Sign up

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

Not verified No WebSub updates No webmention support Not yet validated

Andrew Hickey presents a history of rock music from 1938 to 1999, looking at five hundred songs that shaped the genre.

Rights
© 2021 A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Public lists
davewiner/blogroll
Fetched

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 185: “Peaches En Regalia” by Frank Zappa

02:39:00

This episode follows on from the episode on the GTOs. These two make up two parts of a three-part story, and I’m hoping to have part three, on Captain Beefheart, up before the end of the month.

This episode is on “Peaches En Regalia” by Frank Zappa. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a fifty-five-minute bonus episode available, on “Song to the Siren” by Tim Buckley.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Teaser Trailer: It’s a Superpower??

02:19
Some of you will have seen me talk in the past about a site called The Daily Tism, a satirical news site by and for autistic people which is run by some friends of mine, and which I’ve written the odd piece for. (Perhaps you haven’t, in which case I’ll say again now, if you’...

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 184: “The Captain’s Fat Theresa Shoes” by the GTOs

01:30:26
This episode took longer than normal to come up because, as you’ll see from the episode itself, I’m releasing it simultaneously with the next episode, on Frank Zappa. These two make up two parts of a three-part story, and I’m hoping to have part three, on Captain Beefheart, ...

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 183: “Pinball Wizard” by the Who, Part 2: “His Disciples Lead Him In”

02:04:28
Apologies for the delay in posting this episode — health issues have continued to affect me. They *seem* to be improving, but I should also mention here that some of the guitar demonstrations in this episode are not quite the same part as Pete Townshend is playing on the rec...

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 183: “Pinball Wizard” by the Who, part 1: Always Playing Clean

01:44:32

Apologies for the delay in posting this episode — I had a chronic illness flare-up and a frankly awful January. With luck, part two of this story will be up before the end of February.

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the first part of a multi-episode look at the song “Pinball Wizard” by The Who. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have an eighty-two-minute bonus episode available, on “Father and Son” by Cat Stevens.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 182: “Many Rivers to Cross” by Jimmy Cliff

01:50:15

This episode, we look at the song “Many Rivers to Cross”, the birth of reggae, and the career of the late Jimmy Cliff. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a sixty-seven-minute bonus episode available, on “Return of Django” by the Upsetters.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/.

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 181: “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival

00:00

This episode, we look at the song “Proud Mary” and the brief but productive career of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a forty-four-minute bonus episode available, on “Mendocino” by the Sir Douglas Quintet.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/.

ERRATUM: Three times early on I talk about a 1940s label called Concord Records. That’s meant to be Coronet Records — Concord Records is the label that *bought* Fantasy Records in the early twenty-first century, Coronet Records is the label that *became* Fantasy Records.

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 180: “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin, Part Two — “Inspiration is What You Are to Me”

00:00

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a two-episode look at the song “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin, although this episode doesn’t get as far as Led Zeppelin’s formation, and is mostly about the intertwining session careers of John Paul Jones and (especially) Jimmy Page. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a thirty-eight minute bonus episode available, on “Jim’s Blues” by P.J. Proby.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 180: “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin, Part One, The Song Remains the Same

00:00

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the first part of a two-episode look at the song “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin, although this episode doesn’t get as far as Led Zeppelin’s formation, and is mostly about the intertwining session careers of John Paul Jones and (especially) Jimmy Page. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a thirty-five minute bonus episode available, on “Boom-Bang-a-Bang” by Lulu.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

PLEDGE WEEK: “Light Flight” by Pentangle

00:00
Erratum: At one point here I say “Cannonball Adderley” when I mean “Nat Adderley”. This episode is part of Pledge Week 2025. For five days this week, I will be posting old Patreon bonus episodes to the main feed to encourage people to subscribe to my Patreon. If you want more of these, and only if you can afford it, subscribe for $1 a month at patreon.com/andrewhickey . Whether you do or not, I hope you enjoy this one.

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

PLEDGE WEEK: “Fruit Tree” by Nick Drake

00:00

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2025. For five days this week, I will be posting old Patreon bonus episodes to the main feed to encourage people to subscribe to my Patreon. If you want more of these, and only if you can afford it, subscribe for $1 a month at patreon.com/andrewhickey . Whether you do or not, I hope you enjoy this one.

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

PLEDGE WEEK: “Living in the Past” by Jethro Tull

00:00

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2025. For five days this week, I will be posting old Patreon bonus episodes to the main feed to encourage people to subscribe to my Patreon. If you want more of these, and only if you can afford it, subscribe for $1 a month at patreon.com/andrewhickey . Whether you do or not, I hope you enjoy this one.

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

PLEDGE WEEK: “Pictures of Matchstick Men” by The Status Quo

00:00

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2025. For five days this week, I will be posting old Patreon bonus episodes to the main feed to encourage people to subscribe to my Patreon. If you want more of these, and only if you can afford it, subscribe for $1 a month at patreon.com/andrewhickey . Whether you do or not, I hope you enjoy this one.

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

PLEDGE WEEK: “La conferencia secreta del Toto’s Bar” by Los Shakers

00:00

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2025. For five days this week, I will be posting old Patreon bonus episodes to the main feed to encourage people to subscribe to my Patreon. If you want more of these, and only if you can afford it, subscribe for $1 a month at patreon.com/andrewhickey . Whether you do or not, I hope you enjoy this one.

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Announcing Pledge Week 2025

00:00
Transcript It’s that time of year again, the time that regular listeners have come to know as Pledge Week, where for five days (this time from Tuesday through Saturday, because I had a migraine yesterday when I should have been recording this intro) I post five old Patreon b...

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 179: “Kick Out the Jams” by the MC5 (Public Clean Version)

00:00
This episode, we look at the song “Kick Out the Jams” by the MC5, and the brief career of the most revolutionary guitar band of the sixties. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. As explained in the episode itsel...

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 178: “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, Part Two: “I Have no Thought of Time”

00:00

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a two-episode look at the song “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, and the intertwining careers of Joe Boyd, Sandy Denny, and Richard Thompson. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a forty-one-minute bonus episode available, on Judy Collins’ version of this song.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 178: “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, Part One, Going Electric

00:00

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the first part of a two-episode look at the song “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, and the intertwining careers of Joe Boyd, Sandy Denny, and Richard Thompson. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a twenty-seven-minute bonus episode available, on “Baby It’s You” by Smith.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 177: “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, Part 4: “Sometimes I Have A Great Notion”

00:00
For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the third and final (and very, very long) part of a multi-episode look at the song “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, an...

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 177: “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, Part 3: “Mister, Can You Give Me Some Direction?”

00:00
For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the third part of a multi-episode look at the song “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, and the links between Charles Mans...

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 177: “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, Part Two — “Is it True What They Say About Dixie?”

00:00

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a multi-episode look at the song “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, and the links between Charles Manson and the LA music scene. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

This one is later than normal, for reasons explained in the episode. The next one should be up much sooner.

Patreon backers also have a twenty-five-minute bonus episode available, on “Israelites” by Desmond Dekker.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Next Episode Coming Soon

00:00

This is just to let people know that there is a better than usual reason for the longer than normal delay in the next episode. I was about to record it early last week, when checking a minor detail I discovered a book published this year, after I’d bought the books I used for the research, which showed that everything in the first half of the episode — everything that had been published in every book on Huddie Ledbetter, who is the focus of that first half — was badly mistaken. I had to totally scrap a completed script and redo the research from scratch. I start recording tomorrow and it should be up in a few days. I think you’ll agree when you hear it that it’s worth the extra time it ended up taking.

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 177: “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, Part One, Old Folks at Home

00:00

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted , songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the first part of a multi-episode look at the song “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, and the links between Charles Manson and the LA music scene. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a fifty-five-minute bonus episode available, on “Light Flight” by Pentangle

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 176, “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones, part 4: “Who Breaks a Butterfly?””

00:00
For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted , songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the fourth and final part of a multi-episode look at the song “Sympathy for the Devil” and the career of the Rolling Stones. This...

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 176, “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones, part 3: “Every Cop is a Criminal and All the Sinners Saints”

00:00
For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted , songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the third part of a multi-episode look at the song “Sympathy for the Devil” and the career of the Rolling Stones. This episode co...

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 176: “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones, part 2: Traps for Troubadours

00:00

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted , songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a multi-episode look at the song “Sympathy for the Devil” and the career of the Rolling Stones. This episode takes us from April 1966 through to the release of “Let’s Spend the Night Together”/”Ruby Tuesday”

Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a half-hour bonus episode, on “Laurel Canyon Home” by John Mayall.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

Song 176: “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones, Part One: A Man of Wealth and Taste

00:00

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted , songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the first part of a multi-episode look at the song “Sympathy for the Devil” and the career of the Rolling Stones. This episode takes us from the release of “Satisfaction” through to the release of “Paint it Black”.

Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

Patreon backers also have a nineteen-minute bonus episode, on “Amen Brother” by the Winstons.

Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

PLEDGE WEEK: “Dark End of the Street” by James Carr

00:00

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2024. From Tuesday through Saturday this week I’m posting some of my old Patreon bonuses to the main feed, as a taste of what Patreon backers get. If you enjoy them, why not subscribe for a dollar a month at patreon.com/andrewhickey ?

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

PLEDGE WEEK: “I Love You” by People

00:00

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2024. From Tuesday through Saturday this week I’m posting some of my old Patreon bonuses to the main feed, as a taste of what Patreon backers get. If you enjoy them, why not subscribe for a dollar a month at patreon.com/andrewhickey ?

(more…)

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey

PLEDGE WEEK: “Son of a Preacher Man” by Dusty Springfield

00:00

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2024. From Tuesday through Saturday this week I’m posting some of my old Patreon bonuses to the main feed, as a taste of what Patreon backers get. If you enjoy them, why not subscribe for a dollar a month at patreon.com/andrewhickey ?

(more…)