Rock N Roll Archaeology (RNRA) is more than a podcast; it’s an immersive, carefully researched and produced audio documentary.
RNRA explores the history of Rock Music, and then goes a step further. We contextualize Rock N Roll; we place it within the cultural, political, and technological landscapes of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
With storytelling, commentary, and a dash of musicology, we explore how music, culture, and technology interact and affect each other—how they ARE each other.
Chart trend
Position in the Music History chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#99#196JunJulAugSep
#16
all-time peak
309
days in the top 50 since Nov 2024
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
The Guardian of Forever: A Tribute to Richard Evans
"Time has resumed its shape. All is as it was before. Many such journeys are possible. Let me be your gateway."
— The Guardian of Forever, Star Trek (1967)In the fall o
Mar 18 43 min
Shorts: I'm A Believer
We're just trying to be friendly!
As a lead in to our next main episode, we're backtracking to the 60s.
The Monkees were legit, and deserve to be in the Rock And Roll
Jan 13 29 min
Special Edition: Strange Days Indeed
A sober, chronological narrative of the tragic final day of John Lennon on December 8, 1980. This episode tracks Lennon's last hours, his final interview, and the chillin
Dec 8 2025 29 min
(ICYMI) Episode 8: Meet The Beatles Part 2
The show opens December 27th, 1961, at the Cavern Club where Pete Best calls in sick, and the boys bring in Richard Starkey - Ringo Starr to the world - to sit in on drum
Dec 2 2025 1 h 04 min
(ICYMI) Episode 7: Meet The Beatles Part 1
Arrival: we begin the show on February 7th, 1964, in the first-class cabin aboard Pan American Airlines Flight 101 from London to New York City. It’s a raucous, party atm
Dec 2 2025 59 min
Episode 29: Whatever Gets You to the Light
Synopsis
Rock N Roll Archaeology excavates the divergent paths of Elton John and John Lennon in the first half of the 1970s, a period where one man sprinted toward the
Nov 19 2025 1 h 27 min
Pearl Jam's Revolution: Author Salena Fragassi on 35 Years of Live Music & Legendary Shows
In this episode of RNRA Digs Deeper, host Christian Swain sits down with veteran music journalist Selena Fragassi to excavate the history of one of modern rock's most sig
Nov 12 2025 1 h 00 min
Shorts: RNRA Horror Podcast Short
Examining–and reconsidering–The Rocky Horror Picture Show. At the time, it was transgressive, outrageous; but now it seems a little bit tame. And…a bit problematic, when
Oct 31 2025 29 min
(ICYMI) Episode 1: The Precursors--Redux
Welcome to Rock N Roll Archaeology! This is a reboot of Episode One: The Precursors, originally released October 15, 2015. We updated and improved it some, and re-release
Oct 27 2025 1 h 06 min
Episode 27: Southbound
Rock N Roll Archaeology (RNRA) presents "Southbound," an exploration of 1970s Southern Rock. Through detailed storytelling, RNRA chronicles The Allman Brothers Band, Duan
Oct 15 2025 1 h 07 min
Episode 28: Songs From the Fault Line
Rock N Roll Archaeology explores the 1970s LA Sound, a world of sun-drenched harmonies and seismic ambition. From a bizarre funeral pact for Gram Parsons at the
Troubadou
Oct 14 2025 59 min
RNRA Digs Deeper: The USA vs John Lennon
Dig into the archives for a conversation about John Lennon's five-year legal battle against the U.S. government's attempt to deport him. This episode explores the politic
Oct 14 2025 43 min
Episode 25: I Know What I Like: The Rise and Fall of Prog
Progressive Rock reached its zenith during the early 1970s, a period often celebrated as the genre's golden age. This era of Prog Rock has inspired intense opinions—both
Oct 7 2025 1 h 38 min
(ICYMI) Episode 18: 1969 Part 1
We’re putting down a marker with this episode, and the follow-up: the highest highs and the lowest lows of the entire Rock Era occurred in 1969. It’s a year so big, we ha
Sep 30 2025 1 h 41 min
(ICYMI) Episode 19: 1969 Part 2
Welcome back to the second half of our big chapter telling the big story of a big year in Rock. If you haven’t done so already, we highly recommend you listen to Episode
Sep 30 2025 1 h 59 min
Shorts: The Three Body Problem
In 1985, a group of powerful "Washington Wives" led by Tipper Gore formed the PMRC to clean up rock and roll, sparking a culture war that culminated in a dramatic Senate
Sep 17 2025 34 min
RNRA Digs Deeper: Dennis McNally
Episode Title: The Last Great Dream: Dennis McNally on the 1960s Counterculture, the Grateful Dead, and Its Lasting LegacyEpisode Summary:What if everything you thought y
Jul 16 2025 1 h 22 min
Shorts: Southern Rock Opera: Ghosts, Myths, and Monsters
Explore the power of myth with Drive-By Truckers' landmark album, Southern Rock Opera. This
RNRA Short dissects how Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley used the legend of Lyny
Jun 17 2025 26 min
(ICYMI) Episode 21: Guitarmageddon
Synopsis
The fuse was lit in 1966. Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Keith Moon came together to record a proto-metal classic. After the session an offhand qui
Jun 11 2025 1 h 41 min
(ICYMI) Episode 20: Ohio
Rock N Roll as the First Draft Of History. We begin in the midwest college town of Kent, Ohio, in the late spring of 1970. We’ll meet three future rockers--students at Ke
May 30 2025 58 min
Chart positions
Where Rock N Roll Archaeology ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 11, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
Thanks for putting out such a great show. The amount of research is mind-boggling, and the presentation is so enjoyable. I can listen to the shows more than a few times, which makes it a classic in my book.
jcarruth19 · May 2025
The best researched, most balanced, best delivered (Christian speaks professionally, without stammering like a guy who hasn’t collected his thoughts), most articulate, open minded rock music podcast out there. I like to think that I’m pretty well-read in the history of the Rock era, but I always learned something. This is your rock ‘n’ roll encyclopedia.
Yupsicle · Nov 2024
This podcast reminds me of my favorite college professor who taught history. I was entranced with every lesson because he obviously loved what he was doing and made me love it too.
Listening to Rock and Roll Archeology is a reminder that THIS is how history should be relayed: by an expert who tells the stories of rock and roll as if he had been there. Bravo to this excellent production. I constantly look forward to the next installment. Endless thanks to all who are involved!
lovebeutj · Dec 2022
This podcast is a complete, amazing history of Rock and its impact on culture and visa versa. No one does it better ! Christian’s method of conveying the information is dead on. The podcast’s commentary on the music, the artists and no punches pulled views on both. I look forward to each episode and have listened to the podcast episodes numerous times and because it is packed with so much information, I pick up on something new each time. My favorite episode is Slouching Towards Bethlehem. It is a great story told perfectly ! Keep the podcasts coming ! I can’t wait to hear more !
luckiesanddice · Aug 2022
Really enjoying this podcast...bringing back childhood memories of me playing my dad’s 45s...I’m hoping this show will extend into the 1970s birth of heavy metal, punk and disco. Then lead into fabulous 80s which contained so many genres like heavy metal, glam and Prog rock, pop, new wave, “old school” rap and freestyle
F'in Frank · Oct 2020
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Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Rock N Roll Archaeology, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
