What the Riff Next Gen

Echoes of the trajectory of the Beatles still reverberate through music today, and they loomed quite large over the rock scene in the early 70's.  In 1972 a bootleg 4-album set of Beatles songs was produced called "Alpha Omega" which sold well when marketed on TV.  In response - in addition to suing - Apple and EMI/Capitol Records produced an authorized collection in two double albums.  The first...

When you think of rock music anchored by piano, there are only a few standouts.  But outside of Elton John, perhaps the best known rock pianist is New York's Billy Joel.  Born in the Bronx and growing up in Long Island, Joel got his start early (at age 4) with piano lessons and dropped out of high school to pursue music full time.  After joining a couple of short-lived bands, Joel started his solo...

The mid-80's were a tough time for Elton John.  The singer and pianist who had been a stellar success in the 70's was deep in the clutches of drug addiction, and struggling to perform due to throat issues.  His studio album, "Leather Jackets" had failed to produce a single to reach the top 40.  It seemed that he was finding more controversy in the British tabloids than he was success in the music...

What the Riff!?! delves once again into the great (and not so great) Christmas songs to add a little cheer as you rock around the Christmas tree this year. WSB Radio host Eric Von Haessler joins us for the fun! “The Holly and the Ivy” by Jon Anderson Jon Anderson's fourth solo album came out in 1985, and was a mixture of traditional Christmas carols and original material.  This is a traditional Br...

Blind Faith was a supergroup formed from Cream members Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, Traffic founder Steve Winwood, and Family bassist/violinist Ric Grech.  Cream collapsed after increasing strife between members, particularly Baker and bassist Jack Bruce.  Traffic went on hiatus, and Winwood began jamming with Clapton in his basement.  Baker sat in on a session shortly after they moved to Traffi...

Bon Jovi took the rock world by storm with their massive third album, "Slippery When Wet."  A big tour followed, and afterwards the band was anxious to demonstrate that they were not a one (album) hit wonder.  They got into the studio at Vancouver, BC in May of 1988 and quickly recorded their fourth studio album entitled New Jersey.  Originally going under the working title "Sons of Beaches," the...

A reasonable case can be made that the eighth studio album by the Beatles is the most important album in all of Rock and Roll.  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band creates a dividing line between 60's rock and what Rock and Roll would become in the 70's.  Incorporating elements of eastern mysticism, psychedelic music and art, counter-culture sensibilities, and complex orchestration, Sgt. Peppers...

It is a little surprising that we have gotten this far into the podcast without featuring an album by Mötley Crüe.  This is a group that practically defined the hair metal genre of the mid to late-80's.  The band formed in 1981 in Hollywood, and featured both a party-oriented lifestyle and an androgynous look.  The core and classic members of the band were Nikki Sixx on bass and keyboards, Mick Ma...

One of the greatest songwriters of the 60's, Bob Dylan had released seven solo albums between 1962 and 1966.  Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits compiles many of the singles from this period along with some of the songs Dylan wrote for other musicians.  The compilation went to number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, number 3 on the UK album chart, and has been certified five times platinum by the RIAA. In th...

A number of bands seem to turn a corner with their third album, and Master of Puppets is no exception.  Metallica's third album would achieve both critical and commercial success, crossing out of the new thrash metal sub-genre of hard rock to achieve multi-platinum recognition.  Lead singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield collaborated with drummer Lars Ulrich as the principal songwriters, crea...

What The Riff?!? makes another scary trip down the Halloween rabbit hole with these theme songs, movie and TV music, and rock songs with a bent towards the macabre.  We hope you enjoy this third edition of "Halloween" from What the Riff?!?  Highway to Hell by AC/DC  The opening track to the 1979 album of the same name features Bon Scott on his last album as lead singer of the group before his unti...

No More Tears, the sixth solo studio album by Ozzy Osbourne, was released at an interesting time in rock music.  Hair metal acts were in decline, and grunge was about to take off.  Nevertheless, Ozzy hit it big with this album, reaching number 7 on the Billboard 200 charts, and providing Osbourne's only solo top 40 hit.  No More Tears is generally considered his best album since his first two solo...

Kansas was at the height of their prowess and popularity as a prog rock-leaning band in 1978 when they released their first live album, Two for the Show.  Recorded during tours in 1977 and 1978, the double album gives the listener a glimpse into the energy of the band at the time.  The songs span the first five studio albums released by the group, from the eponymously named "Kansas" to the highly...

There were few rock albums in the 80's which achieved the popularity levels of Born In the U.S.A., the seventh studio album by Bruce Springsteen.  Songs for this album were recorded with the E. Street Band over a two-year period from 1982 until 1984, the totality of songs far outstripping the available space on the album.  Somewhere between 70 and 90 songs were created during those sessions, some...

We covered the big commercial hit album "Brothers In Arms" back in episode 154, but many afficianados of Dire Straits consider their finest work to be the album that preceeded this one.  Love Over Gold is their fourth studio album, released in late September 1982 and on the charts in June 1983.  For this album, prime mover and lead vocalist Mark Knopfler, bassist John Illsley, and percussionist Pi...

If you are exploring the rise of prog rock, it doesn't take long until you encounter the power trio of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.  This progressive rock band is actually a supergroup.  Keyboardist Keith Emerson came from The Nice, vocalist and guitarist Greg Lake was in King Crimson, and percussionist Carl Palmer was from Atomic Rooster.  Emerson, Lake & Palmer formed in 1970 and would make t...

If you're looking for great Heartland Rock, a great choice would be the album Against the Wind.  Depending on how you count it, it could be considered Bob Seger's eleventh studio album, but it is the third album of the iteration known as Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band.  Seger is joined by Drew Abbott on guitar, Chris Campbell on bass, and David Teegarden on drums.  The band became the Silv...

This week we are taking an opportunity to explore some songs which would normally be outside our time frame by following the soundtrack to the movie “Goodfellas.”  This Martin Scorsese film is a mafia story told from the view of Henry Hill in his book “Wiseguy:  Life In a Mafia Family.” The movie follows Henry Hill as he looks back on his life beginning during a time when he looked up to the Wise...

Rage Against the Machine recorded their eponymously named debut album in May-June of 1992 and released it in November 1992.  The Los Angeles-based group consisted of Zack de la Rocha on vocals, Tom Morello on guitar, Tim Commerford on bass, and Brad Wilk on drums.  The group was known for their anti-establishment and politically charged lyrics.  Rage Against the Machine combined a lot of genres of...

While Devo is known as an early 80's new wave synth pop band, their history goes back to 1973.  The classic lineup of Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, Bob Casale, and Alan Myers developed the name Devo from "De-evolution," the idea that mankind is regressing to a herd mentality.  This was a bit of a joke idea that Gerald Casale and co-founder Bob Lewis formed while at Kent State...

Sylvester Stewart was born in Dallas, Texas, but moved to the Bay area of California before becoming a multi-instrumentalist and changing his name to Sly Stone - the primary driver of the group Sly and the Family Stone.  This was one of the first integrated groups, and one that crossed many genres.  They played what would become known as psychedelic soul, but you can trace the origins of funk, sou...

Styx is approaching the height of their popularity and a bit of a turning point when they released their ninth studio album, Cornerstone.  Keyboardist and vocalist Dennis DeYoung, and lead guitarist and vocalist Tommy Shaw take the lion's share of the songwriting duites, with one or both developing all tracks save one.  The lead vocalist duties also alternate between DeYoung and Shaw, again with t...

Hysteria is the album that should not exist.  Def Leppard's fourth studio album was plagued with delays and tragedy.  Despite this fact, the album would become one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time.  The band wrapped up their Pyromania tour in early 1984, and started writing their next album shortly thereafter.  Producter John "Mutt" Lange began working with them to arrange the songs,...

This week we are delving into one of the greats of Southern Rock.  Well, they are southern rock if you count southern California.  Little Feat took its name from a comment Frank Zappa made to his band member Lowell George regarding his having little feet. George would become a founder and driving force behind Little Feat, providing guitar and vocals.  Other members were Paul Barrere on guitar and...

Who's up for some thrash metal? Megadeth is one of the founding bands of the thrash metal genre, and considered one of the "big four" of U.S. thrash metal (along with Anthrax, Metallica, and Slayer).  The heart of the band, primary songwriter, and sole constant member of the band throughout the years is Dave Mustaine.  The formation of the band is well known as a revenge effort on Mustaine's part....