Vinyl Relics

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 -->

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Email me @ [email protected]

===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

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

===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/

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And find us on X @VinylRelicsPod

Email me @ [email protected]

===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

One of the few existing videos 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

Epysode 72: The Travel Agency by The Travel Agency.

Additional commentary by Uncle Herff.

This week we explore the self-titled album by The Travel Agency, a quietly adventurous record that drifted through the late-’60s underground and never quite found its audience. Blending folk-rock and studio psychedelia, the album feels like a band's debut record where they are trying to find their feet.

Over the years, it's become a bit of a cult-classic for some, while others dismiss it as nothing more than a throwaway from the era. Take a listen and decide for yourself.

I hope you dig The Travel Agency 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 @ [email protected]

===LINKS===

Fransisco Lupica interview from 2017:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvFDqZHbSMM

 

===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/5oLXvrQWjHN5BFpsn71YQK?si=44bc0f92243d4b79

HONEYBUS "Black Mourning Band"

CLINT EASTWOOD “Bouquet Of Roses”

DIANA KRALL “Why Should I Care?”

CLINT EASTWOOD “Theme From Mystic River"

*ACT III “Made For You”

*THE US “Just Me”

THE TRAVEL AGENCY “Time”

THE TRAVEL AGENCY "What's A Man"

THE TRAVEL AGENCY "Sorry You Were Born"

THE TRAVEL AGENCY "Cadillac George"

THE TRAVEL AGENCY "So Much Love"

THE TRAVEL AGENCY "Make Love"

THE TRAVEL AGENCY "That's Good"

THE TRAVEL AGENCY "I'm Not Dead"

THE TRAVEL AGENCY "She Understands"

THE TRAVEL AGENCY "Come To Me"

THE TRAVEL AGENCY "You Will Be There"

THE TRAVEL AGENCY "Old Man"

??MYSTERY ARTIST?? Tune in next week to find out...

NEWPORT ELECTRIC "If Wishes Were Horses"

^^ That's my band. This is shameless self-promotion!! Here's a link to our music:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5y6kGmYnS4SWvqAfijhDdp?si=FvYvjpkzTy6r8fg7FKwKPA
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPYSODE 71: Story by Honeybus.

Guest: Honeybus guitarist Colin Hare.

Additional commentary by Uncle Herff.

This week we drop the needle on Story, the lone and luminous album from Honeybus, a band forever linked to one perfect song, yet capable of so much more. Blending baroque pop, pastoral psychedelia, and late-’60s studio ambition, Story captures a moment when British pop was quietly shifting gears. Guitarist Colin Hare joins us with exclusive commentary, sharing firsthand memories of the band’s creative highs, industry frustrations, and the strange afterlife of an album that slipped through the cracks. Story is what happens when the music outlives the moment it was born into.

I hope you dig Story 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 @ [email protected]

===LINKS===

Dutch program dicussing one-hit wonders:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxesvcavSOU

Check out Colin’s solo albums here:

https://colinhare.bandcamp.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/2u8Bq59frvsExdybMYeRgi?si=XT39-WwjTp6DV7eEzDQhOw

PETER KAUKONEN "That's A Good Question"

GRANT TRACY "Everybody Shake"

THE APPLEJACKS "Over Suzanne"

HONEYBUS "Delighted To See You"

CLIFF RICHARDS & THE SHADOWS "Move It"

THE BEATLES "Bad Boy"

THE HONEYCOMBS "Have I The Right"

HONEYBUS "(Do I Figure) In Your Life"

HONEYBUS "I Can't Let Maggie Go"

HONEYBUS "Throw My Love Away"

*HONEYBUS "Francoise"

HONEYBUS "Girl Of Independent Means"

HONEYBUS "Would You Believe"

ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK "Release Me"

HONEYBUS "Story"

HONEYBUS "Black Mourning Band"

HONEYBUS "Scarlet Lady"

HONEYBUS "Fresher Than The Sweetness Of Water"

HONEYBUS "He Was Columbus"

HONEYBUS "Celings No. 1"

HONEYBUS "Under The Silent Tree"

HONEYBUS "She's Out There"

THE ROLLING STONES "She Said Yeah"

HONEYBUS "She Said Yes"

HONEYBUS "I Remember Caroline"

HONEYBUS "How Long"

HONEYBUS "Celings No. 2"

*COLIN HARE "Underground Girl"

*COLIN HARE "New Day"

*COLIN HARE "Just Like Me"

PETE DELLO & FRIENDS "A Good Song"

PETE DELLO & FRIENDS "It's The Way"

*HONEYBUS "Big Ship"

HONEYBUS "Cross Channel Ferry"

HONEYBUS "Be Thou By My Side"

COLIN HARE "Saw Her Face"

COLIN HARE "Incredibly Bad"

??MYSTERY ARTIST?? Tune in next week to find out...

NEWPORT ELECTRIC "Beauty In The Wasteland"

^^That's my band. This is shameless self-promotion!! Here's a link to our music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5y6kGmYnS4SWvqAfijhDdp?si=MiKHDGQwQ6Kyzw1t4QM0Gg

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPYSODE 70: Black Kangaroo by Peter Kaukonen.

Guest: Peter Kaukonen.

Additional commentary by Uncle Herff.

This week we dive deep into Black Kangaroo, the cult-classic album by Peter Kaukonen.

This epysode features exclusive commentary from Peter himself, as he reflects on the album’s creation, the musical influences behind it, and the stories woven into its tracks. From the recording process to the legacy of the record on vinyl, this conversation offers rare insight for fans of classic albums, vinyl collectors, and listeners discovering it for the first time.

I hope you dig Black Kangaroo 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 @ [email protected]

===LINKS===

Check out Peter's website for album info, merch and more.

https://peterkaukonen.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/2UBKztnoBIUTXgGVtyhUQ1?si=dfdc2a942d9d4238

FIELDS "Love Is The Word"

*Edgar Varise "Platinum"

*Chalo Dildar Chalo - song title unknown

LITTLE WALTER "My Babe"

MUDDY WATERS "Rollin' Stone"

THE CARTER FAMILY "Wildwood Flower"

SONNY TERRY & BROWNIE McGHEE "Born And Livin' With The Blues"

REV. GARY DAVIS "Death Don't Have No Mercy"

THE CHARLATANS "High Coin"

PETER KAUKONEN "Up Or Down"

PETER KAUKONEN "Postcard"

PETER KAUKONEN "What We All Know And Love"

PETER KAUKONEN "Billy's Tune"

PETER KAUKONEN "Barking Dog Blues"

PETER KAUKONEN "Dynamo Snackbar"

PETER KAUKONEN "Prisoner"

PETER KAUKONEN "That's A Good Question"

STARSHIP "We Built This City"

PAUL KANTNER/JEFFERSON STARSHIP "Let's Go Together"

LINK WRAY "Be What You Want To"

TERRY ALLEN "The Juarez Device (aka Texican Badman)"

*PETER KAUKONEN "Bare Oaks"

*PETER KAUKONEN "That's A Good Question" (version 2)

??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