Episode 88: Prince and the New Music Report for November 2023

Planet LP host Ted Asregadoo and Popdose writer Keith Creighton are inching closer to the end of the year with the November New Music Report. This episode is jam-packed with some stellar music recommendations just in time for the holidays.

Segment One:  The Big Album

It’s Prince! Known at various times as The Purple One, Christopher, His Royal Badness, The Artist, or Jamie Starr, Prince was at the top of his game between 1980 and 1987 with an impressive music output that few in the music world could match. Why? Because of The Vault. A prolific writer, Prince vaulted roughly 8,000 songs. 

In 1991, after a series of lackluster albums, Prince released “Diamonds and Pearls” with his new backing band, the New Power Generation. The result was his fifth (and final) #1 hit in the US with “Cream,” a #3 hit with the title track, and two top 20 hits with “Gett Off” and Money Don’t Matter 2 Night.” Overall, “Diamonds and Pearls” was an absolute commercial success for Prince.  

On October 27, 2023, Sony released a super deluxe version with three CDs of vaulted tracks, a double live album, a remaster of the original record, and a disc with singles and different mixes. That’s a lot of music, and Ted and Keith break it all down into digestible bits to highlight what's brilliant about the super deluxe edition, what's good, and what misses the mark.  

Segment Two: New Music Releases 

The Transcanada Highwaymen’s “Explosive Hits Vol #1 is mostly a carefully curated album of cover songs popular in the 1970s. These are Mellow and Radio Gold songs sung by a supergroup consisting of Moe Berry from The Pursuit of Happiness, Chris Murphy from Sloan, Craig Morthey from Odds, and Steven Page formerly of the Barenaked Ladies, but has gone on to a fantastic solo career. Featured songs include their cover of Andy Kim’s “Rock Me Gently, and “Which Way You Goin’ Billy” by The Poppy Family. Samples of both songs are embedded in this episode. 

Lol Tolhurst (former drummer from The Cure), Budgie (from Siouxsie & The Banshees), and producer Jackknife Lee have created a cinematic mindscrew of an album entitled “Los Angles.” 

Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark are back with what will likely be the final album of their career, and boy what a way to go out!  Nowhere on the record are songs that sound like their biggest US hit, “If You Leave.” Rather, as Keith says, this is a soundtrack for the end of the world. Ted compares “Bauhaus Staircase” to Tears for Fears’ “The Tipping Point” for its strength, its familiarity at times, and the satisfying way it’s all put together. 

Duran Duran is back with Dance Macabre, a Halloween-theme mashup of covers, updated obscure deep cuts, and some originals. Also, guitarist Andy Taylor returns to the group, and so does the drummer of 17 years with the band, Warren Cuccrullo. 

If you want to go on a journey with a musician who is a bit of an acquired taste, give Christian Kjellvander a try. “Hold Your Love Still” may not be for everyone, but once you become familiar with Kjellvander’s voice, you’ll find this record mesmerizing — as you will hear. 

Nat Jay’s latest EP, “Turns Out It’s Not The End” is one of Keith’s favorites this year. Comparing her to an outlier star to Taylor Swift’s galaxy-consuming supernova, Jay’s song “Something More” could have been included in the new Hunger Games soundtrack — and you’ll be able to hear why. 

Shplang! has been on the music scene for almost three decades, and is part of the International Pop Overthrow scene. Their latest song, “Understood” is featured in this episode. 

Segment Three: Stream It Before You Buy It

Quick hit recommendations.</