The Wildhearts Archives

The Making of Earth Versus The Wildhearts by The Wildhearts

Neil Johnson 1 June 2025

Earth Versus The Wildhearts: The Wildhearts’ Explosive Debut Some albums land like a bomb. Earth Versus The...

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.