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Vinyl Relics

Vinyl Relics

By: Farmer John
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Vinyl Relics is a storytelling-driven music podcast dedicated to uncovering the forgotten, overlooked, and unfairly ignored albums hiding in the corners of rock, psych, folk, and beyond. Each “Epysode” spotlights a single record - often a lost gem or cult favourite, and dives deep into its creation. Hosted by Farmer John, the show blends rich historical research with track-by-track commentary, personal reflections, and interviews with artists, producers, and the people who helped shape the music. The result is an immersive journey into albums that deserve a second listen...or a first discovery. Whether you’re a lifelong crate-digger, a lover of music history, or simply someone who enjoys hearing the stories behind great records, Vinyl Relics offers a fresh way to explore the past one album at a time. Tune in, turn on & drop by to discover music that time has forgotten.Copyright 2024-2025 All rights reserved. Music
Episodes
  • 1964's Tobacco Road: The Raw British Invasion R&B Classic by The Nashville Teens
    Mar 19 2026
    Epysode 75: Tobacco Road by The Nashville Teens. Additional commentary by Uncle Herff. In 1964, at the height of the British Invasion, one of the rawest and most hard-driving R&B records to cross the Atlantic was “Tobacco Road” by The Nashville Teens. Gritty, blues-soaked, and powered by explosive vocals, this UK hit stood apart from the jangling pop dominating the charts and delivered a ferocious take on American blues rock. This week, we dig into how “Tobacco Road” became a defining British R&B classic, examining its roots in American blues and its impact on the emerging blues-rock movement in the UK. What made this 1964 recording so powerful? How did The Nashville Teens carve out their place in the British Invasion era? And why does this track still sound so urgent and uncompromising decades later? From its chart success to its enduring influence on British blues rock, we revisit a record that captured the raw energy of early UK R&B and helped shape the sound of 60s rock history. If you’re into British Invasion music, classic 1960s R&B, blues rock origins, or overlooked vinyl-era classics, this is an essential listen. I hope you dig Tobacco Road as much as I do. - Farmer John ===CONNECT & SUPPORT=== Transport yourself into the realm of grooviness by supporting us on Patreon for as little as $2/month using this link --> patreon.com/FarmerJohnMusic Use this link to follow us on Facebook --> https://www.facebook.com/farmerjohnmusic/ Use this link to follow us on Instagram --> https://www.instagram.com/vinylrelics/ Use this link to follow us on TikTok --> https://www.tiktok.com/@vinylrelicspodcast Use this link to follow us on BlueSky --> https://bsky.app/profile/farmerjohnmusic.bsky.social And find us on X @VinylRelicsPod Email me @ farmerjohnmusic@gmail.com ===LINKS=== Arthur Sharpe interview for UK Rock History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzlLBGsc55M Ray Phillips interview for Secret Records Limited: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjISl4izoe4 ===THE MUSIC=== Songs used in this Epysode, in order of appearance. Here's a link to a Spotify playlist for all the tracks featured. *denotes track is not available on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2vNSYkrqwyLMHwRmGG8Hso?si=6f73021a97034e90 VAN DUREN "Chemical Fire" THE EVERLY BROTHERS “Nashville Blues” JERRY LEE LEWIS “Lewis’ Boogie” (live) JERRY LEE LEWIS “High School Confidential” (live) JERRY LEE LEWIS “Great Balls Of Fire” (live) *CARL PERKINS “Big Bad Blues” JOHN D. LOUDERMILK “Tobacco Road” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Tobacco Road” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Mona” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Need You” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Bread And Butter Man” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Hurtin Inside” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Hootchie Cootchie Man”THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Google Eye”THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Too Much” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Parchment Farm” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “I Like It Like That” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “How Deep Is The Ocean” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “La Bamba” *THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Watcha Gonna Do” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “The Biggest Night Of Her Life” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “All Along The Watchtower” *THE ARIZONA SWAMP COMPANY “Train Keeps Rollin’” THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Find My Way Back Home” (live) ??MYSTERY ARTIST?? Tune in next week to find out... NEWPORT ELECTRIC "Boom!" ^ That's my band. This is shameless self-promotion!! Check out our music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5y6kGmYnS4SWvqAfijhDdp?si=2tKdzuwIQNmrMkBtOEZ_Rg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • 1978's Are You Serious?: The Hidden 70s Power Pop Treasure
    Mar 12 2026
    EPYSODE 74: Are You Serious? by Van Duren. Guest: Van Duren. Additional commentary by Uncle Herff. In 1978, while punk was exploding and disco ruled the charts, a razor-sharp pop record quietly slipped through the cracks. Are You Serious? should have been a defining album of the late ’70s. Instead, it became a cult favourite whispered about by collectors and power pop devotees. This week, we dig into the story behind this Memphis-born gem: the jangling guitars, the smart lyrics, and the Big Star–adjacent brilliance that makes this album one of the great lost power pop records of the era. How did it miss commercial success? From studio lore to standout tracks, we revisit a record that proves sometimes the best albums aren’t the ones that topped the charts...they’re the ones waiting to be rediscovered. If you love 70s power pop or overlooked vinyl-era classics, this one’s essential listening. I hope you dig Are You Serious? as much as I do. - Farmer John ===CONNECT & SUPPORT=== Transport yourself into the realm of grooviness by supporting us on Patreon for as little as $2/month using this link --> patreon.com/FarmerJohnMusic Use this link to follow us on Facebook --> https://www.facebook.com/farmerjohnmusic/ Use this link to follow us on Instagram --> https://www.instagram.com/vinylrelics/ Use this link to follow us on TikTok --> https://www.tiktok.com/@vinylrelicspodcast Use this link to follow us on BlueSky --> https://bsky.app/profile/farmerjohnmusic.bsky.social And find us on X @VinylRelicsPod Email me @ farmerjohnmusic@gmail.com ===LINKS=== Grab all of Van’s albums here: https://omnivorerecordings.com/van-duren/ Here’s a link to the award winning documentary titled “Waiting: The Van Duren Story”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwxjkFjFPv4 Check out the Loveland Duren website here: https://www.lovelandduren.com ===THE MUSIC=== Songs used in this Epysode, in order of appearance. Here's a link to a Spotify playlist for all the tracks featured. *denotes track is not available on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0H17drhsCAEubGQW3c59vb?si=fe6d380cb2de4079 *SHANTI "We Want To Be Free" VAN HALEN “Eruption” THE ROLLING STONES “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction” THE DAVE CLARK FIVE “Glad All Over” FREE "All Right Now" ICEWATER "All I See Is You" BIG STAR "In The Street" CHRIS BELL “I Am The Cosmos” BIG STAR “Kizza Me” THE BEATLES “A Hard Day’s Night” PAUL McCARTNEY “Oh Woman Oh Why” VAN DUREN "Chemical Fire" NICK LOWE "I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass" VAN DUREN "This Love Inside" VAN DUREN "Oh Babe" SUPERTRAMP "Bloody Well Right" VAN DUREN "Waiting" VAN DUREN "Grow Yourself Up" VAN DUREN "Guaranteed" VAN DUREN "Positive" VAN DUREN "New Year's Eve" VAN DUREN "So Good To Be Me (For The Time Being)" VAN DUREN "Yellow Light" VAN DUREN "For A While" VAN DUREN "Stupid Enough" VAN DUREN "The Love That I Love" VAN DUREN “Bear With Me All The Way” VAN DUREN “Make A Scene” VAN DUREN “Tenessee, I’m Trying” VAN DUREN “That” VAN DUREN “Love At The Heart Of It/Mad At The Moon” *GOOD QUESTION “Girls In Uniforms” GOOD QUESTION “Jane” *VAN DUREN AND TOMMY HOEHN “Your Beautiful Self” *VAN DUREN “Europa” LOVELAND DUREN “Within Crying Distance” ??MYSTERY ARTIST?? Tune in next week to find out... *NEWPORT ELECTRIC "Now It's All This" ^^ That's my band. This is shameless self-promotion!! Here's a link to my band's music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5y6kGmYnS4SWvqAfijhDdp?si=YsBCG3jtQiukZvkvQ5iFXQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 4 mins
  • 1968's Shanti: East Meets West Psychedelia
    Mar 5 2026
    EPYSODE 73: Shanti, by Shanti. Guest: Shanti guitarist Neil Seidel. Additional commentary by Uncle Herff. This week we explore Shanti, the self-titled 1971 album that stands as one of the great crossroads records of the West Coast counterculture. While other bands dipped their toes into Eastern music, Shanti went all-in. Guitarist Neil Seidel joins us with exclusive commentary, reflecting on the band’s formation, its musical philosophy, and the creative environment that shaped the record. Together, we revisit an album that is equal parts jam-session, spiritual statement, and time capsule from an era where East and West merged. I hope you dig Shanti as much as I do. - Farmer John ===LINKS=== Check out Neil's website for music and more: https://neilseidel.com Fransisco Lupica interview from 2017:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvFDqZHbSMM One of the few existing videos of Shanti performing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWR8NrdKVi8&list=RDhWR8NrdKVi8&start_radio=1 ===CONNECT & SUPPORT=== Transport yourself into the realm of grooviness by supporting us on Patreon for as little as $2/month using this link --> patreon.com/FarmerJohnMusic Use this link to follow us on Facebook --> https://www.facebook.com/farmerjohnmusic/ Use this link to follow us on Instagram --> https://www.instagram.com/vinylrelics/ Use this link to follow us on TikTok --> https://www.tiktok.com/@vinylrelicspodcast Use this link to follow us on BlueSky --> https://bsky.app/profile/farmerjohnmusic.bsky.social And find us on X @VinylRelicsPod Email me @ farmerjohnmusic@gmail.com ===LINKS=== Check out all of Neil's work (music and written) here: https://neilseidel.com Fransisco Lupica interview from 2017:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvFDqZHbSMM The lone existing video of Shanti performing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWR8NrdKVi8&list=RDhWR8NrdKVi8&start_radio=1 ===THE MUSIC=== Songs used in this Epysode, in order of appearance. As this album is not available on Spotify, this Epysode has no link to a playlist. THE TRAVEL AGENCY "What's A Man" THE BEATLES "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" THE BEATLES “Love You To” THE ROLLING STONES “Paint It Black” TRAFFIC "Hole In My Shoe" THE HOLLIES "Maker" DONOVAN "Sunshine Superman" JOE SOUTH "Games People Play" THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND "Mad Hatter's Song" THE KINKS “See My Friends” RAVI SHANKAR “Bangla Dhun” QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE “Who Do You Love” THE LIVELY ONES “Surf Rider” COUNT BASIE “Shiny Stockings” GARY LEWIS & THE PLAYBOYS “This Diamond Ring” SHANTI "We Want To Be Free" SHANTI "Innocence" SHANTI "Out Of Nowhere" SHANTI "Lord I'm Comin' Round" SHANTI "Good Inside" SHANTI "Shanti" SHANTI "I Do Believe" NEIL SEIDEL “Rosetta” SEASICK STEVE “Doghouse” SHAKTI “La Danse Du Bonheur” GEORGE HARRISON “Living In The Material World” ??MYSTERY ARTIST?? Tune in next week to find out... NEWPORT ELECTRIC "If Wishes Were Horses" ^^That's my band. This is shameless self-promotion!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 24 mins
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