One of the most potent albums to come from a 90’s California group sold over 11 million copies despite being distributed on Epitaph Records, an independent label. During this time, the voice and leader of these Garden Grove punks was a white guy with braids who had earned two biology degrees from the University of Southern California. Their lead guitarist was an elementary school janitor whose nickname was, and still is, Noodles. And the band’s name was inspired from a 1987 horror film titled, The Offspring they were born to kill.

In April of 1994, the Orange County foursome came out with their 3rd album, titled Smash. In an era where rock bands were tapping into mainstream fame on major labels, The Offspring were going at things the old fashion way: word of mouth, local radio play, and dynamite music.

In 1975, Aerosmith pulled out all the bells, whistles, and harmonicas for their third studio album. Toys in the Attic is riddled with tracks that were destined to grace classic rock radio until the end of civilization. The record also contains a slew of numbers that would assist in cultivating Aerosmith’s diverse catalog. The Bad Boys from Boston's footprint on 70’s culture was set in stone, but this record ensured Aerosmith would forever be considered rock n’ roll royalty. 

On November 18th, 1993, Nirvana was primed to bare their sensitive sides in an intimate setting. Armed with acoustic guitars, well placed microphones, a cello, flowers and candles fit for a funeral, a surprise musical guest, cigarettes, tea, an office chair, and a set list woven together from a potent combination of cover and original songs, The Grunge God's were set to create one of the defining cultural documents for the last decade of the 20th century.

Kurt Cobain’s last album with Nirvana was released posthumously on November 1st, 1994. While it would have been a haunting record without the connection to tragedy, the LP takes on an almost mythical significance with the world having to say good-bye to the iconic front-man all too soon.

By the time the mid 80's rolled around, Van Halen was ready to push the envelope and expand the band’s sound. Led by Eddie Van Halen, and his trusty Fender Stratocaster guitar, nick-named “Frankenstein”, the mad scientist rocker went into his laboratory. To crescent his new home studio, 5150, Eddie kick started Van Halen’s next project. And, along with charismatic front-man David Lee Roth, the golden voiced bassist Michael Anthony, his bombastic drummer of a brother Alex, Eddie concocted Van Halen’s 6th studio album. 1984 became an era defining rock record that masterfully fused synthesizers with guitars, drums and suggestive lyrics to capture the spirit of the 1980’s music scene.

Hello, I am Chad Jones. Welcome to the introduction episode for "Don't Scratch The Vinyl." For the first show, I dive into the format of my music history podcast and share about myself. This show will be centered around me, sometimes solo and sometimes with a guest, breaking down an album song by song. I will be discussing the context of when the record was released, why it mattered in real time, and what music fans can take from the record today.