Oasis in the UK are more than just rock royalty. They are the foul-mouthed, big riff, council estate kids with unibrows and bad attitudes that helped lift the UK out of it's 1980's/Thatcherism malaisse and into the Cool Britannia of the 1990s. Out was the doom and gloom of American grunge, in were melodic songs that kids could relate to. Anthems like Rock N Roll Star, Columbia and Cigarettes and Alcohol spoke directly to the young generation who were anxious to make their own mark on the world. Led by the songwriting and riff borrowing of Noel Gallagher and the sheer strength of the vocals of ..read more

Our long-time listeners know that The Wolf & Action Jackson have a special place in their hearts for the music of 80s pop/rock supergroup Asia. Asia's eponymous debut album was the top selling album in the US in 1982 and spent 9 weeks at the top of the chart thanks to hits like Sole Survivor, Only Time Will Tell and the #1 smash Heat Of The Moment. With John Wetton on bass & vocals, Steve Howe on guitar, Geoff Downes on keyboards and Carl Palmer on drums, Asia achieved great success and would go onto have many incarnations over the years. And though the original band did reunite for th ..read more

By 1969 Eric Clapton had finally gotten what he wanted - out of Cream. He felt the band (and the machine around it) was too big and couldn't deal with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker constantly at each other's throats. And so he began to hang out and jam with his friend Steve Winwood who felt like he wanted a change from Traffic. As these two titans began to formulate some new material, the bosses at the record companies smelled money and quickly got them a record deal and a tour booked. Having already brought on Ginger Baker from Cream, they added bass player Ric Grech from Family and they made a ..read more

In the summer of 1984, Metallica were not yet the Metal Gods and household names they are now. They were a band with one record under their belt (Kill Em All, hear UAWIL #138 for our review with The Hook Rocks Jay Scott), some experience playing bigger stages as an opening act and a small but loyal following. However, their US record company didn't have the money to pay for a new album so James, Kirk, Cliff and Lars traveled to Copenhagen and crashed in the studio as producer Fleming Rasmussen helped them pull together what would become their 2nd album, Ride The Lightning. As the album turns 4 ..read more

Bruce Springsteen is one of the all time great rock n rollers. From humble beginnings in New Jersey to selling out stadiums around the world for decades, The Boss is still out there delivering an amazing performance every night. On First Concert Memories 12, the monthly sidecast from your friends at The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast, we bring in our Pantheon Podcasts brother Jesse Jackson (not that Jesse Jackson) to talk about the first time he saw Springsteen live after 9/11. While the setlist was heavy on material from The Rising, Jesse was enthralled by Bruce's powerful live ..read more

Though AC/DC are one of the most revered and successful bands in the history of rock n roll, in 1979 they hadn't cracked the Top 100 in the US. The killer riffs laid down by Malcolm Young had gained them a strong following in Europe and their native Australia but they had yet to breach the great big U-S-of-A. So in 1979 they brought in a new producer, Robert John "Mutt" Lange to give them an edge. And though they were all skeptical after giving Eddie Kramer a shot, once Mutt showed them he knew how to sing, how to get the most out of Angus's guitar and how to put together songs, they were all ..read more

The Wolf & Action Jackson are HUGE Rolling Stones fans and count seeing the Steel Wheels Tour live in their respective cities as an important moment in their lives. Though the Stones never said it, many figured the Steel Wheels Tour would be the last chance for many people to ever see the Stones play. And because Bill Wyman retired after that tour, one could argue that definitely signaled the end of an era. Fast forward 5 years later and our hosts are in college, had been roommates, and went crazy for Keith Richards 1992 solo effort Main Offender. When the Stone s announced they'd signed a ..read more

The Wolf & Action Jackson are HUGE Rolling Stones fans and count seeing the Steel Wheels Tour live in their respective cities was an important moment in their lives. Though the Stones never said it, many figured the Steel Wheels Tour would be the last chance for many people to ever see the Stones play. And because Bill Wyman retired after that tour, one could argue that definitely signaled the end of an era. Fast forward 5 years later and our hosts are in college, had been roommates, and went crazy for Keith Richards 1992 solo effort Main Offender. When the Stone s announced they'd signed ..read more

Keyboard virtuoso Oliver Wakeman visited us on UAWIL #156 to talk about the John Wetton (Asia, King Crimson, UK) box set as it was being released. We had a wonderful time chatting with Oliver as we are big fans of John Wetton and John had been a mentor and friend to Oliver as they toured together in the early 2000s. We had so much fun that we asked him to come back to promote one of his own projects once he was ready. As Oliver has just released Anam Cara, a solo album 20 years in the making, he was gracious enough to join us again to discuss this beautiful new album. But before you dismiss th ..read more

Stone Temple Pilots helped define the grunge-ridden days of the 1990s with their big downtuned riffs and lyrics soaked in heroin resin. Riding the wave from Seattle, their debut album Core sold over 8 million copies in the US alone. The record company couldn't wait to get more STP out into the market so in November 1993 they released the live Unplugged album featuring the new song Big Empty. Vocalist/lyricist Scott Weiland was a charismatic and troubled performer, writing lyrics about fear, self-loathing and ruined relationships built on his addiction to heroin. But STP were more than just a g ..read more