Classic Rock Album Olympics

In this episode of Classic Rock Album Olympics music historians Gary Wenstrup and Robert Rodriguez order up Supertramp’s Breakfast in America and select their gold, silver and bronze medal winners.  Released in March 1979, it’s the album that transformed the band from a respected British art-rock group into an international pop phenomenon.

Medal Winners

The
Logical Song

Child
Of Vision

Just
Another Nervous Wreck

Casual
Conversations

Goodbye
Stranger

Take
The Long Way Home

After years of crafting long, introspective, and sometimes progressive records, Supertramp entered the late 1970s looking to refine their sound into something more immediate, melodic, and accessible.  The result was Breakfast in America, a bright, hook-filled collection recorded with precision and ambition. 

By the time they began work on the album, Supertramp—Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson, John Helliwell, Dougie Thomson, and Bob Siebenberg—were operating at the height of their collective chemistry. The band had built a strong following through albums like Crime of the Century (1974) and Even in the Quietest Moments (1977), known for lush production, wry lyrics, and the attractive blend of Hodgson’s soaring voice and Davies’ grounded, blues-tinged delivery.  With this album, the band sharpened those strengths into a concise, pop-leaning direction, crafting songs that were both meticulously arranged and instantly memorable.

Four singles were released from Breakfast in America and three went Top 20 – The Logical Song #6, Take The Long Way Home #10 and Goodbye Stranger #15.

Breakfast in America became a commercial powerhouse, topping the U.S. Billboard 200 for six weeks and eventually selling more than 20 million copies worldwide, making it one of the biggest-selling albums of 1979.  Critics praised its polish, craftsmanship, and sharp songwriting. The album earned two Grammy Awards, including Best Recording Package (what a cover!) and Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical).

Today, Breakfast in America stands as Supertramp’s signature achievement: a quintessential late-’70s album that captures the tension between dreams and reality, success and disillusionment, wrapped in pop craftsmanship.

Bonus Tracks

Bloody
Well Right

Dreamer

School

Give
A Little Bit

Gone
Hollywood

Dangling
Conversation – Simon & Garfunkel

Time
Of The Season – Zombies

It’s Too Late – Carole
King

Even In The Quietest
Moments

Solsbury Hill – Peter
Gabriel 

Track Listing

Side One

Gone Hollywood

The Logical Song

Goodbye Stranger

Oh Darling

Side Two

Take The Long Way Home

Lord Is It Mine

Just Another Nervous Wreck

Casual Conversations

Child of Vision

 

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In this episode of Classic Rock Album Olympics music historians Gary Wenstrup and Robert Rodriguez enter The Byrds’ Fifth Dimension.  Released in July 1966 the album captures the moment when the band stepped into new territory and helped invent what would soon be called psychedelic rock.

Medal Winners

⁠John
Riley⁠

⁠5D
(Fifth Dimension)⁠

⁠Eight
Miles High⁠

⁠What’s
Happening?!?!

The Byrds were already riding high on the success of their folk-rock hits “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” But the departure of their musical anchor, Gene Clark, left the group at a crossroads. Instead of retreating, The Byrds—now centered around Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, and Chris Hillman. 

Part of the album’s magic comes from the band’s willingness to take risks. Without Clark’s songwriting contributions, McGuinn stepped up with ambitious compositions drawing from jazz, raga, and avant-garde ideas, while Crosby found his footing as both a writer and a conceptual thinker. Their trademark harmonies and McGuinn’s 12-string Rickenbacker still captivate. 

Upon release, Fifth Dimension reached #24 on the U.S. Billboard 200.  The chart position was quite modest compared to their first two albums, but the album's long-term influence has been enormous.

Speaking of Fifth Dimensions, to answer a question that arose in the podcast…this Byrds’ album was released 6 months before the pop/soul vocal group the 5th Dimension achieved their first chat success with Go Where You Wanna Go.  So, The Byrds got there first.

More than anything, Fifth Dimension represents The Byrds learning to reinvent themselves: moving beyond the Dylan covers that first defined them and emerging as architects of psychedelic rock.

Bonus Tracks

Mr.
Spaceman

Hey
Joe (Where You Gonna Go) - Byrds

Hey
Joe – Jimi Hendrix

2-4-2
Fox Trot (The Lear Jet Song)

A
Million Miles Away - Plimsouls

Psychotic Reaction –
Count Five 

Still I’m Sad –
Yardbirds

Heat Wave – Martha
Reeves & The Vandellas

Why - Byrds

Side One

5D (Fifth Dimension)

Wild Mountain Thyme

Mr. Spaceman

I See You

What’s Happening?!?!

I Come And Stand At Every Door

Side Two

Eight Miles High

Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go) - Byrds

Captain Soul

John Riley

2-4-2 Fox Trot (The Lear Jet Song)

 

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#TheByrds #FifthDimension #1966Music #PsychedelicRock
#EightMilesHigh #RogerMcGuinn #DavidCrosby #FolkRock #ClassicRockHistory
#VinylCollection #MusicPodcast #AlbumDeepDive

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Court and Spark by Joni Mitchell

In this episode of Classic Rock Album Olympics music historians Gary Wenstrup and Robert Rodriguez go to Joni Mitchell’s 1974 album Court
and Spark and determine which songs earn their gold, silver and bronze medals.

Medal Winners

⁠Raised
On Robbery⁠

⁠Just
Like This Train⁠

⁠Free
Man In Paris⁠

⁠Twisted⁠ 

By the release of Court and Spark, Joni was already widely regarded as one of the most important voices of her generation. As a solo artist, she had released a remarkable run of albums—Song to a Seagull (1968), Clouds (1969), Ladies of the Canyon (1970), and the groundbreaking Blue (1971)—that earned her both critical praise and a devoted audience. Songs like “Both Sides Now,” (which Judy Collins took to #8) “Chelsea Morning,” and “The Circle Game” had also become hits for other artists, establishing her not only as a powerful performer, but as one of the most influential songwriters of the era.   

After years of writing deeply personal, introspective acoustic songs, with Court and Spark Joni felt herself drawn toward richer arrangements, new textures, and a wider emotional palette. To realize that vision, she collaborated with members of the L.A. Express, a talented group of jazz and session musicians, giving the album a sophisticated, fluid sound that still carried her unmistakable lyrical voice.

Upon release, Court and Spark was both a critical and commercial triumph. It reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard 200. Three singles were released: “Help Me” got to #7 Joni’s only Top 10 hit, “Free Man In Paris” (#22) and Raised On Robbery (#65). Speaking of Free Man In Paris...as we discuss the song is about record executive David Geffen who later came out as gay, but was romantically involved with Cher 1973-1975.

Court and Spark marks a turning point in Joni Mitchell’s artistic journey—an album where she moves fully into the space between folk, pop, and jazz, creating music that is elegant, emotionally layered, and distinctly her own. It stands today not just as one of her most approachable albums, but also one of her most masterfully constructed, a work of insight, sonic beauty, and enduring influence.

 Bonus Tracks

Basketball
Jones

Twisted
by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross

Help
Me

Court
And Spar⁠k

Side One

Court And Spark

Help Me

Free Man In Paris

People's Parties

The Same Situation

Side Two

Car On A Hill

Down To You

Just Like This Train

Raised On Robbery

Trouble Child

Twisted

 

Hashtags:

#JoniMitchell #CourtAndSpark #1974Music #SingerSongwriter
#HelpMe #FreeManInParis #LAExpress #JazzInfluence #ClassicAlbums
#VinylCollection #MusicPodcast #AlbumDeepDive

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In this episode of Classic Rock Album Olympics music historians Gary Wenstrup and Robert Rodriguez enter Led Zeppelin’s 1973 album Houses
of the Holy and award their gold, silver and bronze medals. 

Medal Winners

⁠The
Rain Song⁠

⁠Dancing
Days⁠

⁠Over
The Hills And Far Away⁠

⁠D’yer
Mak’er⁠

⁠The
Ocean⁠

This is the group’s fifth studio album, and notably, the first Zeppelin record to actually have a title instead of a number. Coming off the monumental success of Led Zeppelin IV, the band used Houses of the Holy to push outward creatively, exploring styles beyond the heavy blues-rock they were originally known for. 

The album has a more colorful atmosphere compared to their earlier work. Jimmy Page layered acoustic and electric guitars with more studio effects; Robert Plant leaned into warm, expressive lyricism; John Paul Jones embraced keyboards, Mellotron textures, and early synthesizers; and John Bonham played with a powerful but increasingly varied rhythmic style. The result is an album that moves with confidence from epic rock to lush balladry, from funk-influenced rhythm experiments to playful reggae-inspired grooves.

 Houses of the Holy quickly hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200.  Although Led Zeppelin was famously resistant to the single-driven pop market, two tracks were released as singles in the U.S.: “Over the Hills and Far Away,” which reached #51 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “D’yer Mak’er,” which reached #20. Houses of the Holy reinforced the band’s reputation not only as the biggest hard-rock act of the era, but as a group constantly evolving and comfortable taking risks at the top of the mountain. 

The album’s cover, designed by Hipgnosis and photographed at
The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, features a series of golden-tinted children climbing the stone formations—an image loosely inspired by the science fiction novel Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke. The artwork has since become one of rock’s most recognizable visuals.

Bonus Tracks

The
Rain Song (Live)

The
Ocean (Live)

Side One

The Song Remains The Same

The Rain Song

Over The Hills And Far Away

The Crunge

Side Two

Dancing Days

D'yer Mak'er

No Quarter

The Ocean

Hashtags:

#LedZeppelin #HousesOfTheHoly #ClassicRock #RobertPlant
#JimmyPage #JohnPaulJones #JohnBonham #OverTheHillsAndFarAway #NoQuarter
#TheOcean #RockHistory #1973Music #VinylCollection #MusicPodcast #AlbumDeepDive

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In this episode of Classic Rock Album Olympics music historians Gary Wenstrup and Robert Rodriguez dig into Paul Simon’s 1983 album
Hearts and Bones.

The album was written and recorded following Simon and Garfunkel’s Concert In The Park in 1981 and their world tour of 1982–1983.  Some of the songs intended for Hearts and Bones were performed on the tour.  Paul
and Art began recording and intended that the finished product would
be an all-new Simon & Garfunkel studio album.  However, tensions during recording led to the project being released as a Paul Simon solo album.

Hearts and Bones peaked at #35 in the U.S.  Commercially, it was Paul Simon’s poorest performing solo album to date.  The initial single Allergies only reached #44 and the follow up single Think Too Much (A) did not chart.  To our ears, however, the album is innovative, insightful and deeply moving. 

The case can be made that Hearts and Bones is an important transition album between Simon’s 1970s solo success and his 1986 smash Graceland.  With Hearts and Bones, Simon began experimenting with unusual rhythms, layered production, and a more adventurous studio approach.  This laid the foundation for Graceland’s fusion of pop and world music.

Medal Winners

Rene
and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War

Think
Too Much (B)

Hearts
And Bones

Train
In The Distance

Bonus Tracks

Allergies

Cars
Are Cars

Think
Too Much (A)

Rene
And Georette Magritte With Their Dog After The War with Art Garfunkel

Song About The Moon

Side One

Allergies

Hearts And Bones

When Numbers Get Serious

Think Too Much (b)

Song About The Moon

Side Two

Think Too Much (a)

Train In The Distance

Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War

Cars Are Cars

The Late Great Johnny Ace

Hash Tags

#PaulSimon #HeartsAndBones #MusicPodcast #AlbumDeepDive
#80sVibes #ClassicAlbum #SongwriterSpotlight #MusicLegends #BehindTheMusic
#VinylVibes #LoveAndLoss #HeartbreakSongs #StoryBehindTheSong
#MusicThatMovesYou #EmotionalLyrics #SoulfulSounds #FromHeartsToGraceland
#PaulSimonFans #GracelandJourney #MusicHistory #CreativeEvolution
#ArtistsJourney #NowPlaying #MusicRewind #PodcastLife #PopCulture #OnThisAlbum
#ThrowbackTunes #IconicAlbums

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