Discord and Rhyme: An Album Podcast

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

Things get weird again at Discord and Rhyme as we dig into Mr. Bungle’s 1999 genre-defying opus California. After the demise of his day job with Faith No More, singer Mike Patton returned to his more esoteric side hustle to record a collection of songs that fuse Beach Boys pop, death metal, lounge music, and Eastern-European influences together as if they’re natural bedfellows. Join us as we discuss how the band managed to synthesize all of these disparate influences into what is easily their most cohesive and accessible album. Cohosts: Dan Watkins, Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Phil MaddoxComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/095-mr-bungle-california-1999Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

After going more than a full calendar year without covering a Moody Blues album, Discord & Rhyme has reverted to its truest self with this episode on A Question of Balance, the 1970 album that the band created after realizing they needed to start recording more songs they could actually play live. Join us as we discuss the band’s most democratic and often weirdest album, one where the band tried to figure out how to make the transition from the 60s to the 70s and tried to make sense of all of the world’s problems simultaneously. They didn’t completely succeed with either of these tasks, but they did a fine job nonetheless with both, and this made for an interesting album that we had a fun time talking about.Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Phil Maddox, John McFerrin, Amanda RodgersComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/094-the-moody-blues-a-question-of-balance-1970Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Swedish pop band ABBA has become a beloved cultural institution in the four decades since they disbanded, but in a world of ABBA Gold and "Mamma Mia!," the band is typically remembered in terms of individual songs more than in terms of their albums. John, however, got into them primarily through their albums, and for this episode, John lead a discussion (along with Rich, Amanda, and Phil) on ABBA: The Album (aka The Album), the 1977 album by ABBA that in many ways is the most album album that ABBA ever released in a string of terrific albums. Take a chance on the ABBA album, ABBA: The Album, and learn why the band always thought of itself much less as a singles band and much more as an albums band. If you've never heard "Eagle" or "I'm a Marionette," then you have a hole in your soul.Cohosts: John McFerrin, Rich Bunnell, Phil Maddox, Amanda RodgersComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/093-abba-the-album-1977Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

This week, we close out our second Weird Al polka medley with some nuclear war, some proto-hair metal, and a lot of sexual innuendo (or "out-uenndo," in the case of Frankie Goes to Hollywood). Returning guest Libby Cudmore returns to reminisce about her Weird Al concert experiences, gush about yacht rock, and help our sheltered hosts turn subtext into text.Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take ItNena - 99 LuftballonsKenny Loggins - FootlooseDuran Duran - The ReflexQuiet Riot - Bang Your Head (Metal Health)Frankie Goes to Hollywood - RelaxCohosts: Rich Bunnell, Phil Maddox, Libby CudmoreLinks:Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodDiscord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod The OST Party on the "UHF" soundtrack (featuring Rich): https://ostparty.podbean.com/e/episode-27-uhf/The OST Party on the "Footloose" soundtrack: https://ostparty.podbean.com/e/episode-48-footloose/"We're Not Gonna Take It" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xmckWVPRaIYou're Wrong About on the PMRC hearings: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1112270/7857100-tipper-gore-vs-heavy-metal-the-hearingDee Snider's speech before the Senate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Vyr1TylTEYacht Rock episode 11 (Footloose): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX1Nh6c80woClosing credits music: Kenneth Krayliehttps://kennethkraylie.bandcamp.com/https://casinos.bandcamp.com/