Episode 111: Something Like That

Guided By Voices at The Granada in Lawrence, Kansas (9/28/2012)

Sometimes you’ve listened to a band for so long that you forget others may have never heard it.  Sometimes when you dive into a band’s catalog, the plunge is so gradual that you wake up one morning and wonder where this stack of 30+ CDs came from.  Both are true with the work of Robert Pollard, primary songwriter for Guided By Voices.

I don’t remember when I first heard Pollard’s work, but I do remember it was the Guided By Voices album, Bee Thousand.  I was ecstatic to find a band making the kinds of records that my step-brother and I had attempted.  We recorded our tapes in his mom’s basement, so the rough, lo-fi sound of Bee Thousand immediately appealed to me.  There was also something familiar to Pollard’s songs, as well.  Immediately, I felt like this guy had listened to a lot of my favorite records by The Who, (Gabriel-era) Genesis and a band I had just discovered, R.E.M.

Pollard’s work, albeit wildly inconsistent, still seems relevant to me.  These days, I feel like the most punk thing you can do is release music how and when you want.  With labels demanding returns on their increasingly astronomical investments, it’s not unusual to expect a three-year gap between albums for many bands.  As a fan, the wait can be maddening.  Maybe the returns are there, who knows.  That’s why I still like Pollard, who put it best, “If we’re paying for it and no one’s listening to these records anyway, if we’re only making them for ourselves, then I’m going to put exactly what I want on them.”

Enjoy..

1. “Substitute” by The Who (Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy/Decca/1971)
2. “The Great Deceiver” by King Crimson (Starless and Bible Black/Island/1974)
3. “London Girl” by The Jam (This is the Modern World/Polydor/1977)
4. “London Girls” by The Vibrators (Pure Mania/Epic/1977)
5. “Teenage Kicks” by The Undertones (True Confessions (Singles = A+B’s)/Rhino/2000)
6. “Fall on Me” by R.E.M. (Lifes Rich Pageant/I.R.S./1986)
7. “Echos Myron” by Guided by Voices (Bee Thousand/Scat/1994)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1415312/111radiofreeraytown.mp3″

Radio Free Raytown – Episode #111 (4/8/14)

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Episode 40: It’s the Money!

When starting a tribute band, be sure to pick a band to cover that has sweet looks, as well as good songs.

I know this guy who plays in a couple of local tribute bands, one for Journey and one covering random 70’s soft pop. He makes scads more with them than his serious project.

In my observation, I’ve seen three primary motivators for starting or joining tribute bands. An overwhelming majority of the bands seem to be just slimy attempts to impress friends or score chicks. Sometimes they’re merely a way for decent musicians to make a little money (hopefully performing music they like). In other cases, however, tribute bands perform music by artists who have died or by bands that have broken up.

My friend, Ben, suggested this week’s theme: If I was in a ___________ tribute band, we would be called _______________ because of this song. After some thought, I think most of my tribute bands would fall under the third motive I proposed. Peter Gabriel and R.E.M. would hopefully make a little money (since they had hits), so the second motive would apply. In planning this week’s show, I’ve also gone as far as to think about who should be in some of these bands. Who knows, maybe one of these could someday materialize?

1. “Shock the Monkey” – Peter Gabriel (Security/Charisma/1982)
2. “Boulder to Birmingham” – Emmylou Harris (Pieces of the Sky/Reprise/1975)
3. “Why Hip-Hop Sucks in ’96” – DJ Shadow (Endtroducing…/MoWax/1996)
4. “The One I Love” – R.E.M. (Document/I.R.S./1987)
5. “Sleepless Dreamers” – Mark Heard (Fingerprint/Palmfrond Communications/1980)
6. “Easy Money” – King Crimson (Larks’ Tongues in Aspic/EG/1973)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1415312/40radiofreeraytown.mp3″

Radio Free Raytown – Episode #40 (5/14/10)

Episode #16: The Hit

In this episode, I feature a side from an EP that I won on eBay a few months ago.  I did some research and learned it was bundled with the first (and, as far as I can tell, only) issue of a British alternative rock magazine, The Hit, in 1985.  This particular side features a live recording by The Style Council of its soon-to-be-released hit, “Walls Come Tumbling Down,” and a just-record track that would later be issued on the first Jesus and Mary Chain album, Psychocandy.

1. King Crimson – Sleepless (Three of a Perfect Pair – 1984)
2. Colder – Tonight (Heat – 2005)
3. The Style Council – Walls Come Tumbling Down (live) (The Hit 45 – 1985)
4. The Jesus and Mary Chain – Taste of Cindy (The Hit 45– 1985)
5. King Tubby – Dub to the Rescue (Dub Gone Crazy: The Evolution of Dub at King Tubby’s 1975-1977 – 1995)
6. Junior Boys – In the Morning (So This is Goodbye – 2006)

Radio Free Raytown – Episode #16 (10/23/09)

P.S. – I have archived episodes 6-10 and placed them in a zip file.  Download it here if you wish to have them for posterity.