Delving into longer and more sophisticated music, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker experimented with various band lineups for each song on ‘Aja’ to craft and perfect their Jazz, Pop, Rock hybrid of an album. Mixing their own songwriting skills with the jazzy prowess of the likes of Wayne Shorter and Tom Scott legitimised Jazz in Rock and marked a significant moment in the relationship between the two.

Episode Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5lMwSaREPbFf2eWm9plmWv?si=32e6859344e04e28

LONG LIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

In 1991, Guns N’ Roses brought in a new drummer and keyboard player and, in an ambitious and confident statement to the music world, released ‘Use Your Illusion I & II’ on the same day. Following immense anticipation from the Rock world, ‘Use Your Illusion’ impressively spans multiple styles and genres; including: Rock, Blues, Metal, Punk and Classical elements - veering away from their dedicated, established Hard Rock sound of previous releases.

In this episode, we take a dive into the mindset of GnR with these monumental releases and focus on the first of these two albums and ask if this is Guns N' Roses' most impressive and extensive album!

Episode Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5lo3G5i893LLwDU6brfLcO?si=a68829af62634933

LONG LIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

The Solo. A single performer showing off his/her musical talent and skill. Adding an interesting, alternative part to a song’s structure and, potentially, giving the audience a passage of music unlike what the rest of the song entailed.

Whether it’s a short-but-sweet 8 bars or an extended showcase that takes the listener on a long journey, a lot can be said in a short space of time with a talented human operating their instrument at the highest level.

In these new topical discussion episodes, we take a look at some of Rock ‘N’ Roll’s most iconic virtuosic moments and discuss what makes them so good, how significant they were and what legacy they left.

In this episode:

1. Sultans Of Swing (Mark Knopfler) - Alchemy: Dire Straits Live - Dire Straits (1984)
2. Heartbreaker (Jimmy Page) - Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin (1969)
3. The End (Ringo Starr) - Abbey Road - The Beatles (1969)

Episode Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7elrTXqh3w0CqQ8qXDtZVh?si=3c9d085d1d4d48e3

• 'The End' drum solo, Drum Duet - Gregg Bissonette and Chris Whitten.

LONG LIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL