That Record Got Me High Podcast

A member of the world-famous Wrecking Crew studio band, drummer Hal Blaine was thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions, 6,000 singles,and 150 US top 10 hits - 40 of which went to number one! This week's guest, drummer Bob Bert (Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Lydia Lunch Retrovirus), brings us Hal's bonkers 1967 release, 'Psychedelic Percussion'. Dig it!

Songs discussed in this episode: Be My Baby - The Ronettes; A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley; Mr Tambourine Man - The Byrds; Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys; Let The Sunshine In...

This week, Austin-based guitarist, singer-songwriter, composer, and recording producer Don Cento (Cento Threeo) brings us Elvis Costello's second studio album - and the first with his crack new band the Attractions - 1978's 'This Year's Model'
Always a singer-songwriter in spirit but a punk in attitude, this collection of songs proved Costello's stunning debut 'My Aim Is True' was no fluke.

Songs discussed in this episode: No Action (Elvis Costello cover) - The Muffs; The Judy Valve, Halfway To Mellowtown, Filibuster in E Minor - Cento Threeo; Kids In Japan - El Cento; Alison, The Other...

As far as debut albums go, there's some that seem to appear out of nowhere as a fully-formed, perfectly realized statement-of-purpose. New Jersey-based drummer, blogger, and lawyer Steve Kirsch makes the case that Hoodoo Gurus 1984 debut 'Stoneage Romeos' is just such a record. Chock full of pop culture references AND hooks for days, these Australian pop/garage gurus came out of the gate swinging with a stone cold classic.

Songs discussed in this episode: I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement (Ramones cover - Live Australia, 1997) - Hoodoo Gurus; Nothing Can Bring Me Down - Mondo...

While other punk/hardcore bands of their time seemed to be in a race to be the heaviest AND fastest, San Francisco's Flipper slowed things down to a crawl, and imbued their brand of existential nihilism with a healthy dose of detached irony. Hoboken New Jersey musician Dan Cuddy (Hypnolovewheel, The Special Pillow) brings us their landmark debut, 1982's 'Album - Generic Flipper', in all its ragged glory. Strap in!

Songs discussed in this episode: Problem Child (AC/DC cover) - Flipper; Secret Star (Demo), I Dream Of Jeannie - Hypnolovewheel; Love Canal, Sex Bomb (7" version...

It might be easier to mention the bands this week's guest Dan Bonebrake HASN'T played with - his bass playing has graced the likes of Lightworkers, The Honest Liars, Manta Wray, Dashboard Confessional, Grey & Orange, John Ralston, War Generation, Vacant Andys, Enablers, Seville, Quit, Fay Wray, Pivot, Anchorman, Where Fear and Weapons Meet, Cori Elba, The Stiff and on and on... This week, Dan, brings us Washington D.C. post-hardcore iconoclasts Shudder To Think and their 1992 release 'Get Your Goat'. The band's brand of genre-bending 'art rock' might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for those brave enough...

For this special BONUS episode we asked our Patrons to send in some of their favorite songs by a band featuring someone OTHER THAN the usual front person. Let's show the sidemen (or side-women) some love!

Songs featured in this episode: I'm Sticking With You - The Velvet Underground; Sleeping On The Sidewalk - Queen; Coffee & TV - Blur; Where's The Money? - French, Frith, Kaiser & Thompson; Broken Chair - Luna; Years Long Ago - The Long Ryders; Rats - The Kinks; I Never Glid Before - Gong; OOh La La - The Faces; Stanztrigger - Yello...

Soundly maligned upon its release in 1971, Paul (and Linda) McCartney's whimsically pastoral 'RAM' has only grown in stature over the years, with some insisting that this joyfully strange collection of songs basically invented indie-pop. This week's guest, musician Nick Estes (The Parts. Wonderful Smith), joins known Beatles agnostic Rob to unpack this post-fab-four classic. Ram on!

Songs discussed in this episode: Too Many People - Tim Christensen, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham with The Damn Crystals; Another Day - Paul McCartney; How Do You Sleep - John Lennon; My Little House - Wonderful Smith; Corpus Christi - The P...

When Chicago blues pianist, singer and songwriter Johnny Iguana (The Claudettes) discovered bands like Minutemen and Husker Du as a teen in Philadelphia, it opened up a world of musical possibilities he's STILL unpacking. He eventually came into possession of The Roxy London WC2 - a live album of recordings taken from various punk bands that played at The Roxy club in Covent Garden, London between January and April 1977 - and the raw, unfettered performances of bands like Wire, Buzzcocks and X-Ray Spex captivated him like nothing else at the time. 
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Songs d...

Author Chris Connelly (Cargo Recording Studios 1977-1985) joins us to unpack criminally underrated UK band The Chameleons and their 1983 debut album 'Script Of The Bridge'.
Cargo Studios, though only active from 1977 to 1985 in Rochdale, quickly became the epicentre for post-punk and independent recording bands across the UK, including The Fall, Joy Division, OMD, Gang Of Four, Felt and many many more. Chris was THERE for some of the 'Script Of The Bridge' sessions, and offers keen insight into this fantastic record - AND this special place/time.

Songs discussed in this episode: View From A Hill...

This week, Marina and Mick Muhlfriedel of the late 70s/early 80s techno-pop band Vivabeat, join us to discuss the endlessly innovative Brian Eno and his 1977 solo album, 'Before and After Science'.
"Here he comes
The boy who tried to vanish
To the future or past, is no longer here..."

King's Lead Hat (Brian Eno cover) - Ultravox; Man From China (Live, 1983), Wild World (Live, 1979) - Vivabeat; Virginia Plain - Roxy Music; The House Is Burning (But No One Is Home) - Vivabeat; Heroes - David Bowie; French Catalogues (Variation on the "Canon in...

This week's guest, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist for the Portland, Oregon-based band The Builders and The Butchers' Ryan Sollee, brings us Fugazi and their third full-length record, 1993's 'In On The Kill Taker'. Raw, visceral and at times raggedly beautiful, it's the sound of a band that - true to their DIY ethos - refused to compromise.

Songs discussed in this episode: Facet Squared (Live, Los Angeles CA 03-08-99) - Fugazi; Cold Fire Hymn, Blood/Death, Bringin' Home The Rain - The Builders and the Butchers; Bad Mouth - Fugazi; Boilermaker - The Jesus Lizard; The...

For this special episode, Rob asked artist, musician and flight attendant Cori Elba - who ALSO happens to be his daughter - to curate a playlist of songs by female artists/female-fronted bands that had an effect on her life. As you'll hear, these aren't just 'favorite songs', but songs she's listened to literally hundreds of times and that ultimately played a huge role in her development as an independent, badass female human.

Songs discussed in this episode: Real Wild Child - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts; Just A Flight Attendant, Incel - Cori Elba; Cardigan - Taylor Swift; H...

Musician, songwriter, film and TV composer and record producer Ben Vaughn (Straight From The Hat with Ben Vaughn) brings us Alan Vega and his 1980 self-titled debut solo album. On this release, Vega - one-half of groundbreaking New York synth-punk duo Suicide - delivers stripped-down, minimalist songs that manage to feel both ancient AND avant-garde!

Songs discussed in this episode: Bye Bye Bayou (Alan Vega cover) - LCD Soundsystem; Ghost Rider - Suicide; Rock This Town - Stray Cats; Rocket USA - Suicide (Max's Kansas City 1976 & Beyond); 1969 - The Stooges; Wow - Lennie Tristano Sextet; Dream Baby Dream...

This week's guest, singer Anne Richmond Boston (longtime member of Atlanta band The Swimming Pool Q's), brings us World Party and their wonderfully effortless pop-rock gem, 'Goodbye Jumbo'. Essentially the solo project of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger, this 1990 release - which according to Q magazine and dozens of critics was one of the best albums of that year - definitely warrants a deep-dive.

Songs discussed in this episode: Put The Message In The Box (World Party cover) - Mary Chapin Carpenter and The Mountain Goats; More Than One Heaven - The Swimming Pool Q's; I S...

Blur's third album, 1994's 'Parklife', was released the same year as Oasis' debut 'Definitely Maybe'. And while many saw this as Britpop's answer to a Beatles/Stones rivalry, none other than Ray Davies himself considered Blur - and especially Parklife - as the heir apparent to ANOTHER classic British band, The Kinks. This week's returning guest Corey duBrowa once again brings the goods as he and Rob attempt to unpack this UK Classic.

Songs discussed in this episode: Girls & Boys (Blur cover) - Terry Edwards and The Scapegoats; Love You (Syd Barrett cover) - Graham Coxon; For...

Derisively referred to as "Nobody's favorite Neil Young album", Young's 1986 release 'Landing On Water' was conceived at a time when his own record label, Geffen, sued him for creating albums unrepresentative of his familiar style. This week's guest, Musician/Filmmaker Rossellini, contends that this confoundingly claustrophobic release - filled with icy-loud drums, synclavier and synthesizers - deserves a second look.

Songs discussed in this episode: Hippie Dream (Neil Young cover) - The Slags; A Comment On Ritual - The Nation Of Ulysses; Wonderin', Mr Soul - Neil Young; Boys Of Summer - Don Henley; Turn On Tune In Drop Out ...

For this special BONUS Patron-curated episode, we asked Patrons of the show to send in a song where the bass playing really caught their ear...and GOT THEM HIGH!

Songs discussed in this episode: Big Bottom - Spinal Tap; Good Times Bad Times - Led Zeppelin; Don't Look Any Further - Dennis Edwards; Iron Fist - Motorhead; Slow Hand - Three Mile Pilot; Psycho Killer - Talking Heads; Effort To Waste - Saccharine Trust; Rope Ladder To The Moon - Jack Bruce; Ageispolis - Aphex Twin; Bless The Weather - John Martyn; You Were Lying When You...

This week's guest, writer, director, producer, journalist and musician Gabriel Rotello, brings us the stunning debut studio album by Patti Smith, 'Horses'. Gabriel's latest book, 'The CBGB Conspiracy', is a gritty mystery novel set during the sweltering NYC summer of 1977, with Son of Sam on the prowl and the city rocked by the blackout. As both a musician who lived that scene and a longtime LGBTQ journalist, Gabriel's insight into this  foundational punk landmark of a record is not to be missed!
*NEW AND IMPROVED, with final 15 minutes added back!!

Songs discussed in this episode: My Ge...

Returning guest and long-time friend of the show Tom Lawery brings us Sub Pop band (by way of the Carolinas) Band Of Horses and their second album, 2007s 'Cease To Begin'. Both evocative AND rocking, it's a record that delivers big riffs in a beautiful, indie-guitar pop package.

Songs discussed in this episode: Luther (Kendrick Lamar and SZA cover) - Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell; Trinidad - Geese; The Funeral - Band Of Horses; One Big Holiday - My Morning Jacket; They'll Only Miss You When You Leave - Carissa's Wierd; Is There A Ghost, Ode to...

Technically Jeff Beck's seventh solo album - but only the second to bear only his name on the front cover - 1975s 'Blow By Blow' became a million-selling top-5 album, and proved once and for all there was truly nothing Jeff Beck could not do with a plank of wood and six strings. This week's guest, Filmmaker/Musician Peter Spirer (Rugged Entertainment), joins Rob as they attempt to unpack this instrumental classic.

Songs discussed in this episode: Freeway Jam (Live, 1976) - Jeff Beck With The Jan Hammer Group; Devil's Road - Sacred Cowboys; Minor Swing - Django...

His songs have been covered by HUNDREDS of bands over the years, and he's rightly been nicknamed the "Father of Rock and Roll". John Lennon may have said it best, "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'."
This week's guest, New Orleans musician Smitti Supab (Captain Buckles), brings us 'The Great Twenty-Eight' by the late, great Chuck Berry.
"Hail, hail rock and roll!"

Songs discussed in this episode: School Days - The Beach Boys (Live, Knebworth 1980), Iron City House Rockers, Bobby Vee, Jan and Dean, AC...

For this special BONUS episode, Audio Engineer, Producer, Teacher and lead singer of Indiana's Zero Boys, Paul Mahern, brings us some of his favorite Teenage Tragedy Songs. Also known as Splatter Platters, Death Discs...etc, this style of songs lamenting teenage death scenarios - often in melodramatic fashion - peaked in popularity in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s but still pack a twisted punch today. Let the teardrops fall!

Songs discussed in this episode: Last Kiss - Wayne Cochran (1961); Johnny Better Get - Zero Boys; Henry Lee - Nick Cave & The Bad...

We FINALLY dipped our toes into the George Clinton/P-Funk universe, as this week's guest Adrian Herrera - aka DJ Blacksmith - brings us 1976s 'Hardcore Jollies' by Funkadelic.
"If you got funk, you got style
You're funkin' and you're styling all the while
When you got funk, you got class
You're out on the floor movin' your ass"

Songs discussed in this episode: Comin' Round The Mountain (Live, 1976) - Funkadelic; Pais Tropical - Jorge Ben Jor; Hell Before Sunrise - Oscar Herrera; Fuck Wit Dre Day - Dr. Dre; So What...

In 1984, Michael Mann's crime drama Miami Vice hit the airwaves. Unlike the traditional police procedurals that came before it, Miami Vice drew upon 1980s pop culture and used contemporary rock and pop music as the background for its dark, often nihilistic storylines. Returning guest, poet and essayist Sarah Nichols, joins us as we unpack some of the songs - and musical guests - that made this iconic neo-noir television series pop.

Songs discussed in this episode: Miami Vice Theme - Jan Hammer; Vital Transformation - Mahavishnu Orchestra; Miami Vice Theme - Jan Hammer; Harlem Shake - Baauer; P...

For our FIRST Patron-curated episode of 2026, we asked Patrons of the show to send in a song from their parents record collection that stayed with them...and got them high!
Thanks mom and/or dad!!

Songs discussed in this episode: At The Balalaika - Nelson Eddy; I Can See For Miles - The Who; Before The Next Teardrop Falls - Freddy Fender; Flowers On The Wall - The Statler Brothers; The Only Living Boy In New York - Simon & Garfunkel; Buzzin' Fly - Tim Buckley; Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension; Out...

Longtime Patron and returning guest Rory Cox Zoomed-in all the way from Slovenia to discuss Athens, Georgia band Drive-By Truckers and their incendiary 2016 album, 'American Band'. Overtly political - and as timely today as the day it was released - this is protest music with the guitars turned to eleven!

Songs discussed in this episode: The KKK Took My Baby Away (Ramones cover) - Drive-By Truckers; Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd; Ronnie and Neil - Drive-By Truckers; Green Grass & High Tides - The Outlaws; Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd; I Never Loved A Man (The Way...

Seattle singer/songwriter Robert Deeble brings us British band Mojave 3 and their 2003 release 'Spoon and Rafter'. Borne from the ashes of their previous band Slowdive, its core members Neil Halstead, Rachel Goswell and Ian McCutcheon dialed-in the dream pop/folk with stunning arrangements and a feather-light touch. 

Songs discussed in this episode: Love From Room 109 at the Islander (Tim Buckley cover) - Mojave 3; Hi-Lo and In Between - Neil Halstead; My Life In Art - Mojave 3; Orphan Song - Robert Deeble; Bluebird Of Happiness, Starlite #1, Bill Oddity - Mojave 3; War On War - Wilco; 40 Days - Slowdive; T...

Writer, comedian, musician Aug Stone joins us this week to unpack The Afghan Whigs and their stunning 1996 release: 'Black Love'. Leader Greg Dulli and company mine themes of vengeance, remorse and self-loathing on a record that manages to be both ferocious AND soulful.

Songs discussed in this episode: The Bed (Lou Reed cover) - Afterhours (feat. Greg Dulli); Written In The Stars - Aug Stone & The Love Conspiracy; Premonitions - Damien Youth; Rachel On The Rooftops - Aug Stone; Debonair - The Afghan Whigs; There's Been An Accident - The Twilight Singers; Crime Scene Part One, Turn...

This week, returning guest - and founder of Rochester New York's Carbon Records, Joe Tunis - brings us a subject near-and-dear to his heart: the music of the New Zealand underground. This essential compilation, 'Xpressway Pile=Up', is a great snapshot of the late 80s/early 90s New Zealand underground music scene and the artists involved.

Songs discussed in this episode: Quiet In The Village - Eye; Anything Could Happen - The Clean; What Goes On - The Velvet Underground; Midnight Blue Vision - Plagal Grind; Kicks - Vacuum; Native Waiter - Victor Dimisich Band; Rain...

What more can be said about the much maligned 1978 musical film 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' that hasn't been said already (11% on Rotten Tomatoes)? But this week's guest, multi-instrumentalist, artist and songwriter Robbie Gennet, contends that the movie - and especially its accompanying soundtrack - deserves a second look. Featuring the Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, and a slew of guest artists covering Beatles songs (AND produced by none other than George Martin!), as well as a murderer's row of side men including  Max Middleton, Wilbur Bascomb and Bernard Purdie, it's an eclectic, at times bizarre collection of songs yo...

For our first episode of 2026, we talked the New York Dolls and their eponymous 1973 debut with special guest Jerid O'Connell. As a Connecticut teen sneaking into New York City to see the Dolls play places like Club 82 and Max's Kansas City, Jerid - who eventually played drums in NYC band Rousers - was instantly smitten by their raw, high energy sound/delivery and never let go.
Turn this episode up!!

Songs discussed in this episode: Personality Crisis (New York Dolls cover) - Teenage Fanclub & Donna Matthews; Product Of The USA - Rousers; ABC - The Jackson 5...

For our final episode of 2025, we asked our Patrons to send in their favorite - and unlikely - musical collaborations. As usual, they did NOT disappoint!

Songs discussed in this episode: Wanted Man (Take 1) - Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash; Living Doll - Cliff Richard and The Young Ones; Mama - My Chemical Romance w/Liza Minnelli; Perfect Day - Lou Reed & Luciano Pavarotti; Don't Give Up - Willie Nelson & Sinéad O'Connor; Mad John - The Small Faces; Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby & David Bowie; Untitled (Hash Jar Tempo) - Bardo Pond and R...

When Grammy-nominated Louisiana Zydeco musician Corey Ledet offered to discuss Bruno Mars' multi-platinum third album '24K Magic', TRGMH host and part-time music snob Rob braced himself for a painful week. But Mars' tight, 9-song attempt to capture the sound of the 80s/90s R&B, funk and New Jack Swing he listened and danced to during his childhood - the same music Ledet listened to as a teen growing up in Houston, TX. - quickly won him over. Seriously, if this record doesn't make you feel a LITTLE bit better you might want to seek professional help.

Detroit-born artist Josh Hight - now based in Lewes, East Sussex - brings us The Cure and their enigmatic third record, 'Faith'. For this 1981 release, Robert Smith and co. reached deep down into their souls and produced an album of dark, melancholically bleak-yet-beautiful music.

Songs discussed in this episode: Primary (The Cure cover) - The Dandy Warhols; Atrocity Exhibition - Joy Division; Plainsong - The Cure; In His Wake - PINES; Facing - IRONS; I Was Only Fifteen - PINES; The Holy Hour, Primary - The Cure; Photographic - Depeche Mode; Other Voices, Killing An Arab...

Poet/Songwriter Sara Mae Henke (The Noisy) brings us Japanese Breakfast and their 2021 album, 'Jubilee'. The third release by musician/author Michelle Zauner, it's a gloriously joyful slab of indie pop with a side-helping of catharsis.

Songs discussed in this episode: Neckline (Deluxe Version), Twos, Tony Soprano - The Noisy; Chamomile - Larlene; Tropical Jinx - Little Big League; Everybody Wants To Love You, Paprika, Be Sweet - Japanese Breakfast; Nightshade - The Noisy; Kokomo, IN, Winter In LA, Slide Tackle, Posing In Bondage, Sit - Japanese Breakfast; Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God...

Renowned producer/engineer Larry Crane (Sleater-Kinney, The Decemberists, The Go-Betweens, Elliott Smith...as well as editor and founder of Tape Op Magazine) brings us Wire and their groundbreaking, highly influential third album '154'. A favorite of a diverse array of artists including Robert Pollard, Johnny Marr and Michael Stipe to name a few, this heady slab of post-punk vignettes rewards repeated listenings.

Songs discussed in this episode: The 15th (Wire cover) - Mike Watt; Curl Up and Dye - Vomit Launch; The Walls Came Down - The Call; 1 2 X U - Wire; Map Ref. 41°N 93°W (Wi...

One of our favorite returning guests, Miami drag icon Shelley Novak (aka Tommy Strangie), joins us to once again explore his life-long obsession with all things Chrissie Hynde as we discuss The Pretenders and their third studio album, 1984s 'Learning To Crawl'. 
"Now come on, baby
Get in the road..."

Songs discussed in this episode: Absent Minded Me - Chrissie Hynde; Tommy Strangie - The Boas; Cuban Slide, Middle Of The Road - The Pretenders; Long Long Time - Linda Ronstadt; Back On The Chain Gang - The Pretenders; Working In The Coal Mine - L...

Named after the back seat of his family's car where he recorded the vocals to his early albums, Will Toledo's solo-project-cum-band Car Seat Headrest went from Bandcamp indie-darlings to headlining Coachella in a relatively short time. This week's guest, musician/songwriter Brendan Wright (Tiberius), brings us CSH's transitional 2014 release - and final one before signing to Matador - 'How To Leave Town'. Brimming with both existential doubt and unbridled wanderlust, the record works as a dark, witty soundtrack to coming-of-age in the 2010's.

Songs discussed in this episode: Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush cover) - Car...

This week, we Zoomed all the way over to the medieval wine country of Romagna, Italy to discuss The Flaming Lips and their beloved 2002 release: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots with musician/artist Lucas Ward (The Silver Snails)
"All we have is now
All we've ever had is now
All we have is now
All we'll ever have is now"

Songs discussed in this episode: Do You Realize (Flaming Lips cover) - Willie Nelson; No Name #3 - Elliott Smith; Evanessence, Galen's Song - The Silver Snails; Race For The Prize - Flaming Lips...

Arguably one of the most important groups of the 1980s, St Paul Minnesota punk rock trio Hüsker Dü paved the way for 90s indie superstars Nirvana and a host of others while never quite reaching anything close to that level of success in their short 9-year existence. This week's guest, Reno, NV musician and writer Mark Earnest (Kanawha, Manchild), joins us to discuss their sixth - and final - studio release, Warehouse: Songs and Stories. A sprawling, sonic battlefield between dual songwriters Bob Mould and Grant Hart, the double record is a harrowing, at times beautiful soundtrack to a...