Completely Conspicuous

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the music of 1983. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Jay was 15, Phil was 13 in '83 - Jay: Moved to NH from WA halfway through the year - Was pleasantly surprised by the variety of radio stations in Boston area - First year CDs went on sale in the U.S. - The U.S. Festival made a splash that summer - KISS took off their makeup - The Police had the #1 song of the year - Some good pop songs among the top 100 singles - Phil's non-top 5 albums: Quiet Riot, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Billy Idol, Dio, Bowie, Huey Lewis, Yes, Neil Young, Madonna, the Fixx, the Police, ZZ Top, Rolling Stones, B-52s, Genesis - Jay's extremely brief time in a band - Jay's non-top 5s: Robert Plant, Metallica, Kinks, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ozzy Osbourne Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuo

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Eric Green as we pay tribute to the cassette tape. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Eric with the Mr. Belvedere reference - You had to be sneaky to tape record a concert - Physical media holds its allure for fans of a certain age - Never got into 8-track tapes - Jay: Have a bunch of blank tapes, but haven't made a mixtape since 2000 - Eric: As a kid, made a mini-audio documentary about Van Halen on cassette - Metallica started tapers' pit at their concerts - Then a few years later, they led the charge against Napster - Eric: Still purchase music on vinyl or CD, some MP3 - Don't listen to cassettes as often anymore, but will pop one in when the mood hits - Bootlegs are the big thing he goes back to - Jay: Wrote on my blog about the various mixtapes I made over the years - Tapes definitely transport you to a different time - Do greatest hits albums matter anymore? - Reissues of great albu

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Eric Green as we pay tribute to the cassette tape. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Eric's first time on the show since '15 - R.I.P. to Lou Ottens, inventor of the cassette tape - Eric: Got into music via cassettes in the '80s - You could make your own mixes - Jay: Would tape songs off the radio in late '70s/early '80s - Jay: Currently have hundreds of tapes but nothing to play them on - Tapes were cheaper than vinyl or CDs - Fun memories of browsing in record stores - Tapes were big for bootlegs - Huge in the early days of hip hop (The Get Down is on Netflix) - Home taping didn't ruin the music industry, MP3s did - Guardians of the Galaxy helped popularize cassettes - CDs were initially marketed as indestructible and perfect sounding - Jay: Spent hours listening to tapes in the car or on a Walkman - To be continued   Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite albums of 1982. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Phil's #5: Steely Dan singer goes solo - Jazzy feel is a logical extension from Gaucho - Jay's #5 and Phil's #3: R.E.M. makes its debut with iconic EP - Influential on many bands who followed - Different sounds coming out of the underground - Phil's #4: His image has been tarnished, but Michael Jackson released a monster album - Videos from this album broke a lot of ground - Being mistaken from MJ - Jay's #4: Peter Gabriel stays weird but starts breaking through in the U.S. - Dark subject matter and interesting sonics - Set himself up for huge commercial breakthrough in a few years - Jay's #3: Mission of Burma's first full-length album - Wasn't well-known, but very influential on alt-rock artists - Played with U2 in Boston - Jay's #2: Another influential debut release, this time from Bad Brains - Feroc

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite music of 1982. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Callback to the CompCon eps looking at '82-2000 with Brian Salvatore a while back - My lists changed since then - In '82, Jay turned 15, Phil turned 13 - Jay: The only full year I spent in Washington state - Jay: Was big into hard rock and metal, which I listened to on my Walkman - John Belushi died; the woman who sold him the drugs had ties to the Band and Gordon Lightfoot - Top single of the year was Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" - Phil's non-top 5 picks: Pete Townshend, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Jerry Garcia, Lou Reed, The Who, Tom Petty, XTC, Talking Heads, Billy Squier, Genesis, Duran Duran, Rush, Dire Straits, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, English Beat, The Clash, Men at Work, Stray Cats - Senses Working Overtime was almost the name of this podcast - The power of MTV to make or break artists back

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss life after close to a year in pandemic lockdown. Show notes: - Tough to not see friends - Matt runs Dungeons & Dragons games via Zoom - Surprising number of people are into D&D - It's a good escape from the world - Like a weekly therapy session - Companies use D&D for corporate retreats - Games have grown in popularity during the pandemic - Jay: We started playing a family dominoes game every Saturday - Jay: Played the board game Pandemic years ago - The CDC's zombie announcement - People will run toward the zombies - Going to movies seems so far away - Jay: Like going to concerts, don't love going to movies - Tough time to be a theater actor - Miss going to bars - Will masks stick around after the pandemic ends? - Toilet paper hoarders - Matt ordered TP last April; it arrived in October - Waiting for normalcy - Matt: Look forward to seeing nieces and nephews again

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss life after close to a year in pandemic lockdown. Show notes: - Haven't talked for the show since November 2019 - Coming up on the first anniversary of everything getting locked down - Matt was already used to working from home - Matt writes YA superhero/fantasy books including The Indestructibles series - Hasn't been able to go to fantasy or comics conventions - Jay: Miss the interaction of being in the office - Now used to the WFH life - Strange to spend all day at home with your family - Matt has been working remotely for over a decade - Companies will probably do away with full offices at some point - Matt: Working in an office forces you to plan for inefficiency - WFH requires self-discipline - Definitely tougher for folks with small kids - Matt dealt with the challenges of ancient Wifi technology in 2010 in Ireland - Employers will have to adjust post-COVID - Commuting suck

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite albums of 1981. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Jay's #5 and Phil's #4: The Stones have a massive hit with a collection of outtakes - Followed up with a massive stadium tour - Jay's #4: Prince keeps getting better but not yet breaking through to the mainstream - Pushing the envelope with explicit content - Phil's #3: J. Geils Band's pop breakthrough - Was "Centerfold" banned by WCOZ? - Jay's #3: Fair Warning was my favorite Van Halen album - Darker tone than other VH albums - Phil's #5 and Jay's #2: Rush hits the sweet spot with Moving Pictures - Side 1 is flawless - Phil's #2: An underrated U2 record, even by U2 fanatics - Got into it when it came out - Phil's #1: The Police reach commercial success - Hit their pop potential while maintaining their unique sound - Jay's #1: Going out there with Mission of Burma's debut EP - Hugely influential on score

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite albums of 1981. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Jay turned 14, Phil turned 12 in '81 - Jay started the year in Canada, finished it in the U.S. - No good radio station, listened to a lot of my own stuff - Phil: Started buying my own music in '81 - Listened to a lot of Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - "Bette Davis Eyes" was the #1 single of the year - REO Speedwagon had a big year - K-Tel used to make big hits compilations - Ozzy bit the head off a dove (and later a bat), horrifying moms across America - MTV went on the air in August '81 (Jay didn't have it until '85) - Stones' massive tour was sponsored by Jovan Musk - When Jon Anderson of Yes teamed up with Vangelis - Phil's not-top-5 albums: Foreigner, Loverboy, The Cars, The Who, Grateful Dead, Tom Petty, Go-Gos, The Kinks, ZZ Top, X, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Genesis, Phil Collins, Tom Tom Club, Da

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite albums of 1980. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Jay turned 13, Phil turned 11 in '80 - Phil's #5: The (English) Beat with a fun release - Jay's #5: Ozzy comes back from the dead (career-wise, anyway) - Album was later re-recorded to replace rhythm section's parts to avoid paying royalties; original version was restored - Jay reps for the NWOBHM - Phil's #4: Rush tempers its prog leanings with newer influences - Jay's #4: Bowie wraps up a brilliant decade with another classic - Phil's #3 and Jay's #2: Talking Heads embrace African sounds - Adrian Belew boosts the sound with sick guitar work - Jay's #3: Peter Gabriel continues with his impressive solo career - Phil Collins debuts his gated drum sound on this album - Phil's #1: U2's debut is filled with youthful exuberance, mistakes and great songs - Immersing yourself in albums with your Walkman - Jay's

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite albums of 1980. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Jay turned 13, Phil turned 11 in '80 - U.S. boycotted the Summer Olympics - Major deaths: Lennon, Bonham, Bon Scott, Ian Curtis, Darby Crash - Sony Walkman went on sale in the U.S. - Solid Gold made its debut - Blondie had the #1 single of the year with "Call Me" - Disco was fading, new wave and hard rock was gaining prominence - The never-opened Christopher Cross album - A lot of good albums came out this year - Phil's favorite non-top 5 albums: The Feelies, The Jam, Soft Boys, Elvis Costello, X, B-52s, The Clash, Joe Jackson, Devo, Dire Straits, Blondie, Loverboy (!), UB40, Genesis, Prince, Pete Townshend, J. Geils Band, Steely Dan, Bowie, VH,   - Jay was out of the music loop for 6 weeks in early '80 while in India - "Have you seen Kumar's grades?" - Jay's favorite non-top 5 albums: The Police, VH, X, P

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite albums of 1979. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Jay turned 12, Phil turned 10 in '79 - "My Sharona" was the top song on the Billboard Hot 100, lots of disco - Rod Stewart hit it big with "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" - New wave was getting attention - A wealth of great albums - Jay's favorite non-top 5 albums: The Knack, Graham Parker and the Rumour, Supertramp, AC/DC, Joe Jackson with two classic albums - Phil's non-top 5 faves: Bob Marley, Blondie, Joy Division, Pink Floyd, Gang of Four, XTC, Michael Jackson, Neil Young, The Cars, The Police, The Kinks, Van Halen, Elvis Costello, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Prince, Talking Heads - Phil's #5: Joe Jackson's killer debut is just packed with great, punchy songs - Jay's #5: Pink Floyd with an epic concept album, their last great record - Phil's #4 and Jay's #2: Neil Young ends an amazing run of albums with a killer (and heavy) reco

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite albums of 1978. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Jay turned 11, Phil turned 9 in '78 - Big festivals, including Texxas Jam - Lots of disco on the singles chart - Phil's favorite non-top 5 albums: Ramones, Blondie, The Who, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Jerry Garcia Band, Bob Marley, Rolling Stones, The Jam, Devo, Bob Seger, AC/DC, Tom Petty, Little Feat, Big Star, Marvin Gaye, Springsteen, Warren Zevon, Cheap Trick - WKRP in Cincinnati on DVD and music licensing (UPDATE: Turns out a bunch of the music was restored on a recent DVD set) - Cheap Trick At Budokan is one of the greatest live albums ever - Jay's favorite bubbling under albums: The Police, Rush, Dire Straits, The Who, Peter Gabriel - Phil's #5: Neil Young revisits the laid-back sound of Harvest - Phil's #4 and Jay's #4: Talking Heads explore a more danceable sound - Phil's #3: Debut from The Police made a big splash

It's part 2 of my Zoomtastic conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2020. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - On to our top 10 - Kumar's #10: Dan Bejar with another great cinematic Destroyer album - Breitling's #9: A hooky rock record from Bully - Kumar's #9: METZ with an accessible yet pummeling record - Breitling's #8: Spectres with a disconcerting release - Kumar's #8: Jeff Rosenstock has become a reliably excellent indie rock stalwart - Breitling's #7: Hop Along's Frances Quinlan goes solo - Reppin' for the new movie Sound of Metal - Kumar's #7: Boston act Eldridge Rodriguez with a sweeping, epic album - Dog walkin' time - Breitling's #6: The Psychedelic Furs with the superb comeback album nobody expected - Kumar's #6 and Breitling's #4: Sadie Dupuis (aka Sad13) branches out with a pop-driven release - Breitling's #5: A true banger from IDLES - Kumar's #5: The Coriky album is as close to a Fugazi reunion as we're gonna get - Kumar's #4: Greg Dulli delivers a compelling sol

It's part 1 of my Zoomified conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2020. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - This podcast is not affiliated in any with MovieFone. - The first time in nine years that we're not talking the year in rock in the same room - No live shows after early March - Breitling last saw Hallelujah the Hills at Great Scott last November, Kumar saw Drive-By Truckers at Somerville Theater in March - Devastating economic impact on all the non-musicians who work to put concerts together - If approved, Save Our Stages act would aid live venues - Many independent Boston-area venues have already closed - Great Scott may reopen in a new location - No touring means no income for many smaller artists - Streaming royalties need to be updated and increased - The Breitlings enjoyed Strange Brew recently - Plenty of livestreams, free, for charity and for profit - Bandcamp Friday has been a good way to

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite albums of 1977. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - A startling number of great releases in '77; a lot of terrific debuts - Singles chart was topped by disco and pop: Rod Stewart, Andy Gibb, Streisand, KC and the Sunshine Band, Engelbert Humperdinck - Jay's non-top 5 faves: Ramones had two albums, Sex Pistols, Johnny Thunders, the Damned, Richard Hell, Iggy Pop, Cheap Trick had two, Bowie had two, Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, Rush, Neil Young, The Clash, Wire, Max Webster  - Jay: My dad had disco mixtapes, - This was recorded before Johnny Lydon said he had flea bites on his dong - Phil's non-top 5 favorites: Grateful Dead, Television, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Elvis Costello, the Kinks, AC/DC, Dead Boys, Queen, Linda Ronstadt, Wire, Clapton - The cover of Queen's News of the World scared young Phil; Kmart had a cleaned-up alternate cover - Jay's #5: Peter Gabriel's solo

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite albums of 1976. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - America was all about the Bicentennial in 1976 - Disco was picking up steam - Arena rock and MOR was huge - Phil's non-top 5 favorites: Eagles, Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Bowie, Zevon, J. Geils Band, Rolling Stones, Boz Scaggs, Joni Mitchell, Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Peter Tosh, Wings, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Seger, Modern Lovers   - Like a lot of '76 records, don't love a lot of them - AC/DC re-released Dirty Deeds five years later in the U.S. - Bob Seger liked the double entendres - Jay's non-top 5 faves: Max Webster, Blondie, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Blue Oyster Cult, Queen, Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty - Phil's #5: Jerry Garcia solo release spawned some Dead staples - Jay's #5: Aerosmith continues their strong mid-70s run - Phil's  #4: Petty's stellar debut - Jay's #4: Zeppelin releases a sprawling, epic album - Phil's #3: Dylan's las

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite albums of 1975. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - RIP to EVH - We both saw VH in 1986 - In '75, Phil turned 6, Jay turned 8 - "Love Will Keep Us Together" was the #1 song of the year - Disco was starting to emerge - The S.N.A.C.K. concert - Phil's non-top 5: Parliament, Burning Spear, Patti Smith, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Dylan and the Band - Jay's non-top 5: AC/DC, Rush, The Who, Supertramp, Springsteen, McCartney/Wings - Phil's #5: The Who tries some different sounds - Jay's #5: Pink Floyd follows up a classic with another classic - Phil's #4 and Jay's #3: Bowie moves into another phase - Jay's #4: Queen breaks through with "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Phil's #3 and Jay's #2: A gut-wrenching release from Neil Young - Phil's 2: Dylan's 15th album is one of his best - Phil and Jay's #1: A double album that highlights

I'm joined by guest Brian Salvatore as we remember the greatness of Eddie Van Halen. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Last spoke in late March but feels a lot longer ago - We've been fascinated by Van Halen's career, the good and the bad - Eddie had dealt with cancer before - Death still came as a shock - Plenty of musician deaths this year: Neil Peart, Andy Gill, David Roback, Kenny Rogers, Bill Rieflin, Bill Withers, Adam Schlesinger, John Prine, Florian Schneider, Pete Way, Peter Green - Eddie was iconic and eternally youthful - Brian: First video I remember seeing was "Jump" - Played on Letterman a few times - Jay: Stopped listening to VH in '91 and didn't again for almost a decade - The "Right Now" video was surprising - Dropoff in quality after Roth left - 2012's A Different Kind of Truth was a decent way to go out - Hopefully there will finally be some archival VH releases - Who buys greatest hits albums? - Eddie's guest appearanc

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite albums of 1974. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Phil finally got a haircut - In '74, Phil turned 5, I turned 7 - Capt. and Tennille got married, Sonny and Cher got divorced - "The Streak" was a big hit - Phil: Looking back, liked more songs than albums in '74 - Not a long list of albums we liked - Radio was the main source of how people discovered music at that time - Phil's likes: Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, Bob Marley, Lou Reed, Gram Parsons, Big Star, Van Morrison, Clapton - Jay's likes: Rush's debut album, Genesis, The Who, Queen, Steely Dan, Aerosmith, Zappa - The various, very different, phases of Genesis' sound - Queen is more popular than ever - Jay's #5: Supertramp's breakthrough - Phil's #5: Another great Stevie Wonder album - Jay's and Phil's #4: Neil Young with a mellow classic, powered by "honey slides" - Jay's #3: Big Star with an underrated power pop gem - Phi