S1E4. Roseland NYC Live (Portishead, 1998)

09/14/20 • 77 min

In the 90s, there was no other group like Portishead. And there is no live album from the modern rock era that swings for the fences like this one, and pulls it off as beautifully. James and Dan both cite this album, the band, and the accompanying concert film as life changing for them as late teens, and they talk about the brilliant use of orchestration for an otherwise sample-heavy band, the delicacy of dynamics, and Beth Gibbons' haunting vocal range.

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S1E3. Live At Carnegie Hall (Bill Withers, 1973)

Bill Withers may be one of the finest voices in r&b that not nearly enough people talk about. James and Dan delve into the man's career (which he began after age 30), the amazing band he put together for this concert, the sheer volume of hits he had in such a short time, and that 'Lean On Me' should be our national anthem.

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S1E5. Live Between Us (The Tragically Hip, 1997)

There was no band bigger, no band greater, and no band that represented Canada better than The Tragically Hip. Their 1997 live album (the only full length live LP they ever put out) is both a snapshot of a band fully embracing their role in Canadian music, and a full-of-energy artifact of what the band could offer every night onstage. James and Dan talk about the late poet/frontman Gord Downie and his antics, the band's massive popularity in their home nation (while never really making a big splash in the US), and the evolution of The Hip from a solid barroom blues band to stadium kings.