Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums

Led Zeppelin IV: Crafting a Rock Legend

Led Zeppelin IV: Crafting a Rock Legend

Neil Johnson 11 January 2025

Introduction Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album, often referred to as “Led Zeppelin IV,” stands as a monumental...

The Making of Superstar Car Wash: Goo Goo Dolls’ Breakthrough

The Making of Superstar Car Wash: Goo Goo Dolls’ Breakthrough

Neil Johnson 10 January 2025

Introduction Some albums act as crossroads for bands, shaping not only their own future but the wider...

The Making of Shake Your Money Maker – A Rock Revival 8421_album_art

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...

Dark Matter by Pearl Jam – album review album_cover

Dark Matter by Pearl Jam – album review

Neil Johnson 9 January 2025

Pearl Jam's twelfth studio album, Dark Matter, released on April 19, 2024, scores 88/100. It reflects the...

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 Legacy of the MPC: Transforming Music Production

The Legacy of the MPC: Transforming Music Production

Neil Johnson 7 January 2025

The MPC (Music Production Center), created by Akai Professional in the late 1980s, revolutionized music production and...

Podcast Episodes

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast

Welcome to Riffology, where a GenX and a Millennial talk about the albums from their youth. It’s more fun than it sounds…

In this instalment of Riffology, Chris arrives early and fully prepared, a development so shocking that Neil repeatedly checks he hasn’t fallen into a parallel universe. They introduce Stereophonics’ second LP Performance and Cocktails, whose title came from a business card handed to the band at the bizarre New York club Shine – a haunt featuring trapeze artists wearing pig’s‑heads. Chris describes the record as a “comfort blanket” and the pair recall it being one of the touchstones of their school‑days, along with Eels and NOFX. They also reminisce about making tape‑deck radio shows as teenagers, a hobby that foreshadowed their current podcast.

Neil makes the case that Performance and Cocktails is “one of the greatest sounding records.” It is both huge and warm, can be cranked up in a car yet still reveals breathy nuance through headphones, and somehow remains coherent despite being recorded in multiple studios. The album was released on Richard Branson’s V2 label, runs a lean 50 minutes with thirteen tracks, and was produced by Steve Bush and Marshall Bird. It sold 1.7 million copies even as Napster ushered in the age of free downloads and propelled the Welsh trio from club dates to arenas. The hosts note how Kelly Jones’ gritty vocals, Richard Jones’ bass and Stuart Cable’s drumming are augmented by producer Marshall Bird’s keyboards and Astrid’s backing vocals. They also relay how Scarlet Page shot the cover photograph beneath London’s Westway, with model Lucy Joplin posing after a long night of absinthe and opium.

As usual, the conversation meanders. Between facts, Chris and Neil ponder why Radio 2 suddenly plays Ozzy Osbourne, debate whether “post‑Britpop” is an actual genre, and recall how Napster made everyone stop paying for music. A mid‑show tangent sees them visit York’s Jorvik Viking Centre to admire a fossilised human poo in a glass cabinet and discuss the educational merits of taking their children to train museums. Later they imagine a future AI scraping their podcast and mistaking their nonsense for historical fact. The episode ends with some gentle ribbing about their blog, the smell of the Northern Line and whether the Hyperloop will ever rival 1990s tilt‑trains. Dry humour and affectionate digressions keep the tone light while the hosts’ admiration for the album remains clear.