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-released it on November 4, 2020.
Show Notes and Playlist Here
We begin in Times Square, late summer of 1945. The war is over.
First up, the Baby Boom and a newly-discovered demographic, the white American teenager.
This new cohort is huge, with unprecedented economic clout. Young, restless and affluent, and they want to get beyond the timid, conformist popular culture of 1950s America.
“Race Records” (an outdated term for rhythm and blues records by African American musicians) become hugely popular with white teenagers. Drawn from the well of sorrow that is the Black American experience, this music has the edge and urgency--the authenticity--these kids are seeking.
We meet our first hero - the musical genius Ray Charles - and our first anti-hero, the frenetic, fatally flawed DJ Alan Freed.
We shine a light on two grassroots cultural movements that became important later: the Skiffle Craze in the United Kingdom and the Beat Poets of Urban America.
1954 is an inflection point. On the musical front, Bill Haley released the first million-selling Rock N Roll record: “Rock Around The Clock.”
That same year, big changes in the political landscape. The Brown v Board of Education decision; and Senator Joseph McCarthy was publically humiliated and discredited.
Freedom of Association and Freedom of Expression take a step forward. Paranoid politics and systemic racism are still very much with us in America, but in 1954 it got a little easier, became a little less risky, to be yourself and express yourself.
We head to the delivery room: Memphis Recording Service, where we meet the first Rock N Roll superstar, Elvis Presley, and tease Chapter Two.
Hosted and Produced by Christian Swain
Written By Richard Evans and Christian Swain
Sound Design by Jerry Danielsen
https://www.patreon.com/cw/RNRAP
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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, Duane Allman's impact, and their resilience with Eat a Peach and Brothers And Sisters. The episode offers commentary on Lynyrd Skynyrd's rise, along with a feud and a flag. RNRA examines the artists, musical roots, studio successes, and tragic losses, with a look at this significant rock era and how it still resonates today.
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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
Troubadour to the rise of the Eagles from Linda Ronstadt's backing band, this is the story of how
a community of folk idealists, including Jackson Browne, gave birth to a billion-dollar industry.
We chart the collision course between artistic collaboration and corporate rock, right on the fault
line.
Producer and Host: Christian Swain
Head Writer: Richard Evans
Sound Designer: Jerry Danielsen
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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 politically charged atmosphere of the early 1970s, where the Nixon administration, wary of Lennon’s anti-war stance and influence over a new generation of voters, sought to silence him.We revisit a powerful interview with the late Leon Wildes, the brilliant immigration attorney who represented John and Yoko, along with his son Michael Wildes. They reveal the strategies, pressures, and ultimate triumphs of a historic legal saga that tested the foundations of American justice and established a lasting legal precedent.
Guest
Leon Wildes was the renowned immigration attorney who successfully represented John Lennon and Yoko Ono against the U.S. government's deportation efforts. An adjunct professor of law and a leading expert in the field, he authored the book John Lennon vs. The U.S.A., detailing the landmark case. His son, Michael Wildes, is the managing partner of Wildes & Weinberg P.C. and continues his father's influential work in immigration law.
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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 positive and negative—that rival those of any other rock movement or genre throughout music history.
Fans of Progressive Rock are known for their passionate dedication.
On the flip side, critics, including renowned voices like Lester Bangs, Robert Christgau, and Robert Hilburn, were notoriously dismissive of Progressive Rock. Despite their often harsh criticisms, we believe that time has proven them wrong.
Our perspective has evolved, and we now view the best of 70s Progressive Rock as a genre with substantial depth and intellectual substance. The music from this era isn't just enjoyable; it’s some of the most significant work of the 20th century.
Not all Prog Rock from this period hit the mark—there were certainly moments of excessive self-indulgence. However, the Prog bands and songs that have stood the test of time are truly exceptional and worth celebrating.
Producer and Host: Christian Swain
Head Writer: Richard Evans
Sound Designer: Jerry Danielsen
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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.
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