Permanent Record Podcast

Episode 75: Queen - The Works (1984) Part 2   The second episode of 2019 is here, and it's all about the second side of the 1984 Queen album The Works! But before Brian and Sarah resume their discussion, they share a voicemail they received from Paul Underwood, a listener and fellow podcast host who called the PRP voicemail number (724-490-8324) and left a message with his thoughts on the album and the band. The number is always available for folks to share their memories and insights on the artists and albums discussed on the show.   Part 3 - Track by Track, continued The first side of The Works contained quite a variety of musical styles, and when our hosts flip the record, they discover that theme continues. Each of the five songs on Side Two have a unique sound, and some break new ground even for a band that's famous for experimenting.  Two more singles and two more videos are found on Side Two, including what's likely the most infamous Queen video of all. But in addition to those videos, Brian and Sarah

Episode 74: Queen - The Works (1984) Part 1   After an extended break, first due to holiday celebrations, then due to winter colds, Brian and Sarah are finally back and ready to talk classic albums!  The first record up for discussion in 2019 is one the duo had originally planned to cover in 2018: Queen's 1984 endeavor, The Works. Brian and Sarah originally chose this album because of the release of the Queen/Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. And our hosts are happy to report that Bohemian Rhapsody is still in the public spotlight, winning two Golden Globes and receiving five Oscar nominations-- not to mention the more than $800 million in worldwide box-office receipts it's earned.  So our hosts have dusted off their notes-- and their microphones-- and are giving you The Works! (Well, just the first side for now!)   Part 1 - Album History This album could be considered contradictory, in that it represents both a break from-- and a return to-- the past. As Brian and Sarah explain in this episode, the

Episode 73: Selections from "A Very Special Christmas" (1987) - Eurythmics, Alison Moyet, Sting, Pretenders For the last episode of 2018, Brian and Sarah have chosen to talk about selections from the 1987 charity album "A Very Special Christmas." But before they get into that discussion, they have several other things to mention: congratulatory wishes to 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Cure and Roxy Music, a couple of five-star iTunes reviews, and a reminder about this year's holiday giveaway!  It's a great way to start a Pet Shop Boys collection of your very own!   Then, our hosts turn their attention to the first album in a series which has raised a great deal of money for the Special Olympics organization. They discuss the origins and making of the album, its release and chart history, and a couple of reviews from the time. Then Sarah and Brian take turns leading the discussion on four songs from the album, during which a small competition breaks out over whose song is the oldest. It's also

Episode 72: "Bohemian Rhapsody" movie and Queen - "Thank God It's Christmas" (1984) Another holiday season is upon us, and our hosts have found themselves snowed under (pun intended) with festive preparations. So instead of discussing the Queen album "The Works" (which will now be done in the new year), they're offering up something they've never done before-- a movie discussion! No, Sarah hasn't finally given in to Brian doing an entire James Bond podcast; the movie in question is the recently released Queen/Freddie Mercury biopic, "Bohemian Rhapsody."   You may know by now that Brian and Sarah are huge Queen fans and were therefore anxiously awaiting the release of this movie. And now that they've seen it several times(!), they decided to share their thoughts on it with each other-- and you!   However, in keeping with the theme of the show, Brian and Sarah do also discuss a record -- Queen's 1984 Christmas single, "Thank God It's Christmas." They share the usual information about the release, the chart pos

Episode 71: Summer of Sharing - Frankie Goes To Hollywood and ABBA This summer, we asked our listeners to help us spread the word about the podcast and many of you did!  We really appreciated the assist, and we rewarded one lucky friend-of-the-show with his own personal episode!  Our winner, the magnanimous Terry Kemp, reached out to us this past week and said that he was willing to share his special episode with the world!  Such a nice move on his part! And so this is it!  Terry asked us to discuss Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Relax" and ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" - two very different, but two very excellent, pop singles.  We hope you will enjoy listening to Terry's podcast and maybe learn a thing or two about these bands, one famous and one infamous! Please note that while the Frankie segment doesn't contain any profanity, it does discuss the lyrical content of the song, which is quite adult.  We don't say anything that couldn't be broadcast on the radio, but a few mature topics come up. FGTH - "Rela

Episode 70: Pet Shop Boys - Introspective (1988) Part 2   As you may recall, in the previous episode, Brian and Sarah were joined by Andrew Dineley (Classic Pop Magazine contributor, host of the "Art on your Sleeve" podcast, and world-renowned Pet-Head!) to discuss the Pet Shop Boys album Introspective. Thankfully, Andrew agreed to call again --otherwise, this second part of this discussion would have been very lopsided.   Part 3 - Track by Track, Continued As the trio flip the record to discuss the three tracks on side two, a lot of interesting topics come up-- some expected, and others, not so much. Of course, having a graphic designer and self-confessed Pet Head on the show means there's talk about sleeve covers, including limited edition 12-inch singles, and Andrew admits he valiantly tried collecting as many of them as possible.  Also, on the subject of admitting things, Brian admits he has quite the crush on Eighth Wonder-era Patsy Kensit. From that springs a discussion of two things she has in common w

Episode 69: Pet Shop Boys - Introspective (1988) Part 1   Brian and Sarah are thrilled to once again welcome Andrew Dineley to the show. Andrew is a graphic designer, contributor to Classic Pop magazine, and host of the excellent podcast Art On Your Sleeve. He's also a self-confessed, long-time Pet Head, so it seemed only fitting to include him in a 30th-anniversary look at the Pet Shop Boys 1988 album, Introspective. Part 1 - Album History   This third studio album by the Pet Shop Boys finds the duo breaking from traditions, both their own and that of the music industry in general. The format, production, and visual design of Introspective  differ significantly from the first two albums, and the three hosts take some time to discuss these differences and what impact they may have had on the album's chart positions and sales around the world. And of course, having a graphic designer on the show means Sarah and Brian can ask lots of questions about the design of the album cover, which Andrew obligingly answers

Episode 68: Duran Duran - Rio (1982) Part 3 Brian and Sarah are just about ready to flip Duran Duran's second  album over to side two and check out what awaits them there. Before they do that though, they happily share some more five-star reviews from iTunes, and they congratulate the winner of the Summer of Sharing contest, Terry Kemp!  Thanks to everyone who participated and helped to spread the word about the show! Part 3: Track by Track, Continued Side Two of Rio only contains four songs, but that doesn't prevent Brian and Sarah from having a long, detailed discussion about the four songs and the two videos. During that discussion, Gordon Lightfoot is mentioned again and Human League is mentioned twice! And Brian, having tried valiantly to avoid it for two episodes, finally goes into full-blown James Bond Podcast mode! (It was inevitable, wasn't it?)  New Religion Last Chance on the Stairway Save a Prayer The Chauffeur Part 4: Extra Credit After such an in-depth discussion of an important album by a pr

Episode 67: Duran Duran - Rio (1982) - Part 2   Never before has it taken Brian more than two days to edit an episode, but this week, while working on part two of the discussion of Duran Duran's classic 1982 album "Rio," it seems that he wasn't up to the challenge!  But you know, years from now, when Brian & Sarah are two of the most popular podcast hosts in the world and almost everyone over the age of 40 either wears a P.R.P. shirt or sports a sweet P.R.P. tattoo, no one will remember that this episode was four days late - they'll just be really happy that it's available for download! Track-by-Track (Continued): So this week, your hosts finish up their discussion of side one, getting the opportunity to talk about some fantastic music, including the immortal classic "Hungry Like the Wolf."  Other topics are also touched upon such as: the incredibly disco-y first version of "My Own Way" what's a better look - a red headband or a red scarf? on which track does John Taylor's bass playing sound like a sea

Episode 66: Duran Duran - Rio (1982) - Part 1   It's been quite a while since our hosts have covered an entire album, so they're ready to get back to doing an in-depth discussion. And this is a group that they've been promising to cover for quite some time now: the Fab Five, Duran Duran! It's kind of hard to believe there hasn't been a Duran Duran episode yet, but Brian and Sarah are about to make up for that, by choosing to discuss the group's seminal 1982 release, "Rio."   Part 1 - Album History   Since this is such an important New Wave album, and since Brian and Sarah haven't covered Duran Duran previously, they decide to take a lot of time to talk about the history of the album and the band's situation at the time. Our hosts go into depth about the making of the album, the rather confusing release history in America, the chart positions all over the world, and some reviews from then and now. Brian also makes sure to talk about the iconic album cover and the artist who provided the picture for it. Part 2

Episode 65: Summer 2018 Concert Recap (Depeche Mode, Chromeo, Erasure, Pretenders, Thomas Dolby, Tom Bailey, Culture Club, The Fixx) The passing of Labor Day marks the unofficial end to summer, and Brian and Sarah decide it's a good time to look back on what they've been calling their "Summer of Concerts." From the beginning of June to the end of August, our hosts had the opportunity to see quite a few concerts, and it should be no surprise to learn many of the artists have been previously discussed on this podcast.   Brian and Sarah take turns sharing highlights and memories from each show they attended over the summer.  They saw several acts for the first time and also visited some new venues. During their recap, Sarah declares Brian's friend Beil to be a bad luck charm for Depeche Mode shows. She also confesses about how uptight she was during The Pretenders concert, which Brian agrees was for a valid reason. Both Brian and Sarah laugh about the funny things Andy Bell said while he was fighting a cold, an

Episode 64: Selections from "The Wedding Singer" Soundtrack, Vol. 2 (A Flock of Seagulls, Kajagoogoo, Madonna, Spandau Ballet) This week Brian and Sarah return to the movies-- or at least to a movie soundtrack. They pick up where they left off, discussing songs from "The Wedding Singer,"  with this episode covering songs from Volume 2 of the soundtrack. Before they get into the song discussion,  though, Brian and Sarah mention that they watched the movie again before recording this episode. They reveal they had both forgotten about an extra scene on the DVD that wasn't in the theatrical release or on the VHS tape. Track Selections Volume 2 of the soundtrack is also full of some great 80s classics-- several of which will surely be discussed in future episodes, along with the rest of the album they're from. However, our hosts were each able to find two songs from the soundtrack to talk about. The topic of one-hit wonders comes up as these songs are discussed, as well as terrible hair, tiny microphones, and--

Episode 63: Selections from "The Wedding Singer" Soundtrack, Vol. 1 (The Police, Billy Idol, The Smiths, New Order) Brian and Sarah are back once again to discuss some classic songs from the 80s.  But this time instead of discussing an album's worth of songs by a single artist or group, they've chosen several songs from a movie soundtrack. The movie is "The Wedding Singer," which was released in 1998, but takes place in 1985. This movie has two soundtracks associated with it, and in this episode, songs from Volume 1 are discussed. Personal History "The Wedding Singer" holds a special place in the hearts of our hosts, not just because it's set in the 80s, but because it came out mere months before their own wedding. Brian and Sarah spend a few minutes discussing the time period of the movie's release and some of their memories associated with it. Track Selections Since many of the songs on this soundtrack have either been discussed in a prior episode or will likely be discussed in a future episode, our hosts

Episode 62: Information Society - Information Society (1988) Part 2   Brian and Sarah take some time during their "Summer of Concerts" to resume their discussion on the 1988 major-label debut album from the American band Information Society.  In Part 1, an Apple IIe computer helped determine the order of the songs to be discussed. Unfortunately, the machine couldn't handle all that pressure and shut down soon afterwards, so for this episode, our hosts are left to determine the song order themselves. Part 3 - Track by Track, continued There's a mixture of songs from both Side One and Side Two to talk about, and our hosts decide to leave the biggest song for last. Or do they? Part of their discussion centers on the fact that depending on the audience, Information Society's 'biggest hit' varies among three different songs. Brian and Sarah also talk about two more videos, more Star Trek samples, a radio publicity stunt gone awry, and Amanda Kramer's top ten foods, most of which don't seem to be actual foods! Som

Episode 61:  Information Society "Information Society" 1988 Part One This week we are talking about Information Society's 1988 big-label debut "Information Society."  It's a great mix of synth-pop and freestyle - a fact that Brian didn't even know until this week!  If you like either upbeat dance music or songs with Star Trek samples, this is the episode for you!! This week, with the help of an old Apple IIe computer, Sarah and Brian discuss the following tracks: Lay All Your Love On Me Running Make It Funky Attitude Walking Away Here's the video we discuss: Walking Away Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/ Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast Follow us at https://twitter.com/permrecordpod

Episode 60:  Summer 2018 Mix Tape, Part Two - Blancmange, Hipsway, Breathe, Danny Elfman   As the official start of Summer 2018 inches ever closer, there's important work to be done-- finishing the Summer Mix Tape! It's a job for none other than the Fantastic Four: Brian, Sarah, Colby Zell, and "The Hustle" podcast host, Jon Lamoreaux! (We'll leave it up to you do to decide which host matches which member of Marvel's First Family, True-believers!) Side One of the tape was definitely a mix of artists and song types. Side Two is no different, with even the order of the selections being mixed up. There's also a wide variety of topics discussed, such as 80s white boy dancing, naughty paintings, living off the grid, desserts, movie soundtracks, record label drama, and guys in goatskin pants. Also, for the second week in a row, the group talks about Vince Clarke (what does he have to do with Side Two?)  Man, that guy is EVERYWHERE! Mix Tape Side Two 1. Colby's pick: Blancmange - Don't Tell Me 2. Sarah's pick: Hip

Episode 59: Summer 2018 Mix Tape (Part 1) - Re-Flex, The Assembly, Ultravox, The B-52’s June is here and that means summer is almost here too! To get ready for the season, Brian and Sarah thought it would be fun to compile another mix tape.  They asked last year's mix tape contributor and guest co-host Colby Zell to join in again, and he agreed. But this year's mix tape has yet another contributor-- and it's none other than Jon Lamoreaux, host of the excellent podcast The Hustle! Jon brings his wealth of knowledge and behind-the-scenes stories gained from his many interviews with musicians who've had at least a fleeting taste of fame in their careers. Each host has chosen two songs to contribute to the mix tape; one for each side. In this episode, the songs for Side One are discussed, along with the artists, the albums the singles are from, and the videos. Some pretty strong opinions are voiced, and additionally, the following questions are answered: Who almost fell asleep listening to one of the songs? Who

Episode 58: Forgotten 80s - Aztec Camera, Two Minds Crack, Red Flag, Animotion    It's Memorial Day weekend here in the States, but that hasn't stopped Brian and Sarah from putting together another episode. This one is based on a listener idea; Charles Christiphe wrote in and suggested an episode about forgotten songs of the 80s. Brian and Sarah liked the idea a lot and decided to choose two songs each to discuss.  Thanks, Charles!!  Sarah's first selection may not be forgotten in the UK, as it reached the top 20 back in 1983. However, it failed to appear on any American charts, so she stands by her choice - especially since Brian had never heard the song until last year.  The other three songs are arguably more obscure, but both hosts manage to find a good deal of information about the artists and the songs to share in this episode. Each song has a video to talk about as well-- although Brian was disappointed to realize he had a false memory of one of them. Also in this episode:  Brian actually passes up an

Episode 57: a-ha - Stay on These Roads (1988) Part 2   After an unplanned break, Brian and Sarah are back to finish up their discussion of the third album by Norwegian group a-ha, 1988's "Stay on These Roads." The hosts first take a little time to share the latest iTunes reviews that have been rolling in since "The Innocents" episodes were posted, and they thank the new listeners who have found the podcast since then. Part 3 - Track by Track, continued The discussion of the first side of "Stay on These Roads" left Brian feeling somewhat unhappy and conflicted about the album thus far. However, Side Two is a clean slate-- and Brian is eager to start talking about the songs. This change of attitude is likely due to the fact that the second side opens with a James Bond theme! And of course, this gives Brian the perfect opportunity to launch into yet another mini James Bond podcast--this one being probably the longest yet! Sarah tries valiantly, and finally succeeds, at bringing Brian back to focus on the rest of

Episode 56: a-ha - Stay on These Roads (1988) Part 1   Brian and Sarah haven't discussed the Norwegian group a-ha since way back in their second episode, and seeing how a-ha is one of their favorite groups, they decide it's time to discuss another a-ha album. The one they select is the third release, "Stay on These Roads," which is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary. Part 1 - Album History Sarah, always ready with album chart and sales history, provides some pretty impressive figures for "Stay on These Roads" in a number of countries-- but Brian reorders the chart listings in a much more pleasing fashion. However, one country in particular is conspicuously absent from the list, much to our hosts' chagrin. Brian then goes into detail about the circumstances surrounding the creation of this album, and sheds some light on where the band members seemed to be headed musically, compared with where the record label was encouraging them to be. Both hosts also share some rather mixed reviews of the album -- in