What the Riff Next Gen

Athens, Georgia may have been known as the music hotbed during the middle 80's, but Drivin' N Cryin' out of nearby Atlanta was benefitting from the Georgia focus as well. Scarred But Smarter was their debut album created on a shoestring budget, with songs that reflect the sound of the Athens scene (where the album was recorded), but with lyrical depth and variety. After several down years, Drivin'...

Most bands make their first album the eponymous one, but Genesis waited until their twelfth studio album to name it  Genesis.  This one continues the trend toward pop that started with "Abacab" and "Three Sides Live," but maintains the prog rock and art rock connections of their roots.  By this time Genesis consisted of Mike Rutherford on keyboards, Tony Banks on guitar, and Phil Collins on drums...

Yes, those bearded wonders, the trio of ZZ Top would find their breakthrough hit in LaGrange off their third album entitled Tres Hombres. With Billy Gibbons on guitar, Dusty Hill on bass, and Frank Beard (ironically the only member without a beard) on drums, ZZ Top would begin their climb to stardom via Texas blues/rock with this album. ZZ Top started in 1969 in Houston, Texas and are still playin...

On Sunday, September 15th 2019, Ric Ocasek of The Cars passed away at his townhouse where he was recovering from surgery. This group was a staple of radio and video throughout the later 70's and 80's, and their album Heartbeat City propelled them to super-stardom both with the number of singles off the album and heavy video airplay on MTV. We covered The Cars' debut album on What the Riff?!? Ep. 2...

With Tooth, Fang, and Claw, the Motor City Madman released this seventh and final album as Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes​. When they started in the 60's the Amboy Dukes were more popular, but over time Ted Nugent's star would overshadow the group until finally Nugent would go out on his own. Over time, Ted Nugent's personality and politics have become so prominent that it can overshadow his musicianshi...

Today we take a moment to remember one of our favorite artists, Eddie Money, who passed away yesterday, Friday, September 13, 2019. Nothing fancy, just three songs: Two Tickets to Paradise, Baby Hold On to Me, and I Want to Go Back. We hope you enjoy sharing our memories and remembering the joy that music brings, and the sadness that comes when we lose somebody special. RIP Eddie Money. Thanks for...

The fourth Queensrÿche studio album followed what was to become a classic concept album entitled "Operation: Mindcrime." The successor to this prog rock masterpiece would be their most commercially successful release. “Empire” is filled with hard charging, somewhat melancholy metal singles and their subdued masterpiece hit, "Silent Lucidity." In a time when hair bands were waning and grunge had ye...

When you list the greatest singer/songwriters of the rock era, it will not be long before the name Jim Croce appears. Rob shares that this fifth and final album entitled “I Got a Name” was posthumously released in December after Croce’s tragic death in an airplane accident in September of 1973. The pilot struck a pecan tree at the end of the runway - the only tree in the area - killing all 5 on bo...

Debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, Purple would establish the Sone Temple Pilots as a superstar group. This second studio album from San Diego-based STP would continue the grunge sound, but would expand a bit into other styles like psychedelia, country, acoustic, alternative, and mainstream rock. ​Stone Temple Pilots was influenced by Aerosmith, and the band members were fans of Kiss. The...

This week, Wayne brings us Equinox, the fifth studio album by Styx. This would be their first album for A&M Records and their last album with guitarist John Curulewski. He would be replaced by guitarist and singer Tommy Shaw on their next release, “The Grand Illusion,” at which point Styx would take the form which most of us remember as one of the groups that make up the soundtrack of our chil...

Brian has us riffing on Soundgarden. If they were “superunknown” at the time, it wouldn't last past the release of this fourth studio album. Soundgarden would break into super stardom with this heavy hitting, 5-time platinum effort. The strength and distinctiveness of Chris Cornell's vocals are obvious. Sometimes called Stoner Rock, Soundgarden would be a key element in solidifying the "grunge" so...

Bruce presents the fifth album by Australian rock band The Church. It would be their breakthrough album for international success. After starting as a new wave band in 1980, The Church drifted into a little alternative, a little psychedelic, a little goth - some would call it dream pop. The lyrics and music are both a little dark and wistful, a result of their recording far from home in Los Angele...

Coming off the success of their debut album, Toto took a turn toward the progressive rock sound with their sophomore studio album, Hydra. While many LA bands were hitting the club circuit, Toto was making their mark in the studios. The members of Toto are some of the most sought-after session musicians, but the band itself is made of high school friends and family, many of whom came from musical f...

His fourth studio album would move Bryan Adams from a successful singer-songwriter to super-stardom. The multi-platinum album, “Reckless” is packed with hits, as six of the ten tracks would hit the charts including the evergreen hit “Summer of 69.” Adams took some time off following his multi-year tour "Cuts Like a Knife," and that brief retreat would result in a burst of creativity that would res...

Undoubtedly the most influential electric guitarist of the rock era, Jimi Hendrix burst on the scene in the form of “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” with his debut album, “Are You Experienced.” The band was formed by Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on bass, but the centerpiece was Jimi Hendrix on lead and lead guitar. Creative with the distortion, fuzz, and other guitar effects, Hendrix play...

With this debut album Thomas Dolby merged a synth-driven electronica sound with the new wave sensibility cresting on the airwaves in the early 80's. The Golden Age of Wireless would follow a loose theme of radio and communication in its tracks. Thomas Morgan Robertson's affinity for keyboards, tapes, and electronics earned him the nickname "Dolby" from his friends, and he stuck with it for a stage...

Especially for You is the debut full-length album from “The Smithereens.” This platinum-selling album was almost a "greatest hits" because the New Jersey band had been playing for 5 years before releasing this album. The Smithereens filled a void in the mid-80's pop scene that would become categorized as Alternative Rock or College Rock, and there are a number of hits from the group that hold up w...

With his third studio album, the creative and unlikely rock star Elvis Costello took a turn from the punk style of his previous album and moved towards new wave music. Armed Forces was also the first album to name The Attractions as a part of the rock group fronted by Costello. Many of the tracks on this album reference British imperialism. Elvis Costello has a way of creating an upbeat sound whil...

The Seekers were an Australian folk pop quartet, the first Australian group to see significant success in the U.K. and the U.S. The Seekers were voted "Australians of the Year" in 1967. Judith Durham joined what was originally an all-male quartet, and their style was hard to define - too pop to be folk, too folk to be pop. That didn't keep them from achieving success, as they were the first Austra...

Sometimes classified as alternative rock or new wave, London band The Godfathers has a British punk feel to it with their stark lyrics and cynical style — one that Wayne loves and appreciates! Peter and Chris Coyne formed this five piece group, and dressed in mafia-style suits with skinny ties. When they toured the United States, Living Colour was their opening act. Their sound is "brass knuckles...

This will be a familiar band to those of us who grew up in metro-Atlanta in the 80's, and will be a treat to the rest. The Producers got national airplay in the 80's with their new wave, high energy sound. Both this debut album and their follow-up "You Make the Heat" were big, and they probably hit the height of their popularity when they headlined MTV's New Year's Rockin' Eve party in 1982. The P...

Folks, it's amazing to realize that the What The Riff podcast has been around for a year! To celebrate, we're focusing this Memorial Day week on rock-and-roll songs of summer. Our memories of summers past have always been tied to the music of the time, and we suspect that is the same for you as well. Whether cruising with the top down, hanging out with friends, or playing your boom box on the beac...

When you think of college alternative rock of the 80's, the group you are most likely to have in your head is The Smiths. Their third studio album, “The Queen Is Dead,” continues their brand of Manchester Brit-pop, decidedly pessimistic, but with accessible muscial hooks. The Smiths’ sound is largely due to the collaboration between front man Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr - sophisticated, cr...

Brian presents the second album by The Byrds as they continued their folk rock mix of vocal and twelve-string guitar harmonies originally explored in their debut album released earlier in the year. There are two songs from Bob Dylan - "The Times They Are A-Changin' and "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" - along with a number of other covers. Join us as we explore the album Turn! Turn! Turn! as well as the...

After stratospheric commercial success in the 1980's, Duran Duran had been on a downswing before releasing this seventh studio - and second self-titled - album. They would hit the top 5 once again with what became known as “The Wedding Album” due to the album artwork showing wedding pictures from the band members' parents. This album was a comeback and reinvention of the group for the 90's. It has...