The Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll

There's so much to tell about those early days of Metallica! This episode really is a "toe in the water" compared to all there is to cover about this amazing band, but their debut set a tone, changed a ton, and became a Metal Classic! Markus and Ray dig into the tunes, the tones, and the surrounding history at the time of the album. They also discuss Jon and Marsha Zazula, Megaforce co-founders, w...

Together, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon electrified and spread all over the world the music known as The Blues! In this episode, we return to the Profiles In The Blues series with the story of Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, both key figures in the Chicago Blues scene, tracing back to their Mississippi roots. The Imbalanced Boys gauge their impact in their own time, as well as the future of Rock &...

The Imbalanced Brothers discuss the arrival of two players in Rock history on the same day: August 25, 1951, making them Birthday Twins! Judas Priest singer Rob Halford (aka The Metal God), born in the UK, and keyboard wizard Bob Mayo (aka "Mr. Bob Mayo, Bob Mayo please,") born in New York City, each took different paths along their way to Rock & Roll! But they started on the same day, an ocean ap...

We call him, "The Rock & Roll Doctor," but his students call him The Rock Doc! Temple University's Dr. Rob Brosh comes on board to talk about his work, and his fixation with Led Zeppelin, among others! Listen to our chat, then dig into his courses: Rock Doc Music Courses (keys to the kingdom here include links to his Rock Doc courses, his related blogs, etc.) His Rock History Book (links show how...

The focus here, after a classic two-part episode about Hendrix in the Fall of 2019, is the game-changing album, "Are You Experienced?" The Experience's debut set fire to all conventions except the use of instruments and electricity to create sound!!! Jimi's brilliance is underlined by the perfect sonic bed by Noel & Mitch for the exercising of the passions exhibited in those grooves! The social co...

For their first episode of the podcast about Bob Dylan, the Imbalanced Boys spent the last year plus trying to find their way into such a massive topic in the history of music, and rock & roll. After a few false starts, it's "The Man: Bob Dylan," in your app right now! Not the most creative title, but when it boils down to it, he is THE MAN! Future looks at Bob will dig deeper into certain periods...

Mistakenly thought to be from Down South (or The Bayou) by many, this Bay Area quartet rocked the music of the swamp like they were born to it. Follow their career from their high school days, to the heights of superstar status in the year 1969, with the forces of the Fogerty brothers' sibling rivalry coming out to play. The Almost Birthday Twins stick together, overcoming all obstacles, all the w...

The only task more daunting in recent memory than this week's expedition to 1972, is LAST year's trip back to 1971, and that year's massive release of music! Some of the names are the same, but many are new, or renewed. More bands, still bound to the old school record label release schedules, make two appearances in '72. Other years would continue to make major impact, but 1971/1972 back-to-back?...

Coming out of 1967, The Rolling Stones were about to turn the corner on their career and become the band they were meant to be. Their next three albums: Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers saw their evolution hit overdrive, marked the band's departure from Decca/London Records, and sparked their long-time association with Atlantic Records via their own Rolling Stones Records label! T...

Okay, okay, it's not ALL musical anthems and John Philip Sousa marches, but there WILL be fireworks! Markus and Ray honor America, the band, in this week's episode! Air Force kids who found each other and their unique musical style, America has a centuries-spanning history that continues today, as does our democracy! The boys, with a nod to the 4th, do run down their Shotgun 5 Favorite foods for t...

Realizing fully that any exploration of Bob Marley & The Wailers is bound to be woefully incomplete, Markus and Ray undertook this musical journey with love and a keen interest to learn, and share... The story of Bob, Peter, Bunny, and Junior Braithwaite, whom the guys refer to as "the lost Wailer" is an amazing story in music history. Without digging deep into all things, the basic history is lai...

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 hrough all of the name changes, musical...

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of this landmark David Bowie album with a re-release of our classic episode about "Ziggy Stardust!" The way he got there. The players, the people, and the energy of the times!  "Ziggy" influenced so much in music and our culture during its time. It's influence is felt, and is still relevant, today!  Check out Boldfoot Socks for Father's Day, and enter the code "DAD...

Ready or not, here comes Summer. Some people are already in Summer season mode, and that suits us fine! This week, the Imbalanced Brothers give a glimpse into their Summertime Psyche! So many great songs, how many will they have in common?!? And be sure to hit us with your 5 Favorites on social media, our web site, or via email: imbalancedhistory@gmail.com Check out Boldfoot Socks for Father's Day...

"The Sound Of 1959," as Ray calls it in this episode, is bathed in The Twang! The reverberations of The Twang of old continue to bounce off rockin' walls today. This first exploration includes many familiar names, and some that were new, even to the Imbalanced Boys as they dug into this Rockabilly adventure! The players behind the marquee, those who passed too soon, and some who are still with us...

After his time with EMI (and all of those Beatles records), Sir George Martin founded AIR Studios, opening multiple locations. This week, the Imbalanced Brothers focus on AIR Montserrat, a tropical paradise with a world-class recording studio! The story is well-told in "Under The Volcano," which is airing on Showtime and Hulu! Dozens of well-known albums were made there between Climax Blues Band's...

Game Changers can be a band, an album, an event...and dozens more things, probably. We're tagging this ground-shaking debut as one of those albums that did just that. Markus and Ray discuss the band's history, their personal experiences, and the music that captured the moment and propelled it forward! Dig into the album with us, and go through it track by (bomb) track! All of OUR episodes are avai...

The Stray Cats reawakened the love of Rockabilly in so many people who were "too young" to know the music in its first iteration! Their drummer, "Slim Jim" Phantom joins The Imbalanced Brothers this week for a chat about the music, his podcast ("Rockabilly Confidential available via his web site, Apple, Spotify and wherever you get podcasts), AND his role as "your honest mechanic" on satellite via...

For those people of "a certain age," (or those who are younger, with an appreciation for the music of the 1970s) this is a fun episode, showcasing the differences in age and approach to that decade by the Imbalanced Brothers! Let's hop in the Imbalanced Time Machine and bounce back! (Sideburns optional, leave the bell bottoms behind in 2022!) Listen to this cool episode, and then get caught up her...

Punk Rock Month '22 wraps up with a new, completely gobby episode all about the one and only, Sex Pistols! The Imbalanced Brothers always mock Johnny Rotten, but it's done lovingly (sic), most of the time! He, along with Steve, Glen, Cookie, and, of course, Sid combined forces for one big noise, but the aftershocks lasted for years! Like a massive Punk tsunami, the Pistols' shadow covers a lot of...

Punk Rock Month '22 continues with a re-release of one of our best episodes of the last year, Lou & The Velvets! Follow the story of Lou Reed and how his intersection with the rest of The Velvet Underground changed Rock History! Learn how Syracuse University is part of the story of how it all happened! This classic episode was originally presented in July '21 as part of Listener Episode Month, and...

Get set to slam! For the next few weeks, there's an extra dose of sneer in here! It's Punk Rock Month #2! Before L.A. Punk became synonymous with Skaters and Hardcore, someone had to established a beach head in the land of sun, Zen and beaches! This week's new episode, as part of Punk Rock Month '22, tells the story of the band, X - how they came together, forged their own path, and set the bar, b...

Get set to slam! For the next few weeks, there's an extra dose of sneer in here! It's Punk Rock Month #2! This week we re-present a fave classic episode that's also kind of recent, CBGB: Birthplace Of Punk! The story of Hilly and the club that spawned Punk in the U.S., and created a scene, is fun, and kind of sad in places. But mainly, it's about the music, live and raw, presented in The Bowery ni...

Out of Birmingham, England, two young bands melded to form one, and became immortal as a keystone of what became known as Heavy Metal! Markus and Ray delve into their use of "The Devil's Interval," and its role in Black Sabbath becoming an innovative band as the '60s and '70s mixed, at decade's end. There are many factors in how it all happened, and had fate flipped a different switch or two, Sabb...

A while back, Ray saw this Urban Myths "tru-ish" short film, "When Bowie Met Bolan" on Showtime. He mentioned it to Markus, but (despite MG's love of both singers) he was initially lukewarm about doing an episode. Yet, here it is. Time goes by, memories gets foggy, but we are sure that David and Marc met early in their respective careers, and shared a manager. The rest is fun, unexpected, and prov...