the story of rock and roll

S7E10 went out live on Rebel Rock radio at 19h00 on 7 March 2024.   

This weeks' Immortals feature – a track over 7 min that showcases what an artist went to a band called Paradox.    The track was called 'Manhunt' off the Pangea album 

The Diabolical challenge this week looked at four bands beginning with the letter ‘J’.  The idea is that we have 4 albums, and you can only pick one.  This week we had:

Judas Priest – Screaming For Vengeance

Jimmy Barnes – Freight Train Heart

Joe Satriani – Surfing With The Alien

Joe Bonamassa – Driving Through the Daylight

Artists Featured: Def Leppard, Pearl Jam, Danko Jones, ACDC, Slade, Riley’s LA Guns, Massive Wagons, Dan Patlansky, Philip Sayce, Riot, Accept, Axel Rudi Pell, Kid Rock, Blackberry Smoke, Son of Liberty, Motorhead, Green Day, Fokofpolisiekar, Audioslave, Slash, AMH, BlackØwl, Five Finger Death Punch, Texas Hippie Coalition, Suicide Bombers, Hinder, Paradox, Jimmy Barnes, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Satriani, Judas Priest, Reef, Tom Petty, Burning Rain, Helloween, Voices of Extreme, KISS, Parkway Drive.  

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

S7E8 went out live on Rebel Rock radio at 19h00 on 22 Feb 2024.  It was touch and go with a fiber failure an hour before the show, big well done to the guys at Vodacom Fibre for sorting it out in time.  We started with a bit of ACDC and ‘Overdose’ off the Let There Be Rock album and just kept on building from there. 

This week's Immortals feature – a track over 7 min that showcases what an artist is all about was the original version of Am I Evil by Diamond Head.  You may only know the Metallica version and they have indeed made it famous, but it all started here.  I went into the story in a bit of detail because it is one of the best examples of a win–win ever.  Everyone involved scored because of this track and it really is iconic.   

The Diabolical challenge this week looked at four bands beginning with the letter ‘G’.  The idea is that we have 4 albums, and you can only pick one.  This week we had: 

Halestorm – American Boys

Hinder – Homecoming Queen

Hell Yeah – Hell Yeah

Hanoi Rocks – Two Steps From the Move

Artists Featured:  ACDC, Bullets & Octane, Danko Jones, Mötley Crüe, Desolation Angels, Great White, Foreigner, The Eagles, ZZ Top, Theory of a Deadman, Palaye Royale, Iron Maiden Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Dio, Dire Straits, Jethro Tull, Green Day, Sex Pistols, Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders, Yngwie Malmsteen, Burning Rain, Diamond Head, Hanoi Rocks, Hell Yeah, Hinder, Halestorm, Saxon, Sakis Tolis, The Rolling stones, Suicide Bombers, Volbeat, Neil Young, Tom Petty.  

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Welcome to S7E7 of The Story of Rock and Roll radio Show.  This one went out on Rebel Rock Radio at 19h00 on 15 Feb 2024.  I was in Clarens with master guitarist Dan Patlansky and a whole lot of guitar maniacs so the show deals with that a bit, but for the main, it is straight down-the-line Rock and Metal, as you would expect.   

This week's Immortals feature – a track over 7 min that showcases what an artist is all about features the man himself, Mr Dan Patlansky with a track recorded back in 2006 on an album called Real. The track is called Bad Weather Blues and showcases just what a great player he is.  Next week I hope to play you a short interview Dan and I are planning regarding his new album Movin’ On.   

The Diabolical challenge this week looked at four bands beginning with the letter ‘G’.  The idea is that we have 4 albums and you can only pick one.  This week we had: 

Grand Funk Railroad – We’re An American Band

Golden Earring – Moontan

Great White – Hooked

Guns ‘n’ Roses – Use Your Illusion II 

Artists featured:  Saxon, Volbeat, Thunder, Burn the Priest, Five Finger Death Punch, KK’s Priest, Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, The Angels, Cold Chisel, Rose Tattoo, Mother Love Bone, Junk Yard, Warrant, Suicide Bombers, Joel Hoekstra’s 13, Motörhead, Buckcherry, ACDC, Machine Head, Burning Rain, The Winery Dogs, Green Day, Blink 182, Stone Temple Pilots, Faith No More, Dan Patlansky, Grand Funk Railroad, Golden Earring, Great White, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Cadillac Sun, 12th Avenue, Seether, Rammstein, The Pretty Reckless, Arch enemy, Powder Finger.  

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Welcome to The Story of Rock and Roll Radio Show.  Season 7 episode 5 aired live at 19h00 on Rebel Rock Radio on 1 Feb 2024.  As always, the show consisted of 3 hours of Rock and Metal and covered all sorts of artists from late 1960 through to albums released this week.  You should find something amongst this lot, see artists featured below (in order of appearance).     

The Immortals track this week came from W.A.S.P., a track called ‘The Tool’ off First Blood…..Last Cuts.   

The Diabolical Challenge this week looked at the letter ‘E’.  This is one of the skinnier letters of the alphabet and not as easy to find artists as it is with ‘M’ and ‘A’ and ‘S’.  We looked at: 

Elton John – Madman Across the Water

The Eagles -Hotel California

Exodus – Bonded By Blood

Extreme – Pornograffitti

Hotel California took it in the end, tough challenge. 

Artists featured:  Thin Lizzy, The Pretty Reckless, Those Damn Crows, Poison, twisted Sister, Adrenaline Mob, ZZ Top, Dan Patlansky, BlackØwl, Massive Wagons, Green day, Foo Fighters, Saxon, Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Journey, Five Finger Death Punch, Texas Hippie Coalition, Frank Marino, Gary Moore, The Jam, Stiff Little Fingers, The Stranglers, Stone Temple Pilots, System of a Down, Queen,, W.A.S.P., Elton John, The Eagles, Extreme, Exodus, UFO, Union, Cindy-Louise, Kenny Hughes, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Rammstein, The Haunted.  

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Welcome to Episode 4 of Season 7.  S7E4 went out live at 19h00 on 25 Jan 2024 on Rebel Rock Radio.  Amazing to think that the first month of 2024 is done, where does the time go?  We started gently with some Iron Maiden and the show progressed from there.  We had new releases from Green Day, Saxon, Judas Priest, and Ryan Adams.  The year is starting off well.    

The Immortals slot, a track over 7 min long, went to Deep Purple’s ‘Knocking at Your Back Door' off their 1984 Perfect Strangers album.  This album was the reunion of the celebrated Mk II line-up and did very well for them.   

The Diabolical Challenge this week was 4 bands starting with the Letter ‘D’:

 Dio – The Last in Line

The Darkness – Permission to Land

David Bowie – Scary Monsters and Super Creeps

Def Leppard – On Through the Night

 Bowie was unstoppable here.  

Artists featured: Iron Maiden, ACDC, Daughtry, Iron Allies, Accept, Pilgrim South, Mark Haze, Seether, POD, Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Saxon, Massive Wagons, Megadeth, Halestorm, Pat Benatar, Samantha Fish, W.A.S.P., Ted Nugent, The Almighty, Thin Lizzy, Ace Frehley, Journey, Ignite, Judas Priest, Deep Purple, Dio, Def Leppard, The Darkness, David Bowie, The Rolling stones, Springbok Nude Girls, Buckcherry, Bob Dylan, Wolfmother , Volbeat, Ryan Adams, Kid Rock.  

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 2 of Season 7 aired live at 19h00 on Rebel Rock Radio on 11 Jan 2024.   

The Immortals feature this week is from Rush, a track called By-tor and the Snow Dog off their second album Fly By Night.  This was the first album they made after Neal Peart joined the band after the resignation of John Rutsey.  The track consists of 8 parts and gave the world the first glimpse of the direction Rush were taking going forward.  There was a little technical glitch after Yngwie J. Malmsteen, it comes back after about 45 seconds so just jump it or wait it out, apologies for that. 

The Diabolical Challenge checked out 4 bands found under ‘B’ in the record collection.  We took a listen to tracks off Mob Rules, Badlands, Nebraska, and Boston: 

Black Sabbath – Mob Rules

Boston – 

Badlands – Dancing on the Edge

Bruce Springsteen  - Reason to Believe 

Artists Featured:  Hanoi Rocks, Joe Bonamassa, Krokus, Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons, Ozzy Osbourne, Danko Jones, Halford, Iron Maiden, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Drowning Pool, Alice In Chains, Beartooth, Coheed & Cambria, Ryan Adams, Simon & Garfunkel, Black Star Riders, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Savage, Demon, David Bowie, The Clash, Rush, Boston, Black Sabbath, Badlands, Bruse Springsteen, Metallica, Arch enemy, Kid Rock, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Circus of Power, Buck Cherry, The Cult, Joe Satriani

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Welcome to the 7th season of The Story of Rock and Roll radio Show.  S7E1 went out live on Rebel Rock Radio at 19h00 on 4 Jan 2024.  We kicked off with David Bowie and It’s No Game (Part 1) which feels like the perfect song for where we find ourselves in 2024.  

The Diabolical Challenge has had a make-over.  In Season 6 I presented 4 albums from a specific year and listeners got to vote on which one they would choose if they could only take one.  Well with 52 shows in 2023, we ran out of years.  The new Diabolical Challenge looks at things alphabetically.  We will do two cycles A – Z to get us through to the end of Season 7.  Starting at 'A" we had: 

ACDC – Flick of the Switch

Avenged Sevenfold – City of Evil

Accept – Balls to the Wall and 

Audioslave – Audioslave 

The Immortals track, a track over 7 minutes long that never gets airplay but is an amazing example of a band or artist at their best stays as is and we kicked off the year with Grand Funk Railroad and a track called ‘Inside Looking Out’ and that one was especially dedicated to Norman Roux.   

Artists featured: David Bowie, Dee Snider, KK’s priest, Def Leppard, Iced Earth, Foghat, Hawkwind, Saxon, Scorpions, L,A. Guns, Skid Row, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Seether, Reef, Rammstein, Böhse Onkelz, Demon, Hellyeah, Dead Kennedys, The Clash, Girish & the Chronicles, Jelusick, Dio, Guns ‘n’ Roses. Grand Funk Railroad, Accept, Avenged Sevenfold, Audioslave, ACDC, Phil Campbell & the Bastard Sons, ZZ Top, Roan Ash, Warren Zevon, Fire Horses, My Chemical Romance, Bruce Springsteen.   

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Well, we made it, welcome to the end of 2023 and the last episode of Season 6.  As has become traditional on TSORR we use the last show of the season to review the year and listen to as much of the music released as time allows.  It was a good year for Rock Music and you will hear that there has been a serious resurgence in classic metal.  Last year I had new 64 albums so this year is 30% down, I guess that may be linked to Covid, bands can tour again and many of them recorded during lockdown.  Anyway, there was some really good music.  Check it out.  And thank you for the support, see you in 2024 for Season7  

Artists featured: Jared James Nichols, Phil Campbell & the Bastard Sons, Black Star Riders, Dirty Honey, Rival Sons, Girish & the Chronicles, Joel Hoekstra’s 13, Jelly Roll, Doomsday Outlaw, Corey Taylor, Sophie Lloyd, Nita Strauss, In Flames, Texas Hippie Coalition, The Winery Dogs, Mammoth WVH, Greta Van Fleet, Jelusick, Elegant Weapons, Overkill, Iggy Pop, Ian Hunter, Buckcherry, Foo Fighters, Danko Jones, Dave Hause, Extreme, KK’s Priest, Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Vandenberg, Philistine, Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Marvelous 3

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

This is a special episode.  The Story of Rock and Roll turned Six.  On 12 Dec 2017, the first-ever TSORR aired from the Mix 93.8 FM Studios in Midrand Johannesburg.  Six years later to the day, S6E51 aired live on Rebel Rock Radio at 19h00 on 12 Dec 2023.  The world has changed, and my life has changed so it is good to know that the music has not.  The episode was a celebration of the bands and the songs that make the show what it is.  Thank you all for your support, wherever you are and whoever you are I am deeply grateful for your support.  I will continue to make sure that the show delivers the music that you have come to know it for years to come.  

We skipped the Diabolical Challenge this week due to the birthday bash.  There were just too many bands and songs to recognize.  I had 9 hours of music (123 songs) that somehow ended up in a 3 hour 34 song show.  

We made up for it with the Immortals feature where we needed the time.  The number 2112 is sacred to the show so to celebrate the 6-year anniversary on the exact date the show started 12 December i.e. 21 12 we took a listen to the title track of Rush’s masterpiece ‘2112’

Artists featured:  Sixx A.M., John Paul Young, Van Halen, Cold Chisel, Deep Purple, James Reyne, Scorpions, KISS, Joe Bonamassa, Rory Gallagher, Judas Priest, Dokken, Iron Maiden, Joe Jackson, The Boomtown rats, Audioslave, Matthew Good Band, Buckcherry, Danko Jones, ACDC, Foo Fighters, The Stranglers, The Clash, Rush, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Megadeth, Mötley Crüe, Hinder, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Lyzyrd Kyngz, Mötorhead, The Uninvited.  

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

S6E48 went out live on Rebel Rock Radio on 30 Nov 2023.  All last week’s technical problems were sorted and we had a hassle-free show other than the fact that I forgot to turn on the inverter before load shedding which took us off air for 5 min.  The podcast is fine but that’s what that was about when I mentioned it.  The show kicked off and closed off with KISS.  This amazing band are largely responsible for my love for rock and metal.  As detailed in the Book The Story of Rock and Roll, once I heard KISS for the first time I was hooked forever.  KISS are playing their last show on 2 Dec 2023 and that will be at Madison Square Gardens.  After that, it’s the end of KISS as a live act.   That is what the band are saying whether or not they will ever do a one-off who knows 

The Immortals track this week was ‘The King Will Come’ off Wishbone Ash’s career highwater mark Argus.  Amazing track by an amazing band.   

This week's Diabolical Challenge looked at 1998: 

Marilyn Manson -Mechanical Animals

System of a Down – System of a Down

Pearl Jam – Wishlist

Kid Rock – Devil Without a Cause

Artists Featured:  KISS, Burn Halo, Hinder, Dave Hause, Volbeat, Joel Hoekstra’s 13, Elegant Weapons, Coheed & Cambria, Hell Fire, Black Stone Cherry, Frank Marino, Whitesnake, Montrose, Van Halen, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, The Cure, Stiff Little Fingers, David Bowie, Rush, ACDC, Ozzy Osbourne, Sixx A.M., Sister Sin, Summerlands, Wishbone Ash, Marilyn Manson, System of a Down, Pearl Jam, Kid Rock, The Pogues, Tom Waites, Metallica, Hell Yeah, Piet Botha & Jack Hammer. Valiant Swart, The Rolling Stones, KISS.  

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

S6E46 went out live on Rebel Rock Radio at 19h00 on 16 Nov 2023.  We kicked off with Megadeth and that strange coincidence whereby both Metallica and Megadeth independent of each other used the children’s rhythm “Now I lay me down to sleep”.  Check out 'Artists featured' to see who was played and whereabouts in the show.  It was a pretty chaotic show, just like the old days, with lots of technical problems and lots of laughs.     

The Immortals track was a toss-up between Judas Priest and Joe Bonamassa 

The Diabolical Challenge this week looked at 4 albums from 2008: 

The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound

Volbeat – Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood

Metallica – Death Magnetic

Guns ‘n’ Roses – Chinese Democracy 

Artists Featured:  Megadeth, BlackØwl, Great White, Thunder, Airbourne, Marilyn Manson, Tin Machine, Blue Öyster Cult, The Sweet, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, KISS, Scorpions, Jared James Nichols, Sophie Lloyd & Michael Starr, Marvelous 3, Black Star Riders, Kan Roberts, Status Quo, Tomm petty, Thin Lizzy, Jimi Hendrix, Attick Demons, Triumph, Joe Bonamassa, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Metallica, The Gaslight Anthem, Volbeat, The Rolling Stones, Supertramp, Texas Hippie Coalition, U.D.O., In Flames, Arch enemy, Foo Fighters

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

S6E45 went out live on Rebel Rock Radio at 19h00 on 8 Nov 2023.  Check out artists featured below to get a flavour of what we played.  The South African music was covered with two brand new tracks from Vaughn Prangley and Jackson Colt.  

There is a bit of confusion at 43:56 where I thought the mic was off but it wasn't and then turned it off and did the bit again because I didn't know what we had captured.  The joys of live radio.  

This week's Immortals track was Johnny Was by Stiff Little Fingers and for the Diabolical Challenge we looked at 1968.  

The Beatles – The White Album

Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland

The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet

Jeff Beck - Truth 

Artists featured:  Slash, Seether, Herman Frank, Thundermother, The Pretty Reckless, Great White, Sons of Liberty, Judas Priest, Burn the Priest, The Sweet, The Temperance Movement, W.A.S.P., Whiskey Myers, Texas Hippie Coalition, The Gaslight Anthem, Tin Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, Union, The Dead Daisies, Volbeat, Dirty Honey, Alice Cooper, Hell Fire, Metallica, Tremonti, Stiff Little Fingers, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Triumph, Rush, Vaughn Prangley, Jackson Colt, Airbourne, Tom Petty, Kid Rock

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

S6E44 went out live on Rebel Rock Radio at 19h00 on 2 November 2023.  It was nice to be broadcasting live again after a week away.  It was one of those shows where we just ran out of time. Highlights included new tracks by Green Day and Blink 182.  We also looked at John Corabi’s work and I discussed his awesome Biography ‘Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.   

This episode's Diabolical Challenge looked at 4 albums from 1996: 

Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar

In Flames – The Jesters Race

Soundgarden – Down on the Upside

Zakk Wylde – Book of Shadows

This week The Immortal's track was off A Night at the Opera by Queen.  It's a track that got overshadowed by 'Bohemian Rapsody' and it totally show cases what Queen were all about.  I am of course talking about 'The Prophets Song'.

Artists featured:  Hell Yeah, Led Zeppelin, Greta Van Fleet, Walking Papers, Danko Jones, Dirty Honey, Trouble, Loverboy, Triumph, Type O Negative, James Reyne, Jimmy Barnes, Bryan Adams, Joe Jackson, Green Day, Blink 182, Mötley Crüe, The Dead Daisies, Warrant, Chickenfoot, Gary Moore, Rory Gallagher, Joe Walsh, Tesla, Queen, Marilyn Manson, Sound Garden, In Flames, Zakk Wylde, Kid Rock, Alice Cooper, Windowpane, John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, Jasper Dan

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 43 went out pre-recorded as I was in the Maldives.  The show aired at 19h00 on 26 October 2023 on Rebel Rock Radio.  There is a great interview with Cindy Louise and super talented South African lady working out of The Netherlands.  We got a scoop by playing her brand new track Innocence which was released on Friday morning 27 Oct

The Immortals for this episode was Iron Maiden's 'Blood Brothers'

The Diabolical Challenge looked at 4 albums from 2016:

Airbourne - Breaking Out of Hell
Volbeat - Seal The Deal and Let's Boogie
Sixx A.M. - Prayers for the Blessed
Megadeth - The Threat Is Real

Artists featured: Alice Cooper, Bullet Boys, Van Halen, Warrior Soul, Beautiful Creatures, KK's Priest, Ar=erosmith, The Rolling Stones, Tesla, Circus of Power, Marilyn Manson, Buckcherry, Foo Fighters, The Answer, Overdrivers, U.D.O., White Wizard, Cindy-Louise, Wolf, Burning Witches, Judas Priest, Irin Maiden, Airbourne, Volbeat, Megadeth, Sixx A.M., Sir Lord Baltimore, Rory Gallagher, Blue Øyster Cult, The Allman Brothers Band, Arch Enemy, Texas Hippie Coalition, The Rolling Stones.

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 41 of season 6 went out live on Rebel Rock Radio at 19h00 on 12 October 2023.  Just before kick-off, we heard the sad news on the death of Kobus de Kok Jnr, frontman for The Black Cat Bones.  The Bones are without doubt one of SA’s top bands and Kobus was a phenomenal frontman.  Condolences to Andre Kriel and the rest of the band.  It changed the show a bit as it was necessary to pay tribute to The Black Cat Bones.  RIP Kobus and strength to his family and long-time friend and bandmate Andre Kriel.  The show kicked off with Dokken and 'Dream Warriors' off the Nightmare on Elm Street soundtrack.  From there we went through all sorts of stuff, and you can follow the sequence in Artists featured below.  

The Immortals slot this week was filled by a track that is a rock classic in anyone’s book, 'L.A. Woman' by The Doors.  No doubt this will be a contender when we do the best of the 2023 Immortals at the end of the year. 

The Diabolical Challenge we looked at 1989: 

Motley Crue – Dr Feelgood

The Cult – Sonic Temple

Tesla – The Great Radio Controversy

Skid Row – Skid Row

Artists featured:  Dokken The Black Cat Bones, Seether, Rainbow, Sammy Hagar, Ozzy Osbourne, David Bowie, Lord Sir Baltimore, Rose Tattoo, Shinedown, Rush, Wolfmother, Biters, Halestorm, Thundermother, Billy Idol, Bill Joe Armstrong, Joe Strummer, Q5, Stone Senate, Winery Dogs, W.A.S.P., Black Sabbath, The Clash, Judas Priest, The Doors, Mötley Crüe, The Cult, Tesla, Skid Row, Beautiful Creatures, Badlands, Piet Botha, The Black Cat Bones, Steve Winwood.

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 39 of Season 6 went out live at 19h00 on Rebel Rock Radio on 28 Sept 2023.  It was a great show, we had a good few new listeners tuning in which always makes it flow better.   

This week's Immortals feature was awarded to Ted Nugent and his masterpiece ‘Stranglehold’.  It sounded excellent and went down very well.  hat's off to the bassist, check out what he is doing, it makes the song.  

The Diabolical Challenge really tested us, we looked at 1972 and had:

Deep Purple Machine Head

Black Sabbath – Vol 4

Uriah Heep – Demons and Wizards

The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street

Artists featured:  The Stranglers, W.A.S.P, Skid Row, Airbourne, The Angels, UFO, Scorpions, Queen, Buckcherry, Red Fang, Green Day, Five Finger Death Punch, Metallica, Python Lee Jackson, Pop Evil, My Chemical Romance, Mercyful Fate, Hell yeah, Pantera, AMH, Chrome Division, The Darkness, The Clash, U2, Drowning pool, Ted Nugent, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, The Rolling Stones, Accept, The Union Underground, hales Storm, Vandenburg, The Burning, Roan Ash, Piet Botha.  

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 32 of Season 6 went out live on Rebel Rock Radio at 19h00 on 10 August 2023.  We kicked off with Amanda Palmer, you heard right, something different for a change.  From there it was all Quiet Riot, ACDC, and the usual stuff, and by that, you can have a look at the Artists Featured List below. 

This week in The Immortals slot, tracks over seven minutes long that really showcase what a band can do but seldom gets airplay.  This week we gave Guns ‘n’ Roses the slot.  They have so many that qualify, e.g. November Rain and Estranged but we took a listen to Civil War.   

The Diabolical Challenge focused on 2010.  There were good efforts from Scorpions, Black Label Society, Godsmack, Parkway Drive, and Slash but we had a choice of:

Airbourne – No Guts, No Glory

Accept – Time Machine

Iron Maiden – The Final Frontier

Avenged Sevenfold – Nightmare.   

We said a sad farewell to Rodriguez who passed away this week at 81.  Rodriguez is a legend to many of us who grew up in the ‘70s and ‘80s.  A singer-songwriter the likes of which come around a few times a generation.  I let him have the final word.   

Artists featured:  Amanda Palmer, Quiet Riot, ACDC, Rammstein, Seether, Texas Hippie Coalition, Michael Monroe, Buckcherry, Five Finger Death Punch, Nita Strauss and Anders Friden, Thunder, Ratt, the Cult, Thundermother, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, UK Subs, Gov’t Mule, Robbie Robertson, Ayron Jones, Greta Van Fleet, Bewitcher, Godsmack, Device, Firehouse, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Airbourne, Accept, Iron maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, Marvelous 3, Linkin park, Scorpions, Black Label Society, Rodriguez, Piet Botha, Rodriguez (RIP)

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 31 of Season 6 went out live at 19h00 sharp on Rebel Rock Radio on 3 August 2023.  Picking up where the Rock Doctor left off, we started with ‘Living On The Edge’, off one of Aerosmith’s finest albums.  Check out the artists featured to get the rest of the show. 

The Immortals this week featured a track released in 1977 called 'Bat Out Of Hell', you may have heard it lol.  It was and remains an absolute classic.  Todd Rundgren's finest work.  We also featured the year 1977 in this week's Diabolical Challenge, the 4 albums we took a listen to were The Stranglers – Rattus Norvegicus, The Clash, The Clash, ACDC – Let There Be Rock, and Motörhead – Motörhead. 

Artists featured:  Aerosmith, Giant, Loverboy, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Butch Walker, Mötley Crüe, Kid Rock, Jelly roll, led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Wolf, Paragon, Rival Sons, Greta Van Fleet, KK’s Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Laura Cox, Joan Jett, Sex Pistols, Oasis, Audioslave, Nirvana, Metal Church, Meatloaf, ACDC, Motörhead, The Clash, The Stranglers, Corey Taylor, Deadline, Coheed & Cambria, 12th Avenue, The Uninvited, Jasper Dan, The White Buffalo & The Forest Rangers

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 28 of Season 6 went out live at 19h00 on Rebel Rock Radio on 13 July 2023.  Following on from The Rock Doctor’s Rock Power Play Turbo show it was necessary to keep the pace.  It has been freezing in Johannesburg this week with Temperatures getting down below zero and we actually had snow which happens about once every 20 years.  It made sense to kick off with The Boomtown Rats ‘Wind Chill Factor Minus Zero’. 

The big news this week was an interview with the multitalented SA Rock legend Mark Haze.  Mark had some kind words to say about the old days when I met him at the very, very start of his musical career.  Our 5 minute interview went on a bit longer and would have gone even longer if we didn’t call time in the interest of the music.  We were incredibly privileged to hear Gareth Haze’s new track ‘Home’.  Mark is busy working with Gareth on his debut album, really looking forward to hearing it in a few months' time. 

The Immortals section of the show featured Dire Straits and the opening track of their third album Making Movies.  The track is of course ‘Tunnel of Love’, it is an amazing preview of how Mark Knopfler was developing as a songwriter and showed the path to their mega-selling Love Over Gold album.   

This week's Ultimate Challenge was a problem.  We looked at 1983 and started with 6 albums.  I managed to whittle it down during the week by leaving out Ozzy Osbourne’s Bark At The Moon and Mötley Crüe’s Shout At The Devil.  This left us with Def Leppard – Pyromania, Iron Maiden – Piece of Mind, Dio – Holy Diver, and Metallica – Kill ‘Em All.  So very hard, Pyromania sold the most by far, Holy Diver is one of the most beloved debut albums of all time, and Kill ‘Em All changed the face of metal forever.  It also marks the point where the Ultimate Challenge ended.  Not the concept but the name, it is now known as The Diabolical Challenge.    

Artists featured:  The Boomtown Rats, Skid Row, Ratt, U.D.O., Buckcherry, Extreme, Mammoth WVH, Joel Hoekstra, Disturbed, Shinedown, James Reyne, Cold Chisel, Rory Gallagher, Billy F. Gibbons, The Black Cat Bones, Ignite, Seether, Godsmack, Gareth Haze with Mark Haze, 12th Avenue, Megadeth, Dire Straits, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Dio, Metallica, Butch Walker, David Bowie, The Clash, Tom Petty, Wolfmother, Badlands, winery Dogs, Greta Van Fleet 

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 25 went out live on Rebel Rock Radio at 7pm on 22 June 2023.  The show kicked off with ‘Brown Sugar’ and got even sweeter after that.   Please note that there is about a minute of silence at around 37:00, there was a technical problem, please be patient it comes back strong. 

We heard from Philistine who updated us on the banning of their brand-new album Seranim.  The album was due for release on 20 June and has been banned from the main platforms.  We hear from Marq Vas as to what is going on.  We also featured 2009 as the year for this week’s Ultimate Challenge, Slayer – World Painted Blood, Five Finger Death Punch, Rammstein – Haifisch, Megadeth – Endgame. 

The Immortals slot featured Iron Maiden with Paul DiAnno on vocals and a track called ‘Phantom of the Opera.  In between we had classics from led zeppelin, ACDC, Dio, and David Bowie.  See the artists featured below.   

Artists featured:  The Rolling Stones, ACDC, Dio, Mr Big, Boston, Airbourne, Cold Chisel, Buckcherry, U.D.O, Butch Walker, David Bowie, Stone Sour, The Petty Reckless, Shinedown, Audioslave, Elegant Weapons, Dokken, Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, Philistine, Children of Bodom, Extreme, The Donnas, The Distillers, The Stranglers, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Five Finger Death Punch, Rammstein, Megadeth, Roger Waters, Piet Botha, The Uninvited, Sugar Drive, Tesla, Black Stone Cherry, Chris Cornell

The Story of Rock and Roll. TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock