Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums

The Making of Powertrippin by The Almighty

The Making of Powertrippin by The Almighty

Neil Johnson 4 May 2025

Powertrippin’ by The Almighty: The Full Story Sometimes an album lands at just the right moment. In...

UNATØNED by Machine Head – album review

UNATØNED by Machine Head – album review

Neil Johnson 2 May 2025

Monster Shop Score: 75/100 Machine Head’s eleventh album, UNATØNED, is a lean, urgent blast of modern metal...

A Complete History of Rage Against the Machine

A Complete History of Rage Against the Machine

Neil Johnson 23 April 2025

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine is a story of political fervour, musical innovation, and...

Blind Melon by Blind Melon: The Story Behind a Timeless Alternative Classic 8902_album_art

Blind Melon by Blind Melon: The Story Behind a Timeless Alternative Classic

Neil Johnson 20 April 2025

Introduction Some albums define an era, but few do it with the raw honesty and spirit found...

The Making of Diver Down by Van Halen 3604_album_art

The Making of Diver Down by Van Halen

Neil Johnson 19 April 2025

Van Halen’s Diver Down: The Making of a Maverick Rock Album Some albums are born from years...

The Making of The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones 8585_album_art

The Making of The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones

Neil Johnson 18 April 2025

The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones: The Birth of a Rock Legacy Step into the heart...

The Making of Alice in Hell by Annihilator

The Making of Alice in Hell by Annihilator

Neil Johnson 17 April 2025

Alice in Hell by Annihilator: The Story Behind a Thrash Metal Landmark Few albums in metal history...

The Making of Fear of a Blank Planet by Porcupine Tree

The Making of Fear of a Blank Planet by Porcupine Tree

Neil Johnson 16 April 2025

Fear of a Blank Planet by Porcupine Tree: A Definitive Guide Some albums define a generation. Few...

The Making of Pure by 3 Colours Red

The Making of Pure by 3 Colours Red

Neil Johnson 16 April 2025

Pure by 3 Colours Red: The Definitive Story of a Britrock Landmark Few albums from the 1990s...

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.