What do stoner-era ZZ Top, a mountain named Billy with a tree girlfriend, and a kid who astral projects into Rasputin's beard all have in common? Concept albums, mate. And not just any old proggy b*llocks – this week we're diving into the oddest concept albums we could find (and a few we just wanted to waffle on about anyway).

Andrew is joined by first-time Beat Motel guest host James Kindred – a fellow Ipswich musician, longtime mate, and possibly the only person who can explain a Mastodon plotline without crying blood. Together, they take you on a journey through the weird, the wonderful, and the "what the hell were they thinking?" of the concept album world.

Expect the following nonsense:

• ZZ Top as proto-stoner gods (with bonus slipper sales)

• Agriculture's queer-core black metal positivity

• Mastodon's astral plane + Rasputin collab (yep)

• Frank Zappa's 40-minute tale about a mountain fighting the US government

• The madness of Mansun's Six – A.A. Milne gone rock

• Mark Lanegan scaring the life out of everyone (including Josh Homme)

• Brian Eno inventing ambient music while still in nappies

• NoFX writing an 18-minute punk symphony just to piss everyone off

Throw in some jazz-metal tangents, disdain for ska-punk, and why John Hopkins makes Andrew need a wee, and you've got a classic Beat Motel episode. Warning: contains opinions. Also, possibly bears.

### Riffs of the week

#### Kindred's Riff

- Precious & Grace - ZZ Top (opening)

#### Andrew's Riff

- Agriculture - Bodhidharma

### Kindred's track choices

1. Mastodon – Crack the Skye (cosmic metal odyssey) - Song - The Czar (1. Usurper, 2. Escape, 3. Martyr, 4. Spiral)

2. QOTSA – Songs for the Deaf (desert-drive fever dream) - Song - Songs for the Dead

3. Pink Floyd – The Wall (psychological rock opera) - Song - Comfortably Numb

4. Brian Eno – Music for Airports (ambient architecture for calm) Song - 1/1

### Andrew's track choices

1. Frank Zappa and the mothers of invention - Billy was a mountain

2. Mansun - Legacy

3. NoFx - The Decline

4. John Hopkins - Tayos Caves, Ecuador i

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

If you've ever flipped a vinyl and thought, "well that was a limp finish," then this episode is your new religion. Andrew and Dr. Sam dive into the fine art of ending Side A—the lost craft of crafting a sonic cliffhanger that makes you want to flip that record like your nan flips a Digestive into her cuppa.

We've got:

• The Clash's perfectly measured chaos

• An R.E.M. song even the R.E.M. boys can't remember

• Richard Dawson punching you in the feelings

• A mystery smackhead guitar hero who wandered into a Funkadelic session and laid down one of the greatest solos of all time

• And very strong feelings about Brett Anderson's 12" misadventure with Suede's "Stay Together" (hint: the band hate it, and Andrew can't stop hearing horn sections)

Throw in some serious digressions about class consciousness, cat whiskers, baked beans in mouths, and Gregg's colonisation of the high street, and you've got yourself a full-fat Beat Motel stew.

• Dave Rowntree of Blur sues PRS over 'black box' royalties

• All creatures will evolve into crabs

• Cats' whiskers = biological gap gauges

• Stripper Vicars: helping painters and decorators since 1995

• Midori – "Yukiko-san"

• Gorillaz ft. Sparks – "The Happy Dictator"

Grab a pint, slap on your headphones, and ask yourself – how does YOUR favourite album end Side A?

Stuff that might be true (but we didn't check):

### Riffs of the week

#### Dr Sam's Riff

- Midori - Yukikosan (0:19)

#### Andrew's Riff

- Gorillaz Ft. Sparks - The Happy Dictator

### Dr Sam's track choices

1. The Clash - Straight to Hell (4.30)

2. Funkadelic - Get Off Your Ass and Jam (1.33)

3. Armstrong & Ellington - Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me (opening)

4. Richard Dawson - Two Halves (0.29)

### Andrew's track choices

1. The Stone Roses - Bye Bye Badman

2. Mansun - Stripper Vicar

3. REM - Can't get there from here

4. Suede - Stay Together

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com