Soundcheck

In this episode: Songwriter Allan Sherman rocketed to fame in 1963 with his unlikely hit “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” — and then just as suddenly, he disappeared. We discuss the pioneering parodist with Mark Cohen, the author of Overweight Sensation: The Life and Comedy of Allan Sherman. Plus: All this week, we're asking for your “Missed It Then, Love It Now” picks. Tell us about the music you didn’t hear when it first came out, but now really love—and why. Pop duo and identical twin sisters Tegan and Sara give us their picks. And: Swedish singer and organist Anna von Hausswolff brings her band to the studio to play a haunting, moody set.

Sonically, Swedish singer and pipe organist Anna von Hausswolff seems to have adopted some of the musical sentiments of her father, the controversial experimental Swedish artist and musician, Carl Michael von Hausswolff. Her new record, Ceremony, contains several engrossing, haunting, and moody instrumental pieces. That said, von Hausswolff's music is also quite beautiful, particularly when she sings: von Hausswolff has a knack for crafting catchy melodies delivered with a soft precision that allows her voice to float above that deep organ. Set List: “Sun Rise” “Mountains Crave” “Liturgy of Light”

In the late 1980's and early '90s, it was hard to escape the sound of smooth jazz emanating from the radio. With artists like George Benson, Dave Koz, and of course, saxophonist Kenny G releasing one hit song after another, it felt like the genre would never go away. Then in 2010, the death of smooth jazz seemed impending as the radio stations it was created for began disappearing from the airwaves.  But as The New York Times pop and jazz critic Nate Chinen explains, smooth jazz hasn't completely gone away, just set sail.  Interview Highlights Nate Chinen, on how smooth jazz has maintained its audience after it's disappearance from radio: There is still a very vibrant, in fact, audience for smooth jazz. It's just that they're finding their fix in a different way that they used to. One of the former executives at [New York smooth jazz radio station] CD 101.9 is now involved in this company that produces the Smooth Cruise, which I took a couple of weeks ago. It's affiliated with Spirit Cruises and it goes down the Hudson and up the East River. The Smooth Cruise is a kind of miniature version of these big luxury cruises that take off. The idea is the same. It's that: "We're gonna put on your favorite artists and we're going to make it a fun experience, and we'll go out to sea and have a good time." That is where the sort of center of the action is now if you are a smooth jazz fan.  On the creation of smooth jazz:  The phrase itself is such marketing catnip. Basically, it came out of a focus group. I believe it was in Chicago, they were testing out radio formats and they had a focus group together and were playing some of this stuff. A woman in the focus group said, "You know it's like jazz but you know, not -- I guess it's kind of like smooth jazz." And you know the bells went off in the control room behind the two-way mirror. That phrase, I think, was meant to differentiate it from what we knew as jazz.  On the possibility of smooth jazz influencing current records, such as Daft Punk's Random Access Memories:  It's an interesting thought because we all sort of assume that smooth jazz is this sort of fake or debased or kind of light offering. That it doesn't have anything to do with real music. But if you are a fan of smooth jazz or one of it's practitioners, you look at pop music today and you see a bunch of stuff that was produced in a room with synthesizers or on a computer. There's no real musicianship involved and everyone's auto-tuned. So, to their credit these are real musicians. Most of these artists have real drummers, real rhythm sections, they're playing music. You look at the Daft Punk record, it's the same ethos. It's this idea of "Let's get some real great studio musicians!"      

On first listen, Brooklyn-based singer and keyboardist Xenia Rubinos might sound like she’s supported by a huge backing band. But live, she plays with only her drummer, Marco Buccelli and a bit of sampling and effects. Rubinos fills out the rest with her hard-hitting vocals, raw keyboards — and her songwriting, which has confounded nearly everyone who has tried to describe it. Set List: "Hair Receding" "Cherry Tree" "Pan y Cafe" Xenia Rubinos performs all over New York City in the next month.

In this episode: Smooth jazz – which had its heyday in the ‘80s and early ‘90s – is making a comeback, especially out at sea. Nate Chinen, jazz and pop critic at the New York Times, discusses the evolution of the much maligned genre, and its resurgence via the cruise industry. Also: John Schaefer shares his pick for Missed It Then, Love It Now. And: Soundcheck producer Gretta Cohn discusses this week’s Check Ahead album streams, from the experimental power pop group Happy Hollows, and the roots rockers Moreland & Arbuckle. Plus: Brooklyn-based singer and keyboardist Xenia Rubinos brings her eclectic sound to the studio. 

In the early 1970s, Harry Nilsson was one of the most famous musicians on the planet -- due in part to songs like "Coconut" and Everybody's Talkin'". Yet by the time he died in 1994 at the age of 52, most people had forgotten the reclusive singer's name -- even if they never forgot his timeless songs. Writer and radio host Alyn Shipton chronicled his enigmatic story in a new book, Nilsson: The Life Of A Singer-Songwriter. Interview Highlights Alyn Shipton, on Nilsson’s choice to shun the spotlight and write big hits for others: Harry had managed to live the life of a full-on rock and roller without ever appearing live on stage throughout the main part of his career. And that’s an extraordinary achievement. But of course what it meant was he didn’t sing his own songs to a public, and the bands that did — Three Dog Night was doing a stadium tour at the time that Harry was simply resolutely refusing to appear. So of course everybody reckoned that the song [“One”] was theirs. On Nilsson’s cover of Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talkin,’” which became one of his biggest hits: If you go and hear Fred Neil’s version of it, which is from an album which he did just about that time on the Capitol label, it’s not very good. It’s quite extraordinary that Nilsson and his producer Rick Jarrad heard it and they thought, “We can do something with this.” And the two biggest hits that Nilsson had were both cases of taking a song that somebody else had done alright with but not really made work properly. And with a little touch of genius, Harry’s extraordinary voice, and an absolutely brilliant arrangement by a man called George Tipton, “Everybody’s Talkin’” was transformed from an everyday kind of Greenwich Village sing-alongy folk song into a masterpiece. On the difficulties of Nilsson’s upbringing influencing his lyrics: That shaped the man who he was as a lyricist: A very tough childhood. Very ironic sense of humor. He could turn the most tragic consequence into something funny and throwaway. So when at age seven his beloved pet cat was frozen stiff in a blizzard, and when the snow melted they found this thing scatching at the door trying to come back into the house, frozen stiff, he said, “Oh, he looks like The Road Runner!” It was throwing off something that really meant a lot to him with a joke. And he would do this right the way through his life.      

In this episode: Harry Nilsson was one of the most famous musicians on the planet in the early 1970s. But by the time he died in 1994 at the age of 52, most people had forgotten his name, even if they never forgot his hits like “Coconut,” and “Everybody's Talkin’.” We discuss the enigmatic musician with Alyn Shipton, author of the new book Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter. Plus: Soundcheck producer Joel Meyer answers our question of the week when he shares a song he missed out on, but that he loves now. And: Canadian jazz vocalist and pianist Laila Biali plays live in the studio.

All this week we’ve been talking about the music of the summer of 1993 – chart toppers, watershed moments, and a few underdog albums. Today, we hear from someone who spent that summer waiting on the release of what would be a hit record: Ishmael Butler, founding member of the jazz-inspired hip-hop trio Digable Planets. Digable Planets' debut album Reachin (A New Refutation of Time and Space) came out in September of 1993, yielded a Top 20 hit, was praised by critics as a rap milestone, and soon earned the group a Grammy. Butler looks back with Soundcheck host John Schaefer at Reachin', shares what he was listening to during that summer of '93, and tells us what's in store for Shabazz Palaces.

East meets West in the band Minor Empire. The core members of the group -- guitarist Ozan Boz and vocalist Ozgu Ozman -- hail from Turkey, but are based in Toronto. And its songs -- many based on traditional Turkish folk tunes -- strike a balance between traditional and experimental, acoustic and electric, and between ecstasy and melancholy. With instruments like kanun, saz and oud, the group plays songs from its debut, Second Nature, live in the studio. Set List: "Bulbulum Altin Kafeste" "Hey On Bejli" "Zuluf Dokulmus Yuze"  

There was a lot happening musically during the summer of '93 -- and there was also a lot happening in the movie theaters. The blockbuster hit "Jurassic Park" -- directed by Steven Spielberg and scored by John Williams -- became the top earning film of all time (only to be beaten out a few years later by "Titanic"). But that wasn't the only memorable film to come out of that summer, especially when it came to soundtracks. Kristen Meinzer and Rafer Guzman of The Takeaway's "Movie Date" podcast join us to talk about their personal favorites from that summer -- from the rap-rock of "Judgment Night" to the indie pop of "So I Married An Axe Murderer."  Kristen and Rafer's Soundtrack Picks for the Summer of '93:  "So I Married An Axe Murderer" Kristen: "It was a complete flop. But the soundtrack, a lot of people know, because it kind of defined 1993 indie pop music, much like the 'Singles' soundtrack the year before defined a certain era."  "Judgment Night" Rafer: "I know that this is the 'enfant terrible' of rock soundtracks. Everyone points to this soundtrack as being either the zenith or the nadir of rap rock.... I'm not saying to you that I'm a rap-rock fan, but when you think about it, the soundtrack was really quite ahead of its time."  "What's Love Got To Do With It?" Kristen: "[Tina Turner's] soundtrack for that movie is fantastic. It's a biopic based on 'I, Tina,' which is the autobiography she wrote with Kurt Loder of MTV fame. Tina Turner re-recorded most of the songs for this movie, and Laurence Fishburne actually does his own singing in it."  "Poetic Justice" Kristen: "This came out at a time when Janet Jackson was at the top of her game. Her song 'Again' which appears on both the Janet album and the 'Poetic Justice' soundtrack was nominated for awards and was hugely successful."  "Menace II Society" Rafer: "This was really one of the first films to take a really hard, clear-eyed look at black youth in the inner cities and to use a gangster rap soundtrack." 

Join Soundcheck all this week as we revisit landmark albums, singles and watershed moments that sizzled in the summer of 1993. Plus, special guests join us to look back at movies, pop culture and city life from the steamy months of '93. Today, The Takeaway's Kristen Meinzer and Rafer Guzman -- who together co-host the Movie Date podcast -- talk about the soundtracks to some of 1993's biggest movies, from Free Willy to Judgment Night, and hopefully everything in between. Then, Ishmael Butler of the legendary hip hop group Digable Planets and now Shabazz Palaces reflects on Digable Planets' 1993 album Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space). Butler also sets the scene about what he was doing musically back then and what he was listening to 20 years ago. And East meets West when Turkish band Minor Empire drops by to perform in the Soundcheck studio.  

This week, Soundcheck is revisiting the summer of 1993, looking back at some of the best and most influential albums and songs from 20 years ago. Today, Rolling Stone contributor and author Rob Sheffield reflects on a few important albums and favorite songs from the time — from Radiohead's Pablo Honey to Pet Shop Boys' Very to U2's Zooropa to Janet Jackson's single "That's The Way Love Goes."     Radiohead, "Creep" from Pablo Honey Radiohead's "Creep" was one of the huge summer hits on MTV. (The CD was originally released in the UK in February 1993, but didn't get any US airplay until "Creep" became a surprise hit in the summer.) It was the first time we ever heard this band. (Airplay note: the MTV version went "you're so very special," but the album version featured a more profane adverb.)     Pet Shop Boys, "Go West" from Very The full album was released in September, after the two lead singles were summer hits. "Can You Forgive Her?" was pretty good but the sensational one was "Go West," a massive gay club hit in June 1993. Their "coming out" record, and possibly the best "coming out" record of all time.   U2, "Numb" from Zooropa:  The fun version of Achtung Baby. I love that song "Numb," the one where  the Edge raps. And that was the leadoff single, not to mention a surprisingly big MTV hit.     Janet Jackson, "That's The Way Love Goes" from janet. Sweet little Janet grows up and stakes her claim as a true pop visionary.

Nelson Mandela is celebrating his 95th birthday today, and people around the world will be paying tribute to the venerated ex-president of South Africa for the annual Mandela Day. Perhaps no one has celebrated Mandela Day more than Jim Kerr, the lead singer of the Scottish rock band Simple Minds, who wrote the song "Mandela Day" for the leader and statesman's 70th birthday concert in 1988. Kerr takes a break from recording a brand new Simple Minds album to talk about "Mandela Day," then and now. Interview Highlights Jim Kerr, on helping organize Mandela Day celebrations for Mandela’s 90th birthday in 2008: Amazing to see the journey that man had made. Mandela of course is a symbol of people in South Africa, but he himself is an amazing character. It was lovely years later to turn up in Hyde Park in London and the old fellow was still there with a twinkle in his eye and as charming as ever. On his impressions on Mandela after meeting him: The little time I spent with him, he was a man of humor, a man of great, great humility, a bit of a shrewd operator — you could see that. Always had a nice comment for the ladies…. He more than anyone is very conscious that he was only one of so many that sacrificed so much to see that human rights were to be for all in South Africa. On his inspiration for writing “Mandela Day”: Our government at the time — Margaret Thatcher’s government — were really dragging their heels. Margaret Thatcher referred to [Mandela] as a terrorist, and there’s no getting away from that. That’s how she saw it. And we were kids. When you get the bit between your teeth, you just won’t let go.   

Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro, the duo that are at the heart of Savoir Adore, have described their sound as “fantasy pop.” And "Dreamers," the standout single off of the group's newly reissued LP Our Nature, proves why. First, there's the fantasy: The trippy music video for the song, which has garnered nearly a million views, would feel right at home in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Then, there's the pop: "Dreamers” wraps spacey synths around melodic lines, all resting on the foundation of a throttling beat.   Set List: "Beating Hearts" "Loveliest Creature" "Dreamers"  

This week, Soundcheck is revisiting the summer of 1993, looking back at some of the best and most influential albums and songs from 20 years ago. Today, Craig Fahle, of WDET, reflects on Detroit's music scene way back when and gives some dirt on what it was like to work in a Detroit record store in the early '90s. (Spoiler alert: It's not too far off from High Fidelity.)  Listen to Craig's picks of Detroit music in the Summer of 1993: Big Chief, "Fresh Vines" from Face     Charlie Hunter Trio, "Live Oak" from Charlie Hunter Trio   Morphine, "Buena" from Cure for Pain   Television, "1880 Or So" from Television