The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast

Jeff Beck was one of the world's true originals. An innovator of guitar that couldn't be defined by one genre. To pay tribute to him, we examine his career from his time in The Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart & Ronnie Wood), Beck, Bogert, & Appice, through the 70s & 80s until today. He eventually abandoned playing with a pick so he could better control the sound of the Stratocaster with his fingers and whammy bar to make sounds no one else could.

The Wolf was fortunate enough to see Jeff Beck play 4 times over the years, including last year in Royal Albert Hall with Johnny Depp. We talk about how we came to know Jeff and his music, what it was like to see him live and the legacy he leaves. We also include an excerpt from our interview with Deborah Bonham and Peter Bullick (Episode #72) who toured with him on The Stars Align Tour on which Peter had the opportunity to play Jeff's tunes through his rig to the astonishment of anyone listening. There will never be another Jeff Beck!

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By 1983 Journey had achieved huge success and had finally settled on a stable lineup with Steve Perry on vocals, Neal Schon on guitar, Jonathan Cain on the keys, Ross Valory on bass and Steve Smith on the drums. 1981's Escape would eventually go diamond (10 million in sales) in the US and coming off the tour to that megahit, they needed to bring the goods to follow it up. And did they ever on 1983's Frontiers with Separate Ways, Send Her My Love, Faithfully and After The Fall. It went on to sell over 6 million in the US - but could it have been bigger?

Two songs that were intended to go on the album were pulled in favor of b-sides so that Ask The Lonely could be used on the Two of a Kind soundtrack in 1984 and Only The Young was part of the Vision Quest movie in 1985. They became big hits on their own but would their inclusion on Frontiers have propelled it to diamond status? Would that have delayed or accelerated Steve Perry's solo career? We go track by track on all of them and examine the turmoil in the band over the years. What a fun way to start 2023!!

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2022 was a great year for our show as we became a part of Pantheon Podcasts, gained an amazing sponsor in RareVinyl.com and welcomed artists and musicians who we have loved and admired for years.

On Part 2 of our 2022 in Review shows, we talk about how excited we were to welcome folks we've been fans of for decades like Geoff Downes (Yes, Asia), Carl Palmer (Asia, ELP), Chris Slade (AC/DC, The Firm, David Gilmour), Steve Hackett (Genesis), Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd, David Gilmour) and Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet, Nick Mason). Hear our reactions to some of the stories from these great artists!

But we also had the chance to speak with artists we've just come to know recently like Amanda Lehmann (Steve Hackett), Deobrah Bonham & Peter Bullick, Jim Cregan (Rod Stewart) and Autumn Hawk Percival. We had a wonderful time learning about what they've been up to recently, talking about their music and what they're going to be up to in 2023. We're proud of the artists/musicians/legends we hosted in 2022 and look forward to more in 2023!

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The Wolf & Action Jackson took some time to reflect at the end of 2022 on all the great episodes, guests, concerts and artists we featured on the show this year. With 29 albums reviewed, 10 podcaster/writer guests, 12 concerts reviewed and 9 artist interviews we covered a lot of ground! On Part 1, we look back at the talented podcasters and writers who guested on our show and reminisce about all the concerts we reviewed after a COVID concert drought.

We welcomed some our fellow Pantheon Podcasts hosts this year to talk about some of our favorite albums. We look back at speaking with Tom & Zeus of Shout It Out Loudcasts, Christy Alexander Halberg of Rock Is Lit, Martin Popoff of History in 5 Songs, Paul of Vintage Rock Pod and Pantheon Founder Christian Swain of Rock n Roll Archeology. We also welcomed some of our favorites from around the world like Neil of Def Lep Pod, Sonny "Hollywood" Pooni of Growin Up Rock, Chris of My Rock n Roll Heaven, rock journalist Anne Estella and RareVinyl.com Record Buyer Mike Wenban.

Like so many of you, we were psyched to have live music back in our lives in 2022! Some tickets we'd had for two and half years, some were bought the week of the show. Hear The Wolf talk about seeing Simple Minds at Wembley Arena, Sting at the Palladium, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, Yes and Jeff Beck & Johnny Depp at Royal Albert Hall and The Rolling Stones and Duran Duran at Hyde Park. And hear Jackson talk about finally getting to see The Cult again after lockdown, along with The Stadium Tour. Not to mention, the first concert our hosts saw together in 28 years in Indianapolis. 

Part 2 is on the artists we welcomed to the show in 2022, be sure to subscribe and download!

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Jim Cregan may not be a household name in the US but he has recorded over 50 gold and platinum records in his career. Best known for his days as a guitarist and songwriter with Rod Stewart, Jim joined us to talk about his new charity single and to relive some moments from his stellar career.

Jim works with AngelForce USA, a non-profit dedicating to serving US veterans who may be at risk of suicide. He and his band, Cregan & Co., have reworked an old Johnny Mathis tune A Child is Born which is available to download with all the proceeds going to AngelForce USA. We talk a bit about how he came to work with this noble cause and the tune itself.

We then dive into crazy days & nights in the studio and on the road with Rod the Mod. He first joined Stewart on the Foot Loose & Fancy Free album and was a part of his touring & recording band into the 90s, including the MTV Unplugged performance that included Ronnie Wood. Hear Jim recount stories about Hollywood A-list parties, speaking on the phone to Britt Ekland and working hard to avoid having your door kicked in by the Sex Police. Jim has the gift of gab and some extraordinary stories to go with it!

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In early 1982, Van Halen was finishing up a tour of the US that included opening for The Rolling Stones for some stadium shows. After 5 straight years of touring and 4 consecutive platinum records, the members of Van Halen were looking forward to a much deserved vacation. But to make sure folks didn't forget about them, they released a cover of the Roy Orbison classic Oh, Pretty Woman. The song raced up the charts and then Warner Brothers demanded an album to go with the hit single. So Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony, David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen took 12 days to record the rest of what would be Diver Down.

Though the album is maligned by critics and fans as being short (31 minutes) and chock full of covers (5) it was a huge success for the band selling over 4 million copies in the US and setting them up for their megahit 1984. You still get some guitar heroics on songs like Hang Em High, Cathedral and The Full Bug but they also throw in some funny ones like Big Bad Bill and Happy Trails. It may not be anyone's favorite Van Halen record but it's an important piece of their catalog that is 40 years old and we had fun revisiting it.

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By 1987 Aerosmith had gone from 70s rock gods to broken up & broke to reunited while clean & sober. The band and Geffen records desperately wanted a hit after 1984's overlooked Done With Mirrors. Rock n Roll Hall of Famer John Kalodner suggested the band work with outside writers to generate some hits. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were reluctant at first but Desmond Child, Jim Vallance and Holly Knight helped get them on the charts with Dude Looks Like a Lady, Rag Doll and the megahit Angel.

Buoyed by their collaboration with Run DMC the year prior, the band went on to incredible success with over 5 million sold in the US. That success would only grow in the coming years with Pump and Get a Grip and Permanent Vacation was their big comeback record. MTV blasted their videos night and day which would continue through the next several albums as well. It's fun to look back on this one as it changed Aerosmith's trajectory and is the cornerstone of the greatest comeback in rock.

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The world had changed for Robert Plant in 1982. Led Zeppelin had broken up following the death of John Bonham in 1980. Big riff, classic rock had been replaced by punk, the new romantics, new wave and MTV was now the one place folks went to get their new music. Many of his peers from the 1970s had broken up, retired or were trying new things. So Robert put together a new band and released his first solo effort, Pictures at Eleven.

But Robert didn't want to trade on his past so he did not perform any Led Zeppelin songs for the first few years as a solo artist. He wanted to forge ahead, make new music and not have to be a jukebox for those big Zep fans. And he got a lot of help from friends like Phil Collins and Cozy Powell on the drums, new writing partner and guitar player Robbie Blunt and more folks to help him forge his new sound.

It may not be my favorite Robert Plant album but it set the tone for him as a solo artist and helped create his own sound, which was different from Led Zeppelin, and set him up for great success for decades to come.

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The Who were ready to call it a day in 1982 which makes It's Hard their swan song. Of course they eventually came back but they were facing MTV, middle age, solo careers and examining life through different lenses. Keith Moon died in 1978 after the release of Who Are You and The Who soldiered on with Kenney Jones (The Faces) on the drums. But Pete Townshend's solo debut Empty Glass in 1980, which featured the mega-hit Let My Love Open The Door, put the band in an awkward position.

The Who released Face Dances in 1981 but Pete was more keen on a solo career after the triple platinum Empty Glass. But the record company wanted one more Who album and tour and It's Hard was to serve as The Who's swan song which it did for nearly a quarter of a decade.

Radio hits Athena and Eminence Front are well known but diving deeper into the album unlocks some unheralded songs written by John Entwhistle, Pete's contemplation of himself as a middle age rock star and what their collective future might be with or without the band. While some of the keyboards and synths might make this one sound dated, some of the themes of struggling to understand your place in the world are as poignant as ever. It was fun to rediscover this one!

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If you grew up in the 70s & 80s like we did, you knew Blue Oyster Cult for their radio hits Don't Fear (The Reaper), Burnin for You and Godzilla. Or you might know them from Fast Times at Ridgemont High - "No I don't have any Blue Oyster Cult, I ate 34 pairs last time around - where were you?" Of course children of the 90s will never forget the famous Cowbell Sketch with Christopher Walken.

But Blue Oyster Cult are still touring after 50 years and we want to explore their legacy with the man who has literally written the book on BOC (several books, actually), Martin Popoff. We ask Martin to recall how he found the band as a young man, saw them play live, got Eric Bloom's autograph on a $1 bill and interviews he conducted with band members over the years. In addition to their string of successful gold & platinum releases over the years, we explore how success, MTV and outside influences led to their demise. Plus The Wolf laments on the various missed opportunities he's had to see them live over the years.

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff Podcast

www.martinpopoff.com

www.martinpopoff.ca

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