Ten Years of Sound Opinions
This year Sound Opinions reached the milestone of 500 episodes. Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot celebrate the accomplishment by reflecting on highlights from the first ten years of the show.
The First 500 Episodes of Sound Opinions
Who knows how we did it, but Sound Opinions has made it through more than 500 episodes on public radio. Since debuting in December 2005, Jim and Greg have had the pleasure of interviewing many heroes, reviewing countless records, dissecting their favorite classic albums, and welcoming live performances by great artists. They reflect on the prehistory of the show, tracing its origins to previous incarnations on commercial radio. Then they highlight some of their favorite moments from the first 500 episodes, and look ahead to what they'd like to see in the next 500.
Jim's Top Sound Opinions Moments
Greg's Top Sound Opinions Moments
00:42:10 Review: Reflections and Future Hopes
Here, Jim and Greg look back on their top album choices over the years. Overall, they still felt very confident about their picks. They also discuss some Sound Opinions "white whales," aka artists they would love to have as guests that weren't able to appear on the show in the past.
The pair also address the biggest point of contention between them, Bruce Springsteen. They listen to and relive their argument about Born to Run from episode 3.
Montage
Throughout our 500-plus episodes, Greg and Jim have put over 200 quarters in the Desert Island Jukebox. Here are some of their most memorable selections.
Live Performance
Back in 2006, Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead paid a visit to Sound Opinions. While they agreed to do an interview, they did not want to perform live on the show. However, after some coaxing from Jim and Greg, Thom Yorke performed "I Want None of This," on the piano, making it the most captivating live performance in the history of the show for Greg.
Featured Songs
- Golden Girls Transition Music
- John Cale, "Gravel Drive (Live On Sound Opinions)," blackAcetate, EMI, 2005
- Parliament, "Unfunky UFO," Mothership Connection, Casablanca, 1975
- Yoko Ono, "Walking on Thin Ice," Season of Glass, Geffen, 1981
- Weezer, "Undone - the Sweater Song (Live on Sound Opinions)," Weezer, DGC, 1994
- Weezer, "S.O.P. (Live on Sound Opinions)," Weezer, DGC, 1994
- The Proclaimers, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (Single), Chrysalis, 1988
- Brian Eno, "Two Rapid Formations," Music for Films, EG, 1978
- Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!," Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (Single), Mute Records, 2008
- Laurie Anderson, "Love Among the Sailors," Bright Red, Warner Bros., 1994
- Savages, "Shut Up (Live on Sound Opinions)," Silence Yourself, Matador, 2013
- Fleetwood Mac, "Angel," Heroes are Hard to Find LP, Warner Bros., 1974
- Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run," Born to Run, Columbia, 1975
- Bruce Springsteen, "Real Man," Human Torch, Columbia, 1992
- The Saints, "(I'm) Stranded," (I'm) Stranded, EMI, 1977
- Thom Yorke,"I Want None Of This (Live on Sound Opinions)," Help - A Day In The Life Of, Independiente, 2005
- The Carpenters, "We've Only Just Begun," We've Only Just Begun (Single), A&M, 1970
- Neko Case, "People Got a Lotta Nerve," Middle Cyclone, ANTI-, 2009
- John Cale, "Paris 1919," Paris 1919, Reprise, 1973
- Bee Gees, "Stayin' Alive," Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Soundtrack, RSO, 1977
- The Staple Singers, "I'll Take You There," Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, Stax Records, 1972
Dear Listeners,
For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!