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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

00:30:43

1968 - August: The Jeff Beck Group “Truth”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/05/16

Jeff Beck left the Yardbirds in 1966, and recorded several singles in 1967. In 1968 Beck released his first solo studio album, Truth, which would come to be regarded as one of the first heavy metal albums released. It would also feature a number of talented artists in his band called The Jeff Beck Group, including Rod Stewart on vocals, Ronnie Wood on bass, and Mickey Waller on drums, all of which would go on to achieve stardom as rock soloists and/or musicians in other groups.Beck started this

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00:38:56

1979 — July: The Kinks “Low Budget”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/05/09

Their eighteenth studio album found The Kinks moving in a different direction than many previous albums. Low Budget would address many contemporary issues in song, rather than the subtle pieces and nostalgia found on earlier albums. The Kinks also recorded much of the album in New York rather than London. The result charted well in the United States, reaching number 11 on the Billboard 200. It did not do well in their native Britain.The band members of The Kinks for this album were Ray Davies on

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00:40:22

1984 - July: Nik Kershaw “Human Racing”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/05/02

Nik Kershaw's debut studio album, Human Racing, would also be his most commercially successful album. He would find more popularity in the UK where his album hit number 3 on the album charts than in the United States, where it would appear at number 70 on the Billboard 200. Kershaw wrote all the songs, performed lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, and percussion. Other personnel on the album would include Paul "Wix" Wickens on keyboards, Charlie Morgan on drums, and a slew of

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00:41:46

1977 - December: Jackson Browne “Running On Empty”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/04/25

Running on Empty was the fifth album by Jackson Browne. The album revolves around the theme of life on the road, and it is a live album, but with a couple of twists. First, none of these tracks had previously appeared on a Jackson Browne studio album. Second, while some of the songs were recorded on stage during concerts, others were recorded backstage, or in hotel rooms, or on the tour bus. This gives the album more of a concept feel than would be present for a typical "live" album.Browne got

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00:41:51

1993 - October: Cracker “Kerosene Hat”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/04/18

The California band Cracker would have its greatest success with its second studio album, Kerosene Hat. Cracker is David Lowery on lead vocals and guitar, Johnny Hickman on lead guitar and vocals, Davey Faragher on bass and vocals, and Michael Urbano on drums. The name of the album comes from a time when Lowery and Hickman lived together in an old run-down house whose only heat source was a pair of kerosene heaters. They had to walk to a nearby gas station to buy more kerosene and would bundle up

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00:44:02

1988 - March: Robert Plant “Now and Zen”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/04/11

If Now and Zen, the fourth studio album by Robert Plant, sounds like Led Zeppelin, there's more reason for that than just the fact that Plant was the lead singer for the band. In addition to continuing use of computerized technology in the album, Plant also incorporated more blues and Middle Eastern elements into his music. He also had his Led Zeppelin band mate Jimmy Page contributing guitar to a couple of tracks.Plant wanted to create an album that created electronic music with a more soulful

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00:43:42

1986 - November: Paul Simon “Graceland”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/04/04

Paul Simon was in a slump in the early 80's. His relationship with Art Garfunkel was at a low point, he was recently divorced from his second wife, Carrie Fisher, and his 1983 album “Hearts and Bones” was considered a commercial failure. This album would change his fortunes. Graceland would become his highest charting album in over a decade, his most successful studio album, and would win the 1987 Grammy for Album of the Year. Simon lived next door to Lorne Michaels, creator of Saturday Night

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00:47:50

1971 - February: Yes “The Yes Album” Episode 200!

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/03/28

It's our 200th episode! And to celebrate, we are going to cover a group we reference frequently in other episodes - “all roads lead to Yes.” The third studio album by Yes was simply entitled The Yes Album, and it was both a critical success, and a much-needed commercial breakthrough, hitting number 40 on the US album charts. It was the first album not to contain any cover songs, and was also the first album to feature guitarist Steve Howe in the group. This iteration of Yes consisted of Jon

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00:37:22

1979 — May: Blackfoot “Strikes”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/03/21

While they may hail from Jacksonville, Florida, the southern rock group Blackfoot gets its name from the Native American tribe in recognition of the Native American heritage of multiple members of the band. Strikes was their third studio album, and would go Platinum. Blackfoot is Rickey Medlocke on lead vocals and guitar, Charlie Hargrett on guitar, Greg T. Walker on bass, keyboards, and vocals, and Jakson Spires on percussion and vocals. Rickey Medlocke was an early member of Lynyrd Skynyrd

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00:32:40

1967 - February: Cream "Fresh Cream"

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/03/14

British rock supergroup Cream debuted their first studio album entitled Fresh Cream in January 1967 in the United States, following the December 1966 British release. Eric Clapton was on guitar and vocals, Jack Bruce was on bass, harmonica, piano, and vocals, and Ginger Baker was on percussion and vocals. Clapton had come out of the Yardbirds, and both Baker and Bruce had been in the Graham Bond Organisation together. Ginger Baker approached Clapton about joining a new band, and Clapton agreed

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00:38:34

1993 - November: Pearl Jam “Vs.”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/03/07

It is no surprise that Pearl Jam was under intense pressure to follow up their debut album "Ten" with another success. What may be surprising is that the band's second studio album, Vs. (pronounced "versus") did indeed live up to the success for their debut. Vs. started at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart, sold almost a million copies in its first five days, and in its first week outperformed all other albums in the top 10 combined.Pearl Jam did a number of things differently with this

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00:26:27

1966 - November: Simon & Garfunkel "Parsley, Sage,...

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/02/28

Many consider Simon & Garfunkel's third studio album to be the breakthrough album. The tracks on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme were written primarily by Paul Simon during his time as a visitor in England in the prior year. The songs maintain the folk feel of previous albums, and are heavily tilted towards acoustic instrumentation. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel met in elementary school in Queens, New York, in 1953. They had their first minor hit as teenagers in 1957 under the stage name Tom

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00:36:59

1984 - August: The Alarm "Declaration"

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/02/21

Welsh band The Alarm formed in 1981 out of a previous punk band called The Toilets. After extensive touring, the band would release their debut studio album entitled Declaration — released in February 1984 in vinyl and cassette, and the release on then-new compact disc (CD) format was in June of 1984. The album was on the charts in August when we feature it.The band consisted of Mike Peters on lead vocals, harmonica, and acoustic guitar, Dave Sharp on backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars,

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00:43:50

1990 - February: Damn Yankees “Damn Yankees”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/02/14

Damn Yankees is the debut album from the supergroup of the same name. Damn Yankees features Tommy Shaw of Styx on guitars and vocals, Jack Blades from Night Ranger is on bass and vocals, Ted Nugent is on guitars and vocals, and Michael Cartellone is on percussion and vocals. Cartellone was a relative unknown musician at the time, but he is now playing drums for the band Lynyrd Skynyrd. A&R's John Kalodner is credited with getting the band together. At the time Shaw was in and out of Styx, Blades

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00:27:50

1965 - July: The Supremes “More Hits by The Supremes”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/02/07

More Hits by the Supremes is the sixth studio album by Motown's all female group, The Supremes. The album is composed largely of songs already released as singles and their B-sides.The group was composed of vocalists Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard, and Diana Ross. The group was renamed Diana Ross & the Supremes in 1967, but at this time they were still known as The Supremes. Originally formed in 1959 as The Primettes after being introduced to Berry Gordy by Smoky Robinson, the group began as a

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00:38:58

1982 - November: Missing Persons "Spring Session M"

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/01/31

One of the staple groups of the early 80's New Wave genre was Missing Persons. Their debut album with Capital Records was Spring Session M, an anagram of the band's name.The founding trio was vocalist Dale Bozzio, drummer (and Dale's husband) Terry Bozzio, and guitarist Warren Cuchunullo. The Bozzio's were working with Frank Zappa and met Cuchunullo when he contributed to a Zappa album. The trio worked with session musicians, created an EP, and established a successful presence in Los Angeles

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00:33:12

1971 - January: Janis Joplin "Pearl"

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/01/24

Texas born Janis Joplin died on October 4, 1970, and Pearl was posthumously released in January. Producer Paul A. Rothchild created a more polished sound on this album than her previous solo work or her work with other bands. The Full Tilt Boogie Band, Joplin's touring band at the time, also participated in this studio album. It would be her best selling album, peaking at number 1 on the Billboard 200, and being certified quadruple platinum.After leaving Big Brother and the Holding Company at the

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00:45:15

1986 - September: Bon Jovi “Slippery When Wet”

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/01/17

This is the album that turned heavy metal into pop, or started the hair metal genre of the 80's. Slippery When Wet was the third studio album by Bon Jovi, and would be their best selling album to date.The band was David Bryan on keyboards, Tico Torres on percussion, Alec John Such on bass, Richie Sambora on guitar, and Jon Bon Jovi on lead vocals and rhythm guitar.Bon Jovi deliberately targeted a mainstream audience with this album. They wrote 30 songs and auditioned them to teenagers in New York

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00:33:21

1967 - October: Buffalo Springfield “Buffalo...

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/01/10

Buffalo Springfield was a fusion of Canadian and American musicians, and was also a fusion of folk, country, and psychedelic rock. The band lineup included Canadians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin, and Americans Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. While their debut album was recorded quickly, their second album, Buffalo Springfield Again, would be recorded over a period of nine months. This was due to Young frequently departing from the band, and to bassist Bruce Palmer being deported

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00:40:46

1979 - August: The Eagles "The Long Run"

What the Riff Next Gen ·

2022/01/03

The pressure on the Eagles to create an album to follow up their 1976 masterpiece "Hotel California" was intense, and it took 18 months and five different studios to produce The Long Run. This was their sixth studio album, and their last album before thier 14-year hiatus. It would mark the introduction of Timothy B. Schmit to the band, who took over bass and high vocal duties from the departing founder, Randy Meisner.The Long Run was originally intended to be a double album, but the band just

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