XMAS BONUS: “Christmas Time is Here Again” by the Beatles

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
XMAS BONUS: "Christmas Time is Here Again" by the Beatles
/

As we’re in the period between Christmas and New Year, the gap between episodes is going to be longer than normal, and the podcast proper is going to be back on January the ninth. So nobody has to wait around for another fortnight for a new episode, I thought I’d upload some old Patreon bonus episodes to fill the gap. Every year around Christmas the bonus episodes I do tend to be on Christmas songs and so this week I’m uploading three of those. These are older episodes, so don’t have the same production values as more recent episodes, and are also shorter than more recent bonuses, but I hope they’re still worth listening to.

Continue reading “XMAS BONUS: “Christmas Time is Here Again” by the Beatles”

XMAS BONUS: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
XMAS BONUS: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
/

As we’re in the period between Christmas and New Year, the gap between episodes is going to be longer than normal, and the podcast proper is going to be back on January the ninth. So nobody has to wait around for another fortnight for a new episode, I thought I’d upload some old Patreon bonus episodes to fill the gap. Every year around Christmas the bonus episodes I do tend to be on Christmas songs and so this week I’m uploading three of those. These are older episodes, so don’t have the same production values as more recent episodes, and are also shorter than more recent bonuses, but I hope they’re still worth listening to.

Continue reading “XMAS BONUS: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

XMAS BONUS: Little St. Nick

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
XMAS BONUS: Little St. Nick
/

As we’re in the period between Christmas and New Year, the gap between episodes is going to be longer than normal, and the podcast proper is going to be back on January the ninth. So nobody has to wait around for another fortnight for a new episode, I thought I’d upload some old Patreon bonus episodes to fill the gap. Every year around Christmas the bonus episodes I do tend to be on Christmas songs and so this week I’m uploading three of those. These are older episodes, so don’t have the same production values as more recent episodes, and are also shorter than more recent bonuses, but I hope they’re still worth listening to.

Continue reading “XMAS BONUS: Little St. Nick”

Episode 160: “Flowers in the Rain” by the Move

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Episode 160: "Flowers in the Rain" by the Move
/

The Move in late 1967

Episode 160 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Flowers in the Rain” by the Move, their transition into ELO, and the career of Roy Wood. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a twenty-minute bonus episode available, on “The Chipmunk Song” by Canned Heat.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

Continue reading “Episode 160: “Flowers in the Rain” by the Move”

ADMIN: Holiday Schedule 2022

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
ADMIN: Holiday Schedule 2022
/

Transcript

This is just to let people know what’s happening with the podcast over the next few weeks, as we head into a season which has holiday celebrations for many people, including me. The podcast has been keeping to a fortnightly schedule for the last few months, but at this time of year I have commitments to visit family and friends for Christmas and New Year, and I’ve learned that when I’m away from home I can’t record and shouldn’t even make the attempt. Also, a lot of people don’t have time to listen to new podcasts over the Christmas period.

So here’s what’s going to happen with the podcast between now and the beginning of the year. I’m recording a full podcast episode today, and that will be going up either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, depending how long it takes to edit, so two weeks after the last episode, and then there will be a gap for Christmas and New Year. I will be doing Patreon bonuses during that time on a weekly basis as normal — they take much less recording time than the main episodes, and I can prerecord them in advance — but the next main episode of the podcast after this week’s will go up on Monday the ninth of January, a little less than three weeks after the last one, rather than the normal two. 

However, to fill in the gap I’m going to put up a few old Patreon bonus episodes over Christmas week. Every year around this time my Patreon bonus episodes tend to be about something seasonal, and so I’ll put up a few of the old ones on the main feed for those of you who haven’t heard them. These are older bonus episodes, some from four years ago, and so not in the same style as my more recent work, and mostly around ten minutes or so in length, but they’ll hopefully be of interest to anyone who is looking for something seasonal to listen to.

Happy holidays to those who celebrate a winter holiday at this time of year, and my sympathies to those who don’t or for whom it’s a difficult time for whatever reason. I’ll see you in a couple of days for the next proper episode.

Episode 159: “Itchycoo Park”, by the Small Faces

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Episode 159: "Itchycoo Park", by the Small Faces







/

The Small Faces

Episode 159 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Itchycoo Park” by the Small Faces, and their transition from Mod to psychedelia. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a twenty-five-minute bonus episode available, on “The First Cut is the Deepest” by P.P. Arnold.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

Continue reading “Episode 159: “Itchycoo Park”, by the Small Faces”

Episode 158: “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Episode 158: "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane







/

Jefferson Airplane

Episode one hundred and fifty-eight of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “White Rabbit”, Jefferson Airplane, and the rise of the San Francisco sound. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a twenty-three-minute bonus episode available, on “Omaha” by Moby Grape.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

Continue reading “Episode 158: “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane”

Episode 157: “See Emily Play” by The Pink Floyd

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Episode 157: "See Emily Play" by The Pink Floyd







/

Pink Floyd in 1967, doing high kicks in a line

Episode one hundred and fifty-seven of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “See Emily Play”, the birth of the UK underground, and the career of Roger Barrett, known as Syd. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a twenty-five-minute bonus episode available, on “First Girl I Loved” by the Incredible String Band.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

Continue reading “Episode 157: “See Emily Play” by The Pink Floyd”

Episode 156: “I Was Made to Love Her” by Stevie Wonder

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Episode 156: "I Was Made to Love Her" by Stevie Wonder







/

Stevie Wonder at the piano in 1967

Episode one hundred and fifty-six of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “I Was Made to Love Her”, the early career of Stevie Wonder, and the Detroit riots of 1967. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a twenty-minute bonus episode available, on “Groovin'” by the Young Rascals.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

Continue reading “Episode 156: “I Was Made to Love Her” by Stevie Wonder”

Admin: Podcast Now Fortnightly

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Admin: Podcast Now Fortnightly
/

Transcript

You’ll have noticed that my experiment with timings has been only a qualified success. While my buffer did allow me to get episodes going out weekly for a while, they’ve started to lag again, as events and health have derailed things — though I have managed to get a bonus episode up for Patreon backers every week. As the upcoming episode is the second one in a row to have a significant delay, I’ve decided that that’s a sign the weekly rate for the main podcast is clearly unsustainable with these longer episodes, even with the skip weeks — but it’s also clear that I can do a main episode every two weeks without any problem, and can get a bonus episode done every week, and that that is very, very sustainable even in times of stress. I now know for sure what my productivity rate can be.
So this is an official announcement that for the foreseeable future, this is a fortnightly podcast, with episodes going up every other Monday, but with backer bonuses every week. It may return to the weekly schedule at some point, but for now that’s the plan. Episode 156, on Stevie Wonder, will be up on Monday, and then the episode after that, on Pink Floyd, will be on the seventh of November. See you then.