Archive for category: Beard’s Blog

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Sammy Hagar- I Never Said Goodbye

After years of struggle as the undercard rock palooka who could take a punch and never go down, in 1984 Sammy Hagar answered the bell  and came out swinging, scoring a technical knockout with his mainstream hit "I Can't Drive 55" from his eighth solo album "VOA". Then in 1987 Sammy won by a knockout with his solo album "I Never Said Goodbye", at #14 his highest charting album ever, and that while being newly installed as Van Halen's lead singer. Sammy Hagar is my guest In the Studio.
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David Bowie- Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust…- the late David Bowie, Mick Ronson

David Bowie's "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust" changed the trajectory of rock music, fashion, and gender social issues in just 38 minutes. Here are the late David Bowie and guitarist Mick Ronson with me In the Studio.
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The Eagles- the late Glenn Frey & Randy Meisner

Down through the history of mankind, first flights such as The Eagles are revered: the Montgolfier brothers in Paris in 1783 with their hot air balloon; the Wright brothers in 1903 with powered flight, Apollo 11 landing on the Moon...In June 1972 when the debut album by a Southern California-based band The Eagles was quietly released, it had none of the anticipated date-with-destiny public spectacle shared by all of the aforementioned events. But history proved that the original quartet's first flight would quickly allow a career to take wing that would soon soar, resulting in The Eagles becoming the most popular American band ever. Original member Randy Meisner & co-founder the late Glenn Frey are with me In the Studio for the story on the 50th anniversary of The Eagles.
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Steve Miller- Book of Dreams

Steve Miller In the Studio on the multi-million selling bookend from May 1977, "Book of Dreams" .
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Heart- Little Queen- Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson

The story of Heart's debut "Dreamboat Annie" remains one of the Cinderella fairy tale chapters in rock history, but the major label follow up released in 1977, "Little Queen", was made amidst a legal battle prompted precisely because initial big money, & the potential for more. Ann Wilson & Nancy Wilson are my guests In the Studio.
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Black Crowes- Southern Harmony…- Chris Robinson, Rich Robinson

Preparing this interview with Black Crowes co-founders singer Chris Robinson and his younger guitar-playing brother Rich Robinson to mark their second release, "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion", the deja vu was uncanny and not a little bit unsettling. Constantly I had to remind myself that the trends these Atlanta natives were seeing in the mid-1990s, and the predictions they made then, sound eerily like today's headlines. Peering now into their spyglass in reverse, it is both remarkable in its accuracy but, I must admit, troubling in its sense of creeping inevitability.
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Jimi Hendrix- Are You Experienced?- Mitch Mitchell, John McDermott, Eddie Kramer

Jimi Hendrix mutated rock’s DNA & we have been trying to decode the Hendrix genome for more than half a century ever since "Are You Experienced?" was released in the UK May 1967. Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer the late Mitch Mitchell, Hendrix recording engineer Eddie Kramer, & expert Hendrix biographer/ archive producer John McDermott are my guests In the Studio..
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Joe Cocker- Heart and Soul

No less than four of Joe Cocker's many albums have significant anniversaries: "Joe Cocker (1972)","Sheffield Steel"('82),"Unchain My Heart"('87), & "Night Calls" in 1992...By way of a "best of" these, here is my 2004 interview with the late Joe Cocker at the time of his excellent "Heart and Soul" release.
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Whitesnake ‘87- David Coverdale

For the story of one of the best-selling hard rock albums in history, "Whitesnake ’87", here are some of the questions we posed to Whitesnake king cobra David Coverdale.
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Deep Purple- Machine Head- Ian Gillan, Roger Glover

Deep Purple's "Machine Head" album was made amidst a virtual minefield of misfortunes, any one of which had the potential to thwart the effort. Here is the real story from Ian Gillan & Roger Glover In the Studio.