Permanent Record Podcast

Episode 109 - Selections from Now That's What I Call Music (1983) - Part 1 It's summertime in the Northern Hemisphere, and for the Permanent Record Podcast, that also means it's time for some episodes where individual songs by various artists are discussed. This year's idea came from friend of the show and guest host on the Wham! Make It Big episodes, Jackie Clary. Instead of the hosts selecting random songs to compile an "80s mix tape," Jackie suggested taking a look at what could be called the original 80s mix tape, Now That's What I Call Music. This double album was released in the UK in November 1983 and started a now-ubiquitous series of compilation albums featuring popular songs by various artists. Jackie joins Brian and Sarah as they talk about how this series came about, as well as reviewing the history of compilation albums in general. Then each of the hosts leads the discussion of a song they've chosen from the first album. And of course the conversation wouldn't be complete without a mention of t

PRP 007 Mini-Broadcast: Episode 3 - Goldfinger Since the beginning of the show, Brian has done his best to strong-arm discussion of Agent 007 into as many podcasts as he could.  Finally he has convinced Sarah to embark on a new mission: the Permanent Record Podcast 007 Mini-Broadcast! This new occasional series from your friends Brian & Sarah will start with "Dr. No" and work its way up to the most recent Bond adventure, and on the way it will discuss and critique all of the 007 theme songs and other relevant recordings.  It's a dream come true for one of the hosts - and for Bond fans everywhere! In this third installment, composer John Barry is once again called into service, and this time, he has to provide both the score AND the theme song! Barry assembles a talented team of collaborators to work with him on what would go on to become one of the most iconic film songs of all time! Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/ Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast Follow us at

Episode 108: Depeche Mode - Violator (1990) Part 4 Can it be? Is this the final PRP episode on Violator? It appears so! Brian and Sarah are back to talk about the rest of Depeche Mode's 1990 album and to give their final evaluations and ratings. But wait, there's more! They also have additional Violator memories from listeners to share, as well as quite a few new Apple Podcasts reviews, all of which are interspersed throughout the episode. Part 3 - Track by Track, Continued If you look at the track listings for the previous Violator episodes and on the album itself, you could easily come to the conclusion that there are only three more songs to discuss. But in truth, there are five! Brian and Sarah start the Track by Track section for this episode with one of these hidden tracks. In addition to discussing the final single on the album and two more videos, there's also more talk of smooching, as well as more made-up names for synth sounds-- one of which both hosts came up with, independent of each other! Int

Episode 107:  In Conversation with Rob Rowe (Cause and Effect, VH x RR) and Von Hertzog (VH x RR) Brian and Sarah are thrilled to present this very special episode! They had the privilege and pleasure of speaking with two talented musicians who've recently joined forces-- one whose music they've loved for almost 30 years, and another whose music they just recently learned about, and are really enjoying. Rob Rowe has been in the groups Cause and Effect and Whitewaits, and Von Hertzog has released numerous albums, EPs,  and singles under his own name. Together they've formed the band VH x RR, and their new EP, "The Persistence of Memory," has just been released. Our hosts first speak with Rob Rowe about his years with Cause and Effect and Whitewaits, and then Von Hertzog joins the conversation and shares his history. The conversation then turns to the new project, VH x RR, its origins, and "The Persistence of Memory."  And as per usual, Brian and Sarah provide some analysis and commentary on several of the t

Episode 106: Depeche Mode - Violator (1990) Part 3 The end of May is here, but the end of Brian and Sarah's Violator album analysis is not! Depeche Mode's Violator is truly one of the most important records our hosts own, and to commemorate the 30th anniversary of its release, they want to do it justice. This means our hosts get into more details and share even more memories than usual, as they make their way through the songs on the album. In addition to their own memories, though, Brian and Sarah are happy to share a voice message from a listener who also has fond recollections of Violator, and there are some new Apple Podcast reviews to read as well. Part 3 - Track by Track, Continued As mentioned previously, our hosts decided to break the song discussion up into groups of three. That means in this episode, they do get to flip the record to Side Two, and they get to talk about one single. And what a single it is! The single also has a rather iconic video to go along with it. But one of the non-singles al

Episode 105: Depeche Mode - Violator (1990) Part 2 Brian and Sarah are back, and they're eager to continue their discussion of Depeche Mode's landmark album Violator, which turned 30 not too long ago. This is one of the most important albums our hosts own, and they have many memories and thoughts to share about it, so they're breaking up their analysis into more than just the usual two parts. This episode begins with a couple more album reviews before the hosts are finally ready to get into the song discussion.   Part 3 - Track by Track Since Violator contains nine tracks, and Brian and Sarah know they're going to have a lot to say about most of the songs-- especially the four singles-- they come up with a game plan to cover three tracks per episode. So in this episode, two singles-- and two videos-- are discussed. Our hosts cover the typical topics of release history, chart history, reviews, and album art, and along the way they also share many personal memories from the time period when the songs were rele

Episode 104: In Conversation with Tony Miracle of Venus Hum As was famously said in Monty Python's Flying Circus, "And now for something completely different..." Yes, Brian and Sarah should be talking about Depeche Mode's album Violator in this episode. But instead, they present to you their first-ever interview! Tony Miracle has worked in the music industry for over 25 years as a musician, songwriter, producer, and remixer. In the early 2000s he was one-third of the wonderful synthpop group Venus Hum, and he's also released electronic music under the moniker  Satellite City and his own name. And if that's not enough, he's also a graphic designer! With a resume like that, it should come as no surprise that Brian and Sarah found plenty of things to discuss with Tony. He shared many interesting tales from his past and graciously answered numerous questions from our hosts. And during the course of the conversation, he mentioned several names that should be quite familiar to listeners of this podcast: Thomas D

Episode 103: Depeche Mode - Violator (1990) Part 1 Yes, that's right; Brian and Sarah last discussed Depeche Mode a mere two episodes ago. However, one of the most important and beloved albums in our hosts' entire record collection just celebrated its 30th anniversary, so there was no way to stop them from selecting Violator for their next in-depth analysis! And because the album is so important to them-- and because they don't want to release a 3-hour episode!-- they only cover the Album History and Personal History sections in this episode. Part 1 - Album History Brian and Sarah start their examination of Violator with the release and chart history, and then go on to share the story behind the making of Violator and why both the process and the people involved were different from previous recording sessions. They then spend some time looking at where Depeche Mode was at this point in their career and how their career had progressed, especially regarding their status and popularity in America. This leads t

Episode 102: Permanent Record Trivia Showdown 2020 Last year, Brian and Sarah competed against each other in the first-ever Permanent Record Trivia Showdown, presided over by the Quiz Master (secret identity: Brian and Sarah's longtime friend Hans Lemke). Listeners sent in questions, and a heated contest ensued, with lots of laughs along the way! The showdown was so much fun for Brian, Sarah, and the Quiz Master, that they decided to do it again in 2020! Once more, our hosts sent out the call for trivia questions, and many listeners responded! Special thanks go out to Seth Brugger, Paul Underwood of "Glory Days Radio", Malachy Green, Nick Oswald, Alan Hogg, Mark Simpson, John Justice, and Frederick Frantz of Fragile Gods for contributing questions to this year's Trivia Showdown. The Quiz Master leads the hosts through several rounds of competition, and all three of them have many more laughs as well! But who has the last laugh when the showdown is over? You'll have to listen to the end to find out! Listen

Episode 101: Movie Review - Depeche Mode: 101 (1989) They've been hinting at this one for a while now, so it should be no surprise that for the 101st episode of their podcast, Brian and Sarah have chosen to discuss Depeche Mode 101. However, rather than discussing the live album, they've decided instead to talk about the film. Our hosts break the movie discussion into several sections: • The Concept • The Contest/The Bus Kids • The Tour: non-concert stuff • The Tour: concert stuff • Favorite characters and favorite moments • Impact/Legacy This episode could also be known as "the one with all the tidbits," because throughout the discussion, Brian and Sarah keep sharing tidbits with each other-- and some of the tidbits even have sub-lists. As huge Depeche Mode fans, Brian and Sarah have a special place in their hearts for this movie. They'd love to have you join a discussion on it by sharing your thoughts and memories via one of the many options listed below. Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.

Episode 100: A Centennial Celebration with Yazoo, Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran, and David Bowie It's finally here - Episode 100 of the Permanent Record Podcast! Brian and Sarah are thrilled to reach this milestone, and of course they wanted to do a special episode to celebrate. They looked through their record collection and found three singles by well-loved artists that might not get discussed otherwise. The other song selection allows our hosts to finally say they are done with the album discussion from Episode 1! Yazoo - Tuesday Pet Shop Boys - Miracles Duran Duran - The Wild Boys David Bowie - Absolute Beginners Anyone who has listened to this show know our hosts talk about more than just the songs, and episode 100 is no different. Here you'll find mention of No Romance in China, Chris Lowe's bad hair, the star of the television show "The Flash,” film and ad campaign flops, Vasco de Gama, a 41-year-old cassette tape, and adolescent guerilla packs of specialized humanoids. After the song discussion, Bria

Brian & Sarah Implore You Not to Listen to This! Look - we're all friends, right?  Well, Brian & Sarah are begging you not to listen to this short episode.  It says it's about 12 minutes long, but that's only because there's a really cool song at the end.  There's only about 9 minutes of podcast-content in this one, and what's there is really important.  But do we want you to listen?  No. And the reason for that is Reverse Psychology.  Yes, we actually do want you to listen - quite a bit really.  So we figured the best way to get you to listen is to implore you not to listen.  At least, that's what we learned by watching "The Office." So let's see how this goes......   Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/ Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast Follow us at https://twitter.com/permrecordpod Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/ Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod -

Episode 99: Blondie - Eat to the Beat (1979) Part 2 It's somewhat hard for our hosts to believe, but it's true-- this is officially the last double-digit episode of the Permanent Record Podcast! Episode 99 finds Brian and Sarah continuing their discussion of Blondie's 1979 album, Eat to the Beat. They start off with a couple more reviews of the album itself before getting back into the track-by-track discussion. Part 3 - Track by Track, continued Part One of Eat to the Beat was running long, so our hosts only got around to talking about the first four songs on Side One before wrapping up. With a total of eight songs left, there's lots more music, vocals, lyrics, and videos to discuss; plus, there are a couple of Apple Podcast reviews to share as well. In amongst all the regular topics though, there's also talk of post apocalyptic night clubs, intestinal distress, the world's largest "jazz cigarette," two Talking Heads references, and something that resembles either an enormous Swanson's turkey pot pie, a dr

Episode 98: Blondie - Eat to the Beat (1979) Part 1 The year 2020 is here, and Brian and Sarah are finally finished with their long holiday break. For their first album discussion this year, they decide to do something new. For the first time in almost 100 episodes, they're talking about an album from the 1970s! Their selection is Blondie's fourth album, Eat to the Beat, released in October 1979. Part 1 - Album History Since our hosts have never discussed Blondie before, they decide to bring everyone up to speed by explaining who's in the band at this time and the recent history prior to this album's recording and release. Then they get into the making of Eat to the Beat, the album's release and chart history, reviews from a variety of sources (including a university newspaper!), and the album art. There's one additional aspect of this album which merits discussion-- the video album that accompanies it, which was the first one ever made! Part 2 - Personal History The personal history section of the episode

Episode 97: Paul McCartney - "Wonderful Christmastime" (1979) and Holiday Giveaway The holiday season is upon us once again, and Brian and Sarah have already found their schedules full with festive preparations and celebrations-- as well as several concerts! But they found time to record one more episode this year, and it features one of the most divisive Christmas songs ever recorded-- Paul McCartney's 1979 single "Wonderful Christmastime." The two hosts dive into the release and somewhat confusing chart history of the record, and then they take turns sharing several reviews-- some positive, others decidedly less so. They also explore the time period during which the song was recorded, what Paul was doing and listening to, and where this song fits into the Paul McCartney discography. Brian and Sarah also discuss the video that accompanies the song, and Sarah surprises Brian by revealing the name of the video's director. They close out the discussion by sharing their own thoughts and rating for "Wonderful C

Depeche Mode - Spirits in the Forest (2019) On Thursday, November 21st, like many around the globe, Brian and Sarah visited their local cinema for a very special event - the world-wide premiere of "Spirits in the Forest."  The film was directed by Anton Corbijn and stars not only Dave, Martin, and Fletch from Depeche Mode but also eight of their biggest fans.  The fans came from Mongolia, Brazil, the United States, Romania, France, and Columbia to share their unique stories and to be there in Berlin for the final shows of the Global Spirit Tour. Corbijn's film gives us not only the opportunity to get to know this fascinating band of devotees, but also "closer than front row" access to an amazing night of music. Brian & Sarah recorded this short emergency episode to share with you their immediate thoughts after seeing the film and to get your opinions on what you saw.  Please feel free to chime in about the movie on any of the social media venues listed below.  We're anxious to hear what everyone though

Episode 96: Erasure - Wild! (1989) Part 2 Brian, Sarah, and special guest host Andrew Dineley are here to resume their examination of Erasure's fourth album, Wild! Brian and Sarah are especially grateful to Andrew for making the time to join them, as he just finished a new episode of his own podcast, "Art on Your Sleeve." Part 3 - Track by Track, Continued Part One of this discussion was of an epic length and contained some strong opinions. As the trio flip the record to Side Two, the anticipation level is high. There's only one single to be found here, and one more video to analyze. But the hosts find plenty of other things to talk about, such as musicals that never were, English history, the classic educational toy Speak and Spell, and of course the other songs on Side Two! And although Sarah had hoped that letting Brian do some James Bond "mini-podcasts" would contain the 007 talk to those shows, she finds herself talking with Brian and Andrew about James Bond in this episode-- and for two different reas

Episode 95: Erasure - Wild! (1989) Part 1 Brian and Sarah continue their run of guest co-hosts by welcoming back Andrew Dineley, owner of Soft Octopus design studio, host of "Art on Your Sleeve" podcast, and contributor to Classic Pop magazine. The three set out to examine Wild!, Erasure's fourth album, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.   Part 1 - Album History As our hosts look back to 1989, they find Vince Clarke and Andy Bell in a period of great productivity and popularity. Erasure won Best British Group at the 1989 Brit Awards, which leads Brian, Sarah, and Andrew to discuss the notoriously bad presentation by a terribly mismatched pair of hosts. The three then talk about the making of the album, with Brian explaining how producer Mark Saunders had the daunting task of trying to nudge Vince Clarke out of his comfort zone to try new things. The release history, chart information, and reviews are also shared, with Brian and Sarah then looking to graphic designer Andrew to lead the discussion

Episode 94: Wham! – Make it Big (1984) Part 3 Episode 94 finds Brian, Sarah, and special guest Jackie Clary looking back to 1984 at one of the year's biggest (no pun intended) albums - Make it Big by Wham! The three hosts have had a lively and lengthy discussion about the album's history and the songs on the first side, and now they're ready to flip the record. Part 3 –Track by Track, continued As Brian, Sarah, and Jackie turn their attention to Side Two of the record, they find another single right away. The video that accompanies the single is rather significant, not because of the technology used, but because of where it was filmed, and so the three hosts talk about Wham!'s trip to China and how the trip came to be.  The other single on this side is significant for a very different reason-- it was not credited explicitly to Wham! Brian expresses his confusion on this topic and asks Jackie to help shed some light on why this may have been done. The accompanying video is a rather memorable one from the 80s

Episode 93: Wham! – Make it Big (1984) Part 2 The month of October marches on, and so does the discussion of the sophomore effort by the group Wham!-- 1984's Make it Big. As a reminder, Brian and Sarah are joined by friend of the show Jackie Clary, whose knowledge and appreciation for all things Wham!, along with her music research skills, were showcased in the previous episode.   Part 3 - Track by Track The three hosts are ready to tackle the four songs on Side One, and with two big singles occupying the first slots on the album, there are plenty of things to discuss! Brian shares his idea that there are two distinct images for the band with this album. Sarah compares the album's first song to another peppy 80s song she loves, and Jackie reveals that song actually does have a connection to Wham! Both Brian and Sarah are delighted to be able to revisit one of the greatest things they've ever seen on the internet, and later on, they both have a question for Jackie-- is she familiar with Shaun Cassidy?  Wake