My Favorite Album With Jeremy Dylan

Today it's My Favorite ALbum, as Melbourne singer-songwriter Al Matcott is bringing it all back to Bob Dylan and his underrated (?) 1978 album 'Street Legal'. We talk about how he found an emotional connection with the album around his mother's passing, how it inspired him to seek out a tarot reading, how the album bridges Dylan's confessional and Christian periods, which song is like a 'seedy bar but Jesus is hanging out there', speculate about Springsteen's influence on the album's sound, the curse of 80s production, Al tries to get himself tarred and feathered by the MFA audience, Dylan's influence on Ginuwine, Dylan's rotating schticks, whether Dylan invented Americana music, what Dylan's best riff is, pitch a sequel to Todd Haynes 'I'm Not There' and speculate about James Mangold's upcoming Dylan film starring Timothée Chalamet.    

Today we present a fun and rollicking chat with Gareth Liddiard, frontman of Tropical Fuck Storm and the Drones and master anecdotalist. Gareth joins me to bring some sunshine to a brilliant and under-appreciated record by Spencer P Jones, the legendary guitarist and singer/songwriter originally from NZ who made Australia his home for most of his career. The twist is that Gareth played lead guitar on this record, Spencer P Jones and the Nothing Butts and has the inside story on the album's creation, how the songs came into being and the one of a kind mind of Spencer P Jones. From standing in the crowd in Perth while his sister throws a beer bottle that narrowly misses Spencer to meeting him at an early Drones gig in Melbourne to become friends, frequent tour mates and collaborators in the studio, Gareth opens up about his relationship with Spencer and shares some hilarious stories about one rock'n'roll's true eccentrics, involving earthquakes, scorpions, blood spattered amps, Nelson Mandela and Joe Satriani. 

Today ARIA winning singer-songwriter Fanny Lumsden joins me to delve into a seminal record of both our youths - The Chicks’ final country album, 2002’s ‘Home’. We talk about the album’s forgotten origins in the midst of a legal battle with the band’s record label, how they fused their bluegrass background with contemporary country and pop songwriting, how they used songs written by Patty Griffin, Darrel Scott and more to communicate their point of view, how Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Landslide’ was given a new lease on life by its inclusion on this album, “show off songs” and how the album influenced Fanny’s development as a young woman.

One of this year’s most pleasant surprises has been the first album of original material since 2005 from The Rolling Stones - Mick, Keith, Ronnie, Steve and on this album, Charlie and even Bill. Producer/songwriter/musician and friend of the show Michael Carpenter has spent a long time dissecting the Stones recorded catalogue and joins me today to go track by track through Hackney Diamonds and unpack this fascinating album - the impact of Steve Jordan on the band, whether it’s fair to compare a new Stones album to their 70s hey day, how they balance contemporary and traditional production, Jagger’s ageless vocals, mature lyrical perspectives and the guest appearances by Elton John, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney.

Comedian, actor, writer, dancer, singer and most importantly previous guest on this podcast Elouise Eftos returns to the podcast today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Britney Spears’ classic 2003 album ‘In the Zone’. We talk about the background of the album, how it saw Britney taking the most creative control she ever had (and tragically would ever have), the tantalizing collaborations that almost came to pass, how the album shows Spears coming of age as a woman after being defined as pop’s it girl, the double-edged sword and hypocritical reactions of the sexuality in her music and the media’s gross obsession with her virginity and why ‘Toxic’ has become Britney’s most enduring hit.

Today on the show I’m joined by the legendary Jeff Trott - songwriter, producer and guitarist - for a deep dive into the making of a classic record he produced and largely co-wrote, Sheryl Crow’s 1997 self-titled album. Jeff opens up about writing If It Makes You Happy, getting drafted in last minute to salvage the production of the record after the original producer bailed, how Robbie Robertson saved Every Day Is A Winding Road from the scrap heap, how the songs evolved in the studio, the secret to maintaining a three decade long creative partnership and what it’s like to constantly encounter music you helped create every time you go to buy groceries.

On today's episode, one of Australia's most acclaimed singer-songwriters, Cash Savage, joins me on the show to put some respect onto Salt-N-Pepa's landmark classic album 'Very Necessary'. Cash talks about discovering the album as a twelve year old and then returning to it with a new perspective as an adult, the pioneering sexual politics of the record, how contemporary the album still feels, how it flips so many of the genre's gender norms, the melding of pop and hip-hop, being sex and sex worker positive, the audio play about the AIDS crisis that closes the record and more. Cash also talks about the reaction to her and the Last Drinks' latest album 'So This Is Love', the most emotionally charged songs to perform live, misinterpretations of her lyrics and her game 'meaningful or nonsense'.

Today polymath, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and all around Renaissance woman Georgia Mooney joins me for a deep dive into the making of her glorious debut solo album 'Full of Moon', a month after it's release. We talk about the concept of authenticity, the strange intricacies of recording an entire album with rich orchestrations remotely during the panini, the alternate history version of the album, choosing which parts of your personality to reveal and funnel into songwriting and public performance and much more.

Australian singer-songwriter Hayley Marsten joins me to talk about the seminal album that soundtracked her journey into adulthood, Taylor Swift's seminal 2012 album 'Red'.  Now that this album has finally been chosen for an episode, we make a real meal out of it, getting into how the album marked a fork in the road that forecasted the second half of Taylor's career to date, why taking the big swing is sometimes the less risky path, the musical eclecticism of the album, All Too Well (regular and 10 minute versions) and how Taylor has managed to flatten time and build her own multiverse of madness.

Today legendary sound engineer Pete Keppler joins me for another look behind the scenes at David Byrne's American Utopia (check out episode 376 of this podcast for our audio documentary on the show), from conception to the world tour to Broadway, dealing with the technical and creative challenges inherent in reinventing the whole idea of a rock'n'roll band. Plus Pete talks about his time on the road with David Bowie as the sound engineer for his last ever tour.

One of today’s most renowned and skilful Americana singer-songwriters, Jason Isbell, talks about the classic record that helped inspire the genre - The Rolling Stones 1971 LP ‘Sticky Fingers’. We talk about how growing up around Muscle Shoals Alabama got Jason into the record as a child, how the album shows the Stones maturing as a band as they entered the 70s, why the self-destructive lyrics of ‘Sway’ resonated with Jason as he endured his own struggles, what he misses about being in the Drive By Truckers, which song from ‘Southeastern’ was inspired by the Stones, how the Stones used their business acumen to assert creative control and whether authenticity matters. Plus Jason reveals special moment when he met Bruce Springsteen recently backstage at New Orleans Jazz Festival, and we argue over the merits of the ganjo and producer Dave Cobb’s wardrobe.

Billions creator Brian Koppelman is one of our most loved returning champions and he joins me once again today to bring things full circle by discussing the album that was the subject of his first ever appearance on the podcast - Jason Isbell's 'Southeastern' - to celebrate it's ten year anniversary. The album that turned Isbell from a cult hero to one of the most acclaimed songwriters of his generation, that set the path and the standard for all his future work and locked in multiple entries in the classic songbook of the 21st century. Brian and I revisit the album's immediate impact on first listen and set it in the context of Isbell's career to date and subsequent acclaimed albums, the discipline and rigour behind his songwriting, his gift for melody, the lack of vanity in his lyrics and much much more.

Today, author, music journalist and podcaster James Campion joins me to delve into one of the most iconic and enduring songs in the history of popular music as he gives a taste of his book Take A Sad Song: The Emotional Currency of Hey Jude. We talk about how McCartney took a song inspired by John Lennon's son Julian's feelings about his parents divorce and refined it into one of the most universal songs ever written, how John Lennon was the first of many people to think it was about himself, the difficulty of writing in second person, the songs unusual take on male friendship and how it acts as a sequel to She Loves You, how the recording saw the Beatles take another leap forward in the studio and the revolutionary elements of the track that now seem classic and inevitable.

A fun change of pace this week on the show. Earlier this year, I co-produced a tribute album to Americana icon Jim Lauderdale, featuring an eclectic group of incredible Australian artists reinterpreting Jim's incredible songbook. Today, Michael Carpenter, who co-produced the record and played the bulk of the music you hear on the album, as well as mixing and mastering the project, joins me to break it down track by track. We get into how each song and artist were chosen, the arrangement process and how each track evolved over the months of production. Blake O’Connor and Sinead Burgess - Hole in My Head Adam Harvey - Where the Sidewalk Ends Imogen Clark - Tough All Over Katie Brianna - You Don’t Seem To Miss Me Georgia Mooney - The Brighter Side of Lonely Ella Hooper and Davey Lane - Halfway Down Charlie Collins - You’ll Know When It’s Right Holiday Sidewinder - Planet of Love Clayton Doley and Jade MacRae - It’s A Trap Georgia State Line - Run Like You Shane Nicholson - El Dorado Melody Pool - When Carolina

Today ARIA-winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer of this podcast Georgia Mooney joins me for a delightful delve into Martha Wainwright’s self-titled debut album. We dig into the Wainwright clan and how they explore their relationships through each other’s music, seeing Martha play outside a prison and falling in love with her, Martha and Georgia’s shared method of songwriting slowly, Martha’s spiky directness in her lyrics, her vocal influence on Georgia, the song Bloody Mother-Fucking Asshole and much more. Plus Georgia talks about her beautiful new single ‘War Romance’.

Today legendary singer-songwriter and founder of iconic band The Go-Betweens, Robert Forster, joins me to pay tribute to the legendary Texan troubadour Guy Clark and his debut album Old No. 1. We revisit the fateful night in Santa Monica on the promo tour for 16 Lovers Lane where Robert saw Guy play live and had a damascene conversion to his music, how it impacted the the second act of his career as a solo artist, why Clark never achieved the broad fame of contemporaries like John Prine and Townes Van Zandt, Clark’s economy of language and melody and why this is “the Astral Weeks of country music”. Plus we delve into Robert’s brilliant new album ‘The Candle and the Flame’, knowing when to stop writing, growing into a better singer as he gets older and how his approach to recording has changed over the years.

Today legendary Australian actor and comedy renaissance man Francis Greenslade joins me to talk about Paul Kelly’s classic album Comedy. We talk about how Francis discovered the record when he was performing with Paul in an Adelaide theatre show, how Paul leaves space in his lyrics for audience interpretation, how his vocals serve the lyrics and he never over sings, From Little Things Big Things Grow, Paul’s off stage introversion and the agelessness of Paul’s music.

Returning champion Eves Karydas (aka Hannah Karydas) joins me for round three as we finally talk about Carole King’s iconic album Tapestry. We talk about the Laurel Canyon scene of the early 70s and the involvement of James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, Carole’s history as a hit successful songwriter in her teens and early 20s, the lost idea of musical communities, the comforting quality of the record, Tapesty as soul music and Hannah’s spellbinding cover of Natural Woman she recorded for Triple J’s Like A Version.

Filmmaker Charles Hood and film journalist and author Drew Taylor return for their fifth appearance on the show to once again count down our three warring lists of the best films of the year just gone. It's been another brilliant year at the movies, and we hope this spoiler-free conversation inspires you to check out some of our choices that you might not yet have seen. Happy New Year everyone!

Reposting this episode in memory of Peter Cooper, who we sadly lost today. Journalist and singer-songwriter Peter Cooper of the Country Music Hall of Fame joins me to talk about Jim Lauderdale’s classic ‘Pretty Close to the Truth’ album and how the changes in country music in the 90s created the need for the Americana music genre, the migration of people like Jim and his friend and collaborator Buddy Miller from California to Nashville, and how Jim helped Peter propose to his wife.