Discord and Rhyme: An Album Podcast

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

In 1968, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr traveled to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram in Rishikesh, India, buckling under the pressures of more fame than any band had experienced to that point and seeking spiritual release. It didn’t work, but their colorful experiences formed the bedrock of the double album The Beatles, colloquially referred to as “the White Album.” It’s a sprawling, diffuse, maddening, and bloody brilliant group of songs, and whether or not it’s your favorite Beatles album, it did a lot to expand the definition of what an album could be and what types of songs a band could even write. Which makes it the perfect album for Discord & Rhyme’s gala 100th-episode celebration! We’ve rounded up the whole D&R gang for this one, and we all have completely different perspectives on which songs are keepers. And true to the spirit of the album, our discussion spans two super-sized episodes, so you have been forewarned: This one’s gonna be long, long, long.Cohosts: Mike DeFabio, Phil Maddox, Ben Marlin, John McFerrin, Amanda Rodgers, Dan WatkinsComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/100-the-beatles-the-beatles-1968Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

In 1968, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr traveled to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram in Rishikesh, India, buckling under the pressures of more fame than any band had experienced to that point and seeking spiritual release. It didn’t work, but their colorful experiences formed the bedrock of the double album The Beatles, colloquially referred to as “the White Album.” It’s a sprawling, diffuse, maddening, and bloody brilliant group of songs, and whether or not it’s your favorite Beatles album, it did a lot to expand the definition of what an album could be and what types of songs a band could even write. Which makes it the perfect album for Discord & Rhyme’s gala 100th-episode celebration! We’ve rounded up the whole D&R gang for this one, and we all have completely different perspectives on which songs are keepers. And true to the spirit of the album, our discussion spans two super-sized episodes, so you have been forewarned: This one’s gonna be long, long, long.Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Phil Maddox, Ben Marlin, John McFerrin, Amanda Rodgers, Dan WatkinsComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/100-the-beatles-the-beatles-1968Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Phish are a band who tend to inspire extreme reactions. Their particular blend of progressive rock, funk, pop, and extended improvisation has attracted what may be the most dedicated fanbase in the world, but there seems to be a never ending supply of people who use the band as a punchline. Phil falls firmly into the “love them” category - he’s listened to hundreds of shows and counts Phish among his all-time favorite bands. He’s extremely excited to be discussing A Live One - the album that served as the world’s introduction to the sound of live Phish - with Dan and Rich.Cohosts: Phil Maddox, Rich Bunnell, Dan WatkinsComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/099-phish-a-live-one-1995Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

What if you and your friends want to form a punk band, but the instruments you play are the banjo, accordion, and pennywhistle? The Pogues showed us that’s entirely possible, as long as you also have plenty of punk rock attitude, a frontman who can snarl vaguely in tune, and the ability to scream bloody murder at the slightest opportunity. Amanda, Ben, Rich, and special returning guest Sean Rodgers talk about how the Pogues combined punk rock and traditional Irish and British musical forms to tell new stories about ghosts, racehorses, immigration, injustice, loneliness, and the general hopelessness of the human condition, and made you want to get up and dance to all of it. Cohosts: Amanda Rodgers, Rich Bunnell, Ben Marlin, Sean RodgersComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/098-the-pogues-if-i-should-fall-from-grace-with-god-1988Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Special guest Dave Weigel joins Discord & Rhyme once again to talk about Sparks, “your favorite band’s favorite band.” It’s been a good couple of decades for Ron and Russell Mael. After decades of toiling in semi-obscurity, the brothers saw a late-career renaissance in 2002 with the symphonic, beatless dance album Lil’ Beethoven, and Edgar Wright’s 2021 documentary The Sparks Brothers cemented their status as elder statesmen of irreverent pop music. For today’s episode, Producer Mike is taking us back to the band’s early years with the 1974 album Kimono My House, which demonstrates that the Maels’ sense of songcraft was in full force from the very beginning. Despite what the interviewees in The Sparks Brothers (including Dave!) might tell you, Sparks aren’t for everybody, and the Maels occasionally revel in being grating in a way that even our hosts can’t abide. But if you listen to “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us” and adore it, good news: this is only the beginning of a gloriously warped musical journey.Cohosts: Mike DeFabio, John McFerrin, Dan Watkins, Dave WeigelComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/097-sparks-kimono-my-house-1974Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

It somehow took us 96 episodes for Discord & Rhyme’s first movie soundtrack, so we’re rectifying this with possibly the greatest movie soundtrack of all time. In 1972, Curtis Mayfield had just capped off a career writing legendary civil rights anthems with the Impressions and defining the sound of Chicago soul by launching what would prove to be an equally legendary solo career. For his soundtrack to the classic blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield served as both the film’s Greek chorus and its conscience, subtly critiquing the film as a “cocaine infomercial” while acknowledging that this was the only life path available to its protagonists. And it’s a truly musically groundbreaking work, paving the way for both the musical language and verbal iconography of the hip-hop genre. Rich will be your pusherman this week, so join him as our hosts run wild and give a stellar soundtrack all of their love.Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Ben Marlin, John McFerrinComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/096-curtis-mayfield-super-fly-1972Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod