Redbeard’s Blog
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Van Halen- Alex, David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, the late Eddie Van Halen

The interviewsof the earliest years of Eddie and Alex Van Halen’s emigration from The Netherlands to Southern California, meeting Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth, playing Pasadena backyard parties to the Sunset Strip, and recording their January 1978 debut.

Def Leppard- Rock On- Abbey Road Studios London 2008

When Pink Floyd were putting the finishing touches on "Dark Side of the Moon" at Abbey Road Studios, a very young and impressionable Joe Elliott and Ric Savage would have been all ears in the northern industrial city of Manchester hearing  the delicious, otherworldly song "Rock On" by David Essex on BBC Radio One. Check out Def Leppard's impressive 21st century live-in-the-studio version.

Mick Jagger- Wandering Spirit 30th anniversary

Mick Jagger joins me from the In the Studio archive on the thirtieth anniversary of his third (and easily best) solo effort,"Wandering Spirit". Jagger is in fine voice throughout and surrounded by crack studio musicians who bring their "A" game because, well hey, it's Mick bleedin' Jagger, okay?
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Journey- Frontiers- Neal Schon, John Cain, Steve Perry

Jonathan Cain, band co-founder/guitarist Neal Schon, and former singer Steve Perry reveal considerable personal pathos during the Big Payday provided by  "Separate Ways", "Faithfully", and two more Journey hits which were inexplicably bumped off of "Frontiers", "Only the Young" and "Ask the Lonely".

Tom Kimmel- Small Song- Dallas 1987

Nashville songwriter Tom Kimmel's "Small Song" packs a big wallop in this Redbeard exclusive.
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Alice Cooper- Billion Dollar Babies

In February 1973 when Alice Cooper's sixth album "Billion Dollar Babies" went  #1 sales, we all thought that Marshall McLuhan, Andy Warhol, and Alice Cooper were being hyperbolic with their predictions about video fame's impact on society. We laughed then, but as it turns out, the joke's on us...Alice Cooper is my fascinating guest on the 50th anniversary of “ Billion Dollar Babies”.
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Def Leppard- Pyromania- Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Savage

Def Leppard “Pyromania” interview with Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Phil Collen In the Studio.

Alice Cooper- School’s Out- Dallas 4-29-73

the "Dallas Alice" that Little Feat was namechecking in their song "Willin' " along about the same time as this ultra-rare Alice Cooper live recording took place in April 1973 in Dallas TX was a whole 'nuther creature!

Little Feat- Dixie Chicken- Bill Payne, the late Paul Barrere

If only the world's most acclaimed rock musicians voted for election into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Little Feat would have been inducted on the first ballot years ago. The list of famous Little Feat fans included the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Palmer, and Robert Plant just for starters. But for most of the Seventies, they didn't sell many albums...
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Journey- Infinity- Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, Steve Perry

With their 1978 fourth album,"Infinity", some rock writers even today  attempt to reduce the remarkable transformation by the San Francisco band Journey  as "talented veteran but commercially struggling group hires world-class singer, which anybody would recognize; shortens song arrangements; and instantly becomes the biggest band in America". "Wrong," says Journey lead guitarist/songwriter/co-founder Neal Schon ."Wrong!"