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The Church are a bit of an enigma in the rock world. Though best known for their breakout 1988 song Under The Milky Way off of Starfish. Prior to that they'd had an unexpected Australian anthem in An Unguarded Moment. But they didn't want to be a pop band - they saw themselves as members of the new psychedelic movement. So the cover of Heyday (released in Australia late 1985 but in the US January 28, 1986) you can see the lads sporting some paisley shirts against a Persian Rug. But at that point, they'd already abandoned their psychedelic leanings for their own AOR stylings.
The album Heyday, produced by Peter Walsh (Simple Minds) provides some entrancing guitar work with lyrics from Steve Kilbey that go from seeing behind the curtain of fame (Disenchanted) to unending sadness (Tristesse) to vain plastic surgery junkies (Youth Worshipper). Peter Koppes and Marty Wilson-Piper offer intricate and jangling guitars which make for 120 Minutes gold on MTV and can even put you into a bit of a trance. Myrrh and Tantalized proved to be all time favorites of Church fans and are still part of the band's setlist to this day.
However, though songs like Columbus and Already Yesterday may have been enjoyed by fans of the band, they failed to crack the charts the way the record company had hoped. Still, the band were able to tour the US with Echo & The Bunnymen which helped them break down some doors and win some fans. Though they were dropped by their record companies after Heyday, this led to them being picked up by Arista, which led to Starfish and success in the US and around the world.
It may not be multi-platinum but Heyday would help define the sound of The Church, allowed them to write songs together and create a foundation that built towards greater success.
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Jay Buchanan once led his own band before he became the lead singer of the grammy nominated, globe-trotting Rival Sons. So it was always assumed by everyone in the band that Jay would also release solo material while fronting the hard rockin' band. But becoming one of the biggest touring rock acts on the planet and recording 9 records doesn't leave much time for anything else. So Jay sequestered himself in the the Mojave Desert to conjure up the spirits that would allow him to delve deep into his own soul to find what he could mine out of it.
The result, Weapons of Beauty, is his first solo effort since joining Rival Sons and it provides a showcase for the power and sincerity of Jay's voice which can be out volumed in his band's usual form. Though some are melancholy and sparse, the songs look for truisms in life cutting to heart of what really matters. Lead single Caroline not only laments love lost but achingly tries to find what love really is. True Black not only is an upbeat change of pace but makes for great t-shirts - Paint My Casket True Black (available on weaponsofbeauty.com).
Jay talks about how a chance visit to see his parents caused him to set fire to early life keepsakes but made it possible to write Deep Swimming. His thoughtful and articulate descriptions of his own songs and the signposts that got him to this point uncover an easy going poet vs. the hard rocker he might be perceived as. The album is more country, folk, americana, even gospel compared to Rival Sons and is evidence of Jay's broad tastes and talents.
He shares stories of playing with Black Sabbath, getting ready to make a new Rival Sons record and getting out with the band and solo in 2026. Weapons of Beauty is out February 6th on vinyl, colored vinyl, CD, download and streaming.
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Styx had achieved great highs in the 1970s. Albums like The Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight and Cornerstone had all gone multi-platinum in the US thanks to hard riffs from James JY Young and Tommy Shaw and the heartfelt lyrics and vocals of Dennis DeYoung. But by 1980, tensions in the band lead to the dismissal of DeYoung for his insistence on his songs and concepts be at the forefront of the bands creative output. Chuck (bass) and John (drums) Panozzo had known Dennis since childhood and had played together for 20 years but they tried to carry on without him.
However, in the end they decided to invite him back and give way to his concept of viewing the US like an old theater. You had an auspicious start with lots of promise, you had a brilliant heyday, you've seen some tough times and now it's time to find out who you are. While Shaw's Too Much Time on My Hands relates to the plight of the struggling working man, the hopeful The Best of Times offers respite from the weariness with a lover. Big riffs on Rockin' the Paradise keep the hard rockers listening and Half-Penny, Two-Penny lets James Young showcase his meatier solos.
However, the second side of the album is a bit disjointed with the offputting Lonely People opening up and then a sappy She Cares. AD 1958 is a reprise to AD 1928 and the windout song State Street Sadie borrowing a bit of ragtime makes for big leaps between genres which require more than one listen. And controversy ensued when the Arkansas State Senate found satanic backward masking and issued labels on albums that did the same (including The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and more). That would spark DeYoung's next concept album Kilroy Was Here which ended up breaking the band.
We like Styx and this is the first album of theirs we've reviewed and it's possible we'd do another down the road. While the band will never be our favorite, we recognize the talent - we may just not always be on board with the concept.
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To kick off 2026 with a bang, we welcomed back music writer Amy Linden of Immaletyoufinish Podcast to share with all you lovely people her tale of seeing and interviewing Amy Winehouse right as she broke in the US. While Frank had been a sensation overseas, it was her new album Back To Black which would take her to dizzying heights of stardom and create an image of a hard-partying girl from North London. Amy Linden not only saw Amy Winehouse's first US performance at Joe's Pub in NYC but also interviewed her later that year and saw her subsequent NYC shows.
Amy has been in the business for decades and came on First Concert Memories last year to talk about seeing The Sex Pistols in their final show in San Francisco when she was new to the industry. As an industry insider, she relates the story of pitching the Village Voice to let her cover Amy's US debut. Linden sticks up for Winehouse as a troubled woman who just needed a hug despite her tough exterior. Hear about Winehouse singing with The Dap-Kings and her back up singers/dancers created an amazing show.
But you'll also hear how she saw signs in her interview that Amy was troubled and the shows she gave later in 2007 didn't live up to the promise of the early 2007 show at Joe's Pub. Amy Winehouse had the talent to be an enduring superstar but her lifestyle and health problems ensured that she would be known as a shooting star.
Great insights from Amy Linden - hear her on Immaletyoufinish Podcast
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To start our second look back on 2025, we want to thank everyone who listens to our show and interacts with us to share your love of rock music. We've entered our 6th year and want to show appreciation for all of you who choose to share your rock n roll journey with us. It inspires us to keep our curiosity alive and learn more about the music we love. So thank you all.
To wrap up the year we had to pay respects to the many rockers and legends we lost, including guest of the show Terry Reid. Superlungs is British Rock Royalty and we're sorry he's gone but glad we had the chance to thank him for the music. From Ace Frehley to Ozzy Osbourne and Brian Wilson to Sly Stone we lost too many this year and we took a moment to honor them.
Looking back on seeing Metallica from the owner's box in Nashville to Iron Maiden in Stockholm and legends like Yes, The Black Crowes and Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening stoked the fires of some fond memories. And our 3 episode series on Live Aid at 40 really stirred some nostalgia and gave us the chance to welcome original MTV VJ Alan Hunter to the show. And we had to thank our artists and legendary guests like Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel, artist Hugh Syme, Stu Allen and Scarlet Rivera. 2025 was a great year and 2026 is looking great at The Wolf!!
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What a year 2025 has been! We want to take the opportunity to thank all of our loyal listeners and all the new ones who've found us this year. In a year of milestones we celebrated our 250th episode in September and then wrapped up our 5th year of the show in November. Our love of rock music is stronger than ever and we're so happy we get to share it with like-minded rock fans from around the globe. So thank you for all the support!
It has become tradition that we break down our year in review into 2 different shows: one on the albums, authors & podcasters we welcomed on the show and a second on the live concerts we reviewed and artists and legends we hosted. This first edition focuses on the 35 albums we celebrated, which ones we loved, we ones surprised us and which ones made us want to do another by that artist in 2026.
Then we walk through all the authors and podcasters who came on our show, usually on our monthly sidecast First Concert Memories. It's a great showcase for fans of rock music to share the stories that helped shape their rock n roll journey and relive some fond (and sometimes not so fond) memories. Next week is Part 2 on the live shows, artists and legends with a special in memoriam to pay tribute to the legends we lost in 2025.
Until then, enjoy 2025 Part 1 - The Albums, Authors & Podcasters!!
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The 1980s were an incredible time for pop and rock music. Thanks to technology and MTV, many genres enjoyed great success throughout the decade. But movies enjoyed quite a heyday as well with blockbusters that created huge stars and studios started to realize that catering to teens and young adults could help you gain viewers. But when music and movies were put together the right way, the outcome could have enormous impact on Generation X and create memories stronger than any made via music or movies alone.
So we're proud to offer our personal Top 10 1980s Movie Soundtracks based on our own preferences. Though the criteria might be a little vague, we generally picked out soundtracks that had an impact on us as rock fans and were from movies that were important in the culture. But we also chose soundtracks that were essential to the movie in telling the story and popped up in important scenes. Not all of the music will necessarily be rock but as that's what we love, it dominates our choices. And we made a long list of honorable mentions as some might have been big hits but we didn't like them for whatever reason. Or maybe we loved them as children but they didn't age well or we grew out of them. Nostalgia's a hell of a drug and that's what we felt compiling these lists and sharing them with YOU, the listener.
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Yes has been around for more than 55 years. They've made some of the world's best progressive rock music and even had some success on the pop charts. While The Wolf was living in London, he got to see Yes at Royal Albert Hall on the Close to the Edge 50 Tour which was a special night. It was there that he truly came to appreciate the talents of Jon Davison, the lead singer who is very close in age to your hosts. A friend of the late Taylor Hawkins, he does justice to classic Yes songs from throughout the catalog.
After that show, The Wolf wanted to make sure he never missed his heroes again as long as Davison was fronting the band. On October 27, the boys came to his town and not only did he attend but he brought The Wolfcub, an aspiring guitar player, to see Steve Howe do his thing live. And they both loved the show (and The Wolfcub was handed an official Steve Howe guitar string!).
They performed classics throughout the catalog and then after an intermission played Fragile in it's entirety straight-through, including big hits like Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround. But fan favorites like South Side of the Sky and Heart of the Sunrise really got the diehards on their feet! Steve Howe had his time in the sun on Mood for a Day and Geoff Downes had his spotlight doing the Rick Wakeman penned Cans and Brahms. Billy Sherwood showed why Chris Squire chose him to carry on his legacy, especially on The Fish and Jay Schellen kept them all in time.
For those who wouldn't go because not enough original or heyday members are still in the band, we understand your argument. But this version of Yes fronted by Jon Davison delivers solid shows doing classics you love and the big screen behind them featuring Roger Dean artwork coming to life makes for a killer night out with Yes.
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The Wolf and Action Jackson were too young and too straight to get into 70s heartthrobs The Bay City Rollers. The Scottish boys were plastered all over every teen magazine throughout the 70s to the delight of screaming pre-teen girls all over the world. One of those fans was Holly Cantos, the co-host of What Difference Does It Make? Podcast where they talk about the amazing music of the 1980s and host guests from the industry.
But twice in 1977 (or at least we think that was the right year), a young Holly got to go see her heroes live and in the flesh thanks to her friend Laura's mom working for a promoter. Holly takes us back to a pre-internet, pre-social media world where the fanzines were the only place to see their crushes other than the album covers. She regales us with stories of dressing in tartan and covering her walls with pics of her faves while living in the San Fernando Valley.
But there's always a twist on First Concert Memories, the monthly sidecast from your friends at The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast, and Holly delivers. Because not everyone can handle all the screaming and pushing in the front row so her experience was cut short and she does name names on the show!
What an experience for a 12 year old to see her heroes in the front row in 1977!!
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The Wolf & Action Jackson will admit they aren't the world's biggest Beatles fans. Though we appreciate their influence to help create the music we love through generations, we generally don't gravitate towards their albums. However, in researching Rubber Soul as it turns 60 on December 3, we gained new appreciation and respect for the Lads from Liverpool. They had grown up quite a bit in the last few years and found themselves writing more mature lyrics while experimenting with different sounds.
The Beatles had met and befriended Bob Dylan and in their second trip to the US had met Elvis and formed mutual admiration societies with The Byrds, Motown and Stax. They experimented with LSD and the boys used to call Rubber Soul the pot album as they partook during the recording. So as they wove all those influencers into their own music, they also started to write more personal songs.
Paul exchanged sweet nothings for standoffish goodbyes in songs like You Won't See Me and I'm Looking Through You. A contemplative John Lennon reminisces about growing up (In My Life) and the eternal search for that special someone (Girl). Young George Harrison was ready to step up to the plate with his own mature offerings like Think For Yourself and If I Needed Someone.
The album was well received by peers and critics and is considered the point where the album became more than just a larger collection of songs but one statement from a moment in time. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) was an international hit about an affair John had. Michelle seems like a sweet ode to a French girl when it was the boys making fun of Paul for trying to speak French at parties to meet girls. Even the big hit Drive My Car is very tongue in cheek about the silliness and pitfalls of fame. Though the oldest of them were 25, The Beatles proved they were more than just cute mop tops with guitars. They were artists pushing the envelope in the studio of what rock music could be. Rubber Soul was that next step in the evolution of the band and rock.
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