What ‘All Songs Considered’ Sounded Like 20 Years Ago

Plus, hear a previously unreleased version of "The Man Who Sold the World."

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna NPR “A music show for your computer.” That’s how Bob Boilen first described All Songs Considered, which turned 20 years old this week. At the time, Bob was working as the director of NPR’s All Things Considered and part of his job included choosing music to play between segments (then called "buttons"). As you may have noticed, Bob’s an avid fan with wide-ranging tastes, so he chose some pretty interesting music — and listeners noticed, often writing him letters to ask for more details about the songs. “It just seemed to me that our audience was starved for new and exciting music," Bob says,  "and so began our journey." Of course, his idea for an online-only radio program meant something different in the days before iPods and YouTube. This week on the podcast, Bob and Robin talk about the early days of All Songs Considered, back in the age of dial-up internet.  (Do you remember the days of the multimedia slideshow All Songs? We want to hear from you! Use the email button at the end of this email.) "From NPR, you’re connected to All Songs Considered," Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music David Bowie would have turned 73 this week. To celebrate, Parlophone will be rolling out an EP of unreleased recordings over the next six weeks, beginning with a version of “The Man Who Sold the World,” recorded just ahead of Bowie's 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden in 1997. New year, new music, same New Music Friday round-up from All Songs Considered! On this week’s sprint through the week’s most anticipated new releases, Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson discuss the strange pop sounds of Poppy, a new concept album from the English band Field Music, and a mysterious album of instrumentals from Craven Faults. Who are the first names that come to mind when you think about dance music? On his latest album, BUBBA, Haitian-born Canadian producer Kaytranada pays his respects to the black American DJs of the ‘70s and ‘80s who paved the way.  Featuring For the past few years, we’ve asked our friends from public radio stations across the country to gaze into the crystal ball and predict the artists poised for a breakout year. This year’s Slingshot Artists to Watch include a budding blues star, a newly appointed Steinway Artist pianist and a farmhand-turned-producer. China may not be churning out global hits, but the country's tech conglomerates are behind the scenes helping make those hits possible. Case in point: Tencent is seeking a 10% stake in Universal Music, the world’s dominant record label group. As instruments go, the pedal steel guitar is an odd one. It sounds like nothing else; it’s expensive; it’s incredibly difficult to learn; playing it requires both hands, both feet and, occasionally, both knees. And yet, in the SoundCloud age, it’s experiencing a renaissance. Tiny Desk Catie Dull/NPR Tiny Desk, big instrument: This week, we shared a performance from the ferociously talented harpist Bridget Kibbey,  who played pieces by Bach and an Argentine tango. She has become a go-to musician for contemporary composers, and watching this Tiny Desk, it’s easy to see why. The music is intricate and beautiful, and Kibbey’s intensity is hard to look away from. Incoming Next week, we’re sharing a Tiny Desk from a British artist who was recently nominated for the best new artist award at this year’s Grammys. Any guesses?  One More Thing Was one of your New Year’s resolutions “learn to love jazz”? We’ve got you. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy