I love the podcast. But after this many episodes I do not expect any coverage of American arena rock or the wave of American Prog that started in the late 80s, both of which are dear to me as a Gen X middle American, so to get Kevin Gilbert and a some NDV love in this episode was a bit of a shock (of course NDV did play with Tears for Fears for years and is now in a (great) British Prog band) but great to hear. Shaming of the True is a great album and NDV is incredible.
any love or mention is always a good thing for fans of obscure, underground music, even if we feel it is something that deserves more recognition. Every little bit helps ;)
Bloodflowers has some beautiful songs on it. Last Day of Summer is a stunning tune. I don’t think they will ever surpass Pornagraphy but there are a few songs on Bloodflowers that hit some really high moments. It’s a little inconsistent. I really love the acoustic flair of it. It’s the last album they released that connected with me…I’m surprised no mention of Allan Holdsworth’s 16 Men of Tain. That was an extraordinary work of art on multiple levels. That album reaches emotional depths and technical perfection that is extremely rare. Personally it’s an apex in a catalog that is virtually untouchable…
it should be more well known than it is. Tim did summarize it well with much of its message of a musician being swallowed up and spit out by the industry, which is sadly a common experience in much music and entertainment history.
I am just blown away by Steven and Tim's general knowledge of the popular music and reviews/vocabulary. Bought recently Steven's remix of the Chicago no 2 album on CD and it is fantastic rediscovery of the classic album (for used CD paid £6 at Flashback shop in Shoreditch London. Great podcast for music lovers ...keep on going guys....
I think Steven would like Kevin Gilbert's Thud, it's more realized and has more elements I think Steven would like, even though it's more of a singer songwriter album.
I liked that AIR was Steven's favourite Prog Rock album of the year :) I loved AIR at the time and still like their style though don't listen as often as I used to.
I can tell Steven Wilson has never seen Kevin Gilbert play live. There's not many videos, but I happen to have a DVD of him at The Troubadour with Nick D'Virgilio on drums and it is anything but "Clean" or "Session Musiciany". ( I just checked and they have it on Amazon). How can you not know and mention for context that Kevin had passed away by the time this was put together from hours and hours of tape, almost like a puzzle. Impossible to know if this is how Kevin's version would've sounded. Unfortunately we will never know. So yes because parts were played not only at separate studios but in different years, it will not sound like a band. Funny that Steven Wilson mentions that "Shaming of the True" sounds TOO CLEAN. I find that his records, especially solo, but also the latter ones with Porcupine Tree have an ultra clean sometimes ultra processed sound. Regardless "The Shaming of the True" has sublime moments, incredible rocking songs, heart wrenching ballads, genius transitions and intelligent profound lyrics. One of the few artists together with , Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith, that is truly a shame they left us so young.
I don't disagree with Steven about the archetype of American prog sound; that being said I think there's much more to Kevin Gilbert, all of his albums and songs have a different and distinct direction. The majority of songs on Shaming of the True we're on previous albums but sound very different on those. How Nick D'Virgillio helped finish Shaming is remarkable and shaped it into a hidden gem. I'd also say Spock's Beard (mentioned by Tim) really has a unique sound and approach that Neal and Ryo really brought especially with the live energy. They may have become more typical modern prog rock in the Ted years but those are decent albums as well.
Was excited to hear these two discuss and acknowledge Kevin Gilbert’s Shaming of the True. And it’s not a big deal not to like it… but hearing you explain how you “understand it” while clearly demonstrating how little you understand the musician, his importance. The fact that Steven almost uses “American Prog” like an epithet- it’s a little like trying to explain Led Zeppelin without understanding their European context. And frankly, this is why, especially as much as I fully love your music Steven, the rationalistic navel gazing is so often cringeworthy and I really have to step back from it anytime I get too close to it. Besides, Kevin Gilbert besmirched by someone who loves ABBA - Do us all a favor one day and sit down and read the lyrics to the songs “The Toy Matinee” or “Remember My Name” next to “Fernando” and “Mamma Mia” and then, maybe I’ll get a sense that you have a reference for a musician who was worthy of more than a passing reference to Sheryl Crow.
I think Steven should listen to the Construkction of Light again - just skip the first track. :) Amazing album and concert. Lucky to see this tour at the Warfield in S.F.
It has some Great moments, FraKctured and larks pt 4 aré some of Crunson' s Most intense moments, but i kind of agree that the production does a diservice to the music, but luckily the songs really come Alice in concert, even Prozakc blues
Kevin Gilbert is one of my favorites. I saw his band Giraffe play "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" at ProgFest in 1994. Nick D'Virgilio was on drums I do belive. HIs work on Toy Matinees album is still one of my faves of all time. He was a huge prog head but could meld it all together in some very good sophisticated pop/rock when he wanted to. Pretty nice guy too.
Steven, i adore you, but on Kevin Gilbert, he was a session musician , the shaming of the true is a concept album about a session musician getting shafted by the music industry, if you want gritty kevin, check out giraffe, his early prog band. or look up him going a perfect Gabriel back in nyc at progfest. he date the villan sheryl crow and brought her into his Tuesday night jam , writing collaborative with the brillant bill bottrell and david baerwald. kevin brougt her in to sing a couple tunes. she basically stole all of those tunes from tnmc and took credit for all of it, he and the author of leaving las vegas both killed themselves after row went on letterman and took credit for it. she is an awful human, he was a brilliant composer, performer and friend of mine, check out his album thud. or toy matinee which is a masterpiece,
the problem with construkction of light are the electronic drums; the songs are otherwise good. surprised to hear steven doesn't know about projekct x or the other projekcts.
Kevin Gilbert was a studio hound. His 1st job was working in a recording studio, recording bands. So you guys are correct in The Shaming of the True is very much a product of a studio musician. Although he did play live enough, but not extensively. Maybe most initially with Eddie Money's band.
@@mikeimpressionsreviews9831 certainly, but that is not always stressed when it is introduced to new people. Shaming very easily could have ended up being quite different. Why I and many fans are super curious to get to the Multi-Disc the estate plans to release which will likely have 2 or 3 alternate versions of the record with songs like Miss Broadway and possibly some of the songs that ended up on Kaviar.
Shaming of the True is insanely great. That's my perception.....however it strikes memories and emotions that I need to be in the mood for. Not for the faint of heart.
I'd love a review of 1972 as it seems amazing year for Brazilian music, seems Rolling Stones live performances were particularly great that year, etc. Maybe I just want you to talk about MPB for an hour.
By the way, your comments on the Goldfrapp album on your previous video got me to buy FELT MOUNTAIN on vinyl (2022 edition). I got it today. Sounds brilliant!
Drummer Pat Mastelotto re-recorded all the drums on King Crimson's Construkction of Light using an acoustic kit, and the new version was released as The Reconstrukction of Light in 2019. Not only were the drums new, the whole album was also fairly drastically remixed. The instruments, and even some of the vocals, have different timbres/textures. Overall I think it's an improvement on the original.
Hope you do 1968, the year of my birth.... please discuss Curt Boettcher, and The Millennium's 'Begin'. It's fab, and the second album recorded on Capitol's 16 track machine (following 'Bookends').
The album that is missing from 2000 is Idlewilds 100 broken windows. Also from the great 1989 review I cannot believe they missed New model Army's Thunder and Consolation
Another great episode. Wonderful to hear The Necks discussed. Some of their later albums have shorter pieces to release on vinyl. Definitely recommend their most recent double album Travel. And they’re incredible live!
I sense an album years 50 CD box set (or sets) needs to be made with your branding (the new 'Now that's what I call Music...' series for musical nerds and you both get a cut for promoting some less heard music - 2 for each year of your favourites (and maybe a collection containing your worst albums!?). Really interesting to hear you to discuss your passions.
If anyone is interested in discovering The Necks, RER Megacorp is selling a significant portion of their catalog for $5/each, free shipping worldwide. I believe all of their albums, begin as improvisations. There are several of their albums with very short tracks, like their soundtrack to The Boys. I do realize there's spotify and all the other streaming, but why wouldn't you buy a new CD for $5, free shipping? Helps the label, band and your collection. Bohren und Der Club of Gore are great, also, completely different, but really great. Go get them. Nils Petter Molvaer does also pull from Jon Hassell ah...and Tim JUST mentioned JH. Had the pleasure of seeing him live in Washington, DC. Wish Goldfrapp hadn't gone electro. I thought Ilya's "They Died for Beauty" could've been a Goldfrapp follow-up (albeit, definitely more conventional). Oceansize shout out!
Thanks. I am quite enjoying these album reviews for specific years. I am now going to go back a check out Air again (after years of absence) and will check out The Necks HANGING GARDENS album as well - sounds interesting.
The Necks - sounded interesting so I gave it a spin. My initial reaction is they're a combination of In A Silent Way/Weather Report with drum n bass rhythms.
I listened to the Virgin Suicides soundtrack over and over after watching the movie. It’s just so easy to listen to. I find it interesting that it made it to the podcast!
Thank you for introducing me to the Virgin Suicides... i'm a sucker for mellotrons ... I didn't see the movie. Too bad that Sakura by Susumo Yokota wasn't mentioned being an atmospheric yet dynamic electronica album masterpiece... cheers,
I tracked down and started listening to the Necks Hanging Gardens album when Tim mentioned that it's one of those pieces that slowly changes over time without the listener noticing and it's really sucked me in (I'm about 20 minutes into it now)! I had never heard of them before but this is very cool (and yes, I do find myself listening to it and thinking "hey, where did the piano go that I was listening to five minutes ago?". And oh, it's come back now! :D ).
1. Kevin Gilbert - Shaming of the True 2. Chroma Key - You Go Now 3. Radiohead - Kid A After that, I'm not sure. Maybe PJ Harvey, but those 3 are in a league of their own for me. Thanks for the deep dive down memory lane. I'd be curious to see more episodes from "bad" years. It's interesting uncovering the diamonds in the rough. Some thoughts: I think music didn't truly fall off the cliff til the mid 2000s. There's some gold to be found in those first few years. Also, I think music picked up again briefly in the mid to late 2010s. I think the death of the loudness wars and the emergence of the home studio played a part. I'm not sure what happened in the last year or so to send music back down the toilet though.. I get why you steered clear of nu-metal but it was a big part of the story of the year and deserved at least a passing mention. Albums like 'Deftones - White Pony' were hugely influential on the years that followed. I'm a massive John Barry fan but never listened to Goldfrapp 'til now. Interestingly, I didn't like it for the reasons you guys disregarded a lot of the other albums mentioned. The influences were so present, I felt I'd be better off just sticking with John Barry scores.
Hey guys there is one album you should give a chance at least for the uniqueness of the sound and atmosphere: Flower Kings' Space Revolver. And speaking about the american approach to classic prog, Echolyn is a band you can't ignore. Their keyboardist Chirs Buzby plays the most exquisite jazz chords you could imagine but they never sound cold, its more like a Debussy approach to harmony, the perfect mix between jazz and classical music. And the producer (and main songwriter i guess) Brett Kull does everything perfect from writing, to playing and singing, to producing (even he is brilliant at making soundscapes!). One of a kind band, please give them a chance!
Recent subscriber on Spotify - loving your prog-focussed journey through the halcyon days of the album. Just listening to Air, The Virgin Suicides. I'd only listened to Moon Safari before and your description of the album is spot on. Mellotron-tastic and those shimmering Hammond organ hits in Clouds Up are straight from PF Animals. Thank you for this amazing podcast.
I'd love to hear Steven's take on Einstuerzende Neubauten one day. It might even be the first question I would ask him if I ever had a chance to ask him anything. I mean, I saw like hundreds of videos of him talking about different music, but never heard him mention Neubauten, which is kind of strange to me, because I feel it might be very much his cup of tea. Just popped to my mind because in 2000 they released their brilliant album Silence Is Sexy.
Regarding Kevin Gilbert's "Shaming of The True", I would suggest that Elton John should grab "The Best-Laid Plans" and release it - it's the best song he never (but should have) put out.
I am stealing "Sinister Jazz" for a song, or an EP. I've always loved that "Lynchian" sense of aesthetic for music. And the Necks, wow, I really need to listen to more of their music.
How interesting. I just recently listened to Air's The Virgin Suicides. First time in years. I never thought about that particular Air album is being progressive rock but it makes sense considering that it's an album that stands on it's own and explores musical themes which you don't hear in the Sophia Coppola movie. It has different variations of the same song at times but with different instrumental textures (I think Bathroom Girl and Afternoon Sister are a pair of examples). Similarly, I find 10,000 Hz Legend to be a Krautrock album especially with the strong Cluster influence.
When you guys go through 1968, I would LOVE to hear your takes on THE MONKEES - HEAD (and for that matter, other Monkees or Michael Nesmith's albums, but those would be for other years). It seems like it would be right up your alley with the experimental side to it, and even the film which includes an appearance from Frank Zappa.
Listening to what you said about Colin's songs on Wasp Star reminds me that they put probably my favourite song of his from the period as a single that was basically only available in an Apple Venus box set. It's called Say It and it's lovely. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lkbzSCXzOkU.html
This is a fantastic podcast. I love sitting in on two of my favorite artists sitting around and talking music, artists and albums. Aside from buying everything that they release now they have me making a list of other albums to buy.
Nice choice - lots of interesting sounds from 1968 like the Tropicalia compilation, The United States’ self titled, though I think my favourite to come back to is Village Green.
Hey. I totally agree with Crimson. Power to Believe is waaaay better. It has soul. I feel like construction of light is more exploratory. It sounds digital and cold. But the next one is more organic and musical
I love you guys. If I never heard of your podcast in 2020 I'll probably still working in a job that I was not happy with and even hated. Thanks to the inspiration I received from you, I did my own music podcast and started to build the career I wanted. You influenced me a lot. Greetings from Turkey!
Again, great to experience it with a video. I guess you don't have the video recorded for the earlier installments, but it would be swell to re-experience it with all the mimicry intricacies, like when you talk about Merzbox, it's not audible, but a whole new level when you can see all this unspoken communication, love it!
Continue enjoying these two's interesting reviews. I'm receiving some of these albums I don't know as new content for me to explore, and that is the main reason I love this podcast. Goldfrapp I had never an inkling about for example. Same with D'Angelo. 1968 I'm interested in hearing about this year. What will they choose to discuss?The Doors Strange Days? Hendrix's Axis: Bold As Love? I'm not even sure they were 1968's.
Thanks again for pointing me towards some great music from 2000. I have since purchased the HANGING GARDENS and UNFOLDING albums by The Necks from iTunes this week. Hard to impossible to find new vinyl for these albums. Mesmerizing.
Great podcast. Thanks Steven and Tim. The Cure - Bloodflowers ia a masterpiece for me. They tried different things here, melodies are outstanding and the use of electronics is more present than ever before in the right way. Certainly they were not exhausted when doing Bloodflowers. Not at all. The following Cure albums The Cure and 13th...maybe. On XTC Wasp Star, disagree with Steven on Colin Moulding. I would say Colin Moulding put one of my favorite songs ever....In Another Life. I like Wasp Star as originally intended being a double album with Apple Venus 1 and it brings many interesting things for me. Disagree with Tim and Steven saying they were trying to do something they already did. There is no other album like Wasp Star on the XTC discography. Love it.
Love this show. So fascinating to listen to 2 genuine music enthusiasts, even though I don't know hardly any of the music. Have heard every episode thus far. Obviously love the later ones that are more into my era of music. But a great way to introduce more people to great music of the era; I will give XTC, Air, and Ghost Tropic a spin right now!
Very cool! Got onto Steve Wilson and Porcupine Tree about 25 years ago, first track that blew my mind was "Baby Dream in Cellophane" and it made me an instant fan. So happy to see and hear this podcast! Cheers!
I agree Bohren & Der Club of Gore's Sunset Mission is a great album, thanks to Steven's playlist. To this day, I still like Goldfrapp's Felt Mountain in 2000. ^^ 1968? I only have two albums I really like in that year. Jean Jacques Perrey and that Jimi Hendrix.
I've been following this podcast for a while, and this episode reaffirms why with discussions of Bohren and der Club of Gore and the Necks! It's a special thing to be able to have discussions on artists like U2 and D'angelo alongside Merzbow.
