Mick and the PhatMan Talking Music

Nov 30 2024 85 ep. 61 mins
Mick and the PhatMan Talking Music Podcast artwork

Join Mick and Jeff as they talk about artists, albums and music genres with passion that comes from personal connection.  They’ve seen artists in concert at venues that don’t even exist today, bought albums when they were released on vinyl and, in some cases, met the artists.  

Sometimes they love the artist or music they're talking about. Sometimes they don’t. But, without fail, you'll always hear something you didn’t know. 

  Music
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Creedence Clearwater Revival – Yet another Greek tragedy from LA

Nov 30 2024 65 mins  
Send us a textEveryone knows and loves Creedence Clearwater Revival. Their run of hits at the end of the '60’s, and their enduring popularity, has rarely been equaled. Not so well-known is the story of the clashes that caused their run to end so abruptly. We take a look at how the band split and the many personal and legal issues that led to it. It ain’t pretty! Well, we also k

The 80’s - a much-maligned decade

Nov 16 2024 58 mins  
Send us a textThe 80's is a decade with many musical failings. But they produced some great music, too. This episode, we look at what Rolling Stone magazine considers to be the best songs of the 80’s. We have criticised Rolling Stone in the past for the quality of their lists, and this time is no different. However, there’s some good stuff in this list, which we’re happy to a

Nick Lowe - What's so funny?

Nov 02 2024 61 mins  
Send us a textThis episode spends time with Nick Lowe, a British performer, who started out with pub rock band, Brinsley Schwarz, and Dave Edmunds’ Rockpile. Lowe’s solo career has produced a huge bunch of great songs – many of which you’ve heard, even if you’ve not heard of him - which have been hits for him AND covered by some amazing people! A suggestion from listener

"Ashes to Ashes" - Bowie's confession?

Oct 19 2024 72 mins  
Send us a textDavid Bowie’s “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” is, for many fans, his last great album. Mick regards it as one of Bowie’s best, while “Ashes to Ashes” is his confession to a decade of hedonism. Mick and Jeff talk through what makes this album great, and look at the music environment as Bowie, along with many other 70’s greats, faced the changes in a n

Albums we regret buying

Oct 06 2024 75 mins  
Send us a textAs we grew up, music was the most important thing there was. As part of that, we bought some albums that weren’t great, and time has generally proven our assessments right! This episode, we talk about some of those "dud" albums, by artists like Bowie, U2, Led Zeppelin, Golden Earring, Neil Young, Alice Cooper, Phil Collins and Yes, to name but a few. In Rock News, w

Down the Rabbit Hole - Things we find on the Web

Sep 21 2024 80 mins  
Send us a textIn today’s episode, we look at how social media gives us a grab-bag of people’s memories of stars and some who weren’t quite so successful, or scarcely successful at all. Nonetheless, they are remembered by some and lionised on social media. The other side of "on-line" is the channels that present video imagery of any and everything, such as YouTube, TikTok and

The strange ways some bands got their names

Sep 07 2024 76 mins  
Send us a textAll bands need a name, but the process of getting that name is different for each band. This episode, we look at how a bunch of well-known bands got their names. Some are amusing, some are horrifying, some are dark or seedy – be ready for surprises! Our “album you must listen to before you die” is Arc of a Diver, by Stevie Winwood (1980). This was a formative al

Bands who changed their sound mid-career

Jul 27 2024 75 mins  
Send us a textIt’s not unusual for bands to change their sound or style as they move through their career. We take a look at bands that changed their sound substantially (or started a completely new sound) for a whole lot of reasons - from The Beatles, Bowie and Dylan and Black Sabbath through to Japan, The Cure and Split Enz. Our album you must hear before you die is Let it Blee

Nick Cave – From "Shivers" to 2024 solo piano & bass

Jun 29 2024 62 mins  
Send us a textNick Cave. After a career that would exhaust a lesser man, he’s still recording and performing breathtaking work. Mick’s just seen him live with only his piano, and a bass guitar, and can’t stop raving! We look at how he started and the difference between his performances and attitudes then and now. In other news, Lenny Kravitz is still sticking to his vow of ce

Weird & Wonderful Collaborations

Jun 09 2024 75 mins  
Send us a textMusicians love to collaborate. We thought we'd have a look at some that are just great, some that are weird, and some that are simply awful! As usual, some you'll know, and some you won’t. Our “Album You Must Hear Before You Die” is Pet Sounds, by The Beach Boys (1966). Long revered by musicians including The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, this album is a maste