Skip to content

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums

Uncover the details behind the most iconic albums ever recorded.

Primary Menu
  • Home
  • About Riffology
  • LastFM Collage Builder
  • Riffology Podcast
  • MP3 Converter
Meteora: Linkin Park’s Iconic Album Unveiled Meteora (Bonus Edition)
8 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Meteora: Linkin Park’s Iconic Album Unveiled

Neil Johnson 28 September 2024
Introduction Linkin Park’s “Meteora” stands as a defining moment in the early 2000s rock landscape. Released on...
Read More Read more about Meteora: Linkin Park’s Iconic Album Unveiled
The Evolution of Living Things: Linkin Park’s 2012 Triumph LIVING THINGS
8 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Evolution of Living Things: Linkin Park’s 2012 Triumph

Neil Johnson 28 September 2024
Introduction Linkin Park’s fifth studio album, Living Things, released in 2012, marks a significant evolution in the...
Read More Read more about The Evolution of Living Things: Linkin Park’s 2012 Triumph
Anthems of Rebellion: Arch Enemy’s Melodic Metal Evolution Anthems of Rebellion
7 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Anthems of Rebellion: Arch Enemy’s Melodic Metal Evolution

Neil Johnson 28 September 2024
Introduction Released on August 25, 2003, Anthems of Rebellion by Arch Enemy marked a pivotal moment in...
Read More Read more about Anthems of Rebellion: Arch Enemy’s Melodic Metal Evolution
Unveiling the Impact of Gojira’s From Mars to Sirius From Mars to Sirius
7 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Unveiling the Impact of Gojira’s From Mars to Sirius

Neil Johnson 27 September 2024
Introduction In the vast landscape of heavy metal, few albums have made as significant an impact as...
Read More Read more about Unveiling the Impact of Gojira’s From Mars to Sirius
Rammstein’s Reise, Reise: A Journey Through Industrial Metal Reise, Reise
8 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Rammstein’s Reise, Reise: A Journey Through Industrial Metal

Neil Johnson 27 September 2024
Introduction In the landscape of industrial metal, few albums stand as tall as Rammstein’s Reise, Reise. Released...
Read More Read more about Rammstein’s Reise, Reise: A Journey Through Industrial Metal
The Making of Divine Intervention: Slayer’s Thrash Triumph Divine Intervention
10 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Making of Divine Intervention: Slayer’s Thrash Triumph

Neil Johnson 27 September 2024
Introduction In the mid-1990s, as the musical landscape was being reshaped by the rise of grunge and...
Read More Read more about The Making of Divine Intervention: Slayer’s Thrash Triumph
The Headless Children: W.A.S.P.’s Evolutionary Leap The Headless Children
9 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Headless Children: W.A.S.P.’s Evolutionary Leap

Neil Johnson 26 September 2024
Introduction Released in April 1989, The Headless Children by W.A.S.P. stands as a pivotal moment in the...
Read More Read more about The Headless Children: W.A.S.P.’s Evolutionary Leap
Inside Entombed’s ‘Clandestine’: A Metal Evolution Clandestine
10 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Inside Entombed’s ‘Clandestine’: A Metal Evolution

Neil Johnson 25 September 2024
Introduction In the vibrant landscape of early 1990s death metal, few albums have left as indelible a...
Read More Read more about Inside Entombed’s ‘Clandestine’: A Metal Evolution
The Making of Left Hand Path – Entombed’s Death Metal Icon Left Hand Path
8 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Making of Left Hand Path – Entombed’s Death Metal Icon

Neil Johnson 25 September 2024
Entombed's "Left Hand Path," released on June 4, 1990, is a landmark album in death metal, pioneering...
Read More Read more about The Making of Left Hand Path – Entombed’s Death Metal Icon

Posts pagination

Previous 1 … 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 … 31 Next

Podcast Episodes

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast
Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast

Welcome to Riffology, where a GenX and a Millennial talk about the albums from their youth. Itโ€™s more fun than it soundsโ€ฆ

RIFF068 – Hole – Live Through This
byRiffology

<![CDATA[

Hole โ€” Live Through This (1994)

Noise made human: sharp guitars, cracked-glass vocals, and songs that refuse to sand down the splinters. In this episode we unpack how Live Through This became both a blistering rock record and a time capsule of messy, real-life urgency.

The big picture

  • Why this album still feels dangerous: melody with teeth, beauty with bite.
  • Olympia-to-LA-to-Marietta roots and attitudes โ€” riot grrrl tension meets major-label machinery.
  • Courtney Loveโ€™s performance as intent, not accident: keep the cracks in.

What we cover

  • Recording sprint: tracked in 23 days at Triclops Sound Studios (Marietta, GA), with a live-to-tape energy.
  • Vocals with scars: a dozen-plus passes per song, but the imperfections stay โ€” including the famous voice break in โ€œDoll Parts.โ€
  • Cobainโ€™s cameo: backing vocals on โ€œAsking for Itโ€ and โ€œSofter, Softest,โ€ and why that detail got louder after his death.
  • Cover art, on purpose: Ellen von Unwerthโ€™s prom-queen shot (model Leilani Bishop) โ€” conceived and driven by Love.
  • DGC vs Geffen: what the indie-adjacent major imprint meant in the 90s (think Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Weezer, Beck, Counting Crows).
  • โ€œRock Starโ€ vs โ€œOlympiaโ€: the notorious DAT swap that left the track list and the audio mismatched โ€” and how the band treated the actual โ€œRock Starโ€ live.
  • Kristen Pfaff: her locked-in bass feel on the record, the tragedy that followed its release, and the pause before the band returned.

Why it still matters

  • Precision without polish: performances that breathe and bruise.
  • Hooks under pressure: pop instincts framed by claustrophobic mix choices that reward volume.
  • Cultural afterlife: songs that kept turning up in film and TV, proof the edges cut through.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 โ€” Cold open & why this album still stings
  • 02:54 โ€” โ€œRock Starโ€ vs โ€œOlympiaโ€ โ€” the title/track mix-up
  • 05:20 โ€” DGC vs Geffen โ€” who was on the roster and why it mattered
  • 48:58 โ€” 23 days at Triclops Sound โ€” capturing the fast, live feel
  • 49:33 โ€” Dozen-take vocals & keeping the cracks
  • 49:53 โ€” Geffen wanted the โ€œDoll Partsโ€ voice break smoothed โ€” it stayed
  • 50:05 โ€” Cobain drops by: โ€œAsking for Itโ€ & โ€œSofter, Softestโ€
  • 50:36 โ€” Ellen von Unwerthโ€™s prom-queen cover (Leilani Bishop)
  • 53:41 โ€” โ€œRock Starโ€ listed, โ€œOlympiaโ€ on disc โ€” the DAT snafu
  • 54:33 โ€” Kristen Pfaff โ€” playing, loss, and the bandโ€™s pause

Turn it up โ€” this one rewards volume.

You can find us here:

  • Blog: https://riffology.co
  • All Episodes: https://riffology.co/podcast
  • iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-riffology-iconic-rock-alb-176865775
  • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/riffology-iconic-rock-albums-podcast/id1691556696
  • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1LIU9mein7QMw346q20nyy
  • X: https://x.com/RiffologyPod
  • Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/riffology.co
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riffology
  • Email: [email protected]

]]>

RIFF068 – Hole – Live Through This
Episode play icon
RIFF068 – Hole – Live Through This
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF067 – Tool – Undertow
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF066 – A Perfect Circle – Mer De Noms
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF065 – Deftones – White Pony
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF064 – Anthrax – Sound of White Noise
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF063 – Anthrax – Persistence of Time
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF062 – Soulfly – Soulfly
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF061 – Sepultura – Beneath the Remains
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF060 – Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters
Episode Description
Episode play icon
RIFF059 – Stereophonics – Performance and Cocktails
Episode Description
Search Results placeholder

Mailing List

  • The Making of Rumours by Fleetwood Mac - Monday 27th January 2025

1975 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 2024 2025 Alice in Chains Anthrax Entombed Green Day Iron Maiden Korn Led Zeppelin Linkin Park Megadeth Metallica Nirvana Ozzy Osbourne Pantera Pearl Jam Pink Floyd Podcast Queensrรฟche Radiohead Sepultura Slayer Slipknot The Smashing Pumpkins Tool

Archives

  • October 2025
  • September 2025
  • August 2025
  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024

Categories

  • Album Deep Dive
  • Feature
  • News
  • Podcasts
  • Review
  • Tech

You may have missed

Live Through This
8 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Making of Live Through This by Hole

Neil Johnson 27 October 2025
61cFjl8EwAL._UF894,1000_QL80_
5 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

A deep dive into Doolittle by Pixies

Neil Johnson 27 October 2025
tmpcn7rfxas
5 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Para Bellum by Testament – album review

Neil Johnson 13 October 2025
Undertow album cover by Tool
21 min read
  • Album Deep Dive
  • Podcasts

Undertow: Tool’s Breakthrough Album Unveiled

Neil Johnson 5 October 2025
  • X
  • Blue Sky
  • Facebook
  • IG
  • Discord
  • Apple
  • Spotify
Copyright © All rights reserved. | MoreNews by AF themes.