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Classic Albums. Hosted by Stevie Nix
Not all albums stand the test of time, but plenty do and Australian music critic Stevie Nix will bring one to you each week. He'll cover all eras and most genres and tell you why each record is so revered and, equally, why it deserves to be. And he only uses six songs to do it.
Episodes
65 episodes
Us by Peter Gabriel
Us is particularly notable for its deeply personal lyrical content. While Gabriel's previous work often dealt with political themes or character-based narratives, this album turned inward to explore relationships, personal psychology a...
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Season 7
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Episode 5
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50:29
Night And Day by Joe Jackson
Night And Day stood out by offering something sophisticated — a hybrid of styles that acknowledged contemporary trends and also classic songwriting traditions. Jackson's classical piano training is evident in the complexity of his arra...
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Season 7
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Episode 4
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44:34
Bat Out Of Hell by Meat Loaf
Bat Out Of Hell represents a singular moment in music history where ambition, talent and timing combined to create something truly unique. It demonstrated that rock music could embrace theatrical drama and technical complexity while ma...
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Season 7
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Episode 3
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49:10
All Day by Girl Talk
What makes All Day remarkable isn’t just the novelty of hearing Foxy Brown on top of Peter Gabriel, or Big Boi rapping over Portishead, though those moments are undeniably thrilling. It’s the way Greg Gillis transforms these fragments ...
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Season 7
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Episode 2
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43:54
Bitches Brew by Miles Davis
Released in 1970, this double album didn’t just push the limits of jazz; it obliterated them. Bitches Brew is a chaotic, electrifying, and hypnotic masterpiece, fusing jazz, rock, funk, and avant-garde into something utterly transforma...
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Season 7
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Episode 1
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32:03
Back To Black by Amy Winehouse
Blending retro soul with jazz, Motown, and hip-hop elements, Winehouse created a timeless sound that paid homage to classic music styles while pushing soul into new, contemporary territory. By bridging these genres, she infused Back To Blac...
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Season 6
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Episode 10
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37:52
Blue by Joni Mitchell
Released during a period of intense personal transformation for Mitchell, Blue captures a raw emotional vulnerability that continues to resonate. Her songwriting is both confessional and poetic, a delicate balance of personal rev...
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Season 6
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Episode 9
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36:22
Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen
Nebraska arrived at a time when the music industry was chasing bigger sounds and brighter production, but Springsteen went the other way. The album’s quiet power came from its restraint. Drawing on the folk traditions of Woody Guthrie ...
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Season 6
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Episode 8
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45:18
Odelay by Beck
As the alternative rock wave of the early 1990s began to fade, hip-hop and electronic music were rising to prominence. Beck, in collaboration with the Dust Brothers, bridged these genres, creating a groundbreaking work that fused alternative ro...
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Season 6
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Episode 7
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35:31
Red Headed Stranger by Willie Nelson
Red Headed Stranger’s significance extends beyond its immediate narrative and musical achievements. It helped establish the "outlaw country" movement, which represented a rebellion against the slick production values and conservative attitudes ...
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Season 6
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Episode 6
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29:23
Horses by Patti Smith
Patti Smith’s Horses, released 50 years ago today, remains one of the most startling and transformative debuts in rock history. Half a century on, it still feels raw, defiant, and ahead of its time, a record that blurred the lines betw...
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Season 6
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Episode 5
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47:01
Elephant by The White Stripes
Elephant represents the perfect expression of the White Stripes' artistic philosophy. Their emphasis on authenticity, their embrace of limitations, and their respect for rock and blues traditions all came together perfectly on this alb...
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Season 6
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Episode 4
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34:10
Introducing The Hardline by Terence Trent D'Arby
In the landscape of 1987 pop music, few debuts arrived with the impact and audacity of Introducing The Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby. The album represented a remarkable fusion of styles and influences, delivered by an arti...
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Season 6
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Episode 3
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33:55
Lemonade by Beyonce
At its core, Lemonade is a narrative through the stages of heartbreak, anger, forgiveness and triumph. Structured around traditional elements of a relationship drama, the album creates a cohesive experience where each track builds upon...
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Season 6
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Episode 2
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38:02
Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
Album #4 benefits from arriving early enough in Led Zeppelin's career that they still had something to prove, but late enough that they had developed the skill and confidence to execute their vision flawlessly. There's no excess here, no self-i...
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Season 6
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Episode 1
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45:56
Crime Of The Century by Supertramp
Released in 1974, this was the album that transformed Supertramp from struggling British rockers into international stars. It was their third record, but in many ways, it felt like a debut – a complete reinvention that showcased the band's newf...
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Season 5
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Episode 10
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40:05
Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos
Little Earthquakes was a seismic shift in the landscape of alternative rock and feminist expression. Tori Amos, with her virtuosic piano playing and raw, confessional lyrics, crafted a collection of songs that were both deeply personal...
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Season 5
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Episode 9
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35:57
Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens
Carrie & Lowell masterfully examines the multifaceted nature of grief. Grief, as portrayed in the album, is neither linear nor predictable; instead, it manifests in myriad forms — anger, denial, bargaining, depression, and acceptan...
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Season 5
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Episode 8
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38:20
The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground, Nico
The Velvet Underground & Nico's 1967 debut fundamentally reshaped rock music's DNA. The album created blueprints for glam rock's sexual ambiguity, punk's raw energy, and the distorted landscapes of grunge and noise rock. Though initially un...
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Season 5
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Episode 7
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40:14
Rattlesnakes by Lloyd Cole & The Commotions
Released in 1984, Rattlesnakes is a literary journey wrapped in melody; a collection of songs that transformed pop music's intellectual landscape. Lloyd Cole’s lyrics are laced with cultural references, wry humor, and a deep sense of l...
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Season 5
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Episode 6
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33:43
Blackstar by David Bowie
Blackstar is simultaneously a personal farewell, a philosophical exploration, and a radical musical statement. Each track contains multiple layers of musical and conceptual meaning, rewarding repeated listening and deep analytical engagement. R...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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39:17
Back In Black by AC/DC
Back In Black transformed personal tragedy into a universal artistic statement. It transcended traditional rock album expectations and represented a perfect fusion of technical musical expertise and raw emotional energy. The record's m...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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35:48
Harry's House by Harry Styles
Harry's House is more than just a collection of songs; it's a cultural statement. Styles has consistently used his platform to challenge traditional notions of masculinity, fashion, and artistic expression and this album continues that...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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37:21
Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Paranoid is one of the most transformative albums in rock history. Released in 1970, Paranoid is a bridge between the blues-rock experimentation of the late 1960s and the full-blown heavy metal movement that would dominate the...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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40:44
Songs In The Key Of Life by Stevie Wonder
Released in 1976, this remarkable double album wasn't just a collection of songs - it was a stunning 21-track journey through soul, funk, jazz, and classical music that tackled everything from the joy of new parenthood to the complexities of ra...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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38:53
