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Every week, “WHAT THE RIFF?!?” takes a look at a ROCK AND ROLL album that debuted or peaked on the U.S. Billboard charts during a random month between 1965-1995. Four friends discuss the artists and 4 tracks from the album as it plays in the background. Then we riff on 4 “staff picks” of other artists that were also in the charts during that month and year. You’ll hear some familiar tunes as well as some deeper cuts and entertainment tracks as we share a little look into the culture and happ ...
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Eric Clapton is a living legend in the rock world. He was a member of the Yardbirds from 1963 to 1965, a founding member of the supergroup Cream, founding member of Blind Faith, founder of Derek and the Dominos, and a multi-album soloist. He has received 18 Grammy awards, sold more than 280 million records world-wide, and is the only three-time ind…
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1985 - October: Scorpions "World Wide Live"
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While we may think of the German band the Scorpions as an 80's metal band, they started much earlier - way back in 1965. Things didn't really come together for the group until the 1978-1992 personnel lineup of Klaus Meine on lead vocals, Rudolph Schenker on rhythm guitar, Mattias Jabs on lead guitar, Francis Buchholz on bass, and Herman Rarebell on…
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1978 - December: The Doobie Brothers “Minute By Minute”
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There are two distinct eras of music by The Doobie Brothers. From their formation in 1970 until 1975, Tom Johnston was the lead vocalist, and the group had a mainstream rock sound, with some folk and “California Country” influences. Starting in 1975, Michael McDonald joined the group as a keyboardist, as well as providing lead vocal work to help Jo…
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Because all of us presenters live in Georgia it is hard for us to believe that Cosmic Thing, the fifth studio album from The B-52's was the international breakthrough album. We had been listening to “Rock Lobster” and “Private Idaho” for about a decade before this album came out. But much of the B-52's discography was confined to college radio stat…
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1969 - October: Johnny Cash “Original Golden Hits, Volume I and II”
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Johnny Cash was a prolific hitmaker in the mid 50's to early 60's. In the late 60's he released a couple of live albums which had crossover appeal: "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison," and "Johnny Cash at San Quentin." By 1969, Johnny Cash had become an international musical success, selling more records than the Beatles at the time. Cash had left his o…
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We've already covered a couple of Journey albums. Episode 250 profiled "Infinity," the introduction of Steve Perry to the group. And episode 26 delved into arguably the high water mark for Journey, the album "Escape." Here we take a look at the band as they are in their transition into one of the world's biggest rock bands. The appropriately-titled…
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Did MTV make Duran Duran, or did Duran Duran make MTV? Perhaps a little of both. What is beyond doubt is that Rio, the band's second studio album, would propel Duran Duran into a worldwide new wave and dance phenomenon, and would be a major offensive of the Second British Invasion in the United States. Duran Duran had found success in the UK with t…
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1979 - February: “Saturday Night Fever” Soundtrack
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OK, it isn't rock music, but the Soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever" was a tremendously successful album both commercially and critically, and it had a major impact in popular culture of the later 70's. The theatrical release of the movie actually went back to December of 1977, but it was the winner of the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in Feb…
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1970 - December: Three Dog Night “Naturally”
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By the end of 1970 Three Dog Night was in the middle of their most prolific and successful period of their career. The group would land 21 Billboard Top 40 hits between 1969 and 1975 with three of these taking the top slot. The group was formed by three vocalists in 1967 - Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. The other members of the band fo…
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The Electric Light Orchestra, also known as E.L.O., was formed in Birmingham in 1970 by multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood, and by percussionist Bev Bevan. Wood was in a band called the Move in 1968 and had the idea of a new band which would feature classical instruments more prominently than the guitars, hoping to "pick up where the Be…
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1985 - August: R.E.M. “Fables of the Reconstruction”
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The year 1985 would find the band R.E.M. in transition between college band success and the mainstream powerhouse they were to become in future years. The quartet of Michael Stipe on vocals, Mike Mills on bass and vocals, Peter Buck on guitar, and Bill Berry on percussion and backing vocals were moving towards a greater variety of instrumentation a…
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Yes, you are right - Toto IV was released in March of 1982, not April of 1985. However, the rock group Toto was a celebrity phenomenon in 1985, particularly in Japan. In April of 1985 MTV broadcast a special episode showcasing a Toto concert from Japan. Toto IV was both a commercial and critical success. Three of the singles would be top 10 hits, a…
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1993 - April: Porno for Pyros “Porno for Pyros”
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If you thought these songs were from Jane's Addiction, it is an understandable mistake. Porno for Pyros was formed in 1992 after the first break-up of Jane's Addiction by members by lead vocalist Perry Farrell and percussionist Stephen Perkins. They added Peter DiStefano on guitar and Martyn LeNoble on bass for their eponymously named debut album. …
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1967 - September: The Four Tops "Reach Out"
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One of the groups that defined the Motown sound was the Detroit Quartet known as The Four Tops. The group originally called themselves the Four Aims, but changed the name to avoid confusion with the Ames Brothers. The group was composed of Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Lawrence Payton, and lead singer Levi Stubbs, four boys who met at …
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1970 - July: Crabby Appleton “Crabby Appleton”
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We may have an obscure album for your listening pleasure today. Crabby Appleton was a short-lived band that was formed by the combination of musicians from an acid blues band called Stonehenge and singer-songwriter frontman Michael Fennelly. The band is out of the Laurel Canyon counterculture, which produced many groups like The Mamas & the Papas, …
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Ian Moore may have been born in Berkeley, California, but the sound from his eponymously named debut studio album reflects Austin, Texas, the place he called home. Moore began playing violin at a young age, but switched to guitar as a teen under the influence of artists like Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Moore's influence runs well beyond the…
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Synchronicity would be the most commercially successful, fifth, and final studio album from the Police. The trio of percussionist Stewart Copeland, guitarist Andy Summers, and bassist and front man Sting would be known as “The Biggest Band in the World” after the release of this album but would never produce a studio album again. Like “Ghost in the…
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1974 - November: Linda Ronstadt "Heart Like a Wheel"
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Linda Ronstadt's fifth solo studio album would be her breakout one. Heart Like a Wheel is a folk/country/rock mixture of covers and originals, and was the last album Ronstadt released on the Capitol Records label after she had moved to Asylum records. It would reach the top of the Billboard 200, spend 51 weeks on the chart, and fuel Ronstadt's rise…
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1983 - September: Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
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One of the iconic British new wave bands from the MTV era was the pop duo of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, known as the Eurythmics. Lennox and Stewart began playing together in the punk scene in 1976, first as a part of the band the Catch, and later as the Tourists. The duo were drawn to electronics and synthesizer music, and became the Eurythmics…
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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. “Carol of the Bells” by Mannheim Steamroller Mannheim Steamroller covers a Ukrainian carol from 1922. They highlight a 3 against 2 polyrhythm that is present in the original song, and add a majo…
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A concert was held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on October 28th and 29th, 1964 which would be released as a concert film called the T.A.M.I. Show. Free tickets were provided for local high school students to provide the audience. T.A.M.I. stands for either “Teenage Awards Music International” or “Teen Age Music International,” as both were …
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1985 - July: Phil Collins “No Jacket Required”
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Phil Collins wrapped up his commitments as front man and percussionist for Genesis and collaborative work with Eric Clapton in 1984, then commenced work on his third album, No Jacket Required. It was released in February 1985, and had hits on the charts in July. The name of the album was inspired by an incident where he was not allowed into The Pum…
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1990 - April: The Black Crowes "Shake Your Money Maker"
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The Black Crowes got their start as “Mr. Crowe's Garden” when Chris and Rich Robinson formed the band while attending Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia. The name comes from the children's book “Johnny Crow's Garden” by Leonard Leslie Brooke. They changed their name after moving to New York City where they met producer George Drakoulias who in…
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1988 - May: Cinderella "Long Cold Winter"
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One of the big acts on the 80's glam metal scene was Cinderella. Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tom Keifer and bassist Eric Brittingham formed the band in suburban Philadelphia. Gene Simmons of Kiss tried to get the band a deal with PolyGram, but was unsuccessful at getting the label to take interest. Jon Bon Jovi was more successful w…
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1989 - December: Nine Inch Nails "Pretty Hate Machine"
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The industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails is the creation of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Trent Reznor. While living in Cleveland in 1987, Reznor worked as an assistant engineer and janitor at Right Track Studios. He had free access to the studio between bookings, and took inspiration from Prince to play all instruments himself to pro…
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