Power pop legend Matthew Sweet has had a rough go of it lately, suffering a debilitating stroke last year while setting out on tour, and it’s possible that he may never play music again. So today’s episode is both a bittersweet tribute to his career and a joyous celebration of his music, which is exactly the emotional tightrope that his 1991 cult classic Girlfriend walks from start to finish. Sweet recorded this album during the interim between going through a painful divorce and meeting his now-wife, and while his lyrics aren’t strictly autobiographical, the album’s 15 songs run the gamut from desperate yearning (“Don’t Go,” “You Don’t Love Me”) to pure ebullience (“I’ve Been Waiting,” “Girlfriend”). And it’s all topped off with crisp, direct production that evoked Crazy Horse and the Beatles’ Revolver during a period when many rock albums were soaked in reverb and drained of personality. So kick back as Rich, Phil, and returning guest Libby Cudmore deconstruct and consume an album that’s perfect in so many ways.

Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Phil Maddox, Libby Cudmore

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/166-matthew-sweet-girlfriend-1991

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Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1969 album Willy and the Poor Boys sounds like something out of 1965, or even 1865 - but definitely not the heavy, psychedelic late 1960s. But even though CCR’s music feels like it's outside of time - or maybe because of it - it became the soundtrack of a generation. Ben, Amanda, and Rich make the case that Willy and the Poor Boys should be pulled down from the cultural wallpaper and appreciated as the fresh, crackling music it still is.

Cohosts: Ben Marlin, Rich Bunnell, Amanda Rodgers

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/165-creedence-clearwater-revival-willy-and-the-poor-boys-1969

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Shut up, already. Damn! Prince was one of the most interesting popular artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and Sign o’ the Times from 1987 was the culmination of one of the most interesting periods in a career full of interesting periods. After various circumstances caused him to abandon a double album (Dream Factory), and other circumstances caused him to abandon a single album (Camille) that he didn’t plan to release under his own name, he initially tried to release a triple album before Warner Bros. made him cut it down to a double. Sign o’ the Times (the resulting double album) has its fair share of hits, yet it’s also messy in a way that appeals to many critics and fans but has also left many people puzzled by some of Prince’s decisions. This episode’s panel has three outright fans of the album (John, Mike, and Rich) and one moderate skeptic (Ben), and this combined with the album’s sprawl results in a lengthy but incredibly dense discussion. Prince was somebody who could appeal to many different people for many different reasons, and in this episode we make a case for why he’s worth digging into beyond a handful of ubiquitous radio hits.

This episode covers Disc 2; find Disc 1 in your podcast app if you haven't already!

Cohosts: John McFerrin, Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Ben Marlin

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/164-prince-sign-o-the-times-1987

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Shut up, already. Damn! Prince was one of the most interesting popular artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and Sign o’ the Times from 1987 was the culmination of one of the most interesting periods in a career full of interesting periods. After various circumstances caused him to abandon a double album (Dream Factory), and other circumstances caused him to abandon a single album (Camille) that he didn’t plan to release under his own name, he initially tried to release a triple album before Warner Bros. made him cut it down to a double. Sign o’ the Times (the resulting double album) has its fair share of hits, yet it’s also messy in a way that appeals to many critics and fans but has also left many people puzzled by some of Prince’s decisions. This episode’s panel has three outright fans of the album (John, Mike, and Rich) and one moderate skeptic (Ben), and this combined with the album’s sprawl results in a lengthy but incredibly dense discussion. Prince was somebody who could appeal to many different people for many different reasons, and in this episode we make a case for why he’s worth digging into beyond a handful of ubiquitous radio hits.

This episode covers Disc 1; Disc 2 will be coming out later, so watch your podcast feeds!

Cohosts: John McFerrin, Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Ben Marlin

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/164-prince-sign-o-the-times-1987

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

A quick State of the Podcast update and info on our release schedule for the rest of this year. Do not fret, we're not ending the podcast! We've just hit a scheduling logjam and need to slow down a bit in order to keep as cool as we can.

Amanda has been fascinated with murder ballads for many years, so in this episode she's telling you (and Ben and Mike) all about them! This isn't an exhaustive overview of the genre, just the backstories behind a few great songs. From a couple of murdered girls in 18th-century England to a stolen hat in 20th-century America, these tragic stories have been transformed into compelling songs that we're still singing today.

Some notes:

• Mike wishes to note that the phonograph era was well underway in 1911; he just meant there weren't exactly DJs yet.
• You really must read Paul Slade's book Unprepared To Die if you want the full stories, plus more! At the very least, check out his website.
• We'd really like to hear Skyclad or somebody similar do a cover of "Pretty Polly."
• Turns out "Matty Groves" isn't based on any real events, it's just a great story.
• Nick Cave did not include "Stagger Lee" in the shows Amanda and Mike saw, but Kylie Minogue did sing "Where the Wild Roses Grow" when Rich saw her at Madison Square Garden!

The songs:

• The Louvin Brothers - Knoxville Girl
• Sandy Denny - Pretty Polly
• Lloyd Price/Nick Cave - Stagger Lee
• Sam Cooke - Frankie & Johnny
• Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Where the Wild Roses Grow

Intro: Nazareth - The Ballad of Hollis Brown (of course)

Outro: A bit of dialogue from David Rawlings & Gillian Welch after their excellent rendition of "Pretty Polly"

Cohosts: Amanda Rodgers, Ben Marlin, Mike DeFabio

More bonus episodes! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

You might think we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel by choosing The Present for our annual Moody Blues episode, but that’s not true at all. Even though the band themselves hated it, and it’s quite polarizing among Moody Blues fans, all of us here at Discord and Rhyme think it’s terrific. As with Long Distance Voyager, you need to be prepared for the ultra-slick ‘80s production, but underneath that gloss there are some top-notch Moody Blues songs and super great instrumental details, including Patrick Moraz’s keyboards. If you’re a The Present skeptic, we hope you’ll listen to this episode and end up convinced that it’s a truly great album.

Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Phil Maddox, John McFerrin, Amanda Rodgers

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/163-the-moody-blues-the-present-1983

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Discord & Rhyme kicks June off with a feel good hit of the summer. Join Dan, Mike, and Rich for a ride through Queens of the Stone Age’s 2000 sophomore release Rated R, an album that seemed like a refreshing antithesis of mainstream rock trends at the turn of the millennium. Building off the desert rock DNA of Josh Homme’s previous band Kyuss and infusing elements of psychedelia, pop, and punk with a healthy sense of creative, quirky arrangements, Rated R endures as one of the most exciting hard rock albums of the 2000s.

Cohosts: Dan Watkins, Mike DeFabio, Rich Bunnell

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/162-queens-of-the-stone-age-rated-r-2000

Interludes by Lincoln the Lawyer: https://samply.app/p/ARnksp90BrZuhtmQm8Hh

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod