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Classic Vinyl: Black Oak Arkansas

Sam Talkington — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:00:38 +0000

Black Oak Arkansas is a southern rock band from, you guessed it, Black Oak, Arkansas. Achieving notoriety with 10 chart-topping albums throughout the 70s is certainly a far cry from their early days. The band was so poor that they had to steal their first PA system from a local high school. Black Oak Arkansas [...]

Classic Vinyl: Mason Proffit – Wanted

Sam Talkington — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:00:37 +0000

When most people think of country rock, the band Mason Proffit doesn’t typically come to mind. However, had their albums been released on a larger label, they may have been considered one of the founding bands of country rock, defining a sound and style way before their time. Founding members and brothers Terry Talbot and [...]

Classic Vinyl: Rare Bird – As Your Mind Flies By

Sam Talkington — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 07:00:07 +0000

When organ player Graham Field and piano player Dave Kaffinetti met up with Steve Gould and Mark Ashton, in 1969, they probably couldn’t have predicted that they’d be recording their debut album three weeks later. Such is the tale of the English prog-rock band Rare Bird. The band was successful throughout Europe, but they certainly [...]

Classic Vinyl: Elf

Sam Talkington — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:00:24 +0000

Originally called “The Electric Elves,” “the band known as “Elf” was founded in 1967 by Ronnie James Dio. Dio actually played bass with the band, which went through numerous lineup changes and recorded three albums over several years before the band finally dissolved. Listen to Sam Talkington describe the turbulent lineup changes through the band’s [...]

Classic Vinyl: Led Zeppelin III

Sam Talkington — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:00:18 +0000

The year was 1970, and out at a remote cottage in Wales known as Bron-Yr-Aur, Led Zeppelin was hard at work on “Led Zeppelin III.” It was in this setting that Zeppelin developed their acoustic and folk sounds, marking an important milestone in the band’s history. Although the original album art may be hard [...]

Classic Vinyl: REO Speedwagon – R.E.O./T.W.O.

Sam Talkington — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:00:29 +0000

Forming in 1967 and peaking in popularity in the early 1980s, REO Speedwagon has sold more than 40 million records and has charted 13 Top 40 hits. They still tour the country on a regular basis, but the lineup of the band has changed dramatically over the years. So, which REO Speedwagon lineup is the best?

Classic Vinyl: Steve Walsh – Schemer-Dreamer [AUDIO]

Sam Talkington — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:00:32 +0000

In 1980, Kansas keyboardist Steve Walsh released his first solo album, titled “Schemer-Dreamer.” While Steve Walsh is certainly an amazing keyboardist, he should probably leave the cover art design to the professionals. “Schemer-Dreamer” has gone down in rock history as one of the worst album covers ever created. Play the audio to hear Sam Talkington [...]

Classic Vinyl: Nantucket [AUDIO]

Sam Talkington — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00:54 +0000

Nantucket formed in Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1969 and quickly became a popular cover band. Although these guys never became a household name, they would go on to tour across the country with some of the biggest names in rock & roll.

Classic Vinyl: Nektar – Remember the Future [FULL ALBUM]

Sam Talkington — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:00:57 +0000

Nektar was an English prog rock band from Germany, whose psychedelic rock albums earned the band a small but growing cult following. However, the release of Remember the Future in 1973 would propel Nektar into popularity in the United States. For the first time on Sam Talkington's Classic Vinyl, you can listen to the entire album right here!

Classic Vinyl: Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes – Tooth Fang & Claw [AUDIO]

Sam Talkington — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:00:19 +0000

Tooth, Fang & Claw is the final album by Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes. Released in 1974, the album was recorded before Derek St. Holmes began singing with Ted Nugent. Tooth, Fang and Claw is all about the six-string, and really showcases Nugent's stellar guitar playing. Listen to the audio to learn a little more about this crazy looking album, and hear about Sam Talkington's hilarious first encounter with The Motor City Madman.

Classic Vinyl: The Bob Seger System, Ramblin' Gamblin' Man [AUDIO]

Sam Talkington — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:00:19 +0000

Bob Seger’s debut album Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man was released in 1969, when the band was known as The Bob Seger System. If the album is called “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man,” why is there a women dressed in blue on the front cover?

Classic Vinyl: Captain Beyond [AUDIO]

Sam Talkington — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:00:11 +0000

Captain Beyond was a rock band with progressive influences that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1971. The original lineup included members of Deep Purple, Iron Butter, Rick Derringer and Johnny Winter, which resulted in a great self-titled album released in 1972. The artwork for the Captain Beyond vinyl was printed using “lenticular printing” technology, [...]

Classic Vinyl: Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride [AUDIO]

Sam Talkington — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:00:44 +0000

Nantucket Sleighride was the second album released by Mountain. Released in January of 1971, the title track of the album reads “Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin).” So, what’s a Nantucket Sleighride, and who is Owen Coffin? It turns out that Owen Coffin was a sailor on the Nantucket whaleship Essex. As Sam Talkington explains below, [...]

Classic Vinyl: Blind Faith [AUDIO]

Sam Talkington — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:00:44 +0000

Blind Faith were one of classic rock's first "Supergroups," and consisted of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. In fact, some people even referred to the band as "super Cream." Their only self-titled album not only hit the #1 spot for Pop Album in both the U.S. and the UK, but also went down in history as one of the most controversial vinyl covers of all time.

Major Dan Miller: Hometown Hero [AUDIO]

The Hawk — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:49:19 +0000

K-Bear's own Major Dan Miller served in the Korean War as an engineer and a medic. Play the audio clip to hear Major Dan describe his time in the service, how he came to be a medic with no formal training and his claim to fame at Fort Leonard Wood off of historic Route 66 in Missouri.

Man Calls the Police After Mistaking the Moon for UFO [AUDIO]

Jeremy Taylor — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:00:29 +0000

A man called England’s 999 emergency service number to report an unidentified light floating in the sky. Then, two minutes later, he had the courtesy to call back and admit what he thought could’ve been space aliens was actually just the moon. Too bad the moon didn’t proceed to hit him in the eye like a big pizza pie. Listen [...]

Classic Vinyl: Creedence Clearwater Revival [AUDIO]

The Hawk — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:52:42 +0000

The draft nearly ended Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1966, before they had even really begun. John Fogerty and Doug Clifford were called for military service, Fogerty enlisting in the Army Reserve and Clifford joining the United States Coast Guard Reserve. When they were discharged in 1968, they quit their jobs and CCR debuted their self-titled [...]

Classic Vinyls: Black Sabbath [AUDIO]

The Hawk — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:10:40 +0000

Black Sabbath's debut album was released on Friday the 13th, February 1970. The self-titled album was a commercial success, but it was not popular with critics. If fact, Lester Bangs dismissed the album in a Rolling Stone review as "discordant jams with bass and guitar reeling like velocitised speedfreaks all over each other's musical perimeters, yet never quite finding synch".

Classic Vinyl: Kansas [AUDIO]

Sam Talkington — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:38:20 +0000

Kansas' self-titled debut album was released in March of 1974, nearly an entire year after it was recorded. The album defined their signature sound, a mix of American style rock combined with complex, symphonic arrangements with changing time signatures. Robby Steinhardt's violin was a distinctive element of the group's sound and set them apart from other progressive rock groups of the era.

Sam's Classic Vinyl: Sgt. Pepper's [AUDIO]

The Hawk — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:54:58 +0000

The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” has been recognized as one of the most important albums in the history of popular music, including songs such as “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, “With a Little Help from My Friends”, and “A Day in the Life”. It also has one of the most iconic [...]