This is Vinyl Tap
Mining the layers of long players. We focus on great albums in their entirety and believe every album tells a story. We take a deep dive into the history of the artist and the album while discussing the merits of the music within the grooves. We are highly opinionated and outspoken and hope to provoke you into sharing your own opinions on albums. If you are serious about great music, this is your podcast. www.tappingvinyl.com
SE 6, EP 12: Al Stewart - Year of the Cat
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On this episode of This Is Vinyl Tap, we take a listen to the 1976 album by Al Stewart, Year of the Cat.
Al Stewart had had success before this album, but Year of the Cat was the Al Stewart LP that made him a household name on both sides of the pond. It is regarded by many as one of the best sounding albums ever made. The playing is superb and the production is a lesson in production in itself. And like most of his catalog, the songs are completely unique. B...
SE 6, EP 11: Rockpile - Seconds of Pleasure with Special Guest Mike Middleton
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On this "very special episode" of This Is Vinyl Tap, we bring in special guest Mike Middleton to talk about Seconds of Pleasure by the band Rockpile.
Mike is a Austin drummer who was a member of Mojo Nixon's band the Toadliquors. He has also played with Junior Brown, Rosie Flores, Dave Alvin, John Doe, Beaver Nelson, and members of the Beat Farmers (just to name a few). Mike brings his unique perspective to our discussion of what is considered one of the greatest rock & roll bands of the 1980s.
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Se 6, EP 10: Goodbye, Dolly
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On this very special episode, we honor the memory of one of music's biggest icons, Dolly Parton, who passed away August 25, at age 80.
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SE 6, EP 9: The Velvet Underground - Loaded
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On this week's episode, we dive into Loaded, the fourth LP by the Velvet Underground, and the last one to feature founding member Lou Reed, who left before the album was released.
Loaded is roundly regarded as the Velvets at their most accessible. After leaving MGM/Verve for Atlantic, the band was "encouraged" by their new label to focus on making hits (hence the title, alluding to the album being "loaded" with hits). Reed gave up some the reigns of the band he co-founded to newcomer Doug Yule, an multi-instrumentalist with an...
SE 6, EP 8: Cotton Mather - Kontiki
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On this week's episode, we discuss 1997's Kontiki, by Cotton Mather.
Produced by the band's songwriter and lead singer Robert Harrison and recorded on 4-track cassettes and ADAT, Kontiki is a low-fi sonic masterpiece that has garnered comparisons to the Beatles and Big Star. Originally released in 1997, Kontiki was not an initial commercial success. A re-release in the UK in 1999 breathed new life into the album and led to Noel Gallagher of Oasis to praise the album in the press as one he wished he'd recorded.
Kontiki is quite s...
SE 6. EP 7: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Will the Circle Be Unbroken
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On this episode we talk about the historic seventh studio album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,Will the Circle Be Unbroken.
Having proved their worth with a hit cover of the Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mister Bojangles," the Dirt Band and were given the go ahead to work on an unusual yet inspired project: an album of old county and bluegrass tunes where the Dirt band would act as a supporting a cast for several legendary bluegrass and country artists, such as Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Me...
SE 6, EP 6 A Game of Connectiions with Beaver Nelson
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As long-time listener's know, as a part of all of our discussions, we have a segment called Connections, where we connect the artist and album we are currently talking about to artists and albums we have discussed on previous episodes. For our interview with singer-songwriter Beaver Nelson, we played an extended version of Connections with him. Beaver has worked with a ton of people in the music industry, and as a result, he came prepared to show us what a real game of Connections is all about.
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SE 6, EP5: Violation Podcast: An Interview with Beaver Nelson
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On this episode of This Is Vinyl Tap, we do something a little different from our typical fare and interview Austin singer-songwriter Beaver Nelson.
Beaver Nelson has been on the Austin scene since before he graduated from high school. His talent as a songwriter was almost immediately recognized by some of the finest singer-songwriters at the time, which gave him the opportunity to perform and record with some of the biggest names in the Austin music scene at the time. His songs are full of clever, introspective, and personal lyrics backed b...
SE 6, EP 4: Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Safe as Milk
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On this episode we tackle the LP that introduced the world to Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band: 1967's Safe as Milk.
Captain Beefheart, né Don Van Vliet, is best known for having recorded one of the most heralded rock albums of all time -Trout Mask Replica. But for many, that double album is a confounding listen with it's atonal song structures, disconcerting time signatures, and bizarre vocals. However, before that was Safe As Milk. Thanks to the presence of 20-year-old Ry Cooder, some of Beefhearts's more eccentric instincts were reigned in...
SE 6: EP 3 Dave Alvin - King of California
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On this episode we discuss Dave Alvin and his 1994 LP, King of California.
Dave Alvin started his storied career in Los Angeles with the Blasters, a band he founded with his brother Phil. Full of energy and attitude, the Blasters found themselves embraced by the LA punk scene. The band did find some commercial success, but they fought like cats and dogs, which while it added to their intensity, but not their long-term possibilities, leading Dave to strike out on his own.
After a couple of attempts at solo re...
SE 6, EP 2: Robbie Fulks - Upland Stories
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On this episode we discuss one America's great modern singer-songwriters -Robbie Fulks, and his wonderful 2016 album Upland Stories.
Produced by the late, great Steve Albini, Upland Stories combines folk and traditional country elements into a rich collection of narrative-driven songs. The album and the fantastic opening track “Alabama at Night” both earned a Grammy nominations, recognition for what is considered by many to be Fulks' finest batch of songs. The album is full of poignant character studies, told with emotional and literary lyrics that are deeply rooted in American storytelling (Let Us No...
SE 6, EP 1: Joni Mitchell - Blue
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On this episode of the podcast, we discuss Joni Mitchell’s 1971’s LP Blue, regarded by most critics as a masterpiece and consistently is listed on best of lists of the greatest albums ever made.
A bit of a sea change for Mitchell, incorporating jazz stylings in both her phrasing and the music, it’s sparse on instrumentation, yet the songs feel full largely due to Mitchell's own vocals.
Created just after her breakup with Graham Nash and during her relationship with James Taylor, Blue explores the various facets of relat...
SE 5, EP 16: Sly and the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On
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It's a listener pick! On this episode we look at one of the most influential musical groups of the twentieth century - Sly and the Family Stone, and their 1970 LP There's a Riot Goin' On.
By 1970, Sly Stone and his band had already had a huge impact on modern music. It was a mixed-race and mixed-gender band that spoke of love and harmony among all people. Hits like "Everyday People," "Dance to the Music," and "Stand" had gained the band crossover success and spawned numerous copy cats. However, by the time...
SE 5, EP 15: Ian Hunter - You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic
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This week we discuss Ian Hunter and his 1979 LP You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic. Hunter worked a long time to find success. His band Mott the Hoople were instrumental in advancing glam rock by giving it a rougher edge. David Bowie was such a fan of the band that he even gave them the song "All the Young Dudes" which became the title track for their most popular album, which he also produced. Hunter eventually left Mott the Hoople to concentrate on a solo career and made several albums with Bowie collaborator, a...
SE 5, EP 14: The New York Dolls - The New York Dolls
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On this week's episode, we discuss the self-titled debut by the New York Dolls, one of most influential albums of the 1970s.
The New York Dolls blended the Rolling Stones' swagger with garage rock aggression and glam rock theatrics, that both embraced the sounds of early rock and roll and foreshadowed punk rock.
Produced in what seems like an unusual hands-off approach by Todd Rundgren,The New York Dolls presents the band with minimal polish. Its full of high energy songs about teenage angst, heartbreak, sex, drugs, and city li...
SE 5, EP 13: The Lemon Twigs - A Dream is All We Know
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On this week's episode, we discuss an album that came out in 2024, the fifth album by the Lemon Twigs, A Dream is All We Know.
Consisting of multi-instrumentalist brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario, the music of the Lemon Twigs often feels like it’s been plucked straight from the 1960s or 1970s. Echos of the Beatles, the Kinks and the Beach Boys are obvious, in fact they brothers call the sound of this LP "Mersey Beach." However, the Brothers D'Addario make it all sound fresh and relevant.
Coming just a year...
SE 5, EP 12: The La's - The La's
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On this episode, we discuss one of the most heralded debut albums of the early 1990's: The La's by the La's.
Heavily influenced by the 1960s British Invasion bands, The La’s is full of bright, jangly, melodic guitar pop, ear-worms all. The single “There She Goes” has become a classic, and is possibly one of the most perfectly constructed pop songs ever recorded. The album’s history, however, is one of the most tortured in the annals of rock and roll. The band’s leader, Lee Mavers became known for his uncompro...
SE5, EP 11: The Youngbloods - The Youngbloods
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On this episode, we discuss one of the first albums of 1967, the eponymous debut by the Youngbloods.
1967 is one of the most heralded years in rock music, and The Youngbloods was a good primer to the music that would come culminating in the Summer of Love. Originally from the East Coast, the Youngbloods took inspiration from the folk music and acoustic blues they heard and played in the coffee houses of the in The Village in New York and fused it with the sounds of coming from the West Coast. Best k...
SE 5, EP 10: Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel
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On this episode, we discuss Grievous Angel, the last album recorded by one of the most interesting, tragic, and influential people in modern music: Gram Parsons.
In just six short years, from 1967 until his death in the fall of 1973, Gram Parson help pioneer what would become known as country rock, or what he preferred to call "Cosmic American Music." In those six years, he made several landmark albums with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, as well recording two solo albums. None were commercially successful at the...
SE 5, EP 9: John Wesley Harding - John Wesley Harding's New Deal
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On this weeks episode, we discuss an LP by John Wesley Harding (né Wesley Stace), 1996’s John Wesley Harding’s New Deal.
After releasing two EPs and three full length albums with a full band for Sire Records, Harding decided to strip down his sound for his debut on his new label Forward Records (an imprint of Rhino Records). Harding much preferred the intimacy of acoustic live performances and created an album that embraced that aesthetic whole heatedly. Described by Harding as “gangsta folk,” John Wesley Harding’s New Deal is a beautiful reco...
SE 5, EP 8: Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Spinning Around the Sun
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On this weeks episode, we take a listen to a true Texas legend, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and his 1993, Spinning Around the Sun.
With his high, lonesome voice, Jimmy Dale embodies the very essence of that land from which he hails, the Texas Panhandle. Even thought he was in his forties when his first solo album was recorded, he had already made his mark on the musical landscape of the Lone Star State, having been in the legendary Flatlanders (along with Joe Ely and Butch Hancock) and the Hub City Movers (the...
SE 5, EP 7: Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
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On this week's episode, we take a listen to another Listener's Pick: Thin Lizzy's sixth studio album, Jailbreak from 1976. It took some time, but by the time they recorded Jailbreak, Thin Lizzy's had figured out their formula and Jailbreak became their breakout LP.
Showcasing the tuneful songs of Phil Lynott and the expert twin guitar interplay of Scott Gorman and Brian Robertson, the album is the ultimate combination or power and melody.Lyrically, Lynott tapped into mythos of both Irish folklore and the American west to create his own version of st...
SE 5, EP 6: The National - Boxer
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On this week's episode, we dig into the the forth album by the band the National, 2007's Boxer.
The National is a band, literally, of brothers (two pairs) and a friend all from Ohio that formed after all parties moved to New York. From the get go, the band's music leaned heavily on and atmospheric and stood out due to the deep baritone vocals of lead singer and lyricist Matt Berninger.
After slowly but steadily building up a following, Boxer, their second album on the Beggar's Banquet label, was the...
SE 5, EP 5: Pure Prairie League - Bustin' Out
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This week This Is Vinyl Tap discusses the criminally underrated album by Pure Prairie League, 1972's Bustin’ Out.
Bustin' Out contains the band's most well known song, "Aime," a radio staple for the last 50 years. Oddly, while even the most casual of music listeners know the song, many would be hard pressed to name the band that performs it. As a result, Bustin' Out has been somewhat ignored, which is a shame, because it is a fantastic collection of country infused rock songs. The album's secret weapon is David Bowie's guitarist Mic...
SE 5, EP 4: Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
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On this episode, we take a deep dive into a “Listener Pick” - the fifth and final studio album by the Simon and Garfunkel, 1970's Bridge Over Trouble Water.
While the partnership between Simon and Garfunkel was under immense strain that elementally led to its demise, the duo went out with a bang. Bridge Over Trouble Water was a commercial smash, and is regarded by many as Simon and Garfunkel's masterpiece.
The album was their most ambitious and showed Simon had become a master song writer. In addition to folk musi...
SE 5, EP 3: Bad Company - Bad Company
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This week we dig into the 1973 self-titled debut by Bad Company.
Coming off of the success of Free, Paul Rodgers hooked up with Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs, and along with former Free drummer Simon Kirk, and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell, formed what may be the most American-sounding British band ever: Bad Company.
Rodgers soulful and powerful voice and Ralphs crunchy guitars punctuate songs about the old west, ballads about sea birds, and tunes about physical love that don't take much work to interpret. Bad Company was...
SE 5, EP 2: The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow
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This week we dive head first into the 1968 psychedelic rock opera by the Pretty Things, S.F. Sorrow.
Ask any music fan what was the first rock opera was and most would say Tommy by the Who. That answer would be wrong. Recorded on S.F. Sorrow started a year before the Who even went into the studio to begin Tommy. Unfortunately the release of the album was delayed and was released after Tommy, placing S.F. Sorrow into the "also ran" category for the vast majority of critics and the mu...
SE 5, EP 1: The Allman Brothers Band - Eat A Peach
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We start Season Five off with a monster album, Eat a Peach, by the Allman Brothers Band. Released in 1972, it is a double album and simultaneously their 3rd studio album and their 2nd Live album.
The Allman Brothers Band were perhaps the first "Southern Rock" band, but they were so much more than that. Steeped in the blues, the brothers Duane and Greg actually had careers as session musicians playing everything from soul to psychedelic folk. Their jams were inspired by jazz improvisations by John Coltrane and they had an uncanny...
SE 4, EP 23: Nick Lowe - The Impossible Bird
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On this episode, we have a listener pick: Nick Lowe and his 1994 album The Impossible Bird.
Nick Lowe has been a topic of conversation several times on This Is Vinyl Tap due to the indelible mark the man has left on pop music. Lowe was a bass player, singer and songwriter of the influential pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz. He was a member of the the fabulous Rockpile. He is a producer of some note, having worked with countless artists including Elvis Costello, the Pretenders, Graham Parker, and the Damned. And h...
SE 4, EP 22: Thunderclap Newman - Hollywood Dream
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Join us on this week's episode as we discuss the 1970 album by Thunderclap Newman: Hollywood Dream.
Thunderclap Newman were comprised of Townshend protege (drummer, songwriter and lead singer) Speedy Keen, a 15-year-old guitar prodigy named Jimmy McColluch, and the band's namesake - the eccentric self-taught piano player Andy "Thunderclap" Newman. Hollywood Dream (their one and only album) was recorded to capitalize on the success of Thunderclap Newman's surprising number 1 UK hit "Something in the Air." The band was the brainchild of Pete Townshend and Who manager/producer, Kit Lambert. Townshend had b...
SE 4, EP 21: Joe Jackson - I'm the Man
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On this week's episode, we jump into Joe Jackson's fantastic sophomore LP, 1979's I'm the Man.
When Joe Jackson's hit the airwaves in fall of 1978, critics labeled him as one of the new "angry young men" on British music, the other two significant members of that group being Elvis Costello and Graham Parker. This was lyrically mature music that owed a debt to the early 70's UK Pub Rock scene, but played with the aggressive attitude of Punk. Jackson's debut Look Sharp was released in January of 1979 and went top 40 in t...
SE 4, EP 20: Moby Grape - Moby Grape
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On this week’s episode, we discuss what was once considered one of the hottest bands to come out of the late sixties San Francisco scene, Moby Grape and their debut album, 1967’s Moby Grape.
Moby Grape is one of the most celebrated debut albums ever produced. Recorded by five musicians who could all write and sing, Moby Grape spans multiple genres (rock and roll, folk music, pop, blues, and country) and does so effortlessly. Add a three guitar attack, and some a amazing harmonies to the mix, and you can begi...
SE 4, EP 19: King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
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On this weeks episode, we discuss King Crimson's 1969 debut: In the Court of the Crimson King.
Not only is In the Court of the Crimson King regarded as one of the greatest and most influential progressive rock (or prog rock) albums of all time, it is considered by many to be the album that defined the genre.
Like all prog rock musicians, Robert Fripp, Greg Lake, Micheal Giles, and Ian McDonald all know their way around their instruments. But what makes King Crimson stand out from those they would i...
SE 4, EP 18: Violation Podcast: It's Trivia Time!
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It's a violation episode!!
Often times we wonder how much the members of the This Is Vinyl Tap team are actually paying attention to what we do around here. In an effort to find out, we present the first ever This Is Vinyl Tap "Trivia From The Vault" episode, where we ask each other in-depth questions pertaining to past episodes to determine who has (and who has not) been asleep on the job.
Of course we invite you, the listener, to play along at home. Feel free to let us k...
SE 4, EP 17: The Long Ryders - Native Sons
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On this episode, we discuss one of the seminal bands of what would become the alternative country and Americana movement: the Long Ryders, and their 1984 debut LP Native Sons.
Formed in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, the Long Ryders were a counter to the synth-heavy music that was in vogue at the time. Drawing on their diverse musical backgrounds (punk and garage rock, ska, country, and hard rock), the band combined their broad musical pallet to create a sound that was guitar based, influenced by the American music of the 1960's...
SE 4, EP 16: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced
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On this episode, we tackle a BIG album, the 1967 debut LP by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced.
Heralded by many as the greatest rock guitarist of all time, to many Jimi Hendrix, along with his band the Jimi Hendrix Experience (bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell) seemingly came out of nowhere. However, in reality, Hendrix more than paid his dues, playing in relative obscurity backing a myriad of musicians on the "Chitlin' Circuit," including the Isely Bothers and Little Richard.
Endlessly restless, his stints w...
SE 4, EP 15: The 13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
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On this episode we discuss the debut LP by the seminal psychedelic rock band, the 13th Floor Elevators: 1966's The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators. The 13th Floor Elevators were one of the the first well-known bands to come out of the Austin music scene in the 1960's, and one of the first band's nationwide to purposely embrace the term "psychedelic rock."
The band possessed a lead singer with a one of a kind voice (and screech) in Roky Erickson. The music was played with a fierce garage-rock intensity. But th...
SE 4, EP 14: The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
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On this episode we tackle the Rolling Stones 1968 LP Beggars Banquet.
1968 was a tumultuous year for much of the world and a transitional time for the Rolling Stones. Their founder and original leader, Brian Jones, was increasingly absent due to his drug use, and their long-time manager/producer Andrew Loog Oldham had grown disinterested in the band due to his own drug and alcohol use, leaving them to produce their next album on their own. The result, 1967's Their Satanic Majesties Request, was widely considered a misstep for the band and the Ston...
SE 4, EP 13: Spirit - Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
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On this episode of the podcast, we discuss Spirit and their fourth album Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus.
The band Spirit sports an impressive pedigree. Drummer Ed Cassidy (20 years older than the rest of the band) was an established jazz musician, having played drums with many jazz greats throughout the 1940s and 1950s. His stepson Randy California (né Randy Wolfe) was a young guitar prodigy, who at 15 years old impressed Jimi Hendrix enough to be asked to join his band Jimmy James and the Blue Flames.
Released in 1970, Twelve Dr...
SE 4, EP 12: Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain
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This week, we dig into the debut LP by the Scottish jangle pop band Aztec Camera , 1983's High Land, Hard Rain.
The creative force behind the band was Roddy Frame, a fine singer, remarkable guitarist, and very gifted songwriter, who started his career at 15, and was 18 when this album was recorded. Completed in just three weeks, the album is filled with wonderful pop songs that touch on jazz and soul, and often defy categorization. Upon its release it was a commercial success in the UK and received critical raves on both s...
