What the Riff Next Gen

Rob riffs on the fourth studio album by Collective Soul “Dosage” from March 1999 (Tremble for My Beloved / Heavy / Slow / Run).   STAFF PICKS: “You Get What You Give” by New Radicals — Lynch “Praise You” by Fatboy Slim— Bruce Why I'm Here” by Oleander — Wayne   ENTERTAINMENT TRACK: “Main Title/Trinity Infinity” (from the motion picture "The Matrix").  **(NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rig...

Bruce riffs on the second solo studio album by Mark Knopfler “Sailing to Philadelphia” from October 2000 (What It Is / Silvertown Blues / Do America / Sailing to Philadelphia). STAFF PICKS: "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” by Nine Days — Lynch. “Hangin Around” by Counting Crows — Rob. "Beautiful Day” by U2 — Wayne. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK: “Frolic” by Luciano Michelini (from the TV Series "Curb Your Enth...

Lynch riffs on the third studio album by the Gin Blossoms, “Congratulations I'm Sorry,” which had its first single release in  January 1996 (Follow You Down / As Long As It Matters / Day Job / Til I Hear It from You). STAFF PICKS: “Breakfast At Tiffany's” by Deep Blue Something — Bruce. “Santa Monica” by Everclear — Wayne. "Miss Sarajevo” by Passengers (aka U2) — Rob. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:  "Beach S...

Wayne riffs on the fourth studio album by Bowling for Soup, Drunk Enough to Dance, from August 2002 (I Don't Wanna Rock / Girl All the Bad Guys Want / Running from Your Dad / Emily). STAFF PICKS: “Without Me” by Eminem — Bruce “No One Knows” by Queens of the Stone Age — Rob "Downfall” by Trust Company — Lynch   ENTERTAINMENT TRACK: "Feuer Frei!" by Rammstein (from the motion picture "XXX").   **(N...

Rob riffs on the 11th studio album from Van Halen “Van Halen III” from March of 1998 (Without You / Fire in the Hole / One I Want / From Afar). STAFF PICKS: “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba — Wayne. "The Way” by Fastball — Lynch. “Brick” by Ben Folds Five — Bruce. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK: “Uninvited” by Alanis Morissette (from the motion picture "City of Angels"). 

Bruce riffs on the fourth studio album from Cake “Comfort Eagle” from July 2001 (Love You Madly / Comfort Eagle / Long Line of Cars / Short Skirt/Long Jacket). STAFF PICKS: "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” by Train — Rob. “Bodies” by Drowning Pool— Wayne. "Smooth Criminal” by Alien Ant Farm — Lynch. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK: “Acro Arena (Instrumental)” by Cake. 

Lynch riffs on the debut studio album from Matchbox 20 “Yourself or Someone Like You” on the charts in  November of 1996 (3AM / Push / Real World / Long Day). STAFF PICKS: “Big Chair” by Reacharound — Wayne.  “Rewind” by Better than Ezra — Rob.  "When You Love a Woman” by Journey— Clint Barrett.   ENTERTAINMENT TRACK: “Space Jam” by Quad City DJ's (from the motion picture "Space Jam").   **(NOTE:...

Wayne riffs on the debut studio album by Jet, Get Born, released in September 2003 (Rollover DJ /Are You Gonna Be My Girl / Get Me Outta Here / Cold Hard Bitch). STAFF PICKS: Weak and Powerless by A Perfect Circle — Lynch. In Da Club by 50 Cent — (Fan of the Show )Clint Barrett. One Big Holiday by My Morning Jacket — Rob. INSTRUMENTAL/ENTERTAINMENT/LAUGH TRACK: Main theme from the motion picture O...

Friend of the show, Greg Lyon riffs on the debut album by Disturbed, “The Sickness” from March 2000 (The Sickness / Voices / The Game / Stupify). STAFF PICKS: "Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit — Wayne. “Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down — Rob. "Everything You Want” by Vertical Horizon — Lynch. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK: “The Final Destination Suite” from the motion picture "Final Destination". **(NOTE: What the Ri...

Bruce riffs on the second studio album from Oasis (What's the Story) Morning Glory? on the charts in November 1995 (Champagne Supernova / Wonderwall / Morning Glory / Don't Look Back in Anger). STAFF PICKS: "Name” by Goo Goo Dolls — Wayne. “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette— Lynch. "See You On the Other Side” by Ozzy Osbourne — Rob. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK: “The Memory of Trees” by Enya. **(NOTE: W...

Rob riffs on the 13th studio album from R.E.M. “Around the Sun” from September of 2004 (Leaving New York / Wanderlust / Aftermath / Around the Sun). STAFF PICKS: “1985” by Bowling for Soup — Bruce. "Float On” by Modest Mouse— Lynch.  “I Go Back” by Kenny Chesney — Wayne.  COMEDY TRACK: “Goofy Goober Rock” by SpongeBob SquarePants.

Lynch riffs on the third studio album from the Smashing Pumpkins, “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” from October 1995 (1979 / Bullet with Butterfly Wings / Zero / Tonight, Tonight). STAFF PICKS: “Downtown” by Neil Young — Rob. “Lump” by The Presidents of the United States of America — Wayne. “Hard as a Rock” by AC/DC — Gregg. L/E/I TRACK: Main Theme from the motion picture "Strange Days". 

We covered the self-titled debut album from Crosby, Stills & Nash in episode 137.  Deja Vu is considered the second Crosby, Stills & Nash album, but it is actually the first album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, with Canadian songwriter Neil Young turning the trio into a quartet. While the album continues to feature the signature harmonies associated with Crosby, Stills & Nash, it...

Bruce riffs on the twelfth and final studio album from the Beatles “Let It Be,” on the charts in May 1970 (Two of Us / I Me Mine / I've Got a Feeling / Get Back). ENTERTAINMENT TRACK: Main Theme from the motion picture "Kelly's Heroes" STAFF PICKS: "Question” by The Moody Blues — Lynch. “Proper Stranger” by The Guess Who— Rob. "50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain” by Ten Years After — Wayne. “Baby Hold...

Surprisingly, America was formed in London.  The trio of Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek met in London where their fathers were stationed at the United States Air Force base at RAF South Ruislip.  The three attended London Central High School and began playing together on borrowed acoustic guitars.  The name came from the Americana jukebox in the mess hall, and a desire to distinguish t...

Before the grunge movement of the 90's, and before the punk movement of the 70's, there was the garage band phenomenon of the 60's.  One of the forerunners of both punk and grunge from this garage band period is Tacoma Washington's The Sonics.  Their classic lineup consisted of Rob Lind on harmonica, vocals, and sax, Gerry Roslie on organ, piano, and lead vocals, Larry Parypa on lead guitar and vo...

Flesh & Blood, the third studio album by Poison, finds the group at the top of their form.  The team of Bret Michaels on lead vocals, C.C. DeVille on lead guitar, Bobby Doll on bass, and Rikki Rockett on drums had been quite successful in the glam metal genre of the mid-80's, and had developed a reputation for a "work hard, play hard" mentality.  While they had a legendary stage presence, they...

One of the more underrated - some might say virtually lost - bands of the early rock era is Delaney & Bonnie.  This singer-songwriter duo is made of session guitarist/vocalist Delaney Bramlett and his wife and former Ikette Bonnie Bramlett.  Just as important as this founding couple is the number of talented musicians they brought into their recordings, with albums often being referenced as re...

When you explore the music of The Yardbirds you are really observing the evolution of what would become hard rock.  This group started in 1963 and over its time would engage the talents of three of the greatest guitarists of the rock world:  Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page.  Additional musicians in the group through 1968 were Keith Relf on vocals and harmonica, Jim McCarty on drums, Chris...

Neil Diamond is one of the best-selling singer-songwriters of all time.  In August 1972 he performed a series of 10 sold-out shows at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.  Recordings from this concert would be released as a live double-album entitled Hot August Night later that year in December.   Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn, New York, the child of a Jewish family.  At the age of 16 he was insp...

Aretha Franklin got her start at an early age in Gospel music.  As the granddaughter of Gospel great Mahalia Jackson and the daughter of a prominent Baptist preacher, Franklin was heard on her father's "gospel caravan" tours at the age of twelve.  By the time she became an adult in 1960 she had decided that she wanted to go into more pop music, and moved to New York for this purpose.  She signed a...

Many mark the start of the singer-songwriter genre to have begun when Carole King released her second studio album, the iconic Tapestry. As would be expected from a singer-songwriter, all of the songs on the album were either written or co-written by King.  Tapestry is considered one of the greatest albums of all time in the soft rock genre. Born Carol Joan Klein in Manhattan, King began piano les...

U2 released a part-live, part studio album in October 1988 called Rattle and Hum.  This album accompanied a filmed “Rockumentary” of the band which was filmed in Denver and Arizona.  Originally intended to be entitled  “U2 in the Americas,” the album and film instead take their name from lyrics in the song “Bullet the Blue Sky’ from their album “The Joshua Tree.”  Studio sessions for Rattle and Hu...

Every Picture Tells a Story is a great name for Rod Stewart's third solo studio album.  The songs consist of solid storytelling, using mixture of original  and cover tracks to paint a mosaic of life, love, and loss.  This album would mark the transition of Stewart from a solid rock vocalist to an A-list performer.  Every Picture Tells a Story hit the top of the album charts in both the US and the...