Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums

Parasomnia by Dream Theater – album review

Parasomnia by Dream Theater – album review

Neil Johnson 15 February 2025

Monster Shop Score: 85/100 Dream Theater’s latest album, Parasomnia, is a sonic journey through the mysterious realms...

Rogue to Redemption by Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts – album review

Neil Johnson 14 February 2025

Monster Shop Score: 83/100 Rogue to Redemption by Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts is a rock...

The Joshua Tree: U2’s Definitive Rock Odyssey

The Joshua Tree: U2’s Definitive Rock Odyssey

Neil Johnson 14 February 2025

The Joshua Tree by U2: A Timeless Masterpiece In the landscape of rock music, few albums have...

Sleepless Empire by Lacuna Coil – album review s-l1600

Sleepless Empire by Lacuna Coil – album review

Neil Johnson 13 February 2025

Monster Shop Score: 82/100 Lacuna Coil’s latest offering, Sleepless Empire, is a sonic journey that delves into...

Inside Renegades: Rage Against the Machine’s Bold Farewell

Inside Renegades: Rage Against the Machine’s Bold Farewell

Neil Johnson 13 February 2025

Introduction Released on December 5, 2000, Renegades marked a pivotal moment in Rage Against the Machine’s storied...

Wish You Were Here: Analyzing Pink Floyd’s Iconic Album

Wish You Were Here: Analyzing Pink Floyd’s Iconic Album

Neil Johnson 12 February 2025

Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd: A Comprehensive Analysis In the world of rock music, few...

Sheer Heart Attack: Queen’s 1974 Breakthrough Album

Sheer Heart Attack: Queen’s 1974 Breakthrough Album

Neil Johnson 11 February 2025

The Significance of “Sheer Heart Attack” by Queen Released on November 8, 1974, “Sheer Heart Attack” marked...

Unveiling Gish: The Smashing Pumpkins’ Iconic Debut

Unveiling Gish: The Smashing Pumpkins’ Iconic Debut

Neil Johnson 10 February 2025

The Smashing Pumpkins’ Debut: A Closer Look at “Gish” The early 1990s were a transformative time for...

Exploring Radiohead’s Kid A: A Sonic Revolution

Exploring Radiohead’s Kid A: A Sonic Revolution

Neil Johnson 10 February 2025

Radiohead’s “Kid A”: A Revolutionary Leap in Music Radiohead’s Kid A stands as a landmark in music...

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…

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Hole — 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 — riot grrrl tension meets major-label machinery.
Courtney Love’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 — including the famous voice break in “Doll Parts.”
Cobain’s cameo: backing vocals on “Asking for It” and “Softer, Softest,” and why that detail got louder after his death.
Cover art, on purpose: Ellen von Unwerth’s prom-queen shot (model Leilani Bishop) — 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).
“Rock Star” vs “Olympia”: the notorious DAT swap that left the track list and the audio mismatched — and how the band treated the actual “Rock Star” 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.