Best Ian Forth Podcasts (2024)

1
Britpop: An Alternative History 1:04:59

1d ago1:04:59

1:04:59

The tentpole hits of Britpop are well established, but in this episode we take a trip down some of the B-roads and byways of the British music scene in the mid-90s.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
Steve Pringle Pt 2: How To Get Into The Fall 35:42

6d ago35:42

35:42

This episode is the the second of a double header. Steve Pringle, author of the classic Fall analysis "You Must Get Them All", gave us his thoughts on why the group resonate so strongly for so many in Part One. Here, he suggests to a nominal newcomer to the group's work where to get started on The Fall's vast catalogue. A handful of representative …

1
The man who wrote the book on The Fall: Steve Pringle 38:50

7d ago38:50

38:50

If an author writes a book analysing every single, every album, every phase and every lineup change of a band, it might be a decent-sized tome. In the case of The Fall, there's over 50 members, over 30 albums, over 500 songs and over 40 years to process. That is exactly what Steve Pringle undertook to carry out and he achieved his aim magnificently…

1
Oasis and the 90s Nostalgia Delusion 20:51

13d ago20:51

20:51

Oasis are reforming for a reunion tour. Have you heard? What marks out Oasis as so different from their contemporaries? It's hard to believe it's their musical sophistication or their profound lyrics. But something makes them incredibly popular. We also take a look more broadly at why people get so misty-eyed about the 90s. Is it just harking back …

1
SF0164 Insecurity 1:04:58

15d ago1:04:58

1:04:58

A selection of tracks on the subject of feeling like an impostor, inadequate or out of our depth.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
Why Punk Mattered 19:48

19d ago19:48

19:48

On our previous show, Paul Burke proposed that punk was unimportant at the time, left no lasting musical legacy and the reason people still bang on about it is because the middle classes act as its gatekeeper in the media that we all read and watch. In this riposte, while not dismissing all of Paul's points, I'll try to put punk in its cultural con…

1
Columnist Paul Burke - "Why punk was fake news" 31:09

27d ago31:09

31:09

Contrariness - we've got it. "If you were born after 1970 and don’t remember punk, you’ve almost certainly been misled by people who do. You’ve probably been told – through countless paean-to-punk retrospectives, documentaries and newspaper culture pages – that it was a glorious, anarchic revolution that swept all before it. I can tell you first-h…

1
SF0163 Angels and Ghosts 1:06:58

29d ago1:06:58

1:06:58

The subject is angels and ghosts but the mood ranges from visceral to joyous to reflective on these afterlife tracks.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
From cool to wet to everywhere: A Short History of Indie 21:47

1M ago21:47

21:47

What even defines indie? It used to mean something way back when. Groups that were on independent labels with a DIY approach and a different take on the world. But in a world where Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish with their billions of listens are indie - even Taylor Swift - does indie mean anything at all any more? How did we get to where we are no…

1
What you should know about BRAT 18:27

1M ago18:27

18:27

That lime green colour. That blurry font. And now BRAT has been picked up by the Kamala Harris campaign (this is August 2024). Is this something worth finding more about or will it all blow over by the autumn, like Gangnam Style and Barbie did? Almost certainly yes. But, it is intriguing and is, I believe, worthy of analysis. If nothing else, you c…

1
SF0162 50 Years On: 1974 Revisited 1:05:58

1M ago1:05:58

1:05:58

A reassessment of 1974, 50 years on. An almost themeless era as music wondered where to go next after the 60s, psychedelia, heavy metal, glam rock and the golden age of reggae. (And before punk came thundering in.) A fascinating tracklist.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
Why does "4 time" dominate modern western music? 19:42

2M ago19:42

19:42

Turn on commercial radio and what time signature are you 95% likely to hear in the first song? 4 beats to the bar, that's what. Is that just the natural pace of music or is something else going on? In fact, if you went to a dance in the nineteenth century, it would most likely be in 3 time, or a waltz. Travel to, say, Burundi, Bulgaria, Bengaluru o…

1
SF0161 Boredom 1:07:38

2M ago1:07:38

1:07:38

An uplifting episode - though ironically the tracks are about boredom.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
Why do sports fans chant? 19:41

2M ago19:41

19:41

Why do sports fans chant? Is it just to support their team or is there more to it than that? (Spoiler alert: there is more to it than that.) Join me, Ian Forth, in a spirited discussion which will take in the Chip Butty Song, organic living folk traditions, secular rituals, the Maori hakka, Sufi whirling dervishes, the Covid effect, Pat Nevin, vari…

1
Growing up with the Beatles, by author Paul Feldwick 38:33

2M ago38:33

38:33

Poet and author Paul Feldwick arrived for the first day of school in 1963 just as it The Beatles were starting their domination of the decade. As Paul made the journey from awkward 11 year-old to a sixth-former on the cusp of entering the adult world, The Beatles embarked on a journey of their own, from lovable Merseyside mop-tops to conquerors of …

1
SF0160 Song for Europe, or Sombr-Euro Fallout - The Return 1:06:47

2M ago1:06:47

1:06:47

Alternative songs about Europe and European cities to celebrate Euros 2024.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
How to explain the Taylor Swift Phenomenon 18:37

3M ago18:37

18:37

By the end of her 131 date worldwide Eras tour, Taylor Swift will have generated an additional $5 billion for the economy. Other artists have been phenomena before, but surely never before have we seen an artist have this sort of effect. No artist, let alone a female country singer, has ever been Time Person Of The Year before. She seems to be at t…

1
Why do non-Americans sing in an American accent? 20:12

3M ago20:12

20:12

The American accent in pop and rock music is ubiquitous. It has become the default accent for any aspiring artist to sing in, to the extent that it's virtually taken for granted and no one finds it odd. But it is a bit odd. This episode attempts to unravel the question as to whether singing this way is physiological or sociological. In other words,…

1
SF0159 Songs For, Songs Against ... and simply "Songs" 1:04:37

3M ago1:04:37

1:04:37

A multi-genre selection united by all containing the word "Song" in their title.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
Music and Storytelling featuring crime novelist, Sarah Bailey 32:04

3M ago32:04

32:04

Short stories in songs and music in stories. An episode of two halves, which coincidentally is the name of one of the tracks mentioned. In the first half, I choose ten of my favourite "short story songs" - tracks which form a more or less complete narrative. To give you a flavour, I also read out some sample lyrics from each. Those songs (in chrono…

1
Where have all the protest songs gone? 21:03

3M ago21:03

21:03

"Why don't young people write protest songs any more? It's not like the 1960s when we cared about the world and weren't glued to a screen." You might have heard this argument. Protest songs are usually thought to have disappeared or at the very least dwindled in their power and influence. But is that true? A careful examination reveals a quite diff…

1
SF0158 Family Life 1:05:06

3M ago1:05:06

1:05:06

An episode featuring fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, grandmothers, half sisters, little sisters and the family tortoise.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
"Kraftwerk are more influential than The Beatles." But is that true? 20:05

3M ago20:05

20:05

Tim Sommer in LA Weekly sums up the debate: “It is not just that Kraftwerk invented the future of music; it is that a startling amount of the music you hear today, from the most obscure indie rock to the most mainstream pop to literally everything in between, bears the impression of their invention. Until the moment “Autobahn” hit the airwaves in t…

1
The Ten Game Changing Movie Soundtracks with James Hillhouse 37:10

4M ago37:10

37:10

Film aficionado James Hillhouse takes us through his choice of the ten maverick soundtracks which changed the movie rules for good. Here are some clips from them: 1. King Kong (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMNICLfHE3M) 2. Alexander Nevsky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcPixaWL2Pg) 3. The Adventures of Robin Hood (https://www.youtube.com/watch…

1
SF0157 Steve Albini Tribute 1:06:36

4M ago1:06:36

1:06:36

A tribute to the legendary Steve Albini (RIP), featuring tracks from his bands Shellac and Big Black; and some of the myriad bands he audio-engineered.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
Is Spotify a force for good? 18:51

4M ago18:51

18:51

Spotify. All the music, all of the time. That's got to be a good thing, right? Not everyone agrees. In this episode, we'll take a look at: - Does Spotify pay artists fairly? - Does it provide access to bands that didn't exist before? - Has it encouraged disposability in music listening? - Has it created a musical echo chamber for listeners? - Has i…

1
Did Live Aid do more harm than good? 18:51

4M ago18:51

18:51

Back in 1985 Band Aid and Live Aid raised over 100 million pounds for famine relief in Ethiopia. Few question that it saved many thousands of lives. So, job done, case closed? The reality is more nuanced. In this episode we ask the questions: - What are the problems with the song "Do they know it's Christmas?" (the clue is in the title) - Where wer…

1
SF0156 Pedal Steel Special 1:07:34

4M ago1:07:34

1:07:34

A celebration of alternative bands incorporating the pedal steel guitar into their sound.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
VM Enthusiasts: Jazz and Blues with Tony Bishop 32:47

4M ago32:47

32:47

Curious about jazz and blues but don't know where to begin? Join aficionado Tony Bishop, legendary jazz and blues singer and harmonica player on the London circuit, who will give you a whirlwind expert briefing to hold down your end of the coffee machine conversation with the annoying boffin from accounts. Tony glides effortlessly through a short h…

1
The Unique and Remarkable Legacy of The Kinks 13:22

5M ago13:22

13:22

What did The Kinks ever do for us? The Beatles invented pop music as we know it and The Stones were the bad boys. But, like a middle child in the family struggling to fill a role, where does that leave The Kinks? Arguably with the richest legacy of all. Go with us on the journey and start to discover that The Kinks might have an equal stake in inve…

1
SF0155 Female bass players 1:05:27

5M ago1:05:27

1:05:27

A tribute episode to the iconic female bass players - and also some you may not have heard of.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
Why do older people hate new music? 14:25

5M ago14:25

14:25

Comments under Youtube videos of songs from the 70s and 80s have a grim consistency. "Back when music was music" is the gist. But I can remember older people saying the same about those songs when they first came out. Why do many - not all - of us - come to be so distrustful of new music? Neophobes, if you like. Join Ian Forth on Vinyl Maelstrom fo…

1
Is Unknown Pleasures any more than just a t-shirt 16:17

5M ago16:17

16:17

Walk down any high street in the world and you'll see someone wearing that t-shirt. The one with the wavy lines. Yet many people wearing it may never have listened to the album whose cover hosts the artwork. Cool design, but why does it resonate? And if you wear the t-shirt, should you bother listening to an album that's almost half a century old? …

1
Why are there so many female bands now? 14:53

5M ago14:53

14:53

50 years ago the NME ran a Best Albums Of All Time poll. There were 3 female artists on it and zero female-only bands. Glance through any poll from the last few years and it's essentially a 50:50 male:female split. So, what exactly happened? Join Ian Forth on this week's podcast to trace the evolution of women's role in modern music - and discover …

1
SF0154 Fame, Fame, Fatal Fame 1:08:46

5M ago1:08:46

1:08:46

When will I be famous? Me, probably never, which is fine because, as these tracks show, it is very much a double-edged sword.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
Vinyl Maelstrom Trailer 1:33

5M ago1:33

1:33

If you want to be expertly briefed next time you're chatting away round the famous water cooler, Vinyl Maelstrom is here to help. Why not join Ian Forth, host of the internationally successful podcast Sombrero Fallout, and his guests to listen in on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics. Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intr…

1
SF0153 Tiring, Sleeping, Dreaming 1:07:20

6M ago1:07:20

1:07:20

You snooze, you lose, or so they say. Not on this episode though. Alternative tracks about sleeping and dreaming.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0152 The Enduring Legacy of The Kinks 1:06:44

6M ago1:06:44

1:06:44

Hundreds of groups have been influenced by The Kinks. Here's a few of them plus some original tracks themselves.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0151 - Money: Too much or not enough 1:06:04

7M ago1:06:04

1:06:04

An episode about the perils of either striving after too much money or not having enough of it.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0150 - 150th Retrospective Episode 1:19:49

7M ago1:19:49

1:19:49

A cherry picking exercise from the archives on the occasion of the podcast's 150th episode.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0149 Music about music 1:06:19

8M ago1:06:19

1:06:19

An episode about music itself - the songs, the singers, the radio, the ballroom, the dances.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0148 Those we lost in 2023 1:08:39

8M ago1:08:39

1:08:39

We lost some fine musicians in 2023. Here's an episode paying tribute.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0147 Festive Forthy 2023, #14-1 1:11:57

9M ago1:11:57

1:11:57

The final countdown of the best tracks in 2023, according to Sombrero Fallout.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0146 Festive Forthy 2023, #27-15 1:04:52

9M ago1:04:52

1:04:52

The second of three shows rounding up some of the best alternative tracks from 2023.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0145 Festive Forthy 2023, #40-28 1:08:00

9M ago1:08:00

1:08:00

The first of 3 episodes dedicated to the best tracks of 2023. Well, some of them.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0144 - Neutral Milk Hotel 25 years later 1:08:33

10M ago1:08:33

1:08:33

It's a quarter of a century since Neutral Milk Hotel effectively stopped. Here's a celebration plus some bands who owe a debt to their unique sound.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0143 Same band, same song, different version 1:06:01

10M ago1:06:01

1:06:01

What happens when artists first demo a familiar song or re-imagine it years later.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0142 Lanes, Ways and Automobiles 1:09:13

11M ago1:09:13

1:09:13

The thrill of the open road. An episode about cars, roads and motorways.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0141 Sibling Bands 1:09:15

11M ago1:09:15

1:09:15

Ending up in the same band as your sibling. Here's some of the best tracks that combination can produce.By Ian Deeker Forth

1
SF0140 Talking Heads 40 Years On 1:06:25

11M ago1:06:25

1:06:25

As 'Stop Making Sense', the Talking Heads live concert film is re-released and given the IMAX treatment, we look back on the group and their legacy.By Ian Deeker Forth

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