Monthly newsletter 2024
#11
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INTRODUCTION
Welcome to The Story of Rock and Roll. This newsletter covers episodes S7E40 to S7E44. These shows are available as podcasts on our website and all major podcast platforms. Quick links to everything TSORR can be found at the end of the newsletter, so feel free to share it with anyone who might be interested.
If you can’t find us, simply search online for ‘The Story of Rock and Roll Radio Show’ and you’ll discover plenty of podcast options. You can always find us at www.thestoryofrockandroll.com and on Buzzsprout. https://www.buzzsprout.com/273305
A big thank you to all the supporters of the show!
HIGHLIGHTS
This was a great month for new releases. David Gilmour released Luck and Strange and we also had albums from Myles Kennedy, Texas Hippie Coalition, and the most amazing album from Michael Schenker Group. See New Releases to read more about these and others.
I interviewed Garry McCluskey aka GAZ and we spoke about his latest single ‘My New Skin’. It is an inspiring interview and deals with personal trials and tribulations and the triumph of the human spirit. I also interviewed Jackson Colt whom I have a huge respect for. He is refreshingly enthusiastic about his music and his interest and excitement about his craft is infectious. Finally, I interviewed Cindy-Louise and we discussed her new single titled ‘Alone’. All the video’s and links for these discussions are in the South African Scene section
THE DIABOLICAL CHALLENGE
Every week, in The Diabolical Challenge, we pick four albums that you’d find filed under a specific letter of the alphabet if you were browsing in a record shop. We are on the second run through, and the pickings were thin for letters like ‘Q’ so we looked at some classic live albums as well. Here are the bands we looked at in each show, and the albums chosen are in the pictures below.
S7E40 = Live Albums Pt I – Queen, KISS, Thin Lizzy and Judas Priest
S7E41 = Live Albums Pt II – Rush, Jethro Tull, UFO, and Iron Maiden.
S7E42 = Live Albums Pt III – Lynyrd Skynyrd, Peter Frampton, Bruce Springsteen, and ACDC
S7E43 = ‘R’ – Ratt, Rainbow, Rory Gallagher, and Red Hot Chili Peppers
S7E44 = ‘S’ = Slipknot, Slayer, Sex Pistols, and Soundgarden
LIVE ALBUMS – Part I
The tracks played were: ‘Death on Two Legs’ (Queen), ‘God of Thunder’ (KISS), ‘Emerald’ (Thin Lizzy), and ‘Exciter’ (Judas Priest). These four albums were a huge part of my childhood. I was 11 when Alive II came out and it absolutely changed my life. Alive II and Unleashed in the East were played endlessly right through my high school years. Back then, this music was what everyone listened to. At boarding school on sports day, the sounds of Queen’s ‘We Are the Champions’ would be blasting from huge speakers in the matric dormitory windows as parents arrived to watch their kids compete in interhouse athletics. It was quite something to see and hear.
LIVE ALBUMS – Part II
The tracks played were: ‘Cross-Eyed Mary’ (Jethro Tull), ‘Freewill’ (Rush), ‘Aces High’ (Iron Maiden), and ‘Doctor, Doctor’ (UFO). This was a tough call from my perspective. Between Rush, Iron Maiden, and Jethro Tull it was like flipping a coin. Based on that, I went with Rush’s Exit…. Stage Left. Votes for all four of these albums came in evenly on TSORR Central. On social media, Live After Death and Strangers in the Night were most popular.
The bottom line here is that these are four of the best live albums ever released. I consider them second-generation live albums, as they were released late ‘70s to early ‘80s – between 1978 and 1985, to be precise. The albums we listened to last week were all said to have needed touch ups, there was no stigma of that on these four.
LIVE ALBUMS – Part III
The tracks played were: ‘Riff Raff’ (ACDC), ‘Saturday Night Special’ (Lynyrd Skynyrd), ‘Doobie Wah’ (Peter Frampton), and ‘Born to Run’ (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band). This was another extremely high-quality challenge. Many argue that the success of Frampton Comes Alive sparked the wave of iconic double live album releases that dominated the late ‘70s. The album is reported to have sold 11 million copies worldwide; although it has now been outsold by Garth Brookes: Double Live and Clapton Unplugged, in 1976 it was unparalleled.
Bruce Springsteen’s Live 1975 to ’85 also received plenty of votes, which I was pleased to see, as it was my personal favourite. Released as a five-album box set, at the time, it was a career spanning master class in the art of live music.
Both If You want Blood and One More from the Road hold a special place in fans’ hearts as they are the only live albums featuring vocalists Bon Scott and Ronnie Van Zandt, respectively.
R
The tracks played were: ‘Round and Round’ (Ratt), ‘Californication’ (Red Hot Chili Peppers), ‘Tarot Woman’ (Rainbow), and ‘A Million Miles Away’ (Rory Gallagher). This was another highly competitive challenge, which often happens when the albums span a range of rock genres. Here, we had a mix of blues rock, ‘70s classic rock, 80s hair metal and whatever you consider the Chili Peppers to be. Although Californication was widely acknowledged as an exceptional album, the love went to Rainbow and especially among TSORR Central, Rory Gallagher.
S
The tracks played were ‘Anarchy in the UK’, (Sex Pistols), ‘Fell on Black Days’ (Soundgarden), ‘Duality’ (Slipknot), and ‘Angel of Death’ (Slayer).
Growing up in South Africa in 1977, all punk rock was banned which was very frustrating. I read all about it in New Musical Express, but I couldn’t actually listen to it. When I finally got my hands on Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols in 1979 the impact was massive. It was unlike the metal I was listening to at the time. The guitar work was very rudimentary, but the sheer power of the sound was overwhelming. What really set it apart, though, were the vocals: the anger, the sneering, snarling unhappiness with the situation that Johnny Rotten so perfectly spat out was palpable.
Slayers’ Reign in Blood was also an extremely influential album, completely different to the metal that was coming out of LA at the time. It was aggressive, super-fast and dealt with some pretty horrifying subject matter.
Although Soundgarden won the popular vote, Reign in Blood would be the album I’d choose. Check out what producer Rick Rubin had to say about it at [43:52] on this amazing interview.
THE IMMORTALS
In S7E36, we heard Dire Straits – ‘It Never Rains’ off the Love Over Gold album and then in S7E37 we looked at a wonderful song originally found on UFO’s Lights Out album.
‘Love to Love’ was originally recorded in the ‘70s, but this version is brand new. It’s one of UFO’s best-known songs, written by Michael Schenker and Phil Mogg, and was a staple of their live set throughout their long career.
To celebrate his time with UFO Michael Schenker has re-recorded the songs he co-wrote during his UFO years. The album, My Years with UFO – 50th Anniversary celebration 1972 – 1978, honours his legacy.
Schenker has assembled a star-studded line-up of guest musicians including Slash, Joel Hoekstra, Dee Snider, Joey Tempest, Biff Byford, Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg, Carmine Appice, Roger Glover, and Eric Grönwall. The standout surprise, in my view is the inclusion of Axl Rose who sings on this Immortals track, ‘Love to Love’. Listening to Axl here feels like throwback to 1991, with his voice capturing all the emotion and depth from that era.
Schenker was just 18 and barely speak English when he joined UFO. In Neil Daniels’ biography High Stakes & Dangerous Men: The UFO Story it’s clear Schenker had a difficult time with the hard-drinking Brits. While he was the golden boy, beloved by critics and fans alike, there was a rift between him and the rest of the band, ultimately leading him to pursue a solo career in 1978. Some of UFO’s best music emerged from the Schenker years, so this new album is a treat for fans who enjoy state of the art recordings.
On S7E42 we listened to ‘Hit the Lights’, the opening track on Metallica’s jaw dropping debut album Kill ‘Em All. Metal changed forever with this release in 1983. Emerging from the Bay Area in San Francisco, Metallica led the charge in what the world came to know as thrash metal. The music was fast and heavy, rejecting ballads and songs about sun, beer and pretty girls. This was the antithesis of the glam metal scene on L.A.’s Sunset Strip, where bands like Poison, Warrant and Ratt were all make-up and hairspray and lyrically shallow. Metallica set out to conquer the world with a punk attitude, in jeans, T-shirts, high top sneakers, and gallons of vodka. They had raw talent, charisma, and exceptional songwriting. The first time I heard them, I knew immediately this band was going to be massive. They remained my favourite band for the next 13 years – until the Load became unbearable.
Avenged Sevenfold’s ‘A Little Piece of Heaven’, is an unusual track written by drummer Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan. The song unfolds the morbid tale of a man who murders his girlfriend, fearful she’ll reject his marriage proposal. After consuming her heart and preserving her body, he faces an unexpected twist when she returns from the dead and kills him. Reborn as zombies, they roam together, turning their victims into the undead. Known as both an exceptional drummer and a gifted songwriter, The Rev often played his compositions on the piano at social gatherings, and this song was among those he took the most pride in. It’s undeniably catchy, and the video has become a classic.
In the final Immortals of this cycle, we listen to the Bob Dylan’s track ‘Hurricane’. The song recounts the story of Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, a black middle weight boxer who was framed by police for a triple murder which took place in a New Jersey bar in 1966. Carter’s case became a major civil rights issue, and Dylan championed his cause by retelling the story in ‘Hurricane’, released on his 1976 album Desire. Dylan was drawn to the story after reading Carters autobiography, and ‘Hurricane’ went on to become Dylan’s fourth-highest-charting single of the 1970s.
SOUTH AFRICAN SCENE
I had the pleasure of interviewing three very talented SA musicians this month. Garry McClusky aka GAZ recently released his latest track ‘My New Skin’ and we had a fascinating discussion about its meaning. He spoke candidly about the personal difficulties he and his wife have faced due to a major health crisis that upended their lives. The song reflects his current perspective and emphasises the resilience needed to “make lemonade when life hands you lemons”. Produced by the supremely talented Mark Beling, the track is undeniably catchy.
Jackson Colt is the first musician to be interviewed three times on TSORR. These five-minute chats, intended to spotlight new releases, frequently extend well beyond the formal interview. Jackson and I can easily get lost in discussions about music and guitars for an hour, so I’m planning long form chats with these incredible South African artists in 2025. His latest release, an instrumental track called ‘Monsoon’, perfectly show cases his exceptional guitar talent. Check out the video to see the techniques we discussed in the interview in S7E43.
The last interview of the month was a second chat with Cindy-Louise. Lots has happened since we spoke a year ago and she takes us through ‘Alone’ her new single and discusses the album that it has been taken from called Whispers of a Kingdom. It’s a hauntingly beautiful album and it’s available now.
NEW RELEASES & NEW DISCOVERIES & SAD GOODBYES
I mentioned last month that Myles Kennedy has a new album out. It’s called The Art of Letting Go, and it’s fantastic. Released on 18 October, it’s his third solo effort. Myles describes the album as reflecting different phases of his life, capturing the process of learning to let go. It seems he’s got to that stage of life so aptly described in the words of Bruce Springsteen as “All those things that seemed so important, well mister they vanish right into the air”.
What I like most about The Art of Letting Go that Myles recorded it as a three-piece, handling both the vocals and guitar work himself. His guitar work is superb, but because he’s singing in bands with Slash or Mark Tremonti, we rarely get to hear it. This is a strong album; it should do very well.
We also have a new Texas Hippie Coalition album called Gunsmoke. In my view it’s a return to form. Their 2023 release, The Name Lives On didn’t quite hit the spot for me. I’ll give it another listen in light of how good – Gunsmoke is – maybe I was just having a kak day when I first heard it.
Michael Schenker Group’s phenomenally (pun intended) good album, My Years with UFO (50th Anniversary Celebration 1972 – 1978) was also released. I’ve discussed it at length in the Immortals section, so I’ll just add that if you are a UFO or Schenker fan this album deserves a place in your top five for 2024.
Finally the stand out album released this month was David Gilmore’s Luck & Strange. It took a few listens but then I was hooked. It is truly fantastic and if you are a fan of the albums he has made with Pink Floyd since the departure of Roger Waters I think you will really enjoy this.
CHEERS @#$%’s
The shows discussed in this month’s newsletter can be heard as podcasts S7E40 – S7E44. Feel free to drop me a message on The Story of Rock and Roll Facebook page or via email at thestoryofrockandroll1@gmail.com. If you want to be added to TSORR Central WhatsApp Group, send me your number on this email address and I will send you an invite link.
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