S1E6. Aretha Live at the Fillmore West (Aretha Franklin, 1971)

10/12/20 • 82 min

There are more Aretha Franklin live records out there than most bands have in their entire catalogs. Why this one? James and Dan get wowed not only by the Queen of Soul's not-of-this-world vocals, but by the fiery performance from King Curtis and the Kingpins, backed the Memphis Horns. Whether it's her superior takes on a few classic hits of the day, her own hits, or Aretha's gospel-steeped crowd work, there's a lot to talk about on this record that doesn't even clock in at an hour.

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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.

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S1E7. A Live One (Phish, 1995)- Part 1

We're wrapping up the season with two-parter on Phish's 1995 double CD 'A Live One', recorded from their 1994 summer and fall tour. James and Dan dive full into disc 1 on this episode, talking about what makes Phish not only a unique live band, but a unique live-album band. How do you even capture the phenomenon of one of THE live bands of our time on a CD, especially in the mid 90s, as the band was growing rapidly along with their devoted fanbase? Dan and James go deep on one of their favorite bands, with "minimal trivial diversions".