The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast

We first met Christy Alexander Hallberg a couple of years ago while she was promoting her rock novel Searching for Jimmy Page. Since then we've become friends and she now hosts her own podcast, Rock Is Lit, about rock n roll fiction books. So we had to have her on First Concert Memories to talk about the first (and to this point, only) time she saw Jimmy play live when he teamed back up with Robert Plant on the 1998 Walking into Clarksdale Tour.

The Wolf & Action Jackson saw Page & Plant together in Orlando in 1995 on the Un-Ledded Tour with an orchestra which was incredible. But for this tour, it was a much more stripped down, Led Zeppelin-ish band set up and Christy shares all her memories with us. From getting n the car to make the 2 and half hour drive to Virginia Beach to the drive home with the windows open as some over-served frat boys puked on her shoes, we relive the sights, the sounds, and unfortunately the smells of that fateful night in 1998 At that point she hadn't been to England on her quest for all things Page and Led Zeppelin which would inspire her novel years later.

And a quick note to Jimmy Page - why is there no live album or DVD from this tour? You haven't been touring or putting out new music over the last decade, why don't you release a special commemorative box set for this tour? It's the last tour you guys ever did together or will ever do.....or is it?

Check out Rock is Lit

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Growing up in the 1970s and 80s, one assumed that Paul McCartney was always universally loved because of his work in The Beatles, his 70s solo work and that with Wings, and his positive peace & love attitude. However, in 1973 Paul found himself in a bit of turmoil. Though he'd enjoyed some success as a solo artist, particularly in the US, Paul was being criticized for the adult contemporary nature of his music vs. the output of the other Beatles and the harder rocking music of the day. He was skewered in the British press after he released Leave Ireland to the Irish on the heels of Bloody Sunday in 1972 and had lost several members of Wings over being treated as hired hands and the presence of Linda in the band despite her lack of musical ability.

However, Paul forged ahead with Linda and Denny Laine to create Band on the Run, released on December 5, 1973 in the US (November 30, 1973 in the UK). The title track is one of redemption and freedom inspired by George Harrison during their ongoing Apple Corps meetings and negotiations. Jet is an upbeat song that climbed the charts around the world despite it being about his dog and getting to know Linda's father. Songs like Bluebird, Mrs. Vanderbilt, Let Me Roll It and Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five became AM and classic rock radio staples in the US where the album not only went to #1 but sold more than 3 million copies. As the album that gave Paul back his credibility with the critics and allowed Paul and Wings to continue through the end of the 70s turns 50, we give it our classic track by track treatment.

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Fans of our show know that The Wolf and Action Jackson have a special place in their hearts for 80s prog/pop rock band Asia. While we've spoken with keyboardist Geoff Downes (UAWIL 79) and drummer Carl Palmer (UAWIL 80), we never had the opportunity to speak with singer/bassist John Wetton as he passed away before we started our show. However, there have been many celebrations of John's life and works in 2023 and to tell us more about the kind of person John Wetton was, we've enlisted the great Oliver Wakeman to offer some stories about the man himself.

Oliver toured with Yes during 2009-2011 and during that time, befriended John Wetton as Asia was touring with Yes. Despite Oliver being a generation younger and the fact that John had worked with his father Rick, John took Oliver under his wing and they formed a bond that had a big impact on Oliver (and John too). Oliver relates some stories of his time with John including watching him play every night, how John checked in on him as he slated to transition out of Yes and one time John joined Oliver and his band to play Heat of the Moment. Oliver will also give us some tidbits about music he's working on, including his plan to play songs he wrote with Yes on From A Page live this spring at Winters End Festival.

Oliver is helping to promote the new box set John Wetton: An Extraordinary Life which is out November 24 around the world - an 8 disc set of his solo albums with bonus tracks and discs full of rarities, unreleased gems and live cuts (more information below). We had a great time chatting with Oliver and hope you'll enjoy our conversation about John, Yes, prog music and more!

Oliver Wakeman Website - https://www.oliverwakeman.co.uk/

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John Wetton: An Extraordinary Life - On 24th November the first in a series of box sets commemorating the life and music of one of the UK`s most extraordinary and prolific musicians, John Wetton, will be released. 

The An Extraordinary Life box set contains 8 newly remastered CDs, featuring the six solo albums Wetton released between 1980 and 2011. Each album now includes special bonus tracks. Additionally, two further discs are included which feature a gold mine of rare, live and unreleased material from the vaults, compiled by John`s archivist, Rick Nelson.

 Check out trailer for the box set here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EE0HFoq2Ck

 Housed in a sumptuous 12 by 12 box, this set includes a 64-page book with an introduction by legendary artist, Roger Dean and contains comprehensive sleeve notes by Nick Shilton, author of Wetton's biography, An Extraordinary Life, published earlier this year. The book also features a raft of photographs taken from the Wetton archive and has been designed by John's long-time friend, Michael Inns. 

This whole project has been lovingly crafted and compiled with the full blessing of John`s son Dylan and his wife Lisa and is endorsed by the Wetton estate.

With a career spanning more than four decades, John Wetton`s rich baritone voice and accomplished bass playing has adorned many recordings. In this ‘An Extraordinary Life where his extensive solo career is captured for posterity all in one sumptuous box set, making this a fitting tribute to one of the UK most loved and respected artists.

An Extraordinary Life

DISC 1: Caught in The Crossfire (1980)

DISC 2: Battle Lines (1994)

DISC 3: Arkangel (1997)

DISC 4: Welcome to Heaven (2000)

DISC 5: Rock of Faith (2003)

DISC 6: Raised in Captivity (2011)

DISC 7: New Live and Unreleased Tracks

DISC 8: New Live and Unreleased Tracks

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As Ozzy Osbourne's 3rd solo album Bark at the Moon turns 40, we look back on what was a very pivotal time in the life of Ozzy and his wife/manager Sharon. After the tragic death of Randy Rhoads, they soldiered on with Brad Gillis (Night Ranger) and bought some time with the live Speak of the Devil album. But Ozzy needed not only a new gunslinger to replace Rhoads virtuosity, he also needed a new writing partner. Enter Jake E. Lee from Mickey Ratt (which would evolve into Ratt) who could write songs and deliver blistering solos. And MTV was eagerly awaiting the first videos from the former Black Sabbath madman.

On the home front, Ozzy is battling substance abuse, Sharon is at odds with her father/super-manager Don Arden, their is infidelity and while they have legal problems and bad press, they start having kids. Plus the band seems to always be in flux as Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot) has left to be replaced by Bob Daisley who had written and recorded on the first two Ozzy solo albums. And while Tommy Aldridge plays on the album, Carmine Appice appears in the Bark at the Moon video. While some of the songs like the title track and Rock N Roll Rebel would be hailed as classic Ozzy, the 2nd UK single So Tired is an interesting choice for a heavy metal singer but the video is classic MTV and classic Ozzy.

Released November 15, 1983 in the US and December 2, 1983 in the UK, we celebrate its 40th by going track x track, video x video and offstage drama from this triple platinum seller.

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Billy Idol sold his hedonistic act & lifestyle to MTV in the 80s and it was a match made in heaven. Thanks to Billy's snarling sexuality and his mix of hard rock with new wave thanks to longtime collaborator Steve Stevens, Billy used the fledgling cable channel as not a springboard but a rocketship to superstardom. He'd already received attention and airplay thanks to White Wedding and with 4 singles off of Rebel Yell Billy's star rose to great heights in the US. However, in his home country of the UK, Billy didn't enjoy the same success. Maybe due to no MTV or perhaps the fact that the English public saw him as a punk and wouldn't consider him as a pop/rock singer, this album only achieved silver status in England while going double platinum in the US.

The singles Rebel Yell (names after a chance encounter with The Rolling Stones), Eyes Without a Face (named after a French horror film), Flesh for Fantasy (also swiped from an old movie) and Catch My Fall, Billy had 4 charting singles and 4 videos that we talk about in-depth on the show. This was the album that allows him to still tour & perform to this day and while some of the songs sound like they were recorded in 1983, some are timeless relics of the cassette era.

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When you become a father, you do things for your kids - even things you once said you'd never do again. That's exactly what The Wolf did when he took the Wolfcub to see KISS on their interminable End Of The Road Tour for the third time in five years. He wanted her to have the experience of a KISS live show with all its bombast, pyrotechnics and visual overload. Though she saw them twice in 2019 (Louisville and London) she was a bit young and couldn't make it through the whole show. And though they had tickets to see them in Amsterdam, they moved back to the US before they could attend.

So while The Wolf once said in the early 2000's "I've seen KISS 6x, I'm not seeing them live ever again" he has relented 3x so his beloved Wolfcub could see first hand what a KISS live show was all about. Action Jackson asks The Wolf about all the details seasoned KISS fans expect like the Demon spitting blood, fire and flying through the air. Seeing Starchild up close on the b-stage was the highlight for our young KISS fan! And for The Wolf, he has checked this box enough - though happy he had the chance to experience the show with his favorite rock fan, he's ready to close the book on KISS live.

Or is he...

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KISS was so important to your hosts, The Wolf & Action Jackson, as part of the foundation of their love of rock n roll, live music and their friendship. That's why they invited Tom & Zeus from Shout It Out Loudcast to come on the premier episode of First Concert Memories, our monthly sidecast, and talk about the first time they saw KISS. For FCM 4, we welcome back Sonny "Hollywood" Pooni of Grown Up Rock Podcast and The Album Review Crew to talk about the first time he ever saw legendary KISS lead guitarist Ace Frehley play live. The Wolf and Action saw Ace as a solo act in the 1990s but Sonny saw him as a co-headliner with Y&T in 1987 and he shares with us how important it was to him to see Ace.

Sonny go into KISS during the Asylum era and then learned that KISS used to have makeup and had different members of the band. From there he picked up Ace's first solo effort (aside from the 1978 KISS solo albums) Frehley's Comet and it furthered endeared him to Ace's style. Ace famously has had bouts with drugs and alcohol and Sonny relates a story of seeing Ace fall off the stage as well as why the band was so much better with Tod Howarth than in later years without him. If you've seen Ace recently, odds are you were disappointed as he seems a shell of his former self. That's why we wanted to share some memories from when Ace was still in strong form and delivering solid live shows.

Sonny is opinionated and you'll hear all his takes on Ace, the shows he has seen and he even provided a bootleg recording of the show which is an FCM first! All Ace Frehley and KISS fans will love this one!

Visit Sonny on Twitter (X) and listen to Growin Up Rock wherever you get your podcasts!

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If you were alive in 1983, you knew who Michael Jackson was. Not because of his fame growing up as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, not because you loved his diamond selling disco smash Off The Wall but because you lived through the time that saw the release of Thriller. Unleashed on November 19, 1982, Thriller would go onto to become the biggest selling album of all time thanks to a familiar star on the rise, the dissolution of disco & punk, the advent of MTV and some of the most captivating dance moves ever witnessed. The convergence of MTV, Michael's extraordinary talent, Quincy Jones leadership and pop culture becoming a bigger part of life, you'll never see the spotlight so bright on any one ever again.

Thriller spawned 7 Top 10 singles in the US, all of which went platinum, 2 (Billie Jean & Thriller) went diamond on their own. The album sold over 100 million units and is triple diamond (30+ million units sold) in the US alone. Michael had really come into his own as a singer and songwriter and Quincy Jones helped gather many extraordinary performers (Eddie Van Halen, David Foster, Toto) to contribute to this amazingly produced record. But you had to see the videos for Billie Jean (light up steps), Beat It (gang fight), and Thriller which had world premier that included a behind the scenes film, the first of its kind. Everytime Michael was on tv, whether we was moonwalking on the Motown 25 Anniversary show or accepting 8 grammys with his shades on, it was appointment television.

So to celebrate the Halloween season as this album hits another milestone, we go track x track and talk about how the album made its impression on us and the world in the 1980s.

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In thinking about what we wanted to do for our 151st episode, we wanted to talk about an album which we knew very well. In realizing that we rarely do live albums, we thought about the live albums that have influenced us and that we've listened to the most. For The Wolf, that would be 1989's A Show of Hands by Rush - their 3rd live album chronicling their 80s techno-pop stage. Many hardcore Rush and rock fans don't have much nice to say about 80s era Rush as the mid-range usually occupied by Alex Lifeson's guitar was all but consumed by keyboards. Even legendary drummer Neil Peart had MIDI triggers on his drum kit to make more experimental noises.

But A Show of Hands does show arena Rush moving from strength to strength with Geddy Lee's plodding bass, Neil's brilliant bombastic, Ales's flourishes and lyrics that had become more timely and more timeless. Covering the albums Signals, Power Windows, Grace Under Pressure and Hold Your Fire (with a couple of older ones thrown in) this highlights a Rush era that may not be everyone's favorite but an important time in their history. And one The Wolf & Action Jackson hold in high esteem. Released January 9, 1989, they actually released several singles which charted in the US and this wrapped up the 80s techno phase before moving back towards the power trio sound with Presto. One of our favorites - enjoy!

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For our 150th episode (and thanks to all of our loyal listeners in the UK, the Netherlands, the US and around the world for helping us get this far) we are pleased to welcome a singer/songwriter who we grew up watching on MTV with his band The Church - Steve Kilbey. For more than 40 years Steve's led Australian psychedelic rock band The Church and has returned to the US to promote their latest record, The Hypnogogue, which Steve admits could be their 25th or 36th record - it's hard to add them all up.

The Church rose to prominence in the US in 1988 thanks to MTV's 120 Minutes and college radio as their album Starfish received exposure thanks to the hit Under The Milky Way. But the band had already seen success in their home country with songs like The Unguarded Moment and Tantalized and we discuss the difficulty Steve has in curating a setlist which is satisfactory to him, the band and their fans. Steve pulls no punches talking about the business, his "too cool" attitude when doing TV interviews back in the day, his reluctance to release live albums and regales us with stories including one when two fans broke into the dressing room to demand he play one more song. Steve is an incredible songwriter and a very genuine person and you'll hear the joy The Wolf & Action Jackson had spending a little time talking with him.

Thanks to everyone for listening, subscribing and downloading The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast! We appreciate you, share your love of rock music and want to hear from you on what we can do to make the next 150 episodes as good as they can be!!

See The Church live on the Hypnogogue Tour, visit www.thechurchband.net for tour dates

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