The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams Jr opens up about his new album "Contemplates the Afterlife," reflecting on death, faith, and a 70-year career that's produced over 2,000 songs. Extended and high resolution podcast at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Topics Include: New album, Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife, drops on S-Curve Swamp Dogg shares wild theories on what happens after death He opens up about faith, doubt, and fear of dying Reveals he's written over 2,000 songs across 31 albums His very first record came out way back in 1954 Stories of opening for Sam Cooke and Larry Williams Names the R&B legends who shaped his sound early on Louis Jordan's band once crashed at his childhood home Tells the story of the worst gig of his life A gorilla costume gets stabbed onstage — true story Joining a traveling sideshow for five dollars a night Discusses which Swamp Dogg records collectors hunt hardest today Bob Dylan secretly covered one of his songs years ago Bonds with the host over their shared Australia connection Reveals his wild Beatles-cover novelty record made in Australia Explains how the record business vanished almost overnight Teases new Trinidad soca album and Black Grass II Black Grass II will feature Steve Earle and Margo Price Talks new collaboration album with Eli "Paperboy" Reed Reflects on his Nixon protest era and Jane Fonda ties Looks back on going broke after getting rich fast Recalls producing hit records for Gene Pitney and others Shares fond memories of legendary producer Jerry Wexler The stopwatch story behind his studio recording ritual On Phil Spector's massive ego and Wall of Sound Reveals which British acts covered his songs in the '60s Talks favorite record stores and his 100-record jukebox Hunting down rare 45s worth up to $1,000 The story behind his dance hit "Let's Do the Wobble" Closes with favorite love songs and a wild birthday coincidence Extended and high resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Black Flag vocalist Max Zanelly shares how she went from waitressing to fronting one of punk's most legendary bands and how the new lineup is carving their own space in legacy of the band. Australian tour tickets and info here. Topics Include: Max Zanelly checks in from Toronto, post-Canada tour Black Flag heading to Australia: four cities in late May One year ago, Max had just started rehearsing with Black Flag Only prior music experience: saxophone in middle school band A longtime fan, Max attended a Black Flag show in Vancouver Greg Ginn noticed Max singing every word from the front row Numbers exchanged; Greg said he wanted to make music someday A month later: the vocalist left, Greg offered Max the role Max sent vocal demos and flew to Texas to rehearse Already knew the full catalog; My War was the gateway album Side two's slow, sludgy tracks resonated the most deeply Favourite songs to perform live New recordings underway, still at early instrumental stages Max currently writing lyrics for a potential new Black Flag record Big age gap with Greg, but the band dynamic gels well Lineup reveal photos triggered massive online backlash before any shows Live shows quickly won skeptics over, including 80s-era veterans Henry Rollins is Max's personal favourite past Black Flag vocalist First rehearsals: nervous and shy about screaming into a mic Fake-it-till-you-make-it; fully unleashed onstage by the fourth show Voice conditioned gradually; 24-hour rest between shows is enough Bassist David sparked Max's interest in record collecting on tour Grew up religious; told mum she was just selling band merch Mum eventually came around; Max now inspiring women to start bands High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

The legend himself Jack Douglas (1945-2026) shares stories from five decades of rock history — from producing John Lennon's final album to the memories Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, The Who, and his recent production of Silverplanes. Topics Include: Jack Douglas joins Nate from a snowy driveway, cigar in hand. Silverplanes' debut album Airbus is finally releasing after years of delays. Jack met Silverplanes' Aaron Smart through his college-age son. Aaron turned out to own the Sunset Boulevard studio Jack had worked in. Jeff Emerick mixed the album shortly before his sudden death in 2018. The pandemic added two more years of delay to the release. Jack and Aaron are now label partners with New York real estate billionaire Douglas Durst. Their label operates 50/50 with artists — no standard royalty deals. Signed artists include Robin Taylor Zander and the Detroit Youth Choir. Jack builds songs from a single acoustic guitar performance first. Aerosmith was different — built from the band groove up, lyrics last. Walk This Way had no lyric until a Young Frankenstein gag unlocked it. Jack started his career as a TV composer while janitoring at Record Plant. He worked on sessions that became The Who's Who's Next. Kit Lambert and Keith Moon were both, politely, out of their minds. Jack survived eccentric clients by being reliably sober and crazy simultaneously. John Lennon was the easiest artist Jack ever worked with. John would say: "I'm the artist, you're the producer — let's work like that." Jack engineered Imagine and stayed close to Lennon through the Lost Weekend years. He was in and out of the Fame sessions with Lennon and Bowie. John told Bowie: "I'm writing you the best hit you'll ever have." John knew about — and liked — Aerosmith's cover of "Come Together." George Martin gave Jack a flat in Kensington and a Morgan sportscar. Jack helped produce Ringo's "Grow Old With Me," hiding Here Comes the Sun in the strings. Double Fantasy was secretly recorded at Hit Factory, too far west for fans. John wanted a middle-of-the-road record aimed at people aged 28 to 40. Earl Slick was kept from rehearsals deliberately — a wildcard for fresh solos. Rick Nielsen discovered John's Shea Stadium Rickenbacker with the setlist still taped on. Rick later gifted John a custom all-white Rickenbacker, model 001, never cashed his check. Cheap Trick's "I'm Losing You" session was thrilling but too edgy for the album. Jack hid microphones throughout the sessions, gifting John cassettes on his birthday. Jack destroyed the tape of the last day — John had sworn him to secrecy. After John's murder, Jack and Yoko listened to vault tapes alone until dawn. Yoko later sued Jack; Phil Spector's incoherent testimony and a wig mishap followed. Jann Wenner called Jack a nobody — until Jack's lawyer read Wenner's own book aloud. The jury was out ten minutes. Jack won millions. The 2010 Stripped Down version was mixed in the exact same Record Plant room. Live at Budokan was actually Osaka — Budokan tapes were too poorly recorded. Jack rebuilt the Osaka drum kit using speaker-driven bass frequencies and filtered signals. Aerosmith's Live Bootleg was sent back to Sony unchanged after Jack faked a remix session. High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers discusses the Bongo Fury box set, the Frank and Beefheart origin story, Frank's cutting edge approach and what may be next from the Zappa Universe. Order the Zappa/Beefheart Bongo Fury 50th Anniversary editions here Topics Include: Joe and Nate bond over the Stooges and unreleased raw recordings Bongo Fury turns 50 with 48 previously unheard tracks Two complete Armadillo shows finally presented unedited in sequence Portuguese Lunar Landing emerges from rehearsal tapes—a true nugget Frank kept tour itineraries but few detailed production notes Joe worked solo digitizing tapes for decades under Gail's direction Universal now controls the vault—the process has changed significantly Frank's Mac had one gigabyte—they dumped mixes to tape constantly Kennedy backup tapes and Synclavier data may be unplayable forever Racing against tape decay and obsolete machines that can't be replaced Heartbreak: 1630 tapes getting stuck and destroyed inside malfunctioning machines Early history of Frank and Captain Beefheart The Soots recorded together—Tiger Roach released, two covers still unreleased Frank invited Beefheart to join tour to get him some money Beefheart was unpredictable—lyrics in paper bags, sketching onstage mid-show "Born to Suck" captures spontaneous studio magic with Snoop tape banter Frank constantly taped everything—jokes often sparked future song ideas Post-tour darkness: Herb Cohen fallout left Frank uncertain about everything Frank and Beefheart reconnected—hour-long phone calls in Frank's final months Warner Brothers failed to promote One Size Fits All and Bongo Fury Cheaper Than Cheap footage sat in vault for decades—sync issues unresolved Joe finally identified the mystery tapes; Universal funded the restoration More Atmos projects coming—Joe teases a big announcement next month Extended & High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Producer Plug discusses his journey from New York DJ to hip hop producer for Wu-Tang members, running multiple record stores, and launching R&G Records in Inglewood with Snoop Dogg. Topics Include: Producer Plug discusses meeting again at Austin Record Fair His three superpowers: DJing, executive producing, and music production Born in Flushing Queens with father's influential Fisher sound system Father introduced him to WCBS-FM and classic disc jockeys The Fugees "Killing Me Softly" became his first musicology lesson Father taught him to stay curious and humble about music Started buying records at Nobody Beats The Wiz and Coconuts Carried white garbage bag of records through high school All The Right Records shop combined haircuts and vinyl shopping Made popular mixtapes across Queens neighborhoods, sold as CDs Got on record label promo lists by showcasing his tapes Mixtapes evolved into producing albums with original beats naturally Career progression through DJing, A&R, and label executive roles Opened multiple Records & Goods locations across different cities R&G stores feature unique Grail Museum showcasing rare pressings Hip hop's importance: taking best moments from every music genre Each store represents a spiritual piece of his father Haradio Sound Lab offers vinyl meditation space for listening sessions Tom Silverman's advice: learn from my billion-dollar mistakes instead Vinyl On Demand releases reissues plus upcoming Big Boo collaboration High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Legendary drummer & producer Steve Jordan (The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Batiste, SNL & more), discusses the history and deep personal reverence for the music of Chess Records and the 75th vinyl reissue series. Topics Include: Steve Jordan discusses touring with John Batiste at Davos Economic Summit He's producing Robert Cray's new album at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals JayVee Records finishing Willie Mitchell documentary, The Verbs album, and Tony Joe White posthumous record Chess Records called arguably the cornerstone of modern music New vinyl reissue campaign marks first proper Chess reissues in decades Steve's compilation "Let's Play Chess" features personally meaningful recordings The Dells were his first Chess records—Chicago's hardcore R&B answer to Motown Tommy Tucker's "High Heel Sneakers" on Checker was childhood obsession British Invasion reintroduced American blues that establishment had suppressed racially Etta James "At Last" originals fetch four to five hundred dollars Universal fire destroyed masters; some duplicates recovered from Europe thankfully Early stereo versions often poorly done with hard-panned instruments and fake echo Chess building preserved physically but control room was completely stripped of gear Steve brought API console and ribbon mics for 2010 session there Correctly guessed drum placement; Hubert Sumlin confirmed the next day Otis Spann's piano still vibrates sympathetically when musicians play the room Jack Wiener designed Chess gear and later mastered recordings in basement Mastering represents twenty-five percent of the mix, often overlooked historically Jamie Krentz alerted Universal to Chess catalog's 75th anniversary reissue potential Rarities campaign revealed extraordinary alternate takes including deep Lowell Fulsom version Willie Mitchell spent years perfecting Royal Recording's signature snare drum sound Keith Richards session led to lifelong friendship with Willie Mitchell Willie gave Steve one of Al Jackson's tom-toms from Al Green recordings Recording, overdubbing, and mixing in same room captures authentic studio sound John Lennon was his white whale—missed meeting him by five minutes Finally played with Paul McCartney on Rolling Stones' Hackney Diamonds album Blues Brothers debuted on SNL's third season finale with Saturday Night Live band Matt Guitar Murphy was a Chess session player—Steve's first Chess connection unknowingly John Belushi educated Steve nightly on deep Chess catalog from his Chicago roots Devo's SNL performance was a life-changing moment Steve witnessed firsthand High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Lucinda Williams discusses her recent creative surge with multiple tribute albums, paying homage to the masters, Folkways days, post-stroke recovery and the new album World's Gone Wrong Topics Include: Lucinda announces her 18th album "World's Gone Wrong" releasing January 23rd Reveals dramatic shift from releasing albums every 3-8 years recently Credits husband-manager Tom Overby for keeping creative momentum going post-stroke Explains how new band members made working out songs fun Describes creative process challenges between inspiration and studio deadlines Shares need for quiet, private spaces to write freely Reveals hotel rooms as unexpected creative sanctuaries like John Prine Discusses how songs emerge either formed or requiring detailed work Explains editing process of refining and "trimming the fat" Details collaboration with Tom Overby on "We've Come Too Far" Talks recording at Ray Kennedy's Room and Board studio Shares Steve Earle connection from Car Wheels on Gravel Road Laments losing song ideas when unable to record immediately Recalls taking control in studio despite band's initial surprise Tells sweet story of meeting Ringo Starr at Capitol Records Discusses transformative Beatles albums from early work to Sergeant Pepper Names Bob Dylan as her North Star musical mentor Explains The Doors' influence especially their dark poetic imagery Connects tribute album work to preparing for original songwriting Previews future projects including Neil Young tribute and stroke treatment High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

The Ramones influenced generations despite critical dismissal and radio absence. Ramones tour manager Monte A Melnick reveals insider history, promotional collectables, diplomatic strategies for handling volatile band dynamics and the journey of the revival and current cultural adoration of the band. "On The Road with The Ramones" book is available here. Topics Include: Monte Melnick's bonus edition adds 40 pages to his Ramones road stories collection Full-color book features posters, tour passes, and interactive visual design beyond typical text Monte served as diplomat, psychologist, babysitter, and mediator between wildly different band personalities Managing crazy crews, promoters, and venues doubled the nutty people Monte handled daily He delayed writing until after Joey's death to avoid discussing uncomfortable personal problems Frank Meyer co-authored as musician and Ramones fan, earning full credit beyond ghostwriter Book structured as oral history combining new interviews with archived quotes from multiple sources Early reviews dismissed the Ramones as "crap" unlike today's celebrated 10/10 album ratings Sex Pistols' anarchy lumped Ramones into punk danger zone, killing radio station support Major acts like Talking Heads, B-52s, and Blondie opened for Ramones before surpassing The band never considered quitting despite frustration, constantly seeking new producers for radio Johnny Ramone insisted on maintaining consistent sound while others wanted musical growth experimentation The Ramones acted as "Johnny Appleseeds," inspiring kids worldwide to form their own bands 1996 Lollapalooza tour revealed Metallica and Soundgarden formed bands inspired by Ramones performances Record labels rarely interfered except removing "Carbona Not Glue" fearing potential lawsuits The Simpsons appearance was considered an honor with special studio recording and commemorative jackets John Holmstrom created Rocket to Russia artwork and illustrations later used for merchandise Monte immortalized in song lyrics: "Monty's driving me crazy, it's like being in the Navy" 1977 "It's Alive" album represents peak original four members captured in live perfection The Ramones legacy: showing kids worldwide they could form bands without virtuoso skills High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide