This episode we celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest ever made-- A Night At The Opera by Queen. I'm joined by author Gillian Gaar, whose new book, Queen and A Night at the Opera 50 Years, offers a fascinating look at the making
Saxon came out of England in the 1970's and quickly established themselves as one of the leading lights of the "New Wave Of British Heavy Metal" (NWOBHM). Their 2nd album, Wheels Of Steel, is considered one of the classic Metal albums. On this
On this episode, we fix our gaze on guitarist Robin Trower. Though he's not a household name today, he continues to be held in high regard by guitar aficionados. His time with Procol Harum and the formation of his own power trio laid the founda
Music has a unique way of capturing the essence of a time period, and 1975 was no exception. This year stands out in music history as a treasure trove of classic albums that have withstood the test of time, continuing to inspire and resonate wi
What happens when two R&B veterans team up with a psychedelic band for a one-off single? It's either one of the weirdest songs of the '60's or a forgotten classic, depending on your take on these things. For me, I'm firmly in the "lost treasure
Iggy Pop made his (first) comeback with the Raw Power album, released in 1973. The album opens with the ferocious track “Search And Destroy”. Produced by David Bowie and powered by the savage energy of the reconstituted Stooges (featuring James
This episode, we travel back to Chicago, 1965 and dive into Fontella Bass's iconic hit, "Rescue Me." Let's explore this timeless track, recorded at the legendary Chess Studios, and discover the musical elements, the stellar lineup of musicians,
Pink Floyd has been a cornerstone of rock music history, producing some of the most iconic albums ever recorded. One song that stands out in their catalog is "Have a Cigar" from the album Wish You Were Here, a track that offers a scathing criti
Welcome to our annual Bonus Holiday Episode, where I dig through my collection of Christmas & Holiday songs and pull out one of my favorites to play for you. No deep dive here, just a nice little holiday ditty to add to your playlist if you're
For one hot moment, Broken Homes were the buzzed-about new band in LA, and big success was ahead. It never materialized. The band cut 3 albums for MCA, but they went nowhere. On this episode, we dig into a track from their first album, one of m
In this epic episode, we embark on a sonic exploration of The Who's towering anthem "Won't Get Fooled Again." We explore the song that encapsulates the very essence of rock music-- its intensity, grandeur, and unyielding spirit. We dive deep in
No genre had greater impact of the development of Rock & Roll than the Blues. And no instrument has contributed more to Rock than the electric guitar. In this episode, I’m joined by author Pete Prown to talk about the blues guitarists who infl
One of our greatest singer/songwriters, Matthew Sweet, suffered a stroke recently. He's facing some tough times ahead, but this isn't the first challenge he's faced. Things were not going Matthew Sweet’s way in 1990; his first two albums floppe
It's time for our occasional, somewhat-annual Halloween Spooktacular episode, where we pick a song appropriate to the season and see what terror awaits us. And what better way to get into the Halloween spirit than an examination (autopsy?) of t
Aerosmith were at their commercial & creative peak in 1976 when they released Rocks, a high-water mark in their career. The album opens with “Back In The Saddle”, one of their hardest-rocking songs and the perfect way to kick off their heaviest
On this episode, we take a journey through the rich history of Stax Records, the iconic label that defined Southern Soul music, and I play some of my favorite Stax tracks from their earliest years, 1959 to 1963.Stax produced some of the most u
One song can’t really define a whole genre, but “September Gurls” by Big Star comes pretty damn close – it IS the sound of Power Pop. Jangly guitars, plaintive vocal, angelic harmonies, all neatly wrapped up in under 3 minutes. It became a temp
Titanic Love Affair never got a big break and flew under the radar with a couple of albums before calling it quits. On this episode, we explore a song by this underappreciated band—a supremely catchy number called “Happy” that shoulda been a co
60 years ago—July 1964 in the UK, August 1964 in the US—The Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night was unleashed, driving Beatlemania to even greater heights. Accompanying the film was the album of the same name, and its classic title cut. One of The
Small Faces are one of the all-time great British bands from the 1960's but they never got the attention, success or respect they deserved. (Some of that was due to self-inflicted damage, but still...) Their biggest hit was "Itchycoo Park", 2:4
William "Smokey" Robinson was the man behind many of Motown's greatest hits-- not just the tracks he recorded himself with The Miracles, he also wrote many hits for other Motown acts. But perhaps his greatest achievement was "Tracks Of My Tears
Singer/Songwriter Al Stewart came out of the London Folk scene, but by the mid-70's struck it big with MOR/AM Radio hit, "Year Of The Cat". But there's more to this Mr. Stewart than just this one hit. On this episode, I'm joined by fellow podca
The Cars debut album was a commercial and critical success. The pressure was on for a follow-up, and the band delivered big time with their 2nd album, Candy-O. The album was packed with more Cars classics, including the subject of this episode,
A while back, we did an episode celebrating the Nuggets album, that quintessential collection of 1960’s psychedelic garage rock. But psychedelia was an international phenomenon, and on this episode, we’re travelling across the pond to feature t
Few bands left a legacy as deep and as lasting as The Ramones. You literally couldn’t count the number of bands who were influenced by these 4 New York ne’er-do-wells. They created a sound and a look that virtually created a whole genre of musi