We bring "The Ladies of the 80's" to a close with an unmitigated banger. Not talking about sausage but this British(?) crew led by The Dread Pirate Hynde, purely plundered our hearts and minds. No more rhyming. I mean it! Beware the rope-a-dope of Side B...By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

Ladies of the 80"s can't stop and won't stop. Let's cast our ears back to the "Reagan Era" for this delightful second album by The Bangles. We'll see what a young "up and comer", Prince had to contribute and how the gals had everyone walking like Egyptians.By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

We're still about the "Ladies of the 80s" in this episode. Out of the early 80s L.A. punk scene came a force of nature known as the Go-Gos. With a little bit of help from an "old school" record man behind the board, they delivered a classic that won't quit. Just like Jared's love for Belinda Carlisle.…

Mike is out. Wolf is in. There's a "superfan" behind the board. Old songs and fresh blood. Just goes to show, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. How did the final Van Halen album come to be? Well, it almost didn't.By Jared Britt, Augie Pagan, Chris Pfeifle

We're going to kick off our "Ladies of the 80's" run with the queen herself, Pat Benatar. "Crimes of Passion" is her second album. Released in 1980, no one could match her tough-guy femininity or her singing chops. Throw in the guitar man Neil Giraldo and stand back and turn it up. There's a reason these two have been making beautiful music togethe…

Before things got dark and sad, there was a time when STP was on top of the world. Their second album quieted a lot of the critics who had perhaps written the band off as "Grunge" pretenders to the throne. Perhaps we needed to be convinced as well. Sure, they could grunge it up with the best of them but they also had places to go outside of those l…

This week we have our good "friend of the show", Troy Carter back in with us to take a listen to the second album from Wilco. Join us as we geek out and sing along with these "Icons of Americans". And... maybe some bad Celine Dion impressions. Dig it!By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

OK. So, what is AC/DC's second album actually? Nobody cares as long as it rocks like Ayers. Enjoy this episode full of totally non-offensive Australian impressions. Sorry.By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

How come we don't listen to The Cult more often? Can a guitar solo be for the entire length of a song? What the hell is a Fairlight? Come on. You know we got these answers for you. Here comes the rain, suckers!By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

Hardly can believe it's taken us this long to get around to The Doors. American icons. Art rockers who can right a hit. Subjects of a brilliant documentary by Oliver Stone. We might have realized that 99% of what we know about this band, we learned from Val Kilmer and Co. Listen two times!By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

Rudy can't fail and neither can this episode! We are joined by Rev (The Drowns) to break down and enjoy sophomore effort from The Clash. Can "punk" be more of a credo than a sound? Does Blue Oyster Cult have anything to do with this? Is Jar Jar a Sith Lord? Join us as we answer these and all the questions you were too scared to ask. It's drug stabb…

This week was so much fun because we had not one, but two guests to help us peel this onion. That "onion" being "Southern Harmony and Musical Companion" by Georgia's own, Black Crowes. How much life must be lived to sing the blues? When does ignoring Rick Rubin go right? Who killed that bird upon your windowsill? Why does Led Zeppelin come up so mu…

Ok, right out the gate there's an asterisk on this episode. We know it's not the second album. It's their fourth. See, if you have a guest fly all the way out from the east cost, we let 'em bend the rules. To be fair, it's the second album from the "classic lineup". That counts, right? And there is plenty of Philip K. Dickin' around. Anyway, Thank …

This week we are joined by friend and podcaster, Elise Ballard (The Importance of Wine Podcast). She has chosen the most excellent second album, "Rid Of Me" by PJ Harvey. Pop the cork on some vino and revel in the veritas. Cheers!By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

Sir Reginald Dwight. The Rocket Man. Captain Fantastic. In 1970 though, plain ol' Elton John and his band Hookfoot messed around and dropped a jewel. Let's, shall we?By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

All the chickens come home to roost in these dark times. Even a "Greatest Hits" record and a reunion with Sammy can't slow the freight train. Of the rare highlights, most of them were musical. We're going to listen to those too. It was either Jesus , or Gandalf that once said, "It's always darkest before the dawn." VH forever.…

1996 was a wild time. The President played saxophone, got BJs, and "smoked" grass. A "Florida Man" tried to kill Bjork with a mail bomb and got WAY too close to succeeding. The Feds caught up with Ted Kaczynski who tried to kill some professors with mail bombs and unfortunately was quite successful. Tupac was gunned down in Sin City. Grunge was als…

Fade into this, fool. Some records are for a certain type of listening. Some records make you want to pump your fist, shake your booty, or drive fast. Mazzy's second album will not make you drive fast. In fact, I wouldn't recommend operating any machinery heavier than a roach-clip while listening to this. Settle into the gentle groove with us and j…

Here comes another recent second album. We're living in the now! "Happier Than Ever" is the second offering from Los Angeles native, Billie Eilish. She gets by with a little help from her songwriting partner/producer/brother, Phineas. ASMR pop is here and you'll EFFing like it!By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

This brings us no pleasure.By Jared Britt, Augie Pagan, Chris Pfeifle

If a disco record drops in a disco-less world, does it make a sound? You tell me. If you didn't hear Dua Lipa last year, your quarantine bubble is too tight. And, maybe get the internet. In 2021, this album was the star of every Zoom dance party, car stereo, and gas station radio. Oh, yeah, and the internet. Time to "Blawst Off"!…

This week, with Chris out on assignment, Peter joins Jared in the "117 Studios Compound" to discuss one of his favorite second albums. Circa Survive's second album, "On Letting Go". Jared is just not that into it, historically. Will he change his tune? Will Peter slander Led Zeppelin? Will both of our hosts admit that it's not worth the work to be …

We're breaking from tradition again. Sometimes we just want to take an episode to shed some light on an overlooked record or maybe one that the artist would just as soon you overlook. Such is the case with "One Hot Minute" from the RHCP. What do you do when you lose a superstar guitarist of a generation? Well, sometimes if you're lucky, you just sc…

For the first time in perhaps ever, The Mighty Van Halen are forced to take an "L". When Dave can't seem to keep "monkey hour" in check on live TV, all future plans with him are put on ice. However, we did get a couple new tracks out of the deal. That was cool. This episode is all about the proverbial "he said, she said bullshit".…

Long live the fighters! Thanks to Augie (Fair Warning), and Corrie (Dune Expert) for joining us to express our many thoughts about the new Dune movie. From Harkonnen haircuts to "Eyes of Ibad" and more. Let's catch the last Hi-Liner to Arrakis and remember, it's a movie about drugs.By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They just go together like the best of them. Lennon and McCartney, Hall and Oats, and Gin and Tonic. Chris is back in the country and in studio. For real. Let's go.By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

They did it! Van Halen held their own against the grunge tide. While many of their contemporaries fell under the wheel of the new "corporate rock" paradigm shift, Eddie and Co. managed to keep their trajectory. For a while. All that goes up, must come down. I think that's in the Bible somewhere. Cracks are starting to form in the once impenetrable …

1991 was a strange year for pop music. "Grunge" was in. 80's metal was out. Unless that is you were actually a 70's metal band who happened to influenced a lot of these Seattle upstarts. This is where Van Halen finds themselves at the turn of the decade. Ascending to "Elder Statesman" status while still keeping it in the top 10. Perhaps that is why…

"Thriller" by Michael Jackson... We know. We were still young men once. We entered the pop landscape in the early 80's. We didn't know then. There were "Titans" everywhere you looked. Few of them had the help of one Quincy Jones. Steve Lukather and the rest of Toto joined the effort too. Eddie Van Halen for crissakes! We know now. But can we discre…

Once again, it's all success. Turns out 5150 was not a fluke. Our heroes can apparently drop hits with or without a producer. Who could blame them for a solid "victory lap" with the "Monsters of Rock" tour? Not us. Especially a young El Pagano who saw this one in person. Let's do it til we're black and blue!…

There are things that come and go from our lives. There are musical artists that make their marks and fade from view. Hemlines go up. Hemlines go down. It appears to us at TNE, that as long as she doesn't bite the head off a bat or pick up a crippling drug habit, Taylor Swift is here to stay. Join us as we delve into her big crossover, platinum, an…

Funky psychedelia and cutting-edge studio technique led to lots great music in 1970. The Isley Brothers, Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix. They all added their pieces but one band has come to define it. It's literally in the name. Funkadelic. Accept no substitutes. This album finds the band experimenting with the studio as well as LSD. In les…

Jersey July comes to a close. Don't act like we weren't going to let "The Boss" close the show the whole time. Come stroll down the boardwalk with our esteemed guest and New Jersey native, Steve Whithacomb. Marvel at the cast of characters Bruce evokes in his pre-superstar era.By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

Jersey July rolls on! Steve-O is back in the studio to enjoy "Slave To The Grind" with us. He'll explain life on the Shore, how he could have met Sebastian Bach but didn't, and lastly, how much it costs to drive from Jersey to Long Island. Get your sleazy hat on cuz we're gettin nasty. It's Skid Row fer crissakes!…

Hello baaaaaaaaby! Van Halen Mach 2. Van Hagar. Whatever you want to call it, smells like somebody stepped in hit. Junior Gen Xers like ourselves welcomed Sammy with optimism. We also stayed in touch with Dave. As far as we were concerned, it was joint custody. The band now found themselves with a fresh set of downs and a pocket full of plays Eddie…

You take the record advance money. You trick out your uncle's "Booga Basement". Buy some gear and build this thing from the ground up. Pras, Lauryn, and Wyclef settle "the score" after a lackluster debut and launch themselves to the top of not only the Hip Hop world but crossed over like a motherfucker with the sweet sound of Ms. Hill's voice. Quit…

What can you say about David Lee Roth that hasn't already been said about herpes? It started out with a good time and now he's with us forever. Listen along as we enjoy the second album from the former Van Halen frontman/demigod. This would also be the last album to feature this all-star lineup of Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, and Greg Bissonette toget…

This week, we're getting emo AF. Jeremy Enigk, late of Sunny Day Real Estate, released his second solo album in 2006 and we're gonna listen to it and have emotions about it.By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

Get ready to get soaking wet in this "quiet storm" with us. The smoothest saxes, the slipperiest basslines, and that voice. THAT voice. Time to stop frontin' and get into this "sweetest taboo".By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

The middle of the 80's found VH at a fork in the road. Pack it up or soldier on. One of those was never actually an option. Who could step into these be-dazzled, platform shoes? Very famous/not famous names were thrown around and jam sessions were had. But nothing "jived" until they hooked up with the "Voice Of America" himself, Samuel Roy Hagar. T…

Well, we finally got here. Joy Division's second album, "Closer". After this, we swear we're going to cover something light hearted and joyful. Honestly, after a month of post-punk, we're all gonna need it. Listen as a young band hones their craft and zeros in on what it sounds like to be utterly hopeless. They make it hurt so good. Unsung blues pl…

The "High Priestess Of Punk" herself, and her Banshees released this post-punk masterpiece before there was even a word for it. Goth before it was a thing. Though not looked at as one of their "greatest" albums, we disagree. You can't listen to this album without hearing the future echoes of The Cure, Sleater Kinney, or Jane's Addiction. Also, we b…

Ffffffresh from 40+ years ago, we get into the Tubeway Army's second album, "Replicas". Synth-pop pioneers with a secret weapon. I can't keep a secret. This is Gary Numan's old band! Yes. THE Gary Numan. Philip K. Dick meets the guy that brought you "Cars". Think about it.By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

On The Next Episode... We travel back to 1983 to visit the juggernaut that was "Colour By Numbers" by Culture Club. After the drab 70's Boy George and Co. drop this explosion of Day-Glow soul/reggae/new wave greatness.By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

We have a guest this week! Holy crap! Please welcome Darcie Pfiefle into "Studio 117" as she helps us dissect and come to terms with Amy's final album. There will be laughs, tears, and genuine confusion. Enjoy.By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

Van Halen was poised to take over the world in late 1983. Eddie had just finished his new "5150" studio and was enjoying the creative freedoms that came with it. Alex had finally found that drum sound he'd been looking for. Dave was wondering if he needed these dudes at all. Last, but not least, Michael manages to get screwed over by EVERYBODY. End…

Do you love it when Van Halen does a cover song? Do you have sheep in need of hiding? Is 5150 Studio still technically a "racquetball court" in the eyes of the Los Angeles Permitting Department? We answered none of these questions but we tried really hard. In fact, I'd say we gave this episode the "Full Bug".…

This week, we get a little more familiar with Foreigner and their second album, "Double Vision". Well, we wanted to be down with this album so hard. In the end, were we? Check it and see.By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt

Well, well, well. Isn't this the episode we've all been waiting for? Hands down, our favorite Van Halen album unanimously. No shit. We named the show after it. Join us as we try to contain ourselves while gushing all over this record. Want fair and balanced coverage? Go somewhere else. We love this shit.…

We close out Black History Month with "The Voice" herself, Whitney Houston. 1987 was a great year for music. Probably because of this album. God save the "Queen".By Christopher Pfeifle, Jared Britt