Riffology Podcast

Welcome to Riffology Podcast! We’re a (mostly) weekly music podcast that focuses on rock albums from the 80s and 90’s, maybe a few from the 70s and 2000s too.

We are Neil and Chris, we’re both embracing the joys of steadily growing older and enjoying going back to the albums of our youth. Sometimes we ask our listeners to pick the albums from a chosen year and sometimes we pick our own favourites. Sometimes, they are albums we loved and sometimes albums that passed us by and we revisit them to see what all the fuss was about.

This is a celebration of incredible music from a time when albums were meaningful and important to us.

RIFF082 - The Goo Goo Dolls - A Boy Named Goo

When Buffalo's Best Kept Secret Finally Got Its Name Called Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~95 minutes Release: Not scheduled Episode Description Neil and Chris dive into A Boy Named Goo by the Goo Goo Dolls, the 1995 album that sold two million copies in the US, made absolutely no impression on the ...

RIFF081 - REM - Out of TIme

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-...

RIFF080 - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged

When the Funeral Flowers Were Real and Nobody Knew It Yet Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~77 minutes Release: Not scheduled Episode Description Neil and Chris sit down with one of the most quietly devastating records ever committed to tape: Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York, recorded on 18th Novemb...

RIFF079 - 3 Doors Down - The Better Life

When Mississippi Kids Storm the Stratosphere Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~98 minutes Release: February 2026 Episode Description This week, Neil and Chris dive into Three Doors Down's 2000 debut The Better Life, an album that captured American radio rock at its peak. Released just as the CD era cre...

RIFF078 - Extreme - Extreme

When a 22-Year-Old Guitar Wizard Caught Lightning Before Grunge Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~72 minutes Release: 9 February 2026 Episode Description Neil and Chris dive into Extreme's 1989 self-titled debut, a record that arrived at the worst possible moment for hair metal, yet showcased one of ro...

RIFF077 - Metallica - Master of Puppets

When eight-minute songs feel like three-minute punches Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~124 minutes Release: Not scheduled Episode Description Neil and Chris dive into Metallica’s Master of Puppets, not just as a landmark metal record, but as a moment-in-time document, the “perfect storm” of pow...

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 Buffalo’s Best Kept Secret Finally Got Its Name Called

Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~95 minutes
Release: Not scheduled

Episode Description

Neil and Chris dive into A Boy Named Goo by the Goo Goo Dolls, the 1995 album that sold two million copies in the US, made absolutely no impression on the UK charts, and somehow still managed to leave most people unaware it existed. This is the record that contains Name, the song that accidentally became a hit when KROQ radio put it on rotation mid-way through filming a completely different music video. The band had to drop everything and rush out a new video instead. Classic.

Neil makes no secret of his deep affection for this era of the Goo Goo Dolls, insisting that this album and its predecessor Superstar Car Wash represent two of the greatest guitar records most people have never heard. Chris, who was firmly in Offspring and Green Day territory when this came out, admits he’s surprised he missed it entirely at the time. The album sits right at the pivot point where John Rzeznik’s pop songwriting instincts were starting to surface beneath a still-scrappy, punky exterior, and both hosts find that tension genuinely compelling.

There’s also the grim business reality behind the record. Despite the album’s success, the band received essentially nothing due to a punishing Metal Blade contract that swallowed royalties and charged studio costs back to the band. They ended up touring relentlessly with Bush and No Doubt just to cover their legal bills while fighting to get out of the deal.

What You’ll Hear:

The story of how Name became a hit almost by accident, and why nobody expected it
Why the final two tracks feel like they belong on a different album entirely (they were last-minute covers added after the drummer quit over a royalties dispute)
The Metal Blade contract breakdown and how a multi-million selling album paid the band virtually nothing
Neil’s ongoing quest to find a reasonably priced vinyl copy of this album (currently running at 330 Canadian dollars plus shipping)
The Britpop context that explains why this passed the UK by completely

Featured Tracks & Analysis:

The hosts spend time with Name, breaking down its unusual guitar tuning where Rzeznik replaces the B string with a second high E string to stop it snapping under the tension of the open tuning. The track was written about MTV host Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, who Rzeznik found genuinely inspiring. Naked also gets attention, with both hosts flagging it as a standout alongside Name. The production throughout, handled by Lou Giordano of the Fort Apache Boston scene, gets praise for keeping genuine rough edges while still sounding considered.

Tangential Gold:

Neil discovers his old car has a CD slot with a glovebox groove perfectly sized for a disc, which he considers an engineering triumph
A detour into Commodore 64 copy protection, cassette tape counter numbers, and Monkey Island’s eleven floppy disks
Neil’s ill-fated attempt to steal a sunflower from a field and the domestic fallout that followed
A preview of next week’s Matchbox 20 episode, including the story of how the album nearly came out under the name The Woodshed Diaries

Why This Matters:

A Boy Named Goo sits in a strange blind spot in music history. Too polished for the band’s original punk fanbase, not yet famous enough for the Iris crowd, it was heard mostly by people who stumbled across it sideways. Neil’s argument throughout is simple: the songwriting is exceptional, the production has aged remarkably well, and this record deserves far more attention