Songs You Should Know

The Traveling Wilburys comprised George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Their first album was released in October 1988 to commercial success and critical acclaim. Although Harrison had long planned to start such a band, the project came about through happenstance. Harrison was in Los Angeles and in need of a […]

This one is for this Mickster, in tribute to one of the first bands he ever idolized (back when he was 12 years old.) Formed in New York City in January 1973, Kiss is about to embark on their “End of the Road” final world tour. Yes, we know they’ve done a final tour before […]

The Eagles were originally Linda Ronstadt’s backup band and had their first major hit with the first song on their first album in 1972 (“Take it Easy,” from their debut album, simply titled “Eagles.”) They went on to masterfully craft songs that have sold over 100 million albums. In fact, their 1976 “Greatest Hits” volume […]

Were they Glam Rock? Heavy Metal? What were these guys? They were an indescribable mutation of both, with a rich dash of opera, theatrics, and even rockabilly thrown in. Queen had eight gold and six platinum records. Their lead guitarist has a PhD in astrophysics. They were indescribably unique. In this episode, Mick and Jimbo […]

Mick and Jim have discussed the pioneers of country western, punk, hard rock, disco, and everything in between. In this episode we tackle the Carpenters, icons of soft rock during the 1970s. Karen and Richard, brother and sister, carved out their own space in music history and owned the 70s as much as any other […]

Malcolm Young of AC/DC left us on November 18, 2017, from complications of dementia. He was only 64. He anchored AC/DC’s sound from the beginning, in 1973. His younger brother Angus may have been the public face of the band, but Malcolm was a key writer and leader. He was the guy the rest of the […]

Punk developed in the early to mid-1970s and was rooted in 1960s garage rock and other forms of what is now known as “proto-punk” music. Punk bands rebelled against what they saw as the “excesses” of mainstream rock at the time, seeking to get back to the raw early roots of rock and roll, sometimes […]

Rod Stewart’s distinctive raspy singing voice, showmanship, and songwriting have kept him in the musical spotlight for over fifty years. Stewart came to prominence in the late 1960s and the early 1970s with The Jeff Beck Group, and then with Faces, though his music career began in 1962 when he took up busking with a […]

Tom Petty was the soundtrack to so many of our lives. His unique songwriting capabilities captivated generations of rock and roll enthusiasts. He wasn’t the prettiest. He wasn’t the smoothest. But, dang if he didn’t have what it took to be a rock and roll star. In this episode, Mick and Jimbo talk about his […]

Glen Campbell spent over 50 years in the music business. He recorded scores of record albums and starred in a hit TV show. He also made history in 1967 by winning four Grammy awards in two different categories . . . two for “Gentle on My Mind” in the Country and Western category, and two […]

Joe left us in December of 2014, but he left a legacy of gritty, spasmodic performances. He was one of a kind. He came to our attention with his cover of “A Little Help From My Friends” in 1968, and continued popping up in the public consciousness for years, culminating in a 1983 Grammy Award […]

Jimbo and the Mickster return after after a short summer hiatus to explore one country music legend with whom every rock and roll lover should be familiar: Hank Williams, Sr. In his short 29 year life (and only 6 years of major label recording,) Hank managed to pen and/or record a long list of classics, […]

Prince underwent the transformation from “rock star” to “media superstar” in 1984, with the release of Purple Rain, both as a movie and an album. This is the same year Michael Jackson wins a record eight Grammy Awards, and Ronald Reagan nearly runs the table in his re-election bid. Of several hit singles spawned by […]

By the end of 1981, the Rolling Stones were launching the era of corporate sponsored touring, with their Tattoo You album and tour, spearheaded by their last great end-of-summer single, Start Me Up. In this episode Mick and Jim discuss the influence of Start Me Up, as well as the first appearance of Rap in […]

In 1978 we saw the collision of Punk, Disco, and Rock. John Travolta appeared in not one, but two iconic movies, both filled with music. This episode opens with the Rock/Disco fusion of the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” the segues into the Rock/Punk/Jazz fusion of the “Roxanne,” by the Police, and finishes with one of […]

1975 saw the fall of Saigon, the Energy Crisis, and two assassination attempts on the President of the United States. On a more positive note, we also witnessed “The Thrilla’ in Manilla,” and the inaugural episode of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” In this episode, we take a look at three groundbreaking music releases from the […]

Today we both mourn and celebrate the life of Chuck Berry. We are all Chuck’s children. We also talk about 1972, and the emergence of Alice Cooper, Jackson Browne and Neil Young. “Alice” would go on to have multiple lives, Jackson would take a while to come back to the top of the charts (even […]

1969 was an eventful year in politics and music. Richard Nixon became US President, the Beatles played their last show, and the Rolling Stones lost the legendary Brian Jones, only to find a twenty year old phenom named Mick Taylor. From the Zip to Zap to Altamont, the year saw the birth of the Woodstock […]

In 1966, the Troggs, the Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan all released major songs in the history of Rock and Roll. Jimbo and the Mickster tackle “Wild Thing,” “Good Vibrations,” and “Just like a Woman” in this episode.

Jimbo arrived on Earth in 1963, as did a large list of classic Rock and Roll songs. Mick and I talk about three of them here. And don’t worry . . . next up will be songs from Mick’s birth year, 1966.

We start things out with a trinity of songs from 1955-1958 . . . the time where rock and roll was born from the blues, from country, and from the “pop” of the time. Hey, let us know what you think and what we should improve!