The JAM Yearbook

Shaking off their holiday hangovers, Matt and Jim return with another round of album anniversaries. There were a couple of pleasant surprises from the poll that they were ready to dig into. It's not often they get to chat about Led Zeppelin so they take full advantage. The Pretenders debut, Bob Seger delivers classics, and Phil Collins begins his reign over the charts and award ceremonies. Jim shares a great story about a Black Crowes classic and Matt finally has his moment with Rush. Join in as they revisit, experience, and review classic albums from 25 years and beyond.

It might have been a mistake for two old guys to try to dive into emo music, but Matt and Jim decide to go for it. From it's post hardcore roots in the 80s and the underground Midwest emo scene in the 90s to the explosive pop (punk) emo sounds that overtake the airwaves in the 2000s, Matt and Jim try to decipher why they felt like they had been yelling at kids to get off their lawn. Rites of Spring, American Football, Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Paramore....this list goes on. It's the genre that has continues to reshape it's sound and refuses to go away. Their final verdict? Jump in and listen to a few surprising revelations and a few opinions that remained unchanged.

New Year: same 'ol Matt and Jim. The guys come back to the original format to wrap up the best of 2024. There were a lot of surprises to be found. Jim discovered country music and Matt discovers The Cure! Women dominated the music scene once again in almost every genre and rightly so. While the year had some great new releases, they found that the beginning of the year was heavily weighted with the good stuff, while the second half left much to be desired. Matt and Jim share their favorite new songs, a few albums, and give their opinions on the songs chosen by the audience poll. 2024 might not go down as a classic year in music, but there was still a lot worth adding to the collection.

Two for the price of one you say? Everything love a good deal around Christmas. Unfortunately, not everyone likes to release new music. Who wants to compete with Mariah for the Number One spot? Matt and Jim combine the months of November and December and still manage to salvage some amazing music. Pink Floyd builds The Wall, Wham Makes It Big and London Calls The Clash. They also share a little TLC and discuss what the Dr. was prescribing for 2001. But Seriously, what do they really think of Phil Collins? Show a little holiday spirit and give this episode a listen!

What really goes behind making an album? Does all of the magic belong to the artist? Absolutely not. In this episode, Matt and Jim explore the few producers who are behind some of the biggest albums recorded in the past 50 years. They discuss style and sound. Names like Quincy Jones, Rick Rubin and Mutt Lange are closely related to Michael Jackson, Johnny Cash, Shania Twain, Def Leppard and so many more. Come listen as the guys discuss producers crossing genres from rap to country and metal to pop as they attempt to create the legacy sound that the fans will always recognize.

The days are getting shorter as stick season approaches, but there are still a lot of great albums celebrating anniversaries in October for Matt and Jim to discuss. They revisit well-known classics along with a few surprises chosen for the show by the audience. Billy Joel's sun is setting on the horizon, Tom Petty is hitting his stride, and U2 is a step away from worldwide domination. Matt brings a childhood favorite as his pick for the month. Jim gets philosophical about the bond music can create between friends and how the best memories can give us the music we will always go back to first. There's a little rule bending as they go along, but isn't that what rules are made for?

When an artist achieves the number one position on the charts, it can be the pinnacle of their career. But is every number one deserving of that sacred chart position? Or are some songs on the charts for so long, they overstay their welcome. Matt and Jim polled the audience to see what they thought were the least deserving number one songs of all time and the choices were surprising. From Elton John to Starship to the Black Eyed Peas, the Matt and Jim go through each song and share their own verdict. It's not pretty, but it's pretty funny.

Fresh from their Hair Metal episode, Matt and Jim turn to the month of September. Matt is still trying to establish a Part 2 of the previous episode, but Jim tries to shift his focus. Some big albums reach new milestones. Jim questions if they are the best that could have been chosen for the show. Matt and Jim both are pushed outside their comfort zone and find themselves at odds with a couple of albums. Janet Jackson, Aerosmith, REM and more are in the mix. So join Matt and Jim as they get into the nitty gritty of the music.

Welcome to the Hair Metal special! This is also known as Jim's Day Off and Matt's Dream Episode. Originally intended to be a derogatory reference, "Hair Metal" has been a label embraced by loyal fans for over 3 decades. On this episode, Matt and Jim dive into the history and influences of hair metal. They discuss when they think it peaked and what else besides the rise of grunge led to its demise. Matt has a name-dropping marathon as he reconnects to the music that helped define the core of his musical journey. Oh, but sorry Sandy, he forgot to mention Europe.