Playing By Ear
Every episode of this podcast breaks an album down, track by track, to cover why it's not only worth playing, but replaying.
Displaying items 21-24 of 24 in total of Playing By Ear with the tag "songwriting".
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IV (Led Zeppelin)
November 11th, 2025 | 1 hr 42 mins
jimmy page, john bonham, john paul jones, led zeppelin, metal, metal music, music, robert plant, rock, rock and roll, songwriting, tolkein
It's been a long time since we rocked and rolled. Epic, thundering, mythic, Led Zeppelin's fourth untitled album achieved legendary status, buying the band a stairway to metal heaven. Between the crushing guitar licks, Tolkein references, and delicate mandolin, IV remains an influential classic that has not dulled since it first conquered the airwaves in 1971.
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Nine Lives (Aerosmith)
October 23rd, 2025 | 1 hr 53 mins
1990s, 90s, aerosmith, joe perry, rock, rock and roll, rock music, songwriting, steven tyler
After 13 albums and a massive hit with "Get A Grip" venerable rockers Aerosmith released their follow-up "Nine Lives". Though not as successful as its predecessor, 9 Lives still stands on the solid foundation of Steven Tyler's inimitable vocals and Joe Perry's face-melting guitaring. If this one passed you by in the 1990s, now's as good a time as any to check it out.
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The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (The Kinks)
July 23rd, 2025 | 1 hr 47 mins
1960s, 60s, british, british invasion, classic rock, concept album, kinks, music, ray davies, rock, rock an roll, satire, songwriting, the kinks
Kyle brings the Kinks' hidden gem "The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society". While the Kinks were known for big proto-punk hits like You Really Got Me, this 1968 concept album finds the group celebrating and satirizing the quiet English countryside with fifteen short but memorable songs.
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Mr. A-Z (Jason Mraz)
June 23rd, 2025 | 1 hr 58 mins
00s, 2000s, folk, jason mraz, mraz, music, music theory, pop, rock, songwriting
On our premier episode Ami brings Mr. A-Z for consideration. Is Jason Mraz's sophomore album the remedy, or is it serious? We break it down track by track to see if Mr. A-Z really is all about the wordplay.