Coming off the success of his 1999 album, Prince took everything to another level with 1984's Purple Rain. The album featured 5 singles that would get major airplay on different radio formats (pop, rock, r&b, dance) and MTV. The album would sell over 25 million copies worldwide but it was also the soundtrack to the movie of the same name which grossed over $70 million. Prince not only won Grammys for the album but also earned an oscar for the title track. Prince's unabashed sexuality oozed from every aspect of his performance in the movie and the videos and was reinforced by his band, The ..read more

By 1984, Bruce Springsteen had long been hailed by rock critics as the next great American bard for the working man. His ability to mix heavy lyrics about the struggles of everyday life with catchy pop/rock rhythms had elevated him to rock royalty status before he ever made his 7th album. Released June 4, 1984 as a follow up to the melancholy and personal Nebraska, Born in the USA reunited Bruce with the E. Street Band and The Boss brought 70 songs for the gang to work into what would become the biggest selling album of 1985. The result was a record that sold over 30 million copies worldwide ..read more

Our monthly sidecast First Concert Memories was created as a vehicle to capture those special moments in our lives when we saw a band we loved for the first time. The anticipation, the build up, the people you're with, the performance, the party - all of if can bring back so many rich and happy memories. And it's great for artists, writers, journalists, podcasters and music fans - everyone has a story to tell about one influential night in their lives. For this month's show, we welcome a long time listener and talented musician to relate his story about seeing Metallica as a teenager in Englan ..read more

On May 24, 1974, the world were introduced to new "supergroup" on Led Zeppelin's Swan Song record label with the self-titled debut of Bad Company. Sporting a world-class lineup of Paul Rodgers (Free) on vocals, Mick Ralphs (Mott the Hoople) on guitar, Boz Burrell (King Crimson) on bass and Simon Kirke (Free) on drums, Bad Company were seasoned veterans of the studio and the road. After becoming disenchanted with their previous bands, the guys got together to form a straight ahead hard rock act that was built for American rock radio and to play live. And while the record went gold in their home ..read more

We developed our On First Listen series so we'd have the opportunity to give a good listen to albums which had somehow gotten past us. Maybe we'd always seen it in the record store and were curious or maybe friends had recommended the album but we never had a chance to listen. Perhaps, like Roger Waters 1984 solo effort The Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking, it was both as the distinct cover is a young boys record shopping fantasy and many prog-heads have suggested it's better than The Wall from Roger's former band Pink Floyd. In fact, he brought both concepts to the band in the late 70s - they c ..read more

We developed our On First Listen series so we'd have the opportunity to give a good listen to albums which had somehow gotten past us. Maybe we'd always seen it in the record store and were curious or maybe friends had recommended the album but we never had a chance to listen. Perhaps, like Roger Waters 1984 solo effort The Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking, it was both as the distinct cover is a young boys record shopping fantasy and many prog-head have suggested it's better than The Wall from Roger's former band Pink Floyd. In fact, he brought both concepts to the band in the late 70s - they co ..read more

Don Jamieson is hilarious. His work as a comedian has landed him prime gigs like co-hosting That Metal Show on VH1 Classic, hosting the Monsters of Rock Cruise and performing his standup routine around the world. He joins the boys this week to talk about his new comedy album No Sleep 'Til McSorley's which was recorded at the legenday New York City drinking establishment. Out April 19, the album cover is a send up of the classic Motorhead album No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith complete with the classic cover art, font and layout. You can pre-order/order from this link or wherever you get your CDs & ..read more

As children of the MTV generation, The Wolf & Action Jackson grew up listening to and watching videos from Men At Work. The band from Down Under had some big hits and their first two albums, Business As Usual & Cargo, sold more than 20 million copies around the world. However, the quickly disappeared from the scene and it left us wondering where they went. In 2015, a documentary about their frontman and lead songwriter Colin Hay emerged, Waiting For My Real Life, which told the story of the rise and fall of the band but also delved into Colin's struggle with alcohol, relocation to LA a ..read more

As children of the MTV generation, The Wolf & Action Jackson grew up listening to and watching videos from Men At Work. The band from Down Under had some big hits and their first two albums, Business As Usual & Cargo, sold more than 20 million copies around the world. However, the quickly disappeared from the scene and it left us wondering where they went. In 2015, a documentary about their frontman and lead songwriter Colin Hay emerged, Waiting For My Real Life, which told the story of the rise and fall of the band but also delved into Colin's struggle with alcohol, relocation to LA a ..read more

Here on First Concert Memories, the monthly sidecast from your friends at The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast, we endeavor to bring you stories from guests about the first time they saw a particular band and how that impacted their life. For FCM 9, we're joined by dear friend of the show Amanda Lehmann as she relates going to see Rainbow in 1980 as she was still a wee lass. Amanda has grown up to be an extraordinary singer and guitar player and you have to know that seeing a legend like Ritchie Blackmore when she was just 12 had a profound effect on her musical journey and career ..read more