Classic Rocktails

Before Bush became one of the biggest rock bands of the ’90s, they were four guys from London trying to break through in a world dominated by American grunge. Then came Sixteen Stone , a 1994 debut packed with monster hits like “Everything Zen,” “Comedown,” “Glycerine,” and “Machinehead” that would sell millions of copies and turn Gavin Rossdale into an unlikely rock superstar. But was Bush a legi...

One of the greatest female voices in rock. One explosive album. But does it still hold up? In 2012, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals unleashed The Lion The Beast The Beat , a powerhouse blend of classic rock, blues, soul, and arena-sized anthems that sounded both refreshingly modern and gloriously old-school. With Grace Potter's electrifying vocals, scorching guitars, and the kind of raw energy t...

Big hair. Bigger riffs. And one of the most explosive debut albums of the 1980s. In 1989, Skid Row stormed onto the rock scene with a self-titled debut album that helped define the final glory days of hair metal. Fronted by the larger-than-life Sebastian Bach , the band delivered an irresistible combination of raw attitude, arena-rock anthems, and surprisingly powerful songwriting. With unforgetta...

Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience : the tragedy behind the sunny songs What happens when a band makes one of the best alternative-rock albums of the ’90s—and fires the guy who wrote its biggest hits? This week on Classic Rocktails , Doc and Mac revisit Gin Blossoms’ 1992 breakthrough, New Miserable Experience . Packed with irresistible hooks, jangly guitars, and heartbreak disguised as happy...

Before there was a Joan Jett anthem or a Madonna revolution, Pat Benatar was kicking down the doors of a rock world dominated by men—and she wasn't asking permission. This week on Classic Rocktails , Doc and Mac revisit Crimes of Passion , the 1980 blockbuster that gave us “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “Treat Me Right,” and the haunting “Hell Is for Children.” Was Benatar the most important female...

⚡ AC/DC: BACK IN BLACK ⚡ One of the biggest, loudest, most indestructible rock albums ever made. This week on Classic Rocktails , Doc and Mac dive into AC/DC’s 1980 masterpiece Back in Black — the impossible task of replacing Bon Scott, Brian Johnson’s arrival, Mutt Lange’s massive production, and the riffs that turned tragedy into one of the best-selling albums in history. We break down the hig...

Survivor had the songs, the singers, the hooks—and somehow still managed to make their own road to rock history harder than it needed to be. This week, Doc and Mac dive into the strange, hit-filled story of Survivor: from the monster success of “Eye of the Tiger” to the arrival of Jimi Jamison and the polished perfection of Vital Signs . We get into Dave Bickler vs. Jamison, Jim Peterik’s songwrit...

Bob Seger walked into 1978 and casually dropped: 🔥 “Hollywood Nights” 🥃 “Still the Same” 🎹 “We’ve Got Tonite” 🍺 “Old Time Rock and Roll” That’s not an album side. That’s a barroom murderers’ row. We’re cracking open Stranger in Town on Classic Rocktails. Does it still hold up? #classicrocktails #vinyl

Rush’s Moving Pictures is one of those albums where technical brilliance and huge rock songs somehow coexist perfectly. Doc and Mac dig into “Tom Sawyer,” “Red Barchetta,” “YYZ,” “Limelight” and the rest of a record that helped bring prog rock into the mainstream without sanding off its weird edges. They debate whether this is peak Rush, where the album still holds up—and pair it with the Limeligh...

Night Ranger’s Midnight Madness is pure 1983: huge guitars, huge hooks, MTV, arcade games, and one power ballad that became impossible to escape. This week, Doc and Mac go track-by-track through the album that gave us “(You Can Still) Rock in America,” “When You Close Your Eyes,” and, of course, “Sister Christian.” Does Midnight Madness still hold up as one of the great melodic rock albums of the...

🚪 In 1967, The Doors didn’t knock. They kicked the damn thing in. “The End.” “Break On Through.” “Light My Fire.” One debut album—and rock suddenly got darker, stranger, sexier and more dangerous. Does The Doors still hold up nearly 60 years later? 🍸 We’re opening the door. You decide. #ClassicRock #Vinyl

🚨 EMERGENCY PODCAST! 🚨 We weren’t planning another episode this week—but then Train dropped Mad Dog in the Fog , and we had no choice. Is this really the band’s best album ever and a full-throttle return to their rock roots? Doc and Mac crack it open, argue it out, and explain why this one demanded an emergency edition of Classic Rocktails . 🎸 Six killer rock songs. A rejuvenated Train. And one...

Was Eddie Money underrated… or exactly as big as he deserved to be? We put Can’t Hold Back on trial, revisit the hits, dig into the deep cuts, and probably start a bar fight along the way. 🍺🔥 #EddieMoney #TakeMeHomeTonight #80sMusic #RockPodcast #ClassicRocktails

🏆 WELCOME TO THE CLASSIC ROCKTAILS FIRST 100 GREATEST HITS After 100 episodes, we’re looking back at the albums we loved, the takes we regret, the arguments we’re STILL not backing down from—and the moments that defined the show. 🎧 Episode 100: The Greatest Hits NOTE: Doc titled this episode even though he knows Mac loathes greatest hits albums.   #ClassicRock #ClassicRocktails #RockAndRoll #Pod...

Train’s Drops of Jupiter might be remembered as a big, glossy early-2000s rock record—but underneath the strings, hooks, and radio polish, is it actually rock… or a rom-com soundtrack waiting to happen? This week on Classic Rocktails, Doc and Mac revisit Train’s breakthrough album, from the massive title track and “She’s on Fire” to the songs that sound suspiciously perfect for a movie montage inv...

Hot take: Atlanta Rhythm Section deserves way more respect in the Southern rock conversation. A Rock and Roll Alternative has the songs, the groove, and the musicianship. Change our minds. 🎸🔥 #AtlantaRhythmSection #SouthernRock #ClassicRock #yachtrock

Saturday Night Fever: Disco, Delusion & Travolta’s White Suit Grab your gold chains, button that shirt down to your navel, and try not to fall off the light-up dance floor. This week, Classic Rocktails goes completely bonkers over Saturday Night Fever—the 1977 cultural phenomenon that gave the world John Travolta’s strut, the Bee Gees’ falsettos, questionable Brooklyn accents, spectacularly ba...

Audioslave’s debut answered the question nobody asked: What happens when Soundgarden and Rage have a baby—and that baby refuses to use its indoor voice? This week on Classic Rocktails, we go deep on this fascinating metal debut. #metal #classicrock  

INXS' Kick had the hooks, the swagger, the videos, and Michael Hutchence at full supernova.   This week, we ask: is this the slickest rock album of 1987?   #80sMusic #RockPodcast #AlbumReview #ClassicRock

⚔️ Emergency Episode: Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey This week, Doc and Mac break from their usual classic rock format for a special emergency episode to tackle one of the year's biggest movie events: Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. We discuss whether the legendary director's ambitious adaptation of Homer's epic lives up to the hype, the standout performances from its all-star cast, the breathta...

Did The Cars avoid the sophomore slump better than anyone? This week on Classic Rocktails, we take Candy-O for a spin — the sleek, strange, hook-packed follow-up that proved The Cars weren’t just new-wave hitmakers. From “Let’s Go” to “It’s All I Can Do” to “Dangerous Type,” The Cars doubled-down on chrome-plated cool, icy attitude, and massive pop instincts. Was Candy-O a step down from the debut...

Was Lou Gramm’s "Ready or Not" the Great Lost Foreigner Album?   Come on back to 1987! This week the boys dig-into this forgotten album. Should Gramm have gone solo-- or should this have been 1/2 of an amazing Foreigner album?   LINK in comments #classicrock #80s

Before he became John Mellencamp, he was John Cougar — and American Fool was the album that made him unavoidable. Powered by “Hurts So Good” and “Jack & Diane,” this 1982 breakout sold the image of blue jeans, bar fights, teenage dreams, and Midwestern attitude to an entire MTV generation. But does American Fool still hit like a jukebox classic, or is it more two great singles wrapped around a...

From cynic to Parrothead: one hour, one legend, one cold drink. Can one episode turn a skeptic into a full-blown Parrothead? This week on Classic Rocktails, Doc takes Mac on a sun-soaked, tequila-laced, flip-flop-friendly journey through the world of Jimmy Buffett — the songs, the stories, the island mythology, and the surprisingly deep songwriting behind the beach-bar legend. Is Buffett just back...

Hi-Infidelity, where lead singer Kevin Cronin's romantic failure got plugged into a Marshall stack! This album includes the creative collision between Kevin Cronin and Gary Richrath that made REO Speedwagon famous and helped destroy its classic chemistry. But after all these years, does the album still hold up? *CLEAN* episode, because family vacations and Mac’s endless parade of F-bombs don’t alw...