Speed of Sound

Speed of Sound

Speed of Sound is the podcast that breaks down the stories behind the pop songs - and sounds - that topped the charts and shaped the soundtrack of generations. Hosted by Steve Greenberg, a multi-Grammy Award winning record producer and all-around music obsessive, Speed of Sound is your all-access pass to music's biggest moments from sock hops to hip hop to k-pop; you won't want to miss a beat.

Episodes

December 24, 2022 24 mins

Join Steve for an unbelievable, personal and twisting tale of intertwining paths with the silver-toned king of the top 40 countdown, Casey Kasem. It's a story that reaches back through the years to very much validate Kasem's signature sign off: "keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars." 

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On the final episode of Season One, Steve finishes up the TRL Era of the late 90s, complete with the strategies and romances that drove the acts that topped the charts. Steve's joined by music mavens Taylor Hanson, Danny Goldberg, Tom Poleman, Phil Quartararo, Karen Glauber, Lee Leipsner and Johnny Wright to give you all-star access to the gilded age of MTV Pop.

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The inside story behind Pop's resurgence in the mid 1990s from the power players who orchestrated it- including the iconic voice behind MMMBop, Taylor Hanson of Hanson. Steve's also joined by music mavens Danny Goldberg, Tom Poleman, Phil Quartararo, Karen Glauber and Johnny Wright. It's an absolutely legendary listen! 

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Dive into the frighteningly wild backstory behind Bobby Pickett's iconic novelty song "Monster Mash"- which hit the top of the charts not once, but twice, more than ten years apart. Steve's also joined by The Munster's iconic wolfboy, Butch Patrick, for some personal insight into the scene that set the stage for the song's success- and the man that sang it. 

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The disco fad goes into overdrive, and is met with opposition from haters who vow to bring it crumbling down, leading to an anti-disco riot on a baseball diamond in Chicago. Join Steve for the final chapter on the rise- and fall - of 70s Disco. 

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Disco declines and is brought back, big time, by the big screen. Join Steve as he traces the impact of a danceable Hollywood blockbuster on radio and discotheques as the 70s reach a fevered pitch. 

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Steve continues to trace the trajectory of Disco's dominance of the airwaves and the hottest clubs, including New York City's notorious home for the famous and decadent; Studio 54.

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Tune in as Steve delves into the colorful history and influences that drove the decadent decade of Disco- from a clandestine club in Nazi occupied Paris to the underground urban clubs that heralded the beginning of the gay pride movement all the way to disco's dominance of Top 40 Radio. 

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August 25, 2020 53 mins

Steve traces how rock and roll is embraced by adults for the very first time, as the twist moves from a notorious Mob owned NYC dive bar all the way to high society, the White House and a very enthusiastic JFK. 

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August 18, 2020 46 mins

Steve deep dives into the origins of the song that popularized a controversial dance move, launched multiple social movements and proved to be the starting gun for the rebellious 1960's.

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Join Steve for the incredible inside story behind the song that launched hip hop on its course towards world domination. It's a tale tainted by scandal: accusations of organized crime, plagiarism and betrayal. And it's told by the artists who lived it: early South Bronx innovator Grandmaster Caz and The Sugarhill Gang's Wonder Mike and Master Gee.

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Blunders, technology, tragedy and luck all played a role in America's embrace of Beatlemania. Join Steve Greenberg for a whirlwind breakdown on exactly how the Liverpool foursome went from unknowns to the biggest pop stars in the USA, in just six weeks.

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Join host Steve Greenberg for a deep dive into the remarkable story behind the unexpected smash hit "Who Let The Dogs Out?" by The Baha Men, a song celebrating its 20th anniversary. It's a tale involving crate-digging in Trinidadian record stores, Alex Rodriguez, Rugrats, and more. (You'll also find out who's really barking those "woofs" of the song's hook and how that hook traces back years before the song was even recorded.)

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July 21, 2020 3 mins

Speed of Sound is the podcast that breaks down the stories behind the pop songs - and sounds - that topped the charts and shaped the soundtrack of generations. It's hosted by Steve Greenberg, a multi-Grammy Award winning record producer and all-around music obsessive. Tune in for an all access pass to music's biggest moments from sock hops to hip hop to k-pop; you won't want to miss a beat.

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