In which The Curmudgeons marvel at the trainwreck that the career of a pretty fabulous rock 'n' roll singer became. Rod Stewart's gravelly, soulful voice was the engine for a series of great ramped-up yet mostly acoustic albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s, all of which cemented a solid legacy for the singer. And then Stewart became beholden to a rock-star, sexy-man persona that craved relevance more than integrity. Starting in 1975, his career descended into a series of schlocky, cheesy singles that, while they proved to be his biggest hits, must be heard to truly appreciate their awfulness. We recount both the good ol' days and the bad ol' days of Rod Stewart during this episode.

Listen to all things Rod Stewart - good, bad and ugly - by accessing our special Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0nXvqAv6Yby0h6pWeDSEG4?si=1ddcbbd651df4677

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(0:52 - 03:31) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of Rod Stewart

(03:50 - 15:25) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums by Sahra Halgan and Khruangbin

(16:09 - 37:33) - Good Rod - a discussion of Stewart's beginnings and analyses of his first five albums, including his masterpiece, 1971's Every Picture Tells a Story

(38:32 - 58:27) - Bad Rod - a discussion of Stewart's nosedive into mediocrity, following him from 1975 through the New Wave days of the early 1980s

(59:25 - 01:21:17) - More Bad Rod - a discussion of the nadir that was Rod Stewart's 1980s and then something of a brief comeback in the early 1990s. We end by contemplating the ultimate legacy of Rod Stewart.

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Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons

In which The Curmudgeons meditate on one of rock's most important years. The music of 1969 was as inspiring as the times it was released were tumultuous. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who all released celebrated masterworks. Southern rock was born, and the newfangled form of funk continued to evolve. And two gigantic festivals hit the United States--one glorious, the other notorious. There would be blood, serving as arguably a perfect prelude to the 1970s.

Read a gripping book we discuss during the episode, Joel Selvin's "Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day":

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-darkness-got-to-give_joel-selvin/9920665/?resultid=fdbf7f90-5f20-4371-8ae3-f5f6616ace4f#edition=13196916&idiq=28301699

Listen to lots of wonderful music from 1969 by accessing our special Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7fSB03xBvDiODLdA6S1d4V?si=0c6b037284a54d13

Here's a handy navigation companion for this episode

(0:52 to 2:44) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of 1969

(03:06 to 15:21) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums by The Black Crowes and Waxahatchee

(16:06 to 01:14:54) - Discussion of the 1969 output of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Stooges

(01:16:05 to 01:42:49) - Discussion of the 1969 output of Isaac Hayes, Sly & The Family Stone, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Band and The Allman Brothers

(01:43:48 to 02:30:06) - Discussion of a bunch of great albums from 1969, plus a contemplation of the divergent stories that were Woodstock and Altamont

Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock

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Subscribe to our show on these platforms:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911

https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80M

Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons

In which The Curmudgeons make the case for what we think is one of the most underrated bands of all time: The Doors. Wait. The Doors?! Yup. Once revered and now reviled, The Doors, we believe, are viewed by younger generations as a Baby Boomer fossil that is as pretentious as it is insufferable. But that misses the mark badly. Listen as we discuss the influences and artistic ambition that made Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek and bandmates so compelling, so engaging and so original.

Enjoy each of The Door's six marvelous--or at least marvelously strange--records they made with Jim Morrison via our Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6qyqDc06X5gPa2XIK2n4jR?si=01b736f7a6ab40fa

Here's a handy navigation companion for this episode.

(0:52 - 04:05) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of The Doors

(04:22 - 19:48) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of albums by Yard Act and Liquid Mike

(20:33 - 42:02) - We dispel five myths commonly associated with The Doors

(43:32 - 01:08:54) - We discuss the band's origin story. We also analyze the first three Doors albums: the self-titled debut, Strange Days and Waiting For The Sun.

(01:09:53 - 01:46:55) - We analyze the last three records The Doors made with Jim Morrison: The Soft Parade, Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman. We also discuss the band's considerable influence and undeniable legacy.

Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock

Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com

Subscribe to our show on these platforms:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911

https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80M

Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons