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What the Riff?!?

What the Riff?!?

By: Rob Marbury Wayne Rowan Bruce Fricks and Brian Dickhute
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 Every week, “WHAT THE RIFF?!?” takes a look at a ROCK AND ROLL album that debuted or peaked on the U.S. Billboard charts during a random month between 1965-1995. Four friends discuss the artists and 4 tracks from the album as it plays in the background. Then we riff on 4 “staff picks” of other artists that were also in the charts during that month and year. You’ll hear some familiar tunes as well as some deeper cuts and entertainment tracks as we share a little look into the culture and happenings of that day— having fun recalling that “old time rock and roll.” We hope to bring back memories for you — and we encourage you to find and purchase the tracks and albums from iTunes, Spotify or your other favorite music service. You’ll find each episode with a short blog on this site. Please subscribe so you don’t miss any release! We also invite you to follow us and learn more about us @whattheriffpodcast on Facebook.What the Riff ©2024 Music Social Sciences World
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Episodes
  • 1968 - September: Aretha Franklin "Aretha in Paris"

    1968 - September: Aretha Franklin "Aretha in Paris"
    May 12 2025
    Aretha Franklin got her start at an early age in Gospel music. As the granddaughter of Gospel great Mahalia Jackson and the daughter of a prominent Baptist preacher, Franklin was heard on her father's "gospel caravan" tours at the age of twelve. By the time she became an adult in 1960 she had decided that she wanted to go into more pop music, and moved to New York for this purpose. She signed a deal with Columbia Records, in 1960, but her career would not really take off until moving to Atlantic Records in 1966. By 1968 she was considered by many to be the most successful singer in the nation, and already crowned the "Queen of Soul."Franklin toured outside the US for the first time in late April 1968 through May 1968. She performed in Paris on May 7, 1968, and this concert would be released as the live album Aretha in Paris in the fall of 1968. It was Franklin's second live album, and the first for Atlantic Records where most of her hits were recorded.Some have criticized the backing band as not up to the task of supporting Franklin. However, this album captures Franklin at the top of her game at a time when she was cranking out some of the biggest hits of her career. It would be difficult for any supporting band to keep up, particularly one assembled for an overseas tour. Regardless, this is a great album to explore as a snapshot of Aretha Franklin at the height of success.Lynch brings us a high energy live soul album from the Queen of Soul in her prime for today's podcast. (I Can't Get No) SatisfactionThis Rolling Stones cover is the lead-off track to the album and to the concert. The Stones had released this song in 1965, and it had become their first number 1 song in the States. Franklin takes the tempo up for this cover.(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural WomanCarole King and Gerry Goffin wrote this song for Franklin based on an idea from producer Jerry Wexler. It originally appeared on Franklin's album "Lady Soul", and went to number 8 on the U.S. charts. It would make history when it hit the UK charts a week after Franklin's death in 2018, 51 years after the single was first released. (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been GoneThe original single for this live song was released on the "Lady Soul" album, and reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was written by Franklin and her then-husband Teddy White. The studio version of this song utilized the talents of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, who were flown in from Alabama to record in a New York City studio.Chain of FoolsSongwriter Don Covay wrote this song in his youth, and presented it to producer Jerry Wexler as a song for Otis Redding. Wexler decided to have Franklin record it instead of Redding. It was a big hit, taking the number 1 slot on the R&B charts for four weeks, number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and delivering Franklin a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Theme from the television comedy show “Laugh In”This sketch comedy show would capture a lot of American counter-culture of the time from Tiny Tim to "sock it to me!" STAFF PICKS:Ride My See Saw by the Moody BluesWayne kicks off the staff picks with a psychedelic song from the second Moody Blues album, "In Search of the Lost Chord." The song is about leaving school and finding that the world isn't what you thought it would be. On the album, the song is preceded by a spoken word introduction called "Departure."Harper Valley PTA by Jeannie C. RileyRob's staff pick is a storytelling song written by Tom T. Hall about a widow named Mrs. Johnson and her tangle with the PTA. When her teenage daughter received a note from the Harper Valley PTA criticizing the way she is living, Mrs. Johnson attends the next meeting and reveals some indiscretions of the other PTA members.Light My Fire by Jose FelicianoBruce features an acoustic cover of the Doors hit single with a Latin twist. Jose Feliciano is best known for the Christmas song "Feliz Navidad," but this Puerto Rican artist also had a hit with this cover that peaked at number 3 on in late summer 1968. His album "Feliciano!" is a selection of acoustic cover songs, and his most successful one. He won "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" at the 1969 Grammy Awards for this cover.Son of a Preacher Man by Dusty SpringfieldLynch closes out the staff picks with a song that writers John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins wrote with Aretha Franklin in mind. When Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler heard it, he thought it would be a good fit for Dusty Springfield who was recording her "Dusty in Memphis" album at the time. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:And I Love Her by Jose FelicianoWe double up on the Latin acoustic stylings of Feliciano as this Beatles cover takes us out of this week's podcast. Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, ...
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    30 mins
  • 1971 - September: Carole King "Tapestry"

    1971 - September: Carole King "Tapestry"
    May 5 2025
    Many mark the start of the singer-songwriter genre to have begun when Carole King released her second studio album, the iconic Tapestry. As would be expected from a singer-songwriter, all of the songs on the album were either written or co-written by King. Tapestry is considered one of the greatest albums of all time in the soft rock genre.Born Carol Joan Klein in Manhattan, King began piano lessons at four years of age. Her upbringing included friendship with Paul Simon and dating Neil Sedaka. In the 50's at the age of 17 she met and married Jerry Goffin with whom she would team up on songwriting through the 60's - King writing the music and Goffin writing the lyrics. They had several successful songs during the 60's including "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (The Monkees), "I'm Into Something Good" (Herman's Hermits), and "Up On the Roof" (the Drifters). King and Goffin divorced by 1968, and King moved to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles to re-start her recording career.Tapestry features both new and old songs of Carole King's catalog. Several new friends from the Laurel Canyon area appear on the album, including James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. Fellow songwriter Toni Stern co-wrote two of the songs, including the hit "It's Too Late."The album was a hit, spending 313 weeks on the Billboard Charts (second only to "Dark Side of the Moon" in time on the chart). It also was a critical success, taking the Grammy for Album of the Year at the 1972 Grammy awards. King announced her retirement from music in May 2012, but has done a few things since then, including a live performance of Tapestry in Hyde Park in 2016. Friend of the show Greg Lyon sits in for Wayne while Bruce presents this soft rock album for this week's podcast.TapestryThe title track to the album is a look back on life as a colorful combination of threads woven into a picture or pattern, but not one intended to last. This is a deeper cut which was not released as a single.Where You LeadSeveral songs became hits for other artists while the album was still on the charts, including this one. Barbara Streisand recorded this song for her 1971 album, and it reached number 40. The song takes its inspiration from the book of Ruth in the Bible. It was also the theme song for the television series "Gilmore Girls." Toni Stern collaborated with King to write this song. You've Got a FriendThis is another song which became a hit for another artist. James Taylor did this on his 1971 album, "Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon," making it to number 1 on the US charts. The two albums were being produced concurrently, and Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and Danny Kortchmar perform on both King's version and on Taylor's version. King has said the song is a response to the line in James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" which says "I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend." So Far AwayJames Taylor is on acoustic guitar for this piece, and King is on piano. It went to number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was on the charts in September 1971. It starts with a focus on the physical distance between lovers, then moves on to emotional distance. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Main theme from the serial Danger Island (from the television series “The Banana Splits Adventure Hour”) This live action 10-minute adventure short appeared as a part of "The Banana Splits Adventure Hour," which concluded this month. STAFF PICKS:Ain't No Sunshine by Bill WithersLynch leads off the staff picks with Withers' breakthrough single from his debut album, "Just As I Am." The inspiration for this song was the 1962 film "Days of Wine and Roses," which portrays two characters who were alcoholics. The idea is that someone may not be right for you, but you miss them regardless. Signs by Five Man Electrical Band"And the sign said 'long haired freaky people need not apply!" Rob brings us a signature song from a Canadian band. The song originally appeared as a B-side to a less successful song called "Hello Melinda Goodbye," but became successful on its own. Frontman Les Emerson wrote this song after seeing so many billboards in Los Angeles which obscured the natural scenery.Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get by The DramaticsGreg features the title song from the debut album of R&B group The Dramatics. This song contrasting the fakeness of people with the authenticity of the singer went to number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the R&B chart. It fuses a Motown feel with a Latin undertone.Thin Line Between Love and Hate by The PersuadersBruce brings us a cautionary tale about a guy who comes home late at night, finding his girl smiling and ready to cook him some dinner. He learns his lesson when he wakes up in the hospital, beaten to within an inch of his life. This song by a New York R&B group made it to number 15 on the US charts. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:The Rock by Atomic RoosterWe close out with an instrumental from a British rock band originally ...
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    35 mins
  • 1989 - February: U2 "Rattle and Hum"

    1989 - February: U2 "Rattle and Hum"
    Apr 28 2025
    U2 released a part-live, part studio album in October 1988 called Rattle and Hum. This album accompanied a filmed “Rockumentary” of the band which was filmed in Denver and Arizona. Originally intended to be entitled “U2 in the Americas,” the album and film instead take their name from lyrics in the song “Bullet the Blue Sky’ from their album “The Joshua Tree.” Studio sessions for Rattle and Hum included time at Sun Studio in Memphis, and include collaborations with other musicians including Bob Dylan and B.B. King. The intent of Rattle and Hum was to explore more American blues rock, and folk, and roots music of the 50's and 60's, and includes both original and cover songs. Critics were divided on the album at the time of its release. Some felt that U2 was not celebrating blues rock and artists as much as they were attempting to insert themselves into higher echelons of rock celebrity. Over time the criticisms of egotism would fade, as U2 has indeed proven to be a major force in the Rock pantheon. In retrospect, both Bono and The Edge have found Rattle and Hum to be a bit of a side excursion for the band, more of a “scrapbook” than a true direction. The new direction of U2 would be set beginning with their next studio album, “Achtung Baby” in 1991. Regardless, Rattle and Hum is a great album, well worth a listen. The collaboration with other artists is worth special attention, as is its examination of the way that modern rock finds its roots in the delta blues.Friend of the show Greg Lyon sits in for Wayne, while Rob brings us this hybrid album for today's podcast.Angel of HarlemThe second single from the album is an original studio release which was written as an homage to Billie Holiday. Songwriting took place during the tour for ”The Joshua Tree,” and the lyrics take inspiration form various landmarks around New York City. The track reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 9 on the UK Singles chart. When Love Comes to TownRecorded in Sun Studios, this U2 original song features collaboration with blues guitarist B.B. King. Live performances included B.B. King and his band during the “Lovetown Tour” in 1989. U2 would discontinue playing the song in concert over time, but revived it in 2015 as a tribute to B.B. King after his death. King plays lead on this song written by The Edge, who takes on rhythm guitar for this track.All Along the WatchtowerThis live cover is of a song written by Bob Dylan and made famous by Jimi Hendrix. The lyrics are of a conversation between a joker and a thief, and several lines echo lines of scripture from the book of Isaiah in the Bible. U2 performed this live cover in San Francisco at the “Save The Yuppie Free Concert.” Some of the lyrics were altered, which irritated Dylan. Pride (In the Name of Love)A live version of the studio song from the 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire, this was recorded in Denver. The popularity of this song can be heard in the audience call-and-response. The lyrics were inspired by elements of the civil rights movement, particularly the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Iko Iko by The Belle Stars (from the motion picture “Rain Man”)Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman turned in stellar performances in this dramatic film exploring autism. STAFF PICKS:Kiss by Art of Noise featuring Tom JonesBruce leads off the staff picks with a cover of a Prince song performed by an unusual pairing of art rock group the Art of Noise with Vegas crooner Tom Jones. This became the biggest hit for the Art of Noise to that point, reaching number 5 on the UK charts and number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young CannibalsLynch brings us the most successful single from the British pop trio, off their second and final album, “The Raw & the Cooked.” The band formed from two previous bands, one Ska, and one Punk. The track was composed at Prince's Paisley Park Studios in Minneapolis.Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Great WhiteGreg features a rocker. Great White covered a song originally written and performed by Ian Hunter in 1975. This song went to number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Great White had a more blues-oriented sound than many of the hair metal bands of the late 80's. Lead singer Jack Russell passed after a battle with Lewy body dementia in August 2024.What I Am by Edie Brickell & New BohemiansRob closes out the staff picks with the signature song off Edie Brickell & New Bohemians' debut album, "Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars." The inspiration for the song was Brickell's frustration with the dogma exhibited in a world religions class in college. Brickell would meet her husband and fellow musician, Paul Simon, when she performed this song on Saturday Night Live. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:Sunset Road by Bela Fleck & the FlecktonesThis jazz fusion piece with an unusual banjo lead was on the group's debut album, ...
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    44 mins

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