Everyone has an opinion about the Doors - whether you think they’re transgressive and mind-blowing, or you find them silly and overrated, or - like Ben - you just think they made some killer music. With invaluable help from Amanda, Dan, and Mike, Ben makes the case that the Doors’ 1967 self-titled debut album contains more killer music than many people realize. It might even blow your mind a little, too.

Jeff Beck had shown off his guitar genius with several fiery mid-1960s hit singles by the Yardbirds; he’d even scored some UK top-30 hits as an unlikely singing star. But all that was prologue to Truth, his 1968 solo debut album. Joined by future Rolling Stone Ron Wood and a then-unknown Rod Stewart, Beck laid down a standout batch of electric blues songs - plus a showtune and an olde English folk song to show off his versatility. Truth has always been one of Ben’s favorite albums, and he joins Rich and Dan to talk about it. 

Get ready for some classic Americana, brought to you by four Canadians (and one American), discussed by four Americans (including one living in Canada). Because Neil Young and Joni Mitchell weren't enough, Ben goes back to the frozen north for the Band's 1968 debut album, Music From Big Pink. Ben discusses why he loves the Band and Music From Big Pink, joined by Amanda, Dan, and Mike.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Oklahoma! was a massive hit on Broadway in 1943. It changed musical theater forever and inspired a well-remembered 1955 film. Ben hasn't seen the musical or the film, and he doesn't know the plot or the names of the characters. But he loves the music. He and Rich and John dive into a 1964 studio recording of the Oklahoma! soundtrack and make a case for why the show’s musical numbers endure.

By the time he recorded his third solo album, After the Gold Rush, Neil Young had already been part of successful records by the Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and his second album had hit the top 40. As great as that music had been, though, Neil hadn't yet reached his peak - at least according to Ben. Ben explains why After the Gold Rush is a high point in a career full of high points, and why the album and its singer have meant so much to him since he was a teenager. Rich, Phil, and John also weigh in and discuss their varying - but generally substantial - levels of Neil Young fandom.

Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane has one of the most varied and rewarding discographies in any genre of music. Because of that variety, though, it can be hard to find an entry point into his music. Ben makes the case that your entry point should be Trane's 1960 classic Giant Steps. Giant Steps features Coltrane's trademark musical innovations and rich, emotional playing - but packaged in a series of energetic songs with catchy themes and accessible, poppy structures. And in sharing a detailed, multi-part history of Coltrane's artistic development, Ben argues that Giant Steps should only be the first stop on your long Trane journey. He's joined by John, Phil, and Mike, who share their own stories of discovering jazz and falling in love with John Coltrane's music. 

The Jefferson Airplane's drugged-up, hyper-political jams are often dismissed as a relic of the late 1960s. But the band's talent was in abundance on their earnest debut album The Jefferson Airplane Takes Off; and when they added vocalist Grace Slick to their lineup and recorded their second album, 1967's Surrealistic Pillow, the whole world discovered what they were capable of. In discussing that album, Ben, Amanda, and John make the case that the Airplane's musicianship, harmonies, and attitude all hold up today.

Before Neil Finn was the New Lindsay Buckingham in Fleetwood Mac, and after he labored in the shadow of his brother Tim in Split Enz, he was the singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter for the band Crowded House. In 1985, Finn, drummer Paul Hester, and bassist Nick Seymour recorded Crowded House's debut album with producer Mitchell Froom, featuring the hits “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “Something So Strong.” Ben, Amanda, and Rich talk about this collection of punchy, melodic, and thought-provoking anthems that broke a band of New Zealanders and Australians big in America.