Music Commentary Episodes

Santana's 2nd album Abraxas showed shades of blues, jazz, soul, psychedelic rock with latin rhythms and a couple of all time classics in Oye Como Va and Black Magic Woman

A special edition reboot of episode 221 on Eric Clapton's Behind The Sun album featuring commentary from EC's longtime Guitar Tech Lee Dickson who talks hanging out with Phil Collins, Sting, Steve Lukather, Nathan East and more!

It's been 60 years since The Beatles released the film & album Help! to adoring fans. We break down the UK version, comment on the US version and show how the boys were maturing before the world's eyes in technicolor!

NIcky Hopkins was one of the most talented musicians in the history of rock n roll and he has finally been chosen for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.. He played some of the most iconic bits of the biggest songs in rock history. The documentary The Session Man walks through his extraordinary life and career and we loved it!

The Wolf & Action Jackson were bummed when Sting went solo and left The Police behind. But Dream of the Blue Turtles is fantastic debut solo album that went 3x platinum in the US and contains one of the best songs he's ever written.

Robert Plant's first 2 solo albums were well received, boasted radio and MTV hits and his live shows were a success. So with the same band intact, the 3rd album would be his best yet, right?

Pete Townshend found his life and career at a crossroads in 1980. What came out of it was his best solo effort and better than most of his work with The Who

Jeff Beck created a jazzy album full of grooves with the help of George Martin, Stevie Wonder and some career defining guitar licks. Between the sweet sentiments of Cause We Ended As Lovers to the heavy Freeway Jam, the album went to #4 in the US and sold platinum despite no vocals on the record.

In order to attract listeners in synth pop 1985, Eric Clapton teamed up with Phil Collins to ride his wave of pop success along with outside songwriters and A level session players. . Behind The Sun went platinum in the US thanks to some radio hits but has it endured the test of time?

No Jacket Required was a mid-80s sensation selling over 25 million copies worldwide. While you can't deny the pop sensibility of this album, can you say it's aged well as it turns 40?

The second LP/CD on Physical Graffiti may not pack the same punch as the first but there's plenty of jems and jams to make this not only Led Zeppelin's greatest achievement but maybe the best double album ever

The Vision Quest soundtrack went platinum and provided the tone-setting score to the coming of age movie. Most of the songs were hits but some were very forgettable. We talk the role the soundtrack plays in the film, how it stands on its own and why it matters 40 years later.

1985 saw the reemergence of Jimmy Page in The Firm with Paul Rodgers and an incredible rhythm section. But even with the help of an AOR hit in Radioactive, most fans were left wanting by this supergroup debut.

Van Halen's final album with Sammy Hagar hit #1 & went 3x platinum in the US. Buoyed by a couple of big radio hits, you might have thought all was well with the band. But it wasn't...

Fly By Night may have been Rush's 2nd album but it was the first with drummer & lyricist Neil Peart. He injects his precision and flare into Geddy and Alex's rockin riffs and opened the door to their proggier sound.

On Part 2 of our year in review we not only go over the live events we caught but walk one by one through the 15 artists & legends we interviewed during the year

Part 1 of our 2024 in Review focuses on the 30+ albums we reviewed and the many authors & podcasters who joined us on UAWIL & First Concert Memories this year

2nd Albums can be tricky. Either you follow up with a big step forward or you suffer from the Sophomore Slump. Either way, we've picked 5 each that we love that have stood the test of time and 3 that we can not stand either because we don't like them or they were so overplayed that we can't stand to hear them anymore.

A new book by veteran rock writer Mark Blake uncovers all the details of Fleetwood Mac from inception until the present day. Mark is a nice guy to talk with and his book is easy read from start to finish

To gather dozens of stars to record the We Are The World charity single was an impossible task. This documentary shows how it all came together with an extraordinary amount of talent and the hard work of Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones & Lionel Richie

The unlikely reunion of Jimmy Page & Robert Plant was a shock & delight for Led Zeppelin fans but the acoustic reworking of Zeppelin classics, though celebrated, was not embraced by all. While some saw it as two aging rockers taking advantage of the acoustic craze, others were just psyched to see their heroes back in action!

Reckless was unavoidable on US radio & MTV in 1984-86 but it was even bigger in Canada so we brought in our buddy Chris from My Rock N Roll Heaven to give us the Canadian perspective as it turns 40

We've reviewed a couple of rock movies that had a limited theatrical run - Rush - Cinema Strangiato was episode 42 while The Wolf lived in England and Dio - Dreamers Never Die was covered on ep 98 while he was living in Amsterdam. And while we had wanted to do a double episode on Tom Petty's Wildflowers at 30 with the later released double disc alongside the newly unearthed Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Beach Party film, we felt that episode would be too long an in-depth. So because the recently...

The Rolling Stones 1974 offereing would prove to be their last with Mick Taylor but despite only one original radio hit, this album has some great deep tracks, strong guest stars and some fan favorites