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PODCAST

What the Riff Next Gen

Rob Marbury, Wayne Rowan, Bruce Fricks, John Lynch

Every episode of “WHAT THE RIFF NEXT GEN” brings a ROCK AND ROLL album that debuted on the U.S. Billboard charts during a random month between 1995 and 2005. Four Classic Rock fans discuss the artist and 4 tracks from the album as it plays in the background. Then we riff on 3 additional “staff picks” of other artists that were also on the charts during that month and year. You’ll hear Classic Rock bands that were still producing new work, as well as some newer Alternative and Grunge bands that were

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All Episodes

00:46:53

1992 - August: Eric Clapton "Unplugged"

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/04/15

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 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Unplugged was recorded in front of an audience at Bray Studios in England for the "MTV Unplugged" series

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00:42:09

1985 - October: Scorpions "World Wide Live"

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/04/08

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 percussion. By the time that the live album entitled World Wide Live came out in 1985, the group had established itself as an international commercial

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00:36:36

1978 - December: The Doobie Brothers “Minute By...

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/04/01

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 Johnston, who was having health problems at the time. Over the following years, Johnston would have less influence as he neared retirement from the group

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00:42:36

1989 - July: The B-52's “Cosmic Thing”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/03/25

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 stations outside of their home state. Cosmic Thing would really put the group on the map nationally and internationally.This album was also a comeback for

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00:27:26

1969 - October: Johnny Cash “Original Golden Hits,...

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/03/18

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 original label, Sun Records, back in 1958. However, he had left an extensive catalogue of songs with Sam Phillips at Sun. Given his success and the

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00:36:17

1979 - June: Journey “Evolution”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/03/11

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 album Evolution is Journey's fifth studio album. Here we find Steve Perry settling in as front man while still sharing lead vocal duties with

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00:43:49

1982 - February: Duran Duran "Rio"

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/03/04

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 their self-titled debut album in 1981, and expectations were high for the group. Rio would find the band leaning heavily on upbeat tracks, a couple of

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00:41:17

1979 - February: “Saturday Night Fever” Soundtrack

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/02/26

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 February 1979, one of only three soundtrack albums to do so. Composed by the Bee Gees and prominently featuring that band, this soundtrack is the

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00:30:47

1970 - October: Three Dog Night “Naturally”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/02/19

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 for this album are Mike Allsup on guitar, Joe Schermie on bass, Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards, and Floyd Sneed on drums. All of the instrumentalists in

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00:41:55

1975 - October: E.L.O. “Face the Music”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/02/12

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 Beatles left off." He recruited Lynne to the cause in 1970. Wood would leave the band in 1972 at which point Lynne would be the leader of the band,

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00:37:41

1985 - August: R.E.M. “Fables of the Reconstruction”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/02/05

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 and a bit more experimentation with their third studio album, Fables of the Reconstruction.The album actually has two names, as "Fables of the

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00:44:44

1985 - April: Toto “Toto IV”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/01/29

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, and the album would achieve triple Platinum status as it became known as one of the best albums of the year. Critically, the group would earn six Grammy

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00:39:17

1993 - April: Porno for Pyros “Porno for Pyros”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/01/22

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. The inspiration for the band's name came from a fireworks advertisement that Perry Farrell saw in a pornographic magazine. Inspiration was also

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00:31:44

1967 - September: The Four Tops "Reach Out"

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/01/15

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 Pershing High School and would remain in the same lineup as the Four Tops from 1953 through 1997.The quartet signed to Chess Records in 1956, but did

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00:34:30

1970 - July: Crabby Appleton “Crabby Appleton”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/01/08

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, Jim Morrison, Carole King, and Jackson Browne. The group gets its name from a character on the late 50's cartoon series Tom Terrific, which was a part

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00:44:00

1993 - December: Ian Moore “Ian Moore”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2024/01/01

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 blues genre, however, from Curtis Mayfield to Stevie Wonder, and from Sly & the Family Stone to the Rolling Stones. Moore's debut album is based in

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00:40:03

1983 - July: The Police "Synchronicity"

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2023/12/25

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 Machine,” the Police's previous album, Synchronicity drew its name from the works of Artheur Koestler, an author of whom Sting was an avid reader

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00:34:24

1974 - November: Linda Ronstadt "Heart Like a Wheel"

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2023/12/18

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 to the first "arena class" female rock star.Linda Maria Ronstadt is the third of four children born to a family of Mexican and German descent and a

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00:41:06

1983 - September: Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams (Are...

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2023/12/11

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 in 1980. While their first album, “In the Garden,” was not a commercial success, they exploded in popularity with their second studio album, Sweet

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00:43:23

Christmas Songs that Rock part VI

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2023/12/04

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 SteamrollerMannheim Steamroller covers a Ukrainian carol from 1922. They highlight a 3 against 2 polyrhythm that is present in the original song, and add a major key change that is not present in the original. This is off their second Christmas album released in 1988 entitled "A Fresh Aire Christmas." “O Come O

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