Prisoners of Rock and Roll

• 111 - Bruce Springsteen & Electric Nebraska

  We’re opening the vault on the single most mythical recording in Bruce Springsteen’s long career: Electric Nebraska. In January 1982: Bruce locked himself in a bedroom with a four-track and cut ten of the bleakest songs he’s ever written. A few months later, he took those songs into the studio with the E Street Band and tried them loud. They didn’t work. Bruce ultimately released the original demos, and Nebraska became one of the bleakest albums in the Springsteen catalogue.  But what about those full band recordings. For forty years, fans have been debating: do the the tapes even exist? Were they destroyed? Are they better? Even members of the band disagreed on whether they existed. After decades of waiting, we finally have them. In October 2025, Bruce Springsteen dug into the vault and released Electric Nebraska as part of the Nebraska box set. It’s the ultimate “what if” in the Boss’s entire catalogue. Some of these electric takes absolutely rip, but some lose their special darkness as soon as that big E Street sound kicks in.  So join us as we dive into the songs from the musical white whale, the electric ark of the covenant for Springsteen fans: Electric Nebraska. Episode Playlist No playlist for this one, but check out the Nebraska Expanded Edition box set for all of this great music we discussed. Get In Touch Check us out⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or drops us an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Or if you're in Philadelphia, come visit our home base at⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠McCusker's Tavern⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Prisoners of Rock and Roll is part of⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pantheon Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We're sponsored by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Boldfoot Socks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 110 -- High Notes: The Best Songs About Weed

  Hey there, groove rebels, light one up and crank it loud. In this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re blazing through songs about weed. From Willie Nelson’s outlaw anthems to Snoop Dogg’s chronic classics, the Grateful Dead’s tie-dye jams, and Cypress Hill’s hazy hits, pot’s been music’s smoky sidekick for decades. But we’re not just name-dropping—we’re digging deep into tracks that tell America’s weed story as it’s gone from counter culture to more mainstream – and legal – form of recreation. Back in the Harlem Renaissance, jazz cats were puffing and playing, turning reefer into rhythm. Then it was counterculture fuel—think ‘60s stoners flipping the bird to the law. Now? It’s legal in half the states, and weed’s gone mainstream, from dispensaries to playlists. So grab your stash, feel the vibe, and join us as we roll through the tunes that tracked America’s high times. Episode Playlist Check out our episode playlist ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠h⁠ere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get In Touch Check us out⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or drops us an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Or if you're in Philadelphia, come visit our home base at⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠McCusker's Tavern⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Prisoners of Rock and Roll is part of⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pantheon Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We're sponsored by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Boldfoot Socks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 109 -- One Hit Wonders of the 1990s

  In this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re reliving the one hit wonders of the 1990s. This was a defining decade for us because it’s when we graduated high school and college, and we spent a lot of it slinging CDs in a record store, back when your local mall had record stores. Music was literally in the background all the time, whether we were watching MTV, sitting in our rooms rocking out, cranking it up while driving our first cars, or helping customers find the cassette single of Macarena or Zoot Suit Riot.  We put together a playlist of over 135 one hit wonders from the 90s. There’s no way we’ll get to them all, but we’ve got alternative rock from Blind Melon, Blur, the Flys, Local H, Ben Folds Five, Dishwalla, and more. The two single greatest hip hop songs of all time in the Humpty Dance and Baby Got Back. Singer songwriters like Eagle Eye Cherry, Duncan Sheik, and Jill Sobule.  Nu metal, dance music, and all of that weird, quirky stuff like swing music, Right Said Fred, Haddaway, and more.  We’re going to talk about songs you haven’t thought of in years and some you wish you never heard again. All you Gen Xers are gonna want to pay attention to this one. Let’s hit it! Episode Playlist Check out our episode playlist ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠h⁠ere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get In Touch Check us out⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or drops us an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Or if you're in Philadelphia, come visit our home base at⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠McCusker's Tavern⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Prisoners of Rock and Roll is part of⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pantheon Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We're sponsored by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Boldfoot Socks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 108 -- A Magical Mystery Tour to Abbey Road Studios

  Abbey Road Studios in London, England was the world’s first purpose-built recording studio. Opened way back in 1931, this building and the people inside have been at the cutting edge of recording technology for over 90s years. Abbey Road Studios is most famous for being where The Beatles recorded almost all of their music, but it also drove innovation with stereo recording, multitracks, editing, and the shift from analog to digital recording.  In addition to all of those amazing Beatles records – which we’ll get to – some other stuff recorded at Abbey Road includes Dark Side of the Moon and albums from Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Oasis, the Hollies, Radiohead, and the Zombies. Music scores for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Marvel movies, and video game soundtracks for Halo, Call of Duty, and World of Warcraft. They even recorded some of Winston Churchill’s famous speeches during World War II to help keep morale high.  From classical roots to rock rebellion, Abbey Road’s always been ahead of the game, rewriting rules along the way. So kick back, feel the beat, and join us as we explore the studio that turned sound into a revolution. Let’s roll! Episode Playlist Check out our episode playlist ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get In Touch Check us out⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or drops us an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Or if you're in Philadelphia, come visit our home base at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠McCusker's Tavern⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Prisoners of Rock and Roll is part of⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pantheon Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We're sponsored by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Boldfoot Socks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 107 -- Rebels With A Cause: Good People In Music

  After doing a few episodes on scandals and artists who did time in prison, we’re flipping the script and shining a light on the good people in music – artists who pay it forward and have a reputation for just being good people.  We’ve got Dolly Parton sending books to kids through her Imagination Library and Alice Cooper swinging his golf clubs to fund youth programs. Ludacris donating school supplies and clothes to thousands of kids and Jon Bon Jovi fighting poverty through his Soul Foundation. Taylor Swift, U2, Elton John, Kendrick Lamar – these aren’t just stars; they’re the real deal.  In a world full of headlines that drag us down, these artists prove music can lift us up. So join us as we celebrate the heart behind the hits. Let’s roll! Charities Here are links to some the charities we talked about in this episode: Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Foundation (Alice Cooper) – https://alicecoopersolidrock.com/ BeyGOOD Foundation (Beyonce Knowles-Carter) – https://beygood.org/ The Claddagh Fund (Dropkick Murphys) – https://www.claddaghfund.org/ Clara Lionel Foundation (Rhianna) – https://www.claralionelfoundation.org/ Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (Dolly Parton) – https://imaginationlibrary.com/ The Dollywood Foundation (Dolly Parton) – https://imaginationlibrary.com/the-dollywood-foundation/ Elton John AIDS Foundation – https://www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org/ Feeding American – https://www.feedingamerica.org Habitat for Humanity - https://www.habitat.org/JBL Soul Foundation (Jon Bon Jovi) – https://jbjsf.org/ Honor Flight Network – https://www.honorflight.org/ JBL Soul KItchen (Jon Bon Jovi) – https://jbjsoulkitchen.org/ Joseph’s House – https://www.jhoc.org/ The Ludacris Foundation (Ludacris) – https://theludacrisfoundation.org/ Meat Free Monday (Paul McCartney) – https://meatfreeondays.com One (U2) – https://www.one.org/us/ Rex Foundation (Grateful Dead) – https://rexfoundation.org/ Shawn Carter Foundation (Jay-Z) – https://shawncartersf.com/ SocialWorks (Chance The Rapper) – https://www.socialworkschi.org United Way – https://meatfreeondays.com Episode Playlist Check out our episode playlist ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get In Touch Check us out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or drops us an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Or if you're in Philadelphia, come visit our home base at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠McCusker's Tavern⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Prisoners of Rock and Roll is part of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pantheon Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We're sponsored by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Boldfoot Socks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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