Book Musik 048 – Roxy Music’s Avalon (33 1/3) – discussion with author Simon Morrison

Posted on June 15, 2021August 4, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley are joined by author Simon Morrison to discuss his new book Roxy Music’s Avalon (33 1/3). Mention Avalon to diehard Roxy Music fans and you’ll get a wide spectrum of responses, but few would put it at the top of their list even if they like it. However, Avalon (their last studio album), is the band’s most successful album in terms of sales and Morrison is more than happy to defend its brilliance with its lush production and sensuous vibe.

Spotify playlist | Apple playlist

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 044 – Carole King’s Tapestry (33 1/3) – discussion with author Loren Glass

Posted on April 15, 2021August 4, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley are joined by author Loren Glass to discuss his new book Carole King’s Tapestry (33 1/3). Carole King is one of the most successful songwriters of the 20th century. From her early Brill Building days writing hits with her first husband Gerry Goffin to this iconic solo album that broke sales and chart records as well as glass ceilings. Glass makes the case that Tapestry was not only the soundtrack to but also part of the engine for the women’s movement. Whether or not you’re a fan of Tapestry, you inevitably love many of her other hits as sung by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, The Beatles and many of the early girl groups. Her back catalogue is still being mined regularly by more recent artists solidifying her legacy for many years to come.

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 040 – From Elvis in Memphis (33 1/3) – discussion with author Eric Wolfson

Posted on February 15, 2021August 4, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley are joined by author Eric Wolfson to discuss his new book Elvis Presley’s From Elvis in Memphis (33 1/3). Elvis is a paradox who became the mold for all rock stars to follow. He was the King of Rock in the 50s and then the king of schlock in the 60s but made an impressive comeback with the release of this album in 1969 that reinforced his place in the rock ‘n’ roll pantheon. Going back to Memphis where he started and working at the gritty, down-to-earth American Sound Studio helped him create what is considered by many to be his best studio album.

Links to Eric’s social media:
www.fromelvisinmemphis.com
Twitter: @FromElvisIn333
Instagram: @PresleyDayByDay

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 034 – I’m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (33 1/3) by Ray Padgett

Posted on November 15, 2020August 2, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss I’m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (33 1/3) by Ray Padgett. Tribute albums are often derided and tend to elicit a love/hate reaction. When done right, they can illuminate a song and boost an artist’s career as did this one for Leonard Cohen. Padgett looks into not only the specifics of this Leonard Cohen tribute album but the history of the genre in general and some of the key players like producer Hal Willner and frequent contributor Juliana Hatfield. When one great artist covers another great artist it can be sublime. Or it could make your ears bleed. Art is always a gamble…

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 031 – Suicide’s Suicide (33 1/3) by Andi Coulter

Posted on October 1, 2020August 2, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Suicide’s Suicide by Andi Coulter from the 33 1/3 series. Suicide was a band comprised of Alan Vega on vocals and Martin Rev as the sole multi-instrumentalist. Spawned from the wreckage of 1970s New York, the band never seemed to find a wide audience but those in the know who were lucky enough to have seen them perform live were the participants in a show that surely would not be forgotten. Typically described as an assault to the senses with a strong vibe of imminent violence, most people didn’t quite know what to make of them. But as so often happens with cult artists, their influence casts a wide net and continues to do so to this day.

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 029 – Judy Garland’s Judy at Carnegie Hall (33 1/3) by Manuel Betancourt

Posted on September 1, 2020August 2, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Judy Garland’s Judy at Carnegie Hall by Manuel Betancourt from the 33 1/3 series. This live double album was a milestone in pop-culture history. Recorded in 1961, the album is an homage to the American songbook, was on the Billboard charts for over 70 weeks, won four Grammy Awards and has never been out of print. It was a highwater mark both in terms of Garland’s career and as part of the cultural and sociological zeitgeist of the 60s. Garland looms large as an old-Hollywood film icon and as one of the most celebrated gay icons. Her life was full of tragedy and triumph and this album is undoubtedly at the pinnacle of her many triumphs.

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 020 – David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs (33 1/3) by Glenn Hendler

Posted on April 15, 2020August 1, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs by Glenn Hendler from the 33 1/3 series. Diamond Dogs is frequently considered one of Bowie’s best albums by critics and fans alike. It’s an album that was stitched together from the detritus of a failed 1984 project and his reading of William Burroughs’ Wild Boys which impelled Bowie to use the cut-up technique in his lyric writing. Bowie’s cryptic lyrics are ripe for the kind of OCD examination that the 33 1/3 series allows. And given our current virus-laden era of social distancing and big brother-like policies emanating from the powers that be worldwide, this feels like an album for our time.

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 14 – Wendy Carlos’s Switched-On Bach by Roshanak Kheshti

Posted on January 1, 2020August 1, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Wendy Carlos’s Switched-On Bach by Roshanak Kheshti from the 33 1/3 series. Switched-On Bach, an album of Bach compositions played on a Moog synthesizer, is one of the bestselling classical recordings of all time. In the 1960s Carlos worked with Robert Moog to further the synthesizer’s capabilities and with the 1968 release of Switched-On Bach she pioneered an entirely new way of making music. She also wrote powerful scores to several films including Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. And she was one of the first public figures to come out as transgender. She’s groundbreaking in both her professional and private life and yet she’s maintained an air of mystery and intrigue that we find very compelling.

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik Episode 10 – Golden Hits of the Shangri-Las by Ada Wolin

Posted on November 1, 2019August 1, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Golden Hits of the Shangri-Las by Ada Wolin from the 33 1/3 series. The Shangri-Las were a teenage girl group of the 1960s with a reputation for coming from the mean streets of Queens, NY. Their world was bleak and things always ended badly in the melodrama of their biggest hits like “Leader of the Pack” and “Remember.” They had a huge influence on a diverse group of musicians from The NY Dolls and The Damned to Blondie and Alex Chilton. We venture down the path of their dark world.

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik Episode 2 – Celine Dion’s “Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste” by Carl Wilson

Posted on July 8, 2019August 1, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh & Kimley discuss the 33 1/3 book by Carl Wilson – “Celine Dion’s Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste”

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17