PODCAST · music
"What IS This?"
by "What IS This?"
Commentary from a Canadian context on a variety of music found in my personal collection of 45 rpm records.
Episodes
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Episode 22 - "Listen To The Band"
In this episode it's all about the music as we feature instrumental hits from the 50's-80's. No lyrics, no singers, just the band. Please Note: This is the LAST episode of this podcast to be produced. The "What IS This?" podcast was created as a personal project for me during a time of career...
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Episode 21 - "Music of Cultural Change"
In this episode we open a musical time capsule from a changing era in the world that began in earnest in roughly 1965. These records are just a few among the soundtrack of cultural change, political dissent and the desire above all for peace as one decade ended and another dawned.
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Episode 20 - "Some People Call Me a Teenage Idol..."
What makes a teen idol? Looks? Talent? Great marketing? On this episode of the "What Is This?" podcast we’re looking at a handful of teen idols from the 50's-70's found in my own record collection.
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Episode 19 - "Singers Singing Songs About Other Singers and Songs"
In this episode we'll hear some 45's from artists who recorded these records as tributes or shout-outs to other artists and THEIR records. (It's a very "meta" episode of the "What IS This?" podcast!)
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Episode 18 - "Happy Canada Day"
Canada has contributed more than our share of incredible musical talent with the world (see episode #8)and in celebration of Canada's 153rd birthday on July 1st, this episode is dedicated exclusively to "CanCon" (Canadian Content) from my personal record collection.
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Episode 17 - "Go Home 1970's Music You're Drunk..."
This is potentially the first podcast episode where EVERY song included could be a stand-alone "What IS This?" installment of its own. The one thing these songs all have in common is their release and success(?) in the 1970's.
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Episode 16 - "If You Can SING You Must Be Able To ACT Right?"
In this episode we turn the tables on Episode 2 which examined actors turned singers. Today we're looking into my re cord collection for singers who became actors (with some mixed results!)
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Episode 15 - "Songs John and Paul Gave Away"
They say that success is less about what you know than it is about WHO you know. In this episode we explore some artists who musically benefited from songs that John Lennon and Paul McCartney opted not to record with The Beatles but that still became hits for some of their friends and acquaintances.
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Episode 14 - "The Originator, Innovator and Architect of Rock and Roll"
With hits that included "Tutti Frutti", "Ready Teddy" and "Good Golly Miss Molly", Richard Wayne Penniman blazed a path for rock and roll music and left a legacy of music that inspired generations of musicians. In this episode we remember Little Richard.
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Episode 13 - "Try Some, Buy Some"
When I first looked at this single I thought “written and produced by George Harrison, released on the Apple Records label and sung by one of the most powerful and distinctive female rock and roll voices ever...this is going to be great”. And then I played it...
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Episode 12 - "HIT Records: 39 Cents at a Time"
It's said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It was also the entire business model of a record label from Nashville in the 1960's. In this episode we hear several of HIT Records .39 imitations side-by-side with the hits they imitated.
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Episode 11 - "Warner Brothers Records"
Songs by groups like "T.& T.", "A.C. Ducey" and "U.B.'s Group" were typical of what Warner Brothers Records was releasing in 1962. Why? What was going on and what were they hoping to accomplish? In this episode we take a quick look at WB and some interesting and not-so-interesting releases…
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Episode 10 - "The Top Ten"
Unlike those countdowns that are based on sales or airplay, the countdown that comprises this episode is based on the numbers 10 to 1 that are found in either an artist OR song name.
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Episode 9 - "One and Done"
A would-be televangelist and a couple of bands that may not have even existed are part of this episode featuring what some might call "one hit wonders".
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Episode 8 - "Six Degrees of...Ronnie Hawkins"
Arkansas native and rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins placed his stamp on much of the music scene in Southwestern Ontario Canada. This episode explores a few examples.
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Episode 7 - "The Art of The Break-In"
Cheesy? Sure. Funny? Sometimes. Musical? Kind of. Truly the legacy of "break-in" songs depends on what you expect of them. In this episode I suggest we see them as cultural time capsules.
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Episode 6 - "The Theme Song From That Show...."
One very strange record of a tv show theme led to me digging through my collection for others.
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Episode 5 - "One Good Turn...."
In this episode we look at the phenomenon of "answer songs" in the music industry and how chart history shows the results to be mixed.
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Episode 4 - Who are "The Iveys"?
Can you name the first act signed to Apple Records AFTER it was established by the Beatles?? Find out in today's episode.
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Episode 3 - Rock and Roll and Race
In this episode I look at the sad way that African-American R&B artists were treated by the big record companies of the 1950's and beyond.
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Episode 2 - "If You Can Act You MUST Be Able To Sing Right???"
In this episode we check out some examples of successful television and movie actors whom someone, somewhere felt should also have a recording career.
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Episode 1 - "Street People"
On this first podcast we look at an odd record from my collection called "Jennifer Tomkins" by an artist named "Street People".
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Commentary from a Canadian context on a variety of music found in my personal collection of 45 rpm records.
HOSTED BY
"What IS This?"
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does "What IS This?" have?
"What IS This?" currently has 22 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is "What IS This?" about?
Commentary from a Canadian context on a variety of music found in my personal collection of 45 rpm records.
How often does "What IS This?" release new episodes?
"What IS This?" has 22 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to "What IS This?"?
You can listen to "What IS This?" on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts "What IS This?"?
"What IS This?" is created and hosted by "What IS This?".
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