History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff is the show that aims to make grand and often oddball hard rock and heavy metal points through a narrative built upon the tiny idea of a quintet of songs. Buttressed with illustrative clips, Martin argues quickly and succinctly why these songs - and the specific sections of these tracks - support his mad professor premise, from the wobbly invention of an “American” heavy metal, to the influence of Led Zeppelin in hair metal or to more succinct topics like tapping and twin leads. The songs serve as bricks, but Martin slathers plenty of mortar. At the end, hopefully he has a sturdy house in which this week’s theory can reside unbothered by the elements. At approximately 7000, Martin has had published in books more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 85 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting. Proud part of Pantheon - the podcast network for music lovers.

Episodes

History in Five Songs Episode 320: The Curious Chaos of Hair Metal Live Albums

August 12, 2025 • 34 mins
In Episode 320 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores the “curious chaos” of hair metal live albums, as he surveys the patchy, inconsistent releases of the era—ranging from double-gatefold throwbacks to scrappy singles, EPs, and bonus-track hybrids—and examines how changing technology, shifting band abilities, and label strategies shaped a messy, often underwhelming legacy. Dokken – “Tooth and Nail” Gre...
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History in Five Songs Episode 319: Ozzy’s Long Death Reckoning

August 5, 2025 • 40 mins
In Episode 319 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores “Ozzy’s Long Death Reckoning,” tracing lyrical themes of mortality, spiritual reckoning, and existential dread throughout Ozzy Osbourne’s five-decade career—from early doom-laced Sabbath tracks to solo reflections on heaven, hell, and legacy. Ozzy Osbourne – “Centre of Eternity” Ozzy Osbourne – “Road to Nowhere” Ozzy Osbourne – “Facing Hell” Oz...
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History in Five Songs Episode 318: Ozzy’s Warnings to the World

July 29, 2025 • 38 mins
In Episode 318 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin pays tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne by exploring the apocalyptic, anti-war, and deeply personal themes running through Ozzy’s lyrics across his career—what Martin calls “Ozzy’s warnings to the world.” Ozzy Osbourne – “Revelation (Mother Earth)” Ozzy Osbourne – “Thank God for the Bomb” Ozzy Osbourne – “Whole World’s Fallin’ Down” Ozzy Osbourne – “Bla...
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History in Five Songs Episode 317: Non-American Hair Metal

July 29, 2025 • 35 mins
In Episode 317 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin ponders the limited success and distinctive characteristics of non-American hair metal, focusing on Canada and the UK, and examining why the genre largely failed to flourish outside the U.S. despite a few notable efforts. 1. Helix – “High Voltage Kicks” 1:13 – 1:432. The Quireboys – “7 O’Clock” 0:24– 0:543. Europe – “On the Loose” 0:26 – 0:564. Scorpions – “Unholy...
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History in Five Songs Episode 316: Bands Ruined by Funk

July 26, 2025 • 38 mins
In Episode 316 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin takes a cheeky sideways swipe at the groove: Martin lines up Deep Purple, Queen, The Jam, Boomtown Rats, and The Clash, drops the needle on their “too‑funky‑for‑their‑own‑good” moments, and shows how a fatback beat can splinter line‑ups, sideline guitars, and tank whole careers. If you’re curious why Richie Blackmore bolted, how Freddie’s dance‑floor obsession blind...
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History in Five Songs Episode 315: Metal Classics That Sold Nothing

July 8, 2025 • 35 mins
In Episode 315 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives deep into the fascinating world of heavy metal albums that never achieved gold certification, spotlighting legendary but commercially underperforming releases from Black Sabbath, Angel Witch, Slayer, Venom, Mercyful Fate, and more — proving that critical acclaim and genre-defining influence don't always come with big sales. Black Sabbath – “Hot Line” An...
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History in Five Songs Episode 314: When Writing Credits Matter

July 1, 2025 • 39 mins
In Episode 314 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores how songwriting credits can shape — or sometimes have little impact on — our understanding of band dynamics, musical identity, and who really deserves the money and credit behind the hits. Whitesnake – “Hot Stuff” UFO – “Too Hot to Handle” Scorpions – “Bad Boys Running Wild” Ozzy Osbourne – “Believer” Deep Purple – “Pictures of Home” Learn...
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History in Five Songs Episode 313: What did you do during hair metal?

June 24, 2025 • 34 mins
In Episode 313 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin delves into how a wide range of hard rock and metal bands navigated the hair metal era—from those who ignored it entirely, to those who subtly adapted, stayed the course, or went in completely bizarre directions. Black Sabbath – “Call of the Wild” Scorpions – “Hit Between the Eyes” Queen – “Pain Is So Close to Pleasure” Kiss – “Good Girl Gone Bad” St...
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History in Five Songs Episode 312: Unexpected AOR Albums

June 17, 2025 • 34 mins
In Episode 312 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores a curious subset of rock history—unexpected AOR albums—by spotlighting bands like Heart and Yes that made surprising forays into glossy, radio-friendly territory during the early ’80s, blurring the lines between prog, pop, and proto–hair metal. Heart – “Heavy Heart” Yes – “City of Love” Blue Öyster Cult – “Eyes on Fire” Golden Earring – “Enough...
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History in Five Songs Episode 311: Covers, not grunge, killed hair metal.

June 10, 2025 • 35 mins
In Episode 311 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin argues that the real nail in hair metal's coffin wasn’t grunge, but the wave of uninspired cover songs that undermined the genre’s credibility and alienated metal purists from the very start. Quiet Riot – “Cum on Feel the Noize” Great White – “Gimme Some Lovin’” Mötley Crüe – “Smokin’ in the Boys Room” Twisted Sister – “Leader of the Pack” Poison – “...
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History in Five Songs Episode 310: Struggling with the Greatest New Wave Bands

June 3, 2025 • 37 mins
In Episode 310 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin wrestles with defining the genre and counts down his five favorite—yet genre-challengingly eclectic—new wave bands, kicking off with the Boomtown Rats and Devo in a tightly-defined 1979-focused episode. The Boomtown Rats – “Keep it Up” Devo – “Blockhead” The Police – “No Time This Time” The Jam – “Girl on the Phone” XTC – “Scissor Man” Learn more...
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History in Five Songs Episode 309: New Wave’s Pub Rock Problem

May 27, 2025 • 37 mins
In Episode 309 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin delves into the theory that traditional, conservative pub rock diluted the innovation of New Wave, highlighting how artists like Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, and Rockpile carried this "pub rock problem" into a genre otherwise defined by its creative and edgy origins. Elvis Costello – “The Beat” Joe Jackson – “Kinda Kute” Rockpile – “A Knife and a Fork” ...
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History in Five Songs Episode 308: Who invented new wave?

May 20, 2025 • 30 mins
In Episode 308 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives into the murky origins of new wave music, exploring whether bands like Velvet Underground and Roxy Music truly helped invent the genre—or if new wave simply evolved without a clear starting point. Velvet Underground – “Some Kinda Love” Roxy Music – “All I Want Is You” Iggy Pop – “Sister Midnight” David Bowie – “Word on a Wing” The Sex Pistols ...
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History in Five Songs Episode 307: Knighted Rock Stars

May 13, 2025 • 33 mins
In Episode 307 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives into the fascinating and sometimes controversial world of UK rock stars who’ve been knighted, exploring the honors system, the cultural implications of Britishness, and spotlighting five legendary artists—like Mick Jagger, Ray Davies, and Bob Geldof—whose contributions to music (and beyond) earned them royal recognition. Mick Jagger – “Shoot Off Your Mouth...
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History in Five Songs Episode 306: Offshoot Band, Shadow Band

May 6, 2025 • 34 mins
In Episode 306 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin toys with the concept of "shadow bands"—offshoot groups formed by former members that mimic, diverge from, or rival the original band—ranging from dim echoes like David Lee Roth’s solo work to near-equal counterparts like Slash’s Snakepit to Ozzy’s post-Sabbath solo reign. David Lee Roth – “40 Below” Slash’s Snakepit – “Soma City Ward” Roger Waters – “Bir...
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History in Five Songs Episode 305: Bands That Became American

May 5, 2025 • 39 mins
In Episode 305 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives into how bands like Whitesnake, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, though originally British (or from elsewhere), became increasingly "Americanized" through their members, locations, recordings, and career. Whitesnake – “Slip of the Tongue” Geezer – “Box of Six” Accept – “Overnight Sensation” Pat Travers – “Then I Fall” King Crimson – “Neal and Ja...
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History in Five Songs Episode 304: The Best Real Estate on a Vinyl Album

April 22, 2025 • 38 mins
In Episode 304 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin ponders the underrated power and artistry behind the opening track of side two on vinyl albums—“the best real estate” on a record—highlighting how bands like AC/DC, Golden Earring, and Rush use that spot to make bold, surprising, or rewarding musical statements for dedicated listeners. AC/DC – “Guns for Hire” Golden Earring – “D Light” Derringer – “Let’s Make It”...
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History in Five Songs Episode 303: The Stealth Platinums

April 15, 2025 • 31 mins
In Episode 303 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores the phenomenon of "stealth platinums" — albums from hard rock and metal bands that unexpectedly went platinum in the U.S. despite being critically dismissed, commercially forgotten, or largely unloved by fans. AC/DC – “Two’s Up” Blue Oyster Cult – “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” Kiss – “Let’s Put the X in Sex” Scorpions – “Hold Me Tight” Nazareth – “M...
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History in Five Songs Episode 302: Prog Bands’ Top Ten Seconds

April 8, 2025 • 32 mins
In Episode 302 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin relives his favorite top 10-second moments from progressive rock bands, highlighting magical and iconic passages that encapsulate the peak musical achievements of bands like Porcupine Tree and King Crimson. Porcupine Tree – “Fear of a Blank Planet” King Crimson – “Three of a Perfect Pair Genesis – “Abacab” Rush – “Tom Sawyer” Yes – “Close to the Edge” Learn m...
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History in Five Songs Episode 301: There’s no such thing as proto-punk.

April 1, 2025 • 34 mins
In Episode 301 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin argues that there's no such thing as proto-punk, exploring how bands like The Saints, MC5, and The Stooges challenged the conventional labels by suggesting that many so-called proto-punk acts are better understood as neo-garage or heavy rock bands, rather than direct precursors to punk. The Saints – “No Time” MC5 – “Call Me Animal” The Stooges – “Your Pretty Face...
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