Tim's Listening Party Bauer Media

This episode, Tim is joined by one of the most influential music acts of all time, Sparks. Ron & Russell Mael's imprint on the musical world can be seen across decades and genres, thanks to their extensive, enigmatic, witty and impossible to define back catalogue.

For over 50 years they have broken the boundaries of musical categories and creativity, and that is no different with their latest release, The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte. It was released on 26th May 2023 on Island Records.

Rock legends Joe Elliott & Phil Collen from Def Leppard join Tim Burgess for a listening party to talk about their brand new album Drastic Symphonies recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. They go through this record of reimagined classics with the help of orchestral arranger Eric Gorfain, speaking about how they managed to take some of classic rock’s greatest songs and give them a new classical edge.

Drastic Symphonies was released on 19th May 2023 on the label Universal Music Recordings.

This episode, Tim is joined by Sharleen Spiteri, the guitarist, singer and songwriter in the band, Texas. Since their debut album in 1989, they’ve sold over 40 million records worldwide with 13 top 10 singles and 8 top ten albums in the UK.

Sharleen talks about their fourth album, 1997’s White on Blonde which topped the UK chart and has been certified 6 times platinum. It was released on Mercury in February 1997.

Joining Tim this episode is Susanna Hoffs, guitarist and singer in one of the most iconic bands of the 1980s. A pioneering all-female band, the Bangles provided some of the most recognisable hits of their era and represented a glorious sweetspot between rock and pop. Be sure to check out Susanna’s new book, This Bird Has Flown.

Susanna talks about the Bangles' second album, Different Light. It was released on 2nd January 1986 on Columbia.

This episode, Tim is joined by Skin, one of rock’s most powerful singers, someone who broke ground as a black woman fronting the hard rock band Skunk Anansie, in the 1990s. A crucial role model in her field, she was recently made an OBE for services to music in a career spanning 30 years that’s highlights include playing for Nelson Mandela, sharing a stage with David Bowie and headlining Glastonbury.

Skin talks about Skunk Anansie’s debut album, Paranoid and Sunburnt, which was released in September 1995. It came out on the label formerly known as One Little Indian & Epic.

Tim is joined this episode by one of the most recognisable faces and names in music, the Edge. A member of one of the biggest bands of all time, U2, for nearly 50 years, he has formed one of the most successful writing partnerships of all time, alongside Bono, and is himself one of the great guitarists. As a band they have garnered more Grammys than any other band and continue to sell out stadiums and achieve #1 albums.

Tim sits down with the Edge to talk about U2's new album, Songs of Surrender, which contains 40 reworked classics. It came out on the labels Island & Interscope on 17th March.