History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff

History in Five Songs Episode 376: Conned by the Cover

In Episode 376 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores the art of the album “con” by examining rock and metal records whose dramatic or intriguing co

History in Five Songs Episode 375: The Catalogue Bad Boy

In Episode 375 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin contemplates the gritty, rebellious, swaggering, often dark and unapologetically uncommercial album tha

History in Five Songs Episode 374: Jarring Volume Differentials

In Episode 374 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin examines how bands such as the Pixies, Queen, and Black Sabbath use dramatic shifts between quiet and h

History in Five Songs Episode 373: Underrated Singing Guitarists

In Episode 373 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin celebrates underrated singing guitarists, exploring how artists including Brian May, Ted Nugent and Jer

History in Five Songs Episode 372: Killed by Booze

In Episode 372 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin looks back at the tragic stories of rock and metal legends who died from alcohol-related illness and su

History in Five Songs Episode 371: Last Song, Best Song

In Episode 371 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores why some of rock and metal's greatest albums save their strongest statement for last. Closing

History in Five Songs Episode 370: Underperforming Debuts

In Episode 370 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin examines why so many classic rock and metal bands, from Def Leppard to Rush and Iron Maiden, have debut

History in Five Songs Episode 369: Lowering the British blues boom

In Episode 369 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin argues how rock bands from the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin to Fleetwood Mac and UFO escaped the cre

History in Five Songs Episode 368: Your new guitarist is a distraction.

In Episode 368 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explains how replacement guitarists can become welcome or unwelcome distractions by transforming a band

History in Five Songs Episode 367: How crazy was 1991?

In Episode 367 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives into why 1991 stands as one of rock's most transformative years. He traces the remarkable flood o

History in Five Songs Episode 366: The Four Pre-Perfect Strangers Albums

In Episode 366 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin traces the four key albums recorded by future Deep Purple members before their reunion on Perfect Stran

History in Five Songs Episode 365: Where Guitar Takes a Back Seat

In Episode 365 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores the many ways guitar can fade into a supporting role in rock and metal. Bands like Rush, Twist

History in Five Songs Episode 364: Best Weird Lineup Records

In Episode 364 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin celebrates rock and metal’s greatest one-off lineups, highlighting albums where a unique combination of

History in Five Songs Episode 363: Title Not in the Lyrics

In Episode 363 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives into the curious world of songs whose titles never appear in their lyrics. He uses examples from

History in Five Songs Episode 362: Prog and Metal

In Episode 362 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin delves into how heavy metal and progressive rock evolved as musical "doppelgangers," tracing their shar

History in Five Songs Episode 361: Career Sabotage Albums

In Episode 361 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin discusses “career sabotage albums.” These daring, strange, or self-destructive records by bands like Fl

History in Five Songs Episode 360: Melody

In Episode 360 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin takes a deep dive into the power and pitfalls of melody, contrasting the “gas station meal rock” vocal

History in Five Songs Episode 359: Thrash and Hair Metal as Doppelgangers

In Episode 359 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin toys with the kindred nature of thrash and hair metal and how the two genres influenced each other's de

History in Five Songs Episode 358: Getting Behind Concept Albums

In Episode 358 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores why he’s not typically a fan of concept albums by spotlighting the ones that have won him over

History in Five Songs Episode 357: Three Bands, Three Golds

In Episode 357 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores the surprisingly short list of musicians, including Ozzy Osbourne and Paul McCartney, who’ve e