A little about Country, a little about Soul, and more about how they are really just the same thing. And why it’s not at all surprising that a big Pop-Soul star like Beyoncé is releasing a Country album.

For this RNRA Short, we tapped the expertise of Professor Charles Hughes of Rhodes College in Memphis, author of “Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South.”

We’ll look at the origins of the Alt Country Revolt, and name-check some great artists working very loudly and deliberately outside the Nashville Pop Country machine.

Y’all keep up the rockin’ now, hear?

Producer and Host: Christian Swain

Head Writer: Richard Evans

Sound Designer: Jerry Danielsen

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To mark the 60th anniversary of The Beatles' inaugural performance on U.S. soil, we decided to do a quick compare-and-contrast. We’ll revisit that watershed moment in music and culture, and talk about something recent that actually comes close to matching that moment: the ongoing Eras Tour from Taylor Swift.

Not “Bigger THAN The Beatles,” but in our not-so-humble opinion, “Biggest SINCE The Beatles.”

Listen in and let us know what you think! www.rocknrollarchaeology.com/listen

Producer and Host: Christian Swain

Head Writer: Richard Evans

Sound Designer: Jerry Danielsen

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The Soul of the 1970s. First, Marvin Gaye kicked the door open with “What’s Going On,” and then Stevie Wonder barged in.

The Wonder Years spanned 1971 to 1976; when the transcendent, diverse talent of Stevie Wonder was in its fullest flower. That five-album span is one of the most successful and impactful creative runs in the history of recorded music.

Our podcast offers immersive storytelling, insightful commentary, and a stellar musical playlist. Join us as we delve deep into the lives and musical genius of these iconic Soul-Music luminaries.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7s4Vyw1FLb4XpJnANduFPs?si=14746e9dd53049b1

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Welcome back to Rock N Roll Archaeology! Got another RNRA Short Podcast for you. This one is named after the Kinks song “Celluloid Heroes.”

Rock N Roll goes to the movies (and television) in this one. We’ll take a look at three shows that feature fictional Rock bands: the movies “Almost Famous” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” and the television miniseries “Daisy Jones & The Six.”

Visit our website for more about this and all our other podcast episodes, and for links to our Patreon and Social Media. Keep up the Rockin’!

Dramatis Personae

• Kellen Reiche played Danny Failson
• Lynly Ehrlich played Liz Limer
• Jerry Danielsen played Joe Conrad
• Courtney M. Anderson played Heller Joseph

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RNRA Shorts: Disco Demolition! 

Take us back to the Distant Days of Disco, Summer of 1979. Steve Dahl, a brash young DJ at WLUP- FM (“Chicago’s Best Rock!”), has declared war on Disco. 

On July 12, 1979, he took the fight to Comiskey Park, in between games of a doubleheader between the home-team Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. Things…got out of hand. 

Since then, the “Disco Demolition” at Comiskey has achieved no small amount of notoriety, and at least according to Steve Dahl, it was a turning point, the beginning of the end for Disco. 

Was it really? Well, yes and no. In our view, the Disco trend was already on the decline; it had pretty much run its course. But there was a powerful backlash to Disco, that’s undeniable. What motivated that backlash? And what was the fallout from the actual event? 

Let’s discuss! For sources and show notes, visit rocknrollarchaeology.com !

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We want the airwaves, baby! Chapter 23 of Rock N Roll Archaeology tunes into radio and radio culture in America and elsewhere. There was a brief moment in the 70s and early 80s where FM Rock Radio was something pretty special.So what was that like, and where have all the good times gone? Some storytelling in this one, but it’s a little heavier on the commentary…and of course we’re featuring some killer songs, because that’s how we roll.

“Begin the day with a friendly voice, a companion unobtrusive, Plays that song that’s so elusive”

For full show notes and to support Rock and Roll Archaeology visit www.rocknrollarchaeology.com.

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Remembering the late great Jeff Beck, the guitarist’s guitarist. An innovator and an iconoclast with a bold experimental spirit, Jeff left his unique stamp on hundreds of great songs.

Songs

• Jeff Beck: “Diamond Dust,” from Blow By Blow
• Jeff Beck: “Blue Wind,” from Wired
• The Yardbirds: “Stroll On,” from the soundtrack to Blow Up
• Jeff Beck with Bones UK: “The Revolution Will Be Televised” from Loud Hailer
• Jeff Beck: “Freeway Jam,” from Blow by Blow
• Bill Haley and The Comets: “Rock Around the Clock,” single released 1955
• Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen: “Hot Rod Lincoln” from Lost in the Ozone
• Stevie Wonder: “Looking for Another Pure Love,” from Talking Book
• Jeff Beck, “Thelonius,” from Blow by Blow
• Jeff Beck, “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers,” from Blow by BlowCredits
• Author Dennis Hartley voiced by Doug Herzog

In Memoriam

• Chip Isaac tribute charity: Bay Area Border Relief. https://www.bayareaborderrelief.org/

Podcasts

• Rock N Roll Archaeology, Chapter 21: Guitarmageddon
• Rock N Roll Archaeology, Chapter 8: Meet the Beatles, Part 2
• Deeper Digs in Rock: Bones UK

Books

• Martin Power, Hot Wired Guitar:The Life of Jeff Beck, 2014

Online Sources

• The Alchemist: RIP Jeff Beck – Digby's HullabalooJeff Beck's favourite guitar solos
• How Jeff Beck made Stevie Wonder go No. 1 with 'Superstition'

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Examining–and reconsidering–The Rocky Horror Picture Show. At the time, it was transgressive, outrageous; but now it seems a little bit tame. And…a bit problematic, when taken in a modern context. But it's still the ultimate midnight movie, and it's still…just a jump to the left! 

Songs:

• RHPS Cast: “There’s a Light,” from the soundtrack album
• RHPS Cast: “The Time Warp,” from the soundtrack album
• Tim Curry: “I Do The Rock,” from Fearless
• RHPS Cast: “Sweet Transvestite,” from the soundtrack album
• Frank Zappa and the Mothers: “Cheepnis,” from Roxy & Elsewhere
• RHPS Cast: “Science Fiction Double Feature,” from the soundtrack album
• RHPS Cast: “Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul,” from the soundtrack album
• RHPS Cast: “Rose Tint My World,” from the soundtrack album
• RHPS Cast: “Super Heroes,” from the soundtrack

Online Resources:

First, we want to give a warm and appreciative shoutout to the blogger Alex Mell-Taylor; we leaned heavily on their post for this chapter:    

• Gently Ripping Apart ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ | by Alex Mell -Taylor
• Here’s a link to more by Alex Mell - Taylor at Medium.com.
• The Rocky Horror Wiki
• How I learned to stop worrying and love the Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Rock's Back Pages: It's only a movie
• The 50 Best Sci Fi Movies of the 1970s
• Golden Age of Science Fiction Books: 11 of the Era's Most Influential Titles
• Tim Curry
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Cult Classic that Challenged Sexual Mores | The Artifice
• Rocky Horror Picture Show – a How-To Guide for Audience Participation
• We Live in the World ‘Rocky Horror’ Created

Written by Richard Evans and Christian Swain

Produced and hosted by Christian Swain

Sound Design by Jerry Danielsen

Partners: Rock's Backpages

Voice Actors: Drew H as Alex Mell-Taylor

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Bands in the van, and a band at the crossroads. In this episode of RNRA Shorts, we’ll get into the early days of Pink Floyd, and the latest from a Pink Floyd member: Nick Mason’s 2022 Saucerful of Secrets tour. 

Written by Richard Evans and Christian Swain, Sound Design by Jerry Danielsen.  

Sponsors and Partners

• Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets
• Rock’s Backpages

Songs

• Pink Floyd, “Echoes,” from Meddle
• Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play,” from Piper at the Gates of Dawn
• Pink Floyd, “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” from A Saucerful of Secrets
• Pink Floyd, “Interstellar Overdrive,” from Piper at the Gates of Dawn
• Pink Floyd, “Bike,” from Piper at the Gates of Dawn
• Pink Floyd, “Fearless,” from Meddle
• Pink Floyd, “One of These Days,” from Meddle
• Pink Floyd, “Jugband Blues,” from A Saucerful of Secrets
• Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets: “Arnold Layne,” from Live at the Roundhouse

Books

• Mason, Nick. Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd Chronicle Books LLC. Kindle Edition.
• Cutler, Sam. You Can't Always Get What You Want: My Life with the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and Other Wonderful Reprobates . ECW Press. Kindle Edition.

Films, Documentaries, and TV Shows

• “What Drives Us,” Directed by Dave Grohl, 2021
• "Omnibus" Syd Barrett: Crazy Diamond (TV Episode 2001) - IMDb
• Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon (Short 1973) - IMDb
• Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets: Live at the Roundhouse (2020) - IMDb

Online Sources

• Pink Floyd | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
• Why Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason Finally Went Solo at 75 – Rolling Stone
• How Pink Floyd Carried on With 'A Saucerful of Secrets'
• Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets Concert Setlist at Zagrebački velesajam - Paviljon 9, Zagreb on May 31, 2022

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Content warning: Here at RNRA, we don’t hide our views. At all. But when it comes to politics, we try not to be in-your-face about it either. Our little slogan is “Just tell the story, and the point will get made.”This time though, we’re a little more overt, we’re letting it rip just a little bit. This particular burr has been under our saddle for a while now.Now: on with the show. 

Summer Time is Shorts Time! RNRA Shorts, that is!

So…here’s a thing. Sometimes we visit Right Wing World online, that’s usually how it starts.On these expeditions we’ll sometimes run into some whinging about “Woke Progressives” cancelling right wing culture and entertainment, or just griping in general about perceived left/liberal bias in popular culture.They’re not totally wrong about that. They’re right, just for the wrong reasons, and we’ll explain why.It’s not just complaining they do. We also see a lot of co-opting and outright stealing. And when they take Rock music and culture and dishonestly try to repurpose it, try to make it serve the conservative agenda, well…unintentional hilarity ensues.So we’ll do some roasting, but we’ll also do some thinking out loud, talk a little about the how and why, and even delve into the deeper history of…the Art of the Steal.

Enjoy!

Sponsors and Partners

BetterHelp

Rock’s Backpages

Boldfoot

Songs

Parliament Funkadelic: “One Nation Under A Groove”

Thomas Dolby: “Pulp Culture”

Ted Nugent: “Stranglehold”

Ted Nugent: “Hey Baby”

They Might Be Giants: “Your Racist Friend”

Neil Young: “Rockin’ in the Free World”

Woody Guthrie: “This Land is Your Land”

Trey Parker and Matt Stone: “America, Fuck Yeah”

Toby Keith: “Courtesy of the Red White and Blue”

Living Colour: “Cult of Personality”

Stevie Wonder: “He’s Misstra Know It All”

Green Day: “American Idiot”

Sources

Apocalypse Now: “Mangoes and Tigers” Scene (Retrieved from YouTube)

Roy Edroso Breaks it Down Substack (Paywalled. Roy writes a lot about this issue, and we think he’s really astute–and hilarious.)

The Five Most Repellent Things Ted Nugent Has Ever Done | Rocks Off

Music News: Why can't musicians get politicians to stop playing their songs?

The President’s Shock at the Rows of Empty Seats in Tulsa - The New York Times

American Cringe: Why can’t the contemporary right make art?

Episode 5: The Ballad of Bob and J.R. — Pantheon Podcasts

A Defence of Poetry

Voice Talent 

Darryl Alber as blogger Cameron Summers

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We start with a tragedy, then a cautionary tale of the world not ready for a band. We then find more positive inspiration from an artist who delivers a huge seller. We end with a legend.  

Janis Joplin dies just before releasing her magnum opus, “Pearl.” A band called Fanny is ready to rock, but a culture poisoned by the patriarchy isn’t yet ready to accept them. Carole King makes Tapestry, a sincere, modest, and deeply personal album that hits huge and becomes a milestone for women. We complete the story with a profile of one of the giants of 20th Century Music, Joni Mitchell. We discuss her artistic and commercial peak in the early 70s with “Blue,” “For the Roses,” and “Court and Spark.” We admire all of these women for kicking down the door, and we celebrate the progress we’ve made since them, but there is still a long way to go. 

Now for some general remarks about the research and writing.

To the best of our ability, we tried to center women in this chapter. We’ll leave it to the listener to decide how we did with that.

There’s a diversity of opinion about this, but we think it’s fair to say the second wave of feminism hits the crest during the period we are covering, and it is not at all a coincidence that women really start to make big and important contributions to Rock Music right around this time too. 

Roe vs Wade was decided right around here, about fifty years ago. We are painfully aware of the US Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe, stripping many millions of American women of their fundamental human rights to bodily autonomy and medical privacy.

As we move forward with our chapters, we will document that half century of regressive backlash and how it got us here; it’s part of the story. Like we often say, Rock N Roll reflects back on, interacts with, and affects the larger society. And vice versa. In the late Sixties and early Seventies, it seemed like the progress would be permanent, and that more progress was on the way. Some of us were naive enough to believe that. We would do well now to remember the words of the anti slavery activist Frederick Douglass, way back in 1857: 

This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. 

Voice Talent

• Richard Evans as L.A. County Coroner
• Stephanie Pena as Alice Echols
• Stephanie Meyers as the voice of Creem Magazine
• Amanda Morck as Meredith Ochs
• Christy Alexander Hallberg as the voice of the IMA mission statement
• Carole King as Herself
• Erin Alden as Tanya Pearson
• Lynley Ehrlich as Carol Hanisch
• Thessaly Lerner as Judy Kutulas
• Holly Cantos as the voice of the New York Times

Online Resources

Rock’s Back Pages

Coroner's Report, archived at janisjoplin.net 

ABC Nightly News Report, from October 4th, 1970

Deeper Digs in Rock: 'Rock N Roll Woman: The Fifty Fiercest Female Rockers' with Meredith Ochs

The Institute for the Musical Arts

1416 N. La Brea Ave, Hollywood

50 years ago, the Sylmar earthquake shook L.A., and nothing’s been the same since

Women of Rock Oral History Project

"That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be": Baby Boomers, 1970s Singer-Songwriters, and Romantic Relationships

Carol Hanisch The Personal is Political

New York Times “Albums as Mileposts in a Musical Century”

Deeper Digs in Rock: Reckless Daughter - A Portrait of Joni Mitchell

Jonimitchell.com

Joni Mitchell, Woman of Heart and Mind

Books

• Joan Didion, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem”
• Alice Echols: “Scars of Sweet Paradise”
• Carole King: “Natural Woman”
• Meredith Ochs: “Rock And Roll Woman: The Fifty Fiercest Women Rockers”
• Sheila Weller: “Girls Like Us”
• Jerry Wexler: “Rhythm and the Blues”
• David Yaffe: “Reckless Daughter”

Documentaries and Films

Fanny: The Right to Rock

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