Word Podcast
1) The great lost Beach Boys SMiLE album – David Leaf unravels rock’s Holy Grail
The Beach Boys’ SMiLE was abandoned by Brian Wilson in 1967 and eventually performed at an emotional gathering of the faithful in London 37 years later. For writer and lecturer David Leaf it became an...Show More
2) Al Murray and James Holland talk the ending of the war in 1945 and the afterlife of The Beatles
In which comedian Al Murray and historian James Holland talk about their new book Victory ’45 and our twin national obsessions, the Second World War and The Beatles. Includes:….how being emotiona...Show More
3) Moon Zappa remembers life with her father Frank. ‘Pagan absurdists’ aren’t great parents
Moon Zappa grew up in what appeared, on the outside, to be an enviably free-wheeling and creative household in Laurel Canyon. On the inside, not so much. Her extremely funny, soul-baring and colourful...Show More
4) Daryl Hall - ‘60s soul session work, the right shoes and a barge trip with Bob Dylan
We like to think of Daryl Hall as a kindred spirit, his home-recorded Live At Daryl’s House series with its magnificent roster of guests now racking up 90 episodes. He’s about to tour in May and talks...Show More
5) Hearing 45 year-old records you’d never played & the least likely-looking person to become a rock star
The super-trouper of scrutiny scans this week’s events and lands upon … … the man who’s played on 21,000 records. … how Joni Mitchell is still stirring it up aged 81 and why we love her for ...Show More
6) The lost world of teenage love songs – and the best pop song ever written!
In eager pursuit of dance and merriment, we dust down the current events. Which this week involves …. … are teenagers no longer in love? And what does this mean for pop music? … are people b...Show More
7) Has politics eaten entertainment? What’s ‘perfect sound’? Plus Brian James & how to make a speech
Tyres pumped, engine cranked, chromework winking in the Springtime sun, the two-man conversational jalopy sets off on its weekly spin and visits … … the day America broke the news and showed its ...Show More
8) Graham Fellows, “the comedy of the underdog” and inventing John Shuttleworth and Jilted John
We first saw Graham Fellows as Jilted John on Top of the Pops in 1978 and we’ve followed his characters ever since, especially drawn to the keyboard-prodding, car-coated John Shuttleworth and his deat...Show More
9) How Al Stewart struck gold, the folk boom and a flat-share with Paul Simon
The 17 year-old Al Stewart played electric guitar in a dance band in Bournemouth in 1963. When he borrowed an acoustic and sang Masters Of War in the break, he heard the sweet sound of applause. The n...Show More
How Al Stewart struck gold, the folk boom and a flat-share with Paul Simon
40:16 | Dec 19th, 2024
10) Obsessive fans, Dylan’s reading list and how Taylor Swift tickets are the new codeword for wealth
Applying our patent wheat-chaff separator to recent rock and roll events, we filter out the following … … “They’ve got the guns but we got the numbers”: whatever happened to political songs...Show More