Completely Conspicuous 587: The Sound of Young America

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1991. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- In '91, Phil graduated from college; Jay worked at the Peabody Times newspaper (R.I.P.)

- A big year for rock, although a lot of the impact wasn't felt until the following year

- Seeds for alt-rock explosion had been sown in the previous few years

- Still a lot of classic rock, hair metal and pop on the charts

- Freddie Mercury died, Lollapallooza tour started

- Bryan Adams was in full balladeer mode

- The evolution of Marky Mark

- Clapton still sucks

- Neither of us was a fan of the Use Your Illusion albums

- Albums were way too long in the CD era

- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Temple of the Dog, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr., Pixies, A Tribe Called Quest, My Bloody Valentine, Tragically Hip, Neil Young, Massive Attack, Primal Scream, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers

- Jay's non-top 5s: Elvis Costello, Nation of Ulysses, Fishbone  

- Rockit Records, R.I.P.

- To be continued

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 586: Repeater

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1990. Listen to the episode or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Our top 5 albums of '90

- Phil's #5: Jane's Addiction with a sprawling classic

- Jay's #5: Sophomore release from Living Colour explored a lot of different styles

- Phil's #4: Sinead O'Connor blows up with her second album

- Her SNL appearance in '92 caused serious controversy

- Sinead is alive and well

- Jay's #4: Kim Deal goes out on her own with the Breeders

- Phil's #3: Phish comes into their own with second album

- The jammier acts played the Northeast college scene in the late '80s/early '90s

- Jay's #3: Public Enemy blasts through with a strident, political album

- Phil's #2: Sonic Youth streamlines their sound on their major label debut

- Jay's #1: Fugazi continues sticking it to The Man on their first full-length album

- Phil's #1 and Jay's #2: Neil Young and Crazy Horse crank up the amps and embrace feedback

- Phil saw this tour with Sonic Youth and Social Distortion opening

- He might be making the best current music of his peers

- Favorite songs: "Fuckin' Up" (Phil), "Merchandise" (Jay)

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 585: All Shook Down

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1990. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded in person at CompCon World HQ

- In '90, Jay turned 23 and Phil turned 21

- Phil's short career in foodservice

- Jay was a newspaper reporter in Peabody, Mass.

- Controversies over 2 Live Crew, Milli Vanilli and Madonna

- Lots of scenes happening: Alternative, New Jack Swing, Madchester, Seattle

- The era of the Jock Jam

- Albums that didn't make Phil's top 5: Uncle Tupelo, Allman Brothers, Pretenders, Living Colour, Breeders, Alice in Chains, Mother Love Bone, Pixies, World Party, Happy Mondays, Ride, Mazzy Star, Sundays, Cowboy Junkies, Replacements, INXS, Social Distortion, Bob Mould, Black Crowes

- Questions around the November Rain video (which came out in '91)

- Jay's non-top 5s: Afghan Whigs, Flaming Lips, Midnight Oil, Mark Lanegan, Robert Plant

- To be continued

 

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 584: Wave of Mutilation

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1989. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded via Zoom during a blizzard

- Our top 5 albums of '89

- Phil's #5: Tom Petty finds renewed success with a solo album

-Jay's #5 and Phil's #4: Nirvana's sludgy debut hints at future success

- Jay's #4: The Beasties go sample crazy and blow up the sophomore slump

- Phil's #3: Phish with an auspicious debut

- Jay had a run-in with a pre-fame Trey Anastasio at the UNH newspaper

- Jay's #2: Bob Mould shifts gears in his solo debut and launches new phase in his career

- Phil's #2 and Jay's #1: Pixies follow up a stone cold classic with another one

- Phil's #1 and Jay's #3: Neil Young triumphs after a rough decade

- Favorite songs: "Hangin' on a Limb" (Phil), "Wave of Mutilation" (Jay)

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 583: Fascination Street

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1989. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded via Zoom during a blizzard

- In '89, Jay turned 22 and graduated from college, Phil turned 20

- Early seeds of Seattle and Manchester sound

- GNR became huge

- Milli Vanilli was enjoying some short-lived success

-Big year for pop

- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Bob Mould, The Cure, B-52s, Stone Roses, The Ocean Blue, XTC, De La Soul, Replacements, Joe Jackson, Galaxie 500, Fugazi, RHCP, Lenny Kravitz, Tragically Hip, Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt, Tin Machine, Lou Reed, Dylan, McCartney, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Stones, Grateful Dead

- George Jefferson, prog fan

- Phil saw Stones, Who, McCartney, the Dead, the Cure, B-52s; Jay saw R.E.M., Elvis Costello

- Jay: Faith No More, Soundgarden, Elvis Costello, Cult, Mudhoney, Buffalo Tom, Nine Inch Nails

- To be continued

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 582: Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1988. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded while driving home from Trillium Brewing in Canton, Mass.

- Phil's #5: Sonic Youth focuses their sound 

- Jay's #5: J. Mascis and Dino Jr. get more melodic while still delivering a heavy sound

- Phil's #4: U2's first controversial album still provides a lot of memorable moments, overshadowed by the movie

- Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Living Colour's debut showed off their many talents

- Jay's #3: Debut from Toronto's The Pursuit of Happiness combined hard rock, neurotic singer and girl group backing vocals

- Phil's #2: R.E.M.'s last album before they became superstars

- Jay's #2: Public Enemy at the peak of their powers

- Phil's and Jay's #1: Los Pixies creates the template for the '90s alt-rock explosion

- Favorite songs: "Gigantic" (Phil), "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (Jay)

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 581: Talk Is Cheap

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1988. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded while driving to Trillium Brewing in Canton, Mass.

- In 1988, Jay turned 21 and Phil turned 19

- Jay: 21st birthday was pretty rough

- Phil tells tales of good decision-making

- Jay's long, strange trip to the Monsters of Rock show: Long drive, short show

- Big year for pop artists on the charts

- Phil's Whitesnake story

- Big soundtracks: Cocktail, Dirty Dancing

- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Keith Richards, Mudhoney, Jerry Harrison, Jane's Addiction, Cowboy Junkies, Brian Wilson, Smithereens, Smiths, Pogues, Waterboys, Dinosaur Jr., Tracy Chapman, Public Enemy, Traveling Wilburys

- Jay's non-top 5s: Fishbone, Bobby Brown, Iron Maiden, Robert Plant, The Church, Metallica

- To be continued

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.