Stuck In Thee Garage #284: August 30, 2019

Confidence can be an important trait as you go through life. It can also lead you down a few wrong paths along the way. This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs about confidence in hour 2. They can make even the dimmest light shine bright.

The playlist that screams, "That's what she said":

Hour 1
Artist - Song/Album
Ceremony - Turn Away the Bad Thing/In the Spirit World Now
Redd Kross - There's No One Like You/Beyond the Door
Kelly Hoppenjans - If I Had You/OK, I Feel Better Now
Safer - Sleepless Nights/Sleepless Nights
Crooked Ghost - Sinew in Red/Colors Bleed
Ride - Kill Switch/This Is Not a Safe Place
Sleater-Kinney - Bad Dance/The Center Won't Hold
Summer Cannibals - False Anthem/Can't Tell Me No
Mini Mansions - Works Every Time/Guy Walks Into a Bar...
The Hold Steady - The Stove & the Toaster/Thrashing Through the Passion
Twin Peaks - Dance Through It/Lookout Low
Beeef - I'm So Sorry (feat. Sidney Gish)/Bull in the Shade
Bananagun - Do Yeah/Do Yeah
Maneka - A Brand New Day/Devin
The Trinary System - Somewhere the Eternal/Lights in the Center of Your Head

Hour 2: Confidence
Queens of the Stone Age - You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar But I Feel Like a Millionaire/Songs for the Deaf
PJ Harvey - 50 Ft. Queenie/Rid of Me
The Pretenders - Precious/Pretenders
Joe Jackson - I'm the Man/I'm the Man
Frank Black - Hang On to Your Ego/Frank Black
Modest Mouse - Float On/Good News for People Who Love Bad News
AC/DC - Big Balls/Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
King Khan - Live Fast Die Strong/Three Hairs and You're Mine
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Blues X Man/Orange
McLusky - What We've Learned/McLusky Do Dallas
Iggy & the Stooges - Search and Destroy/Raw Power
The Afghan Whigs - Honky's Ladder/Black Love
Beastie Boys and DJ Hurricane - It's the New Style (live)/No Alternative
Public Enemy - Louder Than a Bomb/It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Van Halen - I'm the One/Van Halen
Black Sabbath - Supernaut/Vol. 4
Judas Priest - You've Got Another Thing Comin'/Screaming for Vengeance

Completely Conspicuous 513: Blues for Allah

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead's album Blues for Allah. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at CompCon world HQ
- The Dead's 7th studio album, came out in September 1975
- The band's highest-charting album until 1987
- Very non-commercial record
- Jay: The best thing about the album is the cover
- Moved in a much different direction from previous album
- Band had stopped touring after From the Mars Hotel
- Mickey Hart was back
- Also in 1975, Zeppelin had released Physical Graffiti, Talking Heads and Sex Pistols played their first shows, disco started hitting the charts
- Phil: Very sparse, subdued jazz-rock album
- Studio songs are blueprint, but they change after repeated live playings
- Dead fans were used to changing sounds
- The live show was the thing
- Commercial success was less important to the band and its fans
- Some songs on this album went on to become concert staples
- Not a lot of bands that have fans following them around the country: Phish, Afghan Whigs, Pearl Jam, Tragically Hip
- Album has a Middle Eastern feel; a few years later, they played in Egypt
- Jay: Liked the first few songs, then it started to meander
- Next album was live album Steal Your Face, which many fans didn't like
- Next we'll listen to Terrapin Station and Cornell '77
- Springsteen's live shows are long, but full of songs (as opposed to long jams)
- Phil just saw Apocalypse Now for the first time

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. 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 #283: August 23, 2019

Where's the beef? That phrase is probably the one most associated with the year 1984 and it hopefully made some marketing copywriter a rich person. It was used to sell hamburgers, but it ended up becoming a cultural phenomenon. Now, 35 years later, it's largely forgotten except by those of us who lived through it.

This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs from 1984 in hour 2. Unlike the Wendy's catchphrase, these songs still hold up.

This playlist comes with biggie fries:

Hour 1
Artist - Song/Album
The Hold Steady - Denver Haircut/Thrashing Through the Passion
Ty Segall - The Arms/First Taste
Ride - Repetition/This Is Not a Safe Place
Sleater-Kinney - Can I Go On/The Center Won't Hold
Spike Fuck - Body By Crystal/The Smackwave EP
RVG - Alexandra/Single
METZ - M.E./Single
Royal Trux and Ariel Pink - Whopper Dave/Pink Stuff
Gauche - Pay Day/A People's History of Gauche
Bananagun - Top Cat/Do Yeah
The Berries - Fruit/Berryland
Versus - Gravity/Ex Voto
Kal Marks - Nu Legs/Let the Shit House Burn Down
Titus Andronicus - The Lion Inside/An Obelisk
The Raconteurs - What's Yours Is Mine/Help Us Stranger
Mannequin Pussy - Who Are You/Patience

Hour 2: 1984
Prince and the Revolution - Take Me With U/Purple Rain
INXS - I Send a Message/The Swing
Joe Jackson - You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)/Body and Soul
Kim Mitchell - Rumour Has It/Akimbo Alogo
Van Halen - Top Jimmy/1984
Judas Priest - Freewheel Burning/Defenders of the Faith
Iron Maiden - Aces High/Powerslave
Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls/Ride the Lightning
Meat Puppets - Plateau/II
The Replacements - Answering Machine/Let It Be
Husker Du - What's Going On/Zen Arcade
The Cult - Spiritwalker/Dreamtime
R.E.M. - 7 Chinese Brothers/Reckoning
U2 - A Sort of Homecoming/The Unforgettable Fire

Completely Conspicuous 512: From the Mars Hotel

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead's album From the Mars Hotel. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at CompCon world HQ on the 13th birthday of the podcast
- The Dead's 7th studio album, came out in June 1974
- Watergate hearings were the big news story
- Beer was a lot cheaper back then
- In '74, there was a good variety of rock acts releasing important albums, plus funk
- Mars Hotel had some classic Dead songs
- Phil Lesh sang two songs, which was rare, and Bob Weir had one
- Garcia is in prime form on this record
- The Dead was touring with the "Wall of Sound," a massive "distortion-free" speaker setup
- Playing larger venues
- The cost was so high that they eventually quit touring for a few years
- Maybe the last great Dead studio album
- The Grateful Dead Movie was taken from the final shows of this tour
- Working out new songs in the live setting
- Rivalry between lyricists Robert Hunter and John Perry Barlow
- The Dead would play with guest musicians from time to time including Pete Townshend, Branford Marsalis, Santana, Huey Lewis
- The Dead probably got some airplay on FM rock radio in the '70s
- Rock radio has changed a tremendous amount over the years; it's mostly corporate, formatted now
- College and online stations have the most freedom
- Second-tier album in the discography
- Pretty representative of the Dead's sound
- Next: Blues for Allah

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. 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 #282: August 16, 2019

California has always held a special allure for the rest of the country and probably the rest of the world. There's something about it that promises sun, fun and endless possibilities. This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs about California in hour 2.

I wish they all could be playlists like this:

Hour 1
Artist - Song/Album
Mikal Cronin - Show Me/Seeker
The New Pornographers - Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile/In the Morse Code of Brake Lights
Black Ferns - This Illusion/Devices
Versus - University/Ex Voto
Necking - Still Exist/Cut Your Teeth
Kal Marks - Kimmy/Let the Shit House Burn Down
Titus Andronicus - My Body and Me/An Obelisk
Beeef - Devil's in the Details/Bull in the Shade
Goon - Critter/Heaven is Humming
The Sour Notes - Shoulda/Single
Mini Mansions - Forgot Your Name/Guy Walks Into a Bar...
Greys - Constant Pose/Age Hasn't Spoiled You
Purple Mountains - Darkness and Cold/Purple Mountains
Silver Jews - Random Rules/American Water
Silver Jews - The Farmer's Hotel/Tanglewood Numbers

Hour 2: California
2Pac - California Love (feat. Roger Troutman and Dr. Dre)/All Eyez on Me
Kool and the Gang - Hollywood Swinging/Wild and Peaceful
St. Vincent - Los Ageless/Masseduction
Neil Young - Revolution Blues/On the Beach
Frank Black - Ole Mulholland/Frank Black
Sloan - Losing California/Between the Bridges
Mike Watt - Drove Up From Pedro/Ball-Hog or Tugboat?
Minutemen - History Lesson, Part II/Double Nickels on the Dime
The Afghan Whigs - Fountain and Fairfax/Gentlemen
Alice in Chains - Check My Brain/Black Gives Way to Blue
Fu Manchu - California Crossing/California Crossing
Arctic Monkeys - Fake Tales of San Francisico/Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Pavement - Unfair/Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Ty Segall - Californian Hills/Emotional Mugger
R.E.M. - Electrolite/New Adventures in Hi-Fi

Completely Conspicuous 511: On With the Show

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Gary Barth as we discuss the concertgoing experience. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded in Gary's car on the way to the show
- Driving before and briefly after an Iron Maiden concert at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA
- Jay: Big fan of club shows
- Like to get up close to the stage
- The downside of theater shows
- Some shows are made for big venues
- Getting your face melted by Ty Segall
- Demographics: We're the target market for Maiden, but often among the oldest when seeing newer acts
- If you were 30 when you saw Maiden during their early days, you're pushing 70 now
- Still weird to be "the old guy"
- No institutional knowledge of what came before
- Gary: Raised our kids on the Beatles
- Jay: My kids love Taylor Swift; at least she writes her own songs
- I listen to a lot of pop these days when I drive the girls around
- Making the kids listen to your music
- Gary: We played Beatles Rock Band a lot as a family
- Will we still go to rock shows as senior citizens?
- No such thing as guilty pleasures
- We both love the Bee Gees
- Jay: Traded the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack for a Zeppelin album
- Reconciled with my disco-loving childhood
- People who watch a show through their smart phones
- Making Gary self-conscious about phone use at concerts
- Artists who ban cellphone use at shows
- After the concert
- We paid extra to park in a lot to get out earlier
- High energy, over-the-top stage show
- Saw some people with toddlers
- Fun to go to a big show with friends
- Gary's next show: Raconteurs in September
- Jay's next show: Sleater-Kinney in October
- Gary plays about 20 shows a year

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. 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 #281: August 9, 2019

Everybody has to deal with pressure in some form, whether it's related to work, love, family or any number of other possibilities. This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs about pressure in hour 2. Do old Gil a favor and listen, won't you?

This playlist comes with a set of steak knives:

Hour 1
Artist - Song/Album
Titus Andronicus - Like Ringing a Bell/An Obelisk
Mini Mansions - Bad Things (That Make You Feel Good)/Guy Walks Into a Bar...
Beeef - Slide/Bull in the Shade
Kristin Hersh - Foxpoint/Possible Dust Clouds
K Michelle Dubois - Waves Break/Waves Break
Wilco - Love is Everywhere (Beware)/Ode to Joy
Slaughter Beach, Dog - Good Ones/Good Ones
WIVES - The 20 Teens/So Removed
Abjects - The Storm/Never Give Up
Black Nite Crash - Come Easy/Conflict of Disinterest
Temples - Hot Motion/Hot Motion
Goon - Check Engine Light/Heaven is Humming
Horse Jumper of Love - Ur Real Life Dress/So Divine
Maneka - Never Nowhere/Devin

Hour 2: Pressure
Drive-By Truckers - This Fucking Job/The Big To-Do
Rollins Band - Disconnect/Weight
Soundgarden - Outshined/Badmotorfinger
Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime (live)/Stop Making Sense soundtrack
Flasher - Pressure/Constant Image
Wolf Parade - Ghost Pressure/Expo 86
Beck - Pressure Zone/Midnite Vultures
Fishbone - Pressure/The Reality of My Suroundings
Grounders - Bloor Street and Pressure/Grounders
PUP - Doubts/The Dream is Over
Rush - Between the Wheels/Grace Under Pressure
The Selecter - Too Much Pressure/Too Much Pressure
The English Beat - Sugar and Stress/Special Beat Service
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Pressure Drop/Live in 1999

 

Completely Conspicuous 510: Maiden Voyage

Celebrating 13 years of podcasting with part 1 of my conversation with guest Gary Barth as we discuss the concertgoing experience...while we drive to a concert. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded in Gary's car on the way to the show
- Driving to an Iron Maiden concert at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA
- Gary's first concert: Huey Lewis and the News in 1985
- Huey's got rock cred
- All the big shows back in the '80s were at hockey rinks
- Many bands now play smaller theaters and clubs
- Jay: Used to go see only arena shows back then
- Arenas in Worcester, Portland, Providence
- Shows were cheaper back then, but we had less money
- People would get really wasted before concerts
- The guy who sat behind us and still missed the entire Maiden show
- Getting rides to concerts from parents
- Gary plays in a Grateful Dead cover band, Deadbeat
- Listening to some "nice hahd rawk"
- Jay's (very) short-lived high school band
- Jay: Liked a lot of metal and hard rock in high school, turned away from it in the '90s
- We both started listening to Maiden again in 2006
- Bands don't make money from selling albums anymore
- Saw Drive-By Truckers at the local theater in Beverly
- Go see Deadbeat at the Bull Run in Shirley, MA on 8/9
- Cover bands are doing pretty well these days
- Heavy Metal Cul de Sac
- Bands keep touring into their old age
- The Iron Maiden guys are all in their 60s but put on a high-energy show
- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. 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 #280: August 2, 2019

Ah, 1989. It was all about the fall of the Berlin Wall, car phones and acid wash jeans. Everybody was replacing their cassettes and vinyl with CDs. And some new show called Seinfeld made its debut. This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs from 1989 in hour 2.

It was also a big year for teenaged doctors:

This playlist is in Doogie's personal journal:

Hour 1
Artist - Song/Album
Redd Kross - The Party Underground/Beyond the Door
Maneka - Mixer/Devin
Goon - F Jam/Heaven is Humming
The Raconteurs - Live a Lie/Help Us Stranger
Heart to Gold - Tokyo/COMP
Biffy Clyro - The Modern Leper/Tiny Changes: A Tribute to Frightened Rabbit
Mannequin Pussy - Fear + Desire/Patience
Summer Cannibals - False Anthem/Can't Tell Me No
Martha - Mini Was a Preteen Arsonist/Love Keeps Kicking
Purple Mountains - That's Just the Way That I Feel/Purple Mountains
Superchunk - Saving My Ticket/Acoustic Foolish
Truth Club - Path Render/Not an Exit
Froth - Slow Chamber/Duress
Palehound - Worthy/Black Friday
The Reconstructed - Wrapped/Great North Wind
Philary - Foiled/I Complain
Black Mountain - High Rise/Destroyer

Hour 2: 1989
The Cure - Fascination Street/Disintegration
The Flaming Lips - After the Goldrush/The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young
Neil Young - Don't Cry/Freedom
Tin Machine - Sacrifice Yourself/Tin Machine
Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd./New York
The Tragically Hip - Trickle Down/Up to Here
Faith No More - From Out of Nowhere/The Real Thing
Mother Love Bone - Mindshaker Meltdown/Shine
Soundgarden - Gun/Louder Than Love
Prince - Partyman/Batman soundtrack
De La Soul - Say No Go/3 Feet High and Rising
Beastie Boys - Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun/Paul's Boutique
Michael Penn - No Myth/March
The Stone Roses - She Bangs the Drums/The Stone Roses
Pixies - Gouge Away/Doolittle