Posts

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Eagles- On the Border 50th- the late Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner

It's the golden anniversary of The Eagles' third release, "On the Border". Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey was exceedingly proud of their second album, 1973's "Desperado". Purely in popularity and chart stats, that sophomore record had the lowest glide path of any Eagles effort, yet in this exclusive In the Studio interview Frey and original Eagles bass player/ singer/ songwriter Randy Meisner make a detailed case for why, on its golden anniversary, "Desperado" may be the most formative flight of all.

Mountain- Never in My Life- Capital Theater Passaic NJ 12-30-73

After the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream broke up, the heir to the throne of most powerful US rock band was the group Mountain...Led by the hulking guitarist/singer/songwriter Leslie West, Mountain posed a daunting challenge to sound engineers, both in the recording studio and live in concert. Here is a rare live recording of Mountain performing "Never in My Life" in late December 1973.
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Who- Quadrophenia 50th- Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, the late John Entwistle

Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey join me In the Studio in this interview for the first in a two-part look at "Quadrophenia" at fifty, the last word on Townshend's October 1973 rock opera, which certainly is much more appreciated today than upon its initial release ...(more)
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Elton John- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 50th- Elton & Bernie Taupin

1973 masterpiece “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is a virtual greatest hits package unto itself. On its 50th anniversary Elton John & Bernie Taupin join me In the Studio for part one.

Elton John- All the Girls Love Alice- London 1973

Elton John... test-drove some of his then-new songs in 1973 from his "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album at London's venerable Hammersmith Odeon theater. Decades before Madonna liplocked Brittney Spears on stage, "All the Young Girls Love Alice".
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Queen 50th Anniversary, pt1- Brian May, Roger Taylor

Meanwhile Brian & Roger  give us the backstory on such early Queen songs as "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Doing All Right" from the debut ;"Now I'm Here", "Stone Cold Crazy", and "Killer Queen" from Sheer Heart Attack; and some amazing early live performances from the London Hammersmith Odeon. Queen's golden jubilee, part one, with Brian May and Roger Taylor here In the Studio.

Steely Dan- Countdown to Ecstasy 50th Anniversary- Donald Fagen, Walter Becker

So was Steely Dan's debut success in 1972 with "Can't Buy a Thrill", spinning off two Top 15 hits and impressive Top 20 sales, a blessing or a curse when it came time less than a year later to follow it up with "Countdown to Ecstasy"? My guests Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker were too smart to get trapped into a simple binary answer here In the Studio.
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Faces- Ooh La La 50th- Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones

On the golden anniversary of what turned out to be The Faces finale "Ooh La La", Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, drummer Kenney Jones with a cameo, and the late Ian McLagan face the music here In the Studio.
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Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon 50th- David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters

To illustrate how seriously many of the post-British Invasion bands were approaching the rock idiom by early 1973, you need look no further than Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" to see how this progressive rock movement had matured,  with spectacular results both artistically and commercially, confirmed in this fiftieth anniversary classic rock interview by my guests, musical lunar explorers David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Nick Mason.

Little Feat- Dixie Chicken 50th- Bill Payne, the late Paul Barrere

If only the world's most acclaimed rock musicians voted for election into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Little Feat would have been inducted on the first ballot years ago. The list of famous Little Feat fans included the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Palmer, and Robert Plant just for starters. But for most of the Seventies, they didn't sell many albums...