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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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After the success of Woodstock 94, where the only real problem was rain that made everyone and everything muddy, organizers thought they could make more money 5 years later. But because of all that mud, there was no way to move port-a-potties or more supplies into the farm where the event took place. So they figured a shuttered military base would provide all the roads and infrastructure they would need to put on a solid event. And while they may have been prepared for rain, they were totally unprepared for the 100 degree temperatures which cooked the crowd. Enter Mistress Carrie, Boston radio legend from WAAF and our Pantheon Podcasts sister, who had attended Woodstock 94 as a recent college grad and had a ball. 5 years later, she's the night DJ on WAAF and plays the music of the hard rock and nu metal bands of the day - Korn, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock and more. Carrie and her crew needed to cover the event but because a rival station in their market was owned by the company that owned MTV - who retained exclusive broadcasting rights - WAAF was not allowed to be there in any professional capacity. So Carrie got an RV sponsorship for her and team, stocked it full of all necessary supplies and headed out to document the festivities in Rome, New York. Anyone who was there or who saw the documentary on Netflix saw the chaos of heat, overpriced water and food, multi-hour lines for basics and the assaults on women. But Carrie and her team had an RV with a shower and A/C so they at least had refuge from the heat and madness. Hear stories of Carrie shutting down hecklers, enjoying some amazing performances by the biggest bands of the day and the heroics of Otto the bus driver who somehow got them out of there and back to Boston in time to tell the story on the air Monday morning. It's an epic tale of survival, love, rock n roll and madness from 1999!!! Visit Mistress Carrie's website: https://mistresscarrie.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! 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
Pantheon Media CEO Christian Swain invites you to check out the Before The Moment podcast. Nile Rodgers sits down with artists to explore the decisions, setbacks, and unexpected encounters that came before the breakthrough. Follow the show, you will love it!
On episode 170, The Wolf hoped that would be the last time he saw Journey live. The band weren't the same lineup and performance-wise as they once were and the tickets were too expensive. But the tix were a gift for him and the Wolf Cub as she is a HUGE Journey fan (and Toto opened for them that night). The Wolf saw it as a check the box, took the kid to see her band and now I never have to do that again. The one regret he had was not informing her before the show that Steve Perry is no longer the lead singer (He's a replacement!??!!#@!). Now Journey are on their Final Frontier Tour where they claim to be hanging it up once they complete this run of shows. As they were coming to town and the Wolf Cub wanted to see them again since we left before the end last time, The Wolf caved and agreed to take here. Same venue, better seats but now it's an evening with Journey - no opening act. Though the crowd was happy they were very old, didn't make much noise or stand up much and there were more than a few empty seats. The screens were cool and had offered great artistic backdrops and video of the band while they performed. They gave us 29 songs (including some unnecessary solos) and played for nearly 3 hours. But the mix was off so The Wolf couldn't hear Neal Schon who played very well. Arnel Pineda, brought in almost 20 years ago to save the band and take them to new heights, is now older himself with gray hair and bit of rasp in his voice. While the Wolf Cub had a blast singing along to her favorite tunes, the 70 and 80 year olds behind her saw fit to boo after certain songs. Who does that? Why were they booing? We'll take you through all the ups and downs of a Journey live show and what should be (but probably won't) their last tour. 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
1976 saw KISS take the world by storm. ALIVE! had just gone platinum and their studio follow-up Destroyer heralded in live classics like Detroit Rock City, God of Thunder, Beth and Shout It Out Loud. But anyone who works their @ss off to be successful knows that the really hard work begins once you achieve some success. And KISS found themselves in a theater 20 miles out of NYC recording Rock N Roll Over six months after the release of Destroyer. To make the most of their three week recording window, the boys reworked songs from previous sessions or even pre-KISS bands like Baby Driver from Peter Criss (and former bandmate Stan Penridge). Though Bob Ezrin helped them branch out into different musical styles, the boys wanted a harder hitting album with a less abrupt leadership style so they chose Eddie Kramer to record them in the round in an old theater. The results are heavy and raunchy just like you'd expect from KISS. Simmons offers up some delightful demon-y tracks like Calling Dr. Love, Love 'Em and Leave 'Em and Ladies Room with his lascivious snarl. The Starchild may have more mainstream sounds but just as tawdry with Take Me and Makin' Love. But Peter Criss had the big hit on Destroyer so not only did he write and sing on Baby Driver, but the Rod Stewart inspired Stanley penned Hard Luck Woman hit 15 in the US charts. While there are no writing contributions from Ace and he doesn't outdo himself on most of the solos - sometimes he was unavailable, sometimes he wasn't capable - but there are a few bright spots for the loyal members of the Ace Cult. We talk legacy, band dynamics, where it lands in the KISS catalog and take a look at the ads for the 50th Anniversary box set which looks amazing. 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
Although Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers would go onto become one of the greatest American rock bands of the last quarter of the 20th century, their self-titled 1976 debut wasn't a splash. In fact, they had to go to England and get on UK tv for the word to really start to spread. In fact, the You Got Lucky video was the first time your hosts ever knew who Tom Petty was or anything about the band. And honestly, at the time the video and song didn't knock us out. But over time we developed a real appreciation for Tom's songwriting as he and the band developed as people and musicians. Once The Wolf arrived at the University of Florida in 1996, he was a fan and thank goodness as TP is played every 4-5 songs on Gainesville radio. But having that understanding of where the band came from and their influences helped us understand how good and relatable Petty's songs really are. American Girl is an alltime classic, played at full volume by women all over the US. The driving guitar combines Gainesville's own Bo Diddley guitar rhythm with The Byrds jangle that is the backbone of one of the band's greatest songs. Many of the songs are about trying to get out of a small time for a better life (American Girl, Hometown Blues, Mystery Man) or girls you maybe should or shouldn't be with (Breakdown, The Wild One Forever, Anything That's Rock N Roll). But Luna is a sweet song about the power of the night and Strangered in the Night tells the story of a murder in a parking lot (and mentions one of The Wolf's old G-Ville haunts, the Silver Q pool hall). The fact that bassist Ron Blair had only recently joined Tom, guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench who'd come to LA as Mudcrutch meant that they needed to learn to play together on this record. It may not be their biggest or best but it's the foundation that the band were built on and while they would improve as musicians and songwriters, the debut is a great snapshot of a band on their way up. 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
When Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon in 1973, their world (and the world) changed forever. The album would go on to sell tens of millions of copies worldwide and make Floyd one of the biggest acts of all time. But did anyone see it coming? They were known for their psychedelic music and performances thanks to cutting edge light shows. But did previous efforts portend the superstardom that started with Dark Side and crescendoed with The Wall? The predecessor to Dark Side was Meddle (the film soundtrack Obscured By Clouds came out between the two but Meddle is a Floyd album by Floyd for Floyd) and featured a variety of styles and textures - some would become inherent staples in their music, some were one offs that were never played live. But the 20+ minute epic that was the B side of the record, Echoes, showed that the boys could blend all their talents and experimental sounds to produce an epic that would define prog rock and the band's signature sound. The opener One of These Days, a group write, is a driving, ominous track that not only features some killer slide from Gilmour but creates a dark mood that would be prevalent in Floyd (especially Waters) compositions down the road. Waters and Gilmour venture into acoustic and lilting ballads with A Pillow of Winds and Fearless but have a bit of a laugh with the south of France inspired San Tropez and the barking of Steve Marriott's dog on Seamus (considered by some as the worst song in the Floyd catalog). But the awe-inspiring Echoes really stands the test of time as one of the true masterpieces in the Pink Floyd arsenal. We interviewed Gary Kemp and Guy Platt of Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets on Ep 96 about what playing Echoes with Nick meant to them. We also review their live show from 2022 on episode 100 (and from Royal Albert Hall on Ep 75). That was our true introduction to pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd and we're so glad we found it - we hope you enjoy our take on Meddle at 55! 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
On First Concert Memories 39 we are happy to welcome Andrew of Tunes From Turtle Island, our brother from Pantheon Podcasts, to recall a night 40 years ago in Brixton when Public Image Ltd took the stage. Not because it was a great communion of punks idolizing one of their true heroes in John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols, but because they may have witnessed the end of their own idolatry of a popular performer. Brixton is a tough part of London and John Lydon was allegedly looking forward to performing for the rough and tumble punk crowd. However, Andrew leads us on a journey not of expectation but of expectoration - not one of idol worship but idol destroying. Though the band sounded good, Andrew shares how the old school punks down front were spitting on the band - a common practice in early 70s punk but one Lydon took exception to at this stage of the game. It prompted the punk legend to stop the show, call out the perpetrators in no uncertain terms and causing general violence and mayhem. All the nasty bits were recorded for a live PiL album and you can hear Lydon tell the crowd that he'd been looking forward to the gig. However, from Andrew's perspective, and I believe a big chunk of the crowd's as well, Lydon was the bad guy for calling off the show and being nasty to the spitting crowd. It's a punk rock moment that's been memorialized in a live album and into the annals of rock stardom. Hear how Andrew believes it changed his attitude towards Johnny Rotten and the scene altogether. Hear more from Andrew: https://tunesfromturtleisland.eu/ 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
We at The Wolf are very proud to welcome back Scott Holiday to talk about The Wolf's favorite album of 2026 - his new solo album Topology. Created out of music Scott wrote intending to utilize with his world touring band Rival Sons, Scott never intended to make a solo record. But over time pieces he created eventually felt like something that wasn't RS but more personal to Scott. And with help from his RS bandmate Mike Miley (drums) and Jesse Nalen (keyboards) created Topology - the record The Wolf didn't know he needed and thinks you'll love. Holiday (band name stylized HOL1D4Y) creates atmosphere through a pallet of hard rock guitars with spacey and ambient keyboards that lets the mind wander. And with titles like Holotropic, Veridream, Panoptic and Autonomatic, the stage is set for your own self exploration; that is, after you've gone to the internet to look up Astrovore, Paratma and Ataraxia. As you might expect, Scott does sing lead vocals on the six songs that have them but he also plays bass throughout and lays down some wonderful grooves that let everything he and Jesse do over them that much better. The album might just be anchored by the instrumentals which is a non-starter for a lot of rock fans. But the 70s prog of Constellations and the track of the album Crism, which over 12 minutes emits Floydian and No Quarter-ish moods, give the listener the opportunity to make the meaning of the tracks their own, unimpeded by a vocal narrative. Scott tells a great story about Miley providing the drums for the epic and building the song around the drum track - amazing! As we've grown our show over the last 6 years we've communed with many like minded people from around the globe and we are thankful for our rock community. In 2023, we met Scott Holiday as he was promoting his band Rival Sons latest album, Darkfighter (Ep 130). We were admittedly late to the Rival Sons party but love their brand of hard and melodic rock. But when we received an advance copy of Scott's solo album Topology, we were immediately hooked by its psychedelic and atmospheric vibe. The Wolf may sound like a "fanboy" during parts of our chat with Scott but it's hard for an older rocker to find new music that he likes - when we do find it, we're happy to shout about it. It was hard to sit on this album for 2 months but we're psyched for the world to hear it and we could have talked to Scott for hours. Go buy Topology today! Order Topology & merch: https://www.hol1d4ymusic.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! 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
Longtime listeners of the program know that The Wolf and Action Jackson are big time Iron Maiden fans. We gave you a review of The Future Past Tour from Europe in 2023 (Ep #139) and from Stockholm last summer as they kicked off the Run For Your Lives Tour (Ep #239). So you might ask why would we travel at great expense and sit through a deluge that would cause Noah to get his woodworking tools out to see the same band on the same tour. But if you have to ask that, you've never seen an Iron Maiden concert and certainly not on this tour. The whole band is in fine form with Bruce Dickinson's soaring vocals and active stage antics set the tone for an epic and powerful show. The setlist is incredible, focusing only on the first album through Somewhere in Time (with Fear of the Dark from 92) and the video screens help the songs come to live with killer visuals and lifelike animation. No passports required means we're going to be there! Another benefit of seeing Maiden this year is that Megadeth is opening for them on what has been announced as their last tour. To see Dave Mustaine live before he hangs it up should be a goal of metalheads everywhere and a big bonus for we Maiden heads. And as a bonus, The Wolf was able to attend Louder Than Life - the four day hard rock/heavy metal festival in Louisville that has multiple stages and non-stop action thanks to 2 main stage side by side. It was the first time Maiden had performed in Louisville in 43 years so your host persevered against the 90+ degree heat and enormous crowds to see Maiden one more time in 2026. We give shoutouts to all the great people who made it happen for us and deride the idiots who can't put down their phones. UP THE IRONS!!! 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
Ronnie James Dio joining Black Sabbath really gave the band a shot in the arm. After declining returns with Ozzy in the late 70s, Ronnie's emergence as a singer and a songwriter helped push 1980's Heaven and Hell to platinum status in the US. The band and record company were eager to recapture the magic of Heaven and Hell but founding drummer Bill Ward had to replaced by American drummer Vinnie Appice, who stayed available during the Heaven and Hell Tour just in case Bill wasn't able to play. They loved the success of Heaven and Hell so much, it seems, that they tracked Mob Rules very similarly to H&H. They come charging out of the gate with Turn Up the Night (as opposed to Neon Knights), they go back tp doom Sabbath with the Sign of the Southern Cross (not dissimilar to Children of the Sea) and end with the epic title track (E5150, or in Latin EVIL, is really the intro to Mob Rules in our book). But it's all great Sabbath thanks to the soaring vocals of Ronnie James Dio, the groovy bass lines of Geezer Butler and some extraordinary work by The Riff-Master - Tonny Iommi. It fit perfectly with the H&H material and maybe Tony got some inspiration from the young lads in Iron Maiden as producer Martin Birch had just worked on Maiden's sophomore release Killers. The second side might not be as strong but the urgency and spectacular groove of Falling Off the Edge of the World galloping along to Ronnie's powerful and emotional vocals make it all time great Sabbath track. Though they would put this lineup back together for Dehumanizer in 1992 and again as Heaven and Hell in the 2000s, this would prove to be their only release during their heyday. The follow up live album Live Evil showed what an incredible lineup this was and it's sad to think it ended for cliched reasons but that's rock n roll. We celebrate Mob Rules and a killer Black Sabbath lineup as it turns 45. 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
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is an important part of AC/DC's catalog to their fans around the world. However, when and what you heard on the album varied from country to country. Originally released in Australia in 1976 with a cover that looked like something Angus drew with crayons after school, DDDDC featured some all time anthems like the title track and Jailbreak. But around the world not only would the cover be different but the songs and lengths of certain songs were changed based on what had already been released in different territories. Perhaps most importantly, the US record company (ATCO) decided not to release the album as the band were unable to tour and therefore promote the album in the States. Five years later after the success of Highway to Hell, the demise of lead singer and character Bon Scott and the triumphant (and multi diamond selling) return of the band with Brian Johnson on Back in Black, AC/DC were in demand. So despite the protests of the band who didn't want it released as they had a new singer, new bass player (Cliff Burton had replaced Mark Evans) and new trajectory with that lineup, Dirty Deeds was finally released in 1981. Bon Scott's menacing lyrics and snarling vocals are in their full glory on this record with AC/DC classics like Problem Child, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and the fan favorite Big Balls as he talks about his fancy dance parties (or is he...) Malcolm's hammering the rhythm with those big AC/DC riffs but he lays down some bluesy stuff on tracks like Ride On and There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'. Angus Young is still about 21-22 at this point so while there are flashes of brilliance that would show he'll one day be regarded as an all-time guitar legend, there are some spots where he's still trying to catch up with his big brother. With 7 million in US sales, the record execs got what they wanted but did it hamper the next Brian Johnson album, For Those About To Rock We Salute You? It may have been a bit confusing at the time and the imported version is different than the one we grew up on but there's a lot of fun to be had on Dirty Deeds. 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
Thank you all for all the love we received via email and socials on our 300th! We are as grateful as ever for your support and humbled by your enthusiasm for our rock n roll conversations and interviews. We have more up our sleeves so please stay tuned - now back to #301.... Abacab was released in fall of 1981 after the debut of Phil Collins' first solo album, Face Value, which had gone mulit-platinum thanks to radio staples like In the Air Tonight and I Missed Again. Collins sang more personal songs and utilized players from different genres including The Phenix Horns from Earth, Wind & Fire to get a poppier sound. When Genesis reconvened at The Farm, their Surrey estate with their own studio converted from an old barn, they had already begun to evolve from their proggy past. Their 1980 effort Duke showed that they were leaning towards shorter and more radio friendly songs like Turn It On Again. Abacab is the next step in that direction. The single version of the title track has a driving beat and modern melody provided by Tony Banks and the latest synth toys of the day, despite the nonsensical title (there is a reason, we'll get there). But true to their prog roots the album version is 7 minutes with an extended jam/exploration bit. No Reply At All featured The Phenix Horns, the first time non-band members played on a Genesis album. Those hits would eventually help push the album to double platinum in the US and 7 on the Billboard chart. But much of the rest of the album are laments about opportunities missed or relationships that changed or electronic symphonies that ebb and flow. One song may be the worst in the entire Genesis catalog. in 1983, they would release their self titled album which was their biggest yet and then in 1986 Invisible Touch made them one of the biggest bands on the planet. Phil Collins solo career would explode through the mid-80s and was everywhere. But on Abacab they weren't there yet. They were coming in to jam together to discover the directions they could go and evolving with the times. It's an interesting phase for the band as they were on the cusp of great success. 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
We are happy to welcome Metal Walt from Metal Mayhen ROC to talk about one of his first concert experiences from his teenage years - seeing David Lee Roth on the Eat Em And Smile Tour in 1986. Walt, like most kids from the MTV generation, saw Dave hamming it up in Van Halen videos like Panama and Hot For Teacher. Then Dave capitalized on that fame and decided to do a solo album, complete with fun MTV videos. So when Dave and his band came to New Jersey in October of 1986, Walt had to be there. We discuss with Walt where he fell on the David Lee Roth/Van Halen split in 1986, a few years later and now as everyone was forced to choose sides. He felt opening band Cinderella’s style and image weren’t equivalent to their musical style but that they were a good band. And he enjoyed the noodling of Billy Sheehan (bass) and Steve Vai (guitar) before DLR himself made his presence known and then the night was really On Fire! Dave did more VH1 to 1984 cuts than Van Halen did on the 5150 Tour and seemed to have a lot of fun doing it. He confirmed that he was the showman that Walt and the rest of us had seen on MTV. He even celebrated his 32nd birthday at the end of the set (I bet he didn’t go to be that night, if you need proof listen to First Concert Memories 15 with Mick Wall who stayed up all night with him in 1988). It not only prompted Walt to see Dave 20+ times over the years solo and with the reunited Van Halen but to dress up like Dave on his famous album cover for Halloween three weeks later. Who would do that? The kind of rock fan we want on First Concert Memories - that’s who!! Visit Walt & Vernomatic at MetalMayhemROC.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! 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
When we started the Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast in 2020, we were are still living with the near term effects of Covid. The Wolf lived just off Abbey Road in London and Action Jackson was at his family home near the Atlantic coast. To stay sane we decided to give each other homework - an album to review and then next week they'd discuss it. Because that's what they did as college roommates in the 90s with hard rock music tastes that tended to lean toward the generation before their own. Quickly we decided the best way toward continued mental fitness was to stay busy doing something we loved - talking about and sharing our love and (sometimes questionable) knowledge about rock music. With our 300th episode, we'd like to reflect a bit and thank all the people who supported us, who gave us advice, who came on the show and most of all to those who listened. We've engaged with like-minded people around the world and have even had the chance to interview and share war stories with some of our childhood heroes. And we're proud of the work we've done, playing our own part in preserving and promoting the rock music we love. Those two college students also once slept on a sidewalk in front of a record store in the winter to get tickets to see Rush on the Roll The Bones Tour. It's the only time our hosts ever camped out for tickets and it was until recently the only time they ever saw Rush together. So for our 300th, with the help of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and the superhero on the drums Anika Nilles (and you too Loren Gold) are going to Chicago for night 3 of Rush's 4 night stand at the United Center. It was a bit of a full circle moment to be in Chicago with our families to celebrate a band we thought we'd never see again. We used to be the teenagers asking the old guys when their first tour was, now we bring our kids and tell our own stories. The Rush Family is a brilliant community of good folks that had been away from each other for too long and though the concert was great, it was more of a celebration and communion for the Rush faithful. Yes we'll actually be critical of things like sound and the setlist - this isn't a complete love-in. We have a responsibility to tell it as we saw and heard it. But given our history with the band and our milestone for the show, we treat it as something we're thankful for happening. Rush is back and it's a celebration of Neil, a celebration of the music and an amazing night we never would have dreamed of on that sidewalk 35 years ago. Catch the witness! Catch the wit! Catch the spirit! Catch the spit! 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
When Neil Peart died in early 2020, we figured we'd never be able to see Rush live again. And to a Rush fan like The Wolf who had seen them 12 times, met them backstage and had every album they ever released, it was a bummer. Not only would he never see one of his favorite bands again but he'd never be able to take The Wolfcub (whose seen KISS 3x, The Rolling Stones, Duran Duran, Yes and many more of The Wolf's faves) to see the spectacle of Rush live, nor could he see them again with Action Jackson. Action and The Wolf camped out on the sidewalk to get tickets for the Roll The Bones tour and wanted to be able to do a live show review on their podcast which launched in 2019. So when out of the blue, Geddy and Alex announced their first tour in over a decade, the boys knew this was their chance to right all the wrongs and make sure they didn't miss the opportunity to see their Canadian heroes again. And the fact that Anika Nilles was taking over the drums, someone The Wolf raved about on episode 90 on the boys Jeff Beck & Johnny Depp live review just made the announcement that much more exciting. Hear the boys as they gear up for the show at The United Center in Chicago on July 18. Hear them compare setlists from previous shows, each night of the 4 night stand, what they're most looking forward to and why the band means so much to them. As a heads up, when they recorded this before the show on July 18, Rush had performed fewer shows and we held onto the review of the concert for our 300th episode next week. For those who haven't seen Rush yet there are *SETLIST SPOILERS* but the boys have to know what to expect. It's a celebration of Rush, the band that brought The Wolf and Action Jackson together 35 years ago! 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
Most bands toil for years honing their sound, locking down their lineup, playing gigs around their hometown and then regionally before hitting it big. Though the predecessor to Boston, Mother's Milk, did play gigs in Massachusetts, the visionary on the sound that would become Boston's trademark was Tom Scholz. Tom was not your typical rock star in that he had a master's degree from MIT and was working as an engineer at Polaroid while strategizing on his musical career. He wanted to combine the melodies of the classical music he grew up on with the rock music of the 70s that he loved. He wanted crunching guitars against clear vocals and when he found Brad Delp, he had the voice that make his music soar. Instead of toiling after hours at a studio, Scholz acquired and engineered a 12 track recording unit and figured out how to the get the sound he wanted. When signed by CBS, they wanted to re-record the songs at a fancy studio but industry vet John Boylan basically ran interference with the suits so Scholz could perfect his songs and transfer the demos to the master tapes (and he got their name changed to Boston). The result sold 17 million copies in the US and was the biggest selling debut for a rock album until Appetite for Destruction by Guns N Roses. While some of the songs actually charted, all of them became classic rock radio staples. Anyone who grew up on rock radio heard More Than a Feeling, Smokin', Rock & Roll Band, Peace of Mind and Let Me Take You Home Tonight (the only track written by Brad Delp solo) hundreds of times. Foreplay/Longtime were split as different sides of the single but together offer a bit of progginess to the bands repertoire. Though Tom Scholz is educated, his lyrics are themes that most people can relate to - choosing your passion or going corporate, trying to find woman, fantasizing about your future, and taking risks that may or may not pay off. Those guitar hooks and strong vocals make for some AOR platinum. Say what you want about the band or their sound but this first album struck a chord all over America and still sounds big a bold to this day. 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
There's nothing better than hearing a new song that kicks ass! They don't promote rock n roll like they used to but when we heard Above The Noise from The Jetsetters - Britt Lightning (Vixen, Rock Band Camp) & Tommy London (SiriusXM) - we were immediately hooked. The track is straight ahead rock with sing-a-long choruses but more simply, it's fun. We're psyched to turn folks onto the track and were happy to speak with Britt & Tommy about Above The Noise and their band. Britt has visited us before on First Concert Memories #11 and you may know her from Vixen or leading Rock Band Camp with other legends. Tommy has played in different bands, has released a solo record and is on Ozzy's Boneyard, Hair Nation, Classic Rewind and The Bon Jovi Channel on SiriusXM. Though they've been together for years, chasing each other across the country, they finally got together to record something new and continue to write and record ahead of an eventual album release in 2027. They even made a fun new music video featuring an old-school MTV-style storyline with characters including Tommy as Rex Malone, Britt as Pepper Grinder, and special guests Jesse Hughes and Monty Pittman. Hear them talk about all the cool events they have coming up, Britt's new gear, Rock Band Camp and of course, more singles, videos and future live dates. Check out the Above The Noise Video Learn about The Jetsetters at thejetsettersband.com Visit TommyLondon.com & BrittLightning.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! 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
We're happy to welcome back rock n roll comedian Don Jamieson to kick off Season 4 of First Concert Memories! You all may remember Don from That Metal Show on VH1 Classic or from his podcast with Keith Roth, The Rock Strap. To start off Season 4 of the monthly sidecast from your friends at The Ugly American Werewolf in London, Don's sharing his memories of seeing Iron Maiden open for Judas Priest in the summer of 1982. Yes, it's the same tour that Brian Slagel spoke about on FCM earlier this year and yes, we had our friend Steven Michael of the Growin' Up Rock Podcast to talk seeing Maiden helping to assemble Nicko's drumkit. But this night for Don really forged his metal allegiance, made him a lifelong Judas Priest fan and would lead him to That Metal Show and becoming friends with the guys in the band. Don talks about how he discovered the Killers album in a record store and based on Eddie with his axe, he just had to buy the album. Of course, from there he was hooked and as soon as he was old enough to buy the tickets with his lawn mowing money and get a ride from someone with a car (that didn't go in reverse), he jumped at the chance. Hear him regale us with the presence of Paul Di'Anno and how the volume left his ears ringing for days and when he eventually interviewed Paul with Eddie Trunk and Jim Florentine (who were also in the crowd that night) on That Metal Show. Make sure you follow Don @donjamiesonofficial to check out where you can see him live! 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
Everyone has their own personal favorite. The one place in town that had all the cool records. The place you didn't know existed until a friend took you there and you discover music beyond the mainstream. The place where you feel in the know ready to explore everything around you. That place is your local independent record shop. You got your first LP there or you found it in college and go comb the racks every other weekend. Louisville's Ear-X-Tacy was that for residents and passers-through - the place in the 80s and 90s where you could get the cool imports and the college chart heroes like R.E.M. and The Smiths. Not that you couldn't get mainstream or classic albums there, it was just a vibe that made it the cultural center for like-minded rock fans through various locations in the Louisville Highlands. Ear-X-Tacy was the brainchild of John Timmons, a college student who worked in record stores and decided he'd take his record collection and a $500 cash advance on his MasterCharge to chase his rock n roll dreams. He grew Ear-X-Tacy into the hip capital in town where you could search 10,000 square feet of rock, soul, punk, metal, alternative, local, popular and rare racks for hours. The Foo Fighters, Tenacious D and John Mayer would all perform there on their way to bigger gigs and several generations remember Ear-X-Tacy as a special place in their lives. Like so many other record stores, Ear-X-Tacy is gone. However, John keeps the legacy alive with his weekly radio show (cleverly titled Ear-X-Tacy) where he plays the songs that he loved and inspired him to build the store. John also talks about his many community ventures like The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS), The Louisville Independent Business Alliance, The Association for Independent Music and Keep Louisville Weird. We share stories from the shop over the years, relive some of the biggest moments and thank John for all that he's done for music and for Louisville. If you have a John in your town, let him know what the old record shop meant to you and help keep them going! Hear John Timmons from 7 - 10 PM ET on WFPK or LPM.org 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
As 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
Ranking source
Apple Podcasts rankings via the Mato Topic Intelligence Platform.
Observed November 3, 2026. Cached outside the daily freshness window; the positions keep the date they were taken on.
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