Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

On April 2, 2023, the music world lost a pivotal figure in Seymour Stein. As a teenager, Stein worked for Billboard Magazine and was instrumental in the development of the standard bearer for measuring pop music success in the United States, the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1966, Stein co-founded Sire Records with Richard Gottherer. In the earliest days of the label, much of their focus was on bringing UK underground and progressive music to US record buyers, with distribution deals with London and ABC. Stein's most fruitful alliance was with Warner Brothers, where Sire was responsible for breaking punk, new wave, and alternative artists including Ramones, Talking Heads, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Replacements, The Ocean Blue, and many more to American audiences...not to mention one of the biggest pop stars to walk the earth, Madonna. We salute the spectacular Sire Records catalogue and remember Seymour Stein this week.Our Third Lad is a self-professed rock n' roll historian and fellow Sire Records afficionado, Brian Eichenberger from the wonderful podcast Rock n Roll Bedtime Stories. Each week, Brian and his friend/co-host Murdock go deep to discuss (and set straight) the rumor, innuendo, and hidden details that surround some of your favorite bands and songs. We're big fans of the show, and think you will be too!It's only fitting for Brian's appearance that we tell a few titillating bedtime stories during the episode: How Seymour Stein chased Dee Dee Ramone out of his bedroom! Sire passes on a legendary guitarist! The artist who pestered Seymour in the hospital! Crazy Phil Spector! Find out who Uncle Gregg nearly punched! Fake bands and unscrupulous managers! Fake TV songs! Tiffany! So tuck yourself in tight and let us aurally cuddle with you.Only Three Lads is a proud member of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ahh, the sweet sounds of jangle pop...This week, we cover the subgenre near and dear to Brett's heart. It's also the subgenre that brings back fond memories of drinking and debauchery for Uncle Gregg (to be fair, what doesn't?). Drawing from the well of The Beatles, The Byrds, The Searchers, The Hollies, and other '60s predecessors, jangle pop continued to thrive throughout the O3L era (1974-1999) and we'll cover some well known favorites and undiscovered treasures. And, because things like Rickenbacker guitars, VOX amps, and harmony laden pop songs never go out of fashion, we spotlight some more recent jangly pop gems by: Jetstream Pony - "Strood McD F.C." Lost Ships - "Here's What You Could Have Won" The Photocopies - "This, That, and the Other" The Shop Window - "That Feeling" The Easter Beaver and/or Passover Vampelephant wants you to listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We make sure everything is in its right place this week, because we're talking about the albums with the best track sequencing. Like a great book or movie, a great record has an artistically satisfying beginning, middle and ending. We go waaaaaaaay back with the music of this week's Third Lad...like two, maybe three weeks? During our recent Animal Songs episode, Graham Kemp from Urusei Yatsura chose the song "Bugs" by fellow Scottish band Spare Snare. Not being previously familiar with the band, we took a crash course in Spare Snare's music, listening to and loving everything they've put out in their 30+ year career. Fast forward a few weeks, and now minted as superfans, it is our great pleasure to welcome singer/songwriter/guitarist Jan Burnett from Spare Snare! Spare Snare's marvelous new album, The Brutal, will be out May 12th. It is their second album (and first of all-new material) to be recorded by the legendary Steve Albini. As a special treat for O3L listeners, we've got an exclusive first listen to one of the tracks from the album called "Wifi." Listen for the answers to these hard hitting questions and more: - Is Jan a fan of the Dan? - Is he really Scottish? - What's it like to be voted the 46th best band in Scottish music history? - What's under the kilt? - Is Steve Albini a magic genie?   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we take a look back at the incredible albums of 1978. In a year when Uncle Gregg was just playing with his squeezebox and Brett was gettin' down to Sesame Street Fever, our Third Lad Jim Basnight was right in the thick of the Seattle music scene. 1978 was the year Basnight's power pop combo The Moberlys formed, straddling the line between melodic Beatlesque songcraft and tightly wound, hormonally charged garage rock. From those nascent days (which have been compiled on the recent Early Years compilation) to his latest solo album, 2019's aptly titled Not Changing, Jim Basnight has been delighting pop music fans for well over 40 years.   In this insightful, fun-filled episode, we talk about early musical influences, opening for Ramones, The Police and Greg Kihn, the New York punk scene, Seattle grunge, drunken nights, hard rock, bubblegum and blues roots, and a whole lot more. Plus, we play both sides of the latest single off of Early Years, "Live In The Sun" and "Bebe I'm Gonna Leave You."   It's the show that caused Jim to exclaim, "I didn't realize what kind of complete nerds you guys are!"   It's just what you needed!   #musicpodcast #musicpodcasts #podnation #1stwave #classicalternative #70smusic #1978music #1978albums #punkrock #newwave #powerpop #classicrock Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to Vince Clarke, we just can't get enough (was that too obvious?).  So "don't go" anywhere (how 'bout that one?)! Born Vincent John Martin on July 3, 1960 in South Woodford, Essex, England, Vince Clarke is a classically trained musician who got the bug to make electronic music after hearing Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark in the late ‘70s, which led to the formation of a band with school chum Andy Fletcher called No Romance In China.  Shortly after, the duo added Martin Gore to the mix and called themselves Composition of Sound.  With the addition of lead vocalist Dave Gahan, Composition of Sound morphed into Depeche Mode.  Following the first Depeche Mode album Speak & Spell, Clarke teamed up with Alison Moyet for Yazoo, releasing two huge albums and a string of singles that hovered near the top of the charts. After Yaz, Clarke took up various production duties and projects, most notably The Assembly, before landing upon his most formidable partnership with Andy Bell in Erasure - an alliance that has resulted in 19 studio albums to date, including 5 that have hit #1 in the UK, and some of the most beloved singles of the past nearly 40 years.  That’s only scratching the surface, of course, but let’s just put it this way…he is an electronic music pioneer, a synth-pop legend, someone who helped to expand the definition of what a rock star looks like and sounds like.  Because some might say that we have trouble at times sticking to the topic at hand, we also cover the newly minted adult in Uncle Gregg's house (hint: it's not him), intimacy issues, a genius (question mark?) way to save the planet, jorts, hot knees, and cuddles.  Lots o' cuddles.  And what does Hollywood legend Jamie Kennedy have to do with Vince Clarke?  We're not sure either. One thing's for certain...we will NOT be calling ourselves Only Three Lads US! Awww yeah! Our O3L Spotlight Artist of the Week is UK garage rock trio The Len Price 3, whose 2007 debut album is being reissued on April 7th by Little Steven's Wicked Cool Records.  The record will be available on vinyl for the first time, and also contains four unreleased bonus tracks on CD and digital.  We are thrilled to play one of those unreleased tracks, the incendiary "Break Your Neck" on this week's episode.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we unleash the beasts and spotlight songs that reference animals in the title...for example, the 1997 UK Top 40 hit "Hello Tiger" by Scottish lo-fi indie rock band band Urusei Yatsura. It's a happy coincidence, then, that our Third Lad this week is none other than singer/songwriter/guitarist GRAHAM KEMP from URUSEI YATSURA!   Urusei Yatsura was formed in Glasgow 30 years ago this week, and released three full length albums from 1996 to 2000, a clutch of singles & EPs, as well as compilations of rarities, live tracks and BBC radio sessions. Taking their name from a popular Japanese anime/manga (and simply known as Yatsura in the US and Japan due to legal reasons), the noisy "geek rock" band carved out a unique place in the British musical landscape. And there's another great reason to celebrate - their 1996 debt album, We Are Urusei Yatsura, has recently been expanded to a 2 LP reissue, complete with b-sides, demos and unreleased tracks! It's out now on Rocket Girl Records at https://uruseiyatsuraband.bandcamp.com, or try https://t.co/Y3rsuSFW00 in the US.   Join us as we discuss the formation of Urusei Yatsura, the Glasgow music scene, the importance of John Peel, hard-to-pronounce names, keeping a well stocked larder, Megan Thee Stallion lyrics, The Wallflowers, and much, much more. Plus, we introduce the latest (and dumbest) world famous O3L game, "Only Three Lads Had A Farm." So don't you get fresh with us...E-I-E-I-O, suckas!   #musicpodcast #musicpodcasts #classicalternative #indierock #geekrock #punkrock #newwave #1stwave #britpop #grunge #indiepop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oh my stars!  This week, we get totally far out as we discuss some of our top songs of the era with a space theme.  It's totally out of this world. We cover a lot of ground...or space, as the case may be, since we determined that we've traveled hundreds of thousands of miles just during the course of the episode.  Yes, that's just one of several space facts that you will learn.  Also: We celebrate 50,000 downloads and counting!  Wiggy Rockstone!  Jean Nate'! All sorts of Kellies!  Peanut butter!  Trippy kids' TV (and the resulting crushes)!  Revolutionary teenage bands!  Gramps is no longer unemployed!  AI song lyrics!  John Taylor clones!   So hop on the O3L rocketship and let's gooooooooooo! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#$@% yeah, it's another ^#%* episode of Only Three Lads!  And it's Uncle Gregg's $#!@-tastic birthday, and he'll ^@$& if he wants to! This week, we use a lot of four letter words...but it's not nearly as tawdry as you think.  We're covering songs with four letters in the title.   Plus: Uncle Gregg is unemployed!  Fee Waybill's #*@%!  Vampelephants! Our O3L Spotlight Artist of the Week is Nottingham, England's Peter Hall.  In a modern musical landscape that uses a term like "bangers," Hall revels in melodic indie rock that reminds listeners of what true songcraft can be.  His new mini-album, About Last Night, is out now on Subjangle: https://peterhallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/about-last-night From this release, we play the stunning "For Love." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our landmark 150th episode, we bring you an episode that made Brett so giddy that he nearly piddled.  That's right, folks, our Third Lad this week is none other than Phil Wilson from seminal UK indie pop band The June Brides.   During their initial run from 1983 - 1986, The June Brides released some of the most beloved singles of the era and the chart-topping album There Are Eight Million Stories... Originally under the spell of Postcard bands like Orange Juice and Josef K, the Brides' unique blend of guitar pop with viola and trumpet has in turn been wildly influential from C86 to Britpop and beyond.  High profile fans like Morrissey, Manic Street Preachers, and Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch have acknowledged The June Brides' impact.  Following the band's breakup, Phil recorded material for Creation and Caff before leaving the music business behind in the late '80s.   In the 21st century, The June Brides have returned for live gigs and recordings.  Phil also released an acclaimed solo album for Slumberland in 2010, God Bless Jim Kennedy, as well as self releasing collections of home recordings. Because your humble hosts of Only Three Lads are Only Two Idiots, it was a late realization that we already covered this topic in Episode 131.  Therefore, we present our first "Volume II" episode, where we take a previously covered topic and put a fresh spin on it with all new selections.  What do you think?  Should we add some more past topics back into the randomizer? As you would expect, we explore all kinds of dangerous diversions, dark alleyways and wabbit holes - Motley Crüe, Montrose, Andy Bell's "pendulum", a missed meeting with David Byrne, Coke mix-ups.   As Gregg would say: it's on like Donkey Kong! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three is a magic number, yes it is...and good thing it is, because this week we take a look at our top musical trios of the O3L era. Appropriately enough, our Third Lads are The Monkey Power Trio (who are actually five guys, but we only got three of them...so that counts as a trio, right?!?).  The MPT have a fascinating slant, as band member Dan Richardson told us: "We are the Monkey Power Trio, a band of dummies who pledged in our twenties to record music once a year for one day without practicing or planning ahead and then to release the 'best' of that one day as 'music.' The last guy alive, by pact, has to do a solo album, thereby completing the project and avoiding the hauntings of already departed members. We just finished our 26th year. None of us is dead yet." We had a blast hanging out with Dan, Mark and Matt for this episode.  We missed Mike and Dave.  Dave... Oh, and this one definitely earned its "explicit" tag.  It contains some language that will make your ears bleed and mind melt.  Hide the kiddies.   We recorded this episode a few hours before the news broke that we sadly lost Trugoy the Dove from hip-hop trio De La Soul.  Trugoy, this one's for you.   Finally, if you're listening to this on release day, Happy Valentine's Day from Only Three Lads.  We loves ya to pieces!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices