You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - 5 Ways To Start an Iconic Album

Episode Date: May 27, 2021

First impressions are everything - Peter and Adam check out some of the best opening moments from their favorite albums on today's episode.Links from this episode:Want more of Adam and Peter ...riffing back and forth? Check out this recent episodeJoin in on the fun at the Open Studio Jam Session ChallengeListen to all of the tunes played in this episode with this Spotify playlistPrefer your podcasts in video form? Watch the YouTube version of this episode hereInterested in more music advice? Go here to browse our catalog of jazz lessons and courses available for purchase. And be sure to check out our All Access Pass - every course from Open Studio on every instrument.Let us know what you think by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, or head over to our YouTube channel.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, Peter. Hey, what's up, Adam? Hey, how should we start? I thought we started already. No, but I mean, how should we start the show? That's what I mean. I thought we were, are we on? Is this thing on? Hello, hello.
Starting point is 00:00:13 I feel like this is not going to be one of our more iconic episodes. O Contrere, monferre. I'm Adam Manus. And you're listening to the You'll Hear It Podcast. Music advice, coming at you, flowing at you. All up in your eardrums. All in your eardrums today. It's sponsored by Open Studio.
Starting point is 00:00:43 go to open studio jazz.com to check it out. Peter, today we've got a really fun episode. I love these kinds of episodes. This is really a listening-based episode. And this is inspired by, do you remember the sesh, Peter? I do remember the sesh. As some folks have been referring to it, the dearly departed sech. RIP, the sesh.
Starting point is 00:01:02 The sech was a... But not dead forever. Not dead forever. So temporarily RIP. We've got exciting sessions on them. That's right. So the sech was something that Peter and I started during the lockdown in the early pandemic times, the long.
Starting point is 00:01:13 long, long ago, as we call it. Yes. And it was, we were just bored, essentially. And we were talking about things that we missed about not being in lockdown. And one of them was listening to music with friends, right? That's something that musicians do all the time. Actually, it's one of the most educational things you can do, is to listen to music with people that are better than you,
Starting point is 00:01:32 that are your peers, and that are worse than you. Because things happen, like you explain things to people or things could explain to you. You get turned on to new music. You get a bit of education that you weren't even, thinking about and then the whole time you're getting an education by listening to the music and you get to just chill and enjoy a nice evening listen to great music so we started this session every tuesday night we would listen to a complete album it was really really really fun uh really popular everybody was digging it and then we just stopped because you know that's what we did we got a little overwhelmed
Starting point is 00:02:01 no but there was some well we got a little bit of the facebook shutdown we won't talk about that yeah that was related to that but also it was it was it was it was a lot it was a lot we'd done like 40 yeah and it was enough Well, and we do have this new idea, which is info on that coming soon in the coming months about SESH 2.0. And then we also wanted to incur it as people were, we're trying to stay in sync as folks want to go out and can go out safely. And we tried to sort of time it like that. It's hard because we had a worldwide audience and different things at different places. But we want people to, you know, we want to be in sync with what's happening. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:02:38 So I was thinking about the SESHs as I was planning today's episode. and I thought about one of the ongoing themes of the session you'll remember this because we talked about it nearly every episode of the session was the way an album starts right and how important it is to set the table what are you noodling I'm trying to noodle here but I'm I'm having to do it so lot all you can hear you got no sound for me no I don't I haven't turn so technically it's not noodling if you can't hear it I know but you're still this guy is a noodle supreme
Starting point is 00:03:07 okay look at this he puts me in front of the keyboard and I turn it off And you can't help yourself. I mean, this is, I was born to do this. Oh my God, this is a maniac. He's a noodle maniac. He's a maniac. I'm playing maniac. Okay.
Starting point is 00:03:21 Okay. So the idea is, is one of the things we talked about is how important the opening track is. To all of these iconic albums that we were listening to, it was obvious that the opening track really set the table, set the tone. And so I was thinking of all the different kinds of opening tracks you can have, because it's not,
Starting point is 00:03:38 it's not the same vibe. Like, you don't have to have the, you don't have to open an album. the same way and it doesn't make the album better or worse. In fact, there's definitely artful ways you can do it many different ways. Oh, there's ways you can do it worse. Oh, there's definitely bad ways you could do it. But I thought it would be fun to kind of talk about five ways to start an iconic album. I have like sort of five personalities types that you can start with. And they are, I'll list them off. And then we'll kind of go through. I've got three listening examples each. So we have
Starting point is 00:04:07 five different ones. One is the how do you do. Two is the, how do you do? Two is the, has has it started yet. Three is the, this is going to be heavy. Four is the, what do you want to play? Five is the label needs a hit. These are five different ways to start an album. That's great. So we'll start with the how do you do.
Starting point is 00:04:26 Now, the how do you do? This is classic, Peter. Of course. It's definitely the most common one. This is usually a medium to medium up tempo. Yes. It's catchy. It's grooving.
Starting point is 00:04:35 Yes. It clearly introduces the tone of the album. Yeah. It's usually a really like a nice, introductory track for all of the players on it. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Now, how would, you know what would be fun?
Starting point is 00:04:47 Why don't you present to the dear listeners? Yeah. How that would sound like, well, I'll throw this out there, but you can correct me because you came up with this. I would say, this is the equivalent of the, well, how do you do? How do you do? No, it is exactly right. How do you do?
Starting point is 00:05:01 It's very lighthearted. It's a little creepy, though, the way we're doing it. So should we present a little less creepy? I don't know. The how do you do? Yeah, that's a little grass. No, you know, that's a little aggressive. I like it.
Starting point is 00:05:12 You're going to wrap. So we have examples. They're going to speak for themselves here. And it doesn't even matter the like we have different genres here of. It's not just straight ahead. It can be, the how do you do can be serious. It can be sad. But it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, not upbeat, but it's a medium, medium up tempo.
Starting point is 00:05:28 Everybody gets a little turn to solo. You know it'll be fun is if this is a success, which is feeling like it's going to be another episode. Next time we do the how do you don't. Because that's another way to start. Actually, yeah. Oh, we're going to go negative now. Oh, sorry. No, no, we're not doing that. We're keeping it. So I think a perfect example is from Dexter Gordon's Go, obviously an iconic album.
Starting point is 00:05:45 And it starts with cheesecake. Check it out. This is a perfect example about how do you do. You know what I mean? How do you do? How do you do? Isn't that perfect? That's so great. You all know this album. If you don't know, go, where you've been? Sunny Clark. Go, check it out. Sunny Clark, man. Okay, one of the great albums sounds great, playing is great, album cover. One of the greatest blue-note album covers of all time. don't need it to be so straight ahead even.
Starting point is 00:06:24 So I was thinking about different kinds of albums that use the how do you do. Even something like Eric Dolphy's. Wait, before you go to that, can we play that just one more time? Sure. Because another angle on the how do you do I heard as you played it was there's a little bit of an introduction. Yeah. Yeah. Well, how do you do?
Starting point is 00:06:43 I think I didn't think about that. And then there's a little bit of. And then Dexter kind of brings it in with the double like they're doubling up the temple, but they already know, well, how do you do? Here's cheesecake again. Like just walking along by themselves. Well, how do you do, Mr. Symbol? Yeah. Text record.
Starting point is 00:07:07 I just want to hear it anyway. I know. It sounds so good. So, but as I was saying, this doesn't have to be limited to just straight ahead albums. This also works for Out albums. You know, avant-garde albums, Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch.
Starting point is 00:07:18 The first track is Hat and Beard. This is so, this is very, how do you do for this album? That's kind of similar. actually. How do you do? You know what I mean? Everybody's kind of,
Starting point is 00:07:32 how do you do? It's like you're in a British spy, you know, like Austin Powers-esque. But it's set up the album, you know what I mean? It's medium tempo. It's catchy. I love, man. I'm a sucker for it.
Starting point is 00:07:55 Orchestration. These albums, he's Eric Dahlia. This orchestration is key. We got to get to the solo, just the first part of the solo. That's a how do you do. Yeah. But like, how do you do? And then how do you do?
Starting point is 00:08:55 How do you do? Everything falls apart in a beautiful way. So that would be past the how do you do introduction there. But that is definitely a how do you do track. Like that's the point. It's a table setter in a very how do you do kind of way, even for something like out to lunch. That's hat and beard, Eric Dolfi. Now it doesn't even have to be limited to this kind of black American music.
Starting point is 00:09:14 We have Anat Cohen, I think, has a great example from her album With Canada, not play black American music With three, well, but this is Brazilian, some Brazilian music here with Trio Bracierre, I don't know, I'm terrible at this. Trio Braciero.
Starting point is 00:09:32 Thank you very much. Trio Bracierre. That's right. This is their album Rosa dos Ventos, and this is Bayao de Esperantio. Rosa dos Ventos. Thank you very much. It's a bit of a how do you do that.
Starting point is 00:09:44 This is what's going to happen on the album. Yeah. They're usually head nodders. Yes. They're head nodders. How do you do? What I wonder to, if we couldn't even think about this,
Starting point is 00:10:19 analogous to you're arriving at somebody's home, you are in the entryway. That's right. Exactly. The veritable vest of you. Absolutely. You know, and you're kind of talking something. It's not like come right on into the kitchen and let's eat
Starting point is 00:10:30 or come into the living room. Let's chill. It's like, hey, how you've been? What's going on? This is what's going to happen. It's that entryway. And I think it speaks to something that we all. talked about on the sash architecture you know architecture and so this is the kind of meta of this
Starting point is 00:10:44 tune the how do you do portion of it but the tune serves as that on a great iconic album the whole first tune as well so that's an act cohen and trio brassiero blacierro with with rosa dos ventos the album uh and so so next up is number two this is the different a different numero dose a different way to start an iconic album. This is the, has it started yet? Boom. I love this one.
Starting point is 00:11:12 So this is, I think, best, this is best. Is that also known as is this thing on? It is. Wait, did I press play?
Starting point is 00:11:20 This is unclear if you've pressed play on the CD player. Sometimes a jarring intro several seconds in, sometimes. There's usually, there might be crowd noises
Starting point is 00:11:29 or skit or some found sounds. Found sounds, I like that. You know what I'm saying? So this best is, I think. It's almost like you're not coming in the front hallway.
Starting point is 00:11:37 You're kind of like banging on the back door. Let me in. I'm coming right in. Or you're sneaking in perhaps. Hey, by the way, we have a Spotify playlist with all of these. If you want to go on deeper, like if you like anything you hear, you want to go on a deeper dive. It's here in the description. You can check it out.
Starting point is 00:11:50 So this is, of course, K-O-B. Yep. Wait, is this, has started yet? Yeah. Is this thing on? Hello? Hello. Someone told me this is an iconic album.
Starting point is 00:12:12 This is when they're like, Miles is going to let us do the real take in a minute, right? PC's like, that's where we're going to start the cut. Yeah, exactly. That's where we should start it. So I'm going to be completely honest, man. I think I heard this when I was 14 years old, maybe. It was one of the first jazz songs I ever heard. And I remember that intro being like, what is this?
Starting point is 00:12:47 I know. What is going on? I was so used to just, you know, the Beatles or the Beach Boys or whatever. And it's just like, what is happening? But when they went into Bootung, go do. Yeah. Then you were like, oh, yeah, Beatles. Beatles.
Starting point is 00:12:57 Beach boy. Yeah. Well, I would just say that, like, I was full disclosure, you know, uh, sue me because I'm going to be very honest here. I, up until relatively recently, as in the 21st century, I, I did not really enjoy that portion of the tune. I just never knew why it was there. Like, they're, they're kind of noodling. This is before I, this is before I was heavy into noodling myself.
Starting point is 00:13:23 Well, no, it just seemed like. Before you started your noodling career. Yeah. It was pre-noodle. It was a pre-neutral Peter. No, but it just, it wasn't even, it's not like your traditional kind of noodling like I do, but, you know, it just didn't seem like it fit
Starting point is 00:13:35 to the tune, but the thing was I had played the tune. I don't know, I just didn't, but I was afraid to say anything because the whole record's so good. But as I went deeper into the tune, this is from when I was four years old to four and a half. From age four and a half on, I got it, of course. No, no, no, but the idea that
Starting point is 00:13:52 it makes sense on the larger scale of the, like if this was a single, you would just start it at the radio. When you hear Flamenco sketches at the end, you're like, ah. It all, it's a complete package that I think really works. Agreed. Next up is a little,
Starting point is 00:14:10 again, it doesn't have to be just straight ahead stuff. Next up is a little weather report. This is the start of weather reports 1974, maybe. Yeah. Black market. Black market. Start again. Is the crowd rustling their way in?
Starting point is 00:14:32 Did Joe Zavno get a pre-digital patch? Oh, there it is. Yeah. I love this one, man. This is one of my favorite genres of starting an album. It's great. I've never started. Have you ever started an album like this with a, is it started yet?
Starting point is 00:14:49 I've never, I've never done. I've always started with like the bang with the, this is going to be heavy. That's what I try to do, you know. Right. So last up here for the has it started yet is from Bramford, Marcellus, 1987, I think. This is a great record. This is a great record. If you don't know this record, check it out.
Starting point is 00:15:04 It's Trio GP. Don't sleep on this one. Yeah, this is Howest from Edward. What's good? Is this Branford? That's Bramford. You know what I mean, though? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:15:30 You're like, wait. Is that Mill Hinton? It's 25 seconds in. Yeah. This is such a good album, yeah. What a player. So I don't know. If I vam for a minute, could you pull up another Bramford?
Starting point is 00:15:46 I know that we're on a schedule here, but I just thought of a great. Could I throw in a... It's our show, man. We do what we want to do what we want. Can you pull up Stella by Strata? Starlight by Bramford Marsalis. And I'll just vamp about this. Because you put Bramford in there,
Starting point is 00:16:00 I'm realizing he's kind of a master of, this is really the overt extended, hasn't started yet, style that we could even say. And I think, I just love the way this track starts with the music. That's great. I actually was looking at this album, but this is not the start of the album.
Starting point is 00:16:23 No. Oh, right. That's right. It's the start of the track. This is a great track. This is also, this is his album with his father, Ellis. And it's,
Starting point is 00:16:30 man, it's so good. Oh, that's right. It's not the beginning. Okay. See? Come on, Peter. Get with the premise. That's how we did. But I got to sneak in and hear one of my favorite tracks ever. Next up is number three. But that does speak to the kind of, you know, duality of it starting, you know, the hasn't started yet of a track and the hasn't started yet of an iconic album. For sure. For sure. Number three of the five ways to start an iconic album. Again, check out the Spotify playlist if you want to go on a deeper dive of any of these.
Starting point is 00:16:55 Number three is the, this is going to be really heavy. Now, this is usually very epic. sounding loud, it could be very serious or intense or intellectual. Yeah. It's one of those things where upon your first listen, you might be like, oh, snap, what did I get myself into here with this? But it can be ultimately some of the most rewarding things that we listen to. You might hear the beginning of it and then all of a sudden like, wait, how long is this album?
Starting point is 00:17:19 How long is each track? You're going to immediately be checking your eyes. Right. Every track is at least, yeah. Yeah, minimum 12 minute track length for album like this. But I think this is embodied most perfectly by. And absolutely stunning by, I think this to me is one of the great works of art of the 20th century of any genre. This is a Love Supreme by John Coltrane. One of the great starts to any album of music ever recorded.
Starting point is 00:17:43 There's a lot of platitudes, but I, you know, this is my, this is my, this is going to be heavy. Yeah. It starts with a gong. Hold on. We got to do that again. It's like, welcome to the Thunderdome. And then also what, what train plays after the gong. I know.
Starting point is 00:17:59 Oh, man. Hard mixed over on this side. Epic. Just epic. Can we start that one more time? I'm sorry, man. Sure. That's so just,
Starting point is 00:18:26 I'm going to tell you, listen to it with. You just know it's going to be heavy. And listening with headphones, I encourage folks, don't turn it up too loud, but listening to headphones, you get that separation train far on the left,
Starting point is 00:18:35 the gong, the cymbals everywhere. Rudy Van Gelder, there's a very teeny piano sound, but everything else is just masterful. Well, that's why everything sounds so good, unfortunately,
Starting point is 00:18:43 for the time, you know. That's right. Yeah, don't sleep on that. I mean, if you don't know that one. You can't sleep on it. So next up is from the 80s, one of your favorite albums, 1984, I think. Black Coats, 85. Black Coats from the Underground, Witten Marsalis,
Starting point is 00:18:57 has one of the most epic intros ever. Check it out. Yeah. Kenny Kirkland. It's got a little tune to it. You know what I mean? You know this is going to be happy. Stank that face up again.
Starting point is 00:19:17 I got it on. Come on. It's heavy. It's really driven by, yeah, I was going to say, driven by Jeff Kane. Watts in the way that album was driving. Has Jeff Tane Watts ever recorded anything that you weren't like, this is going to be heavy?
Starting point is 00:19:29 Right, exactly. It's certainly playing to his strengths if you start out the album like this. I mean, you don't have to tell him. It's like, this is the vibe. Oh, this can be the first track? Cool. We have four on this one because there was just too many good ones. This is one that we actually listened to on the SESH.
Starting point is 00:19:43 And I remember thinking like, oh, they're going in for the kill from the start here. This is from Artemis's self-titled release just last year, Goddess of the Hunt. Amazing. Oh, yeah. You know what I mean? That whole album actually has a bit of epic vibes throughout the whole thing. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:20:23 It's a great start to the album. It sets the tone. Yep. It just has that intensity out of the gate. All right. So we could. Would we say that this is going to be heavy is kind of the antithesis of number one, the how do you do? Or the mirror, not the mirror image, the inverse.
Starting point is 00:20:41 I think it is. Yeah. The how do you do is a bit. It's not light so much, but it's not heavy for sure. You know what I mean? We couldn't include, we couldn't have a, this is going to be heavy list without including something from Kamasi Washington's The Epic. This is the epitome of modern.
Starting point is 00:20:56 This is going to be heavy. It's not going to be light. No. Just know how do you do it. It's huge. There's a width that grabs to it. It's choir. The choir's in it.
Starting point is 00:21:19 I mean, there's an entire one second. It's got everything. Twelve minutes long? Check. There's like 17 Kamasi's already there. There's a full choir. The piano has like a chorus pedal on it. Okay.
Starting point is 00:21:34 So number four of the five ways to start an iconic album is the, I love this one. This is the what do you want to play? This is definitely, so this is like head arrangements, standards. There's a four bar intro and we're in. You know, that's kind of the vibe. Now I want to be clear here. This might seem like, okay, these are going to be light, right? This maybe is like not well thought.
Starting point is 00:21:56 out oftentimes this is done by groups that have been together for a little while yes and are very from and like don't need to have a big concept because the group is a concept or the way they play is the heavy concept for this so this doesn't necessarily this isn't like a necessarily how do you do or anything kind of lighthearted it's just and obviously like what do you guys want to do yeah okay cool and then you know it's going to be pop in because it's the band right And possibly even, especially in this first case, like a situation there, you're working so much, you're so dialed in as a group, you've got this great repertoire, but you haven't recorded it yet. But you've played it live a lot. And it's like, let's go in the studio.
Starting point is 00:22:35 This is not like the leader being like, this thing I wrote last night. I stayed up all night here. You drop the chart. This is like, let's do and just start playing. Start playing. And there's that great confidence of a working band, able to sort of dial it in. And when we talk to the icon Ron Carter about his time with Miles Davis. Our friend, Mr. Carter.
Starting point is 00:22:53 Friend of the show. Friend of the pod. Friend of the pod. Mr. Ron Carter. He talked about this playing in Miles's quintet about how Miles would, like, they would be out of, like, coming off of an airplane. Yeah. And remember he's just like, did he get, grab the base. So I thought Miles was the perfect place to start with the, what you want to play, Miles Davis.
Starting point is 00:23:12 And this is from famously when he was just, just, he was just fulfilling his record contract. Yeah. They just needed to make some records. They made three or four. They made four. In two days or something? Yeah. Two sessions.
Starting point is 00:23:23 This is from relaxing. And I think this is perfect for this. I'll play and tell you what it is later. I mean, he's just like, no one's going to know. Let's bring reverb on the snap. It's a relaxing if I were a bell. Again, they're just calling tunes. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:23:51 But with this band, that first great quintet. Yeah. Can't go wrong. Can't go wrong. You know what I mean? Another one that I think of like this is Sunny Rollins' trio. Pianoless trio is one of my favorite albums of all time, live at the Village Vanguard.
Starting point is 00:24:04 This is, what do you want to play? How wrong? When do you want to go into the melody? I got chills, Peter, chills. Man, listen to that dry Vanguard sound. I mean, I feel like I'm there. I'll admit, I put this on the list because I've listened to this album a billion times,
Starting point is 00:24:42 and I just got chills. I haven't listened to it in a while, and I know what I'm doing tonight. Tell you that much. That's amazing, man. Going to the Village Vanguard? I wish. The sound is so incredible. another what do you want to play let's be honest here O.P. Oh, he was a master of the
Starting point is 00:24:57 What Do You Want Play? Because he could be like What Do You Want Play? I mean he made an album called We Get Requests. That's like Exactly. It's the ultimate what you want to play. But this is something a friend of the show Rob Indicott hit us to Oscar Peterson and Clark Terry duo album On a Slow Boat to China.
Starting point is 00:25:14 Great way to start an album by the way. What do you want to play? Clark Terry. What I love? about it too man is when it's the right musicians it's like like some musicians you can you can orchestrate out everything yeah plan every last detail right and then Clark Terry and Oscar Peterson getting the suited and it's like I don't know slow about China yeah and they just make the most beautiful art you can imagine kind of plays to their strengths
Starting point is 00:26:02 good for sure okay we have just one more category before we get to that category though if if you're digging it click the like button why not that's Right. But what if they're listening on the podcast where they do? How about a little rating and review? We wouldn't,
Starting point is 00:26:17 we would not erase it. We couldn't. No, we couldn't. And you know what? I want to get back to, I would be honest with you. I want to get back to, remember we used to get weekly,
Starting point is 00:26:29 if not daily, or biweekly, seven star reviews. That was exciting because most of the podcast review systems will only allow five stars. But we were breaking that. We had some breakthrough, much like a breakthrough COVID-Cat.
Starting point is 00:26:42 on a fully vaccinated person, we broke through with seven stars when five were only available. That's pretty amazing. So how do they do that? They just go to wherever they get their podcast, then they leave a rating or review or both, and you just kind of figure out a way to put in seven stars.
Starting point is 00:26:58 A lot of people just say seven stars. Some people figure out how to put star emoji. Like star emoji. We like those because it's a visual confirmation and indicator of the love. Some people go a little far, like 700 stars. It's a little much. That's a little much.
Starting point is 00:27:10 But we'll take it. You're going to jam up to six. on that one. Okay, so we have one last category here, Five Ways to Start an Ionic album. And then, actually, I have a bonus here. I have one that embodies every single one on the list. That's every single thing. I can't wait for that. I don't know, because I'll see that all right. Because you think that some of them, I mean, it is a bit of a, of a, like a paradox here, but we'll make it work. So this last one is really fun. This is the, the label needs a hit. This is a, I love the desperation in your voice, the way you say that. Well, it's kind of an
Starting point is 00:27:40 old school idea, but it's obviously a hit song, right? It's obviously like the single. You know, you could see this was put, put it up top by an A&R person. It's simple. Sometimes to the chagrin of the artist, they might be like, let's put that later on. Sometimes. But the label needs a hit. The label needs a hit.
Starting point is 00:28:00 Simple with a killing groove, almost always. Oh, just to be clear, this is never done in jazz anymore because there are no hits anymore. Almost never, almost never. Perhaps there's vocals on it when there's not vocals on the rest of it. Yeah, right, right. And they're totally disconnected to the rest of it realm as well. And it's usually the most commercially viable opener possible on the album. So I often think...
Starting point is 00:28:20 It's a crass and open call for help pretty much. So I think a great embodiment of this is Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder. I mean, this doesn't take away the quality of any of this stuff. No, no, to be clear, these are all iconic albums. Now, these are also done on non-iconic albums, but we're not doing a negative episode. That's not how we roll. Sidewinder takes the cake here. I mean, out the gate.
Starting point is 00:28:43 Of course this is the hit. That's right. We need no melody. No, we're grooving. Label needs a hit. The label got a hit. What? Label needs a hit.
Starting point is 00:29:03 What? Of course, the Sidewinder by the Greatly Morgan iconic album, for sure. And that's an iconic way to start. You start with the hit. You know why? Why? Because the label needs a hit.
Starting point is 00:29:31 Because the label needs a hit. Now, in the early 80s, Herbie Hancock had been through a lot. Yes. He'd made a disco album. Not two years before. Which one would you consider the disco album? Sunlight.
Starting point is 00:29:41 100% is a disco album. I mean, he's in a butterfly collared shirt. Oh, that's not the only album he's got. A gold medallion. Yes, but a 70s disco-esque outfit will get you into a disco tech, but you're not going to hear sunlight played in a disco tech. Studio 54? You might, man.
Starting point is 00:29:59 Really? That's in the back room. I thought it was you? Well, I don't have that. We're talking way too much about the song because I don't have it on the list. But not long after that, he made an album called Future Shock. Yes. And the first track on it ended up being his biggest hit ever.
Starting point is 00:30:14 Yes. This is on MTV. Yeah, it was a cultural hit. What are you about MTV? I know a little bit about it. So this was 83? I think so. 82 maybe?
Starting point is 00:30:20 This is a rocket. Yeah. You know, it's pretty much just this. What? It's pretty much just what? Look at this guy. Pop it, pocket, pocket, lock it, lock it. What?
Starting point is 00:30:35 Come on. It's taking it back to the early 80s. Don't get me my black pants with the zippers all over. Parachie pants. I love to see. Now, to be clear, the rest of Future Shock doesn't really sound like that. You know what I mean? Completely.
Starting point is 00:30:52 That was definitely the hit. Yeah. And this was really the first, this was the first awareness. I'd actually heard Herbie Hancock because my dad had some great records, Miles Records with him on it. But when I heard this, I was like, I want to do this. But I was also trying to learn how to scratch. This was a big breakthrough for, like, scratching records. I got a little confused and tried to scratch with this actual album.
Starting point is 00:31:13 I thought you had to have somebody scratching. turns out that's just coincidental. But I digress. You digress. So our last track today, this to me embodies everything. All five. It's a bit of a how do you do in that it's a medium to medium up tempo. It has a vibe of has it started yet if you pair it with.
Starting point is 00:31:33 This is actually the second track on the album. The first one is a bit of a mic check with all the artists that are going to be on the album. Which is kind of a desperation label needs a hit a little bit? No, no, no, no. No, that's a bit of a hazard. started yet. Oh, right, right, right. And there's definitely a vibe of this is going to be heavy just because it starts in a kind of epic way. Yeah. It's a, it's a standard. The song itself is, it's a, I mean, people play it at jam sessions. You know what I mean? But it's also, it was a
Starting point is 00:32:03 huge hit. Yeah. And it's got, it's got Erica Badu on it. It's Afro Blue from Black Radio, Robert Glasper. Right. We're not going to pair it with lift off mic check, but I think this in a way embodies everything that you could embody for Five Waste to start an iconic album. Definitely an iconic album at this point, Black Radio. Yes. This is Afroglue. It's going to be heavy.
Starting point is 00:32:26 It's going to be heavy. It's a bit of a how do you do. Dream overlaid. My soul is from. That's kind of a how do you do with the foods. It's a bit of a how do you. I mean, it's a medium tempo. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 00:32:44 It feels good. It's a great way to start an album. It's also a start yet because, Because it's coming in and then going out. Shades of delight. I love her voice throughout this too. It's Afro Blue from Black Radio, Robert Glasper. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:33:09 It's everything. It's everything, really. You know? Yeah. That's all we got, Peter. Well, that was awesome, man. I loved talking about five ways to start with a bonus. That would be sixth way to start an iconic album.
Starting point is 00:33:21 Put them all together. Put them all together. Great stuff. Thanks, Adam. Yeah, man. Until tomorrow. You'll hear it.

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