What could possibly happen to make a music festival be tagged as "3 Days of Sodom and Gomorrah?" How about toilets on fire? Drugs being sold as openly as sex? Young rock fans strolling naked through the streets of Sedalia, Missouri as they ditched their clothing to cope with the summer heat? Yes, all this and more descended on this small Missouri town in a festival that was marketed, in part, to town officials as a method of showcasing bluegrass music. There was a little bluegrass but there was a whole lot more of rock. As bad as the behavior of many of the fans was, that was how great the music was. Twenty-seven bands in all, including The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Eagles, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, REO Speedwagon, and more performed for hot, thirsty, and high rock fans in an epic and unforgettable weekend of rock (mostly) music.

In the 1970s, it was not easy for Canadians to produce and distribute music that would be widely received by American or Canadian audiences. Their was the issue of cost and, maybe even more importantly, the issue of credibility. Canada's content laws made radio listeners skeptical about the bands they heard and whether they were "good," which tended to mean they had received an American stamp of approval. This episode examines the work and, in many cases, the perseverence of Canadian bands including Bachman Turner Overdrive, Rush, and Triumph as they worked to create careers that were sustainable beyond the Canadian borders.

There is no single type of novelty song, although they all have something that distinguishes them. Sometimes it is the topic and sometimes it is the format, but a novelty song that endures should also be a good piece of music. Novelty songs were popular in the 1970s and this episode examines some of the most popular ones, including "Spiders and Snakes" by Jim Stafford, "The Cover of the Rolling Stone" by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, and "Mr. Jaws" by Dickie Goodman.  

On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed protestors at Kent State University in Ohio. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded. This episode examines that music that mattered to the students and the music that was made as a result of this tragedy. "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young stands alone as not only the most famous song to be associated with the massacre, but also as one of the greatest protest songs of all time. However, former Kent State students Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders and Joe Walsh, who were on campus on May 4, 1970, were forever impacted by the shootings. So, too, were Gerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh, the founders of Devo, who have said that without the massacre, the band would not have existed. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/amy-lively/message

What IS an opera, anyway? It is a dramatic story told with music rather than acting. The songs tell us the story. The 1970s was not only a golden era for classic rock, it was especially a golden era for the rock opera. This episode of For the Record: The 70s examines some of songs from the iconic rock operas of the decade, most of which have the similar theme of youth angst and desire at their core. Artists and bands such as The Who, Meatloaf, and Pink Floyd created characters and told stories with their songs and, in the process, created some of the best rock that the 70s had to offer. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/amy-lively/message