Hello DISCovery listeners! I've got a brand new podcast called Booked On Rock. If you enjoyed listening to my podcast DISCovery, I think you’re gonna enjoy this one too. Join me for deep dive discussions of the greatest artists, albums and songs in rock history with the authors who've written all about them. There are so many great books that have been written about rock music and so many that continue to come out every week. This will be the place for both those who’ve written books about...

On May 3rd, 1980 Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band started a six week run at number one on the US album chart with 'Against The Wind'. By the time he entered the studio to record 'Against The Wind' in 1979, Bob's decade long run of constant recording and touring had finally paid off. In the spring of 1976 he released 'Live Bullet', his first release with The Silver Bullet Band. It reached the top 40 and went five times platinum in the US. He followed with his ninth studio album, his...

On April 22nd, 1972 Deep Purple scored their second UK No.1 album with 'Machine Head'. In the US it reached #7. It's often cited as a major influence in the early development of the heavy metal music genre. Commercially, it remains Deep Purple's most successful album thanks to some iconic tracks like "Highway Star", "Space Truckin'" and the song that features the mother of all guitar riffs - "Smoke On The Water". This album is much more than its hit radio singles, however. This is a band at...

On Sunday April 16th, 1972 the Electric Light Orchestra made their debut at a small pub in Croydon London called The Fox Hounds. Formed in the autumn of 1970 in Birmingham, England their mission was to pick up where the Beatles song "I Am The Walrus" left off. They wanted to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones, combine rock and roll instruments like the electric guitar, bass, guitar and keyboards with classical instruments like the French horn, the the cello and the...

On this week in 1977 The Clash released their self titled debut album. It would finally get a US release in July of 1979. It's considered one of the greatest punk rock albums of all time. In a 2017 Billboard article marking the album's 40th anniversary Kennith Partridge wrote, "The self-titled debut album by The Clash is about as punk as it gets. Released April 8th, 1977 in the U.K. and later in America, where CBS execs deemed it too raw for polite consumers, 'The Clash' is a thin and...

We’re celebrating the life and career of AC/DC’s Angus Young, who celebrated a birthday this week. Angus turned 66 years young on Wednesday (March 31st, 1955). His story is not just about the endless classic guitar riffs, his classic school boy outfit or his boundless energy on stage. It’s also an inspiring story of a man who has dealt with personal tragedy not once but twice only to get back on his feet with his trusty Gibson SG guitar strapped over his shoulder, ready to do what he does...

On March 23rd, 1983 ZZ Top released their eighth studio album "Eliminator". It remains the band’s most commercially successful album thanks to several singles with an undeniable beat and hook along with three videos that are among the most popular in MTV history. While MTV would launch the careers of new artists, it would revive the careers of veteran bands like ZZ Top. And while MTV helped ZZ Top, the trio of guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard would return...

Legendary Heart guitarist/vocalist Nancy Wilson celebrated a birthday this week so we're going to celebrate Nancy's 40-plus year career. Nancy is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer over four decades into her career, she is still going strong. In fact, she’s got a brand new solo album 'You & Me' due out next month. In this episode we’ll take a look at the life and career of Nancy, from being raised in a military family, to discovering rock and roll, falling in love with the guitar and proving...

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released their album 'Deja Vu' on this week back in 1970. It's the first album from David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash & Neil Young and the second from the trio of Crosby, Stills & Nash. It topped the pop album chart for one week and spawned three top forty singles. With over eight million copies sold it’s the highest selling album of each member’s career to date. We’ll get to how and why Neil Young ended up joining the CSN lineup, the other...

On March 7th, 1970 Simon and Garfunkel’s fifth studio album 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' started a ten week run at number one on the US chart. The title track was in the middle of a six week run at the top of the US singles chart. It would also reach #1 in the UK in March of ’70. It topped the charts in ten countries total. By the time the album had been released, the duo of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had split up; making this the last Simon & Garfunkel studio album to be released....

Thirty seven years ago this week (February 25th 1984) Van Halen’s "Jump" knocked Culture Club’s "Karma Chameleon" off the top of the charts and started a five week run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It helped the album ‘1984’ reach #2 and sell over 10 million copies. "Jump" is also the only Van Halen song to hit #1. In this episode you’ll hear the story of how Eddie Van Halen ultimately won his battle with Van Halen singer David Lee Roth and producer Ted Templeman to finally record...

On February 15th, 1964 The Beatles scored their first US number one album with 'Meet The Beatles!' The album stayed at number one for eleven weeks and sold over four million copies in the US by December 31st, 1964. In this episode hear the stories behind the 12 tracks that make up the album which signaled the start of Beatlemania in America - 'Meet The Beatles!'. TRACKLISTING: SIDE ONE: 1. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" 2. "I Saw Her Standing There" 3. "This Boy" 4. "It Won't Be Long" 5. "All...

On February 12th, 1977 Pink Floyd released their tenth studio album 'Animals' in the US. It had been released on January 21st in the UK. Just five tracks on the record, none released as singles which partly explains why it’s an often overlooked album by the mainstream rock audience. While it may have been overlooked at the time it was released, the appreciation for 'Animals' slowly built in the years following its release and it’s now placed rightfully where it belongs, among the band’s most...

On this week in 1977 Fleetwood Mac released their eleventh studio album 'Rumours'. The band wanted to expand on the commercial success of their previous album, the self-titled record featuring the debut of new members Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. The result was not only Fleetwood Mac’s most successful album but one of the biggest in music history. 'Rumours' became the band's first number one album on the UK albums chart and also topped the US Billboard 200 thanks to four top ten...

On January 30th, 1973 Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss made their very first live appearance as KISS. It was at the Popcorn Club in Queen’s, New York in front of an audience of fewer than ten people. The band was paid 50 dollars for performing two sets that night. The club was renamed Coventry soon after. "Our first show ever was at Coventry," said Paul Stanley. "Coventry was a study in contrasts. The first time we played, there was nobody there. The last time we played...

On this week in 1978 Journey released their breakthrough studio album 'Infinity'. After their first three studio albums failed to go gold and barely make the top 100, Journey was about to be dropped from their label. Up against the ropes the band’s manager Herbie Herbert decided it was time to make a change - a big change. That big change came with the addition of a struggling unknown singer Steve Perry who had, himself, given up on his chance of ever making it in music. Bruce Lundvall, who...

On this week in 1967 The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded “Purple Haze”. One of Jimi’s best known songs it’s also ranked among the greatest songs in rock history. Rolling Stone magazine called it the song that launched not one but two revolutions; late sixties psychedelia and the unprecedented genius of Jimi Hendrix. In this episode we’ll get into the history of the song’s creation, the recording of the track, the lyrics and how they’ve been interpreted over the years, the song’s long...

On this week in 1971 the album regarded as one of the, if not THE most important album in heavy metal history was released in the United States - Black Sabbath’s second studio album 'Paranoid'. We’ll get into the stories behind all eight tracks including the last-minute addition to the album which became not only Black Sabbath’s most popular song but one considered to be among the greatest in rock and metal history. Also we’ll get to the controversial album title that was ultimately...

On this week in 1969 Led Zeppelin II was at number one on the US album charts. It was the band’s first album to reach number one in both the US and UK. While Led Zeppelin’s 1969 debut album showed the world the band had arrived….Led Zeppelin II was proof that they were no fluke, they were here to stay. In fact, with the top ten single Whole Lotta Love, Zeppelin 2 was an even BIGGER success than the last. Robert Plant later said, quote, Our whole lives changed. It was such a sudden change we...

We’re celebrating the career of Foreigner’s Mick Jones who celebrates his 76th birthday tomorrow (12/2744). Along with a bio on the life and career of Mick we get to the ten greatest Foreigner songs of all time. DISCovery on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheDISCoverypodcasthome DISCovery on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DISCoverySenich The DISCovery theme song "Woo Hoo" by Reebosound (https://reebosound.bandcamp.com) Please give the show a five-star rating and review wherever you listen to...

Santa's made his list, checked it twice and rocked it thrice! Unwrap the greatest classic rock Christmas songs of all time and DISCover the stories behind each. Additional music: "Merry Christmas Song" by Plastic3 (https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/artists/show/24919) Original DISCovery theme song "A Billion Years Ago" by The Special Pillow (www.specialpillow.com) DISCovery on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheDISCoverypodcasthome DISCovery on Twitter:...

Keith Richards celebrated his 77th birthday yesterday. In a time when we’re losing so many classic rock artists Keith continues to defy the odds. In this episode we celebrate the man known as "The Human Riff" by rolling out his ten greatest riffs. DISCovery on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheDISCoverypodcasthome DISCovery on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DISCoverySenich The DISCovery theme song "Woo Hoo" by Reebosound (https://reebosound.bandcamp.com) Please give the show a five-star...

Rudy Childs is a photographer, documentarian and soon to be author. He’s written a book called Riff Raff and Rock And Roll. It is an absolute killer book, one that deserves to be published and turned into a movie. Rudy talks about all the great concerts he saw from a long list of amazing bands, some as they were just starting like Van Halen, Cheap Trick, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers just to name a few. He’s got stories of hitchhiking across country to see shows with some wild...

On December 8th, 1976 the Eagles released their fifth studio album 'Hotel California'. It sold a million copies in its first week and went on to top the charts for a total of eight weeks. Eventually it would reach sales of 26 million in the US, 32 worldwide. It’s arguably the band at the peak of their success commercially, creatively and critically. That’s saying a lot considering the legendary body of work this band put out. In this episode we’ll get to the stories behind the nine tracks,...