Rock 'n' Roll Rabbit Hole

‘Don‘t Stop Believin‘‘: Journey‘s Universal Hit That Won‘t Quit

Just what the heck is it that makes "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey so popular, and for so long? Is it Steve Perry's pleading vocal? The big chorus that takes forever to get to? The relatable lyric? Heck, the song has been around since 1981, topped out at No. 9 on the charts, yet it's still regularly getting placement in modern pop culture, not to mention numerous cover versions that continue to re-energize the song. It literally is the top-sold digital track of the 20th century. Kevin and Butch dig into the song's staying power. Over beers.

• This week's beer is JB's Birthday Beer, a banana hefeweisen brewed by our friend JK Mabry, who also offers his opinion of the song at hand.
• Sorry about the sound -- we were having technical difficulties. The upside is that Kevin's dog Atticus makes an appearance or two, as does a storm that was raging through as the episode was being recorded.
• To be fair, Butch and Kevin admittedly aren't big Journey fans. But they were there as Journey fever swept through America.
• Check out the band Cooler - scroll down to "Rock Concert '83" for their Journey tribute. https://www.reverbnation.com/cooler/songs

'Walk This Way': Did Run DMC and Aerosmith Change the Course of Rock?

Sit with Kevin and Butch as they discuss the making of Run DMC's take on the Aerosmith classic rocker "Walk This Way." Run DMC was dead set against recording it, but producer Rick Rubin won out. By sheer will, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were able to fly in to add vocals and guitar to the track, making it a pioneering mash-up of rap and rock. Did it change the course of rock music history? A few notes:

• Beer of the week is Against the Grain Citra Ass Down 2IPA.
• Butch talks about about who the hosts are and what they do outside of the podcast. (It's brief, we promise.)
• Silly Putty enters the conversation.
• The guys talk about their perceptions of Aerosmith in the 1980s before the song was released. They were among many 1970s bands that had difficulty finding a niche in the new decade.
• Run DMC thought the band's name was Toys in the Attic. They had no idea what the song was called, either.
• Originally, Run DMC just wanted to use the song's beat to "rap about how great they were." When they first heard the lyrics, they dismissed it as "hillbilly gibberish."
• Enter Rick Rubin, and the rest, as they say, is rock history.
• Check out the book "Walk This Way" about how the song changed American music for a much deeper dive down the rabbit hole.

AC/DC's 'Back in Black': A Band Reborn With Brian Johnson

Many if not all rock 'n' roll fans feared rock powerhouse AC/DC would die along with Bon Scott. But then Brian Johnson came along, and the result was one of the band's strongest albums ever, featuring the timeless "Back in Black." The song itself was a tribute to Scott, which makes it appropriate that it would become an AC/DC signature. On this episode, we dig deep into "Back in Black" and offer up some insights into the remaking of the band in its transition to Johnson. A few tidbits to kick things off:

• This week's beer is Harveistoun Old Engine Oil Black Ale.
• Bon Scott knew Brian Johnson thanks to sharing a bill with his previous band, which is a key reason AC/DC chose Johnson after Scott's death.
• The song came out just five months after Scott died, in part because it was already partially written. Johnson finished it with lyrics.
• That a band could change lead vocalists so seamlessly is nothing short of impressive. How many other bands did it? Few, if only because the singer so often is seen as the focal point.
• If Scott had lived on, would the band have faded into a Scorpions-esque semi-obscurity?
• If you haven't seen Jim Breuer's impersonation of AC/DC performing "The Hokey Pokey," you absolutely should. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imrcyyajCaI
• Let's all join hands and thank the Rock Gods AC/DC didn't ask Sammy Hagar to join the band.

 

'My Sharona': The Knack's 'Golden Albatross'

"My Sharona" was a song that helped finally knock disco off the top of the charts. It was a massive hit for The Knack, but the band would never have another huge hit. Instead, the band would break up after their third album release and later reunite. Nevertheless, the iconic song, which was written about a real person named Sharona Alperin, would endure. The band's late, great front man Doug Fieger would ultimately call it the band's "Golden Albatross," which is the main topic Butch and Kevin focus on during this episode.

A few topics covered:

• This week's beer is Uber Hipster IPA by Falls City Brewing Co. in Louisville.
• The Knack Front man Doug Fieger appeared on the show "Roseanne" several times.
• The Knack's young fan club was known as The Knackettes, led by Sharona Alperin.
• Berton Averre wrote the riff and the framework for the song, and Doug wrote the song about Sharona, with whom he had fallen in love. Doug's live-in girlfriend was in the next room when they started rehearsing it.
• The guitar solo in "My Sharona" is one of the greatest solos in the history of rock, and Kevin will fight you over it.
• "My Sharona" had a chance to be featured during the Ving Rhames rape scene in "Pulp Fiction." The band instead offered the rights for use in "Reality Bites."
• Kevin was definitely tipsy during the making of this episode, so please forgive any missteps such as referring to Capitol Records as "Columbia." Butch was ever patient.

 

Van Halen's 'Jump': Hello Synthesizers, Goodbye David Lee Roth

The song "Jump" and the album 1984 propelled Van Halen into the rock stratosphere -- and shortly thereafter, front man David Lee Roth left the band to start a solo career. What was it about "Jump" that resonated so strongly? Was it the unexpected decision to include synthesizers? Was it the goofy, low-budget video? Whatever, it endures, and it also started the ball rolling to the often-maligned Van Hagar era. Butch and Kevin discuss all this and more, with some details about the song and video you may not know. A few points to get you started:

• This week's beer is Apollo IPA from Apocalypse Brew Works.
• Roth hated the idea of adding synth to Van Halen's music, and in fact, the song had been in limbo for several years before Eddie Van Halen decided to record it on his own.
• The purpose of the award-winning video was to show the human side of the band, but even that ticked off Roth, who wanted to be the focal point of the video.
• A year later, Roth's ego led him away from Van Halen. But the keyboards stayed.
• Here, as promised, is an especially awkward example of what the "Jump" performance video inspired other, less charismatic bands to do with their music videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8qqQeLe_G8
• And this is Nerf Herder's brilliant nerdcore tune inspired by the Van Halen legacy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvAGBz4ZJm4
• And if we'd known about this brilliance, we'd have mentioned on the show. Still ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ6bli9Xir4