The Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll

Starting with the vision of Burt Sugarman, the Imbalanced Boys discuss the first late, late night TV show, which also happened to be groundbreaking in its presentation of live music! Thanks to the show's uncredited documentarians, we get the word on how it got started from Burt himself. We'll dig into the music, the artists, and of course, the great Wolfman Jack! What might be hard to get your hea...

Author Ericka Blount Danois joins the boys for an overall look into Soul Train, known by its on-air slogan as "the hippest trip in America!" We discuss Ericka's book, Love, Peace and Soul: Behind the Scenes of America's Favorite Dance Show Soul Train: Classic Moments, and other subjects about this classic TV show! We discuss the role of host Don Cornelius (as well as the other hosts) in shaping So...

Sure they start out all sweetness and light, but then the Imbalanced Boys drift off into other aspects and points-of-view in the matter of love in song! Once on track Markus and Ray also discuss their 5 Favorite love song duets, AND songs for Valentine's Day! Digging back to discover sources of love songs is no easier to navigate than love itself. There's also a real Valentine moment during the se...

There are so many stories inside The Story Of Fleetwood Mac! The Imbalanced Brothers tell the tale of how they broke out of The Bluesbreakers to find their own way, taking a long, winding path to become the band that dominated in every way! Learn about Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Bob Welch and the whole cast of characters! Dig into the turn in the road that brings in Lindsey and Stevie, and every...

Berry may have given Smokey his start in the business, but since they met they've been best friends, their lives and fates interwoven through the decades. From the early days of the Motown Era, Hitsville's prime in Detroit, the artists, the music, the writers, working together...what a life!!! The changes inside the music, and the move to L.A. are all discussed. Through everything life can throw a...

Denny Laine has been at this Rock n' Roll thing for almost 60 years, and the Imbalanced Brothers were giddy at the chance to talk to the RRHOFer, founding member of The Moody Blues, and Sir Paul's partner in Wings! But there's more to the man and his story, and some laughs to share! Denny talks of his early influences: Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Elvis, and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall...

As often happens when the Imbalanced Brothers dig into a topic, they experienced wonder and discovery, only one of which is an ELO album title! Sure, they're both huge fans, sure they listened to Electric Light Orchestra a lot, but there's always a story inside the story that surprises, or even amazes. In this case, the reminder of just how great their music was, is part of the experience. The sou...

Time to get "Back To The Shoals," as in Muscle Shoals, one of the most fertile musical regions of the U.S., especially in the '60s and '70s, but even through the decades since. So many great sessions becoming an amazing list of incredible records for one studio! In this episode, Markus says that maybe the boys should do a series of episodes about this amazing musical place where the feels come fro...

Such a fun way to kick off 2023! This outing isn't meant to settle all of those lunch room fights over this topic in the actual 1970s, it's just Markus and Ray sharing their faves from a very influential time in both of their musical lives. It's the podcast that acts like a game show whenever they do an episode of Five Favorites! Feel free to post yours on our social media, or email them to us at:...

So many amazing bands were finding their start and inspiration in the mid to late 1960s! From the premise put forth early in this episode of the members as an architectural firm, having met in school, through their formation and the hazy era of early psychedelia, The Imbalanced Brothers tell the tale of the formation and foundation of Pink Floyd! Ride along through all of the name changes, musical...

This is a deep look at the creative forces that have left the world in the past year. We've included figures from all sorts of creative pursuits! Whether aged and iconic, after long illness or suddenly shocking, we feel the loss of those with whom we've shared something. In this case...it's music, something so integral to our lives.  2022 not only continued a dreary trend that we noticed a few yea...

So much has changed since David Uosikkinen & Kenny Aaronson were guests on the podcast, separately back in 2019!  Their musical friendship has grown, even during the pandemic. We talk about each of their own activities (The Hooters for David, and The Yardbirds for Kenny), and, no spoilers, but Ken uncorks a fun surprise, amidst his stories. We get an update on In The Pocket, Dave's Philly-centric...

John meant the world, to most people, and definitely to all of us. His music, his message, and his fun way of spreading it, attracted so many to him. One wicked soul saw things differently than most. He took John's life on 12/8/80... Forgiveness is a virtue, but forgive us for being less than virtuous in our disdain for this man, may he rot for eternity when his life ends. For us, the living, we h...

Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott, and his friend, and cohort, Gary Moore worked together from their youth, on and off. They recorded in a band called Skid Row, and would associate through the decades, until Phil's death in 1986 at age 36. That included stints in Thin Lizzy, the band Phil led, which we explore this week. Their songs had their own legend, and broke them worldwide, but it was the live shows...

Author Brian Sallerson leads Ray and Markus through the path he took to writing his first book, Island Music: The History Of AIR Studios Montserrat, an essential history of an important recording environment in paradise! A unique jewel in its time, AIR Montserrat, built and run by Sir George Martin, as part of the era of destination studios, has fascinated many, including Markus and Ray. How and w...

Markus and Ray stagedive into this episode all about The Ramones!!! (Finally...)  From the way they formed, the way they "took their Ramones names" (and our boys assume theirs), how the band evolved, and what they did to forge American Punk Rock: the guys cover it all, and then some! Approaching this amazing band from different ages at the same time lends to some great perspective on Joey and the...

During the early part of the pandemic, the Imbalanced Boys Zoom'd with Steve Hackett in lockdown. That episode turned out to be a classic!!! His Under A Mediterranean Sky album was the soundscape of that first interview.  Catching up recently with Hackett backstage before a stop on his recent UK tour, he informs about what's been going on with him and his band, including the "Seconds Out" tour. He...

When the guys reviewed this episode from last year at Halloween, their immediate thought was, "Let's do this again with different bands," but reality hit all of us: YA CAN'T IMPROVE ON THIS FUN, SCARY EPISODE!  So here we go again: It's The Cramps vs. Type O Negative (again) on the Imbalanced History's Holloweenie Roast, Part Deus Redux! Make sure you set aside the candy corn from the rest, and ju...

Gregor Gall is well-known and respected for his written work, his views on geopolitics, and he happens to be a huge fan of The Clash. He separated his fandom from this look into the effects of Strummer's politics, and informs us of some of Joe's late-in-life changed points of view.  The underlying theme is the music, which was Joe's (and the band's) way of speaking out. Inside his left-leaning vie...

From the Tennessee River mud that flows through The Shoals, to the studios, to the records, and the world, helped to forge that Muscle Shoals Sound, created by The Swampers. They were rural Alabama's answer to The Wrecking Crew and became bigger than most big city studio players, achieving so much, without leaving home. Well, there were a few trips to record in places like New York, and opening fo...

Artists making music without rules or limits set the tone for the advent of the Progressive Rock era! Genesis didn't set the world on fire at the start (not unlike other progressive pioneers), but their influence grew and changed through their early phase, even after Peter's solo departure. Like some of their contemporaries, the lineup that made the band's mark isn't the one they start out with. ...

Having emerged from her own painful pandemic experience, which she talked to the Imbalanced Boys about last Fall, Annie Haslam checks in on all of that, on turning a certain number, and also shares future plans as Renaissance moves forward!!! Great stories with a great friend this week! Check in with Annie on her web site, about Renaissance on tour, her art, and fan funding for the band's next pro...

Markus and Ray always learn stuff doing this podcast. Moving forward on their study of Heavy Metal, through the ages, they focus on the impact of the Metal underground in the 70s at the turn of the decade into the 1980s! As Metal emerged there were ton of bands, leading to a discussion of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. This era is the bridge from the early bands, laying the foundation to the...

Getting the chance to talk to one of the world's best drummers is always exciting. When Markus and Ray got confirmation of the session, both wished that they'd worn their brown pants. Brown bitches secured, they sat down with Nick Mason, of Pink Floyd, to discuss his upcoming tour with his Saucerful Of Secrets band, and as much as they could, in a short Zoom window! Sign up for the VIP treatment a...

Two guys in different phases of life, half a continent apart, experiencing music in a parallel manner is just one of the oddities inside this episode of the podcast. Musically, it's a wild all-over-the-road van ride with friends to a festival! The mission to recall their first ten concerts was challenge enough for the Imbalanced Ones, but aligning them in an episode of 5 Faves? Well, the results a...