Album Nerds

Album Nerds Leftovers goes back to the chip shop, with Don and Dude reheating Episode 176's British Invasion menu and finally serving two 1966 American editions they missed the first time: the Who's loud mod debut and the Rolling Stones' first record of all-original songs.

The Albums

The Who – The Who Sings My Generation (1966)

The West London mod band of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon released this U.S. version of their U.K. debut on Decca. It has a Big Ben cover and swaps "I'm a Man" for "Instant Pa...

Every good feast leaves a little something in the Tupperware. Album Nerds Leftovers starts here, with Don and Dude reheating Episode 287, "On the Side," and serving up two side-project albums they never got to: a raw alternative rock debut from members of the Pixies and Throwing Muses, and a two-day crossover blast from members of Anthrax.

The Albums

The Breeders – Pod (1990)

Pixies bassist Kim Deal and Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donelly started the Breeders in 1988 after they became friends on a joint European tour. Josephine Wiggs played bass and Slint's Britt Walford played dr...

Parents played records backward, preachers burned vinyl, and the devil supposedly lived in your Walkman. For Halloween, Don and Dude pick two albums that moral guardians blamed for corrupting a generation: an East London metal breakthrough and an Australian hard rock classic.

The Albums

Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast (1982)

Bassist Steve Harris formed Iron Maiden in Leyton, East London, in 1975. Bruce Dickinson of Samson replaced Paul Di'Anno in 1981, and this was his first album with the band and drummer Clive Burr's last. Martin Birch produced it in about five weeks at Ba...

We Love the 90s

The flannel is still in the closet, the Macarena won't leave the dance floor, and dial-up is screeching from the family computer. Our I Love the 90s series wraps up with Don and Dude each picking one favorite album from the whole decade, a Liverpool jangle-pop classic and a Seattle grunge follow-up.

The Albums

The La's – The La's (1990)

The La's started in Liverpool in 1983 as Mike Badger's idea. Lee Mavers soon took over the songwriting, John Power joined on bass in 1986, and guitarists and drummers came and we...

Our I Love the 90s series lands on 1999, the year Regis wanted your final answer, Brandi Chastain's penalty kick won the World Cup, and everyone was trying to catch 'em all. Don and Dude split the TRL countdown between pop and nu-metal, pairing five Orlando harmonizers with a red-capped Jacksonville crew mixing turntables and seven-string riffs.

The Albums

Backstreet Boys – Millennium (1999)

Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson got together in Orlando in 1993. Lou Pearlman had put out an ad looking for a group with a New Ki...

Our I Love the 90s series lands on 1998, the year Seinfeld signed off, McGwire and Sosa chased the home run record, and every kid wanted a Furby. Don and Dude take on country and post-grunge, pairing a Texas trio bringing banjo and fiddle back to country radio with a Boston band mixing heavy riffs, witchcraft and movie samples.

The Albums

The Chicks – Wide Open Spaces (1998)

Sisters Martie and Emily Erwin started the group in Dallas in 1989 as the Dixie Chicks. After Laura Lynch left in 1995, Lubbock steel guitarist Lloyd Maines recommended his daughter Na...

Our I Love the 90s series lands on 1997, the year Titanic and As Good as It Gets arrived in theaters and Tiger Woods won his first Masters. Don and Dude take on "the rest" and rock, pairing a gathering of Cuban musical veterans celebrating their country's traditions with a metal heavyweight chasing bluesy riffs and unexpected sounds.

The Albums

Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club (1997)

Assembled for these sessions rather than a standing band, the group came together through Juan de Marcos González, with Compay Segundo guiding the repertoire, Ibrahim Fer...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1996, the year the Atlanta Olympics captivated the country and Bill Clinton edged out Bob Dole to win a second term in the White House. Don and Dude drop the needle on one studio album from festival rock royalty and one alt hip hop record that became a crossover phenomenon, connecting both records to a world of holiday shoppers fighting over Tickle Me Elmo, scientists cloning a sheep named Dolly, and dance floors everywhere catching the Macarena.

The Albums

Phish – Billy Breathes (1996)

Formed in...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1995, the year the O.J. Simpson trial ended with a verdict that split the country in two and Beanie Babies turned into an overnight playground obsession. Don and Dude drop the needle on one arena ready rock record still riding grunge's fading wave and one horn driven pop album born out of a breakup happening inside the band itself, connecting both records to a world of Microsoft rolling out Windows 95, Pixar's Toy Story becoming the first fully computer animated feature film, and Cal Ripken Jr. breaking a fifty...

Don and Dude step away from the I Love the 90s series for a guest appearance on The Retro Nostalgia Podcast with Chad and Cristina. They all pick teams of classic one hit wonders spanning three decades, working from VH1's ranked list of the genre's biggest names.

The Draft

Selections on the table range from A-ha's "Take On Me" and Sinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" to Dexys Midnight Runners' "Come On Eileen," Blind Melon's "No Rain," Faith No More's "Epic" and Tommy Tutone's "867-5309/Jenny." The four hosts spar over which tracks earned t...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1994, the year a white Bronco led police across Los Angeles and Tonya Harding's camp clubbed Nancy Kerrigan's leg ahead of the Lillehammer Olympics. Don and Dude drop the needle on one stripped down country comeback and one guitar heavy alternative rock debut, connecting both records to a world of the World Cup landing on American soil, Friends premiering on NBC, and Woodstock '94 turning to mud in upstate New York.

The Albums

Johnny Cash – American Recordings (1994)

After Columbia dropped him and his ca...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1993, when the World Wide Web quietly slipped into the public domain and Michael Jordan stunned the sports world by walking away from the Chicago Bulls at the height of his powers. Don and Dude drop the needle on one lush adult contemporary album and one shape shifting electronic rock release that show how differently each genre chased the decade's changing mood,

The Albums

Sting – Ten Summoner's Tales (1993)

After the heaviness of his father haunted The Soul Cages (1991), Sting settled into a new ma...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1992, when Batman Returns and Wayne's World ruled the multiplex and Bill Clinton got saxy on The Arsenio Hall Show. Don and Dude drop the needle on one gritty, G funk hip hop album and one crushing heavy metal release that show the evolution of both genres, connecting both records to a world of the Dream Team dominating the Olympics, Mortal Kombat draining quarters at the arcade and Johnny Carson signing off from The Tonight Show.

The Albums

Dr. Dre – The Chronic (1992)

After le...

Continuing our I Love the 90s series, we move on to 1991, when kids lined up for Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis while nightly newscasts tracked the crumbling Soviet Union. Don and Dude drop the needle on one polished R&B and soul album and one heavy, alternative release that helped define the decade's sound, connecting both records to a world of Terminator 2 topping the box office, dial up bulletin boards and flannel becoming a fashion statement.

The Albums

Michael Jackson – Dangerous (1991)

Michael Jackson's eighth studio album marked his first major release not bu...

Kicking off our I Love the 90s series, we rewind to 1990, when kids played GameBoy while parents watched Twin Peaks. Don and Dude drop the needle on one groundbreaking electronic album and one guitar driven rock release that set the tone for the decade to come, connecting both records to a world of slap bracelets, Pretty Woman at the box office and cassette mixtapes traded on school buses.

The Albums

Enigma – MCMXC a.D. (1990)

Romanian German producer Michael Cretu built this project in Ibiza as an anonymous, continuous listening experience, weaving Gregorian chant sa...

Our final stop on our Summer in the Cities tour is Chicago, where lakefront winds, crowded L tracks and glowing dive bars color the music echoing from basements, rehearsal halls and neighborhood clubs. Don and Dude drop the needle on two Chicago born records that traced how the city’s grit, pride and restless motion pressed into soul and horn heavy rock, turning street level stories and late night jams into full album statements.

The Albums

Curtis Mayfield – Super Fly (1972)

Curtis Mayfield used his Chicago roots and Curtom studio band to craft a tigh...

Our latest stop on our Summer in the Cities tour is Los Angeles, where sun faded billboards, winding canyons and late night freeways quietly shape the sounds coming out of bedrooms, warehouses and old studios. Don and Dude drop the needle on two Los Angeles born records that trace how the citys haze, tension and restless energy seep into confessional pop and psychedelic rock, turning private struggles and midnight wanderings into full album statements.

The Albums

Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft (2024)

Billie Eilish and Finneas turn a Los Feliz home studio in...

Our Summer in the Cities tour follows the highway south to Nashville, where neon honky tonks, studio doors and back porches blur the line between everyday life and song. Don and Dude drop the needle on two Nashville born records that carry the city’s twang, storytelling swagger and late night barroom heart in every riff and chorus.

The Albums

Dolly Parton – Coat of Many Colors (1971)

Dolly Parton turns early 70s Nashville country into a warm, story driven set about childhood, family, faith and finding dignity when money is scarce. Live band arrangements, clea...

Our Summer in the Cities tour crosses the Atlantic and rolls into Manchester, where rain‑slick streets, brick mills and crowded terraces shape the sound as much as guitars and drum machines. Don and Dude drop the needle on two albums that channel the city’s gray skies, sharp wit and restless youth into vivid musical cityscapes.

The Albums

Joy Division – Closer (1980)

Joy Division turn late‑70s Manchester’s post‑punk tension into a stark, spacious set about isolation, collapse, and trying to find language for feelings that barely fit inside a song. Martin Hanne...

Our Summer in the Cities tour rolls into Detroit, where factory smoke hangs over freeways, muscle cars idle outside strip‑mall studios, and the music feels as combustible as the city’s history. Don and Dude drop the needle on two albums that channel Detroit’s battle‑rap ferocity, auto‑plant grind, and dive‑bar chaos into raw, world‑shaking sound.

The Albums

Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

Eminem turns his Detroit battle‑rap roots into a major‑label pressure cooker, a dense, confrontational set about fame, family, and the fallout of turning dark humor into pop...

Our Summer in the Cities tour rolls into Toronto, where streetcars hum past glass towers, lake breezes slip between neighborhoods, and the music feels as cosmopolitan as it is stubbornly local. From jazz‑brushed confessions to molten metal anthems, Don and Dude drop the needle on two records that channel Toronto’s coffeehouse introspection, blue‑collar grit, and noisy club‑scene swagger into city‑sized sound.

The Albums

Joni Mitchell – Court and Spark (1974)

Court and Spark finds Joni Mitchell parlaying her Yorkville folk‑club roots into an elegant, jazz‑tinged song cycle about love, freedom, a...

Our Summer in the Cities tour hits Austin, where humid nights, neon-lit bars, and guitar solos spilling out of every doorway create a sound that is rootsy, rebellious, and relentlessly forward looking. From country soul divorce tales to genre bending blues epics, Don and Dude drop the needle on two records that pin Austin’s independent spirit, musical diversity, and guitar obsessed heart to wax.

The Albums

Willie Nelson – Phases and Stages (1974)

Phases and Stages finds Willie Nelson breaking from Nashville convention with a focused, empathetic divorce concept album that follows both the wife...

Our Summer in the Cities tour hits Glasgow, where rain-slicked streets, pub jukeboxes, and all-night clubs blur into a sound that is spiritual, scrappy, and just a bit strange. From gospel rave lift-offs to shimmering stadium dreams, Don and Dude dig into two records that lock Glasgow’s grit, melancholy, and imagination into vinyl.

The Albums

Primal Scream – Screamadelica (1991)

Screamadelica catches Primal Scream right as they trade jangly guitars for a heady blend of acid house rhythms, gospel choirs, and dubby studio haze. It feels like a full night out in musical form, movi...

Our "Summer in the Cities" tour kicks off in New York City, where skyscrapers, subway steam, and street corner speakers shape the soundtrack as much as any studio. From Brooklyn chipmunk soul to CBGB panic attacks, Don and Dude dive into two landmark records that lock NYC’s grit, hustle, and humor into permanent groove.

The Albums

Jay-Z – The Blueprint (2001)

Recorded and released at the height of New York’s early 2000s rap power struggles, The Blueprint finds Jay-Z sharpening his legend on a warm bed of soul samples and drum-tight beats, turning his Ma...

Don and Dude channel Ren & Stumpy and search for "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy." The boys explore two joyful records that turned pure happiness into chart gold and lifelong fan obsessions. From psychedelic club anthems to bar band singalongs, the guys trace how these albums turned big smiles, tight grooves, and radio hooks into proof that joy never goes out of style.

The Albums

Deee-Lite – World Clique (1990)

A colorful debut blending house grooves, funk samples, and club culture idealism, powered by Lady Miss Kier's vocals, guest appearances from Bootsy Collins and Q-Tip, and a wo...

Don and Dude dig into two self-titled records that turned personal identity into radio gold and lifelong fan obsessions. From diva-defining ballads to California soft-rock confessions, the guys trace how these albums relaunch careers, reset expectations, and prove that sometimes the simplest album title hides the messiest feelings.

The Albums

Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey (1990)

A tightly controlled debut that introduces a once-in-a-generation voice through lush ballads and new jack swing bounce, balancing radio-ready polish with glimpses of the struggling songwriter behind the spotlight.

Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac (1975)

A reborn band...

Don and Dude celebrate the Daves they know, zeroing in on how two very different Daves turned 90s rock into group therapy for anyone who ever yelled along in the car. From Charlottesville jam-club grooves to Seattle’s loud-quiet-loud confessions, the guys dig into how hooks, heartache, and live-band chemistry turned these records into permanent fixtures in rock nerd DNA.

The Albums

Dave Matthews Band – Under the Table and Dreaming (1994) Charlottesville road warriors turn their first major-label shot into a warm, rhythm-heavy introduction, stacking acoustic guitar patterns, sax, violin, and jazz-schooled drums into songs that feel...

Don and Dude fire up an episode about albums built for a hazy 420 state of mind, from British space rock experiments to prairie bred retro rock perfect for late night clouds and long drives. Pink Floyd’s early psychedelia and The Sheepdogs’ warm, guitar heavy grooves share the spotlight as the guys explore how trippy textures and laid back riffs fuel the same smoky headspace.

The Albums Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) English psych pioneers introduce themselves with a strange, playful, deeply trippy debut where Syd Barrett’s surreal lyrics, space rock explorations, and free...

Don and Dude rewind to the tiny shared spaces and thumping stereos of their college years for a pair of dorm room staples that shaped how they hear music and each other. Britpop era melancholy and messy alt rock chaos meet as they revisit the comfort, conflict, and late night oversharing baked into two records they once pushed on every friend who would listen.

The Albums

Morrissey – Vauxhall and I (1994) English icon softens his armor on a somber, elegant solo high point, trading sneer for reflection as warm, chiming guitars and unhurried arrangements frame songs ab...

Don and Dude close out March Metal Madness by sinking into two landmark heavy records that pushed their corners of metal into darker, more ambitious territory. Thrash’s classic second wave leap forward sits alongside metalcore’s underground breakthrough as the guys unpack how each band leveled up in songwriting, sound, and emotional weight.

The Albums

Metallica – Ride the Lightning (1984) Bay Area thrash upstarts sharpen their attack with tighter writing, darker themes, and a leap in dynamics, trading garage band scrappiness for a colder, more deliberate vision of heavy music that still hits like a live w...

Don and Dude crash into the second round of March Metal Madness where glitter, hairspray, and street‑corner hooks square up against steel‑toed stomp and Texas‑born groove. Skyscraper choruses, talkbox licks, mosh‑pit breakdowns, and arena‑ready riffs drive a bracket showdown between a late‑80s glam breakthrough and the record that dragged metal out of the Sunset Strip and into a heavier, meaner decade.

The Albums Skid Row – Skid Row (1989) Young Jersey upstarts turn the glam formula meaner and more grounded, stacking blue‑collar storytelling, towering Sebastian Bach vocals, and streetwise riffs into a sleek debut that...

Don and Dude kick off March Metal Madness at the molten core of metal history, where early 70s riff worship collides with turn‑of‑the‑century whiplash politics and drop‑tuned chaos. Quiet is not invited as roaring Hammond organ runs, arena‑sized choruses, jagged time shifts, and Armenian folk‑tinged melodies slam together in a bracket‑busting showdown between a founding father of heavy and a band that made nu metal feel like something stranger, smarter, and way more volatile.

The Albums

Deep Purple – Machine Head (1972) Deep Purple bottle their live attack into a lean set of riff...

Don and Dude crash headfirst into 1989’s alternative basements and hip hop boomboxes, where quiet loud guitar nightmares share airspace with sample stacked punchline barrages and label side eye. One of us dives into a twisted surf rock carnival that helped teach the 90s how to go loud quiet loud, while the other rides a brainy, boom bap Def Jam debut packed with Beastie Boys disses, Hammer threats, and the first appearance of a future underground legend.

The Albums

Pixies – Doolittle (1989)

Pixies turn their Boston art punk chaos into a tightly wound alt rock...

Don and Dude keep the “I Love the 80s” journey rolling into 1988’s R&B bedrooms and metal bunkers, where new jack swing coalesces in cramped apartments and concept metal turns Reagan-era paranoia into a full-blown rock opera. One of us slides into a silky debut that helped sketch the blueprint for sensitive-smooth-guy R&B, while the other drops into a tightly plotted metal epic about addiction, brainwashing, and failed revolution that still hits uncomfortably close to home.

The Albums

Al B. Sure! – In Effect Mode (1988)

Al B. Sure! turns a bare-bones home setup an...

Don and Dude keep the “I Love the 80s” journey rolling into 1987’s country and rock lanes, where Nashville went back to basics even as rock bands turned studios into high-gloss laboratories. One of us drops the needle on a neotraditional country smash that helped reset the genre for a new generation, while the other cranks an arena-rock juggernaut whose stacked vocals and surgically polished guitars defined late 80s rock radio.

The Albums

Randy Travis – Always & Forever (1987)

Randy Travis doubles down on his rich baritone and back-to-basics storytelling on a second LP that helped c...

Don and Dude keep the “I Love the 80s” journey moving into 1986, when pop music turned glossy, global, and emotionally grown-up while hip-hop kicked down the door to the mainstream and refused to close it. One of us drops the needle on a blockbuster art-pop record that turned a former prog-rock oddball into an MTV-era icon, and the other cranks a Queens rap classic where drum machines, DJ wizardry, and rock guitars collide to launch hip-hop into its album era.

The Albums

Peter Gabriel – So (1986)

Peter Gabriel’s fifth solo LP trades full-on prog the...

Don and Dude keep the “I Love the 80s” trip rolling into 1985, when rock grew darker and more spiritual while RB slipped fully into the age of drum machines and neon-lit bedrooms. One of us drops the needle on a brooding British rock record that turns goth shadows and psychedelic guitar into stadium-sized transcendence, while the other sinks into a self-produced Michigan R & B debut where DIY cassette demos, sensual slow jams, and Minneapolis-inspired grooves rewire romance for the electronic era.

The Albums

The Cult – Love (1985) The Cult’s second album finds Ian Astbury and Billy Du...

Don and Dude keep the “I Love the 80s” tour rolling into 1984, when country music drifted back toward rootsy storytelling while heavy metal hit MTV in full glam mode. One of us spins a mother–daughter country debut rooted in acoustic instruments, Appalachian harmonies, and front‑porch intimacy, while the other cranks a Sunset Strip glam‑metal breakthrough of twin‑guitar riffs and big, arena‑ready hooks. Together, the albums show how 1984’s country and metal both chased the mainstream yet stayed grounded in specific worlds: Kentucky kitchens and family conversations on one side, Hollywood alleys and neon‑lit clubs on the other...

Don and Dude keep the “I Love the 80s” tour rolling into 1983, a year when cable TV, mail‑order music clubs, and early MTV helped R&B and pop polish their hooks without sanding off all the emotional rough edges. One of us brings a married‑duo soul record that turns relationship conflict into sophisti‑funk therapy, while the other counters with a technicolor, hook‑stuffed debut that reframes punky, downtown weirdness as mass‑appeal pop. Together, the albums show how 1983’s R&B and pop could be slick, vulnerable, and chart‑ready, but still tangled up in money, heartbreak, and th...

Don and Dude continue the “I Love the 80s” tour with a stop in 1982, a year when rock still ruled the charts even as the culture splintered into cable TV excess, recession anxiety, and neon‑lit moral ambiguity. One host brings a haunted, lo‑fi folk song cycle from Bruce Springsteen that strips away arena gloss to stare down American failure, while the other counters with Brian Eno’s fog‑shrouded ambient landscapes, where memory, geography, and unease blur into one continuous sound world. Together, the records trace how 1982 stretched rock from bombastic stadium anthems to cassette‑recorded confessions and experiment...