Posts

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Joe Cocker- Heart and Soul

No less than four of Joe Cocker's many albums have significant anniversaries: "Joe Cocker (1972)","Sheffield Steel"('82),"Unchain My Heart"('87), & "Night Calls" in 1992...By way of a "best of" these, here is my 2004 interview with the late Joe Cocker at the time of his excellent "Heart and Soul" release.

Jo Jo Gunne 50th Anniversary- Jay Ferguson

When artist manager-turned-media mogul David Geffen started his first Los Angeles-based record label Asylum Records, his first signing was Jackson Browne and his third deal was with the Eagles. Who was Geffen's second signing? Hometown heroes Jo Jo Gunne. marking the golden anniversary of that first ( and in songwriting, their best ) 1972 album Jo Jo Gunne, singer/songwrite/pianist Jay Ferguson reveals all kinds of influences when he told me, "If Sly and the Family Stone and Little Feat had a love child, it would have been Jo Jo Gunne!" Here In the Studio Jay tells the innocent tale of "Run Run Run","Shake That Fat","Babylon"," 99 Days","Barstow Blue Eyes", and"Take It Easy".
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Whitesnake ‘87- David Coverdale

For the story of one of the best-selling hard rock albums in history, "Whitesnake ’87", here are some of the questions we posed to Whitesnake king cobra David Coverdale.

Bryan Adams- So Far So Good/ So Happy It Hurts

"So Happy It Hurts" is the Canadian rocker's fifteenth (!) studio album, and he's not even old enough to get the Early Bird Special down at Denny's. Adams became a star way back in late 1984 with "Reckless", one of the Eighties' biggest sellers, then in 1991 absolutely crushed it with "Waking Up the Neighbours", an all-time biggest selling album in history. Bryan Adams' seventh studio album, "18 'Til I Die" , was a #1 seller in the UK and Top Five sales internationally. But when  "18 'Til I Die" came out in June 1996, US rock radio programmers decided, in spite of the music actually on the album to the contrary, to brand Bryan Adams a love song balladeer, not rock enough, not alternative enough, not cool enough. Adams finally addresses the issue with tongue firmly in cheek on the song "Kick Ass" from "So Happy It Hurts" with the help of the brilliant British pillar of Python humor, John Cleese, who has been skewering pompous pundits for half a century. Also listen to the infectious "Never Gonna Rain Again" which could be Bryan Adams' next big hit.
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Deep Purple- Machine Head- Ian Gillan, Roger Glover

Deep Purple's "Machine Head" album was made amidst a virtual minefield of misfortunes, any one of which had the potential to thwart the effort. Here is the real story from Ian Gillan & Roger Glover In the Studio.
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Asia- Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes, the late John Wetton

Asia was the 1980s' first "supergroup", including Emerson Lake and Palmer drummer Carl Palmer, former King Crimson/ Roxy Music / UK singer/ bass player the late John Wetton, Buggles vid-kid Geoff Downes on keyboards, and YES guitarist Steve Howe. Their March  1982 debut hit #1 in America on both the album sales chart and the singles for "Heat of the Moment". Asia debut #1 album of 1982 here In the Studio with Carl Palmer,Geoff Downes, the late John Wetton.
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Foreigner- Foreigner- Mick Jones, Lou Gramm

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".
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Jethro Tull- Thick As a Brick- Ian Anderson

Jethro Tull's March 1972 epic "Thick As a Brick" is the only album in music history to attain #1 sales on Billboard containing only one song...Ian Anderson joins me In the Studio with Jethro Tull's "Thick As a Brick" for one of the greatest progressive albums ever!
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Todd Rundgren- Something Anything

He may have waited interminably long on the Rock Hall induction, but over fifty years ago his third solo effort, a double album no less, put forth Todd Rundgren's effective nomination loud and clear by spotlighting him and his Spring 1972 masterpiece "Something/ Anything?". Todd Rundgren is my guest In the Studio.
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Jethro Tull- Songs from the Wood- Ian Anderson

Realize that "Songs from the Wood" by Jethro Tull, released way back in February 1977, was already the English folk/progressive rockers' tenth album! There was nothing that sounded remotely like the ancient pastoral songs and instrumentation on "Songs from the Wood"  then on the all-important American rock radio. Ian Anderson is my guest In the Studio  for "Songs from the Wood".