374 episodes
- In Episode 371 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores why some of rock and metal's greatest albums save their strongest statement for last. Closing tracks from Ozzy Osbourne, Metalllica and others prove the final song can be the album's most memorable, ambitious, and powerful moment.
Ozzy Osbourne – “Diary of a Madman”
Yes – “Heart of the Sunrise”
Metallica – “Metal Militia”
Alice in Chains – “Would?”
Kiss – “Black Diamond”
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - In Episode 370 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin examines why so many classic rock and metal bands, from Def Leppard to Rush and Iron Maiden, have debut albums that sold surprisingly poorly compared to their blockbuster follow-ups, despite often being fan favorites and essential parts of their catalogs.
Def Leppard – “Satellite”
Rush – “Finding My Way”
Twisted Sister – “Run for Your Life”
Slayer – “Die by the Sword”
Iron Maiden – “Phantom of the Opera”
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - In Episode 369 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin argues how rock bands from the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin to Fleetwood Mac and UFO escaped the creative limits of the British blues boom. He posits that their willingness to evolve into hard rock, heavy metal, prog, and pop ultimately defined their greatest successes.
The Rolling Stones – “Street Fighting Man”
Status Quo – “Oh Baby”
Black Sabbath – “Hand of Doom”
Aerosmith – “Woman of the World”
UFO – “Rock Bottom”
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - In Episode 368 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explains how replacement guitarists can become welcome or unwelcome distractions by transforming a band's sound, identity, songwriting, or fan perception. He highlights memorable examples from acts like Yes, Whitesnake and Fleetwood Mac.
Yes – “Changes”
Whitesnake – “Slip of the Tongue”
Dio – “Big Sister”
Fleetwood Mac – “Second Hand News"
Thin Lizzy – “The Holy War”
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - In Episode 367 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives into why 1991 stands as one of rock's most transformative years. He traces the remarkable flood of landmark hard rock, metal, grunge, and more that redefined the music landscape in just a few extraordinary months.
David Lee Roth – “Baby’s on Fire”
Van Halen – “Runaround”
Ozzy Osbourne – “Desire”
Soundgarden – “Face Pollution”
R.E.M. – “Losing My Religion"
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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About History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff
History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff is the show that aims to make grand and often oddball hard rock and heavy metal points through a narrative built upon the tiny idea of a quintet of songs. Buttressed with illustrative clips, Martin argues quickly and succinctly why these songs - and the specific sections of these tracks - support his mad professor premise, from the wobbly invention of an “American” heavy metal, to the influence of Led Zeppelin in hair metal or to more succinct topics like tapping and twin leads. The songs serve as bricks, but Martin slathers plenty of mortar. At the end, hopefully he has a sturdy house in which this week’s theory can reside unbothered by the elements. At approximately 7000, Martin has had published in books more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 85 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting. Proud part of Pantheon - the podcast network for music lovers.
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