Discord and Rhyme: An Album Podcast

Emboldened by the success of "Eat It" and "Like a Surgeon," Weird Al titled his fourth album Polka Party!, and the 1986 record-buying public shunned what they assumed was a full album of accordion music. It wasn't, but the title track was the latest of Al's reliable polka medleys rounding up the chart music of the day. This time around we've got #1 hits by two members of Genesis, the Queen of Soul's voice doing battle with mushy '80s production, and an inconsistent but underrated Australian band that Ben and Rich have bonded over for decades.Tracks:Peter Gabriel - SledgehammerPhil Collins - SussudioEddie Murphy - Party All the TimeLionel Richie - Say You, Say MeAretha Franklin - Freeway of LoveINXS - What You NeedCo-hosts: Rich Bunnell, Ben Marlin, Amanda RodgersLinks: "Sledgehammer" music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJWJE0x7T4Q"Urban Renewal," the hip-hop/R&B Phil Collins tribute album: https://www.discogs.com/release/1925875-Various-Urban-Renewal100+ pink Cadillacs at Aretha Franklin's funeral procession: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLTOnOUcLbUGet early access to bonus episodes on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod Other clips: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Living with a HerniaOtis Redding - Change Gonna ComeBo Carter - Please Warm My Wiener"Weird Al" Yankovic - Waffle King"Weird Al" Yankovic - Talk SoupPrince - 1999Genesis - MisunderstandingOl' Dirty Bastard - SussudioBrandy - Another Day in ParadiseKelis - I Don't Care AnymoreEddie Murphy - Put Your Mouth on MeSisqo - Thong SongJoe Pesci - Wise GuyEddie Murphy - My God Is Color BlindLionel Richie - You ArePhil Collins and Marilyn Martin - Separate LivesAretha Franklin & Eurythmics - Sisters Are Doin' It for ThemselvesLisa Simpson, Ann Wilson & Nancy Wilson - Sisters Are Doin' It for ThemselvesINXS - Need You TonightINXS - Don't ChangeINXS - Heaven SentEddie Murphy - Boogie in Your Butt

This Halloween we’re celebrating FALLoween, as we hit the north and take on the Mighty Fall! Other than a few singles that barely scraped the UK top 40, the Fall never achieved commercial success, but they built a large cult following due in large part to the personality and antics of their difficult, irascible, intelligent, and borderline unintelligible bandleader, Mark E. Smith. But what we hope to emphasize in this episode is that despite Smith’s outsized influence over the Fall, and his tendency to fire members on a whim, the Fall was always a band. Smith’s ideas formed the bedrock of their songs, but their music was always the product of a back-and-forth between him and incredibly talented musicians who added their own distinctive stamp to every iteration of the Fall. Their discography can be large and intimidating to new listeners, so we’ve chosen their 1985 opus This Nation’s Saving Grace, which is relatively accessible, but also a legit candidate for their greatest album. So even if you don’t come away from this episode as the Fall’s 50,001st fan, we hope you’ll at least understand why anyone would willingly listen to this band.Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Dan WatkinsComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/105-the-fall-this-nations-saving-grace-1985Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

We talked about our first classical suite a few episodes back, so now it’s time for Discord & Rhyme to talk about its first symphony! Electric Light Orchestra have been going through something of a resurgence in the 21st century, but in the ‘70s, music critics savaged Jeff Lynne’s attempts to mix pop songwriting with orchestral pomp. But with 1974’s Eldorado, Lynne was attempting to please his harshest critic of all, his classical-loving father, who claimed that ELO’s songs “have got no tune.” The result was a fascinating, overblown concept album about a Walter Mitty-esque character who escapes the real world through the power of fantasy, and whether the concept holds for the entire album (it doesn’t), it dazzled Producer Mike as a child and continues to dazzle him today. So join our hosts for an evening at the symphony, as we fight some of the holiest wars and smash some of the holiest jawrs(?!!).Cohosts: Mike DeFabio, Phil Maddox, Ben Marlin, Amanda RodgersComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/104-electric-light-orchestra-eldorado-1974Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Closing out our first round of arguments in defense of progressive rock with some extra heavy hitters! And some truly baffling weirdness. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - Inca RoadsFocus - Hocus PocusThe Nice - AmericaKing Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid ManOther clips: King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part 1Frank Zappa - Shut Up 'n Play Yer GuitarFocus - Hocus Pocus (live on The Midnight Special)Rita Moreno - AmericaR.E.M. - It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)Giles, Giles and Fripp - One in a MillionKing Crimson - Schizoid Men 3Cohosts: Mike DeFabio, John McFerrin, Dan Watkins, Amanda RodgersGet early access to bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

As luck would have it, two of Discord & Rhyme’s most powerful villains have been turned loose for an episode that will strike terror into the hearts of men! This week, Rich and Mike take on the 2004 hip-hop classic Madvillainy, a team-up between MF DOOM, a rapper with a metal mask and a tragic, comic-book backstory, and Madlib, a DJ with eclectic taste and an unpredictable, artfully imprecise style. The album’s 22 tracks unfold like a fever dream over just 46 minutes, with samples drawn from Bollywood, Brazilian music, Zappa, and Sun Ra crashing headfirst into snippets from old cartoons. And this is all presided over by DOOM, who packs almost unfair amounts of wordplay and meaning into every line. It may seem like chaos at first, but there’s a method to Madvillainy, and it shows how hip-hop can contain the world.Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabioComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/103-madvillain-madvillainy-2004Discord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Continuing our enthusiastic defense of progressive rock with this extremely compelling evidence! Jethro Tull - Cross-Eyed MaryYes - Starship TrooperThe Soft Machine - As Long As He Lies Perfectly StillGentle Giant - KnotsAdditional evidence: Yes - Heart of the SunriseJethro Tull - AqualungIron Maiden - Cross-Eyed MaryJethro Tull - Lap of LuxuryYes - The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)Yes - Starship Trooper (Yessongs version)The Soft Machine - All WhiteThe Soft Machine - A Concise British Alphabet – Pt. 1The Soft Machine - A Concise British Alphabet – Pt. 2Björk - SubmarineSimon Dupree & The Big Sound - KitesGentle Giant - AlucardCohosts: Mike DeFabio, Phil Maddox, John McFerrinGet early access to bonus episodes on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

The Jefferson Airplane's drugged-up, hyper-political jams are often dismissed as a relic of the late 1960s. But the band's talent was in abundance on their earnest debut album The Jefferson Airplane Takes Off; and when they added vocalist Grace Slick to their lineup and recorded their second album, 1967's Surrealistic Pillow, the whole world discovered what they were capable of.  In discussing that album, Ben, Amanda, and John make the case that the Airplane's musicianship, harmonies, and attitude all hold up today.Cohosts: Ben Marlin, John McFerrin, Amanda RodgersComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/102-jefferson-airplane-surrealistic-pillow-1967Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpodSupport the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

We're back on our compilation business! A few years ago, Producer Mike handed us all two discs filled with vintage progressive rock, including tentpole acts like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Genesis, and Yes, as well as more obscure outsider art like Egg, Magma and Henry Cow. The collection was titled "In Defense of Prog Rock," and since most of us agree that prog is worth defending, we're officially sharing Discord & Rhyme's first homegrown collection with you. Keep watching the skies!Co-hosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Amanda RodgersTracks: Genesis - Watcher of the SkiesCamel - FreefallCaravan - Winter WineEmerson, Lake & Palmer - Knife-EdgeOther clips: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - TarkusSmash Mouth - All StarCamel - RhyaderThe Wilde Flowers - ImpotenceEmerson, Lake & Palmer - HoedownLinks: Get early access to bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock by David Weigel: https://wwnorton.com/books/The-Show-That-Never-Ends/Genesis performs "Watcher of the Skies" in 1973: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4su9Sz0n0nsD&R discusses ELP's debut: https://discordpod.com/listen/2018/9/18/007-emerson-lake-palmer-emerson-lake-palmerD&R discusses Collins-era Genesis: https://discordpod.com/listen/075-genesis-a-trick-of-the-tail-1976-and-invisible-touch-1986

John was always going to tackle a classical work for the podcast at some point, it was just a matter of finding the right piece. For our first visit to the orchestral hall, Discord & Rhyme is also taking a trip to the circus by covering The Carnival of the Animals, a 25-minute suite of musical jokes that 19th century French composer Camille Saint-Saëns wrote to put off writing the symphony he’d been paid to write. The Carnival of the Animals was John’s introduction to classical music as a kid, and when he fell back in love with classical music in his late 20s he was delighted to find that he still loved this piece (even without the silly poems in his version from when he was a kid). John (host), Mike (moderator), and returning special guest Sean Rodgers had a wonderful, in-depth conversation, ranging from the niche (like John’s love of birdsong in classical music), to the serious (like Saint-Saëns’ feelings about the musical world changing around him more than he liked), to the ridiculous (the notion of a tortoise doing the world’s slowest can-can). Come listen to us make the case that classical music is for everyone, and that The Carnival of the Animals is one of the funnest gateways to classical music anyone has ever written.Cohosts: John McFerrin, Mike DeFabio, Sean Rodgers, Amanda RodgersComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/101-camille-saint-sans-the-carnival-of-the-animals-1886Discord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

While we recharge our batteries after the White Album, please enjoy this sneak peek of our Patreon bonus feed! This time around, we picked our favorite songs from the wonderful world of Disney, with a special emphasis on everyone's favorite cartoon foxes.Songs included: Oo-de-LallyLoveEv'rybody Wants to Be a CatHeigh HoSomeone's Waiting for YouThe World's Greatest Criminal MindOnce Upon a DreamFeed the BirdsWhy Should I Worry? A Cowboy Needs a HorseShinyPrince AliCohosts: Rich Bunnell, John McFerrin, Amanda RodgersSupport the podcast and get more bonus episodes! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod