The 1994 Album, Named After Feces, That Brought Punk Roaring Back

After years of dominating American rock in the early 90's, Grunge was replaced in 1994 by a new musical movement coming out of the California Bay Area: Pop-Punk. And leading the way was the Berkley band, Green Day, whose third album, Dookie, went to the top of the charts and even won them a Grammy.…

The David Bowie Album That Saw Him in Transit from American Soul to German Electonica

After trying his hand at acting in a movie for the first time, David Bowie then returned to the recording studio to record yet another innovative album -- this time marrying the soul and funk of his previous album with the new electronic music coming out of Germany. He was dangerously thin, sleep-d…

The Story Behind the Album That Made Def Leppard Superstars

This week in 1983, the lads from Sheffield released their third album -- an album that took them to the top of the charts and turned them into global superstars. It's the story of Def Leppard's Pyromania on the Chronicles of Rock. 

The 80's song that Inspired Eddie Vedder to Write Better Man

In 1982, Eddie Vedder was working at a San Diego radio station, and he fell in love with a new song they were playing from a British band. Many years later, he and Pearl Jam recorded their song "Better Man," and once it became a hit, Vedder suddenly realized that he had unintentionally borrowed the…

How the Legendary Led Zeppelin Began

In celebration of Jimmy Page's 82nd birthday, and the 57th anniversary of the release of Led Zeppelin's debut album, Randy Renaud takes you back to Jimmy Page's 25th birthday, 4 days before the release of that album, on the Chronicles of Rock. 

David Bowie's First Great Album

As 1971 was coming to a close, David Bowie was going through some "Changes" -- from a Dylan-inspired singer-songwriter to the space-age rock star named Ziggy Stardust. He was broke, a new father, and in desperate need of some commercial success. So he recruited a band of musicians from Northern Eng…