Monthly newsletter 2025
#2
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INTRODUCTION
Welcome to The Story of Rock and Roll. This newsletter covers episodes S8E1 to S8E5.
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 please do 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
The start of the year was a tough one for TSORR. Moving my family 1000 miles to a new province disrupted the show’s usual schedule, delaying some new features and the Season 8 branding. Fortunately, by S8E5 things had started to settle.
Amidst the chaos of moving, I flew to Cape Town for the Green Day, Offspring, and Fokofpolisiekar concert – an absolute highlight. Green Day were phenominal delivering a two-hour set packed with hits like ‘Basket Case’, ‘Longview’, and ‘Holiday’ plus a surprise cover of KISS’s ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll All Night’.
@itsjouska My Calabash review! What did you think of the show? #calabash #greenday #theoffspring #2025 #southafricanmusic #samusic ♬ original sound - itsjouska
Many people I spoke to feel The Offspring stole the show, and they were brilliant, but for me Green Day proved why they were headliners. Fokofpolisiekar bought their signature energy and all their best songs. Despite early sound issues they added perfectly to this world-class event.
The Us can Have Elon but South Africa can have Green Day
@fokofpolisiekar @Calabash South Africa Kaapstad, julle was befok! @Valkie van Coke @Francois Van Coke @Huntervancoke ♬ original sound - FOKOFPOLISIEKAR
TSORR Season 8, kicked off with a show themed around, change, freedom, goodbye, and the road – a perfect soundtrack for my long drive to a new home. The second episode aired after a journey spanning two days with four dogs in the car and nine hours of unpacking from the removal trucks. I barely made it online in time, and some regular listeners commented on the evident fatigue. The third show had to be prerecorded due to the concert, but by S8E4 and S8E5, things were back on track.
This season we’ve introduced a new visual theme for the weekly ads, moving from the black-and-white portraits to collages of key moments in rock and metal history. We’re also featuring four tracks each week tied to significant events and the stories behind them – so far so good with that (see This Week in Rock and Metal History).
THIS WEEK IN ROCK AND METAL HISTORY
For S8E1, we launched the Rock and Metal Time Machine, covering Bruce Springsteen’s live performance at the Coliseum and David Gilmore joining Pink Floyd in early 1968, replacing the increasingly erratic Syd Barret, who becomes a recluse and passed away in 2006.
We also noted Gibson’s release of the iconic Flying V guitar in 1958 and Iron Maiden’s sophomore album, Killers, the final one to feature Paul Di Anno on vocals.
Early Version of Killers before album Release with Paul Di' Anno
We skipped S8E2, as mentioned earlier. In S8E3 we looked at Nirvana’s appearance on SNL and their subsequent trashing of the stage, which brought grunge to worldwide attention.
We also covered the Sex Pistols’ first and final USA show in New York – , the band split after the performance, burning bright for a mere two and a half years. To this day, their influence on pop culture remains strong.
S8E4 featured Counting Crows’ SNL appearance in 1994, where they performed Mr. Jones and cemented their place on the musical map.
We also discussed ‘Helter Skelter’ being used as evidence in the Charles Manson murder trial, The Wall spending 15 straight weeks at number one on the US charts and Metallica entering the studio to start recording And Justice For All, the follow-up to their career-defining eponymous album better known as The Black album.
In S8E5 we covered the death of Sid Vicious, Guns N’ Roses winning Best Rock Album and Best Band at the 17th American Music Awards, Green Day’s release of Dookie and The Rolling Stones’ 1982 release of ‘Start Me Up’ as the first single off Tattoo You.
THE DIABOLICAL CHALLENGE
As a result of everything discussed above, we only had two Diabolical Challenges.
S8E4 = Martin Birch – Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, and Iron Maiden
S8E5 = Glyn Johns – Eric Clapton, New Model Army, The Eagles, and The Who
ALBUMS PRODUCED BY – MARTIN BIRCH
Soundman The Book by Glyn Johns
The tracks played were: ‘Heaven & Hell’ (Black Sabbath), ‘Desert Song’ (Michael Schenker Group), ‘Run with the Wolf’ (Rainbow), and ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ (Iron Maiden).
This was an interesting challenge – it would be hard to find four more iconic albums. Martin Birch, like most producers, started as an engineer. He was the engineer on Deep Purple’s In Rock and went to both produce and engineer the four albums featured here.
Rainbow’s Rising was one of the classic albums of the ‘70s, while the other three epitomized heavy metal in the ‘80s.
In The Story of Rock and Roll I discuss how my mates and I felt when Ozzy left Black Sabbath. We wondered if they would survive without him. The anticipation of buying Heaven and Hell, finding a record player at boarding school, and hearing Sabbath for first time with Ronnie James Dio on vocals was unforgettable. It was a relief to know that all was well in the universe and that Martin ‘Headmaster’ Birch had played a huge role in making it so.
ALBUMS PRODUCED BY – GLYN JOHNS
The tracks played were: ‘Cocaine’ (Eric Clapton), ‘Witchy Woman’ (Eagles), ‘51st State’ (New Model Army), and ‘My Wife’ (The Who).
Glyn Johns, born in 1942, is a legendary producer who worked with The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones.
Glyn Johns talks about Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Small Faces and Recording Process
Johns engineered many classic albums and produced many others, including the four featured here. While we are focusing on producers, the line between an engineer and a producer is often thin. Very few producers didn’t start as engineers. Engineering is about handling the technical details – getting the sound and mix right- while production is about guiding the band, selecting the right songs, making suggestions, and pulling everything together. Ultimately the producer must be satisfied with how the album sounds.
Johns engineered The Beatles’ Let it Be, The Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet and Led Zeppelin’s debut album.
Production wise, Who’s Next, Eagles, and Slowhand are among his best known.
Who's Next
Eagles
Slowhand
The New Model Army album stands out as it came later in his career with a band that was quite different from the other three who were all legends of the 1970s.
Ghost Of Cain
THE IMMORTALS
I also shortchanged the Immortals for all the reasons already mentioned regarding the move to Sedgefield. The first time we got to the Immortals was in S8E3, where we listened to ‘Ow, My Tiny Heart’ by Don Babylon. It’s a wonderful rarity. The track was featured on the HBO series Billions, and when I heard it while watching the show, it caught my attention immediately. It has a killer chorus, but the rest is noisy. The fact that Don Babylon has resisted the temptation to either shorten the track significantly or rewrite it as a different song while keeping the chorus is testament to his integrity as an artist. It’s also what makes it Immortal.
On S8E4, we revisited The Doors. They’ve been on the Immortals before with ‘Riders on the Storm’, and this time we took a listen to ‘When the Music’s Over. What a song! An absolutely amazing trip when experienced in its entirety. It’s interesting to wonder what would have happened if Jim Morrison hadn’t died and the band was still around today. I think we would have had some incredible music from them, and they’d be one of the most sought-after live acts ever.
On S8E5, we went back to Pink Floyd and listened to ‘Sheep’, off what I consider to be their greatest album, Animals. Dark Side of the Moon, and The Wall are usually the albums that split fans when it comes to their favourite, but I’ve always thought Animals is superior, albeit different.
NEW RELEASES & NEW DISCOVERIES & SAD GOODBYES
It was relatively quiet on the new releases front. However, we did have two new singles from South African artists: Diverted Disorder with ‘Portraits’ and Sheron with ‘Need You’. I hope to be interviewing both artists in the near future. I am particularly fascinated by the ever-evolving Diverted Disorder, who are impossible to pin down stylistically. ‘Portraits’ takes them in yet another fresh direction
Diverted disorder already getting noticed overseas. Check out their Facebook Page for more.
Thanks to the First Lady of Rock we discovered Shadow Storm, a metal band from Denmark. They are well worth checking out, and we played a track from their 2018 EP called Dark Times on S8E5.
CHEERS @#$%’s
The shows discussed in this month’s newsletter can be heard as podcasts S8E1 – S8E5. 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.
For those of you who are new to TSORR here are the quick references to find The Story of Rock and Roll Radio Show:
THURSDAY’s Live on Rebel Rock Radio from 19h00 – 22h00 South African time. Find it on www.rrr.cat
FRIDAY’s on both Rebel Rock and Bulldogs Radio 18h00 -19h00 catch TSORR Turbo on https://bulldogs-radio.com/ or on Rebel Rock Radio on www.rrr.cat
PODCAST: The three-hour show is available as a podcast on most popular podcast sites, including Apple, Overcast, Castbox, and YouTube Music, or get it here at the host site https://www.buzzsprout.com/273305.
TSORR PLAYLIST: For Spotify junkies, you can get TSORR Best of the Month playlists at:
X: https://twitter.com/TSORR1/
WEBSITE: https://thestoryofrockandroll.com/
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Don’t forget to support TSORR by getting yourself a copy of the book on Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KECQBOW or contact me for a paperback copy.
Take care and keep rocking.