The Early 1950s and Good Rockin Tonight: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll

Countryroll 2: Roy Acuff, Bob Wills, Gene Autry & Woody Guthrie Lead Country Music Through Hard Times According to Ken Burns: Nate and James discuss Country Music during the Depression and World War 2 and the artists, like Roy Acuff and Bob Wills, and the Maddox Brothers and Rose who dominated the era. Let It Roll is proud to be part of Pantheon Podcasts. Have a question or a suggestion for a topic or person for Nate to interview? Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook. by Let It Roll

58 min listen

Episode 17: Stephen Miller / Oasis: Scot and Jeff talk to Stephen Miller about Oasis. by Political Beats

129 min listen

Rhythm & Blues from Bessie Smith to Louis Jordan: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll: This episode serves as another prequel to the History of Rock & Roll season, where Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox focus on the roots of blues and jazz in the United States and the genres' unique evolution into swing and eventually Rhythm & Blues; this episode serves as a comprehensive look at how African-American music influenced popular musical styles and trends in the U.S. in the '20s and '30s. by Let It Roll

63 min listen

1953-1954 Rock, Meet Roll: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll: A discussion with Ed Ward, author of "The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 1: 1920-1963." This episode focuses on the years 1953 - 1954. by Let It Roll

63 min listen

E55: David Toop on art and sound + Arthur Russell + Joe Smith R.I.P.: Mark & Barney invite writer and fearless musical improviser David Toop to reminisce about his work and his long and fascinating career. Toop talks about the impact of an aunt returning from New York with a stack of rhythm & blues 78s – and how this instilled a lifelong love of black American music. After he describes his early adventures in free and improvised music, his hosts ask how a man who's collaborated with Brian Eno and Max Eastley came to profile Bros for The Face – by way of his pioneering 1984 book The Rap Attack, the first serious study of the East Coast hip hop scene. The three men then discuss the cult "disco auteur" Arthur Russell, whom Toop interviewed. Toop also pitches in on the subject of the week's free feature, cult dubstep star Will "Burial" Bevan, with Barney waxing ecstatic about the man's noughties albums and subsequent Hyperdub tracks – and Toop making slightly more sceptical noises. Mark in by Rock's Backpages

66 min listen

Introducing Everything Fab Four: Where everyone has a Beatles story to tell by Everything Fab Four

1 min listen

Episode 68: “Yakety Yak” by the Coasters: Episode sixty-eight of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at Yakety Yak by The Coasters, and at the groups greatest success and split, and features discussion of racism, plagiarism, STDs and Phil Spector. Click the full post to read line by A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

1 min listen

Episode 123: Dominic Green / The Jam: Scot and Jeff discuss The Jam with Dominic Green. by Political Beats

190 min listen

E64: The Meters + Joanna Newsom + Buzzy Linhart audio interview: In this week's episode, RBP's original "house band" pays homage to New Orleans funkmeisters the Meters, enjoys Frances Morgan's 2004 interview with the 22-year-old Joanna Newsom, and listens to the late Buzzy Linhart telling Steve Roeser about Lenny Bruce's 1964 bust at New York's Café au Go Go. Road-weary veterans Mark & Barney saddle up with hip young gunslinger Jasper to explore the Meters' close involvement with Crescent City maestro Allen Toussaint – and the unique grooves of funk classics like 'Cissy Strut' and 'Just Kissed My Baby'. They also savour the prose of Frances Morgan's Newsom profile for Plan B and her meditation on the first four albums by Can. A clip from Roeser's 2008 audio interview with Linhart reveals the cult Greenwich Villager's disdain for Café au Go Go owner Howard Solomon. Unfortunately, an almost equal amount of disdain is meted out to Buzzy's music by Mark & Jasper. Mark then zips through new by Rock's Backpages

63 min listen

E114: Lenny Kaye on Patti Smith + Nuggets + Led Zep IV: In this episode, we welcome the great Lenny Kaye — all the way from NYC — and ask him to reminisce about his New Jersey youth; the revelation that was rock 'n' roll; his exposure in 1966 to Crawdaddy! and other pioneering music zines, and of course his first encounters with the inimitable Patti Smith. Along the way we hear about his landmark 1972 anthology Nuggets, and about his thrilling new book Lightning Striking. Clips from John Tobler's 1978 audio interview with Patti prompt Lenny to relive key moments from the '70s, including the pair's engagement with the British punk scene on their band's first London visit in May '76. To mark the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin IV, he also talks about his rave Rolling Stone review of that album, a piece he stands by to this day. His hosts also note the imminent release of the follow-up to Robert Plant & Alison Krauss' Americana classic Raising Sand. The RBP team pays its respects to Maur by Rock's Backpages

92 min listen

E84: Jude Rogers on Adele + Prince + Sonic Youth audio: In this week's episode, we welcome the wonderful Jude Rogers into RBP's very own Gridworld. Live from her native Wales, the far-from-obscure Jude reviews her career as a music scribe from The Llanelli Star to The Word, revisiting interviews with megastar-in-the-making Adele Atkins and wholly reformed cocaine fiend Tony Bennett. Jude also reflects on a 2008 thinkpiece about the Beach Boys' influence on Fleet Foxes, the latter having just "dropped" a rather fine new album, Shore, with minimum fanfare. Additionally, Jude offers her thoughts on the multifarious splendours of Prince's Sign 'O' the Times, the 1987 "double" album oft regarded as his crowning achievement. Hosts Mark, Barney & Jasper reference contemporary reviews of the record and ponder the influence on the purple maestro of departed Revolutionaries Wendy & Lisa. After noting the passing of blue-eyed soul man Roy ('Treat Her Right') Head – with nods to a nice 1966 profil by Rock's Backpages

66 min listen

Episode 29: Terry Teachout / The Band: Scot and Jeff talk to Terry Teachout about The Band. by Political Beats

158 min listen

E126: Robert Duncan & Jaan Uhelszki on Lester Bangs + Creem + Suicide: In this episode we mark the 40th anniversary of the death of arguably the greatest — and certainly the most "almost famous" — writer in the history of music journalism. Two of Lester Bangs's closest Creem colleagues (both wonderful writers in their own right) join us from California to reminisce about the man and his work. Jaan Uhelszki, who started in the Creem office the same day as Lester, gets the ball rolling by putting Detroit's "anti-Rolling Stone" in context. Robert Duncan, who arrived two years later in 1974, adds his recollections of "America's only rock'n'roll magazine" [sic] before paying tribute to Lester. Respect, laughter and sadness ensue as Robert & Jaan discuss their friend's gonzoid genius, his exasperating foibles and the addiction that killed him at 33, six years after Robert persuaded him to move to New York. Seminal New York duo Suicide — beloved of Bangs — are the subjects of the week's new a by Rock's Backpages

73 min listen

1959 Death and Soul: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll: A discussion with music historian Ed Ward about his book "The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 1: 1920-1963." This episode focuses on 1959. by Let It Roll

81 min listen

Episode 43: “I Gotta Know” by Wanda Jackson: Episode forty-three of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at I Gotta Know by Wanda Jackson, and the links between rockabilly and the Bakersfield Sound. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript by A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

1 min listen

E79: Loyd Grossman, Rock Critic + Brian May audio + (Dixie) Chicks: In this episode we are joined by self-professed "failed musician" and pasta-sauce mogul Loyd Grossman, OBE, to wax nostalgic about the most important years of his illustrious career: those he spent as a contributor to Fusion, Rolling Stone and other American music papers. Loyd reminisces very amusingly about seminal late '60s shows at the Boston tea party, before explaining how he moved to London and reinvented himself as a British national treasure on TV and in every kitchen in the country. He also recounts how he came to play guitar, three times a year, with Jethro Tull. After a digression on the sad passing of Fairport Convention's original singer Judy Dyble, Loyd joins his hosts in hearing clips from a 1982 audio interview with Queen's Brian May in which that poodle-headed plank-spanker describes, among other things , working with David Bowie on the classic 'Under Pressure'. Barney drags Loyd into a discussion of by Rock's Backpages

72 min listen

Episode 85: “Three Steps to Heaven” by Eddie Cochran: Episode eighty-five of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at Three Steps to Heaven by Eddie Cochran, and at the British tour which changed music and ended his life. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and by A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

1 min listen

The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Phil Spector, Nancy Sinatra and Kim Fowley exploded out of early 60's Hollywood by Let It Roll

57 min listen

Episode 25 | "Anthem: Rush in the 70s"/Martin Popoff: With extensive, first-hand reflections from Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart, as well as from family, friends, and fellow musicians, "Anthem: Rush in the ’70s" is a detailed portrait of Canada’s greatest rock ambassadors. The first of three... by Booked On Rock with Eric Senich

40 min listen

E95: Tony Russell on old-time country music + Phil Everly audio + Bunny Wailer R.I.P.: In this episode we welcome the great blues & country writer Tony Russell, who talks about his new Rural Rhythm: The Story of Old-Time Country Music in 78 Records — and the joys of the original Americana sound from the '20s to the '40s. Tony also talks us through his writing career from the late '60s to the present, with a particular nod to a 1972 Cream piece about B.B. King. The focus on the "Old-Time" country of Fiddlin' John Carson & Uncle Dave Macon carries through to discussion of those compelling revivalists Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, big faves of the RBP crew — and then to clips we hear from a 1983 audio interview with Phil Everly of peerless country-pop harmonists the Everly Brothers. Phil talks about the strained relationship with brother Don and the prospect of the Everlys reunion that happened in the fall of that year. For those less smitten by Appalachia and "high lonesome" close-harm by Rock's Backpages

70 min listen

E74: Chris Blackwell's Island Records + Sparks + Remembering Phil May: In this week's episode, Mark, Barney & Jasper talk extensively about one of the great record labels — a hallowed home to such groundbreaking acts as Jimmy Cliff, Nick Drake, Roxy Music, (Bob Marley and) the Wailers and, yes, U2. Listening to clips from John Tobler's 1989 audio interview with Island founder Chris Blackwell, RBP's power trio reflect on what made the label such a powerhouse for non-mainstream genres like folk and reggae. Blackwell talks of its transformation after 1967, as well as his first encounter with Marley in 1972. A neat segue via Lenny Kaye's 1975 overview of the label leads "the team" into a discussion of Sparks, the American art pop duo who've just released their new album, A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip. Mark & Barney reminisce about the Mael brothers' Island years in the '70s, commencing with Kimono My House and its astonishing hit single 'This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us'. We stay by Rock's Backpages

65 min listen

Episode 10: “Double Crossin’ Blues”, by Johnny Otis, Little Esther, and the Robins: Welcome to episode ten of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs. Today were looking at Double Crossin Blues by Johnny Otis, Little Esther, and the Robins. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the by A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

1 min listen

Jimmie Rodgers & The Carter Family: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll: This episode focuses on developments in music marketing and style within the realm of country music in the late 1920s. Host Nate Wilcox and music historian Ed Ward discuss Jimmie Rodgers, the importance of Ralph Peer, and key elements and practices of country music that influenced both popular and rock and roll music in the United States in the coming few decades. by Let It Roll

48 min listen

Metal Mayhem ROC-History Of Metal -1976: Good evening metal heads and welcome to another edition of Metal Mayhem ROC. Tonight, we continue our riveting series “The History of Metal” as we highlight the year 1976. The Vernomatic is welcomed back by show correspondence” Metal Walt” and Ian ... by Metal Mayhem ROC: Your go to source for everything metal.

59 min listen

Episode 84: “Shakin’ All Over” by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates: Episode eighty-four of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at Shakin All Over by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, and how the first great British R&B band interacted with the entertainment industry. Click the full post to read liner notes by A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

1 min listen

E73: James Fox on Keith Richards + Little Richard + Betty Wright + Pete Seeger: In this week's episode, we welcome special guest James Fox, author of 1982's bestselling White Mischief and the man who, ten years ago, made Keith Richards' Life one of rock's outstanding autobiographies. James talks us through his long and distinguished career as a journalist in Africa, and as a features writer during the golden era of The Sunday Times Magazine. He describes how his friendship with "Keef" was cemented by the pieces he wrote for that publication about the Rolling Stones in 1973 and 1976, answering his hosts' questions about the great man's rhythm guitar playing. The fantastic Mr. Fox also offers his perspective on Little Richard, whose death last week prompts discussion of the gay black southerner's explosive role in the birth of rock & roll. We hear a clip of the sometime Mr. Penniman speaking in 1985 – as well as one of the late Betty ('Clean Up Woman') Wright owning up to being a shamele by Rock's Backpages

70 min listen

42. Ronnie Hawkins by Music Makers and Soul Shakers with Steve Dawson

83 min listen

E80: Mary Harron on New York Punk + Tom Verlaine audio + Peter Green R.I.P.: In this episode we welcome the wonderful Mary Harron, director of cult movies I Shot Andy Warhol and American Psycho. After a brief digression on dating Tony Blair at Oxford, the Canadian relives her memories of the punk rock scene at New York's CBGB club, including her interviews with the Ramones and Talking Heads for John Holmstrom & Legs McNeil's pioneering Punk magazine. Mary also talks about her friendship with ZE's Michael Zilkha and her long fascination with Warhol and the Factory. Along with her hosts, she hears clips from Martin Aston's 1987 audio interview with Tom Verlaine, prompting her recall of his seminal band Television and a general discussion of 1977's classic Marquee Moon album. Mark & Barney pay heartfelt tribute to tragic blues-guitar hero Peter Green, ruminating on what made the Fleetwood Mac man so much more emotional a player then his UK blues-boom peers. They also say goodbye to the h by Rock's Backpages

73 min listen

E142: Paul Gorman on the rise and fall of the music press + Time Out's Tony Elliott: In this episode we welcome writer, curator and consultant Paul Gorman and ask him about his new book Totally Wired: The Rise and Fall of the Music Press. In a loose and free-ranging conversation, our guest reflects on various eras and aspects of all that Rock's Backpages is about, from the launch of Melody Maker almost 100 years ago to the online ecosystem of Instagram and Tik Tok in the present day. Along the way we cover everything from Crawdaddy! to Smash Hits via marginalised women writers and feuds between musicians and journalists. (Listen out for the unsettling sound of Nick Cave describing his new "hate" song 'Scum' to interviewer Mat Snow.) We also hear clips from Frank Broughton's 1998 audio interview with Time Out's late founder Tony Elliott. By way of paying tribute to the late Christine McVie, there are further audio clips in the episode, this time from John Pidgeon's 1977 interview wit by Rock's Backpages

85 min listen

Bob Wills & Western Swing: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll: In this episode, host Nate Wilcox and music historian Ed Ward discuss the rising popularity of swing in the 1930s in the southern United States. by Let It Roll

53 min listen

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The Early 1950s and Good Rockin Tonight: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll

The Early 1950s and Good Rockin Tonight: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll

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