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Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums

Uncover the details behind the most iconic albums ever recorded.

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Master Of Reality: Black Sabbath’s Game-Changing Album black_sabbath-master_of_reality
13 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Master Of Reality: Black Sabbath’s Game-Changing Album

Neil Johnson 21 July 2024
Introduction Some albums donโ€™t just reflect their time; they change the sound of music for generations. Black...
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Appetite For Destruction: Guns N’ Roses’ Timeless Debut guns_n'_roses-appetite_for_destruction
14 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Appetite For Destruction: Guns N’ Roses’ Timeless Debut

Neil Johnson 21 July 2024
Introduction Some albums change everything. Appetite For Destruction by Guns Nโ€™ Roses didnโ€™t just shake up the...
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Cowboys From Hell: Pantera’s Metal Revolution pantera-cowboys_from_hell
13 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Cowboys From Hell: Pantera’s Metal Revolution

Neil Johnson 20 July 2024
Introduction When Cowboys From Hell crashed onto the scene in July 1990, the metal world changed forever....
Read More Read more about Cowboys From Hell: Pantera’s Metal Revolution
Discovering The New Order: Testament’s Thrash Evolution testament-the_new_order
14 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Discovering The New Order: Testament’s Thrash Evolution

Neil Johnson 15 July 2024
Introduction Sometimes, an album does more than capture a moment in timeโ€”it changes the direction of a...
Read More Read more about Discovering The New Order: Testament’s Thrash Evolution
The Making of High ‘n’ Dry – Def Leppard’s Breakthrough def_leppard-high_'n'_dry
10 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

The Making of High ‘n’ Dry – Def Leppard’s Breakthrough

Neil Johnson 12 July 2024
Introduction In the annals of rock history, few albums have managed to encapsulate the raw energy and...
Read More Read more about The Making of High ‘n’ Dry – Def Leppard’s Breakthrough
Dookie: Green Day’s Iconic Punk Rock Revolution CoverArt
9 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Dookie: Green Day’s Iconic Punk Rock Revolution

Neil Johnson 8 July 2024
Introduction In the pantheon of influential albums, few have left a mark as indelible as Green Day’s...
Read More Read more about Dookie: Green Day’s Iconic Punk Rock Revolution
Unleashing Power: Pantera’s Vulgar Display Revolution CoverArt
9 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Unleashing Power: Pantera’s Vulgar Display Revolution

Neil Johnson 1 July 2024
Introduction In the annals of heavy metal history, few albums have left as indelible a mark as...
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Unpacking OK Computer: Radiohead’s Sonic Revolution CoverArt_Thumb
12 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

Unpacking OK Computer: Radiohead’s Sonic Revolution

Neil Johnson 24 June 2024
Introduction In the annals of music history, few albums have had as profound an impact as Radiohead’s...
Read More Read more about Unpacking OK Computer: Radiohead’s Sonic Revolution
New Jersey: Bon Jovi’s Unmatched Rock Legacy coverart-1
13 min read
  • Album Deep Dive

New Jersey: Bon Jovi’s Unmatched Rock Legacy

Neil Johnson 10 June 2024
Introduction When Bon Jovi released New Jersey in September 1988, they were not just following up a...
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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

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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
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  • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1LIU9mein7QMw346q20nyy
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RIFF068 – Hole – Live Through This
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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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RIFF065 – Deftones – White Pony
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RIFF064 – Anthrax – Sound of White Noise
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RIFF063 – Anthrax – Persistence of Time
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RIFF062 – Soulfly – Soulfly
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RIFF061 – Sepultura – Beneath the Remains
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RIFF060 – Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters
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RIFF059 – Stereophonics – Performance and Cocktails
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