Field Mix: Top Selling Music of 2018 - Show Notes

It's time to review the music of 2018! Laura and Charlotte dive into 5 of the top selling albums of 2018 in this all new episode. They cover a strange batch of music including 2 movie soundtracks, 2 rap albums, and a British solo artist. Laura finds some appreciation for Drake, and questions Post Malone's point of view. Charlotte struggles with George Ezra's identity as a singer-songwriter, but finds the fun in The Greatest Showman. Together the girls discuss the vocal performances in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, share which album they wish had made the list, and more. Which album did Laura consider unnecessary? Who does Charlotte hate more- George Ezra or Benedict Cumberbatch? And were any of these albums actually good enough to be the best of 2018? All this and more on this week's episode of The Lettuce Podcast.

For Fun & Games, the hosts began with their customary music game: themed haiku. They also played a round of the original TLP game: Kill, Marry, Pity Date. Play along with the hosts and share your picks or your haiku in the comments!

This week's podtail was inspired by Drake's mammoth-sized album Scorpion. You can mix up the fruity, strong Scorpion cocktail by following this recipe.


Listen to this episode now!

The Lettuce Podcast is available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Podcast Addict. If you like what you hear and want to be part of the conversation, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!

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Don't forget to join us next week for The Lettuce Beets. The next topic episode of The Lettuce Podcast will continue Charlotte and Laura's chronological journey through the MCU. They'll be reviewing the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton. Don't miss the next step in this richly textured media franchise.

Until then,

Arugalater!

Field Mix - 90's Edition - Show Notes

Cowabunga, dudes! The Lettuce Podcast is hopping into a TARDIS to travel back to 1995 for an all-music special. Laura hosts this episode where she, Tori, and Charlotte talk about 6 albums that are celebrating 20 year anniversaries in 2015. Albums featured in this episode include the Pocahontas soundtrack, Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom, and more. Each hosts shares their experience with this music and whether they remember hearing it in the 90's. They also discuss their favorite and unfavorite tracks. Laura explains why "Head Over Feet" is a favorite track from Jagged Little Pill, but why "Not the Doctor" is a miss. Tori talks about the use of dissonance on the Foo Fighters' debut album and how it affected her enjoyment of the music. Charlotte shares why she is used to hearing Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness in German. The three hosts also take time to rate each album on a scale of 1-5 Chards! Listen to see which album rates highest and which rates lowest. All this and more is on this all-90's themed episode of The Lettuce Podcast.

During the Fun & Games segment, Laura poses a favorites poll to Charlotte and Tori. They each talk about their favorite 90's candies, television shows, movies, music, and more. They also take the Which Year Of The 90's Are You? quiz to see where in time their true 90's selves lie!

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!
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The next installment of The Lettuce Podcast will be the much anticipated (and twice advertised!) Jurassic World episode! Join Charlotte, Tori, and Laura in this group-moderated dinosaur epic where they'll discuss the movie, their favorite characters, and more.

Field Mix - Highway 61 Revisited

Album: Highway 61 Revisited
Artist: Bob Dylan
Release Date: August 30th, 1965
RS Greatest Albums of All Time Ranking: #4
Songs You'll Know: Like a Rolling Stone, Ballad of a Thin Man
Songs You May Have Missed: Tombstone Blues, Desolation Row

A Little History/Why This Album is Famous:
Bob Dylan is America's song-and-story man and Highway 61 Revisited just might be his magnum opus. It marks a significant turning point in Dylan's career, as it was his first album to be recorded using mostly electric instruments. Up until then, Dylan had recorded mostly acoustic music, which is one of the most defining characteristics of folk music. Because of this, Highway 61 Revisited has a bit of controversy surrounding it. On July 25th, 1965, Dylan famously performed an electric set at the Newport Folk Festival and was booed by the crowd for doing so. Some people felt performing with electric instruments did not align with the culture surrounding folk music and may have even regarded the decision to go electric as "selling out". Despite the poor reception, Dylan kept the electric sound and went into the studio 4 days later to record Highway 61 Revisited. The result produced an album referred to as "the start of the 60's" conceptually. This album is 50 years old (nearly to the day of this post!) and has continually been praised for its artistry, poetry, story-telling, and message. Beyond the controversy, Highway 61 Revisited is majorly famous for combining the sultry nature of blues music and the social consciousness of beat poetry. Dylan's voice, both vocally and creatively, is unique and it shows on this album

Comments:
When I first heard this album in about 2010, I was completely transfixed. I had never heard a Dylan album in full length and my knowledge of Dylan songs was more or less limited to "All Along the Watchtower" and "Like A Rolling Stone". I know, I know. That makes my status as a music lover questionable. Please accept my apologies. Anyway, I was really impressed with many aspects of the album: it's toe-tappin'-honky-tonk feel, masterfully written lyrics, and a high dose of harmonica solos. One thing that caught me negatively was Dylan's singing voice. Many people love his voice and I won't deny that it fits his music. That being said, it still hits my ears in an unpleasant way and does lower my affection for the music. However, when I give this or any other Dylan album a listen, it usually isn't long before I listen past the vocals and focus on the music and lyrics. 

Highway 61 Revisited boasted Dylans top three most performed songs: "Like A Rolling Stone", "Highway 61 Revisited", and "Ballad of a Thin Man". It's easy to see why; these are three pretty killer songs. "Like A Rolling Stone" is possibly Dylan's most successful hit single. Even if you aren't very familiar with his music, you probably know it. Though I enjoy these three tracks, I have a different favorite from the album. "Tombstone Blues" is the absolute representation of the blues/folk mash-up sound for which this album is so famous. It has a driving beat that always toes the line of going off-kilter, but somehow manages to stay balanced. Above the bluesy guitar, a lyrical story about the abuse of power and the relationship between America's upper crust and lower class is spun. This song also features one of my most favorite lyrics: "The sun's not yellow, it's chicken". For me, this is basically a perfect Bob Dylan song. It has everything you're looking for. 

As the years have gone by since my inaugural listen, combined with further exploration into the Bob Dylan catalog, my love for the album has waned a bit. I've come to terms with the fact that I am not a huge Dylan fan. I see the artistry and the importance of his music. There are usually a few tracks from each album that I genuinely love; I just haven't fallen head-over-heels for a full album yet. The closest I've come is Highway 61 Revisited and the album still remains special to me due to how I felt when I first heard it. Like many of the albums that are high on Rolling Stone's list (particularly the top 10), this album is an important piece of music history. Any of these albums may not be your cup of tea, but their place in music makes them worthy of a listen. Go forth and listen with open ears!

That's all for now. Up next is the Beatles' Rubber Soul.

Arugalater!
Laura

Field Mix: Revolver

Album: Revolver
Artist: the Beatles
Release Date: August 5th, 1966 (UK) & August 8th, 1966 (US)
RS Greatest Albums of All Time Ranking: #3
Songs You'll Know: Yellow Submarine, Elenor Rigby
Songs You May Have Missed: And Your Bird Can Sing, Doctor Robert

A Little History/Why This Album is Famous: This album is a big deal for the history of music. Many critics regard Revolver as the album that redefined the parameters of popular music. This album, released a year before Sgt. Pepper's, showed that the Beatles had grown from a heartthrob pop band to a mature experimental rock band. Revolver features many of the musical techniques for which the Beatles are now famous: tape loops, sitar/Indian music influence, and the use of classical instruments. This album is the middle point of the Beatles' recording career. It also marks the time in their career where Lennon and McCartney were most equal with their songwriting credits. Up to this point, John Lennon had been the main contributor to the band's musical vision. Conversely, Paul McCartney became the main musical figurehead post-Revolver. George Harrison also had three writing credits (more than he'd ever had before) on this album: "Taxman", "Love You To", and "I Want To Tell You". Lastly, this album is famous for two non-musical reasons. One, the Grammy Award winning cover art by Klaus Voorman. Two, it was released in the midst of the controversy of Lennon's "bigger than Jesus" statement. If you don't know what the "bigger than Jesus" scandal is, consult your search engine of choice IMMEDIATELY! You need more musical help than I can provide.

Comments: I'm a huge Beatles fan, so it won't be a shock when I say that this album is rad. I find it to be a much more cohesive album than Sgt. Pepper's and therefore more enjoyable. Sgt. Pepper's has many merits, but can be a bit meandering at times. Revolver is an album you can play all the way through and stay in touch with its vision. Though the song styles are pretty varied, there aren't any true speedbumps. Nothing that interrupts the flow of the music. Nothing that comes across as experimentation for experimentation's sake. Not every track on this album is a home run ("I'm Only Sleeping" is appropriately a bit of a snooze), but everything makes sense together. This album, to me, feels very complete.

"Taxman" is a perfect opening track and an even more perfect roadtrip song. I really enjoy this collection of songs that cover a wide variety of subject matter, tempo, and tone. From the sweet "Here, There, and Everywhere" to the happy-go-lucky "Good Day Sunshine" with a pit-stop for some bitterness in "And Your Bird Can Sing". If social issues are more your thing, you can look to the aforementioned "Taxman" or "Doctor Robert". All this leads to the iconic final track "Tomorrow Never Knows". This was the Beatles' first foray into psychedelic music and it's super cool! I'm not even a drug user and I think it's cool!

There are many more things I could say about the album, but it would become redundant pretty quickly. I mean, how many times can a person say "IT'S COOL! IT'S COOL! IT'S COOL!" before it gets annoying? I am aware that some people do not like the Beatles. They are strange people, but they do exist. I think Revolver is an essential album for both the Beatles fan and the music historian. If you aren't a fan of the Beatles and/or don't feel that this album is worthy of praise, I would love to hear your opinion! Likewise, if you love Revolver, let me know why and tell me your favorite tracks.

That's all for now. Up next is Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited.

Arugalater!
Laura

Field Mix: Pet Sounds

Album: Pet Sounds
Artist: The Beach Boys
Release Date: May 16th, 1966
RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Ranking: #2
Songs You'll Know: Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows
Songs You May Have Missed: You Still Believe in Me

A Little History/Why This Album is Famous: Imagine a world where a band that is mostly famous for songs about surfing, cars, and girls drops a staggering album that dares to explore the complications of man coming to terms with himself and the world around him. Now add a thoroughly rich and complex instrumentation not quite like anything human ears have heard before in popular music. These are the elements that made Pet Sounds a special album.  This album boasts some of the greatest songs written in American history, inspired countless other bands' and artists' sounds, and showed the world that the surf-rock band known as the Beach Boys had more to say. The jury is out on whether or not this was an intentional concept album, but the fact remains that it is an extraordinarily thematic piece of art. The amount of care that went into every note and lyric of this album is the reason why it was so groundbreaking.

Comments: *UNPOPULAR OPINION ALERT!* I am not a huge fan of this album. There, I said it. I understand and fully acknowledge its place in popular music history. I see its merits and would never argue with someone who champions it as one of the greatest albums of all time. It's just not my cup of tea. Something about the tone of the album hits my ears wrong; I don't know if it's too sad or if I have not reached a point in my life where I can fully appreciate the sadness. Whenever I listen to this album, I find myself wishing for a change of pace. Most of the tracks fall on a medium-slow tempo and that leaves me wishing for something to break it up a little bit.

Unsurprisingly, my two favorite tracks from Pet Sounds are the two most upbeat: Wouldn't It Be Nice and Sloop John B. Wouldn't It Be Nice is a masterfully written song that will get stuck in your head for days. It's thoroughly creative and toes the line between simple and complex effortlessly. Sloop John B is just a fun little ditty. It also really encapsulates the "Wall of Sound" production method created by Phil Spektor and popular at the time.

Though Pet Sounds is not a favorite album of mine, I do feel is it a necessary part of any music lover's collection especially if the history of popular music intrigues you. About once a year, I take the time to give it a listen to see if it hits me any differently. Surprisingly, I have never personally met anyone who loves this album. That is most likely due to my age and the fact that most of the people I know fall into my same age group. If you LOVE this album (regardless of age, but I'd be doubly interested if you're in your late 20s!) leave me a comment and let me know! What about Pet Sounds grabs you? What are you favorite tracks? Do you think this album should be in the #1 slot?

That's all for now. Next up is the Beatles' Revolver.

Arugalater!
Laura

Field Mix - Sgt. Pepper Lonley Hearts Club Band

Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Artist: the Beatles
Release Date: June 1st, 1967
RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Ranking: #1
Songs You'll Know: With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds 
Songs You May Have Missed: Fixing A Hole, Lovely Rita

A Little History/Why This Album is Famous: Sgt. Pepper's reputation often precedes it: it might be the most famous album ever made. It forever changed the vibe of the band that forever changed the sound of rock music. It introduced the world to the experimental, psychedelic Beatles. The public had gotten a taste of this side of the Beatles in this album's predecessor Revolver, but Sgt. Pepper's introduced a new mood for rock music. It also showed that the sitar is a way cooler instrument than the electric guitar!


Comments: I must admit I love this album and I have loved it for as long as I can remember. This is the first album I remember hearing as a child. It was often the soundtrack to family road trips and one of the albums in my parents' totally boss record collection. In addition to the sentimental value, I genuinely love this album. I sometimes find myself humming bars of the title track or When I'm Sixty-Four while working. What is it that makes this album great? The songs from track to track are quite unique and varied in style, yet somehow still fit together to make a good album. I think that's a pretty impressive feat.

Though I love this album, it is not flawless. I enjoy all of the tracks, though some rank higher than others. I will admit that Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite, while fun and interestingly scored, is a bit of an odd song amongst the other tracks. Some consider Within You Without You to be a bit of a speedbump and I tend to agree, though I enjoy the use of the sitar greatly.

If you're a Beatles fan and don't own this album, you seriously need to reevaluate your life. It is a must-have, no exceptions! If you own it and love it, leave me a comment and let me know your favorite track. If you don't care for it, let me know why!

That's all for now. Next up is the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. 

Arugalater!
Laura 

Field Mix - Intro to the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Project

Several years ago, I embarked on a lofty journey: to hear and assess the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time as decided by Rolling Stone magazine. It's been an interesting project and is far from over. To compliment listening, I began writing a blog to report my findings. In fact, some people who visit this blog may remember my posts! I wrote entries for the first 20 or so albums and then became disinterested in writing. When considering potential topics for blog entries, I realized that reviving the Rolling Stone project would be a perfect fit for The Lettuce!

Though I stopped blogging, I have continued to journey through the 500 albums. Along the way I've discovered new favorite albums, artists, and even genres. I have also discovered some things that are not quite my cup of tea. It has been an interesting, fun, and educational way to expand my musical tastes. Throughout this new post series, I will discuss each album's cultural and historical impact, my personal opinions about the music, and even some fun facts! So, come along with me! Explore the list and help me decide whether or not Rolling Stone got it right.

According to Rolling Stone, the #1 greatest album of all time is The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Join me next time for some psychedelic fun with the Fab Four!

Arugulater!

-Laura