Riffology

Gun’s Gallus (1992) – The Story Behind the Scottish Rock Classic 8831_album_art

Gun’s Gallus (1992) – The Story Behind the Scottish Rock Classic

Neil Johnson 7 March 2025

Gun’s “Gallus”: The Unfiltered Story of a Scottish Hard Rock Classic In the early 1990s, the British...

Tsunami Sea by Spiritbox – album review Tsunami Sea by Spirit Box Album Cover

Tsunami Sea by Spiritbox – album review

Neil Johnson 6 March 2025

Riffology Score: 90/100 Tsunami Sea, the latest offering from Spiritbox, is a tidal wave of sound that...

Alice In Chains’ 1995 Album: A Haunting Farewell to Grunge’s Golden Era 2484_album_art

Alice In Chains’ 1995 Album: A Haunting Farewell to Grunge’s Golden Era

Neil Johnson 6 March 2025

Introduction The self-titled album by Alice In Chains, released on 31 October 1995, is a landmark in...

Review: Architects Deliver Emotion & Power in The Sky, the Earth & All Between Architects - The Sky, the Earth & All Between

Review: Architects Deliver Emotion & Power in The Sky, the Earth & All Between

Neil Johnson 3 March 2025

Monster Shop Score: 84/100 Architects’ latest album, The Sky, the Earth & All Between, is a whirlwind...

Operation: Mindcrime II – The Controversial Sequel That Divided Fans Queensrchye: Operation Mindcrime II

Operation: Mindcrime II – The Controversial Sequel That Divided Fans

Neil Johnson 28 February 2025

Introduction In 2006, Queensrÿche released Operation: Mindcrime II, a sequel to their 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime....

Black Sabbath: Celebrating Their Legendary Journey

Black Sabbath: Celebrating Their Legendary Journey

Neil Johnson 27 February 2025

Inception and Early Days Black Sabbath, a name synonymous with the genesis of heavy metal, traces its...

Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger: Grunge Meets Alternative Metal 3361_album_art

Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger: Grunge Meets Alternative Metal

Neil Johnson 26 February 2025

Introduction Released on 8 October 1991, “Badmotorfinger” marked a pivotal moment in the grunge era. This third...

Far Beyond Driven at 30: Why Pantera’s Heaviest Album Still Matters 607_album_art

Far Beyond Driven at 30: Why Pantera’s Heaviest Album Still Matters

Neil Johnson 25 February 2025

Introduction Released on 22 March 1994, Far Beyond Driven by Pantera is a cornerstone of heavy metal...

Exploring Countdown to Extinction: Megadeth’s Defining Album Countdown To Extinction (1992 Mix Remaster)

Exploring Countdown to Extinction: Megadeth’s Defining Album

Neil Johnson 24 February 2025

"Countdown to Extinction," released on July 14, 1992, by Megadeth, marked a significant evolution in thrash metal....

Podcast Episodes

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 —
Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Motley Crue, Def Leppard,
Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Pink Floyd, Radiohead,
Skunk Anansie, Gojira, Soulfly and the rest.
If it’s 25+ years old, loud and iconic, we’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 “how did this get approved?” moments.

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

When Running Out of Time Turns Into Your Biggest Ever Hit

Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~71 minutes
Release: Not scheduled

Episode Description

Neil and Chris dig into REM’s landmark 1991 album Out of Time, the record that accidentally turned a cult band into a mainstream phenomenon. Named in a last-minute panic when Warner Brothers rang demanding a title, the album somehow managed to sell over 20 million copies without a single tour date to support it. That’s either genius or extremely good luck, and the boys aren’t entirely sure which.

What strikes them most is how strange and adventurous the album actually is underneath those two massive singles. Mandolins, strings, saxophone, flugel horn, a guest rapper, and vocal duties shared around the band, this is a record that didn’t sound like anything else in 1991, sitting oddly alongside Nirvana, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses in a year dominated by big rock statements. And yet somehow it connected with everyone.

What You’ll Hear:

How Losing My Religion was never meant to be a single, Warner Brothers hated it, and the band insisted anyway
Michael Stipe’s improvised single-take vocal on Country Feedback and why it was never re-recorded
The album’s unusual recording locations including Paisley Park, Prince’s Minneapolis studio
Why Neil used to use this album and Automatic for the People as hi-fi demonstration records in audio shops
The rejected album titles including Imitation Crab Meat, Cat Butt and Trolling for Olives
Peter Buck’s mandolin playing, entirely live with mistakes left in, and why that matters

Featured Tracks and Analysis:

The episode gives particular attention to Losing My Religion, Country Feedback, Half a World Away and Shiny Happy People. Neil reflects on the album’s remarkable sonic quality across any playback system, from cheap earbuds to expensive separates, and both hosts note how the record flows beautifully despite containing songs that are wildly different in style, tempo and instrumentation. The shift away from driven electric guitars toward a more baroque, Americana-influenced palette is a central thread throughout.

Tangential Gold:

A lengthy detour into the price of vinyl at HMV Burton, Discogs as the only sensible alternative, and Leo’s orthodontist appointments as the catalyst for all of it
Chris’s college sound engineering years, learning to mix on gear that still sits in the corner of his old college gathering dust
Neil accidentally setting fire to an anechoic chamber at Loughborough University with a soldering iron
The great tangy Jelly Tots versus black and red Fruit Pastels debate, with thanks to listener Lynsey for the sweet delivery

Why This Matters:

Out of Time is one of those albums that sounds like it should not have worked commercially and yet became one of the defining records of the early 90s. Neil and Chris capture why it still resonates, not as a nostalgia piece but as a genuinely unusual, carefully crafted piece of work that sits outside the trends of its era entirely.

Perfect for: REM fans revisiting a classic, anyone curious about how a five-minute mandolin track with no chorus became a global hit, and listeners who enjoy thoughtful album discussion with a healthy amount of sweet-based digression.