It’s time to talk about the new five-LP, four-CD deluxe box set dedicated to the Beatles’ 1965 masterwork Rubber Soul, so we enlisted Phil Angotti, a Chicago musician who not only performs Beatles songs but whose own songs are inspired by such smart, tuneful music. Angotti and I dig into the new Giles Martin/Sam Okell mix, the all-analog masters of the mono mix and the original U.S. stereo version, and the two-record collection of sessions, demos and studio chatter. Is the new mix the definitive one or unwelcome revisionism? Which is superior, the UK or U.S. sequence? Which Rubber Soul track is Angotti’s favorite Beatles song of all? What do we think of the previously undiscovered Lennon demo “Little Girl”? Angotti also discusses his own impressive discography, including 2023’s Once Around Again; his work with Material Issue and whether that band will ever record new material; his vintage guitar collection and love of Rickenbackers; and what’s next.

In Part 2 of our conversation with John Murphy, the Shoes singer-songwriter-bassist tells what happened after MTV started playing this Zion, Ill., power-pop band’s videos amid Elektra’s disappointment that they hadn’t turned into the next Cars or Queen. What was life like while the band was self-producing and releasing such acclaimed albums as Stolen Wishes, Propeller and Ignition? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the band’s three singer-songwriters—John and Jeff Murphy and Gary Klebe—each being guaranteed four or five songs per album? What were John’s and Jeff’s reactions to Gary Klebe’s solo album Out Loud, which was released earlier this year? Did they know Gary was making a solo album? Did they think some of those songs should have been on a Shoes album instead? Is the band on the same page now? Will there be another Shoes album? The next Shoes drop here…

Shoes, the now-legendary power-pop band from Zion, Ill., is the most democratic of groups, with each album presenting equal servings of smart, hooky, well-sung songs from brothers John and Jeff Murphy and their childhood friend Gary Klebe. In Part 1 of a two-parter, John Murphy revisits the band’s formation—when none of them played an instrument and he had to learn bass—and tells how Shoes recorded three DIY albums before its first official release, 1977’s Black Vinyl Shoes. For that one John designed the original (and soon replaced) cover art and wrote the first Shoes song to gain wide attention, “Boys Don’t Lie.” Then came the band’s signing with Elektra, which hoped Shoes would follow in the footsteps of its breakthrough artists Queen and the Cars, though confusion over the first singles, “Too Late” and “Tomorrow Night,” didn’t help. How did that all shake out? Also covered: the John song featured prominently in Mannequin Two: On the Move.

Palmyra Delran was a veteran East Coast pop-punk rocker when Stevie Van Zandt (a previous Caropop guest) offered her a hosting gig on his Little Steven’s Underground Garage Sirius XM channel. His instinct was dead on, as she turned out to be a natural, super-lively storyteller and record-spinner, especially when she’s dusting off her Trash Pop Treasures. She traces her love of 45s back to her aunt’s corner-store jukebox in New Jersey. She also developed a passion for drumming—and later would excel as a guitarist and singer as well. She recalls her stints in the bands Pink Slip Daddy and the Friggs and her solo work with the Doppel Gang, including their new cover of Joey Ramone’s “Spirit in My House.” She also discusses forming the Coolies with the late Kim Shattuck and tells how she puts together her Underground Garage shows. Is she playing her own records? Does Van Zandt have to approve her playlists? How did Nancy Sinatra come to record the “Trash Pop Treasures” intro?

How did David Byrne go from being a twitchy art-rock frontman to one of our most beloved artists? At age 74, he’s got a new book, Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up, plus associated live events; an ongoing immersive experience with Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, Theater of the Mind; the new Sirius XM pop-up channel Talking Heads Radio; an upcoming Talking Heads Fear of Music deluxe package; and a recently completed, dazzling live tour spotlighting his latest album, Who Is the Sky? Byrne discusses all this and more, including whether music needs movement; what he’s learned from Theater of the Mind; how Jonathan Demme and Spike Lee treated point-of-view while directing Stop Making Sense and American Utopia, respectively; what everyday people don’t understand about band dynamics; how involved he is in the Talking Heads-related projects; whether he would enjoy playing music with his ex-bandmates in an empty room; and which song of his is the biggest Sleeping Beauty of them all.

Smithereens guitarist Jim Babjak shared a love of the British Invasion and Beach Boys with classmate and drummer (and previous Caropop guest) Dennis Diken when they teamed up with bassist Mike Mesaros and signed on singer-songwriter-guitarist Pat DiNizio. Babjak describes this New Jersey power-pop group’s rise, fall and current resurgence as a live band featuring a rotating roster of lead singers substituting for the late DiNizio, including previous Caropop guests Marshall Crenshaw, John Cowsill and Wesley Stace. Who wrote the indelible riffs for songs such as “Only a Memory” and “A Girl Like You”? How did Babjak gain confidence in his own songwriting? He explores the thorny issue of publishing royalties and explains why he took a job with a bank for 20 years. He also describes DiNizio’s last years and what prompted the band to resume playing after he was gone. How did 2026 become the Smithereens’ busiest year since 1994? What’s happening with that prospective new Smithereens album?

Song-ranking articles can be annoying clickbait, but those written by longtime journalist Bill Wyman are endlessly provocative, entertaining and informative, with individual entries becoming deep-diving, mind-opening essays. For Vulture, Wyman ranked every song by the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, the Clash and Pink Floyd, as well as every Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Now Wyman has added Nirvana and the Eagles songs to the mix and compiled it all in Bill Wyman’s Rock & Roll Lists. Here we bat around his ridiculous choice for the Beatles’ worst song; dissect how publishing royalties muddied the Pink Floyd waters; discuss why he ranked songs by the Eagles rather than, say, R.E.M., U2 or Prince; and weigh the Hall of Fame worthiness of Pat Benatar and Stevie Nicks vs. Aimee Mann and PJ Harvey. Wyman also reflects on Poptimism and Chicago’s early ‘90s glory days featuring sometimes-feuding Steve Albini, Urge Overkill and Liz Phair.

After making widely loved music as a solo artist and, beforehand, with 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant is focusing on children with her latest project, Cabinet of Wonder. Spurred by her work with Head Start preschoolers in upstate New York, Merchant set Mother Goose verses to music and collaborated with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Children’s Theatre to bring the recordings and videos to life. In this wide-ranging conversation, Merchant speaks of the allure and legend of Mother Goose; describes why working with children is bringing her more joy than pursuing another solo project; and reflects on joining 10,000 Maniacs at age 17, co-writing with band members, working with various producers and feeling compelled to leave after 1992’s hit-filled Our Time in Eden. Did she have any inkling that her first solo album, Tigerlily (1997), would propel her to new artistic and commercial heights? (Photo by Joe Mazza)