This is Vinyl Tap

Send us Fan Mail
In this very special podcast, we honor the memory of one of music's biggest icons, Dolly Parton, who passed away August 25, at age 80.  
Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com.

Send us Fan Mail
On this week's episode, we dive into Loaded, the fourth LP by the Velvet Underground, and the last one to feature founding member Lou Reed, who left before the album was released. 
Loaded  is roundly regarded as the Velvets at their most accessible. After leaving MGM/Verve for Atlantic, the band was "encouraged" by their new label to focus on making hits (hence the title, alluding to the album being "loaded" with hits).  Reed gave up some the reigns of the band he co-founded to newcomer Doug Yule, an multi-instrumentalist with an uncanny knack for sounding a lot like Reed.  The album features some of the band's best-known and enduring songs, including "Rock & Roll" and "Sweat Jane." Even though one more album would be released Under The Velvet Underground moniker, drummer Mo Tucker and guitarist Sterling Morrison left soon after the tour to support to support Loaded, making it arguably the last true Velvet Underground album.
Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com.

Send us Fan Mail
On this week's episode, we discuss 1997's Kontiki, by Cotton Mather.

Produced by the band's songwriter and lead singer Robert Harrison and recorded on 4-track cassettes and ADAT, Kontiki is a low-fi sonic masterpiece that has garnered comparisons to the Beatles and Big Star.  Originally released in 1997, Kontiki was not an initial commercial success. A re-release in the UK in 1999 breathed new life into the album and led to Noel Gallagher of Oasis to praise the album in the press as one he wished he'd recorded.

Kontiki is quite simply a brilliantly crafted album, one that channels the melodic brilliance of classic '60s pop while creating something that is fresh, unique, and deeply personal. Every track is packed with hooks, rich harmonies, and clever lyrical turns, making it an album that rewards repeated listens.
Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com.

Send us Fan Mail
On this episode we talk about the historic seventh studio album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,Will the Circle Be Unbroken. 
Having proved their worth with a hit cover of the Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mister Bojangles," the Dirt Band and were given the go ahead to work on  an unusual yet inspired project: an album of old county and bluegrass tunes where the Dirt band would act as a supporting a cast for several legendary bluegrass and country artists, such as Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Merle Travis, and Jimmy Martin, to name a few, allowing them to be the real stars.   The songs were performed live, and often in one or two takes, giving the album immediacy and warmth.  
Released in November 1972, the album bridged the generational and musical gap between the old guard of Nashville and the burgeoning country rock scene of the early 1970's and was an unlikely, yet huge success.  
Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com.

Send us Fan Mail
As long-time listener's know, as a part of all of our discussions, we have a segment called Connections, where we connect the artist and album we are currently talking about to artists and albums we have discussed on previous episodes. For our interview with singer-songwriter Beaver Nelson, we played an extended version of Connections with him.  Beaver has worked with a ton of people in the music industry, and as a result, he came prepared to show us what a real game of Connections is all about. 
Visit us at www.tappingvinyl.com.