Let It Roll - All Episodes
All of the Let It Roll episodes in one place, sorted newest to oldest by series.
Let It Roll Originals
Season 21
The Brian Jones/Anita Pallenberg partnership Nearly took over The Stones
Brian Jones had no songwriting partner in The Rolling Stones
Brian Jones was Anita Pallenberg's entre into the Rolling Stones orbit
Season 20
Nirvana's biographer looks back at Kurt Cobain and his band after 30 years
Brian Jones came to a bad end after the Rolling Stones fired him
The Rolling Stones chewed up and spat out Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham made The Rolling Stones the band Britain loved to hate
Marianne Faithfull got too close to the fire with the Rolling Stones
Marianne Faithfull abandoned her pop career to be Mick Jagger's muse
Vernon Dalhart: The forgotten first superstar of country music
Genre, instruments, the meta-history of 20th-century music: Readers’ Mailbag
The 90s Austin underground scene that produced Spoon, The Cherubs and many more
Season 19
Eugene S. Robinson's journey from disco and no wave to hardcore and finally post-hardcore
The Butthole Surfers, Big Boys, Dicks and Scratch Acid led Texas' crazed punk scene
The KLF triggered the cosmic when they burned £1 million pounds
The Neville Brothers took New Orleans R&B to a whole new audience
Peter Asher scored in the British Invasion and ruled in the Singer-Songwriter era
Chick Webb’s Big Beat Style of Swing Led Directly to Rock ‘n’ Roll
Black Sabbath invented heavy metal with Ozzy Osbourne and perfected it with Ronnie James Dio
Hipgnosis designed iconic album covers for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and many more
Season 18
The Beatles vs. James Bond: Two Very Different Versions of Britain
Alice Cooper Combined Proto-Punk and Vaudeville to Shock the World
Steppenwolf's John Kay Came to Hard Rock from the Toronto Folk Scene
John Lennon's Political Activism Got Him Targeted By the U.S Government
Season 17
David Crosby, Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman on Founding the Byrds
Buffalo Springfield Couldn't Contain Neil Young, Steve Stills and Richie Furay
Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and Creating The California Myth
Trap Music Took Atlanta's Rap Scene Global but Never Escaped Reality
Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince Topped a Banner Year for Pop in 1984
Genres: Pop vs Rock vs R&B vs Hip-Hop vs Dance vs Country vs Punk
Season 16
Paul Simon's Brill Building Years Laid the Ground for Folk-Rock Success
George Michael's Brilliant 80's Run Ended With His 90's Rebellion Against His Record Label
The Record Exec Who Signed Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper and Ruled the 1980s
Vybz Kartel's Career Arc Landed Jamaica's Most Important 21st Century Musician in Prison
The Velvet Underground Brought the Avant-Garde to Rock and Presaged Punk
DJ Screw Slowed Hip-Hop Down and Built a Home Grown Empire in Houston
The Band That Broke Czechoslovakian Communism: Plastic People of the Universe
Arthur Lee and Love Ruled LA's Sunset Strip Between The Byrds and The Doors
Season 15
Atlantic Records' Jerry Wexler Produced Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and More
The Evolution of American Ska: The Untouchables, Fishbone & The Toasters Led the Way
J Dilla Transformed Time for Q-Tip, the Pharcyde, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu & Common
New Orleans Music from Fats Domino thru the Meters to No Limit and Cash Money
The Wu Tang Clan's Brilliant Business Plan Was Great While It Lasted
Record Men From Thomas Edison to John Hammond & Chris Blackwell
The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead and the Hell's Angels All Faced a Reckoning at Altamont
415 Records Brought California Punk & New Wave to the American Market
Season 14
Sly Stone Embodied the Optimism of Woodstock Nation Until He Didn’t
Bad Brains' HR Created a New Template for Hard Rock Then Tore It All Down
Yoko Ono Brought Classical and Avant-Garde Techniques to Rock
Ralph Peer Brought Blues, Jazz, Country, and Latin Music to Record
Danger Mouse's Gray Album United Jay-Z and The Beatles and Brought Down the Wrath of the Industry
John Entwistle's Bass Anchored The Who and His Rockstar Life Dragged Him Down
Future, Young Thug, Migos and Vybz Kartel Have Used Autotune to Create a Vibrant Vocal Psychedelia
From Jimi Hendrix to R.E.M., Warner Brothers Records Provided Artists a Rock Era Oasis
The Secrets Behind Elvis Presley's Relationship with Col. Tom Parker
Season 13
Cream Combined Heavy Blues Rock With Jazz Improv and Psychedelic Pop
Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder Invented Electronic Dance Music With “I Feel Love”
Guns N’ Roses Reigned Over the Late 80's and Fell Hard in the 1990s
Why Does Some Old Music Still Sound Contemporary and Some Sounds Very Dated?
Etta James Was a First Wave Rock N Roller and Later Led Chess Records’ Soul Music Charge
Rod McKuen's Songs Sold Millions of Records but Triggered a Critical Backlash
The Dixie Cups Were the Girl Group That Brought New Orleans R&B to the Brill Building
Season 12
Aerosmith, KISS, Cheap Trick & Starz Carved Out a Space for Weird Rock in the 1970s
How Jazz and Rock and Roll Came to Be Seen As Completely Separate Genres
The Kinks' Class-Consciousness Made Them Wary of the Promises of Swinging London
Aretha Franklin Brought Gospel Fervor to the Top of the Charts
Joan Jett's Years With the Runaways Laid the Groundwork for Solo Stardom
Solving the Mysteries Behind Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel”
Season 11
The Triumphs & Tragedy of Marvin Gaye, Motown's Greatest Male Solo Singer and First Album Artist
Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart & Ron Wood Nearly Perfected Hard Rock Before Led Zeppelin Even Formed
From The Supremes to The Four Tops, Holland-Dozier-Holland Made Motown’s Biggest Hits
The Lost Art of Elevator Music From Mantovani & Jackie Gleason to Brian Eno’s Ambient Music
Introducing David Bowie to Stardust, Choosing Between Hendrix and The Who
Rhythm and Blues Exploded Out of 1940s Los Angeles Led by Nat “King” Cole & Big Jay McNeely
Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor Took Trangression to a Mass Audience
From Surf Rock to Folk Rock to Freak Out, the Studio Scene in 1960s Los Angeles Captured the Moment
Season 10
How The Memphis That Spawned Elvis & Stax Also Birthed The Box Tops & Big Star
How Jerry Lee Lewis, Howlin' Wolf, & Col. Tom Parker Helped Peter Guralnick Get Lost
Megaforce Records Brought Metallica, Anthrax, Manowar to the Masses
The Bee Gees Rose, Fell, Rose Again, Fell Again Then Helped Invent Modern Pop
How Willie Nelson, Doug Sahm, Stevie Ray Vaughan, SXSW and ACL Fest Turned Austin into the ATX
Chess Records Brought Chicago Blues, Rock & Roll and Soul to
Season 9
Marley Marl, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie & The Juice Crew Perfected Hip-Hop In The 1980s
Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb And The Greatness Of Wichita Lineman
London Nurtured Classic Rock, Prog Rock, Blues Rock And Folk
Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Big Joe Turner: How Kansas City Vice Birthed Kansas City Jazz
Lieber & Stoller Wrote Songs, Produced Records And Helped Create Rock & Roll
from Season 8
Season 7
Season 6
Season 5
House of the Rising Sun Before Bob Dylan And After The Animals
Writing the Life Stories of Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin
Dewey Phillips, Elvis Presley, Otis Redding and Memphis music
Season 4
Season 3
The First Recording Stars: Enrico Caruso, Al Jolson and Bert Williams
Legends Of Memphis Music From Charlie Feathers To Jeff Buckley
Chasing the Blues Legends John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, & Hubert Sumlin
from Season 2
Let It Roll Telepathy
In the end the Rolling Stones chewed up and and spat out Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham made The Rolling Stones the band Britain loved to hate
Marianne Faithfull got too close to the fire with the Rolling Stones
Marianne Faithfull abandoned her pop career to be Mick Jagger’s muse
Let It Roll Nightmares
Why Altamont went so wrong for the Rolling Stones and everyone else
Brian Jones got everything he asked for when he formed the Rolling Stones
Let It Folk
Sir Walter Scott, Pepys, and Charles Dickens: The Literary Roots of The Ballad Tradition
Sir Walter Scott, Pepys, and Charles Dickens: The Literary Roots of The Ballad Tradition
Seance Roll
Vernon Dalhart: The forgotten first superstar of country music
Seance Roll 2: The agony of mid-20th century classical music
Seance Roll 1: The Beatles messed with listeners' heads and ultimately paid the price
Let Motown Roll
Let Motown Roll 9: Rick James was the last great Motown star
Let Motown Roll 8: Smokey Robinson fulfilled Berry Gordy’s vision
Let Motown Roll 6: Holland-Dozier-Holland perfected the Motown approach
Let Motown Roll 5: The Funk Brothers rocked in the shadows of Motown
Let Motown Roll 1: Florence Ballard formed the Supremes and paid the ultimate price
Latin Roll
Latin Roll 1: The musics of Europe and Africa collided in Cuba
Latin Roll 2: Clave and the contradance in the colonial Caribbean
Latin Roll 3: The most popular American musician of the 19th century connected Cuba and New Orleans
‘80s Roll
80s Roll 20: Queen, Bowie & Jagger and other highs and lows of Live Aid
80s Roll 19: Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones led “We Are The World”
80s Roll 18: British stars came together wrap up a huge 1984 with “Do They Know It’s Christmas”
80s Roll 17: Classic Rockers Like Don Henley, Foreigner and Steve Perry Had a Big 1984 Too
80s Roll 16: Bruce Springsteen broke all the way through with Born in the USA
80s Roll 15: Tina Turner, ZZ Top, Cyndi Lauper & Madonna at the First Ever MTV Awards
80s Roll 14: The Olympics, Lionel Richie, Etta James, Marvin Gaye and R&B Radio
80s Roll 9: Run-DMC revolutionized hip-hop in the year of "Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo”
80s Roll 7: Bob Marley's Legend album was the biggest reissue of 1984
80s Roll 6: Talking Heads' Movie Stop Making Sense Topped the Field of Rock n Roll Movies in 1984
80s Roll 5: Michael Jackson, Annie Lennox, Boy George and Cyndi Lauper at the Grammy Awards
80s Roll 4: Van Halen, Def Leppard & Motley Crue Led the Heavy Metal Charge
3 Kings of Emo Rap
3 Kings of American Pop
Frank Sinatra, the Chicago Outfit and the President of the USA
Frank Sinatra Made the Bobby Soxers Swoon and Made the GI’s Boiling Mad
The Young Bing Crosby Reinvented Singing for the Microphone Age
Let Metal Roll
Melvins and TAD Were at the Forefront of Seattle's Grunge Wave When It Was Still An Indy Phenomenon
Thrash Metal Rose and Fell, Led by Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth
We Dig VH1’s Metal Evolution
Season 2
Metal Evolution Led to Extremes: Grindcore, Death & Black Metal
Progressive Metal from Rush & Dream Theater to Tool & Meshuggah
Power Metal from the Scorpions and Yngwie Malmsteen to DragonForce and Nightwish
Shock Rock From Screamin' Jay Hawkins to Alice Cooper to Marilyn Manson
Korn and Limp Bizkit Led the Nu Metal Charge, Linkin Park Followed Up
Season 1
Heavy Metal Emerged When Blues Rockers Added Elements of Classical Music and Opera
Blue Cheer, Steppenwolf, the Stooges and MC5 Invent American Hard Rock
Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple Were the Big Three of British Heavy Music
Iron Maiden and Def Leppard Emerge from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
Van Halen and MTV Spawned the LA Glam Metal Scene that Produced Motley Crue, Poison and Guns N Roses
Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth Brought Thrash to a Global Audience
HolyRoll
HolyRoll 5: Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel and Mainstream American Star
HolyRoll 4: Thomas A. Dorsey Went From 'It's Tight Like That’ to ‘Precious Lord’
HolyRoll 3: Charles Tindley & Lucie Campbell Pioneered Gospel Composition
HolyRoll 1: In America African Culture Survived as The Spiritual
TechnoRoll
Volume 3
TechnoRoll 3.19: Daft Punk Sweeps the Grammys as EDM Joins the Mainstream
TechnoRoll 3.16: Mashups & Electroclash at the Turn of the Millennium
TechnoRoll 3.15: The DEA Cracks Down on Disco Donnie and the NOLA Rave Scene
TechnoRoll 3.14: Carl Craig Brought the Detroit Electronic Music Festival Roaring into Life
TechnoRoll 3.12: Underworld and Chemical Brothers Headlined Organic ‘96
TechnoRoll 3.11: Daft Punk Make Their US Debut at Even Furthur in Wisconsin
TechnoRoll 3.10: Richie Hawtin's Rise and Fall as a US Rave Promoter
TechnoRoll 3.8: Rave Crested and Crashed In Southern California in the Early ‘90s
TechnoRoll 3.7: Rave Rose and Fell on the East Coast in 1992
TechnoRoll 3.5: The 2nd Wave of Detroit Techno Soundtracked Midwest Raves in the Early ‘90s
TechnoRoll 3.4: Rave and Early Internet Culture Rose Together in the Bay Area in the Early ‘90s
TechnoRoll 3.1: Chicago House Kicks Off a New Era in Dance Music
Volume 2
TechnoRoll 2.22: First Wave Dubstep, Grime and Breakcore Dominate a Downbeat Half Decade
TechnoRoll 2.20 Speed Garage and 2Step Evolved Out of the UK Garage Scene
TechnoRoll 2.14: Tricky, Portishead and Massive Attack Took Trip-Hop Straight Out of Bristol
TechnoRoll 2.13: American Rave Stayed Underground In the 90s
TechnoRoll 2.11: Jungle Brought Hip-Hop & Reggae Elements Back Into UK’s Rave Scene
TechnoRoll 2.10: UK Pirate Radio Brought the Underground to the Airwave
TechnoRoll 2.8: Goldie's Rufige Cru, Doc Scott and DJ Hype Led Breakbeat Hardcore’s Turn to Darkcore
TechnoRoll 2.6: Spiral Tribe Went Big at Castlemorton and Triggered a Backlash
TechnoRoll 2.3: DJs Paul Oakenfold, Nicky Holloway and Danny Rampling Break Acid House Big in the UK
TechnoRoll 2.2: Modern EDM is Born with Detroit Techno, Chicago House, and New York Garage
TechnoRoll 2.1: A Journey Through Rave Music & Dance Culture
Volume 1
Technoroll 22: Interview with Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton, Historians of the DJ
Technoroll 21: Did EDM Sell Out the Values that Made Disco Great?
Technoroll 20: Superstars Like DJ Tiesto and Fatboy Slim Change the Game
Technoroll 19: UK and US Authorities Crack Down on Raves in the 1990s
Technoroll 18: The KLF Trolled the Pop World and Brought Ambient to a Mass Audience
Technoroll 17: After Acid House Came Hardcore, Jungle, Drum & Bass, and UK Garage
Technoroll 16: The Acid House Revolution Shakes the UK to its Foundations
Technoroll 15: Ibiza's Balearic Beat Modeled Modern Dance Music in the 1980s
Technoroll 13: The Belleville Three Create Techno in Detroit
Technoroll 12: Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy and the Birth of House Music in Chicago
Technoroll 11: Larry Levan Kept the Dance Music Torch Burning at the Paradise Garage
Technoroll 9: Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, & Afrika Bambaata Invent Hip-Hop
Technoroll 8: Before Hip-Hop Disco DJ's Like Grandmaster Flowers & DJ Hollywood Set the Stage
Technoroll 4: Jamaica's Sound System Culture Birthed Ska, Reggae, Dub
Technoroll: The History of DJ-Based Music - Reggae, Disco, Hip-Hop, House, Techno, EDM and Beyond
We Dig Rock Docs
Chula Fronteras Documented Tejano Legends Like Lydia Mendoza, Narciso Martinez and Flaco Jimenez
Grunge Bands Like Nirvana Drew All Eyes to the Seattle Music Scene
The Time Nirvana Opened For Sonic Youth and Made a Movie About It
The Sex Pistols Launched Punk Rock in London & Triggered a Huge Backlash
ZZ Top Took Marshall Amps and Remade Boogie-Blues as Heavy Rock
The MC5's Combination of Hard Rock and Radical Politics Was Too Volatile to Last
Leon Russell Spotlighted in Les Blank's "A Poem Is A Naked Person”
We Dig Hip-Hop Evolution: The Foundation
Season 2
How The Neptunes, Timbaland & Missy Elliott, J Dilla and Kanye West Became Hip-Hop’s Super-Producers
Houston's DJ Screw, Memphis' Three 6 Mafia and Atlanta's Lil Jon Innovated New Directions in Hip-Hop
Eminem, Mos Def & Black Star Emerge from Hip-Hop's Cypher & Battle Rap Cultures
After The Notorious B.I.G.'s Reign, Puff Daddy, Lil' Kim and Jay-Z Step Up In The ‘Jiggy Era’
2Pac & Suge Knight Ignite the West Coast-East Coast Feud Again
Season 1
CountryRoll (Ken Burns’ Country Music)
CountryRoll 7: Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings Outlaw Country and Dolly Parton’s Pop-Crossover
CountryRoll 6: George Jones & Tammy Wynette Were Mr. & Mrs. Country Music
We Dig Mike Judge’s Tales from the Tour Bus
Season 2
Season 1
Ed Ward’s “History of Rock and Roll”
Volume 2
from Let It Roll Season 8
What Have We Learned From Ed Ward's History of Rock and Roll [Volume 2]?
What Have We Learned From Ed Ward's History of Rock and Roll [Volume 1]?
I don't know where else to put this, but I wanted to say thank you for all the work that you put into this podcast. I've listened to countless episodes over the years, and you've sent me down so many joyful musical tributaries that I otherwise never would have found. Your voice is truly a unique and appreciated one in a field that's far too often crowded out by holier-than-thou music nerds who lost that wide-eyed wonder long ago. I really, really hope to hear more from you in the future. In the meantime, I'm going to set about listening to the rest of your catalogue in its entirety. Don't let the suck of the world tarnish your cool, Nate!
<3