"The opening salvo of “Too Young to Know” has a sound that incorporates a sound similar to contemporary bands such as Bad Company and Free, as well as the Rolling Stones. Phil Mogg’s smooth vocals are the immediate focal point of the song, while Michael Schenker’s easy listening guitar also makes its presence felt through the majority of the song. The rhythm of Andy Parker’s drums and Pete Way’s bass guitar keep the momentum throughout the song. “Crystal Light” generally sticks to the same style of song that the band had produced on their first two albums, without it stretching beyond almost four minutes that this song goes for. There is an almost-Eagles-like feel to this song, in the quiet tones of the song rather than any of the country rock themes that band had around this time.

The star attraction of the album, and the first sign of the band’s growing direction, comes next with “Doctor Doctor”. From the subdued guitar beginning, into the Schenker riff supported by Parker’s hard drums, and then into the main riff of the song, this is the song where your ears immediately prick up and think ‘wow... that’s different!’ And it is as brilliant today as it was 50 years ago. This is where the harder edge of the band began to appear, and the popularity and success of this song is what drove what came beyond this album. Great melody, heavier sound, and Schenker’s guitaring, including amazing solo. The genesis of what UFO became is the basis of this track"

On this episode we are going to talk about “Phenomenon” by UFO, the band’s 3rd studio album released 50 years ago this week, on today’s ‘she walked up to me, and really stole my heart’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"Flash forward to the current day and I have been listening to this album for a number of weeks leading up to this podcast episode, mainly to get my own facts straight in my head because as to how I feel about it in 2024. Because over the years when I’ve pulled this off the shelves to have another listen, I’ve always enjoyed it. It's easy to just go with the flow and say that “Dynasty” is only an average album, but for the most part I've always found this album to be very listenable and enjoyable. Whether that is because there is more of Ace Frehley being utilised on this album which makes it a change up for the band in that respect, or whether it's because at the time it was released I was coming to the end of my primary school years and this kind of album was one that was starting to attract my attention, I don't know what the answer is. If I was going to rate or rank Kiss albums then I know this probably wouldn't rank in my top 10, but I still believe this is a very listenable album for me and one that I can and have easily put on and enjoy without any qualms"

On this episode we are going to talk about “Dynasty” by Kiss, the band’s 7th studio album released 45 years ago this week, on today’s ‘You showed me things they never taught me in school’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"It was one of the albums released at this time that was not the focus of thrash and heavy metal that I was so indulgent with during 1989. This album acted as one that could be listened to in all company, and it was. For the remainder of 1989 from May onwards, and into the next year, my three closest friends at the time and I would go on car trips to Sydney, just under two hours drive from where we lived, once a month on a Friday. We all found a way to either get out of work or avoid uni, and go to Sydney for the day, almost always in the same friend’s car. During this time, he had purchased “The Miracle” on cassette so we could listen to it in the car. Thing was, at some stage, the cassette got stuck, and so it was the ONLY album that we could listen to, inn his car, on these trips. So, we listened to this album, much as Freddie sings in “Scandal”, ‘over and over and over and over again’. So, I can assure you we knew every word of every song. Great times and great memories. And it was a good thing we loved this album, and that another album wasn’t the one that got caught in there, like the rubbish dance music he also liked at the time, such as New Order or Pet Shop Boys. Ugh" On this episode we are going to talk about “The Miracle” by Queen, the band’s 13th studio album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s ‘I’m a man with a one track mind’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"Blackie’s response to the views of “KFD” from critics and fans alike was that, in retrospect, he may have gone too far down a path that was not familiar to the fan base, and that for the next album the band would look to retrieve some of that ground by moving the band back to more traditional ground. A lot of fans took that news in great glee, perhaps anticipating an album that could combine the energy and drive of the first three albums, hopefully incorporated with the maturity of the following two albums. That of course would appear to be a practically impossible task. What the band produced instead was an album that took the essence of much of the perspective of those first three albums, and tried to recreate and transpose that onto an album some 15 years after the event. The result perhaps spoke more of the struggle within the band leader’s demons than anything else in the music, and in retrospect may have been a turning point for his future music ambitions".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Helldorado” by W.A.S.P., the band’s 8th studio album released 25 years ago this week, on today’s ‘this ain’t no joyride’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"Having come across Alcatrazz at the end of the 1980’s, essentially through the names Graham Bonnet and Yngwie Malmsteen, I have always found them to be a band that has all the ability in the world, but for the most part their albums fell short of what I expected, or at least what I was hoping for. Let’s face it, both characters named here have been known for their volatile natures, and neither can seem to hold a place down in a band for longer than one or two albums at most. In this case Yngwie lasted one, before striking out on his own with his Rising Force solo project, where he still seems to be unable to retain a solid band around himself, but at least he is in charge of the hiring and firing. Bonnet’s previous history and litany of bands is well known, and would continue beyond this album and band".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Live Sentence” by Alcatrazz, the band’s only live album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s ‘island in the sun’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"The opening two tracks of the album are the money shots and are the ones that have forever since been Exhibit A and Exhibit B as to why this band should have been in the superstar class. “High Wire” is a great opening track, showcasing all four members doing their job at the highest class imaginable. This is followed by the single “Dreams in the Dark” where Ray’s vocals ramp up, and Jake’s guitar has a very ‘ultimate sin’ sound about it during the solo. These two songs have always been the ones that I would play to people to convince them that Badlands is a very good band and a very impressive album, but the remainder has to also be very good if it is to live up to the opening"

On this episode we are going to talk about “Badlands” by Badlands, the band’s debut studio album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s ‘your story bleeds, but there's no review’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"The title track “Stay Hungry” is, in my opinion, one of the greatest opening tracks on an album of all time. It grabs you from the start, the pounding drums and rhythm line, with Dee immediately grabbing you with his recruiting call, announcing the lines of the song in a demand that you sing along with gusto. It’s a fantastic song, an anthem in every sense of the word, and for me is still the outstanding song of Twisted Sister’s career. Whenever I made a mixed tape, or now whenever I make a playlist, this song is almost always a part of it.

This is followed by the song that got everyone in, “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, that still evokes a chorus of singing whenever it gets played, especially in my house. I loved the video and song when it was released, and my kids still love it today, forty years later, so it shows how entertaining it is generationally. From here we move in to “Burn in Hell”, where the star of the show is the chorus, with the chanting between the main lines in the background taking centre stage, such as ‘HEAR no evil, don’t you SEE no evil, don’t you LAY no evil down on ME!” Still great after all these years". On this episode we are going to talk about “Stay Hungry” by Twisted Sister, the band’s 3rd studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s ‘expect no sympathy, there’s none to be had!’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"This album, unlike most of the albums up to this point in time in the Malmsteen catalogue, does have what I consider to be three clearly defined sections when it comes to the type of songs produced. Michael Vescera, the new vocalist on this album following the release of Edman, has contributed lyrics to three songs on the album, and they strike out at you immediately. All three tracks have a different structure and are sung in a very different way. For instance, “I Don’t Know” has the sort of lyrics and vocals that are aimed at the audience the band is trying to attract. The fast double kick drum has gone and is replaced with a much harder rock hammering 4/4 timing, and the vocals are the hard rock standard as well, not soaring or screaming, but just at you in an almost conversational way".

On this episode we are going to talk about “The Seventh Sign” by Yngwie Malmsteen, his 7th studio album released 30 years ago this week, on today’s ‘the earth is crumbling and the end is near’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.