls hearing the mind-blowing new music in the studio and struggling to draw one particular Beatle. Voormann also was Manfred Mann’s bassist and played with all four Beatles, including on John Lennon’s early solo singles and albums, All Things Must Pass and Ringo. He played bass on Harry Nilsson’s “Without You,” Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” and Randy Newman’s “Short People" as well. He’s been here, there and everywhere and wants to tell you.

Dave Davies is constantly searching for answers beyond ordinary human comprehension, so a conversation with the trailblazing Kinks guitarist isn’t just a chance to geek out on music questions. We dig into the band's past, present and future, including the songs he wrote (“Death of a Clown,” “Strangers”…), the indelible harmonies he sang and the new box set showcasing Muswell Hillbillies and Everybody’s in Show-Biz. We also discuss his stroke recovery and whether it’s time to retire talk of a Kinks’ reunion. But beyond the songs and dynamics with older brother Ray, Dave Davies is exploring the higher power of love and what it means to be alive. We’re all living on a thin line, after all.(Photo by Rebecca G. Wilson)

Glam band Slade ruled England in the early 1970s, with six No. 1 singles, including “Mama Weer All Crazee Now,” “Cum on Feel the Noize” and “Merry Xmas Everybody.” Drummer Don Powell supplied the stomping beat but in 1973 was in a horrific car crash that killed his girlfriend and left him seriously injured and with amnesia. He returned to the band within two months. Powell takes us through Slade’s early skinhead phase, the glam peak, his recovery and the band’s frustrating attempts to crack the U.S. market—which finally happened after Quiet Riot had a top-5 hit with its 1983 “Noize” cover. Powell also explains wot’s up with those phonetic spellings and recalls how Sharon Osbourne and a shotgun prompted him to quit drinking.

From the Young Fresh Fellows through the Minus 5, the Baseball Project and many more, Scott McCaughey has been in a lot of bands. He also played with R.E.M. for years and has collaborated with Wilco and others who love working with him. In late 2017 he suffered a stroke, landed in the ICU and worked his way back to the stage within months amid an outpouring of affection and support. How did Peter Buck help him rebound? How did McCaughey feel about the attention? How does he feel, period? With new albums by the Baseball Project and the No One awaiting release, he also digs into his songwriting process. McCaughey goes deep in this first episode of the second year of Caropop.

To cap a year’s worth of Caropop episodes, we’ve got an original Beach Boy, Al Jardine. He provided perfect harmonies to this band of brothers and a cousin; he sang lead on “Help Me, Rhonda,” “I Know There’s an Answer,” “Vegetables” and “Cotton Fields”; and he brought in “Sloop John B” and wrote "California Saga/California." At 80 and still sounding great, Jardine tours with his own Endless Summer Band and Brian Wilson and has a solo album, A Postcard from California. How did his mom give the Beach Boys its start? What did he think of the band’s use of studio musicians? When did he realize Brian suffered from mental illness? Why was there no 60th anniversary reunion tour this year? Jardine knows there’s an answer…

Welcome to pub rock! Brinsley Schwarz is the namesake of the band Brinsley Schwarz and guitarist for Graham Parker and the Rumour. The band Brinsley Schwarz, which featured songs written and sung by his schoolmate, Nick Lowe, began with a burst of bad publicity—which he recounts blow by blow—but flourished as the quintessential British pub-rock band. Yet not even Lowe’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” or a tour with Paul McCartney and Wings could break the band commercially, so it split. Schwarz went on to form the Rumour (with last week’s Caropop guest, Steve Goulding), which became known for backing Graham Parker. Now he’s creating Brinsley Schwarz albums as himself. Schwarz knows how to tell a story, and he’s got some great ones.

Drummer Steve Goulding has brought his crisp, distinct style to more great songs than you may realize. As a member of Graham Parker and the Rumour, he played on Howlin’ Wind through the classic Squeezing Out Sparks. He demonstrated his reggae chops on Elvis Costello’s “Watching the Detectives” and powered Nick Lowe’s Jesus of Cool/Pure Pop for Now People while earning a songwriting credit on “I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass.” He had one high-profile performance with David Bowie, and since the mid-‘80s, with a break and a Poi Dog Pondering stint thrown in there, he has been driving the many beats of the Mekons. Goulding takes us through the up and downs, breakups and reunions, colorful personalities and overbearing producers, with great humor, candor and, of course, a steady hand.

Steve Wynn is singer-songwriter-guitarist for the Dream Syndicate and the Baseball Project, with a prolific solo career thrown in there as well. He’s also one of the most thoughtful people in the rock world, someone who was saved from journalism by discovering punk rock yet has retained his searching spirit when it comes to making music. He takes us back to the Paisley Underground and the creation of The Days of Wine and Roses through his solo work, the all-star Baseball Project, and his current, even more exploratory version of the Dream Syndicate. He also goes deep into how he writes for each project and recalls his reaction to hearing that the Bangles' "Hero Takes a Fall" was about him. (Photo by Charles Cherney)

Despite some identifiable influences (Velvets, Modern Lovers, Eno…), the Feelies are a band like no other. Their sound is crisp, their playing precise and explosive, their songs indelible in an often-mysterious way. Glenn Mercer and Bill Million provide the jittery, chiming guitars, while Brenda Sauter delivers melodic bass lines amid the propulsive thunder of Stan Demeski's drums and Dave Weckerman's percussion. Singer-songwriter-lead-guitarist Mercer, who views his voice as just another instrument, takes us through the Feelies’ pursuit of its unique vision over 40-plus years, including such brilliant albums as Crazy Rhythms and The Good Earth, that Something Wild appearance, an early shakeup and later breakup, and a triumphant last roundup that will last...how long?

Pylon lead singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay never thought she’d still be talking about—and singing the songs of—this brilliant, groundbreaking Athens, Ga., band more than 40 years after it began recording. Appearing on the scene between the B-52’s and R.E.M., Pylon was conceived as a sort of art project by University of Georgia students who took inspiration from the textile factory where three of them worked. Briscoe Hay, whom Paste magazine named one of the “25 Best Frontwomen of All Time," says the band was a machine, and her job was to fit into the spaces. Although Pylon disbanded (for the first time) after just two albums, Gyrate and Chomp, its taut, propulsive music sounds as potent as when it was recorded. Briscoe Hay turns up the volume on this unique, timeless band's story.