Hell's Kitchen Radio #531: Sophomore Success

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Ever in search of a special that I can curate for you all, an idea hit me last winter to research great second releases. It can take a band years to craft a first record. It's pretty simple to name a dozen debut "masterpieces". What you may not notice is the pressure placed on a band, or artist, by the record label, to reproduce that magic quickly. This often leads to the sophomore jinx. Many of these bands are considered "one-offs", never to be heard from again; tossed on the scrapheap of musical history.

Then there are the artists who appear to have untold magic dripping from their fretboards, leading to dynamic second records, and perhaps more! 

I put out the word to friends and listeners to share what they considered epic second records, and I was not disappointed. Much of what you hear on this six hour show is a culmination of almost six months of research.

Yes, much of this music comes from the "golden age" of the major label era of the 60s and 70s. But there is so much more. 

I only planned on doing four hours, but the show that follows mine kindly stepped aside allowing me to round out this show with six solid hours of truly impressive fare. 

Yes, there are countless releases I did not share. I often started a set with a specific song and allowed that to inspire what followed. That's often how I choose my sets.

Check out the playlist below, which includes the album title and the year it was released.

Enjoy and please share.

jh

Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

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She Watch Channel Zero: Public Enemy (It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back 1988)
Shadrach: Beastie Boys (Paul's Boutique 1989)

Millie Pulled A Pistol on Santa: De La Soul (De La Soul in Dead 1991)

Funky Dollar Bill: Funkadelic (Free your Mind... and your Ass will Follow 1970)

He Was A Big Freak: Betty Davis (They Say I'm Different 1974)

Thirty Dirty Birds/Yertle The Turtle: Red Hot Chili Peppers (Freaky Styley 1985)

Mr. Pitiful: Otis Redding (The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads 1965)
Tommy The Cat: Primus ft. Tom Waits (Sailing the Seas of Cheese 1991)
Depot Depot: Tom Waits (The Heart of Saturday Night 1974)
California: Joni Mitchell (Blue 1971)

Memory of a Free Festival: David Bowie (David Bowie 1969)

Territorial Pissings: Nirvana (Nevermind 1991)

Dirt: Iggy and the Stooges (Fun House 1971)

Bring on Home: Led Zeppelin (II 1968)

Don't Keep Me Wonderin': Allman Brothers (Idlewild South 1970)

Workin' For The MCA: Lynyrd Skynyrd (Second Helping 1974)

Levitation: 13th Floor Elevators (Easter Everywhere 1967)

New Potato Caboose: Grateful Dead (Anthem of the Sun 1968)

Call Any Vegetable: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (Absolutely Free 1967)

Marie Marie: The Blasters (s/t 1981)

The Devil's Chasing Me: Reverend Horton Heat (Full Custom Gospel Sounds of... 1993)

Hare Krishna: Hüsker Dü (Zen Arcade 1984)

50ft Queenie: PJ Harvey (Rid of Me 1993)

Tupelo: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (The Firstborn Is Dead 1985)

Snake Mountain Blues: Townes Van Zandt (Our Mother The Mountain 1969) 

Dirty Old Town: The Pogues (Rum, Sodomy and the Lash 1985)

Tommy Gun: The Clash (Give 'em Enough Rope 1978)

Private Idaho: B52s (Wild Planet 1980)

Addicted: Amy Winehouse (Back to Black 2006)

Here She Comes Now: Velvet Underground (White Light/White Heat 1968)

Vicious: Lou Reed (Transformer 1972)

Pissing in a River: Patti Smith (Horses 1975)

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight): Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle 1973)

Parasite: Kiss (Hotter Than Hell 1974)

The Ripper: Judas Priest (Sad Wings of Destiny 1976)

My Lighter: Zig Zags (Running Out Of Red 2016)

Creeping Death: Metallica (Ride the Lightning 1984)

Disco: Death Valley Girls (Glow in the Dark 2016)

At A Crawl: Melvins (Ozma 1989)

My Eyes Have Seen You: The Doors (Strange Days 1967)

Death Letter: The White Stripes (De Stijl 2000)

Death Train: The Bobby Lees (Bellevue 2022)

Just Got Paid: ZZ Top (Rio Grande Mud 1972)

Bomber/Closet Queen/Cast Your Fate to the Wind: James Gang (Rides Again 1970)

The Motivator: T Rex (Electric Warrior 1971)

Don't Blame the Buzzard: Sgt. Splendor (Death of the Hoochie Koo 2023)

Who You Driving Now?: Mudhoney (Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge 1991)

Self Hypnosis in 3 Days: WAND (Golem 2015)

Freaks to the Front: Amyl and the Sniffers (Comfort to Me 2021)

Rice Pudding: Jeff Beck (Beck Ola 1969)

Morning Theft: Jeff Buckley (Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk) 1998)

Girl From North Country: Bob Dylan (Freewheelin' Bob Dylan 1963)

Helplessness Blues: Fleet Foxes (Helplessness Blues 2011)

Willow Weep for Me: Nina Simone (The Amazing Nina Simone 1959)

Devil in Her Heart: The Beatles (With the Beatles 1963)

Roscoe: Midlake (Trials of Van Occupanther 2006)

Electric Funeral: Black Sabbath (Paranoid 1970)

Love Canal: Flipper (Blow’n Chunks 1984)

Lake of Fire: Meat Puppets (II 1984)

Motorbike: Wooden Shjips (Dos 2009)

If 6 Was 9: Jimi Hendrix (Axis: Bold As Love 1967)

Forty Thousand Headmen: Traffic (Traffic 1968)

The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil: Jefferson Airplane (After Bathing At Baxters 1967)

Saucerful of Secrets: Pink Floyd (Saucerful of Secrets 1968)

Cody, Cody: Flying Burrito Brothers (Burrito Deluxe 1970)

Across the Great Divide: The Band (The Band 1969)

Oh Caroline: Cheap Trick (In Color 1977)

Pinhead: The Ramones (Leave Home 1977)

Beat My Head Against The Wall: Black Flag (My War 1984)

White Girl: X (Wild Gift 1984)

Distinct Complicity: Bikini Kill (Reject All American 1996)

Cat Food: King Crimson (In The Wake of Poseidon 1970)

About a Girl: Sex Mob (Solid Sender 2000)

Funky Miracle: The Meters (Look-Ka Py Py 1969)

Harmonika: Kraftwerk (2 1972)

The White Rider: Camel (Mirage 1974)

Long Division: Fugazi (Steady Diet of Nothing 1991)