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“Can’t Buy a Thrill” in November 1972 from Steely Dan this first varied assortment of smart pop from the songwriters Donald Fagen and Walter Becker sounds the least like any Steely Dan album which would follow, but my guests Donald Fagen & the late Walter Becker explain why that’s the case In the Studio.
Cream’s breakthrough album “Disraeli Gears” only nine months earlier tee’d up the English/Scottish trio’s June 1968 third release, “Wheels of Fire”, for some impressive numbers. It went almost immediately to #3 sales in the UK and a bonafide #1 in the US, becoming the first double album to sell over a million copies. Eric Clapton & the late Jack Bruce are my guests.
Def Leppard lifers Joe Elliott and Ric Savage join Redbeard In the Studio for the mega-hit “Hysteria”.
This fabulous “Rock of Ages” medley by Def Leppard from the In the Studio archive was unavailable in the U.S. for about twenty years.
David Bowie’s “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust” changed the trajectory of rock music, fashion, and gender social issues in just 38 minutes. Here are the late David Bowie and guitarist Mick Ronson with me In the Studio.
Debut release Foreigner became the fastest-selling debut album in Atlantic Records’ long storied history. Foreigner founder Mick Jones and original singer/co-writer Lou Gramm join me here In the Studio for realization of their collective dream in the stories behind the songs “Cold As Ice”, “Headknocker”, “Starrider”,”Long Long Way from Home”,”At War with the World”, and the time-less “Feels Like the First Time”.
In January 1967 when John Densmore’s snare drum cracked like a rifle shot before Ray Manzarek’s nimble fingers made their intricate run of baroque-sounding notes on that reedy Farfisa organ, all on the introduction to jazz/flamenco guitarist Robbie Krieger’s composition “Light My Fire”, it clearly and boldly announced a unique approach to rock and roll that really has no peer. And all of that before Jim Morrison stepped up to the microphone to introduce one of the greatest voices and hedonistic personalities in rock history. Not unlike Creedence Clearwater Revival from the same period, no other American bands put out more albums in less time which were more influential in the last 50+ years. And like CCR, no one ever sounded like The Doors ever since. Here is Doors co-founder the late Ray Manzarek with me In the Studio to mark The Doors anniversary. -Redbeard
Men At Work managed to occupy the peak slot in America for 15 weeks. The songs “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Down Under” followed the Business As Usual debut album from Men At Work to #1 sales for all three in the U.S., something never before done by a rookie band, not even the Beatles.
“Metallica” (affectionately known as “The Black Album” in the same way The Beatles had been dubbed “The White Album”), Metallica’s lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and lead throat James Hetfield show how the band sits atop the family tree of hard rock/heavy metal evolution.
Showco introduces the concept of the portable custom P.A., commissioned by and traveling with the bands; John Tedesco‘s pneumatic lighting towers; Kirby Wyatt, Randy Blair, Steve Jander, & Led Zeppelin play with lasers; the “gel-change project”; after ten years of non-stop expansion and reinvestment back into the company, double near-disasters force a fires sale and […]