Podcast
The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast
Hosted by Mac B. · EN
The Ugly American Werewolf in London is a weekly podcast about classic rock, hard rock, progressive rock, heavy metal, early MTV, 80s music, UK vs. US chart success and all things rock! Hosted by The Wolf and Action Jackson, who interview rock legends, review classic albums and concerts of their favorite classic rock bands each week. Once a month, they welcome musicians, writers and fans to First Concert Memories to tell about one particular night where a live concert changed their life. Action & The Wolf have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of rock music and its history - tune in to hear what they're passionate about! Proud part of Pantheon Podcasts!
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Episodes
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UAWIL #295: The Beatles - Revolver
2w ago01:34:49Tap to summarizeAs we've professed before on the program, The Wolf & Action Jackson are not the world's biggest Beatles fans. Don't get us wrong - we don't dislike The Beatles and we understand that all they did changed the world and the rock music we love. But they're not our go to, we're Stones fans at the end of the day. Whether you're a Beatlemaniac or not, rock fans owe an enormous debt to John, Paul, George and Ringo. By the summer of 1966, the lads had been around the world several times over, made millions and mingled with world leaders and culture mavens who defined their time on Earth. They finally took a well deserved three months off January - April 1966 to take a breath, see what was going on around the world and incorporate it all into their music. Revolver would be released August 5, 1966 but the lead non-album single from the same sessions, Paperback Writer (backed with Rain) let the world know that they were no longer just singing songs about love and heartache but were moving in new directions as yet unforeseen in the western world of popular music. Sitars and tablas offer up eastern textures to compliment George's ode to free love on Love You To while he sneers in an almost punk way at the Taxman. Paul gives us a classic happy Paul song in Good Day Sunshine but laments a love that's coming to an end with For No One. Stories about dropping acid and psychedelic themes permeate the album as well as Paul's first experience with marijuana on Got to Get You into My Life. Though still in their mid-20s, the boys show a maturity at their writing and arranging craft hard won over the last 4 years. Each of them were starting to branch out to find out who they were as individuals and not just four moptops. The real trick for us is trying to imagine what it was like 60 years ago before Revolver was released. After all, as we're in our fifties, we don't know a world without The Beatles. We sang Yellow Submarine as kids in the 70s having no knowledge of the impact from the guys singing it. Using different instruments and cutting edge recording techniques ushered in a more psychedelic sound that would define the mid-to-late 60s Beatles and that defined the bleeding edge of rock music. Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use code UGLY to save 10% off one ENTIRE ORDER! Email us at uglyamericanwerewolf@gmail.com bit.ly/UAWILROCKS Twitter Threads Instagram YouTube LInkTree www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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UAWIL #294: R.E.M. - Life's Rich Pageant
3w ago01:30:16Tap to summarizeBy 1986, REM were veterans of the college rock scene, had recorded in London and gotten songs into the charts. For their 4th album, Life's Rich Pageant, they took a step forward in stretching not only what they could do musically but voicing social, political and environmental concerns through their lyrics. We don't find it to be totally in your face (as opposed to say, U2) but more subliminal as their lyrics can sometimes be nebulous or at least not straight forward and not about rock cliches like hot rods and chicks (not that there's anything wrong with hot rods and chicks if you know what I'm saying out there boys - Ian Astbury, The Cult). They may sneak in stories about a polluted river in Cuyahoga or regret the rise and fall of a revolutionary in Central America (The Flowers of Guatemala) or even the effects of acid rain damaging our environment (Fall On Me). But they do it with upbeat riffs and guitar runs from Peter Buck with lead singer Michael Stipe delivering the message while bassist Mike Mills provides the counterpoint lyrics to not only tell the story but give REM their signature sound. The driving beat provided by Bill Berry make songs like I Believe an all out rocker you can jump around and shout along to. And they experiment with things like banjos on Swan Swan H and middle eastern sounds on Underneath The Bunker (not quite an instrumental). This album went gold and is the predecessor to Document which would be their first platinum record thanks to The One I Love & It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine). Superman, a cover by the 60's psychedelic band Clique, helped them get in the charts and draw some interest beyond college campuses and college radio. That interest would build to Document which would lead to a $40 million record contract from Warner Brothers and put them on a steeper trajectory to pop superstardom. REM fans are often divided between those who knew and loved them in 80s before they hit it big and those who came to know them thanks to the big record company, expensive videos and pop stylings. For me, the IRS records of the 80s will always be the real REM and Life's Rich Pageant is a great moment in time for them. They've learned the ropes, made some good records and are not complacent - they moved forward believing in themselves, each other and their convictions which would eventually bring them all the success in the world. Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use code UGLY to save 10% off one ENTIRE ORDER! Email us at uglyamericanwerewolf@gmail.com bit.ly/UAWILROCKS Twitter Threads Instagram YouTube LInkTree www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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UAWIL #293: John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
4w ago01:20:53Tap to summarizeEric Clapton had achieved pop success with The Yardbirds but that's not what he wanted. All Eric wanted to do was play the blues. So he left The Yardbirds to join John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers where through many miles and many gigs honed a guitar sound & style that would create a mythology around Clapton like no guitar player before. Their gigs must see happenings as once they were into a groove, the Bluesbreakers could improvise their way into something spectacular. John Mayall wanted to capture that live energy and creativity on an album but their first attempt (with bassist Jack Bruce who would figure into Clapton's story later) was not up to par. So they went to Decca Studios and worked to capture the best bits of their live set. Eric doesn't just take off, he does seem to build throughout the record just as he might during a live show. And John Mayall does take the spotlight as the lead singer, solid piano/organ man and a cool harmonica player. John McVie (who would eventually break from Mayall to form Fleetwood Mac with future drummer Mick Fleetwood) holds down the bass and Hughie Flint keeps it steady on the drums leaving room for Mayall and Clapton to do their thing. Though Mayall contributes some originals, they borrow from blues legends like Freddie King, Little Walter, Memphis Slim and Robert Johnson. On Johnson's Ramblin' on My Mind Clapton offers his first attempt at singing lead, something he was reluctant to do throughout his career but John nudged him. Clapton's playing was groundbreaking at the time and his reputation as a master of the guitar built rapidly. Graffiti popped up around London - Clapton is God. The Wolf & Action Jackson try their best to imagine what it must have been like to hear Eric play live at that time. Because they've never known a world with Eric Clapton and when they got to know him he was 40. Plus, they'd heard all the hot shots that had come after Clapton over the decades. We've always appreciated Clapton's tone and playing but trying to put our minds in a place where hearing anything like this was brand new was the challenge. It may not be as mind blowing as it was 60 years ago but it's still some rock solid blues by a guy at 20 years old who would define the blues (certainly for white folks) for the next half century. Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use code UGLY to save 10% off one ENTIRE ORDER! Email us at uglyamericanwerewolf@gmail.com bit.ly/UAWILROCKS Twitter Threads Instagram YouTube LInkTree www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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UAWIL #292: America at 250 - Top 10 Rock Songs About America
Jul 201:14:44Tap to summarizeIf you haven't heard, the USA is turning 250!! The Great American Experiment has endured for one quarter of a millenium and though it might not be a perfect place, it's home to both The Wolf & Action Jackson. This podcast may have been birthed while The Wolf was in the UK but as many fans of The World Cup are learning, America is a special place. And though most of our rock idols hail from the UK (or elsewhere that isn't the US), American plays a great part in the legacy of rock n roll. So we've eachh chosen 10 songs about America. It could come from foreign bands like Hello America by Def Leppard who dream of making it big or New York City by The Cult after they lived there and fell in love with it. The Wolf also categorizes songs by theme like Big And Loud, Look in the Mirror, Just Have Some Fun Man, Happy Hippie America, Sweet and Soulful, Talking Truth to Power and more to the point that he offered up runners up in all 10 categories. And both the boys had honorable mentions as there are so many to choose from - for instance which is the better representation of the seedy underbelly of America: LA Woman by The Doors or Hotel California by The Eagles? We celebrate America's 250th the only way we know how - by talking about the rock n roll that we love and that helped make America the greatest country in the world! (Yes I'm patriotic, sue me, it's our 250th) Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use code UGLY to save 10% off one ENTIRE ORDER! Email us at uglyamericanwerewolf@gmail.com bit.ly/UAWILROCKS Twitter Threads Instagram YouTube LInkTree www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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First Concert Memories #36: Iron Maiden with Steven Michael of Growin' Up Rock Podcast
Jul 101:05:07Tap to summarizeUP THE IRONS!! For the 2nd time in Season 3 of First Concert Memories we go back to an Iron Maiden show that your hosts never witnessed themselves. Why do we need another after hearing Brian Slagel, CEO/Founder Metal Blade Records, tell his story of interviewing Steve Harris afterwards on FCM 32 you might ask? How about a story from the other side of the curtain with our man Steven Michael from the Growin' Up Rock Podcast from 1985 - A young stagehand and Iron Maiden fan knew his way around the backstages of concert halls having worked shows since he got out of high school. With his coveralls, his knowledge of the lingo, and the confidence that comes with experience, Steven Michael walked backstage and became a member of the crew. SM sounds likes the young man he was more than 40 years ago when he talks about looking out at the arena from the Powerslave stage will bring a smile to any metalhead's face. He also imparts the importance of not geeking out so when the guys from WASP were in his midst, he made sure not to stare or run and say hi - a dead giveaway for someone who's not supposed to be there. He played it cool, he followed instructions and before he knew it he was on stage helping assemble Nicko McBrain's drum kit under the Eddie sarcophagus at the back of the stage. So he worked for free but got to be backstage for one of his very favorite bands and then walked right down to the front of the barrier to meet up with his buddies to see Powerslave live. MTV wasn't there covering it, there was no social media - if you wanted to see it, you had to see it live (or maybe stills from magazines). Suddenly he's a fan again and we walk through the setlist which would spawn the Live After Death album and video (where the rest of us saw the show). What a night!! And Steven Michael has decades in the industry so we might be seeing him on First Concert Memories again down the road... Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use code UGLY to save 10% off one ENTIRE ORDER! Email us at uglyamericanwerewolf@gmail.com bit.ly/UAWILROCKS Twitter Threads Instagram YouTube LInkTree www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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UAWIL #291: 2nd To Last Led Zeppelin Songs Ranked
Jun 2501:21:57Tap to summarizeWe've been doing our podcast for almost 6 years and with that time & experience, one does find patterns or tricks of the trade that pop up regularly. As The Wolf & Action Jackson have reviewed about 200 albums on the show and listened to thousands more, the boys observed something when it comes to tracking albums. Bands rarely leave the worst song on the album for the last track; however, they often slot the worst song as the 2nd to Last track on the record. Which makes sense - you don't want the last song you hear to be the worst and sometimes bands will save the best for last. So we decided to apply our observation to a band that has a very strong catalog without too many duds. A band with enough albums to make up a record of their 2nd to Last songs but not so many that it would take us multiple episodes. Led Zeppelin fit the bill perfectly as the boys know the catalog back to front, there are only 8 albums (we don't include Coda but we give a track to each disc/LP of Physical Graffiti) to review and we can not only rank them against each other but rank the track's position on the album. I Can't Quit You Baby off LZ I isn't a bad track at all but the competition is stiff and it's the same for Going to California on LZ IV. Trampled Under Foot on disc 1 of Physical Graffiti is a great rocker and Moby Dick on LZ II is an instrumental but it would become a live staple to show off the talents of John Bonham. In at least one instance, we find that the 2nd to Last song may actually be the best whereas others could certainly qualify as near the bottom. While Zeppelin didn't feel pressure from the record company to track the albums a certain way, many other bands are at the will of the A&R rep on how their records are tracked. While Led Zeppelin didn't have many bad songs on their records, something has to be ranked last vs. all the other classics. So we rank all of Led Zeppelin's 2nd to Last tracks vs. the other tracks on the album and then vs. each other to determine the best and worst. Which would make your list? Led Zeppelin - I Can't Quit You Baby Led Zeppelin II - Moby Dick Led Zeppelin III - Bron-Y-Aur Stomp Led Zeppelin IV - Going to California Houses of the Holy - No Quarter Physical Graffiti 1 - Trampled Under Foot Physical Graffiti 2 - Black Country Woman Presence - Hots On For Nowhere In Through the Out Door - All My Love Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use code UGLY to save 10% off one ENTIRE ORDER! Email us at uglyamericanwerewolf@gmail.com bit.ly/UAWILROCKS Twitter Threads Instagram YouTube LInkTree www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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UAWIL #290: Rock PR Veteran Sharon Chevin
Jun 1801:06:26Tap to summarizeWe are proud to welcome Rock PR veteran Sharon Chevin who has been in the music business for more than 4 decades. What began as a deep love for rock music became a sustaining career which has taken her around the world and helped her forge friendships with some of the biggest artists on the planet. These days, Sharon promotes and manages media for prog rock legends Yes (and she wants me to remind everyone that Aurora is out now) and Steve Hackett (she teases his new collaboration with Marillion's Steve Rothery) but has worked with and hung around some of the biggest stars of all time. Her stories are amazing and funny as she shares how Alice Cooper will work a 14 hour day as long as you give him a couple of hours to shop. Hear how she had to convince hotel staff in Germany that she needed corn flakes for Tom Petty and George Harrison at 1 AM. She also talks about going to see a new band at The Hammersmith Palais called U2 with Pete Townshend and Bruce Springsteen. Mostly, Sharon lets us know that most of the top talent are marvelous people who are great to work with. But not all of them are and she drops a couple of names onto the jerk list. But mostly we hear about how Chris Squire invited her to stay with his family after an earthquake or how Jon Lord would always drop by her local pub for a glass of wine when he was in town. She admits she was instantly charmed by Billy Idol the moment she met him and how Bryan Adams talked her out of getting Bonnie Raitt's picture taken with Madonna. We're just glad Sharon is still doing PR for bands we love and that she's still sharing her stories of her rock n roll odyssey. Learn more about Sharon and her clients at www.thepublicityconnection.com Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use code UGLY to save 10% off one ENTIRE ORDER! bit.ly/UAWILROCKS Twitter Threads Instagram YouTube LInkTree www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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UAWIL #289: Duran Duran - 1981 & 1983
Jun 1101:22:27Tap to summarizeDuran Duran's eponymous debut not only established their sound with funky bass and new wave synths but coincided with the launch of new US cable station, MTV. With their danceable beats, the boys stylish brand of new wave was perfect fot the 80s and perfect for MTV. It introduced a whole new generation of American music fans into Anglophiles including your hosts The Wolf & Action Jackson. We, like all of the MTV Generation, were not only grooving to John Taylor's funky bass but were fascinated by their fashion, haircuts and models that always seemed to find them. In the UK, they got on the charts and even went Top 10 in Australia with Planet Earth in the spring of 1981. But it was MTV that launched them to superstardom in the US. Simon LeBon's vocals complemented the textures coming from Nick Rhodes synths and Andy Taylor's guitar but his presence in the videos gave them a wider audience. The videos shot in Antigua for the Rio album are MTV greats but the macabre Night Boat was also filmed there and is creepier than Anyone Out There or Careless Memories. The Girls On Film video was censored in parts of the US and a racier edition could be found on Showtime, much to the delight of two young suburbanites. To give the US market more material in 1983 ahead of the Seven and the Ragged Tiger album which would come out in the fall, the debut was rereleased with a slightly different order and the new single Is There Something I Should Know? It went to #1 in the UK and went into heavy rotation on MTV, helping to drive the album platinum. We recall the first time seeing them on MTV, review the entire 1983 US version (with plenty of time for all the songs surrounding the debut) and rediscover some old faves. Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use code UGLY to save 10% off one ENTIRE ORDER! bit.ly/UAWILROCKS Twitter Threads Instagram YouTube LInkTree www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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UAWIL #288: Cinderella - Night Songs
Jun 401:24:16Tap to summarizeCinderella came out of the gritty streets of Philadelphia by writing hookey riffs, shout along choruses and a fun, glammy stage show. Gene Simmons tried to get them signed but it was Jon Bon Jovi who would convince his label Mercury to get them a record contract. Led by lead singer/songwriter/lead guitarist Tom Keifer, Cinderella had hard riffs and a Sunset Strip performance style that made them perfect for MTV in the mid- to late-80s. Their debut album Night Songs landed in June of 1986 and laid the foundation for more platinum albums and MTV airplay. Keifer's raspy voice can lead big sing-a-long rockers like Shake Me or Somebody Save Me or can sing a lament like Nobody's Fool. His friend Eric Brittingham provides the steady bass and Jeff LaBar lays textures against Keifer's hard riffs and trades a few licks. On the record, drums were provided by veteran studio musician Jody Cortez, though Fred Coury was brought in just in time to make the album cover (don't get Jackson started) and joined the band. Yes, their lyrics are mostly banal and cliched sexual conquests but they were of a time and Cinderella may have done that sleazy 80s rock made famous by Motley Crue and Guns N Roses as well as anyone. Once grunge came, all that was glam or "hair metal" had to go but maybe Cinderella should have been given the opportunity to reinvent themselves like Def Leppard. We think they were unnecessary casualties of grunge and while Night Songs may not be skip-free, it's a solid hard rocking 80s album with some great riffs and fist pumping choruses. What's wrong with a little fun?? Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use code UGLY to save 10% off one ENTIRE ORDER! bit.ly/UAWILROCKS Twitter Threads Instagram YouTube LInkTree www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Suzi Quatro talks not being boxed in but always coming back to rock n roll
Jun 300:02:48Tap to summarizeHappy Birthday to the one & only #SuziQuatro!! We were honored to speak with the legend herself on her new album Freedom, all she’s done in her 7 decade career & why she still loves to play live! Listen: https://megaphone.link/PAN8235644133 #legend @Suzi_Quatro Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use code UGLY to save 10% off one ENTIRE ORDER! bit.ly/UAWILROCKS Twitter Threads Instagram YouTube LInkTree www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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