Best James B Partridge Podcasts (2025)

1
The great lost Beach Boys SMiLE album – David Leaf unravels rock’s Holy Grail 51:45

21h ago51:45

51:45

The Beach Boys’ SMiLE was abandoned by Brian Wilson in 1967 and eventually performed at an emotional gathering of the faithful in London 37 years later. For writer and lecturer David Leaf it became an obsession. He made a documentary about it in 2004 and has just published ‘SMiLE: The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of Brian Wilson’ drawn from detailed…

1
The best songs written in seconds, Lennon’s legs and Springsteen’s chimes of freedom. 36:10

4d ago36:10

36:10

Slapping the beanburger of news on the sizzling grill of scrutiny and served with relish by Alex Gold and Mark Ellen (David’s in Spain with his bucket and spade). This week’s specials include … … Springsteen’s unprecedented speech onstage in Manchester about his nation’s “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration” and the Dixie Chicks’ car…

1
Dennis Greaves, Nine Below Zero – old-school R&B, police and thieves and the agony of white clogs 41:26

6d ago41:26

41:26

Dennis Greaves took a week off from Nine Below Zero in 1980 but otherwise kept his nose firmly applied to the grindstone. They broke up in 1983 when he formed the Truth, who broke up in 1989 when he rebooted the old band. He looks back here at the first gigs he ever saw and played – a world with the attractive scent of spilt beer and tobacco – stop…

1
Ep 17: Jerusalem, England’s Most Iconic but Controversial Hymn 40:01

7d ago40:01

40:01

Jerusalem. It has been one of the most recognisable and iconic English tunes of the past 100 years. But is it as universally loved as we remember and can it even be called a hymn? How has a story about Jesus taking a road trip to Glastonbury led to a First World War patriotic anthem, through the lens of a Georgian revolutionary poet. In this week’s…

1
Peter Capaldi’s life in a teenage Glasgow punk band and a public apology to the Cocteau Twins 49:29

8d ago49:29

49:29

Peter Capaldi – aka Malcolm Tucker, Dr Who, the universal screen delight and an Oscar-winning film director – was the singer in the punk band the Dreamboys in the late ‘70s who put out a single when he was at the art school in Glasgow. And then became an actor. And then - in the grand tradition of actors who’ve made albums, Hugh Laurie, Scarlett Jo…

1
Alan Parsons – from the rooftop of Savile Row to Pink Floyd, Steve Harley and some singing pigs 34:42

8d ago34:42

34:42

The teenage Alan Parsons was hired as a tape op by EMI and worked with the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Steve Harley, orchestras, comedians, Pinky And Perky and countless others in the control room at Abbey Road, and saw almost 60 years of technical revolution. He’s just finished a 50th anniversary box set of Harley’s the Best Years Of Our Lives and talks …

1
Mom Rock v Dad Rock, the Oasis rumour mill and Kanye West’s devious dentist. 40:10

9d ago40:10

40:10

Perched outside the Vatican Of News awaiting puffs of white smoke, which this week arrive in the following fashion … … Brandi Carlile’s Mothership Weekend and her genius for publicity. … Jim Morrison is alive and living in Syracuse, New York!: barrel-scraping new rock documentary incoming. … Hip Hop Wealth v Rock Wealth: the $57m house Kayne West b…

1
Dennis McNally saw the Summer Of Love in London, New York and California 39:54

12d ago39:54

39:54

Dennis McNally was the Grateful Dead’s publicist in the mid-‘80s, one of many reasons why he’s supremely qualified to write his new book about the birth of the counterculture in America’s West and East Coast and Britain. ‘The Last Great Dream: How Bohemians Became Hippies And Created the Sixties’, a celebration of music, beat poetry, radical thinki…

1
Ep 16: Playing through the entire Apusskidu songbook! 39:43

14d ago39:43

39:43

After a few weeks of some great interviews, I thought I would take it back to the assembly hall with a mega episode of singalongs. This week I go through the entire Apusskidu songbook from 1975 which is packed full of tunes for children to sing at school. Some of these are very famous, some are obscure folk melodies, we have some nursery classics, …

1
The greatest duet, rock cameos in Miami Vice and the rebirth of Mississippi John Hurt 49:39

15d ago49:39

49:39

Passing the thermometer of conversation over the rock and roll news to see where the mercury rises, which this week includes … … the new Barbra Streisand duets album. Duets are ‘playlets’, small intense dramas that depend on human interaction, but so many are recorded separately (including, tragically, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye a…

1
Al Murray and James Holland talk the ending of the war in 1945 and the afterlife of The Beatles 42:51

18d ago42:51

42:51

In which comedian Al Murray and historian James Holland talk about their new book Victory ’45 and our twin national obsessions, the Second World War and The Beatles. Includes: ….how being emotionally shut down enabled Montgomery to collect the surrender at Luneburg Heath ….how a profound sense of duty helped Harry Truman make the most dreadful deci…

1
Derek Shulman – when Simon Dupree and Gentle Giant were “the darlings of the English Mafia” 42:21

20d ago42:21

42:21

Derek Shulman was at the heart of two great transformations – Simon Dupree & the Big Sound switching to psychedelia, and then sensing the prog-rock trade winds and becoming Gentle Giant. One minute he was singing Kites, the next Pantagruel’s Nativity (Gentle Giant’s rebooted ‘Playing The Fool: The Complete Live Experience’ is just out). After which…

1
Ep 15: UK meets USA. Make Weird Music with Anthony Garone 1:06:01

21d ago1:06:01

1:06:01

Over the past couple of weeks in April I’ve been in the States on holiday. Clearly, I’m not very good at fully relaxing so I teamed up with Anthony Garone from the YouTube channel Make Weird Music for a great conversation. We discuss topics such as being a content creator on YouTube, music education in the States vs the UK, creative mindsets, confi…

1
The entertaining fictions of Max Romeo and Robert Smith and tech that actually works! 36:27

21d ago36:27

36:27

While Mark Ellen is hanging out with the other old ruins in Athens, David Hepworth and Alex Gold compare and contrast the organisation of the London Marathon with the Travellodge in Frimley and wonder… …Rolling Stone cover stars or members of Trump’s clown cabinet? …if you were interviewed as often as a rock star would you too make stuff up? …was M…

1
Moon Zappa remembers life with her father Frank. ‘Pagan absurdists’ aren’t great parents 49:54

27d ago49:54

49:54

Moon Zappa grew up in what appeared, on the outside, to be an enviably free-wheeling and creative household in Laurel Canyon. On the inside, not so much. Her extremely funny, soul-baring and colourful account of dysfunctional family life in her memoir Earth To Moon is as gripping as it’s unsettling. A typical day: “Your mother’s on the rampage, I n…

1
Ep 14: The Great British songbook with Tom Carradine 1:15:05

28d ago1:15:05

1:15:05

To celebrate St. George’s Day today, I have Tom Carradine in the assembly hall. He is the mastermind behind the Cockney singalong and has a deep and immersive knowledge of British song from the Victorian music hall to war-time tunes and even obscure classics from the school assembly songbooks. He also is the best dressed and moustachioed musician i…

1
Daryl Hall - ‘60s soul session work, the right shoes and a barge trip with Bob Dylan 29:14

29d ago29:14

29:14

We like to think of Daryl Hall as a kindred spirit, his home-recorded Live At Daryl’s House series with its magnificent roster of guests now racking up 90 episodes. He’s about to tour in May and talks to us here from his house in the Bahamas – straw hat, roosters crowing! – looking back at the first gigs he ever saw and played and other delights su…

1
Rock star pilots, sacking Zak Starkey and bold pioneers of the psychedelic moustache 52:19

1M ago52:19

52:19

The chocolate Easter bunny of rock and roll news in highly nutritious and digestible fragments, such as … … the Who’s very public sacking of Zak Starkey. … why no band ever wants to play quietly. … how a magazine in a shop window sparked the Neil Tennant/Mark Springer album. … Katy Perry’s space ‘mission’ and the trenchant observations by her and t…

1
Dave Pegg, Fairport’s “longest-serving member” (fnarr!) looks back at hippie chaos and old heroes 42:53

1M ago42:53

42:53

Dave Pegg joined Fairport Convention 56 years ago and fully deserves some sort of medal. They’re playing their 49th Cropredy in August and touring the UK later in the year. He talks to us here about the first gigs he ever saw and played which, delightfully, involves … … the night Hank Marvin took him to see Bjork. … an all-nighter in Birmingham wit…

1
Ep 13: Football, choirs and Bantam of the Opera with James Sills 59:36

1M ago59:36

59:36

This week we invite James Sills into the assembly hall for a great conversation. We chat about the links between football and singing which have combined in his awesome new project called Bantam of the Opera for BBC Sounds. This is a project bringing together Bradford City fans for the year of the city of culture in Bradford. James, Lesley Garett a…

1
Withering reviews of famous albums, Jaws versus Jeeves and the genius of Blondie’s Clem Burke 52:55

1M ago52:55

52:55

Boldly pursuing tariff-free trade in rock and roll news, nostalgia, gossip and old hokum since 2007 and, this week, featuring … … the romantic allure of life as a critic. … Sting’s part in the success of ‘Adolescence’. … Mick Jagger’s long engagement to Melanie Hamrick (born when Steel Wheels came out!) … "Contained within these grooves are twelve …

1
Ep 12: My Top 10 Easter Bangers! 34:08

1M ago34:08

34:08

It’s the Easter holidays! Or it nearly is, depending on what school you’re at. That means it is time to decide on the best ever Easter singalongs, whether we look at some traditional classic hymns or some newer school assembly tunes. Thanks to those that voted for their favourites and let me know if your choice was left off the list! Either way, mo…

1
Why Sparks’ Russell Mael preferred British acts to the ‘faux honesty’ of Laurel Canyon 24:56

1M ago24:56

24:56

Sparks are touring – playing dates in the UK and Ireland in June and July – and with a new (and 28th) album, Mad!. Russell Mael looks back at the first shows he ever saw and played which entails … … sitting on the floors of LA clubs watching Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Move, the Faces, the Who and Tyrannosaurus Rex. … his Mum taking him to see th…

1
Seven ‘lost’ Springsteen albums, romance in sitcoms and the age of spectacle 38:09

1M ago38:09

38:09

The runners and riders in the rock and roll steeplechase first past the post this week include … … how Ed Sheeran protects himself against song theft claims. … ‘lost’ Hendrix, Beach Boys, Amy Winehouse and Jeff Buckley records: is anything unfinished ever any good? … “The Unauthorised Breakfast Item”: can YOU tell a Bob Newhart sketch title from a …

1
Ed Tudor Pole – singer, actor, serial showman – saw the pop and punk wars as ‘pure theatre’. 39:03

2M ago39:03

39:03

Ed Tudor Pole entered punk rock from stage school and always felt he was playing a part. After being hired to act in the Great Rock’N’Roll Swindle, he formed Tenpole Tudor and had a brief and dramatic moment in the sun, all recorded in his rollicking memoir ‘The Pen Is Mightier.’ He talks here about … … his “quite posh” ancestry and a great-grandfa…

1
Ep 11: Why live music for children is so important with Polly Ives 32:55

2M ago32:55

32:55

Why is it so important to introduce children to music from an early age? This week I had a slightly different performing experience to usual as my Sunday morning was spent doing my show with a twist: the audience were mostly under the age of 5! Afterwards I had a great chat and interview with Polly Ives who runs Concerteenies which provides live mu…

1
AI’s Word In Your Ear theme tune (!!), the four stages of showbiz & taking kids to concerts 39:22

2M ago39:22

39:22

Scanning the rock and roll ether with our patent heat-seeking Ripple-Detector®️ to see what rings the bell. Which this week includes … … how reformed ‘90s pop groups all look like Paul Whitehouse characters from the Fast Show. … the mutual agony of parents taking kids to concerts. … “Tap! Tap! Tap!”, the “gacked up” sound of the Heartbreakers’ at w…

1
Ep 10: The genius of the Toys R Us advert theme 45:48

2M ago45:48

45:48

The questions were thrown open this week on my socials. I had some great obscure song requests come in alongside a prompt to explore the best British advert jingles. I even get some AI opinions on this before I do a deeply educational analysis of the iconic Toys R Us theme which is an “an all-out banger” according the YouTube comments. I had to fig…

1
Hearing 45 year-old records you’d never played & the least likely-looking person to become a rock star 42:06

2M ago42:06

42:06

The super-trouper of scrutiny scans this week’s events and lands upon … … the man who’s played on 21,000 records. … how Joni Mitchell is still stirring it up aged 81 and why we love her for it. ... the impact of the stadium circuit on rock festivals. … the longest-surviving group in the world – bowing out at Glastonbury after 66 years! … “fake indi…

1
What Kate Mossman discovered about rock’s elder statesmen 42:56

2M ago42:56

42:56

Kate’s an old pal from our days at Word magazine. She was on the staff for six years before heading off to the New Statesman and has just put out a collection of the sizzling and revelatory profiles she wrote for us, them and the Observer about a particular sector of the musical landscape for whom she’s always carried a torch. As she wonders in ‘Me…

1
How John Harris and his son found a life-changing connection through music 51:31

2M ago51:31

51:31

John Harris is an old pal from our days in the music press. You might remember him from Sounds, the NME and Select (which he edited) and he’s been one of the mainstays of the Guardian ever since, writing mostly about pop culture and politics. When his son James was diagnosed with autism and, looking for ways to connect with him and help his develop…

1
Ep 09: Graham Kendrick on Shine Jesus Shine and the legacy of his songwriting 56:54

2M ago56:54

56:54

It was an absolute delight to spend nearly an hour talking to Graham Kendrick about his songwriting craft, the connection of worship music and of course the ultimate school assembly banger: Shine Jesus Shine! In the timestamps below you can see the topics we discuss and make sure you listen ALL the way to the end as there is a special one-off perfo…

1
Mike Rutherford looks back at 60 years onstage and the art of cheap rock theatre 26:00

2M ago26:00

26:00

This one starts with memories of Genesis at Farnborough Tech in 1972 – Batwings? Fox heads? - looks back at school bands and the early ‘70s and ends with the current Mike & the Mechanics tour. But it mostly centres on the first live shows Mike Rutherford ever saw and played which features … … his mum making him wash the Brylcreem from his hair befo…

1
Mike Scott of the Waterboys remembers the shows that inspired him 16:08

2M ago16:08

16:08

The Waterboys’ new album comes with the magnificent title ‘Life, Death & Dennis Hopper’ and the band start touring in May. Mike Scott looks back here at the first gigs he ever saw and played and the performers he watched closely, which involves … the Stones “when they were still dangerous” and the connective genius of Mick Jagger, Dennis Hopper’s l…

1
The lost world of teenage love songs – and the best pop song ever written! 47:16

2M ago47:16

47:16

In eager pursuit of dance and merriment, we dust down the current events. Which this week involves …. … are teenagers no longer in love? And what does this mean for pop music? … are people better musicians now than 40 years ago? And is that because you can get online tutorials explaining how to play everything? … Paul McCartney taking two buses acr…

1
Nik Kershaw remembers Live Aid, snoods, fingerless gloves & a sudden male-female audience shift 27:04

2M ago27:04

27:04

Someone else we put on the cover of Smash Hits 40 years ago who’s touring in 2025! He’s playing European festivals, ‘80s packages, dates with his band and a string of solo shows billed as ‘Musings & Lyrics With Nik Kershaw’, and talks to us here about the first gigs he ever saw and played, which involves … … a bad case of Imposter Syndrome. … how t…

1
Gang Of Four’s Jon King now sees the comedy in their endless self-sabotage 52:24

2M ago52:24

52:24

Gang Of Four’s moment was dramatic but brief. It was littered with times when the future seemed impossibly bright before disaster crept up with a cosh in their relentless “refusal to do the obvious”. Being a musician, he points out, is a ridiculous life best not taken seriously. His memoir ‘To Hell With Poverty!’ rightly describes itself as “rich w…

1
Ep 08: Ask an opera singer anything! Q&A with Welsh soprano Eleri Gwilym 37:39

2M ago37:39

37:39

Can you really smash glass with singing?! How do you even find out you can sing opera? Find out the stories behind becoming an opera singer, the state of singing in Wales and much more with today’s chat with Eleri Gwilym. She is currently playing Queen of the Night in the Magic Flute by Mozart and has some fascinating insights into the life of bein…

1
Has politics eaten entertainment? What’s ‘perfect sound’? Plus Brian James & how to make a speech 55:34

2M ago55:34

55:34

Tyres pumped, engine cranked, chromework winking in the Springtime sun, the two-man conversational jalopy sets off on its weekly spin and visits … … the day America broke the news and showed its dark side. … Brian James RIP and Stiff’s brilliant ad campaign for the first Damned album: “Play it at your sister!” … has entertainment been dwarfed by wo…

1
Film-maker Denny Tedesco on dad’s old band The Wrecking Crew and new doc “Immediate Family” 24:06

3M ago24:06

24:06

We’re long-time admirers of Denny Tedesco’s “Wrecking Crew” doc which celebrated the studio musicians of 60s Hollywood, the unseen hands who can be heard on all those Beach Boys and Spector hits. Now he’s done something similar with the musicians who were so much part of the success of James Taylor, Carole King and Warren Zevon in the next decade i…

1
Lennon & McCartney seen in a fresh, stirring and original new light by Ian Leslie 44:21

3M ago44:21

44:21

Ian Leslie posted his ‘64 Reasons To Celebrate Paul McCartney’ in 2020 and the viral reaction to its piercing and original points encouraged him to write ‘John & Paul: A Love Story In Songs’. Do we need another Beatles book? We do if it’s this one! It’s exceptionally good and highly recommended. The conventional wisdom for decades was that John was…

1
Ep 07: All Things Bright and Beautiful 28:59

3M ago28:59

28:59

Cecil Frances Alexander cracked out some absolute belters in her time. Today’s episode dives into one of her most iconic hymns. It’s one that we all know and love: All Things Bright and Beautiful. I look at all the different versions of the melody, explore the lyrics and even have a cameo Radio 1 message about her by Greg James. Which version of th…

1
The threat of AI, the appeal of Gene Hackman & the filthy glamour of Exile On Main St 54:01

3M ago54:01

54:01

In which we pedal the conversational tandem uphill and down dale, like a rabbit through the pea-vine or a turkey through the corn, stopping for moments of reflection which include … … “If someone wants to steal your music, it means your music’s worth stealing.” … cats, birdsong: spot the ‘silent track’ by Kate Bush. … when Gene Hackman smiles, be v…

1
Graham Fellows, “the comedy of the underdog” and inventing John Shuttleworth and Jilted John 26:09

3M ago26:09

26:09

We first saw Graham Fellows as Jilted John on Top of the Pops in 1978 and we’ve followed his characters ever since, especially drawn to the keyboard-prodding, car-coated John Shuttleworth and his deathless pop anthems ‘Pigeons In Flight’, ‘Up And Down Like A Bride’s Nightie’ and ‘I Can’t Go Back To Savoury Now’. Graham talks here about how and why …

1
Ep 06: A soundtrack for success with Ella Writer plus I Can Sing a Rainbow 45:47

3M ago45:47

45:47

Following on from last week’s great chat about youth singing and self-confidence, today we now look at how music can help build self-confidence with professional and personal success. In the assembly hall today we are joined by Ella Writer, CEO of coaching company Bright Yellow who imparts some wisdom from her 10+ years experience in consulting for…

1
Eternally cool rock stars, the Bond takeover and remembering Rick Buckler 57:36

3M ago57:36

57:36

As sinister autocrats stroke Persian cats in shark-pooled underground bunkers, their bony fingers reaching for the nuclear button, we shake another Vodka Martini and reflect on the week’s events, among them … … Amazon buys Bond: but isn’t the essence of 007 its droll and unimpressible Britishness? … and haven’t the lunatics taken over the asylum? C…

1
Justin Hayward – ‘60s package tours, lost profits & the highpoint of the Moody Blues 28:32

3M ago28:32

28:32

Nights In White Satin - 260 million streams on Spotify - is still the central plank in the set Justin Hayward’s touring in October. He talks to us here about the first shows he ever saw and played, the ballroom circuit of the mid-’60s remembered in particularly vivid detail and involving the odd burst of song - “My kind of town, Great Yarmouth is ……

1
Ep 05: Self-confidence through song with Rachel Staunton 36:33

3M ago36:33

36:33

How can singing in a choir from a young age boost your self confidence? In this week’s assembly we have a special guest! Rachel Staunton is the co-founder and artistic director of London Youth Choir and she joins me on the podcast this week to talk about LYC and the amazing ways it helps support young singers in the London area. She gives tips for …

1
Your guided tour of David Bowie’s London with Paul Gorman’s stories about its key locations 55:16

3M ago55:16

55:16

No musician is more closely associated with London or left more footprints than Bowie, and you can trace its influence on his life and work (and vice versa) through a series of landmarks from the suburbs to the centre. Author and curator Paul Gorman has just published an annotated street-map – David Bowie’s London - listing the places that played a…

1
Eddi Reader - busking, singing radio jingles and “men you put on the shoulder-pads for” 40:27

3M ago40:27

40:27

We first saw Eddi Reader singing with the Gang Of Four on Whistle Test in 1982. This eventful pod traces her story from seven kids in a two-bedroom council flat (“me in the toilet with a guitar singing Your Cheating Heart”), to the Scottish folk clubs, busking with circus acrobats on the Left Bank, to radio jingles, life as a backing singer and the…

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James B Partridge Podcasts

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