Completely Conspicuous 578: Playing Out the String

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and retirement. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded recently via Skype

- Will we see KISS JR.?

- Will bands bring in replacements after the original members are all retired/dead?

- Plenty of good cover bands out there who can probably outperform the originals

- The "officially licensed cover band"

- Hologram concerts are still trying to get off the ground

- Fan base is also getting older

- The big money these days is in hip hop, pop and country

- Meanwhile, revered indie artists like Lou Barlow are playing living room/backyard shows

- Who's going to stadium shows?

- We don't like large venues

- Bands like VH should release archival live shows like Neil Young

- Sammy Hagar's living the good life

- Bands that are outstaying their welcome

- When bands you like are disappointing

- Checking out Canadian classic rock radio

- Nobody in 1991 would have predicted Dave Grohl would be the face of rock n' roll 30 years later

- Will rock ever make a comeback?

- Might end up like jazz, blues, bluegrass

- Lots of interesting new rock coming out all the time

- Commercial rock radio is pointless

- It's easy to release albums, but tough to find an audience

- Brian: Spotify's new music algorithm works well

- Singers have a tougher time replicating their heyday

- Iggy Pop has aged gracefully, believe it or not

- We should take better care of artists

- So hard to make a living as a musician these days

- Jay: As a journalism major, I feel their pain

- The band Sloan has carved out a nice niche in Canada

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 577: Hang 'Em High

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and retirement. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded recently via Skype

- David Lee Roth recently announced his retirement

- Should more aging rock stars retire?

- Robert Plant isn't trying to be the Golden God anymore

- Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford can still deliver high-energy metal performances

- Shut it down, Clapton

- Ozzy's been doing retirement tours for 30 years

- KISS keeps playing "final" tours

- DLR actually predicted his retirement in a 1991 video

- Jay: Never saw Dave play with VH

- VH changed the hard rock game

- Dave and Sammy are different kinds of clowns

- Dave only did a few solo albums after 1991

- DLR's image radically changed as his looks did

- Bands keep touring into their 70s and 80s

- Grant Hart looked pretty rough toward the end of his life, but kept touring

- Similar to athletes who don't know when to hang it up

- Ringo Starr has the right idea: Let the young guys do the heavy lifting

- Ozzy and Sharon have had issues with writing credits

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 572: History Lesson, Part 15

Celebrating the show's 15th birthday with a look back at some key moments over the years. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Going the clip show route

- Episode 2: The early days

- Episode 72: The first guest, featuring Jay Breitling

- Episode 141: Talking about mixtapes, including recordings I made when I was 13-14

- Episode 146: Talking to Amanda Guest about college radio

- Episode 186: My visit to Seattle, which got off to a strange start

- Episode 253: Ric Dube and I break down "Smokin' In the Boys Room"

- Episode 315: Brian Salvatore and I torture ourselves by listening to Van Halen III

- Episode 494: Talking about drug-related concert experiences with Phil Stacey.

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 543: You Really Got Me

I'm joined by guest Brian Salvatore as we remember the greatness of Eddie Van Halen. Listen to the episode below or download directly.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Last spoke in late March but feels a lot longer ago

- We've been fascinated by Van Halen's career, the good and the bad

- Eddie had dealt with cancer before

- Death still came as a shock

- Plenty of musician deaths this year: Neil Peart, Andy Gill, David Roback, Kenny Rogers, Bill Rieflin, Bill Withers, Adam Schlesinger, John Prine, Florian Schneider, Pete Way, Peter Green

- Eddie was iconic and eternally youthful

- Brian: First video I remember seeing was "Jump"

- Played on Letterman a few times

- Jay: Stopped listening to VH in '91 and didn't again for almost a decade

- The "Right Now" video was surprising

- Dropoff in quality after Roth left

- 2012's A Different Kind of Truth was a decent way to go out

- Hopefully there will finally be some archival VH releases

- Who buys greatest hits albums?

- Eddie's guest appearances

- Jay: First became aware of VH in 1980 when Women and Children First came out

- Eddie had been quiet for several years

- Roth was doing a Vegas residency and opening for KISS just before the pandemic shutdown

- Missing live music

- Plenty of livestreams to check out

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 533: Long Distance Runaround

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss quarantine life. Listen to the episode below or download directly.

Show notes:
- Recorded recently via Skype
- What's the first thing you'd do post-COVID?
- All the big movies got pushed back to later in the year or 2021
- Some movies are going straight to streaming
- When will we feel comfortable at crowded concerts again?
- If touring slows down, how will musicians survive?
- Artists may have to go directly to fans for support
- Lou Barlow started a subscription service
- Artists have done similar things for years: Rundgren, Prince
- Might see more music made by artists stuck at home
- Suddenly we have a lot of time to listen to records
- Jay: Daughter's into the Beatles now
- When you know songs you hate by heart
- Appreciating '70s-era McCartney
- Bad production really stands out on mix playlists
- Does anyone remember dynamics?
- Self-improvement activities to catch up on
- Brian: No time to do any of it so far
- Jay: Want to alphabetize my records
- No guilty pleasures: Making peace with disco
- Brian: Need to organize music room
- Jay: Hope to pick up the old guitar
- Bill Rieflin, R.I.P.

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 532: Life During Quarantine

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss quarantine life. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded last week via Skype
- Homeschooling is hard work
- A month in, the hoarding continues
- Brian's second-grader has a lot of schoolwork
- Brian was down in Florida to spend a few days at spring training
- Had planned to visit family in Arizona in March, but decided not to
- Virus moved quickly
- Brian saw Jonathan Richman concert in March
- Jay: Was supposed to fly to California for a conference in March, but it was canceled
- Had tickets to Archers of Loaf concert in mid-March that was canceled
- Jay: Working from home full-time
- Brian: Trying to find non-screen activities for the kids
- We're spending a lot of time with our families, which isn't a bad thing
- We've never had a situation like this where everything is shut down
- A lot of people are out of work or unable to work right now
- No sports to watch during one of the best times of year for sports
- Sports may come back without crowds in attendance
- When will things go back to normal?
- Kids' school sports, activities are on hold
- Touring musicians are losing a ton of money
- South Korea was able to shut everything down and come out on the other end
- One person can do a lot of damage
- Spring break idiots
- Adam Schlesinger, R.I.P. (this was recorded before he died)
- Washing our hands more than ever before
- Missing out on draft beer
- We're lucky to be able to work from home
- How will the economy bounce back?
- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 528: Burn and Shine

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and aging. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- '90s butt rock is alive and well in New Hampshire
- Marlins will soar, according to Scott Stapp
- Commercial rock radio is dying
- In the mid-80s, rock radio was thriving in the Boston area
- Brian has satellite radio
- GNR/Smashing Pumpkins touring this summer
- The evolution of Sugar Ray's sound
- Mark McGrath is always working
- The Cameo economy
- Talking to musicians
- The ubiquity of Henry Rollins
- The musician deaths have always been plentiful
- 10 years ago, we lost Jay Reatard, Teddy Pendergrass, Doug Fieger, Mark Linkous, Alex Chilton, Malcolm McLaren, Dio
- So many big names in rock are getting older
- Eagles have continued to tour without Glenn Frey
- Surviving members of Nirvana have reunited for charity shows
- Rush will never play another show
- R.E.M. has never performed together since their breakup
- More fun with Cameo
- Don't wait to see a band you like
- Jay: Trying to see bands I haven't seen before
- Making up for lost time with some bands
- Some bands sound better than ever: Dino Jr., Ween
- Ozzy's looking pretty rough these days
- Some artists you don't want to see anymore

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 527: Magic and Loss

I'm joined by guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and aging. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Brian's first appearance on the show in two years
- The rock deaths keep on hitting us hard
- Neil Peart's recent death was surprising and shocking
- Brian: Not a big Rush fan, but respected them
- A couple of really good documentaries about the band
- Rush followed their own path
- Andy Gill of Gang of Four kept touring and recording right until he died
- Big deaths that impacted us
- Jay: Peart, Gord Downie, Bowie, Prince, Tom Petty
- As a kid, remember Randy Rhoads, Bonham, Bon Scott, Keith Moon
- Later, Cobain and Layne Staley
- Tortured artist syndrome
- Meanwhile, the Stones keep chugging along
- Brian: McCartney is still amazing live into his 70s
- Neither of us has seen the Stones live
- Brian: Regret not seeing classic acts at least once
- Prince played crazy long shows
- Getting harder to stay out super late
- "Farewell tours" tend to often be false alarms
- A little more urgency to see certain artists who are older
- A lot of reunion tours these days: Jawbreaker, Hot Snakes, Jawbox, Hoodoo Gurus
- Will young artists today have the same longevity as the older artists now?
- Touring's the only way to make money these days
- Not even worth it for older acts to release new material now
- Radio won't play new music from legendary acts
- Classic rock fans don't want to hear new music, they just want the hits
- You know what you're getting from a new AC/DC record
- Many bands continue on after members die
- Replacing iconic singers with unknowns
- Alice in Chains has recharged their career somewhat post-Staley
- Sublime's singer/leader died before their big album came out
- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 487: Dig for Fire (Solo Beatles-Living Colour, Part 2)

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss musical blindspots: I dig into Paul McCartney's RAM and Brian checks out Living Colour's Time's Up. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Brian: Glover's vocals are too showy on Reid's songs
- Second half of album is more varied
- Back in the days of super-long albums
- Living Colour would switch styles in the middle of songs
- Bands would go platinum with no radio play
- Taping music off the radio
- RAM was credited to Paul and Linda
- Whimsy with a dark undercurrent
- Homemade-sounding album recorded in an NYC studio
- Critics hated it when it came out
- Macca rarely plays these songs live
- Next up: Living Colour's Stain and George Harrison's Brainwashed
- George's problematic solo career
- Here's to long rock docs
 
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 481: Dig for Fire (Solo Beatles-Living Colour, Part 1)

This week, it's part 1 of my discussion with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots with Brian listening to Living Colour while I dig into early solo Beatles records. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Brian listened to Vivid, Jay listened to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
- Adventures in Skype
- Jay: Wasn't familiar with much of this album
- Very raw, exposed album for Lennon
- Lennon didn't release many albums before he died
- Yoko plays "the wind"
- Embarrassment of riches after Beatles broke up
- The Living Colour/In Living Color conundrum
- Brian: Not a misplaced note on this album
- Impressed with the political content
- Jay: Saw videos on MTV and taped a concert off the radio back in '88
- Vivid was out for over a year before "Cult of Personality" hit big
- Living Colour confounded expectations
- Mick Jagger helped get them a record deal
- Next: Jay listens to McCartney's Ram and Brian checks out LC's Time's Up

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 476: Dig for Fire (Maiden-Zappa, Part 3)

This week, it's part 3 of my discussion with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots. Brian will learn about Iron Maiden while I dig into Frank Zappa. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Brian listened to Somewhere in Time, Jay listened to Sheik Yerbouti
- Deja vu all over again
- Brian: Somewhere in Time is the most dated, least raw of the three albums I listened to
- Band didn't play to its strengths
- Victim of mid-'80s production
- Dickinson vs. Di'anno
- The disappearance of metal in the '90s
- Bon Jovi has thrived over the decades
- Not their best, but some Maiden classics
- Jay: Saw Maiden live a few months ago
- Zappa's Sheik Yerbouti finds him exploring the wackier subject matter in depth
- Released three albums in '79 alone
- Musicianship is incredible, feat. Adrian Belew on rhythm guitar
- Zappa released a ridiculous number of albums
- Xenochrony technique took parts from different songs and spliced them together
- Brian: Not in his top 10 albums, but close
- Went even more off the rails on Joe's Garage
- Next, Brian will listen to Living Colour while Jay will explore solo Beatle albums
 
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 473: Dig for Fire (Maiden-Zappa, Part 2)

This week, Brian Salvatore and I discuss more musical blindspots. Brian is learning about Iron Maiden while I dig into Frank Zappa. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Brian listened to Number of the Beast, Jay listened to Apostrophe
- Brian: No surprises on Number of the Beast
- Familiar with half the album
- Liked the fast and heavy stuff, not the slower songs
- Jay: This was my introduction to Maiden
- The transition to more epic material
- Ozzy transcended the metal downturn of the '90s
- The power of album covers, good and bad
- The beginning of Maiden's prime
- Jay: Apostrophe was Zappa's 18th album
- "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" was a hit
- More straightahead rock than jazz fusion
- Memorable songs: "Cosmik Debris," "Uncle Remus," "St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast"
- Zappa live albums are different experiences
- High-level playing countered by sometimes dumb lyrics
- Zappa pioneered sampling and recording techniques
- Next up: Sheik Yerbouti for Jay, Somewhere in Time for Brian

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 472: Dig for Fire (Maiden-Zappa, Part 1)

This week, Brian Salvatore and I discuss more musical blindspots. Brian will learn about Iron Maiden while I dig into Frank Zappa. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Jay: Somewhat familiar with Zappa's hits and guitar work
- Intimidating catalog; more than 100 albums released
- Brian: Knew a few Maiden songs but never a fan
- Listened to 1980 self-titled debut
- Liked the faster songs and Paul Di'Anno's vocals
- Enjoyed punk-inspired energy and Steve Harris' bass
- Production sounds good
- Maiden's sound has evolved over the years
- Jay listened to Zappa's 1969 album Hot Rats
- Only one song with vocals, and those are by Captain Beefheart
- Ian Underwood is major contributor, playing all keyboards and horns
- Very different sound than Zappa had in mid- to late- '70s
- Next up: Apostrophe for Jay, The Number of the Beast for Brian

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 468: Dig for Fire (Ween-Sloan, part 3)

Part 3 of my conversation with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots. Brian listens to another Sloan album while I check out a third record from Ween. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
-Win-win situation
- Brian had Sloan's "The Double Cross" and Jay had Ween's "Quebec"
- Brian: My favorite of the three I listened to
- Beatles comparisons
- Brian will go back and check out rest of Sloan catalog
- No solo albums, but Murphy had TUNS project
- Jay: Really enjoyed Quebec
- Most cohesive of the three Ween albums Jay heard
- Dean and Gene were dealing with some issues
- "If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)" is an epic album closer
- Next up: Jay will listen to Frank Zappa and Brian will check out Iron Maiden

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 467: Dig for Fire (Ween vs. Sloan, part 2)

Part 2 of my conversation with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots. Brian listens to another Sloan album while I check out a second record from Ween. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Brian: Impressed with the progression of Sloan's sound
- Jay: Hadn't heard anything from The Mollusk previously
- Plenty of genre jumping
- Nautical theme
- Elements of prog, psych
- Brian: My favorite Ween record
- Ween varies playlists from show to show
- Brian: Between the Bridges is steeped in the '70s: Big Star, Sweet, T. Rex, Fleetwood Mac
- Interesting sequencing and flow
- Confusing the title with Between the Buttons
- Last Sloan album gave each band member a side's worth of songs
- Brian: Almost exclusively listen to albums in full
- Jay: Will listen to albums, but also use shuffle mode on iPod
- Brian: Also listen to a lot of music on Spotify
- Next up: Quebec for Jay, The Double Cross for Brian

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 466: Dig for Fire (Ween vs. Sloan, part 1)

This week, Brian Salvatore and I talk about delving into the catalog of bands we don't know much about. Brian will learn about Sloan while I dig into Ween. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Each of us picks a favorite artist of the other that we don't know much about
- Jay listened to Ween's Chocolate and Cheese, Brian listened to Sloan's Twice Removed
- Both 1994 releases
- Both of us had heard a few songs before
- Jay: First heard Ween on Beavis and Butt-head, wrote them off as novelty act
- Brian: Twice Removed starts off strong, flows well
- Big power pop vibe
- The album that got Sloan dropped by Geffen
- Each band member writes and sings
- Were signed as part of the alternative explosion of the early '90s
- Self-release most of their albums now
- No indie rock radio stations anymore
- Jay: Chocolate and Cheese is great fun
- Wide range of styles, from funk to psychedelic to just weird
- Great guitar work from Dean Ween
- First Ween album done in a studio
- Walking the fine line between funny and stupid
- Phish has covered "Roses are Free"
- Ween plays jam band festivals sometimes
- Next up: The Mollusk for Jay, Between the Bridges for Brian

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 465: New Damage

This week, I talk to guest Brian Salvatore about the legacy of the late Chris Cornell. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Brian: Was never a huge fan of Cornell's early singing style
- Rediscovered his love for Soundgarden in recent years
- Jay: First heard him when Temple of the Dog came out in '91, then got Badmotorfinger
- The greatness of Mother Love Bone
- Soundgarden was perfect bridge between '80s hard rock and the new sounds of the '90s
- Jay: Saw Soundgarden in small club in early '92 and then again a few months later at Lollapalooza
- Kim Thayil's guitar playing complemented Cornell's voice well
- Jason Everman, the Zelig of grunge
- The diverse nature of the Seattle acts of the '90s
- The pressure of being the "responsible one"
- Cornell's final tweets were upbeat
- Hard to read into his lyrics
- Most of Cornell's songs were dark
- His death hit hard because he was ours
- Feels like more '70s touring acts have more living members than '90s bands
- The drugs were more prevalent in the '70s and '80s, but the '90s acts paid the price
- Cornell's first solo album Euphoria Morning is really good
- Less impressed with Audioslave
- Soundgarden leaves a terrific body of work

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 461: Reeling in the Years, 1991 (Part 3)

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1991. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output
- Brian's #3
- The final Pixies album with original lineup
- Jay's #2
- Do we need to hear Nevermind again?
- Symbolically historic
- Raw vs. polished
- Brian's #2
- Tribe Called Quest brought a serious jazz feel to their sound
- Focused on the groove, not samples
- Jay's #1
- Matthew Sweet swings for the fences
- Sick guitar work from Lloyd and Quine
- Susanna Hoffs doesn't age
- Brian's #1
- Mike Mills gets his due
- Peter Buck's mandolin phase
- Still plenty of great records we didn't discuss
- The Costello-McCartney experiment
- School of Fish had the song of the summer of '91
- What's next?
- The early '90s were chock full of good stuff

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 460: Reeling in the Years, 1991 (Part 2)

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1991. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output
- Albums that didn't make our top 5 of '91
- Brian: Feelies, Slint, Prince
- Skipping a Prince show
- Jay: Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, Temple of the Dog
- Brian: Firehose, De La Soul, Cohen tribute, Jonathan Richman
- No more "Hallelujah" covers, please
- Tribute albums were big in the '90s
- Jay: Tragically Hip, Dinosaur Jr., Fishbone, Nation of Ulysses, Swervedriver
- Jay's #5
- Soundgarden's game-changer
- Brian's #5
- Primus makes its mark
- Jay's #4
- The best Smashing Pumpkins album
- Corgan's off the rails now
- Brian's #4
- Ween's weirdest record
- Jay's #3
- Teenage Fanclub went from unknowns in the U.S. to indie darlings
- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 459: Reeling in the Years, 1991 (Part 1)

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1991. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output
- Wrapping up our look at the music of the years 1980-1999
- 1991 really kicked off the '90s musically
- Brian was 9, Jay was 23
- Alt-rock took off in '91
- Big year for Metallica
- Plenty of pop and one-hit wonders
- Bryan Adams and Color Me Badd had strong years
- Big efforts from A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, NWA and Public Enemy
- Styx had a song land in the top 100 singles
- Rock radio was still rooted in classic rock
- Billboard switched to Soundscan charts
- Freddie Mercury died on same day as Eric Carr of KISS
- Van Halen's slide into irrelevancy
- Since '91, VH has released three albums with three different singers
- Red Hot Chili Peppers hit their peak
- Albums Jay liked in '91: RHCP, Live, Spin Doctors
- Quintessential '90s tunes
- Talking Heads officially split
- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.