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The Making of Among the Living – Anthrax’s Iconic Album anthrax-among_the_living
16 minutes read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Making of Among the Living – Anthrax’s Iconic Album

Neil Johnson 13 August 2024 0
Released on March 16, 1987, Anthrax's "Among the Living" is a pivotal thrash metal album, cementing their...
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Ace Of Spades: The Album That Redefined Metal motรถrhead-ace_of_spades
10 minutes read
  • Album Deep Dive

Ace Of Spades: The Album That Redefined Metal

Neil Johnson 12 August 2024 1
Introduction In the annals of heavy metal history, few albums have left as indelible a mark as...
Read More Read more about Ace Of Spades: The Album That Redefined Metal
Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast: A Metal Landmark iron_maiden-the_number_of_the_beast_(2015_remaster)
17 minutes read
  • Album Deep Dive

Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast: A Metal Landmark

Neil Johnson 11 August 2024 0
Introduction In March 1982, Iron Maiden unleashed an album that would transform the face of heavy metal....
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Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: Smashing Pumpkins’ Ambitious Masterpiece the_smashing_pumpkins-mellon_collie_and_the_infinite_sadness_(remastered)
18 minutes read
  • Album Deep Dive

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: Smashing Pumpkins’ Ambitious Masterpiece

Neil Johnson 11 August 2024 1
Introduction On a chilly October day in 1995, The Smashing Pumpkins released an album that would shape...
Read More Read more about Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: Smashing Pumpkins’ Ambitious Masterpiece
Rust In Peace: Megadeth’s Defining Thrash Legacy megadeth-rust_in_peace
17 minutes read
  • Album Deep Dive

Rust In Peace: Megadeth’s Defining Thrash Legacy

Neil Johnson 11 August 2024 0
Introduction Every so often, an album emerges that reshapes the boundaries of its genre. In 1990, Rust...
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Reign In Blood: Slayer’s Game-Changing Album Explored slayer-reign_in_blood
18 minutes read
  • Album Deep Dive

Reign In Blood: Slayer’s Game-Changing Album Explored

Neil Johnson 11 August 2024 0
Introduction Every so often, an album comes along that doesnโ€™t just push boundaries but rips them apart....
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Master of Puppets: Unraveling Metallica’s Pivotal Album metallica-master_of_puppets_(remastered)
18 minutes read
  • Album Deep Dive

Master of Puppets: Unraveling Metallica’s Pivotal Album

Neil Johnson 10 August 2024 0
Released on March 3, 1986, Metallica's Master of Puppets is a seminal thrash metal album recognized for...
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Unveiling Megadeth’s Peace Sells: A Thrash Metal Revolution megadeth-peace_sells...but_who's_buying?_(expanded_edition_-_remastered)
10 minutes read
  • Album Deep Dive

Unveiling Megadeth’s Peace Sells: A Thrash Metal Revolution

Neil Johnson 10 August 2024 1
Megadeth's "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?", released on September 25, 1986, is a landmark thrash metal album that...
Read More Read more about Unveiling Megadeth’s Peace Sells: A Thrash Metal Revolution
The Evolution of Slipknot: We Are Not Your Kind slipknot-we_are_not_your_kind
18 minutes read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Evolution of Slipknot: We Are Not Your Kind

Neil Johnson 9 August 2024 0
Introduction Few albums in the twenty-first century have shaken heavy music quite like Slipknotโ€™s “We Are Not...
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Podcast Episodes

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast
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 โ€”
Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Motley Crue, Def Leppard,
Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Pink Floyd, Radiohead,
Skunk Anansie, Gojira, Soulfly and the rest.
If itโ€™s 25+ years old, loud and iconic, weโ€™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 โ€œhow did this get approved?โ€ moments.

If you grew up when albums were events, this is your place. Some weeks itโ€™s an old favourite; other weeks itโ€™s something you abandoned in โ€™94. Either way, Riffologyโ€™s here to talk rubbish, tell stories and remind you why these records mattered.

RIFF075 – The Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
byRiffology

When a guitar tone becomes a time machine

Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~89 minutes
Release: 05 January 2026

Episode Description

Neil and Chris finally tackle The Smashing Pumpkinsโ€™ Siamese Dream, an album that hits like a personal memory as much as a rock record. For Chris, it is a private-room, headphones-on relationship, the kind where the opening of โ€œCherub Rockโ€ can still trigger a lump in the throat. For Neil, itโ€™s a later-life discovery that only gets deeper the more you learn about the chaos behind it.

Pulling in long-form interview clips (with a very open admiration for Rick Beatoโ€™s world), they unpack how this record was made under pressure, dysfunction and near-collapse, then somehow emerged as a layered, melodic, analog monster. From Butch Vigโ€™s post-Nevermind gravity to Billy Corganโ€™s perfectionism, itโ€™s a story about obsession paying off, even when everyone involved is barely holding it together.

What You’ll Hear:

  • The bandโ€™s fragile, combustible state heading into the sessions, including breakups, addiction and Billyโ€™s darkest period
  • Why Butch Vig mattered here, and the โ€œyou stole my guitar soundโ€ Nirvana shadow
  • The case for โ€œoverproducedโ€ as a compliment, and what โ€œoverproducedโ€ meant in an analog, tape-based workflow
  • Billyโ€™s โ€œvisionโ€ mindset, including the reality of re-recording band parts to chase the idea
  • The lore and truth behind the iconic cover photo, and how it became a myth

Featured Tracks & Analysis:

Key songs get spotlighted for both meaning and mechanics, including โ€œTodayโ€ (written after deciding not to die), the orchestral punch and pop ambition of โ€œDisarmโ€ (plus its BBC controversy), and the emotional weight of โ€œSpaceboy.โ€ They also dig into โ€œMayonaiseโ€ as a fan-beloved deep cut, and how the albumโ€™s guitar layering became so complex it required diagrams just to navigate.

Thereโ€™s also love for Jimmy Chamberlinโ€™s drumming as a melodic voice, not just timekeeping, the kind of playing that makes the entire band feel alive and unpredictable.

Tangential Gold:

  • A nostalgic detour into Boโ€™ Selecta, Craig David and unintended career damage
  • A quick, pointed detour into AI as a โ€œvision amplifierโ€ versus โ€œslop generatorโ€
  • A surprise chat on YUNGBLUDโ€™s โ€œZombieโ€ collaboration with the Pumpkins
  • Cold-weather suffering, parkrun logistics, and the reality of aging into needing a heated blanket
  • Next weekโ€™s pick, Pink Floydโ€™s Wish You Were Here

Why This Matters:

Siamese Dream is more than a 90s classic, itโ€™s a blueprint for making something huge without sounding generic. This episode frames it as a record born from pressure, rivalry, and meticulous craft, then asks the bigger question, what happens when an artist like Billy Corgan has no one left to push back?

Perfect for: Smashing Pumpkins lifers, 90s alt-rock obsessives, producers and guitar nerds, and anyone who loves albums with messy backstories and immaculate sound.

You can find us here:

  • Blog: https://riffology.co
  • All Episodes: https://podkit.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]

RIFF075 – The Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
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RIFF075 – The Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
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RIFF074 – Static-X – Wisconsin Death Trip
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RIFF073 – Prong – Cleansing
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RIFF072 – Suicidal Tendencies – Lights, Camera, Revolution!
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RIFF071 – L7 – Bricks Are Heavy
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RIFF070 – Bush – Sixteen Stone
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RIFF069 – Pixies – Doolittle
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RIFF068 – Hole – Live Through This
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RIFF067 – Tool – Undertow
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RIFF066 – A Perfect Circle – Mer De Noms
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