Mick and the PhatMan Talking Music

We’ve talked about how people don’t listen to the lyrics before using a song – for advertising, a political rally, or a special event. That's how we end up with Volvo using a song about drug abuse and transvestism to promote their cars, or couples using a song about obsession and stalking as they recite their wedding vows, or Iggy Pop’s ode to his heroin addiction to promote a luxury ocean cruise, to name but a few! We look at these and other examples of “Didn't you listen to the lyrics first?!” Our Album you Must Listen to Before You Die is Cafe Bleu, by Style Council, in Paul Weller’s first outing after leaving The Jam. What a wonderful album!! There’s lots more, including Pavlov’s Dog, The Smiths, Bon Jovi, Paul Simon, and heaps more!! Enjoy! References: Pavlov’s Dog, Abbie Steiling, “Berlin”, Pampered Menial, Globite, The Smiths, The Queen Is Dead, Bon Jovi, Slippery When Wet, Paul Simon, Graceland, Google Gemini, Café Bleu, The Style Council, Paul Weller, Robert Dimery, “A Town Called Malice”, Tracey Thorn, Everything but the Girl, “You’re the Best Thing”, The Jam, “Walk on the Wild Side”, "Lust for Life", Iggy Pop, Ray Manzarek, Johnny Yen, “Trainspotting”, The Supremes, “You Can’t Hurry Love”, Phil Collins, "Help!", The Beatles, Ford Lincoln-Mercury, "Revolution", The Beatles, Nike, John Lennon, "Perfect Day", Lou Reed, AT&T, BBC, heroin, "London Calling", The Clash, 2012 London Olympic Games, Political Campaigns & Rallies, ”Born in the U.S.A.", Bruce Springsteen, Ronald Reagan, "Fortunate Son", Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Rockin' in the Free World", Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield, CSN&Y, "Pink Houses", John Mellencamp, The American Dream, "Every Breath You Take", The Police, Trudy Styler, obsession, Sting, Stewart Copepland, "One", U2, Bono, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, Amanda, "Brown Sugar", The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers, "Imagine", John Lennon, Steely Dan, “Only a Fool Would Say That”, Macarena, Los Del Río, YMCA, Village People Playlist – Misused Songs Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

The second half of our look at 1976 - a banner year for music. This time, the boys look at more of their favourites of the “Class of ‘76” and plug in a dynamite playlist to go with it! The conclusion of a romp through one of music’s finest years! We know you’re going to love it. References: Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life, “Isn’t she lovely”, “Sir Duke”, Andy Williams, R&B, Rhythm & Blues, The Eagles, Hotel California, “Life in the Fast Lane”, “New Kid in Town”, “Victim of Love”, Joe Walsh, Led Zeppelin, “Presence”, “The Song Remains the Same”, Achilles Last Stand, Moroccan influence, “Nobody’s Fault but Mine”, “For your life”, “Candy Store Rock”, Peter Grant, The Ramones, The Ramones, “Beat on the Brat”, “Blitzkrieg Bop”, “I Wanna be your Boyfriend”, Spin magazine, Rolling Stone, "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", Music from the Penguin Cafe, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Simon Jeffes, Station to Station, David Bowie, The Thin White Duke, Kether, Malkuth, “Golden Years”, “TVC15”, Howzat, Sherbet, Hurstville Civic Centre, Bo Diddley, Cold Chisel, “Summer Love”, The Doors, High Voltage, AC/DC, “T.N.T.”, “It’s a Long Way to the Top”, “High Voltage”, “Can I Sit Next to you Girl?”, Daceyville Police Boys Club, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, “Jailbreak”, Ol' 55, Take It Greasy, "On the Prowl", Frankie J Holden (FJ), Wilbur Wilde, Supernaut, “I like it both ways”, Ian “Molly” Meldrum, Alan Parsons Project, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Billy Joel, Turnstiles, Bob Dylan, Hard Rain, Bryan Ferry, Let's Stick Together, ELO (Electric Light Orchestra), A New World Record, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Genesis, A Trick of the Tail, Jeff Beck, Wired, Jethro Tull, Too Old to Rock ’n’ Roll: Too Young to Die, Joe Walsh, You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind, Linda Ronstadt, Hasten Down the Wind, Lou Reed, Coney Island Baby, Pavlov’s Dog, At the Sound of the Bell, Queen, A Day at the Races, Rod Stewart, A Night on the Town, Steely Dan, The Royal Scam, Steve Miller Band, Fly Like an Eagle, Warren Zevon, ABBA, Arrival, Wings, Wings Over America Playlist - The music & artists we discussed during this episode Flutist Reacts to Jethro Tull Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

1976 was a banner year for music. Some of the greatest albums of all time were released that year, and Mick & Jeff were there as it happened. This episode, they look at their favourites of the “Class of ‘76” - what was great (and what wasn’t!) & why. In Rock News, the boys check out who’s touring, and what aged care arrangements are in place! Their “Album You Must Hear Before You Die” is Paul Simon’s “Graceland”, which brought African street music to Western radios and stereos. A wide-ranging romp through one of music’s finest years! We think you'll love it. References: 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Robert Dimery, The Eagles, Las Vegas Sphere, Journey, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Kansas, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, Yes, Graceland, Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, South Africa cultural sanctions, Los Lobos, Steve Berlin, The Rolling Stones, Black and Blue, Jagger/Richards, The Glimmer Twins, Ron Wood, Harvey Mandel, Wayne Perkins, Billy Preston, “Do You Love Me?”, “I’m Black & Blue from The Rolling Stones”, The Modern Lovers, “The Modern Lovers”, John Cale, “Roadrunner”, “Pablo Picasso”, “Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers”, Joan Armatrading, “Joan Armatrading”, “Down to Zero”, “Love and Affection”, Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention), Kenney Jones (Faces), Boz Scaggs, State Theatre Sydney, Silk Degrees, David Paich, Jeff Porcaro, David Hungate, Toto, “What Can I Say?”, “Lowdown”, “Lido Shuffle”, Peter Frampton, Frampton Comes Alive!, "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Do You Feel Like We Do?”, George Harrison , talk box, Boston, “Boston”, Tom Scholz, "More than a feeling”, Fleetwood Mac, “Rumours”, Lindsey Buckingham, Bob Welch, Mick Fleetwood, “Buckingham Nicks”, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, “Desire”, “Blood on the Tracks”, “Hurricane”, “Mozambique”, “Joey”, Rolling Thunder Revue, Emmylou Harris, violinist Scarlett Rivera, guitarist Dave Mason, “Hard Rain”, The Saints, (I'm) Stranded, Bob Geldof, Nick Cave, Fatal Records, EMI, Ed Kuepper, “Also Sprach the King of Euro-Disco", “Thus Spake Zarathustra”, Playlist (all the artists and music we talk about in this episode) The Queen of Pub Choirs Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

This episode’s a bit schizophrenic! Firstly, we look at Kate Bush, whose first single “Wuthering Heights” was released against the wishes of her record company – too long and too weird, they said. We all know how wrong they were, don’t we? Our Album You Must Hear Before You Die is "Junkyard" by The Birthday Party, a band who embodied chaotic, confrontational music. This is as far as you can get from Kate Bush! As you can guess, Mick loves them! Knockin’ on Heaven's Door looks at Mike Vernon, Denis Locorriere (of Dr Hook fame), and members of Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Motorhead. Enjoy! References: Kate Bush, Dennis Locorriere, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, "Sylvia's Mother", “The Cover of 'Rolling Stone', Ray Sawyer, Shel Silverstein, abortion, Mike Vernon, David Bowie, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (featuring Eric Clapton), Fleetwood Mac, “Albatross”, Bo Diddley, Storyteller. The Complete anthology 1964-1990, Rod Stewart, David Clayton-Thomas, Carl Georg Viktor "Jojje" Wadenius, Phil Campbell, Lemmy, Hawkwind , Robert Dimery, The Birthday Party, Junkyard, Tony Cohen, Nick Launay, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Rat Fink, Nick Cave, Bad Seeds, “The Firstborn is Dead”, “Tupelo”, “From Her to Eternity”, “Mutiny in Heaven”, Caulfield Grammar School, Mick Harvey, Phill Calvert, Rowland S. Howard, "Big-Jesus-Trash-Can" , "She's Hit" , "6" Gold Blade", Tracy Pew, Midnight Oil, “Half Deaf and Completely Mad”, Tony Cohen, David Gilmour, EMI, Ricky Hopper, "The Kick Inside”, KT Bush Band, Andrew Powell, Emily Brontë, Lindsay Kemp, Lionheart, Stuart Elliott, Cockney Rebel, Fear of Flying, Before the Dawn, “Kite”, “The Man with the Child in his Eyes”, “James and the Cold Gun”, "Wuthering Heights", “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here”, Hounds of Love, "Running Up That Hill" , "Cloudbusting", Stranger Things, Aerial, "Bertie", 50 Words for Snow, Peter Gabriel, “Games without Frontiers”, “Don’t Give Up” Playlist - All the music and artists we talked about in this episode Kate Bush Interview Kate Bush Intro - 1978 Kate Bush with David Gilmour Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

This episode we look at the phenomena of hugely successful artists refusing to play the songs that made them! First among these is Radiohead, whose “Creep” launched them onto the world stage. Others include The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Madonna. Our Album You Must Hear Before You Die is The Stranglers’ 1977 debut, the excellent “Rattus Norvegicus”, yet another punk record from the mid-70s. Mick loves this album for its energy and refusal to bow down to supposed “punk” rules. We also look at some of the highlights of The Stranglers’ outrageous career to this day. In Rock News, Jeff examines the success (or otherwise) of a Quebec band called Angine de Poitrine, known for their complex, “microtonal” compositions and absurdist public image, featuring oversized papier-mâché masks and black-and-white polka-dotted costumes. Imagine! Jeff also has a look at this year's inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, including Iron Maiden, Phil Collins, and Joy Division, and our Rod Stewart moment looks at his relaxed attitude towards death. Plenty there for everyone! References: 1001 Albums You Must Hear before You Die, Robert Dimery, The Stranglers, Rattus Norvegicus, Hugh Cornwell, JJ Burnel, sexism & misogyny, “(Get a) Grip (on yourself)”, “Peaches”, “Down in the Sewer”, Deep Purple, “Strange Kind of Woman”, ice cream van, "Golden Brown", harpsichord, Battersea Park Big Top Festival strippers, Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Philip Selway, Pablo Honey, Electioneering, Just, “Rolling Stone’s 250 Greatest Guitarists of all Time”, “OK Computer”, Nick Cave, “Creep”, “Pavlov’s Dog”, “Julia”, AC/DC, “It’s a Long Way to the Top”, Bon Scott, Pat Benatar, “Hit me with your Best Shot”, Beastie Boys, “Fight for Your Right (to Party)”, Billy Joel , “Tell Her About It”, Weird Al Jankovic, “Eat It”, Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar”, Madonna, Dylan, “Hurricane”, Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven", Eric Clapton, "Tears in Heaven”, George Harrison, "My Sweet Lord", "He's So Fine" Playlist (all the music & artists we referred to in this episode) Angine de Potrine Hugh Cornwell Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

In the mid-70's, one of our most outrageous bands burst out of Melbourne ready to shock a relatively conservative Australian society. With wild costumes & makeup, songs touching on drugs, sexuality and masturbation, and Red’s four-letter word chants, what's not for teenagers to love? We certainly did! Mick just got a new book covering the life of American guitarist Dick Wagner. With a career that included some of our favourite artists and music, including Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Kiss and Peter Gabriel, he thinks this book could fuel a new episode sometime soon. Our Album you Must Hear Before You Die is “Oxygene” by Jean-Michel Jarre. Very much at one end of our taste spectrum, this album really sorts the “listeners” from the “headbangers.” We know you’ll really enjoy this episode! References: Steve Hunter & Dick Wagner, “Not Only Women Bleed”, Globite, Countdown, "Michael”, Antoine Fuqua, John Logan, Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart, “1001 Albums You Must Hear before You Die”, Robert Dimery, Skyhooks, Graham “Shirley” Strachan, Greg Macainsh, Red Symons, Freddie Strauks, Bob “Bongo” Starkie, White cowboy suit, “Polaroid in Concert”, concert at Dawes Point, “Living in the 70’s”, “Smut”, " whipping the dripping”, "You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good in Bed", Double Jay, “Ego is not a Dirty Word”, “Shirl’s Neighbourhood”, Our House, The Party Boys, helicopter crash, “Hey Hey, It’s Saturday”, “Red Faces”, APRA Playlist - all the music and artists we talk about in this episode “Michael” - Trailer Paris expresses her views on the movie. Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

One of NZ’s best-ever band exports is Split Enz. Formed in the 70’s, Split Enz’ intelligent pop music made them one of our top bands for over a decade, and still beloved today. We look at how they got started and some highlights of their career and recordings. We also talk about our annual trip to Bali, where we discovered a local band that played Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here” (yes, really!!) Radiohead's “Creep”, Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and a stack of other songs straight from our episode playlists. Yep, sure surprised us! Our “Album You must Hear Before You Die” is Penguin Cafe Orchestra’s self-titled album from 1976 – an experience for an open mind! References: Bali, Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here”, Johnny Cash, “Ring of Fire”, The Bee Gees, “To Love Somebody”, Nick Cave & Shane McGowan, “What a Wonderful World”, Radiohead, “Creep”, “Love is all around us”, The Troggs, “Love Actually”, Bill Nighy, Jonny Greenwood, Michael’s Bar in Legian, “Wedding songs, and other disasters”, New Zealand, Auckland, Split Enz, Coachella 26, David Lee Roth, Teddy Swims, Justin Bieber, Robert Dimery, 1001 Albums you must hear before you die, ”Penguin Cafe Orchestra”, Simon Jeffes, Steve Nye, Eno, Obscure, “Music For a Found Harmonium”, “The Sound of Someone you Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter”, 101ers, Joe Strummer, Malcolm McLaren, Sid Vicious, "My Way", The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle, Tim Finn, Phil Judd, APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time, Finn Brothers, Crowded House, Neil Finn, Paul Hester, “The Mullanes”, Countdown, Michael Jackson, MTV, “Mental Notes”, Phil Manzanera, “Second Thoughts”, “In Every Dream Home a Heartache”, “The Swingers”, “Counting the Beat”, ENZSO, “Six Months in a Leaky Boat”, Aotearoa”, Māori, Falklands crisis, The Wiggles, “Wiggly Version”, REM Playlist – all the music & artists we talked about in this episode Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

This episode, we look at guest appearances. From Duane Allman playing the famous lead on “Layla”, to Bob Seger doing backing vocals on The Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight”. It’s all here, from a moment in the studio to creation of an inspirational piece of music It’s a chock-a-block episode. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” looks at Neil Sedaka, Charles Negron II of Three Dog Night, William "Billy Bass" Nelson Jr, of Parliament-Funkadelic , and rappers Lil Poppa 25 and Luci4 22, who were, surprisingly, shot to death. “Rock News” considers nominees for the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and we introduce our latest “ Rod Stewart Moment ”. If that’s not enough, “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die”, looks at Eno’s 1978 album “Ambient 1: Music for Airports” and how it fits with his early body of work. So much to take in! Enjoy! References: Guesting, Collaboration, Session, Eddie Van Halen, “Beat It”, “Eat It”, “Sentimental Hygiene”, Donald Trump - “Home Alone 2”, Voice roles on “The Simpsons”, Crowded House, Sydney Opera House forecourt, Tim Finn, Split Enz, “I See Red”, Lou Reed, Antony Hegarty (Antony and The Johnstons), “Berlin”, Cyndi Lauper, Cher, “Girls just want to have fun”, David Bowie, Hammersmith Odeon, Ziggy Stardust, Jeff Beck, “Jean Genie”, “His Master’s Voice”, “Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture”, Bono, George Michael – Aretha Franklin, Buddy Guy – Clapton & Phil Collins, Muddy Waters - Mick, Keith & Ronnie, Billy Bragg – Peter Buck & Michael Stipe, Glastonbury, Paul McCartney - Dave Grohl & Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Sebel Town House, Warren Zevon, Dylan, Don Henley, “Wish You Were Here”, Roy Harper - “Have A Cigar”, The Beatles - Duane Allman/Billy Preston/Eric Clapton, John Lennon - “Whatever gets you through the night”/Elton John, Lennon backing vocals on Bowie’s “Fame”, Thin Lizzy, “Live & Dangerous” - Huey Lewis harmonica, Peter Gabriel - “Games Without Frontiers”/“Don’t Give Up” - Kate Bush, Neil Young - “Heart of Gold”/“Old Man” - James Taylor & Linda Ronstadt, REM, “Shiny Happy People” - Kate Pierson, “Nightswimming” - John Paul Jones arranged, Rolling Stones, “We Love You” - Lennon & McCartney backing vocals, “All You Need is Love" - Jagger and Richards backing vocals, Carly Simon, “You’re so Vain” - Jagger backing vocals, Phil Collins, “Another Day in Paradise” - David Crosby backing vocal, “The Great Gig in the Sky” – Pink Floyd/Dark Side of the Moon - Clare Torry, “Let's Dance” – Stevie Ray Vaughan, “While my Guitar Gently Weeps” – Clapton, Sting - “Money for Nothing”, I want my MTV, Dire Straits Playlist Robert Fripp & Toyah Wilcox - "Heroes" Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

Sometimes, bands release only one album – no follow-up, no nothing! Some are great. Some, not so much. This episode, we look at a bunch of what we’re calling “One-Album-Wonders". In 1975, Aerosmith released their breakthrough album, “Toys in the Attic”. Did we like it then? Do we like it now? In “Albums You Must Hear Before You Die”, we examine these and other mysteries. All this and the usual mix of stuff. We know you’ll love it. References: Mark Kennedy, Fred Smith, Television, Rod Stewart, Donald Trump, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Robert Dimery, drug use, The Toxic Twins, No more No more, Walk this Way, Run-DMC, REM, Sweet Emotion, Mother Love Bone, Apple, Seattle, Grunge, Andy Wood, Eric Clapton, Blind Faith, Derek And the Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Jeff Buckley, Grace, Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah, The La’s, Lee Mavers, Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks, GTOs, Permanent Damage, Cynthia Plaster Caster, Pamela Des Barres, Coverdale Page, David Coverdale, Jimmy Page, The Modern Lovers, Jonathan Richman, John Cale, Mainstream, Quiet Sun, Phil Manzanera, Roxy Music, Diamond Head, 801 Live , Them Crooked Vultures Playlist Rock Star sandwiches Molly Meldrum news Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

Linda Ronstadt has been described as the most successful and certainly the most durable and most gifted woman rock singer of her era. We look at her impact on music (and us!). Our "Album You Must Listen to Before You Die" is 10cc’s “Sheet Music”, their 2nd album which announced to the world that they were a force to be reckoned with. Did we like the album? You bet! Plus, more on Jeff’s current fixation with Bad Bunny’s impact on America today. Lots of fun. You’re going to love it! PS. We said we’d give you a link to Annie Liebovitz, but there’s so much on-line that you can easily find stuff yourself. Do it, You’ll be pleased you did. References: Lola, Fleetwood Mac, “Rumours”, Super Bowl #60, 1001 Albums You Must Hear before You Die, Robert Dimery, Sheet Music, Hipgnosis, Strawberry Studios, Lol Creme, Kevin Godley, Graeme Gouldman, Eric Stewart, The Gizmotron, Wall Street Shuffle, Mike McGear, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, The Stone Poneys, Different Drum, Mike Nesmith, The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Waddy Wachtel, Warren Zevon, Neil Young, Judy Henske, “Heart Like a Wheel”, Anna McGarrigle, When Will I Be Loved, Dr Hook & The Medicine Show, Hasten Down the Wind, “Simple Dreams”, Blue Bayou, It’s so Easy, Poor Poor Pitiful Me, Carmelita, Pirates of Penzance, la Boheme, The Great American Songbook, Nelson Riddle, Canciones de mi Padre, James Ingram, Somewhere out There, An American Tail, Bette Midler, All I Need to Know Playlist Charlie Puth National Anthem Bad Bunny half time show Super Bowl food Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

When we watch movies & shows at the movies or, increasingly, on TV, the soundtrack is ever-present to set the mood and enhance the story. But we never stop to consider its’ role, how it’s changed over the years, and how it interacts with other elements, such as the title sequence. This episode we look at how the use of soundtracks has changed over the last 30 or more years and consider some very creative soundtracks! In Rock News, we look at The Hollywood Vampires, Cyndi Lauper, Deep Purple, David Lee Roth and Devo, who are all heading out on the road, while the latest fad out of the US is Lollipop Star, a sweet that plays a tune as you suck it! Our Album You Must Hear before You Die is “The Lexicon of Love” by ABC. Smooth! We know you’ll enjoy this one! References: The Hollywood Vampires, Cyndi Lauper, Deep Purple, David Lee Roth, Devo, 1001 Albums You Must Hear before You Die, Robert Dimery, ABC, The Lexicon of Love, Martin Fry, Poison Arrow, early 80s British pop, Star Wars, Sound of Music, I Dream of Jeannie, Mr Ed, The Exorcist, Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells, Shrek, I’m a Believer, Hallelujah, Led Zeppelin, Immigrant Song, Charmed, How Soon is Now, The Smiths, Morrissey & Marr, Game of Thrones, The Americans, The Old Man, Bad Sisters, Leonard Cohen, Who by Fire, PJ Harvey, The Pogues, Dirty Old Town, Rogue Heroes, Amelia Hartley, “prestige TV”, Down Cemetery Road, John Cale, You know more than I know, Fear, Fallout, scenes of extreme gore, Some Enchanted Evening, The Castells, It Ain't the Meat (It's the Motion), The Swallows, Slow Horses, Mick Jagger, Mick Herron, Queen, Brighton Rock, Bowie, Heroes, Stranger Things, Kate Bush, Running Up That Hill, IF, Ryan Reynolds, Ooh La La, The Faces, Connie Francis, Pretty Little Baby, TikTok Playlist Lollipop Star – The sucker that sings to you A list of bands touring through 2026 (It’s read-only. Sorry!) 60s TV Shows Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

In Season 5 (2025), we talked about how double albums came about, and talked about some of the best double albums of the 70’s. This episode, we look at some of the best double albums of the 80’s. Our Album You Must Listen to Before You Die is “Out of the Blue”, by ELO. It WAS a huge hit in the 80’s. But was it any good? Hmmm. In “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, we pay tribute to Rob Hirst (Midnight Oil), Ted Egan (a legend of the Northern Territory), and Bob Weir (Grateful Dead) among others. A big episode! References: Ultimate Classic Rock, Rob Hirst, Midnight Oil, Ghostwriters, Ted Egan, Drinkers of the Northern Territory, Bob Taylor, Dragon, Chris Rea, Bob Weir, Zen Arcade, Husker Du, Layla, Derek & The Dominos, Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street, Pink Floyd, The Wall, Prince, 1999, Little Red Corvette, Delirious, Sign "O" the Times, U2, Rattle and Hum, The Joshua Tree, Bono’s “Messiah” complex, Husker Du, Zen Arcade, Talking Heads, The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads, The Cure, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Just Like Heaven, Why Can’t I be You, Iron Maiden, Live After Death, Eddie, Bruce Springsteen, The River, Cadillac Ranch, Hungry Heart, The River, English Settlement, XTC, No Thugs in our House, Senses Working Overtime Playlist Music Lollypop Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

We’re back again for another year and kicking off by looking at supergroups – that “elite” class of rock bands made up of members of other top bands! What they are, how they form, and shining examples! Our “Album You Must Hear Before You Die” is Cream’s 1967 album, “ Disraeli Gears” , a stunning work from a trio featuring Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker. With tracks like “Sunshine of your Love”, this album set the benchmark for rock albums for the next 50 years (or more)! We know you’ll enjoy this one. References: Eric Clapton, Cream, Disraeli Gears, Rolling Stone, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, The Four Seasons, Blind Faith, The Yardbirds, Bluesbreakers, Traffic, The Spencer Davis Group, Stevie Winwood, Bob Seidemann, Mariora Goschen, Derek And the Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Duane Allman, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Led Zeppelin, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Bad Company, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Highwaymen, Traveling Wilburys , Honeydrippers, The Firm, Power Station, Them Crooked Vultures, Electronic, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, “Nothing Compares to you” Playlist – Supergroups Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

A quick final episode to see out the year! Christmas is many things to many people. To us, it’s a chance to talk about themed music, or, in this case, movies that fit the theme. We talk about Phil Spector’s “A Christmas gift for You”, which is nowhere near as bad as it could be with that title. Elsewhere in Rolling Stone’s 25 Greatest Xmas Albums, (which lives up to the terrible standard set by all their other “Greatest”), Elvis ranks below Phil Spector, The Carpenters wish us Season’s Greetings and Weezer’s “A Weezer Christmas” ranks below 2012’s “Christmas Joy in Latvia – Latvian Christmas Cantatas”. If you’ve never heard of Red Peter, you're probably lucky, as the song titles on his, “It’s a Red Peter’s Xmas” contain gems like, “It’s Christmas & you’re Sucking My Balls!” So tasteful! As Kiss' Ace Frehley is now “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, we look at a few of the many times those happy Kiss guys had disagreements. For a change, we look at IMDB’s list of the Top 10 Christmas movies. No real surprises, but it’ll bring joy to your heart & a tear to your eye. See you on the last Sunday in January for our first episode of 2026. Enjoy the playlist. Xmas Playlist! References: Red Peter, Red Peter’s Naughty Christmas, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Robert Dimery, A Christmas Gift for You, Phil Spector, The Ronettes, The Crystals, Darlene Love. Wall of Sound, Jack Nitzsche, Rolling Stone, Top 25 Christmas albums of all time, Top 10 Christmas movies, It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, A Christmas Story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf, Miracle on 34th Street, Die Hard Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

Well, we made it! 100 episodes & still going strong! (Except for a bit of a medical interlude for both of us.) Who’d have thought the views of a pair of opinionated Aussie music fans could have entertained so many for so long? In this episode, we celebrate the artists, music & events we’ve covered over the last five years, along with some special highlights - Mick’s habit of tapping the table when he gets excited; Jeff’s potty-mouth; the origin of the Globite School Bag as a staple of the program. We look at where our listeners live – and how on Earth they find out about us! Revisiting some of your favourite episodes shows how time has proven us right on some of our more strident opinions, such as “Roxy Music peaked in 1973”, and “Warren Zevon is one of the greatest songwriters ever”! To top it all off, the soundtrack for five years of “Mick & The Phatman Talking Music” is awesome. You’re going to love it!! See you next year. Playlist: 100 Episodes References: Globite Bags, music expertise, facts and experiences, “Baby, you can drive my car”, f-word, Roy & H.G., “This Sporting Life”, “Bludging on the Blind Side”, strong music opinions, accessible music, “Revolver”, Kurt Cobain’s suicide, Nirvana, Far Out Magazine, 17 years old, Frankfurt, “How Good is Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, Spandau Ballet, Elton John, Fairport Convention, Richard & Linda Thompson, Sandy Denny, Fotheringay, Robert Plant, "The Battle of Evermore", Led Zeppelin, “Bring it back! Bring it back!”, Tommy, London Symphony Orchestra, "It's a Boy", Nick Lowe, “What’s so funny about peace, love & understanding?”, "Cruel to Be Kind", "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass", "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)", Rockpile, Dave Edmunds, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, The Pretenders, Jarrah McCleary, Panama, Gordon Ramsay, “Supergroups”, Billy Idol. Shane McGowan’s teeth, “ Nick Cave - his early days”, Colin Greenwood, Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs of All Time, "Rust Never Sleeps", Neil Young, “ My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)", "Powderfinger". "Stranded", Roxy Music, “Futurist”, “For Your Pleasure”, The Angels, "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again", "Take a Long Line", ” No Way! Get Fucked! Fuck Off!”, Nico, Leonard Cohen, John Cale, Sex Pistols, Siouxsie Sioux, Television, Warren Zevon, The Beatles, Coldplay, Weird Al Yankovic, Led Zeppelin, Bowie, Peter Gabriel, “Melt”, Rob Younger, Ozzy, Billy Idol, Artificial intelligence, Mick & the Phatman podcast art, 1001 Albums You Must Hear before You Die, Robert Dimery, “Machine Gun Etiquette”, The Damned Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

In this episode, we look at The Pretenders – where they started (& before they started!), the tragedies, and what’s happening these days. From the Kent State shootings to mid-70's punk, it’s a fascinating ride! In Rock News , we look at David Gilmour’s new live concert film, Jimmy Page in court (again!), the latest on Oasis, Zak Starkey’s in The Who (or is it Oasis?), and Panama’s new album features collaborations with French music producer and artist Massane. Our Album You Must Hear before You Die is Machine Gun Etiquette by The Damned. A startlingly good album from one of the most musically skilled bands of the punk era. Rumour has it that Stewart Copeland (The Police) once took Sting to a Damned gig to learn what rock was all about! As usual, it’s an episode full of facts and fun. Enjoy! References: Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon, Martin Chambers, Akron Ohio, Kent State University shootings, Ohio National Guard, “Back on the Chain Gang”, Sam Cooke, Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne Westwood, “Sex”, Clash, Pistols, Slits, New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders, Chris Spedding, The Damned, Lemmy, New wave, Ray Davies, The Kinks, “You Really Got Me”, Jim Kerr, Simple Minds, Linda McCartney, "Here, There and Everywhere – A Concert for Linda" at the Royal Albert Hall, “I’ll Stand by You”, “Stop Your Sobbin’”, NICK LOWE, “Brass in Pocket”, Chris Thomas, “Pretenders II”, “Learning to Crawl”, “Talk of the Town”, “Message of Love”, Oscar Wilde, “2000 Miles”, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Smiths, Andy Rourke, Johnny Marr, Globite, David Gilmour, Live at the Circus Maximus, Dazed and Confused, Jake Holmes, Becoming Led Zeppelin, Oasis, Zak Starkey, The Who, Gallagher brothers, Panama, "Everything Begins Again”, Massane, Bag Raiders, 1001 Albums You Must Hear before You Die, Robert Dimery, The Damned, Machine Gun Etiquette Playlist - music we talked about in this episode Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

A special episode today to look at the huge amount of people who’ve recently died. Obviously, Ozzy Osbourne is the most well-known, but there’s gonna be a queue a mile long at the Pearly Gates as they try to process everyone! Let’s look at some highlights, such as Brian Wilson, Sly Stone, Aussie Col Joye, Hulk Hogan, David Johansen and Golden Earring’s George Kooymans. We’re also going to look at some of the 304 covers of Dylan’s song, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” - some great, some not so much! Our Album You Must Hear Before You Die is, inevitably, the self-titled debut, “Black Sabbath”. We’ll look at the impact of this album which, although not the band’s best, is credited with launching Heavy Metal itself! Stephen Colbert recently became our favourite US night-time TV host when he had Weird Al Yankovic as a guest to celebrate the “Kiss-Cam” scandal. Weird Al said “We’re gonna do some Coldplay.” When Colbert asked if he had a funny parody, Al said, “No. I can’t think of anything funnier than Coldplay.” References: Colbert, Weird Al Yankovic, Coldplay, “Kiss Cam”, Trump, Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance, Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, “Master of the Macabre”, Mario Bava, Warren Zevon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Guns’n’Roses, Eric Clapton, Roger McGuinn, Television, Sisters of Mercy, Jerry Garcia, Bryan Ferry, Dave Stewart, Cold Chisel, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Ozzy Osbourne, Brian Wilson , Sly Stone, Sly and the Family Stone, Col Joye, Hulk Hogan, David Lynn Thomas, James Baker, Paul Buckler, Paul Weller, The Jam, Rick Derringer, Edgar and Johnny Winter, Arthur Stern, "Cry Me a River", George Kooymans, Golden Earring, Chuck Mangione, Alf Clausen, The Simpsons, Tom Lehrer, David Johansen, New York Dolls, Bobby Sherman Links Playlist Michael Flatley Ozzy - Reality TV icon . Ozzy & the coke raid I am Frying Pan by Mac Sabbath Brian Wilson interview The Simpsons intro Tom Lehrer Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

Is a double album a record label cash grab, or a way to deliver great music that can't be contained within the usual confines of a single LP? The double album has been both. This episode, we look at how the double album came to be, and some of the greatest double albums from the 70’s. Most of these albums show career-best work from legendary artists such as The Beatles, The Clash, Bob Dylan, Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Genesis, Elton John, The Who (twice!) - and more! And soon, we'll do an episode on the Greatest Double Albums of the 80's - and there's a stack of those, too!! Our “Album you must hear Before You Die” is the 1973 live album “It’s too Late to Stop Now” by Van Morrison. Neither of us is much of a Morrison fan, despite his passionate, improvisational vocals. Regarded as an energetic, spontaneous live experience, Morrison’s vocal mannerisms illustrate why we don't think much of it. We also found a great documentary on-line called “Keep me in your Heart” about – surprise! - Warren Zevon. It captured Zevon in the last days before his death & showed why his fans loved him. We think you’ll really love this episode! References: Hot August Night, Neil Diamond, Greek Theatre in LA, Derek and the Dominos, 'Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs', Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Fleetwood Mac, 'Tusk', Lindsey Buckingham, “Lindsay’s Folly”, Chilean profanities, "Puta la cagó", Pink Floyd, 'The Wall', Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Bob Ezrin, “One of my Turns”, "In The Flesh”, Elton John, 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', Warren Zevon, “Keep me in your Heart”, “The Wind”, The Beatles, “The White Album”, The Who, “Tommy”, Dylan, “Blonde on Blonde”, Deep Purple, “Made in Japan”, “Pinball Wizard”, Elton John, Keith Moon, Tommy Australian cast - Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, 'Quadrophenia', The Band, 'Rock of Ages', “The Last Waltz”, Bee Gees, 'Saturday Night Fever', Dexter Resurrection, Kiss, 'Alive!', "Rock and Roll All Nite", The Simpsons, “I Wanna rock'n'roll all Nite”, Genesis, 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway', Peter Frampton, 'Frampton Comes Alive!', Jeff Beck, Hordern Pavilion, Led Zeppelin, 'Physical Graffiti', “Kashmir”, Robert Plant, Hipgnosis Record Covers, The Clash, 'London Calling', The Rolling Stones, 'Exile on Main St.', “Happy”, Rolling Stone’s List of 500 Greatest Albums of all Time, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Helter Skelter" Links Playlist “Keep me in your Heart” - A great documentary about Warren Zevon Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

A “Deep Cut” is something that is recognisable or familiar to passionate fans but not usually to others. As a special treat this week, we’ve delved into our collections to give you some deep cuts from our favourites – things like Queen, Bowie, Joe Cocker, Nick Cave and TISM. We think you’ll love them, In Rock News, Jeff delves into songs that turn 60 on 2025, looks at Sunday Lunch with Toyah and Robert Fripp, and introduces Yachtley Crew, a strange phenomenon from California. Our Album You Must Hear Before You Die this week is Raw Power (1973) by Iggy and the Stooges. The lo-fi production on this highly influential album is the source of much tension between Bowie and Iggy, much of it not fair. We liked it! Enjoy. Playlist Songs that turn 60 this year Sunday Lunch with Robert and Toyah Yachtley Crew Peter Cook as The Bishop REM on Letterman References: Raw Power, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, John Cale, Columbia Records, Sex Pistols, Johnny Marr & The Smiths, Kurt Cobain, Nirvana, MainMan, Tony DeFries, Sonny Boy Williamson, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, “Gimme Danger”, “Search and Destroy”, Iggy on Countdown, ra dio-friendly, Bowie, “The Man Who Sold the World”, Unplugged, Roxy Music, “For Your Pleasure”, Roxy live in Sydney – 2001 & 2011, The Police, “Bring on the Night”, Regatta de Blanc, white reggae, T.S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, Joe Cocker, “Many Rivers to Cross”, Sheffield Steel, Queen, “Fairy Fellers Master Stroke”, Richard Dadd, State Criminal Lunatic Asylum of Bethlem Royal Hospital – Bedlam, Nick Cave, “Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry”, Henry’s Dream, John Cale, “Close Watch (I Keep a)”, Helen of Troy, Music for a New Society, Fragments of a Rainy Season, REM, "So. Central Rain (Sorry)", Reckoning, Lou Reed, “Street Hassle”, Warren Zevon, “Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)”, My Ride’s Here, Carl Hiassen, “Bad Monkey”, Vince Vaughan, David Letterman, Enjoy Every Sandwich, Jimmy Webb, “Galveston”, Kate Bush, Aerial, "Pi”, Pete Townshend, “The Sea Refuses No River”, All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, TISM, Great Trucking Songs of the Renaissance, "The Ballad of John Bonham's Coke Roadie" Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

Just because you’re successful doesn’t mean everyone likes you. In fact, success can often draw criticisms that might not be given to other performers. In Australia, we call that the “Tall Poppy Syndrome”, where people look for reasons to bring successful people down! We look at some criticisms (not by us - mainly!) of highly successful artists and try to find a reason for them. This month seems to have a host of rock star deaths! In Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door , we mourn the passing of David Lynn Thomas of post-punk group Pere Ubu; Drew Zingg, an American blues and soul guitarist, best known for work with Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs; Joey Molland from Badfinger, and Richard Chamberlain, of Dr Kildare, Shōgun & The Thorn Birds. Our “Album You Must Hear before You Die” is Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Catch a Fire”, a landmark album that established reggae as a musical force, influencing such artists as The Clash, The Police, UB40 and Eric Clapton. Enjoy!! References: Tall Poppy Syndrome, Morrissey, “We Hate it When our Friends Become Successful”, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, YouTube, Classic Album Review, Baz, Barry Robinson, The 10 Worst Bands in the World, The Doors, Jim Morrison, Patti Smith, Rob Younger, Robbie Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Doors’ Miami concert – January 1969, The Eagles, Pink Floyd, “Hell Freezes Over”, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Guns’n’Roses, Axl Rose, Slash, Motley Crue, Shakespeare - “thankless child”, U2, Achtung Baby, “With or Without You”, Adam Clayton’s private parts, “Days of Innocence”, REM, Coldplay, “music for estate agents”, Oasis, Gallagher brothers, Sex Pistols, Black Sabbath, Rolling Stones, “The Rest is History”, Frank Zappa, “Billy the Mountain”, “Don’t You Eat the Yellow Snow”, PMRC – Parents Moral Research Centre, Tipper Gore, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl Our email: MickandthePhatman@Gmail.com Playlist – The music we talked about in this episode Homer singing Kiss Led Zeppelin’s light fingers Classic Album Reviews: The Ten Worst Bands Ever Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!