Album Deep Dive

The Making of Shake Your Money Maker – A Rock Revival

The Making of Shake Your Money Maker – A Rock Revival

Neil Johnson 9 January 2025

Released on February 13, 1990, Shake Your Money Maker marked The Black Crowes' debut, blending blues and...

Adore: The Smashing Pumpkins’ Gothic Reinvention

Adore: The Smashing Pumpkins’ Gothic Reinvention

Neil Johnson 7 January 2025

In 1998, The Smashing Pumpkins released "Adore", showcasing a drastic shift towards electronic and gothic rock, reflecting...

The Downward Spiral: Nine Inch Nails’ Defining Album

The Downward Spiral: Nine Inch Nails’ Defining Album

Neil Johnson 7 January 2025

Released on 8 March 1994, Nine Inch Nails' Downward Spiral revolutionized industrial rock with its intense energy...

Machina: The Smashing Pumpkins’ Bold Return to Rock

Machina: The Smashing Pumpkins’ Bold Return to Rock

Chris Baldwin 7 January 2025

The Smashing Pumpkins' "Machina/The Machines of God," released in 2000, blends alternative rock with introspective themes, marking...

Recovering The Satellites: Counting Crows’ Introspective Journey

Recovering The Satellites: Counting Crows’ Introspective Journey

Neil Johnson 7 January 2025

Released in 1996, Counting Crows' "Recovering The Satellites" followed their debut, delving deeper into themes of success...

The Real Thing: Faith No More’s Genre-Defining Album

The Real Thing: Faith No More’s Genre-Defining Album

Neil Johnson 7 January 2025

Introduction Released on June 20, 1989, The Real Thing by Faith No More marked a pivotal moment...

Insomniac: Green Day’s Intense Punk Rock Evolution

Insomniac: Green Day’s Intense Punk Rock Evolution

Neil Johnson 6 January 2025

Green Day's "Insomniac," released on October 10, 1995, marked a significant evolution in the band's sound, showcasing...

August and Everything After: Counting Crows’ Timeless Debut

August and Everything After: Counting Crows’ Timeless Debut

Neil Johnson 5 January 2025

August and Everything After, released on September 14, 1993, by Counting Crows, significantly impacted alternative rock, merging...

Inside Odelay: Beck’s Innovative 90s Breakthrough

Inside Odelay: Beck’s Innovative 90s Breakthrough

Chris Baldwin 1 January 2025

Beck's "Odelay," released on June 18, 1996, is a seminal album in alternative music, known for its...

Podcast Episodes

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 a black shrink wrap hides the most emotional record in the rack

Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~101 minutes
Release: 12 January 2026

Episode Description

Neil and Chris dive into Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, a record that feels less like a set of songs and more like a single long thought, drifting through absence, grief, cynicism, and that hollow “where did you go?” ache. They start with the band’s post-Dark Side paralysis, the pressure to “do another one of those,” and how the confusion in Abbey Road slowly turned into something focused, human, and quietly devastating.

Along the way, the hosts bring it home, from Neil’s comfort ritual of a Pink Floyd bath when he’s ill, to Chris’s deep love of the album’s loneliness and sadness. They argue (gently) with the idea that it’s “just about Syd,” framing Syd instead as a catalyst for a wider theme, absence, and why the album keeps finding new meaning as you get older.

What You’ll Hear:

Why Wish You Were Here isn’t “tracks,” it’s an emotional arc
Post-Dark Side pressure, writers’ drift, and finding the idea through faffing about
The record-business bite of “Have a Cigar” and “Welcome to the Machine”
Hipgnosis artwork, black shrink wrap, and the album’s visual theme of absence
The band’s changing dynamic and why this is framed as the last fully collaborative Floyd album

Featured Tracks & Analysis:

The conversation spotlights the titanic bookends of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (including the iconic opening notes) and the emotional center, “Wish You Were Here”, praised for some of the most resonant lyrics in rock. Chris gets nerdy about the 12-string guitar and why the intro only feels “right” with those octave pairs, plus the radio concept and the surprise of alternate arrangements, including a violin-led version.

They also call out how synth textures shape the album more than you might remember, subtly shifting your “frequency” into the record’s world.

Tangential Gold:

Windows 95 launch nostalgia and iconic everyday “noise branding” detours
The must-play rule, hand someone a 12-string and they play “Wish You Were Here”
A deep cut on the Hipgnosis documentary Squaring the Circle
Noel Gallagher, opinions-on-sticks, and the fear of having an opinion in 2026
Teasing the next run, Metallica is coming, starting with Master of Puppets

Why This Matters:

Wish You Were Here captures a band at the height of success who still felt lost, and somehow turned that disorientation into a record that listeners keep using as a mirror. Neil and Chris unpack how the album’s “too long” pieces become necessary space, letting emotions unfold rather than being packaged into tidy singles.

Perfect for: listeners who love classic album deep-dives, studio stories, lyric meaning, and thoughtful detours that still circle back to the music.