The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin - Tue. March 29, 9p CDT

On July 1, The Flaming Lips will perform The Soft Bulletin live in London as part of All Tomorrow's Parties. I checked my schedule, and won't be able to make it....  The next best thing? The Soft Bulletin as part of #albumclub!

For the Lips' 9th album, their label Warner Bros. gave the band a big push.  I know this partly because of the radio friendly remixes on the disc, and partly because of the lengths the label went through to promote the band.  Example.  At a radio station I worked at, Wayne and the crew were forced to play for staffers at 10 in the morning in a conference room, around a big meeting table.  Wayne was gracious and kind, even though turnout was sparse.

Join us Tuesday night.  Start the disc at 9p CDT, then listen and Tweet along with #albumclub.

David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust - Tuesday, March 22 9p CDT

First off, for the fact checkers in our rabid fanbase, we know the full title is "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars." But we're on Twitter and that title is like 128 characters or something.... As for the record, what can we say? Classic concept album about an androgynous alien rock star.

Listen and tweet along with us with the hash tag #albumclub Tuesday night at 9p CDT.

Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville - Tuesday March 15, 9p CDT

This may be the most controversial Album Club selection ever. Okay, it's only the fourth Album Club selection ever, but still.  Liz Phair long ago fell from grace in the minds of aging indie rockers. In 2003 in The New York Times, Meghan O'Rourke said Phair committed career suicide. Critically, things haven't really picked up since then.

But this is Album Club. Not Let's Rip On Someone We Used To Like Club. 

In 1993, Exile In Guyville and Liz Phair were part of a mini-media frenzy. Rock critics (and even MTV) helped to write the script. Strong woman songwriter toils in basement, battling hostile male-dominated Chicago music scene to create heartbreaking work of staggering genius. Cynical hipsters can look back now and say she was already trying to manipulate the media. But they're wrong. Chicago music critic Tankboy nailed it. When this record came out, "...a LOT of girls that were suddenly like, OH my GOD, I think those same things too. And it’s O.K. I’m not alone!" It's a classic.

Join us Tuesday night at 9p CDT. Start the record and tweet along with #albumclub.

Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks - Tuesday, March 8, 9p CST

For the third time in a row, Album Club is going to listen to a Midwestern artist.  Dylan's 15th studio album, released in 1975, was a return to form after a few critical and commercial bombs. I'm no Dylanologist, but it's widely believed the record is about his tumultuous relationship with his first wife Sara Dylan. Classic breakup album. Interesting then that one Christmas my wife and I unknowingly got each other copies of this disc. We're still married BTW....

Dylan famously recorded the album in NYC. Then, shortly before it was released, he rerecorded several tracks with a band his brother put together in Minnesota. There's at least one book about it, but if you don't feel up to reading it all, take a few minutes to listen to Cathy Wurzer's interview with co-author and musician Kevin Odegard. He says he came up with the idea of changing the key of "Tangled Up In Blue" from G, where the song was just kind of sitting there, to A, where it really popped.

Thanks to @NikiBeckerMusic for suggesting "Blood On The Tracks," and to @JBickal for the links. Start the album at 9p CST Tuesday, March 8 and tweet along with #albumclub.