LISTEN: Ben Vaughn Shares His World

Stream the new album ahead of its release this Friday!

May 17, 2022 Ron Hart 0 Comments 2022, Alan Vega, Alex Chilton, Ben Vaughn, Cubist Blues, Relay Shack Records, The World of Ben Vaughn

Ben Vaughn 2022 (Image: Courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media)

If you’ve been traveling towards the crossroads where Country Music and College Rock intersected in the mid-80s, Ben Vaughn is a familiar name (serious rock heads will recognize his name from the Cubist Blues album with Alex Chilton and Alan Vega as well).

And his excellent new album, The World of Ben Vaughn, finds the renowned songwriter / composer / podcaster returning to his roots with a collection of songs that strongly recall his early days on the nascent alt-country circuit before becoming more famous for composing the music for the NBC hit sitcom Third Rock From The Sun. Energized by the invitation to participate in Record Store Day 2022, Ben recorded the album with a vision of a 12-inch LP spinning in his head.

“I could picture the packaging, the label art, the colored vinyl, the whole bit. It was an organic process with no hang ups. I even heard the Side One and Side Two break as I was creating. Amazing how inspiring a manufacturing format could be!”

Ben Vaughn The World of Ben Vaughn, Relay Shack Records 2022

The World of Ben Vaughn was recorded in two California locations: the Relay Shack in the Mojave Desert–well-known to fans of his syndicated radio show, The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn–and the Penthouse in Santa Monica.

The album also finds Vaughn going the McCartney I/II/III route and playing all the instruments himself.

“When I was a teenager, I was blown away by the first Emitt Rhodes and McCartney albums and my earliest recordings were one-man band experiments,” he explains. “I started out as a drummer, so it felt natural to build a track from the ground up. It wasn’t easy in the days of reel-to-reel tape but I persevered. I eventually went on to record in a more conventional manner with backing musicians but returned to this method from time to time, depending on the material. This songbook felt right for that approach.”

The Rock & Roll Globe is honored to present fans with this sneak peek of the full album four days ahead of its initial release this Friday on . For more info on The World of Ben Vaughn, visit him on his website.