Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums

The Making of Slippery When Wet – Bon Jovi’s Breakthrough

Neil Johnson 12 November 2024

In 1986, Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet" marked a pivotal moment in rock music, launching the band...

Inside ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ – Alice Cooper’s Iconic Album

Neil Johnson 11 November 2024

Alice Cooper's "Welcome To My Nightmare," released on February 28, 1975, marks his solo debut, blending hard...

Exploring the Innovation of Houses of the Holy Houses of the Holy (Remaster)

Exploring the Innovation of Houses of the Holy

Neil Johnson 11 November 2024

Led Zeppelin's "Houses of the Holy," released in 1973, showcases the band's innovative blend of hard rock...

The Making of Rock and Roll Over – Kiss’s Raw Revival

Neil Johnson 11 November 2024

"Rock and Roll Over" by Kiss, released in 1976, returned the band to their hard rock roots...

Dance With The Devil by Delain – EP review

Dance With The Devil by Delain – EP review

Neil Johnson 8 November 2024

Delain's Dance with the Devil EP, released on November 8, 2024, showcases their symphonic metal evolution with...

Pink Floyd’s The Wall: An Epic Rock Opera Explored

Pink Floyd’s The Wall: An Epic Rock Opera Explored

Neil Johnson 6 November 2024

Pink Floyd's "The Wall," released on November 30, 1979, is a groundbreaking rock opera that deeply explores...

The Making of Vitalogy: Pearl Jam’s Evolution

Neil Johnson 3 November 2024

Pearl Jam's "Vitalogy," released on November 22, 1994, marks a crucial phase in the band's evolution amidst...

Exhibition Of Prowess by Kublai Khan TX – album review

Neil Johnson 1 November 2024

Kublai Khan TX's album "Exhibition Of Prowess," released on September 20, 2024, showcases their intense metalcore style...

Decoding Tool’s 10,000 Days: A Progressive Metal Odyssey

Neil Johnson 1 November 2024

"10,000 Days," released by Tool on May 2, 2006, is a pivotal progressive metal album that solidified...

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.