Vinyl is awesome. But two things it is not are simpler and cheaper. You have been warned.
09.03.2026 15:15
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Vinyl is awesome. But two things it is not are simpler and cheaper. You have been warned.
For what it's worth, "Losing My Religion" is not actually about religion. It is a southern saying that basically means losing your cool.
Also, I'd be curious what you'd think about a song like "Cool" from Pylon. They were part of the same Athens scene as R.E.M. and I have a feeling they might be something you'd dig.
Totally fair. Murmur and Reckoning have an urgency to them, they bring a little punk into the mix that gets ironed out later in their career.
Incidentally, those are also the two albums produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon. I interviewed Mitch for the 35000 Watts film, he is a legend.
One broad way to divide R.E.M.'s career is the IRS era (when they recorded for IRS Records, an indie label) and the Warner Bros. era (very much not an indie label). I still love a lot of the Warner-era stuff, but I would say the IRS-era in general is more raw, more innovative, less polished.
Happy to see this! Given you are more than just a casual listener, take just a moment to consider the musical landscape when these first few albums came out. While I think they stand on their own merits, from a critical perspective, I think it helps to think about how different this was at the time.
I think they really hit their stride with Fables of The Reconstruction and Life's Rich Pageant, those are probably my two favorites.
I know there are a lot of people who only know R.E.M. from the songs that broke containment who would agree with you. But maybe you know their entire catalog and still don't think they aren't very good. If that's the case, then I am fascinated. I just can't imagine it.
Not liking R.E.M. is of course a personal choice, so whatever. Calling them 'overrated', however, is absolute blasphemy. It would be almost impossible to overrate their contribution to American music, alternative/indie culture, college radio and the list goes on.
Two out of three members of this podcast recommend you listen to Balaam & the Angel, and according to Meatloaf, that ain't bad!
youtube.com/shorts/Jcjrq...
If you think that's true for all bands, allow me to introduce you to R.E.M.
Also:
Spoon
Radiohead
U2
the Pixies
the Cure
Depeche Mode
INXS
The New Pornographers
Blur
Wilco
...and the list goes on
Slate, of all places, actually just published a deep-dive on Duff's legacy and I found it pretty interesting:
slate.com/life/2026/02...
The Vapors were more than just a one-hit wonder! #podcast #120minutes #80smusic
youtu.be/krjSosWbWQE
Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO talks about hearing one of their songs on the radio for the first time...and of course it was a college radio station! #collegeradio #devo #musicdocumentary
Watch the full film on #Tubi now: tubitv.com/movies/10003...
Many thanks!
We were definitely lucky, the station went from carrier current in the 1950s and worked up to 35000 watts around 1990 or so. You'll see a brief discussion about that in the film. Of course, then there's WREK in Atlanta, who are still broadcasting at 100,000 watts!
Not to be presumptuous, but boy do I have a documentary for you! 😀
tubitv.com/movies/10003...
www.35000watts.com/120-months-j...
#collegeradio #120minutes #thereplacements #sineadoconnor #ultravox
The podcast crew finishes off 1987 with a couple of big name artists in Violent Femmes and The Smiths, along with a track from the unexpected later stage of Wire's excellent catalog. Listen now on Apple Podcast, Spotify or YouTube!
www.35000watts.com
This episode features a fun mix of styles, from the punk-meets-funk vibe of Fishbone, to the acapella stylings of The Housemartins and finally the lush electro-rock of Depeche Mode...plus a mystery song that you'll just have to hear for yourself. #120minutes #mtv #80smusic
35000watts.com/podcast
I think The Good Place nailed it. The Friends finale was pretty good. Scrubs finale was great if you ignore the "extra" season that got tacked on later.
But of course the all-timer is MASH and it always will be.
One of the most believable things in the entire show.
In this episode, we lean away from the more iconic artists on the 120 Minutes playlist and instead land on a couple contenders for "one-hit wonder" status and an influential band who never hit the heights that some of those that borrowed from them did.
Listen now on Youtube: youtu.be/7BysHY3rovg
We used to call that the "super shuffle".
Our interview series continues with a conversation between our host, Lisa and Charles Driebe, an alumni of the venerable WTUL-FM 91.5 in New Orleans.
www.35000watts.com/interview-wi...
A little something for everyone in this episode of 120 Month. It was the time of early Concrete Blonde, peak New Order and later-stage John Lydon (in the form of Public Image Ltd.).
www.35000watts.com/120-months-s...
#collegeradio #120minutes #1987 #concreteblonde #neworder #johnlydon
The summer of 1987 draws to a close with a couple of artists who were mainstays on college radio for years, plus a one-hit wonder that is beyond iconic almost forty years after its release. #collegeradio #120minutes #yello #10000maniacs #echoandthebunnymen
www.35000watts.com/120-months-a...
For this episode, we're deep in the summer of 1987 and talking about an eclectic group of bands that were all at (or pretty close to) the height of their powers at the time: Black Flag, Nitzer Ebb and R.E.M.
www.35000watts.com/120-months-j...
