Redbeard's Blog

Pete Townshend- Rough Boys- Cannes 1-29-86

Pete Townshend took his all-star Deep End band to the annual MIDEM music convention in Cannes France at the end of February 1986 to perform live on the legendary Rockpalast television show stage. His setlist included the song "Rough Boys", which…

ZZ Top- Fandango- Billy Gibbons, the late Dusty Hill & Frank Beard

For their 1975 "Fandango", my guests Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard in "That Little Ol' Band from Texas" ZZ Top were tellin' tall tales here In the Studio long before Netflix or Amazon Prime were ever invented! -Redbeard

Live Tracks

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.

Medium Rare

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".

Beard's Blog, Classic Rock Interviews

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

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.

Live Tracks

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.

Live Tracks

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…

Medium Rare

Van Halen- Women and Children First- Eddie & Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth

It always seemed that the Van Halen 1980 third album, "Women and Children First" , suffered from "middle child syndrome". David Lee Roth, bass player/ harmony singer Michael Anthony, drummer Alex Van Halen, and fretmeister Eddie Van Halen remind us of a time 45 years ago when Van Halen was establishing itself as America's premiere hard rock band with songs "And the Cradle Will Rock" and "Everybody Wants Some!".

Beard's Blog, Classic Rock Interviews

Bad Company- Straight Shooter- Paul Rodgers, late Mick Ralphs, Simon Kirke

Bad Company had elbowed their way to the forefront of the rock world by the late March 1975 release of their second album, "Straight Shooter" ,avoiding the sophomore jinx with timeless songs "Good Lovin' Gone Bad","Feel Like Makin' Love", and "Shooting Star". But as my guests Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs, and Simon Kirke share here, strange things can happen eventually when that much success is achieved that quickly in lives so young.