Talking Heads- Take Me to the River- WCOZ, Boston 11-17-77

the first time that I met legendary songwriter/ guitarist the late Teenie Hodges was at a Talking Heads record release party for "Fear of Music"  in Memphis in 1979. Teenie had sought me out to introduce himself, since I had been influential in getting ROCK 103 Memphis to play the Talking Heads version of "Take Me to the River", the soul classic originally co-written and recorded by Memphis legend Al Green.

Doobie Brothers- Stampede 50th- Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons 4-28

Even a half-century after its April 1975 release, the two things I recall most about "Stampede", the fifth album from San Jose's Doobie Brothers, was the duality evident in the band's emerging sound. There was the noticeable sophistication in the sweeping symphonic "I Cheat the Hangman", but in stark contrast to the Doobie Brothers' big hit with the Motown cover of "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me for a Little While)". Band co-founders Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons join me In the Studio for the golden anniversary of "Stampede" by the Doobie Brothers the week of April 28.
,

Jethro Tull- Benefit @55- Ian Anderson

They were the changes  in musical direction and key personnel made on Jethro Tull's critical preceding third album,"Benefit", in April 1970, which provided the oxygen in "Aqualung" 's tank a year later. Ian Anderson is my guest for your "Benefit".
,

Aerosmith- Toys in the Attic 50th- Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford, Joey Kramer, Tom Hamilton, Joe Perry

On its 50th anniversary, we dust off "Toys in the Attic", the breakthrough third album for Aerosmith in  April 1975. Contrary to what you might assume, through their first two albums Aerosmith struggled to get noticed. In this classic rock interview, Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer reminded me that "Dream On" from their debut by then had been released as a single three times  and flopped twice.

Pete Townshend- Empty Glass 45th 4-21

"On Empty Glass I was groping for a title for the album which would demonstrate what I believed at the time, which was that I was there with an empty heart," Pete Townshend confided here In the Studio. Pete Townshend is my guest for the hour on the forty-fifth anniversary of "Empty Glass" here In the Studio the week of April 21.
,

Genesis- Duke 45th Anniversary- Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins

The September 1981 release of Genesis "Abacab". The veteran English band's eleventh  studio album, nevertheless it was the first Genesis album to breach the American Top Ten album sales on Billboard , and surprisingly the first Genesis million seller. Yet it is no minor miracle that my guests Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, and Tony Banks could make it to the Progressive Rock promised land.

Aerosmith- Sweet Emotion/Peter Gunn- Brussels 10-31-93

When Aerosmith performed this blistering version of "Sweet Emotion/Peter Gunn" that Halloween night in Brussels over twenty-five years ago, the guys had already been performing the song from "Toys in the Attic" for almost twenty years by then, but clearly never doing it better.

ZZ TOP- Fandango 50th- Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard 4-14

ZZ Top's squankmaster Billy Gibbons and shuffle king Frank Beard are In the Studio with the late bass man Dusty Hill for the fiftieth anniversary of their fourth album, "Fandango", the week of April 14.

ZZ Top- Lagrange- Castle Donington, Derbyshire UK 8-17-85

One of the priceless pieces of twenty-five years of rock history at Q102 Dallas/Ft Worth  was a tape cartridge that I had dubbed from a cassette containing a live medley of ZZ Top's encore of "Lagrange" which had closed their headlining show…

Aerosmith- Toys in the Attic 50th- Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Joey Kramer, Tom Hamilton, Steven Tyler 4-7

Hard as it may be to believe, on the eve of the release of their third album Toys in the Attic in April 1975, the Boston-based hard rock band Aerosmith was not very well known. Their debut single from the first album, "Dream On", had been released…