Classic Album Sundays

Our latest Classic Album Sundays Podcast focuses on The Wailers, Burnin’, featuring guest British film director, DJ and musician Don Letts. Tune in to hear Don’s memories of meeting Bob and helping introduce him to the punk sounds of London in the late seventies. Rea more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

“It was while recording at Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in New York City on a beautifully hot and sunny day that Roy Ayers would stumble upon the song that arguably defines his career. As the phrase “everybody loves the sunshine” lodged itself in his mind he began to explore and construct vibrant imagery, picturing “bees and things and flowers” as they floated across his mind. As the lyrics spontaneously and joyfully came into focus the musician knew exactly how he wanted the song to sound, envisaging a kaleidoscopic mix of piano, vibraphone, and synthesiser that would evoke the psychedelic pleasures of peak summertime. The result was a song that remains one of the archetypal summer anthems. Everybody Loves The Sunshine deserves its spot at the very top of his achievements and is a testament to his easy-going innovations. Four decades later we can still feel its heat.” Read more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

Dave Davies from The Kinks takes a look back to the release of 1968’s The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society at Classic Album Sundays at The John Peel Centre For Creative Arts. The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society wasn’t initially a success upon its release, coming along at a time when Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland, Led Zeppelin’s debut, and the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet were the flavours of the day. Although praised by many critics, it was largely overlooked by the public. However, as years passed, it’s following grew until it become regarded as a masterpiece. For many it is now justly considered The Kinks’ most satisfying album: a creative highpoint matched only by the band’s landmark singles of the period. Read more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

Legendary Trident Studios and Abbey Road engineer and producer Kent Scott joins Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy in the latest instalment of our ‘My Classic Album’ series to discuss David Bowie’s ‘Hunky Dory’ album that Ken co-produced with Bowie. Read more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

Recent OBE nominee Skin joins Classic Album Sundays founder Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy to discuss the inspirational Nina Simone and Etta James – their lives, legacies, music and their many Montreux Jazz Festival live performances. The podcast begins with a short chat with the CEO of Montreux Jazz Festival, Mathieu Jaton who tells us why these two legends are so important to the legacy of the festival. Read more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

Following the horrific events of September 11th, 2001, New York was a scarred city that was determined to move on and rebuild. Members of Interpol had watched the scene unfold from the rooftops of their buildings and through the surreal spectacle of 24 hour news coverage. A strange atmosphere had taken over the city: unusually high levels of mutual kindness between strangers gave way to a new sense of clarity. Sam Fogarino recalls: “It was weird in the band, too. For a short period of time, it felt like, ‘Let’s just shake hands and move on. We’re not doing a record.’ Everything seemed so trivial.” The band kicked off the recording process just over a month later, opting for the home studio of producer Peter Katis, far away in Bridgeport, Connecticut: an isolated location, removed from the social and narcotic distractions of New York. Turn On The Bright Lightsmarked the beginning of a longstanding relationship between Interpol and Katis – an accomplished, Grammy-winning engineer who would also record seven al

Sister Sledge join Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy at Kings Place as part of the ‘Venus Unwrapped’ series to discuss their iconic We Are Family album. We Are Family is one of the most iconic dance albums of all time and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Its title track is an enduring classic that has resounded at key life moments with people from all backgrounds. Debbie Sledge and Kim Sledge join Classic Album Sundays founder/broadcaster Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy to look back to the creation of the album that also includes hits He’s the ‘Greatest Dancer’, ‘Lost in Music’, and ‘Thinking of You’ and to the greater cultural context of disco and it’s legacy. The session will also feature a vinyl replay of the Chic-produced album immersing fans in some of the most joyous sounds of the Seventies. Read more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

Here’s another edition of This Woman’s Work, a series of stories from Classic Album Sundays where we highlight classic albums by female musicians, women who continue to influence the world of pop culture and inspire others. This time, we’re looking at the debut album of a band that seems to have landed here from some groovy planet. Four decades ago, the B-52s arrived on the Athens, Georgia, party scene with killer guitar riffs, their silly but eerie lyrics, and their sky-high beehive wigs. Read more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

Classic Album Sundays presents The Guardian’s John Harris giving us his personal story behind Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’ at Camp Bestival. Read more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

This episode of CAS Worldwide looks at Talking Heads Remain In Light. Recorded at Compass Point Studios and produced by Brian Eno the album drew on the influence of artists such as Fela Kuti. The album also pushed to dispel notions of the band as a mere vehicle for frontman and songwriter David Byrne. Read more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

We were honoured to be joined by Jazzie B OBE at The British Library to look back on Soul II Soul ‘Club Classics Vol. One’ as part of National Album Day 2019. Jazzie B revolutionised black British music when he founded the band Soul II Soul. Their debut 1989 album became an international phenomenon; its blend of soul, reggae and funk landing perfectly amid the exploding house music culture of that year. The global musical landscape was changed forever. Read more about your favourite albums here https://classicalbumsundays.com/

From what is arguably one of the most arresting opening lines on a debut album, to the mournful romanticism of its final track, Patti Smith’s Horses is one of the most significant records in American music history. Just like the gritty downtown New York scene from which it sprang, Horses is marked by a sense of urgency and liberation. In this instalment of “This Woman’s Work,” Classic Album Sundays founder Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy is joined by Lenny Kaye and KT Tunstall to explain how the word freedom defines the album through and through: the social and sexual freedom of the era, the artistic freedom born of a city in crisis, and the freedom of rock ’n’ roll. Read more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

Gilles Peterson speaks with CAS founder Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy about the influence of Sun Ra and why he believes “Sun Ra was the man, the ultimate artist for any vinyl collector”. Sun Ra was a one-off in the annals of jazz. As author Robert L. Campbell describes, “He claimed to be the last of the swing band leaders, yet dosed classic songs with LSD. He wrote poetry about the “coming space age” and claimed to be a citizen of Saturn. He dressed himself and his band in gold- lame and lectured on the Creator’s message to the cruel and deceitful Earthman. He named himself after an Egyptian God. Was this guy for real? Sun Ra was very much for real.” Read more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

This week’s episode looks at Kraftwerk The Man-Machine. As the title suggests, this album successfully blends the boundaries between human and robot to the point where it’s unclear quite exactly what Kraftwerk are. Read more about your favourite albums here: https://classicalbumsundays.com/

Electronic music pioneers Orbital joined us as part of our celebrations for National Album Day 2018 to look back their iconic fourth album In Sides. Orbital were interviewed by Classic Album Sundays founder and BBC 6music host Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy on the making of the album and its lasting legacy. Read more about your favourite albums here: classicalbumsundays.com

This Woman’s Work is a series highlighting classic albums by female artists who have made a lasting impact on music and pop culture. This time: the Grammy nominated live album, "Black Gold," by singer and pianist Nina Simone. It was recorded in front of a packed audience at Philharmonic Hall in New York City on October 26, 1969 and released in 1970.

We were delighted to be joined by Lekan Babalola (Fela Kuti’s political protege) at a Classic Album Sundays event in Birmingham where host Chris Watkiss was able to ask Lekan about his first hand experiences of working with Fela. For more on your favourite records, visit classicalbumsundays.com.

Our latest CAS Worldwide sees Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy digging deep into David Bowie Heroes. Although it was the second instalment of David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy, “Heroes” was in fact the only album to be written and recorded entirely within the city. The multi-instrumentalist Bowie was joined by many of the same musicians who had worked on his previous album, Low, including guitarist Carlos Alomar, drummer Dennis Davis, and bassist George Murray, and a similar rhythmic-rock spark ignites the group once again. Brian Eno took a place behind the keyboard, setting up his unique brand of studio know-how and synth-science in contrast to the more traditional interplay of the rhythm section. Read more: ClassicAlbumSundays.com

Multi-award-winning musician and composer Nitin Sawhney joins Classic Album Sundays’ founder Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy to discuss his Mercury Music Prize nominated album Beyond Skin. Sawhney will discuss his inspirations and the stories behind the album and the impact it had on British Music. Beyond Skin portrays Sawhney’s reflections on British Asian identity and the pressing need for human beings to be recognised beyond religion, nationality, politics and skin colour. For more on your favourite records, visit classicalbumsundays.com.

On today’s episode of ‘This Woman's Work’ we’re looking at the artist who inspired the name of this series: the singer-songwriter, dancer, and producer Kate Bush. ‘This Woman’s Work’ was the name of a single on Kate Bush’s sixth album. But this time, we’re backing up one album in Kate Bush’s catalog, to her fifth studio album, Hounds of Love. Released in September 1985, Hounds of Love was produced as two distinct sets of songs: “Hounds of Love,” which contained the album’s four smash singles, and a narrative suite called “Ninth Wave.” For more on your favourite records, visit classicalbumsundays.com.