About Riffology

(previously known as The Monster Shop, previously known as The Doghouse)

Welcome to Riffology, you’re probably wondering what’s going on and why all of this stuff is here? Well, let me tell you a story…

In the beginning there was a local radio show called The Doghouse on Derby Sound Community Radio. Chris and Neil played banging rock and metal tunes that virtually nobody heard but they had a bloody great time doing it all the same. After a while, Chris and Neil decided they wanted to branch out a little and so created a new show on Spotify called The Monster Shop. This didn’t have any of the constraints of local radio, they could play what they liked, the shows could be as long or short as they liked and they didn’t need a music license because of Spotify’s awesome music+talk concept. Happy days…

Just as the boys were settling into their new home on Spotify, the suits in charge at Spotify decided that they needed to make more money and music+talk was too expensive, so they were going to close it down. Bad times…

Undeterred the boys decided to venture into the world of podcasting and setup the Hopeland podcast, which was nothing to do with Music at all and would be a clean break. They got bored of this quite quickly and realised that they could do a podcast show about the Rock albums that they loved. So, that’s what they did and the Monster Shop was born again as a podcast. Happy days…

Until Meta and Google algorithms got confused about what The Monster Shop was, Meta would routinely limit our accounts for going against their community standards by trying to sell people things by deception (we’ve never had a store) and Google never really understood and so didn’t send any traffic. Which mean’t nobody could find the show. Then, one frosty morning, the boys had the idea of Riffology, it would be exactly the same as The Monster Shop but hopefully Meta and Google wouldn’t get so confused. Happy days!

And this dear reader, is where you find us today. What? I didn’t explain why there are hundreds of blog posts about iconic albums here? Well, the story behind those is much simpler. Neil loves facts and has a tiny memory and so way back from the Doghouse days he used to write a sheet about the artists and albums that were being played on each show so he could entertain listeners with interesting facts. This obsession with ‘the sheet’ grew throughout the history of the show until Neil decided it would be easier just to dump them in a blog rather than just write them up and delete them every week. This site is basically that brain-dump of information about albums we’ve either covered on the podcast or have talked about covering.

Who are Chris and Neil?

Neil Johnson – A metalhead at heart, Neil was born in the 70s and loves everything metal has brought with it, from hair to extreme death. By day, he works in IT, but his true passion lies in the music he listens to daily.

Chris Baldwin – An alt rock pop punk fan, Chris was born in the 80s and plays every instrument known to man. He’s been somehow involved with every band within a 100-mile radius of the studio in Swadlincote and has heard things you wouldn’t believe.

Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to these genres, our podcast offers an engaging and insightful journey through the music that defines generations.

If you liked any of the content on the site, or you’re just curious, the last few podcast episodes are here:

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast

Remember when payday meant choosing which CD or vinyl you were blowing it on? Standing in HMV doing the mental maths, convincing yourself two albums was basically essential. Riffology is Neil and Chris chasing that feeling again, one classic record at a time.

This is a show about the albums that raised us —
Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Motley Crue, Def Leppard,
Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Pink Floyd, Radiohead,
Skunk Anansie, Gojira, Soulfly and the rest.
If it’s 25+ years old, loud and iconic, we’re in.

Each episode is two Gen X mates diving into studio sessions, producer chaos and band drama plus the joy of taped-over cassettes, dodgy car stereos and sitting on the floor with a record sleeve.

We nerd out when we should: Albini vs Vig, room-miked vs close-miked,
Neve consoles, dynamic-range disasters and those “how did this get approved?” moments.

If you grew up when albums were events, this is your place. Some weeks it’s an old favourite; other weeks it’s something you abandoned in ’94. Either way, Riffology’s here to talk rubbish, tell stories and remind you why these records mattered.

When Buffalo’s Best Kept Secret Finally Got Its Name Called

Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~95 minutes
Release: Not scheduled

Episode Description

Neil and Chris dive into A Boy Named Goo by the Goo Goo Dolls, the 1995 album that sold two million copies in the US, made absolutely no impression on the UK charts, and somehow still managed to leave most people unaware it existed. This is the record that contains Name, the song that accidentally became a hit when KROQ radio put it on rotation mid-way through filming a completely different music video. The band had to drop everything and rush out a new video instead. Classic.

Neil makes no secret of his deep affection for this era of the Goo Goo Dolls, insisting that this album and its predecessor Superstar Car Wash represent two of the greatest guitar records most people have never heard. Chris, who was firmly in Offspring and Green Day territory when this came out, admits he’s surprised he missed it entirely at the time. The album sits right at the pivot point where John Rzeznik’s pop songwriting instincts were starting to surface beneath a still-scrappy, punky exterior, and both hosts find that tension genuinely compelling.

There’s also the grim business reality behind the record. Despite the album’s success, the band received essentially nothing due to a punishing Metal Blade contract that swallowed royalties and charged studio costs back to the band. They ended up touring relentlessly with Bush and No Doubt just to cover their legal bills while fighting to get out of the deal.

What You’ll Hear:

The story of how Name became a hit almost by accident, and why nobody expected it
Why the final two tracks feel like they belong on a different album entirely (they were last-minute covers added after the drummer quit over a royalties dispute)
The Metal Blade contract breakdown and how a multi-million selling album paid the band virtually nothing
Neil’s ongoing quest to find a reasonably priced vinyl copy of this album (currently running at 330 Canadian dollars plus shipping)
The Britpop context that explains why this passed the UK by completely

Featured Tracks & Analysis:

The hosts spend time with Name, breaking down its unusual guitar tuning where Rzeznik replaces the B string with a second high E string to stop it snapping under the tension of the open tuning. The track was written about MTV host Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, who Rzeznik found genuinely inspiring. Naked also gets attention, with both hosts flagging it as a standout alongside Name. The production throughout, handled by Lou Giordano of the Fort Apache Boston scene, gets praise for keeping genuine rough edges while still sounding considered.

Tangential Gold:

Neil discovers his old car has a CD slot with a glovebox groove perfectly sized for a disc, which he considers an engineering triumph
A detour into Commodore 64 copy protection, cassette tape counter numbers, and Monkey Island’s eleven floppy disks
Neil’s ill-fated attempt to steal a sunflower from a field and the domestic fallout that followed
A preview of next week’s Matchbox 20 episode, including the story of how the album nearly came out under the name The Woodshed Diaries

Why This Matters:

A Boy Named Goo sits in a strange blind spot in music history. Too polished for the band’s original punk fanbase, not yet famous enough for the Iris crowd, it was heard mostly by people who stumbled across it sideways. Neil’s argument throughout is simple: the songwriting is exceptional, the production has aged remarkably well, and this record deserves far more attention