Rob Nichols

The rise and slide of the Simple Minds – one of the most successful and influential bands in the UK during the 1980s. A mix of new wave, post-punk, and rock. Multiple UK Top 10 hits. But it took “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” to break them big in the US.  They rode that stand-alone single into one hit album here in the States. When Once Upon a Time was released in 1985 – without “Don’t You” on it. “Alive and Kicking” was the lead single – essentially the band’s 2nd American single. It went to #3 on the Billboard … Read more

We play just five songs from an artist’s catalog – from all the albums, the singles, the live albums. The music game is called “Play Me 5”. Can we hear a band or performer in five songs, and find the reason – a bit of the understanding – as to why they are who they are and why they matter in the rock and roll continuum?  That’s it.  Let’s go. This episode, it is Bryan Adams.   Why does Adams, a rock and roll singer from Canada, have a place in rock and roll history?  Or does he? Reckless was a … Read more

This episode is a conversation with a 30-something Bruce fan who came to Bruce Springsteen’s career only recently. We talk with Brandon Fitzsimmons, who started his journey with Springsteen during the downtime he had during COVID in 2020.  He did a deep dive into Springsteen’s catalog, and most interesting to me, just saw Bruce for the first time at a show in Pittsburgh in the fall of 2024, driving 6 hours to see a 74-year old Springsteen and the E St. Band.  What was that like?  We talk about it, and how Brandon started – and went all in – … Read more

Greg Kihn, the California-via-Baltimore pop rocker passed away in August 2024, leaving behind a truly great FM radio hit with “The Breakup Song” and his biggest song, “Jeopardy”, that hit #2 and found heavy rotation on MTV.  The same song was famously parodied by Weird Al Yankovic. Kihn also had a long career as a rock radio DJ on KFOX, and he wrote books. But mostly he was a guy who just kept rocking. After a run of yearly albums for more than a decade, from the mid 70’s to the mid 80’s, he released his final album (Rekihndled) in … Read more

Albums that may not have seen big sales – a couple did – but that are worth turning up.  We talk about who, why, and how come they rock.  And a couple of bonus albums too. James McMurtry Melissa Etheridge Rick Springfield Warren Zevon Todd Snider The Gaslight Anthem The Elms *** Hear all the archived episodes and find our social media and email links on the website: rockpopandroll.com SUBSCRIBE LINKS: Apple Podcasts SpotifyGoogle Podcasts EMAIL: rockpoprollpodcast@gmail.com Read Rob’s current and archived writing at rockforward.wordpress.com

We play just five songs from an artist’s catalog – from all the albums, the singles, the live albums. The music game is called “Play Me 5”. Five songs that do two things: 1. Give a representation of the artist – the musician – the band – the singer.  2. Find songs that reveal a bit of the magic of the performance or the musicians.  Or both. Can that work? I don’t know. That’s the idea and intent.  Can we hear a band or performer in five songs, and find the reason – a bit of the understanding – as … Read more

More known as a party band than they were rock royalty, the J. Geils Band is still a rock band of the era that gets tossed aside, despite a decade of incendiary live shows and more hits than some may recall. One of my favorites. Played them loud.  Learned some history too. I seriously rocked the “Blow Your Face Out” live cassette in my $2,000 brown Buick Skylark back in 1986. It’s really not just that the J. Geils Band is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But they probably aren’t getting in. Yet the bridge they … Read more

John Waite was in The Babys, out front of two pop hits that both peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, (“Isn’t It Time” and “Everytime I Think of You”) His solo career started with a really good but forgotten 1982 debut album Ignition, which produced the single “Change”. It didn’t chart on Billboard’s Hot 100 during its initial release (June 1982) but was #16 rock track on AOR radio stations and was produced by the great Bob Clearmountain.  And Patty Smyth sings background vocals on “Change” But it was the album No Brakes that gave him his … Read more

On this episode, take a tour with us  – to the early 80’s – to Scandal, as we drop into the short history of the band that released an EP that was a scattering blast of five songs – including “Goodbye To You” and “Love Has Got A Line”. At the time, it was the best-selling EP in the history of Columbia Records. But did I ever really listen to, back in 1982 or 84 or 87 or whenever, all the five songs? Maybe.  Around this time, in 1982, Pat Benatar was coming towards the end of her best run. … Read more

Henry Lee Summer latched on to the sound of pop and rock radio in the 80s and rode that bad boy to a couple of late-decade hits, and a handful of good, heartland rock and roll albums.  But in his home state – Indiana – Summer was more than couple nice radio hits and a handful of albums. Weird that he could be, maybe? Really not. His story is like a lot of local-but-more-music heroes. Cleveland and Providence and Pittsburgh and Toronto. Artists like Donnie Iris, Kim Mitchell, John Cafferty, and Joe Grushecky.   Henry Lee Summer mined the sound … Read more