This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 23rd episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.This episode was inspired by Tony’s recent five-part exploration on his Substack about how Buzzcocks invented pop-punk in 1978 with an incredible run of singles — and how his early-teen self reacted to each new one (and its B-side) as it was released. Dan, on the other hand, discovered the band like most American Buzzcocks fans did back then: via Singles Going Steady, a compilation released in September 1979 by IRS Records, which was the first Buzzcocks record to come out in the US. Side One of the album presented the band’s first eight A-Sides in chronological order, with their first eight B-sides arranged similarly on Side Two.We talk about Shelley’s knack for writing about romance from a gender-neutral perspective, the production genius of Martin Rushent, the underrated brilliance of the band’s guitar arrangements, how Steve Diggle was the “Dave Davies” of the band, and our favorite B-sides from that original batch of groundbreaking Buzzcocks singles.As always, this full CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this episode in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them!Theme music: "Put It Down" by The Dear Boys. https://thedearboys.bandcamp.com/album/put-it-down
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 22nd episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.This time out, we dig into a big bowl of Raspberries, the legendary American power pop band of the early 1970s. Formed in Cleveland, Ohio from the ashes of popular local groups The Choir and Cyrus Erie, the Raspberries were fronted by guitarist/pianist Eric Carmen, and also featured lead guitarist Wally Bryson, bassist Dave Smalley and drummer Jim Bonfanti.Between 1972 and 1974, the Raspberries enjoyed four Top 40 Billboard hits (including 1972’s “Go All The Way,” which went, er, all the way up to #5) and their riffy, hook-filled, arena-rocking brand of power pop would go on to influence several generations of pop-minded musicians — some of whom can be heard testifying to the importance of the band’s legacy on Play On: A Raspberries Tribute, the new 2-CD set released by Think Like A Key Music.But while the Raspberries were arguably the most commercially successful American power pop band of the 1970s, and their legion of fans included John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, they got a rough reception from US rock critics, many of whom derided their records for being too blatantly Beatles-esque. And the band, despite drawing heavily from British influences (especially The Who and Small Faces as well as the Fab Four), achieved little notice at all in the UK.In this episode, Dan makes a case for his twelve top Raspberries songs — three from each of their four studio albums — as he and Tony break down the (mostly) British influences that inspired their creation. As always, this full CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this episode in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them!
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 21th episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.This time out, we truly straddle the Atlantic with an energetic discussion of Northern Soul, the long-running British dance movement fired by the uptempo sounds of (mostly) obscure soul and R&B singles from American cities like Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.Growing out of the British mod scene and legendary 1960s venues like Manchester’s Twisted Wheel and Sheffield’s King Mojo, the Northern Soul scene exploded in the early 1970s, with thousands of young working-class people crowding hot spots like the Wigan Casino and Blackpool Mecca’s Highland Room to enjoy the social connection and euphoric uplift of dancing the night away to their favorite songs. These songs weren’t the pop hits of the day, however — Northern Soul DJs would typically spin older US soul and R&B songs, many of which bore a decided Motown influence, and most of which had never charted or even been released in the UK.Though both the Casino and the Mecca had shut their doors by 1981, the Northern Soul scene continued to morph and grow, with its music influencing a number of British artists of the 1980s, including Dexys Midnight Runners, The Jam, Orange Juice and Soft Cell. Indeed, the Northern Soul scene grooves on to this day, with young and old devotees alike still “keeping the faith” at all-nighters modeled upon the original dancefloor gatherings of the 1960s and 70s. In this episode, Tony talks about his own experiences at Northern Soul nights from Southport to Hull to London.The movement has inspired several documentaries (including 1977’s Tony Palmer-directed Wigan Casino episode of the ITV series This England, which gave many British viewers their first real look at the Northern Soul scene), a feature film (2014’s Northern Soul, directed by Elaine Constantine), numerous books, and countless compilations of Northern Soul dance favorites.Northern Soul is a deep, complex and fascinating subject, one with tendrils extending in myriad directions, and arguments over what constitutes “proper” Northern Soul sounds (and fashions, dance moves, etc.) rage to this day in every corner of the internet. We make no claims to being Northern Soul experts, and this discussion is in no way intended as a “definitive” summation of the movement. We both love the music, however — so much so that we talk about its genesis for best part of a full hour, after which we conclude the episode by pulling out and discussing 10 of our favorite Northern Soul singles, which our paid subscribers can here on our special YouTube playlist, linked below the fold.(And while it doesn’t exactly qualify as Northern Soul, there’s an undeniably soulful element to our podcast’s current theme song, “Put It Down” by Tony’s transatlantic band THE DEAR BOYS. Released last month, you can find it on Bandcamp and all good streaming services.)As always, this full CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this episode in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them!CROSSED CHANNELS can be heard both here on our Substack pages or via your preferred podcast app: just follow the links and instructions on the right. In addition to the podcast, Jagged Time Lapse and Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith regularly serve up previously unpublished interviews and other exclusive content to our paid subscribers.To those of you who have already shelled out for paid subscriptions to either or both Substacks, we’d like to express our deepest thanks for continuing to support our work. And if you have some favorite Northern Soul songs or memories that you’d like to share with us, please feel free to do so in the Comments section below!
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 20th episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.For our big 2-0, we’re back on American shores — the Jersey Shore, to be specific. Bruce Springsteen is someone whose work is extremely dear to both of us — though because of our slight difference in age and the fact that we grew up on opposite sides of the Atlantic, our experiences were quite different when it came to discovering his music. We compare notes on the “origin stories” of our Bruce fandom in this episode, while also taking a closer look at a Springsteen album that didn’t chart in either the US or the UK at the time of its release: 1973’s The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle.Released just 11 months after the acoustic-oriented Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., Springsteen’s ambitious second album found him plugging in his electric guitar to record seven songs — four of which ran seven minutes or longer — with a full band, while drawing upon a much wider range of musical styles and influences. The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle was an incredibly important stepping stone in Springsteen’s career, once which put him and the E Street Band on course to create Born to Run and to play their first shows in the UK and Europe, including their now-legendary appearance at London’s Hammersmith Odeon on November 18, 1975.We talk about that incredible performance in this episode, along with why Wild/Innocent is still such a compelling listen, Bruce’s knack for myth-making, the time Tony interviewed Bruce for his book with Eddie Floyd, Knock! Knock! Knock! on Wood: My Life in Soul, and a whole lot more!As always, this full CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available for all to listen to. To hear this episode in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them!Music on this episode: "Put It Down" by The Dear Boys. More info at https://thedearboys.bandcamp.com/album/put-it-down
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 19th episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.After making an appearance in our previous episode on The Beach Boys and their influence upon the UK pop scene, The Who finally make their long-overdue appearance on this podcast. The band has loomed exceedingly large for both Dan and Tony — the latter of whom authored the best-selling biography Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon, published in the US as Moon: The Life and Death of a Rock Legend — and now they are about to embark on their North American Farewell Tour, a 17-date trek with stops at such massive venues as Boston’s Fenway Park, Chicago’s United Center and New York’s Madison Square Garden.But in this episode of CROSSED CHANNELS, we flash back to 1967, the year The Who played their first North American gigs. The band’s inaugural US performance took place on March 26, 1967, where they promoted “Happy Jack” — their first real US hit — with a brief but brutal set as one of a dozen or so attractions on Murray the K’s “Music in the Fifth Dimension” show at midtown Manhattan’s RKO Theater.Dan and Tony discuss how The Who’s burgeoning popularity in the US not only helped to keep the band afloat during this uncertain period, but also set the stage for their breakthrough 1969 album Tommy and the band’s legendary appearance at Woodstock. “If it wasn’t for America there would be no Who,” says Max Ker-Seymer, a friend of the podcast who has seen The Who in concert over a longer period than anyone still attending their shows, and we’re very much inclined to agree.As The Who’s 1967-1969 visits to North America also included such infamous incidents as Pete Townshend’s bad acid trip on the flight home from Monterey, Keith Moon’s raucous 21st birthday party at the Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan, and the concert with The Doors at New York’s Singer Bowl that inspired Townshend to write “Sally Simpson,” there was no shortage of material for our esteemed hosts (and diehard Who fans) to touch upon; indeed, with the help of only a few pints, this nearly 90-minute episode could have easily stretched to nine hours.As always, this full CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this episode in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them! CROSSED CHANNELS can be heard both here on our Substack pages or via your preferred podcast app: just follow the links and instructions on the right. In addition to the podcast, Jagged Time Lapse and Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith regularly serve up previously unpublished interviews and other exclusive content to our paid subscribers.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 18th episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.The Beach Boys fit in quite nicely with our whole CROSSED CHANNELS concept, as they were a quintessentially American band that was both profoundly impacted by the British Invasion and hugely influential on a number of British artists. And when their immense US popularity began to decline as Brian moved the band’s music away from surfing and hot rod songs, The Beach Boys experienced a new wave of popularity in the UK — a wave set in motion in May 1966, when The Who’s Keith Moon personally insisted that Beach Boy Bruce Johnston (then visiting London to promote the newly-released Pet Sounds) join him for an interview segment on ITV’s Ready Steady Go!Of course, The Beatles also show up in this CROSSED CHANNELS episode. The competition between Britain’s biggest import and America’s biggest homegrown band produced incredible music from both camps, at least before the May 1967 release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band caused Brian Wilson to scrap The Beach Boys’ ambitious Smile project. But even with Brian on the ropes, his band’s post-Pet Sounds output continued to sell remarkably well in the UK, where the influence of Pet Sounds itself also manifested in Billy Nicholls’ remarkable 1968 album Would You Believe, which Dan recently wrote about at his Substack:As always, this full CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this episode in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them! CROSSED CHANNELS can be heard both here on our Substack pages or via your preferred podcast app: just follow the links and instructions on the right. In addition to the podcast, Jagged Time Lapse and Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith regularly serve up previously unpublished interviews and other exclusive content to our paid subscribers.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 17th episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.This time out, our subject is The Smiths, the most iconic British indie band of the 1980s. Specifically, we discuss the period bookended by the August 1984 release of their fifth UK single, “William, It Was Really Nothing,” and the conclusion of their first US tour at the end of June 1985. During that frantic 11-month stretch, the band released the odds n’ sods collection Hatful of Hollow and their second studio album Meat Is Murder, and their epic B-side “How Soon Is Now?” became a massive underground hit in America, thanks in part to a video that Sire Records commissioned and released without the band’s awareness or permission.Meat Is Murder, the first Smiths album released domestically in the US, reached #110 on the Billboard 200 in May 1985 — which, while not quite as impressive a feat as knocking Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA off the top of the UK charts, was still a damn fine showing for a band that had only played one US concert date (New Year’s Eve 1983 at Danceteria in NYC) prior to its release. The record stayed on the US album charts for 32 weeks in all; and on June 7th of that year, Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce kicked off their first US tour with a show at Chicago’s 5,000-capacity Aragon Ballroom.Although Dan was living in Chicago at the time, he happily passed on attending that now-fabled Aragon show. By his own admission, he spent many years stubbornly resisting the charms of The Smiths — so much so, in fact, that he somehow managed to avoid hearing almost all of Meat Is Murder until just a few weeks ago when he began prepping for this episode.Tony, on the other hand, is exceedingly familiar with the album, as well as the rest of The Smiths’ densely-packed catalog. Not only was he lucky enough to witness the band (which acrimoniously fell apart in 1987) play live on numerous occasions, but he also penned the excellent 2012 biography A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths.Please join us for an animated discussion on a legendary band. Why did such a quintessentially English act resonate so deeply with American audiences? Does Meat Is Murder still hold up for Tony forty years later? Will the album help Dan to finally see the light (that never goes out) and inspire him to delve deeper into The Smiths’ discography? And how come Slim Whitman and Gordon Lightfoot both come up in the conversation? Tune in to find out!As always, this full CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this episode in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them! CROSSED CHANNELS can be heard both here on our Substack pages or via your preferred podcast app: just follow the links and instructions on the right. In addition to the podcast, Jagged Time Lapse and Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith regularly serve up previously unpublished interviews and other exclusive content to our paid subscribers.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 16th episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.While most of our previous episodes have covered bands or artists that have been received very differently in the UK than the US, this one focuses on a band that was hugely successful in both countries (and a whole lotta other places as well): Athens, Georgia’s R.E.M.But instead of zooming in on one of R.E.M.’s classic early/mid-eighties albums like Murmur or Reckoning, or delving into one of the releases from their multi-platinum run in the nineties, Dan and Tony fast-forward here to the penultimate studio album of the massively influential alternative rock band’s 31-year career: 2008’s Accelerate.Produced by Jacknife Lee (who had previously worked with Snow Patrol, Editors and The Hives, among others), Accelerate is a 35-minute blast of hard-riffing, tightly-wound tunes, featuring such bracing singles as “Hollow Man” (video below), “Man-Sized Wreath” and “Supernatural Superserious”. Viewed by many — including R.E.M. co-founders Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe — as a significant comeback from their previous outing, 2004’s soggy Around the Sun, the record received rave reviews pretty much across the board, and reached #2 on the Billboard 200 in the US while going all the way to #1 on the UK Albums chart.But despite its commercial and critical success, Accelerate remains something of an overlooked entry in R.E.M.’s extensive discography. Dan, for example, was only dimly aware of its existence; even though R.E.M. was once quite literally his favorite band in the world, he’d never actually even listened to Accelerate until Tony suggested it for this episode. Tony, on the other hand, was already highly familiar with the album, having detailed the story of its unusual gestation, especially the role of Jacknife Lee in revitalizing the group’s mojo, in the last update of his band biography, Perfect Circle: The Story of R.E.M.In this episode, Dan and Tony discuss the circumstances around Accelerate’s creation, the album’s various musical and lyrical highlights, and where it ultimately ranks in their respective R.E.M. standings. Will Tony make a convincing case for the album’s enduring greatness? Will Dan kick himself for waiting nearly 17 years to actually listen to the record? Tune in to this episode of CROSSED CHANNELS and find out!As always, this full CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this episode in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them! In addition to the podcast, Jagged Time Lapse and Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith regularly serve up previously unpublished interviews and other exclusive content to our paid subscribers.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 15th episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.This time out, our subject is Slade, a British band who are justifiably legendary in their homeland. From 1971 to 1975, these self-described “yobboes” from Wolverhampton in the Midlands absolutely ruled the UK and European charts with one hard-rocking, rafter-raising singalong after another, lodging 17 straight singles in the UK Top 20, including six Number Ones, three of which came in at Number 1, the first act to do so since The Beatles and the last to do so before The Jam. As the incredible 1975 show from San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom below attests, few acts could touch Slade onstage, either.But despite numerous attempts to break through in the US — and even after acquiring devoted fanbases in several American cities — Slade never managed to reach higher than #68 on the Billboard Hot 100 (a placing they achieved with 1972’s “Gudbuy T’Jane”) during their UK glory days. In 1983, however, Quiet Riot’s hit cover of their classic “Cum On Feel the Noize” gave the band an unexpected commercial boost in the States, resulting in big MTV hits with “My Oh My” and “Run Runaway,” the latter of which actually made it to #20 in the US.Both CROSSED CHANNELS hosts are both massive Slade fans — in fact, Dan is currently running a multi-part interview with Slade frontman Noddy Holder on his Substack — but growing up on opposite sides of the Atlantic meant that our respective introductions to Slade and their music were vastly different. We get into our origin stories on this episode, as well as our favorite songs and albums from the Slade discography, and how the act’s growth as songwriters did not yield equivalent success; we also debate the relative merits of Slade In Flame, the gritty 1975 film that follows the travails of an up-and-coming 1960s band called Flame (who are, of course, played by the members of Slade). Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Slade In Flame will be rereleased in UK theatres this spring, as well as released on Blu-Ray for the first time… though only one of us is at all excited about this news.As always, the full CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this episode in all its Slade glory, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them!
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 14th episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond. And this time out, our subject is Curtis, the 1970 solo debut of the legendary American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Curtis Mayfield.Curtis produced two international hits — “(Don’t Worry) If There’s Hell Below We’re All Gonna Go” (listen via the YouTube clip that follows) and “Move On Up” — and topped the US R&B Albums charts while reaching #19 on the Billboard 200, setting the stage for Mayfield to leave The Impressions and embark upon a successful solo career that would peak commercially in 1972 with his soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Super Fly.As always, this full CROSSED CHANNELS episode (75 mins) is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available for all to listen to. To hear this episode in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one (or both!) of our Substacks.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the first 2025 episode (and 13th episode overall) of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond. And this time out, our subject is one of the great British bands of all time: The Kinks!Rather than talk about one of the band’s widely acknowledged classics like 1968’s The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society or 1969’s Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire), we’re discussing a Kinks album that’s largely underappreciated: 1977’s Sleepwalker.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comThough largely (and perhaps unfairly) remembered as a one-hit wonder in the US, where their 1993 single “Laid” reached #3 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart (and #61 on the Hot 100) and helped their album of the same name sell over half a million copies in the States, James remain massively popular in the UK. Yummy, the band’s 18th and latest studio album, even topped the UK charts upon its release this past April, giving James the first Number One album of their lengthy career.Will Tony make a convincing case for the enduring brilliance of James? Will Dan be able to move past his long-held suspicion of the band and actually find ways to connect with them and their music? Will a certain accusation about James made by a certain member of the British band Thee Hypnotics be squarely refuted once and for all? Listen to this episode of CROSSED CHANNELS and find out!As always, this podcast episode is only available in full to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith - where Tony also recently posted the transcript of his 2011 interview with Tim Booth for his Smiths biography - though a short preview of the episode is available to all. To hear it in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one (or both!) of our Substacks.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to Episode 11 of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast, in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.Actually, we should probably change it to KROSSED CHANNELS for this episode, since it finds us discussing one of Dan’s all-time favorite bands: Southern California cult heroes Redd Kross!
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to Episode 10 of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast, in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.This time out, we taken on of the greatest rock n’ roll bands to ever demolish a stage: the MC5!Formed in the mid-1960s in the suburbs of Detroit, Michi…
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to Episode 9 of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast, in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.Elton John calls her "a most beautiful mystery.” Tricky notes how “you can’t hear her influences.” And yet, as St. Vincent observes, “You can hear one no…
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to Episode 8 of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast, in which two music journalists/obsessives, Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.In our last episode, we took a deep dive into The Clash’s controversial 1980 album Sandinista!, and attempted to whittle down its sprawling three LPs into a 12-track single album. Just as the three Clash albums that preceded Sandinista! have tended to loom the largest in that band’s legacy, so too is the case with today’s subject: Love, the groundbreaking, genre-blending American band led by the brilliant and mercurial Arthur Lee.For decades, Love has been (rightly) celebrated for their phenomenal 1967 album Forever Changes — a record which regularly appears near the top of “Greatest Psychedelic Albums of All Time” lists, and sometimes “Greatest Albums of All Time, Period” lists, too — as well as their half-great 1966 pop-jazz-psych LP Da Capo and their self-titled folk-punk debut from earlier that same year.But there is far more to Arthur Lee and Love’s discography than those first three albums and their non-LP 1968 single “Your Mind and We Belong Together,” which was the last thing Lee cut with Love’s “classic lineup”. 1969’s Four Sail was ignored or denigrated by music critics for decades, simply because it featured an almost entirely new Love lineup, and because its acid-rock sound was such a radical departure from the pastoral soft-psych of Forever Changes.And yet, Four Sail contains some of Lee’s finest songs — and there are even some days where Dan actually prefers this underrated album to anything else in the Love catalog, Forever Changes included. Will Dan convince him of that album’s enduring brilliance, or will it all be a bit too “West Coast hippie” for his punk rock liking? Tune in to the latest episode of CROSSED CHANNELS to find out!A free preview of Episode 8 is available to all listeners, but the full episodes of CROSSED CHANNELS are only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse https://danepstein.substack.com/ or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith. https://tonyfletcher.substack.com/ If you’re already a free subscriber to either of these Substacks (or better yet, both), upgrade your subscription now to hear the whole thing, as well as all our previous episodes. As always, we are immensely grateful for your encouragement and support! Cheers!
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to Episode 7 of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast, in which two music journalists/obsessives, Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.A free preview of Episode 7 is available to all listeners, but the episode is only available in its entirety to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith. If you’re already a free subscriber to either of these Substacks (or better yet, both), upgrade your subscription now to hear the whole thing, along with other bonus features. As always, we are immensely grateful for your encouragement and support! Cheers! On this occasion, paid subscribers can also win a copy of Tony’s book on The Clash: The Music That Matters to be won.In Episode 6, we discussed Blondie, a band from the NYC punk scene that hit it big in the UK before most Americans had ever heard of them. This time, we’re tackling one of the most important bands from the original wave of British punk: The Clash.After making their live debut with a July 4, 1976 performance at The Screen on the Green in London (at which they supported the Buzzcocks and the Sex Pistols), the Clash quickly gained a massive UK following on the strength of their high-energy gigs and outspoken left-wing ideology. But Epic Records, the American arm of their label CBS Records, flat-out refused to issue the band’s self-titled 1977 debut album, assuming that it had no commercial potential in the US.By 1980, however, the Clash had become immensely popular in the States — their third album, 1979’s double-length London Calling, made it all the way to #27 on the Billboard 200, thanks to the surprise radio hit “Train in Vain” — and the band spent so much time on the road in there that they were regularly accused of forsaking their homeland in pursuit of the Yankee dollar.This transatlantic shift in the band’s fortunes was underlined by the December 1980 release of Sandinista!, the most politically-charged and stylistically wide-ranging album that the band ever made. The three-LP set received rave reviews in the US, surpassed London Calling on the Billboard 200, and went on to sell over 500,000 copies; in the UK, however, Sandinista! was poorly received by critics and fans alike, and would become the lowest-charting album of the band’s career.Though often hailed as a masterpiece, Sandinista! has been almost equally criticized as being a mess. Many folks think it would have been a far better listening experience as a double LP, or even a single album. On this episode of CROSSED CHANNELS, we dig deep into this incredibly diverse record, and attempt to assemble the ideal single-album version of Sandinista! by slimming it down from 36 tracks to 12. As it turns out, however, we have wildly divergent opinions on which tracks should make the cut…
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to Episode 6 of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast, in which two music journalists/obsessives, Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.Our 5th Episode, Oasis: What's The Story?, in which we discussed the 1995 album that catapulted the Manchester band to international fame, is now available in full, on all streaming platforms, for anyone who is not one of our paid-up Substack subscribers and wants to hear where we go with these discussions. We now head back to the United States for a look at the strange case of Blondie.A cornerstone of the original New York punk scene that revolved around CBGB, Club 82 and Max’s Kansas City, Blondie were a group with roots in both the pure pop of 1960s girl groups like the Shangri-La’s and the pop art experiments of the early Velvet Underground. Fronted by the gorgeously talented Debbie Harry, Blondie were the biggest (and arguably the best) pop band in the US from 1979 through 1981, though they actually scored two massive hits in the UK — “Denis” and “(I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear” — in 1978, before most American listeners were even aware of their existence.Blondie’s US breakthrough came in 1979 via “Heart of Glass,” the Mike Chapman-produced disco smash that provoked cries of “Sellout!” from punk and new wave fans, but completely connected with the cultural zeitgeist of the time. Of course, Blondie — a band who were never shy about experimenting with musical styles and forms beyond accepted punk parameters — had actually been playing versions of the song well before “disco” became a dirty word.In this episode of CROSSED CHANNELS, Dan and Tony take a look at Blondie’s incredible run of six albums between 1976-82, and discuss how a band that was largely written off by critics and scenesters in their early days wound up scoring Number One hits on both sides of the Atlantic — as well as why British record buyers fell for them first. Along the way, our hosts answer these questions and more:• What was the original title for "Heart of Glass,” and how far back does the song date?• When did Debbie Harry first show up on an album?• What was the group that Chris Stein and Debbie Harry first played in together?• What cassette did drummer Clem Burke bring back with him from London in 1975?• And was it Farfisa or Vox that gave keyboard player Jimmy Destri Blondie’s distinctive retro sound?A free preview of Episode 6 is available to all listeners, but the episode is only available in its entirety to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith. If you’re already a free subscriber to either of these Substacks (or better yet, both), upgrade your subscription now to hear the whole thing. As always, we are immensely grateful for your encouragement and support! Cheers!…A couple of photographic references from the episode:
Welcome to the fifth episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast, in which Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pondHaving tackled the rise and premature demise of Otis Redding in our last episode, we now return to England — Manchester, to be specific — to discuss the band Oasis and the 1995 album that catapulted them to international stardom, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?Originally a quartet formed in 1991 as the Rain, Oasis – which became a five-piece once singer Liam Gallagher's older brother, the songwriter Noel Gallagher, joined the band - were signed to Creation Records in the summer of 1993. They scored their first UK Top 10 hit a year later with “Live Forever,” and generated such a buzz that their 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe entered the Number One spot on the UK albums chart in its first week of release, becoming the fastest selling debut album in British history.But it was their second album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, that turned Oasis into a genuine phenomenon. Released in October 1995, the record spent ten weeks at the top of the UK albums chart and spawned four UK #1 or #2 hits with “Some Might Say,” “Roll With It,” “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. For anyone in Britain in 1995-96, it was impossible to get away from the sound of the band’s music; discussion of their antics (the Gallagher brothers took “sibling rivalry” to new extremes and the group as a whole was known for its rabble-rousing); and coverage of the Britpop phenomenon, which Oasis were drawn into after the media created a rivalry between themselves and Blur. This astonishing success climaxed in the UK in August 1996 with a two-night stand at Knebworth Park (see below), the biggest ever concerts in the UK's history; they drew a record 250,000 people, only 1/10th the number who applied. (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? went on to sell over 5 million records in the UK, and over 4 million in the USA, accompanied by Grammy nominations, Brits and Ivor Novello awards, and commensurate international sales adding up to over 20 million globally, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.Why did Oasis — and especially (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? — strike such a massive chord with British record buyers? What was it about the band’s music, message and attitude that resonated so deeply in the UK? And how was this exceedingly British band received in the US at a time when the seismic rumbles of the grunge movement were still being heard and felt on that side of the Atlantic? Dan and Tony discuss these topics and more, including their memories of their first Oasis concerts, and have a look to see just how well (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? holds up today, nearly 29 years after its release.A free preview of Episode 5 is available to all listeners, but the entire episode (along with all previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes) is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith. If you’re already a free subscriber to one of these Substacks (or, even better, both), upgrade your subscription now to ensure that you don’t miss out on all the fun. As always, we thank you for the encouragement and support! Cheers! This episode was recorded on Zoom, rather than in person per usual, due to Tony being in the UK, and there are a couple of minor audio glitches for which we apologize. We figure you can fill in the gaps! If you have comments on this episode, or suggestions for future episode subjects, we are all ears! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tonyfletcher.substack.com/subscribe
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the fourth episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast, in which Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from across the pond.Having discussed the rise and fall of The Sex Pistols in our last episode, we now head back across the Atlantic — and back a decade earlier — to tackle the rise and premature demise of legendary soul man Otis Redding.Born in 1941 in Dawson, Georgia and raised in Macon, Otis began his professional singing career in the late 1950s as a Little Richard-influenced rock and roller, but his big break came in 1962, when he cut “These Arms of Mine” at the Stax studio in Memphis, with Booker T. & The M.G.’s backing him. That song reached #20 on the US R&B chart in late 1962, the first of 24 Redding singles to reach the US R&B Top 20 or higher. But while Otis was enormously popular with Black audiences, his songs only occasionally crossed over onto the US pop charts, and it was only after his jaw-dropping performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967 that America’s mainstream pop scene began to finally recognize “The Big O” for the soul giant he was. But that penny had already dropped in the UK, where 1965’s Otis Blue had reached #6 on the album charts, and where the influential TV show Ready Steady Go! had devoted an entire episode to him. (See below.)Why did white British audiences (and the mainstream UK music media) recognize Otis Redding’s genius before white American audiences did? Why was it such a radical thing at the time for Otis to cover songs by both The Rolling Stones and The Beatles? What might he have gone on to accomplish if his plane hadn’t gone down in a frozen Wisconsin lake on December 10, 1967, taking the lives of Otis, his pilot, and five young members of his backing band, the Bar-Kays?Dan and Tony discuss these topics and more, picking out three favorite songs apiece in an attempt to get to the heart of what made Otis Redding such a major figure in soul music, and why his recorded legacy still sounds so wonderfully fresh and alive to this day.A free preview of Episode 4 is available to all listeners, but the entire episode (along with all previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes) is only available to paid JAGGED TIME LAPSE or TONY FLETCHER, WORDSMITH subscribers. If you’re already a free subscriber to one Substack or the other, upgrade your subscription now to ensure that you don’t miss out on the fun. Cheers, and thanks as always for the support!Note to subscribers of Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith: this Crossed Channels podcast episode is in lieu of the usual Midweek Update. I will be heading to the UK this weekend and posting from there over coming weeks, including the John Entwistle epic two-parter coming up this weekend, from my 1996 interview with him at his Shropshire mansion for the Keith Moon biography, Dear Boy.