A critical success upon release yet a commercial disaster, this album has since been vindicated by history and is now seen as one of the greatest albums of all time. And spoilers, this episode on The Kinks is *considerably* nicer than our previous episode on The Kinks. So let's talk "The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society"!

Critically praised yet publicly reviled at its release, the self-titled debut of Weezer has since seen a resurgence of appreciation thanks to its presence in internet meme culture. That and the fact it's just a damn good album. Join the theater kids as they traverse the Blue Album!

One of the most important debuts in new wave and pop rock, this album delivers with all the killer hooks and tightness you'd hope from an album like this! And the theater kids are here for it! Let's drive with The Cars!

April Fools description: Welcome to Hyperpop of Ages! Where we discuss a hyperpop album on each episode! And on this special first episode we take a look at the two albums by arguably the most famous hyperpop project making music right now, 100 gecs! With a few cross-tangents about Beyonce and Fox News getting in the way, of course. Regular description: When 100 gecs made their presence known in 2019, many were outraged by what they saw as horrible music. But their kids are gonna love it....

We cap off March, Women's History Month, with this seminal debut album by one of the best female-led classic rock groups of all time! The theater kids might just know it from the one song from Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but it's still some good stuff. Let's hop onto "Dreamboat Annie" by Heart!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all who celebrate it! And this year to apologize for covering the Lizzie Borden musical we're taking a look at Ireland's best rock band to ever come out of the 90s, if not ever even, with a lead singer while dearly departed still shines through after all these years! The theater kids are diving into the debut of the Cranberries, "Everybody Else is Doing it, So Why Can't We?"!

Kate Bush time, baby! The Dreaming!

Tom Waits is not a name most theater kids know, but he still has certainly made a name for himself as a music artist. In the 70s he was the barfly's barfly, making songs for the drunken heartbroken saps he knew. But in the 80s things changed. He met his wife Kathleen Brennan who turned him on to the music of Captain Beefheart, Harry Partch, and many more. In turn, his music turned rapidly experimental and dissonant, to the point where no record company wanted to release this album when it was...

The fourth entry in the Eagles canon is this album, One of These Nights. It's not as big as Hotel California but it's still especially important to them because it launched them into the mainstream with three hit singles. Will the theater kids like it? Or will they not? And will they enjoy my Eagles concert story more?

At the start of the 20th century, Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov was at his lowest point. His first symphony was a disaster and he believed he would amount to nothing in the world of music. But through the help of therapy, hypnosis, and self-perseverance, he pulled through and made some of the best classical pieces of the century. Over a hundred years later, Broadway genius Dave Malloy made a musical about that period of time. How does it hold up? Lets find out with "Preludes"!

"The plus is because Pete Townshend likes it. (...) Beware the forthcoming hype. This is ersatz shit." -Robert Christgau in his D+ review of King Crimson's debut album "In The Court of the Crimson King" "A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic." -Jean Sibelius Me and the theater kids agree. This is prog rock.

The zany energy from this band on their debut album still holds to this day. It's campiness in all the right ways, authentic in all of its approaches, and it's just darn fun to listen to. The theater kids are gonna have fun with the debut album by The B-52s!

Romi's birthday episode for 2024 is a compilation album of old songs covered by (somewhat) new musicians. From the good, the bad, and the Iggy, what they all have in common is that they're under the Light in the Attic record label. So let's dive into "Light in the Attic & Friends"! Link to our episodes that have been taken down: https://archive.org/details/episode-10_20240122

How ironic that our previous episode was an album that kickstarted the glam metal scene, and this episode is an album that *killed* it! The album wasn't meant to become the global juggernaut it is, but if it didn't the musical landscape might look a little worse. And the theater kids are (mostly) in agreement! So let's look at Nirvana's "Nevermind"!

From the ashes of the slow-running classic rock train, rises a new hard rock act with a massive-sounding debut album that ushered in a new sound for rock in the 1980s up until the early 90s. And while many of the acts it inspired sound of their time and dated, somehow this album remains fresh and relevant with each passing year. And could it be because of their amazing guitarist? The theater kids sure do think so! So let's talk about the self-titled debut by Van Halen!

Sara Bareilles' musical based on the 2007 indie film of the same name was not one I expected to be so popular, and yet it is. And this is not to deny the quality of the musical, which both smells and tastes as good as a marshmallow pie! Let's look at 'Waitress'!

At the end of each year, we like to go around and discuss our favorite and least favorite albums we covered, along with some hopes for what the next year will bring. And on this third year of the podcast, there is a lot of good stuff to be covered! So join us as Rock of Ages says goodbye to 2023 and looks forward at 2024!

After ditching Los Angeles and its singer-songwriter scene for good, The Piano Man penned some of the greatest tunes of his career at that point and decided to throw out Columbia Records' assigned producer and band in favor of producing it himself with his own backing band. It was a risky gambit, and one that didn't work, as this album peaked at #122 on the Billboard 200. But I never said the album was bad because of it. Let's talk Billy Joel, "Turnstiles"! Also sidenote I forgot to...

Originally recorded December 23, 2023. It's a Christmas season miracle. We are all caught up with editing episodes! And just before the end of the year! And so to celebrate, here is our Christmas episode! It's not an album centered around the holiday, but it does have one of the greatest modern Christmas songs ever. And it also has the dearly missed Shane MacGowan (1957-2023), whom this episode is dedicated to. So let's talk about The Pogues' "If I Should Fall From Grace With...

Originally recorded December 16, 2023. In early 1977, punk was merely seen as a passing phase, just another loud and stupid genre by and for people who don't like anything. But that changed when a band who would later earn the moniker "The Only Band That Matters" released their debut, one of the only debut albums that matters. This album has everything. Power, style, sharp lyrics, focus. And do the theater kids like it after their middling reception towards Ramones? Well let's find out as...

Shortly after releasing their list on the Top 40 greatest lyrics in rock, Ultimate Classic Rock is back at again with the Top 40 *worst* lyrics in rock! Ok Top 20 actually because all the lyrics are just so good man. But once again it's up to us and only us to see how accurate this list is! The list: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/worst-rock-lyrics/

Originally recorded December 5, 2023. Yea we recorded out of order, so? The point is we are so close to finally catching up with editing all the episodes! And this episode is Jamie's birthday episode, and she chose a wonderful album with raw aggression and emotions! Not exactly a theater kid's cup of tea, but certainly still worth their time. So let's talk Sleater-Kinney's "The Woods"!

Originally recorded December 9, 2023. Before "Hamilton", Lin Manuel Miranda achieved Broadway success through musicals like "In The Heights" and this one based on a 2000 comedy that I never heard of. And the fact I knew this musical but not the movie and that my parents knew the movie really shows my age I think. But anyway, let's bring on "Bring it On"!

Originally recorded December 2, 2023. Part one of the Cocaine Trilogy, this confused rock opera inspired by George Orwell's 1984 was released at the height of Bowie's glam period, and boy does it show and not in the best way. It's so out there that not even the theater kids can fully enjoy it. Let's talk about Bowie's "Diamond Dogs"!