Stuck In Thee Garage #371: April 30, 2021

The Big '80s were something else, man. Big hair, big cars, big phones, big drugs. This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs from 1986 in hour 2. It's crazy go nuts, much like Frank Zappa playing a drug dealer on Miami Vice.

The big playlist:

Hour 1

Artist - Song/Album

Dinosaur Jr. - Hide Another Round/Sweep It Into Space

Death From Above 1979 - Modern Guy/Is 4 Lovers

Pom Pom Squad - Head Cheerleader/Death of a Cheerleader

Night Beats - New Day/Outlaw R&B

Paul McCartney - Pretty Boys (Khrangbuin remix)/McCartney III Reimagined

Jeff Rosenstock - pickitup/Ska Dream

Wax Tailor - Just a Candle (feat. Mark Lanegan)/The Shadow of Their Suns

Sour Widows - Look the Other Way/Crossing Over

Fake Fruit - Stroke My Ego/Fake Fruit

The Reds, Pinks & Purples - Pictures of the World/Uncommon Weather

Editrix - Instant/Tell Me I'm Bad

Dale Crover - Tougher/Rat-a-Tat-Tat!

Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance/Sex Packets

De La Soul - A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"/De La Soul Is Dead

A Tribe Called Quest - Buggin' Out/The Low End Theory

Hour 2: 1986

The Smithereens - Behind the Wall of Sleep/Especially For You

Public Image Ltd. - Round/Album

Husker Du - Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely/Candy Apple Grey

Bad Brains - Re-Ignition/I Against I

R.E.M. - Fall On Me/Lifes Rich Pageant

The Feelies - The High Road/The Good Earth

XTC - Dear God/Skylarking

The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again/The Queen Is Dead

David Lee Roth - Shyboy/Eat 'Em and Smile

Judas Priest - Turbo Lover/Turbo

Iron Maiden - Stranger In a Strange Land/Somewhere In Time

Run DMC - It's Tricky/Raising Hell

Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning/Diesel and Dust

Peter Gabriel - Big Time/So

Completely Conspicuous 564: Purple Rain

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the music of 1984. Listen to the episode or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded via Zoom

- Phil's #5: A strong return for the Pretenders

- Half the band died after the previous album

- Jay's #5 and Phil's #3: An interesting new direction for U2

- Moody, atmospheric production from Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois

- Phil's #4: Audacious debut by the Smiths

- Another influential college rock act

- Phil as the edgy alt-rock kid at freshman orientation

- When bands split up into two versions and keep touring

- Jay's #4: Another great record from the Replacements

- Paul Westerberg's songwriting continued to mature

- Jay's #3: An epic double concept album from Husker Du

- No fancy reissues for SST releases

- Phil's #2: A classic live album from a band that released a great one only a few years earlier

- The expanded version's better than the original

- Jay's #2: R.E.M. continues building their legacy with a second standout album

- A lot of fans jumped off the bandwagon after the next album

- Phil and Jay's #1: A tour de force from Prince

- All killer, no filler

- Favorite songs: "Life During Wartime" (Phil), "Purple Rain" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Stuck In Thee Garage #370: April 23, 2021

We're all a little edgy these days. There's a lot going on. Whether it's work, personal or just existential, feeling like you're on the edge is not uncommon. This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs about being on the edge. Clearly this guy is enthused about it:

This playlist will help you rage in the Cage:

Hour 1

Artist - Song/Album

Fake Fruit - No Mutuals/Fake Fruit

Jeff Rosenstock - Ska Dream/Ska Dream

Chubby and the Gang - Lightning Don't Strike Twice/Single

Death From Above 1979 - No War/Is 4 Lovers

Paul McCartney - Lavatory Lil/Shangri La (Josh Homme remix)/McCartney III Reimagined

The Dirty Nil - Elvis '77/Fuck Art

Yard Act - Dark Days/Single

Serious Machine - Rusting Out/Still We All

Dry Cleaning - Her Hippo/New Long Leg

Fires of Denmark - And It Never Ends!/Single

Flyte - I've Got a Girl/This Is Really Going to Hurt

Paul Jacobs - Christopher Robbins/Pink Dogs on the Green Grass

Hand Habits - What's the Use (Katie Dey remix)/Dirt

Cloud Nothings - Open Rain/The Shadow I Remember

The Kills - The Void/Little Bastards

Matthew Sweet - Coming Soon/Catspaw

The Natvral - Sun Blisters/Tethers

The Hold Steady - Hanover Camera/Open Door Policy

 

Hour 2: Edgy

Living Colour - Desperate People (live)/Biscuits

Public Enemy - Terminator X to the Edge of Panic/It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - The Message/The Message

Black Mountain - Closer to the Edge/Destroyer

Faith No More - Edge of the World/The Real Thing

Sloan - At the Edge of the Scene/B Sides Win: extras, bonus tracks and b-sides 1992-2008

The Wedding Present - At the Edge of the Sea/Tommy 30

The Damned - Standing On the Edge of Tomorrow/Evil Spirits

Drakulas - Pissing Off the Edge of the World/Terminal Amusements

Screaming Trees - Standing On the Edge/Clairvoyance

Japandroids - Darkness on the Edge of Gastown/No Singles

The Tragically Hip - On the Verge/Live in Los Angeles 5/3/91

Black Sabbath - Falling Off the Edge of the World/Mob Rules

 

Completely Conspicuous 563: Round and Round

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the music of 1984. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded via Zoom

- Phil was 14 going on 15, Jay was 16 going on 17 in '84

- Phil: Watched a lot of MTV

- "College rock" was emerging

- Music was drenched in synths

- Jay: Saw my first concerts

- Hair metal was making a splash

- Thrash metal was new and exciting

- Billy Squier's tough year

- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Bowie, Kinks, Deep Purple, Dio, Van Halen, Ratt, Springsteen, Los Lobos, Sade, Meat Puppets, Husker Du, Minutemen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Replacements, R.E.M., Run DMC

- Phil loves him some Ratt

- Jay's non-top 5s: Rush, Iron Maiden, The Cars, INXS

- Saw INXS a few years later at Radio City Music Hall

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Stuck In Thee Garage #369: April 16, 2021

Movies and music go well together. Whether it's a sweeping score, a killer live performance or the perfectly placed song, music plays a pivotal role in moving the action along. This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs for an imaginary movie soundtrack in hour 2. It's a good collection of ass kickers, propulsive jams and mid-tempo pace shifters. Just remember not to mess with my levels.

 This playlist doesn't mess around:

Hour 1

Artist - Song/Album

Quicksand - Inversion/Single

Death From Above 1979 - One + One/Is 4 Lovers

The Dirty Nil - Ride Or Die/Fuck Art

Liz Phair - Hey Lou/Soberish

Teenage Fanclub - In Our Dreams/Endless Arcade

Flyte - Trying to Break Your Heart/This Is Really Going to Hurt

Prince - Welcome 2 America/Welcome 2 America

Sleaford Mods - Thick Ear/Spare Ribs

Yard Act - Fixer Upper/Dark Days

Maximo Park - The Acid Remark/Nature Always Wins

Dry Cleaning - Unsmart Lady/New Long Leg

Shame - Nigel Hitter/Drunk Tank Pink

Ron Gallo - Wunday (I Go Crazy After Dark)/Peacemeal

Strange Relations - Good Time, Baby/Belonging

Goat Girl - Badibaba/On All Fours

Teenage Wrist - New Emotion/Earth Is a Black Hole

TUNS - Double Down/Duly Noted

Hour 2: Soundtrack to an Imaginary Movie

Faith No More - From Out of Nowhere/The Real Thing

Masters of Reality - Domino/Masters of Reality

Iggy Pop - Repo Man/Repo Man soundtrack

Living Colour - Who Shot Ya/Shade

Helmet - Turned Out/Meantime

Fu Manchu - Urethane/The Action Is Go!

Beastie Boys - Something's Got to Give/Check Your Head

Gordon Downie - Canada Geese/Coke Machine Glow

Queens of the Stone Age - The Bronze/Queens of the Stone Age

PJ Harvey - Good Fortune/Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea

Luscious Jackson - Energy Sucker/Natural Ingredients

Speedy Ortiz - Cash Cab/Major Arcana

Joy Division - She's Lost Control/Unknown Pleasures

Interpol - Say Hello to the Angels/Turn Out the Bright Lights

Mark Lanegan Band - One Hundred Days/Bubblegum

Stuck In Thee Garage #368: April 9, 2021

Life in the 'burbs isn't all white picket fences and barbecues. There's a lot going on beneath the sleepy surface. This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs about suburbia in hour 2. Listen to it after you pick up the paper.

They probably wouldn't use this playlist at the Bada Bing, but you never know:

Hour 1

Artist - Song/Album

Dry Cleaning - Scratchcard Lanyard/New Long Leg

Bachelor - Stay In the Car/Doomin' Sun

Jane Weaver - The Revolution of Super Visions/Flock

The Dirty Nil - Done With Drugs/Fuck Art

TUNS - Everybody Knows/Duly Noted

Ron Gallo - Hide (Myself Behind You)/Peacemeal

Cheekface - "Listen to Your Heart." "No."/Emphatically No.

Sorry - Cigarette Packet/Single

Cloud Nothings - Am I Something/The Shadow I Remember

Maximo Park - I Don't Know What I'm Doing/Nature Always Wins

The Reds, Pinks & Purples - The Record Player and the Damage Done/Uncommon Weather

The Hold Steady - Riptown/Open Door Policy

Lilys - Dimes Make Dollars/ The 3 Way

Fridge Poetry - Half the Battle/Half the Battle

Shame - Born In Luton/Drunk Tank Pink

Glitterer - I Made the Call/Life Is Not a Lesson

The Fall - Rowche Rumble/Live at St. Helen's Technical College '81

 

Hour 2: Suburbia

Rocket From the Crypt - Middle/Scream, Dracula, Scream!

Descendents - Suburban Home/Milo Goes to College

The Clash - Lost In the Supermarket/London Calling

Rush - Subdivisions/Signals

The Police - Synchronicity II/Synchronicity

Talking Heads - Once In a Lifetime/Stop Making Sense

Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs/Rockin' the Suburbs

Telekinesis - Suburban Streetlight Drunk/Effluxion

Mike Krol - Suburban Wasteland/Turkey

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs/The Suburbs

Big Star - In the Street/#1 Record

Superchunk - Does Your Hometown Care?/Suburbia soundtrack

Elastica and Stephen Malkmus - Unheard Music/Suburbia soundtrack

The Kinks - A Well Respected Man/Kinda Kinks

The Jam - Going Underground/Single

XTC - Respectable Street/Black Sea

  

Completely Conspicuous 562: Perfect Circle

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the music of 1983. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded via Zoom

- Phil's #5: U2's second release of '83

- Captured the band's fiery live show

- Jay's #5: Iron Maiden continues its U.S. breakthrough

- Part of the mainstream acceptance of metal

- Phil's #4: The solo debut of Stevie Ray Vaughan

- SRV got a lot of comparisons to Hendrix

- Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Talking Heads' highest-charting album

- Several songs were overshadowed by Stop Making Sense versions

-Jay's #2: Replacements start hitting their stride

- The start of a great run of albums

- Jay's #3 and Phil's #1: U2 busts out in the U.S.

- Phil: Still disappointed to miss them on this tour

- Phil's #2 and Jay's #1: R.E.M.'s studio debut was massively influential

- Jay: Saw them on Letterman making their network TV debut

- Favorite songs: "Surrender" (Phil), "Talk About the Passion" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

 

Stuck In Thee Garage #367: April 2, 2021

One of my favorite things to do back in the '90s was to make mixtapes and drive around listening to them in the car. This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I replicated one of those mixes with two hours of songs I was listening to circa 1993. It's a broad-ranging picture of an interesting blip in time. I don't have the best memories of that year in particular, but the music was good.

Mulder knows what I'm talking about:

Hour 1

Artist - Song/Album

Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock/Siamese Dream

Urge Overkill - Sister Havana/Saturation

Matthew Sweet - Ugly Truth Rock/Altered Beast

Mudhoney - In 'N Out of Grace/Superfuzz Bigmuff

Soundgarden - Swallow My Pride/Screaming Life

Nirvana - Aneurysm/Incesticide

Frank Black -  Los Angeles/Frank Black

Primus - Welcome to This World/Pork Soda

Sonic Youth - Kool Thing/Goo

PJ Harvey - 50-Ft. Queenie/Rid of Me

The Pursuit of Happiness - The Downward Road (Revisited)/The Downward Road

Dinosaur Jr. - Start Choppin/Where You Been

The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen/Gentlemen

Prince and the New Power Generation - My Name Is Prince/Love Symbol

Hour 2

R.E.M. - Monty Got a Raw Deal/Automatic For the People

The Tragically Hip - Lionized/Fully Completely

Sloan - 500 Up/Smeared

Morphine - A Head With Wings/Cure For Pain

Mark Lanegan - House a Home/Whiskey For the Holy Ghost

Suede - Animal Nitrate/Suede

Butthole Surfers - Who Was In My Room Last Night?/Independent Worm Saloon

Kyuss - Green Machine/Blues For the Red Sun

Living Colour - Leave It Alone/Stain

Paw - Jessie/Dragline

The Breeders - Do You Love Me Now?/Last Splash

Liz Phair - Divorce Song/Exile In Guyville

Bettie Serveert - Tomboy/Palomine

Buffalo Tom - Tree House/Big Red Letter Day

Superchunk - Precision Auto/On the Mouth

Fugazi - Public Witness Program/In On the Kill Taker