Nothing’s worse than when a band stops taking chances and puts out the same record 4 times in a row. But it’s scary to get out of your comfort zone, away from something tried and true. By 1990, Metallica was faced with that crossroad. They had built a solid following over the course of 4 albums, staying loyal to their mission of producing bone-crunching thrash metal. But it was very much the blueprint of Metallica up to that point. Apocalyptic lyrics layered over sophisticated music. For the...

David Bowie was not a fan of vacations and taking time off. Holidays to him are boring. So as the tireless workaholic went away to the south pacific in 1982, to cure the boredom he brought along his favourite blues and R&B records from when he was a kid. Little Richard, James Brown, Buddy Guy, Albert King. Little did he know, but that vacation would shape his whole future sound and direction. It shaped him deciding on 'Chic' hit-maker Nile Rodgers as producer, it shaped him bringing along...

When you hear Dave Grohl's name today, the first thing that might pop into your head might be rock star, or success, or incredible songwriter, or confidence. The reality is, his life had to fall apart in some sense before he could realize all of those traits. As the saying goes, when it seems your life is falling apart, it may actually be falling into place. The Colour and the Shape has been described as by Dave as a therapy album. The band went into the recording process unsure of how...

Like Systems debut album, Toxicity seemed utterly chaotic upon its first listen, but the small refinements of more melody helped it become more accessible and gain mainstream attention. Not even the events of 9/11, (a week after the album's release) and having Chop Suey ripped from radio playlists, could tear it from the airwaves. People were attracted to their distinct style of fun interesting guitar riffs, Serj’s ‘swiss army knife’ vocals on top of Daron’s strange singing, the fun and...

Ambition is the key word for College Dropout. Kanye is saying if you work hard enough, you can achieve your dreams, like Kanye’s dream of working with Jay Z one day. Like Kanye’s dream of being respected as more than just a producer, but a rapper. It wasn’t easy. But maybe it was because of his near-death experience in a car accident, that he had this newfound perspective on life. College Dropout was Kanye’s 2nd chance. He was on borrowed time after he saw how fleeting life could be. College...

As debuts go, Ten was uncommonly intimate, dragging the listener through an array of emotions. Lyric topics range from incest, murder, growing up without a father, war and greed, suicide and bullying. Singer Eddie Vedder wore his heart on his songwriting sleeve. He was a happy-go-lucky surfer guy on the outside, but obviously was dealing with a lot personal issues internally. The songs moved people, showed them a new style of commitment that had been increasingly absent in rock. They were...

It was early August 2020, Fishing Lake, Saskatchewan, at the cabin of the lead singer/frontman of the Dead South, Nate Hilts. Over Jameson whisky and rye and cokes, I sat down with Nate to talk about the history of the band, how Nate got his start in music, what the band is up to since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and an in-depth look into some of their songs, particularly off their 2014 debut album, Good Company. 

Two opposing elements form the framework of the White Stripes, it's what makes them unique, strange, and so interesting. Jack and Meg White shroud themselves with mystery in their personal lives and they embrace cheap gimmicks such as a colour code, but the music they play harkens back to old Mississippi Blues from the 1930's with a Iggy and The Stooges 70's garage rock twist. The White Stripes are that simple in their music, and that complicated and mysterious with everything else.  It’s...

For the first time in their history, Motley Crue recorded an album with all 4 members completely sober. Without those usual distractions, they produced 1989’s Dr. Feelgood, their best selling record to date. Bassist and songwriter Nikki Sixx said, “In 8 years together and with millions of albums sold, we had never recorded properly.  No one had ever pushed us to the limits of our abilities before.” Dr. Feelgood capped off an era, a decade of decadance, and summed up what Motley Crue stood...

With Rumours, Fleetwood Mac blurred the distinction between art and life. The creative process of the album got all mixed up with the disintegration of the musicians romantic relationships. It was during the recording of Rumours in 1976, where all 5 members of the band were going through breakups, and 4 of them with each other. It was the musical soap opera that appealed to so many people. It wasn’t designed by a PR person. Fleetwood Mac had the unique ability to be all things to all people....

It was the spring of 1991 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers had all moved in together in a haunted Los Angeles mansion in the Laurel Canyon area. They were working with a new producer named Rick Rubin for the first time, and focusing solely on the recording and creation of their next album. Blood Sugar Sex Magik was the result, the 5th Chili Peppers album, but the 1st that featured the same band lineup from a previous album. The chemistry between Anthony, Flea, John, and Chad rings through each...

After 5 years and 3 unsuccessful albums, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were now without a guitarist and a drummer. Anthony and Flea had just lost their bandmate and best friend to a drug overdose, and Anthony was battling his own drug demons. But the friendship between the two founding members proved to be rock solid. And two new characters would enter the picture, showing early glimpses of the chemistry that would eventually produce an album that would give them superstardom.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers formed in 1983 over a mutual love of punk rock and funk, and a bond stemming from their high school days. Their early years were far from a walk in the park, but it was their brotherhood that got them through the hardships and struggle that defines this early era of the "Fairfax 4".

Jared Linnen introduces Beyond The Beat, a new music history podcast on famous albums. It drops Wednesday September 18th, 2019.