Hit Parade: The Bridge – Monster Drums Edition

Podcast: Hit Parade | Slate Podcasts
Episode Date: May 17, 2019
Host: Chris Molanphy
Guests: Charlie Harding & Nate Sloan (Switched On Pop)

Episode Overview

This special "Bridge" episode of Hit Parade explores the art and science behind pop music’s monster drum sounds—with a particular focus on Phil Collins and his pioneering contributions to '80s drum production. Host Chris Molanphy is joined by Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan, co-hosts of Vox’s Switched On Pop, for a dynamic conversation blending chart trivia, musicological deep-dives, and fan favorite pop history. The trio also reminisces about posthumous chart-toppers and play a lively round of music trivia with listener Eli.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bridging Pop Podcasts (00:25 – 03:01)

• The Collaboration: Chris Molanphy welcomes Charlie and Nate, celebrating a long-awaited crossover between two "music nerd" podcasts.
• Switched On Pop’s Mission:
  • Charlie Harding (02:11):

    "Switched On Pop is all about deconstructing the making and meaning of popular music. We really try to get to some essential truth about that thing. And we do that by listening and looking at the entire language of music..."

  • Nate jokes, “You can just say nerds. Yeah, nerds. We're nerds. We're big music nerds.” (02:57)

2. Encountering Loss: Most Impactful Musical Deaths (03:01 – 06:40)

• Prince’s Enduring Influence

  • Nate Sloan (03:24):

    "The death of Prince just rocked me...he still had so much music, so much creativity still left...but at least his sound remains."

  • Chris recalls his obituary for Prince, emphasizing the artist’s fingerprints on even the most recent pop (04:13).
  • Nate highlights Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” as “so indebted to Prince and the Minneapolis sound” (04:34).

• Leonard Cohen’s Late-Career Brilliance

  • Charlie Harding (05:22):

    "His albums 'Old Ideas' and 'You Want It Darker'… were some of the most poignant lyrics about life, death. And I think, oftentimes there's a sort of a trope that all the best work happens early on and I think is a great demonstration that wisdom and experience can add to the songwriting process."

  • Nate recites lyrics from "You Want It Darker" (06:06):

    “Magnified, sanctified be thy holy name...A million candles burning for the help that never came. You want it darker.”

3. Listener Trivia Challenge (06:40 – 14:57)

• Welcoming Slate Plus listener Eli (06:40)

• Questions & Results:

  1. Posthumous Hits:
     • Q: Which artist scored two posthumous #1 hits in the year of his death?
     • A: The Notorious B.I.G.
     • Eli’s quick reply (08:39):

       “The answer is D, the Notorious B.G.”

  2. Phil Collins at Live Aid:
     • Q: Which rock legend did NOT play with Collins at Live Aid?
     • A: The Temptations
     • Eli nails it (09:51):

       “I’ll just take a guess and say, A, the Temptations.”

  3. Genesis’s Only #1 U.S. Single:
     • Q: Which Genesis single topped the Hot 100?
     • A: Invisible Touch
     • Eli guesses (11:03):

       “I’m going to guess D, I can’t dance.”

     • Chris responds (11:15):*

       "Oh, I'm sorry. The correct answer was B, Invisible Touch. It went to number one in the summer of 1986..."

  • Hosts’ Trivia Stumbles:
    • Humorous banter as both guests admit being stumped; Nate jokes (11:44):

      "I haven't gotten a single one right."

• Turning the Tables—Eli quizzes Chris

  • About director Stephen R. Johnson’s music video credits (Sledgehammer, Road to Nowhere, etc.)
  • Eli stumps Chris; the correct answer is "Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads.
  • Revealed that Johnson directed music videos for Peter Gabriel and Talking Heads, innovations helped by video director cross-pollination.

• On Developing a Taste for Pop Over Time

  • Chris (14:33):

    "I often say ... I eventually grow to love a lot of the songs that I didn't like at first."

  • Charlie agrees (14:46):

    "Oh, yeah."

  • Nate (14:57):

    "Absolutely."

4. The Musicological Legacy of Monster Drums (15:34 – 21:29)

The "Phil Collins Sound"

• Drum Machine Meets Drummer:

  • Charlie (16:17):

    "If we listen to ‘In the Air Tonight’, the thing everyone knows ... is the ending bombastic drum outro. But we kind of forget ... the song begins with a drum machine, the Roland CR-78... When we finally get that big wild drum solo at the end, it really does surprise us because we've moved from this digital-y sound to a natural sound."

  • The precursor to the iconic Roland 808 and essential in bridging electronic and organic rhythm sections.

• The "Gated Reverb" Innovation

  • Chris (17:44):

    "I am very familiar with the gated reverb. I mean, it was the sound of 80s drums..."

  • Charlie (18:52 & 19:32):

    "The gated reverb is a mistake... Phil Collins is drumming in a drum room... and they actually just had an extra talkback mic, that microphone had a strong compressor and a strong gate... it just chops off. And that sound is the sound. It’s most heavily applied to the snare drum..."

• How the Gated Reverb Sounds

  • Nate (20:49):

    "It’s like if you played a snare drum in a cathedral and then had a giant shoebox that you could just put over that cathedral and muffle the reverberant sound right as it sort of reached its peak..."

• Impact

  • Phil Collins' experimentation resulted in an instantly recognizable sound—powerful, abrupt, and influential on decades of drummers and producers.

5. Preview & Farewell (21:29 – 23:06)

• Next Episode Teaser:
  • Chris previews Hit Parade's next full episode, focusing on Genesis, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, and the “hit making universe” that shaped the sound of the '80s.
• Plug & Thanks
  • Chris enthusiastically recommends Switched On Pop.

    “It is educational every single episode and it's one of the most pleasurable podcasts that I listen to.” (22:40)

  • Charlie and Nate thank Chris and promote their podcast and online presence.

Memorable Quotes

• On Prince’s Influence:

  "His influence is just all over the sound of contemporary pop music. So he's gone, but at least his sound remains."
  — Nate Sloan (03:24)

• On Late-Career Leonard Cohen:

  "...There's a sort of a trope that all the best work happens early on and I think is a great demonstration that wisdom and experience can add to the songwriting process."
  — Charlie Harding (05:22)

• On the Gated Reverb Drum Sound:

  "It actually makes the drum sound even bigger. But it’s this unnatural thing where it sounds like you’re in a cavern that gets cut off, it gets clipped."
  — Charlie Harding (19:32)

• Drum Sound Analogy:

  "It’s like if you played a snare drum in a cathedral and then had a giant shoebox that you could just put over that cathedral and muffle the reverberant sound right as it sort of reached its peak."
  — Nate Sloan (20:49)

• On Growing to Love Pop Songs:

  "Stockholm syndrome with pop songs is real, people. It’s a thing."
  — Chris Molanphy (14:57)

Notable Episode Timestamps

• 02:11 – Charlie describes Switched On Pop’s approach.
• 03:24 – Nate discusses Prince’s legacy.
• 05:22 – Charlie on Leonard Cohen’s late work.
• 06:40 – Listener trivia round introduction.
• 08:39 – Eli nails the trivia on Notorious B.I.G.
• 09:51 – Eli aces Live Aid trivia.
• 11:03 – Eli stumped by Genesis trivia.
• 14:33 – Chris and guests discuss growing to love pop songs.
• 15:34 – Chris invites guests to analyze Phil Collins' drumming legacy.
• 16:17 – 17:44 – Origin of the monster drum sound in "In the Air Tonight."
• 18:52 – 20:49 – Detailed breakdown of "gated reverb" and its legacy.
• 21:29 – Next episode teased: The Genesis/Phil Collins/Peter Gabriel universe.

Tone & Style:
Warm, enthusiastic, geekily deep on music analysis, and filled with camaraderie and gentle ribbing.

For Listeners: Why This Episode Matters

• Great for fans of music nerdiness: The meeting of two podcasts brings unique expertise and playful chemistry.
• Music tech meets pop history: The story of how Phil Collins' "mistake" gave us one of the most influential drum sounds ever.
• Charts, trivia, and pop connections: The episode weaves together stories of loss, musical innovation, and the quirks of chart history with lively quiz segments and listener participation.

Highly recommended for both seasoned chart-watchers and those who simply love a good musical origin story.