"“Youthanasia” is, once you have digested it, the logical next step in the direction Megadeth had travelled over the previous two albums. “Rust in Peace” was the amazingly perfect progression from the out and out thrash metal of the debut albums to the maturing yet aggressive nature that that album took on. “Countdown to Extinction” had, for want of a better word, matured even more, still stinging and heavy but with a slightly lesser focus on the thrash genre than the band had utilised before. And then came “Youthanasia”, an album that almost settles into its own tempo early on and doesn’t move away from that too much, and with heavy riffs that are now closely devoid of what one might consider to be thrash or speed metal, where the roots of this band exist. It’s not a case of the band selling out their sound for the era but is just part of the next step in their evolution.

So, rather than a thrash album, instead here we have a collection of songs that can certainly inspire some hearty singalongs and table banging along the way, in a way that may not satisfy the earliest fans of the band but is worthy of checking out."

On this episode we are going to talk about “Youthanasia” by Megadeth, the band’s 6th studio album released 30 years ago this week, on today’s episode where “don’t want no revenge, ain’t no payback time” on Music from a Lifetime.

"Nirvana had been the face of the grunge movement since they had crashed upon the music scene with their second album “Nevermind” in 1991, and had been riding the wave ever since. With the release of their third album “In Utero” in 1993 saw this trend continue, despite an album that was far from mainstream in content. The tour that followed this was their first of the United States for two years, and included the addition of Pat Smear as a second guitarist to increase the impact of their music.

In November of 1993 Nirvana agreed to record a performance for MTV Unplugged, which had been a popular addition to their music channels programming. Although the band had been negotiating to be on the program for some months, they also wanted to do something different from what most bands did when they recorded the show. Whereas other bands still wanted to be loud and energetic, Nirvana wanted it to be the intimate setting that the style suggested it should be, and to incorporate songs that suited the style that weren’t their own"

On this episode we are going to talk about “MTV Unplugged in New York” by Nirvana, the band’s first live album released 30 years ago this week, on today’s episode where “underneath the bridge, tarp has sprung a leak” on Music from a Lifetime.

"All was not lost, however. Despite the demise of Scorpions, Rudolph had decided that he wanted to work with Uli Jon, and having attended some of Dawn Road’s rehearsals he decided to join the band, which at that time consisted of Uli Jon Roth on guitar and vocals, bass guitarist Francis Buchholtz, drummer Jurgen Rosenthal and keyboardist Achim Kirschning. Once he was in the mix, Roth and Buchholtz convinced Rudolph to invite Klaus Meine to come on board as lead vocalist, reprising his role from Scorpions, which he eventually agreed to. With two bands figuratively merging into one, the new group decided to forego the Dawn Road name to retake the name of Scorpions, as that name was already well known in the German music community and had of course already released an album, which Dawn Road had not. And thus came the second coming of Scorpions the band"

On this episode we are going to talk about “Fly to the Rainbow” by Scorpions, the band’s 2nd studio album released 50 years ago this week, on today’s episode where “just listen to his records, now hear what he says” on Music from a Lifetime.

""I Believe" is a song that Satch wrote when his father was in the process of passing away, and his heartfelt lyrics here showcase why there is a need at times to put words to music to express an emotion through story. Listening to the lyrics of this song you can hear what Satch is feeling about what is happening around him, and his guitar then sews that all together. "One Big Rush" channels his previous album for song similarity, again mirroring the song title for what it puts as pictures in your mind, of surfing that wave or speeding down a hill on your skateboard or charging through the streets in the car. Satch has an amazing ability to do that in his music. And he does it again on one of the album's best track, "Big Bad Moon". His music here fills out the story of the song, creating the soundtrack to the lyrics with his blues based hard rocking guitar and suitably excellent drums and bass. But when he unleashes in his solo pieces here, it is pure Satriani, and this all combines to make it one of the best experiences on the album".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Flying in a Blue Dream” by Joe Satriani, his 3rd studio album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s episode where its “Big, round, black and white, I feel the pull, I see the light” on Music from a Lifetime.

"Eventually, talks began, and whispers started circulating. The Gillan-helmed Black Sabbath album had not been as successful as was hoped, and there was concern about his suitability for the older tracks by the band live. Rainbow’s search for true commercial stardom had proven hard to come by. While it always appeared that Lord and Paice were amenable to a Deep Purple reunion, it was the trio of Gillan, Glover and Blackmore that had to have a reason to return, and with their stars slightly diminished during 1982 and 1983, they appeared at least willing to talk. The announcement of the reformation of the Mark II lineup was met with great acclaim throughout the music world, with the fans looking forward to the answering of two important questions. One, could the band produce an album with the success that their albums from their halcyon days had had. Two, could the egos be put aside in the recording studio long enough to allow that to occur".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Perfect Strangers” by Deep Purple, the band’s 11th studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where “she came on like a teaser, I had to touch and please her” on Music from a Lifetime.

"The basis of the story is as follows: Nicholas, going through regression, discovers that he was a woman named Victoria in a past life who was murdered, and she is trying to show him who that murderer was. The story of the album shows that Victoria was pulling away from her lover Julian, and began an affair with his brother Edward. According to a newspaper article and eyewitness Julian murdered Victoria and then himself, but Nicholas begins to doubt this. He also realises he must solve this or never be able to move on with his own life. Nicholas believes he has solved the mystery, where Julian begged Victoria to forgive him, and when she didn’t, he killed both her and Edward and acted as the eyewitness. Nicholas, believing he is now free, bids farewell to Victoria’s memory, even as she tries to call him back.

The story then cuts to Edward’s perspective, which sees Victoria looking to reconcile with Julian, and Edward instead killing them both, and becoming the eyewitness. Back in the present, Nicholas is followed home by the hypnotherapist who it turns out is the reincarnation of Edward, and Nicholas is startled by a request to ‘open his eyes’, before he is murdered, thus closing the circle once again.

Sounds confusing? Perhaps. As it turns out, there is a book being released in time for this 25th anniversary of the album’s release that relates the tale, so perhaps you could read that and see if it does the story more justice than me".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes from a Memory” by Dream Theater, the band’s 5th studio album released 25 years ago this week, on today’s episode where its “what a pleasant nightmare and I can't wait to get there again” on Music from a Lifetime.

"Midnight Oil had been one of those long term overnight sensations, leading up to the release of their self-titled debut album in 1978. That album had been the first steps for the band, but had been somewhat criticised by fans and the media alike for not being able to live up to the energy and passion that the band showed on stage, that the studio recorded sessions sounded good but lacked the fire that the band emitted when playing live. No doubt this was something that the band hoped to rectify with their sophomore effort.

Along with this, the band also looked to progress their sound to the next level. Whereas the band had had a reputation for combining their surf rock roots with the growing punk phase that was occurring around them at the time that their first album was released, as they moved into this second album there appears to be a move towards prog rock and then the post punk sound that was by then beginning to be incorporated into the Australian pub rock scene"

On this episode we are going to talk about “Head Injuries” by Midnight Oil, the band’s 2nd studio album released 45 years ago this week, on today’s episode where “‘I'm making an inroad on the one and only, I'm just part of this play, I've finally decided I'm here to stay.'” on Music from a Lifetime.

"The one major exception to this is “Parasite”, probably not surprisingly written by Ace given what is happening around this song on the album. It brightens up the album immediately after the slow start and jumps out of the speakers at you as one of the top shelf songs from the album. Ace’s guitaring is fabulous, and Gene’s vocals are at their best with the galloping beat. Ace wrote three songs on this album, handing one each to the other band members to take on the lead vocals of the track. His confidence in his own vocals at this point in time was visibly low. In the case of “Parasite” at least, the choice of Gene to sing it is perfect. Alongside this, the middle album tracks of “Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll” and “All the Way” show some enterprise and energy. “Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll” has a 1950’s rock and roll sound to it, with Ace’s guitar shadowing that era’s sound during his riff and solo, and Gene again getting up front and energetic in his vocals. It is only a little over two minutes in length, but it is a good pick me up. “All the Way” is a typically upbeat Gene song to follow it, with great support vocals during the chorus and another Ace special in the solo section. And yet another Gene song “Watchin’ You” follows in the same wake with a great drum beat from Peter helping to drive the track. After the downside mood in the first third of the album this middle section lifts the album, even if lyrically it isn’t Shakespearean".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Hotter Than Hell” by Kiss, the band’s 2nd studio album released 50 years ago this week, on today’s episode where “she thought she knew me, but she didn't know” on Music from a Lifetime.