No Doubt was dripping with talent, creativity, and attitude. Trying to put the Anaheim band in a genre box was as difficult as trying to pin a simple label on David Bowie. They used horns, keyboards, guitars, pianos, drums, bass, vocals, and spirit to express themselves. No Doubt could be classified as Ska, Punk, Alternative, Pop, depending on who you ask. But regardless of whichever distinction you choose, the term “unique” must accompany said description. In October of 1995, No Doubt invited the world on a tour through a Tragic Kingdom. Armed with a myriad of songs; some pumped with adrenaline, others sprouting sun beams, and a few dripping with emotion, Gwen Stefani and the lads were primed to catapult into the music stratosphere.

In April of 1993, the Bay Area trio known as Green Day made the jump to the big leagues when they signed with Warner Brothers. The band was ready to unleash their sound under the backing of a major label They wanted to harness their live energy on an album and share it with the world. What followed was one of the most important albums of the 1990s and the record that finally launched punk rock out from the underground doldrums and into the bright lights of mainstream music.   Dookie premiered on February 1st, 1994 under WB’s Reprise Records. At the time, it acted as a fresh way to introduce punk rock to a starving clientele who received some morsels of the genre through other artists. In the years that followed, the record would serve as a significant influence for the upcoming rendition of rock bands. And for people searching for a punch from the alternative neighborhood, well, Green Day’s Dookie has always been more than happy to supply the fist. 

In early 1965, with already four folk records under his belt and enough critical praise to satisfy even Axl Rose, Bob Dylan was preparing one of the great Zags in music history. In March, the folk community was waiting with bated breath for another acoustic centric, poetic album from Dylan. But instead, he threw a curveball and electrocuted his audience by batting "Subterranean Homesick Blues" leadoff for Bringing It All Back Home. The record’s title was a red herring, as Dylan was leaving his humble folk cabin for a rock n’ roll high rise. For the first time, he brought in an assortment of musicians for an album. While he had some assistance in the studio before, this collection was not going to just be focused in on Dylan and his 6 acoustic strings. While the record would still include some pulls from his old bag of tricks, such as the endearing “Mr. Tambourine Man,” it was clear Dylan was taking his career in a different direction…down Highway 61… And on August 30th, 1965, Bob Dylan unleashed Highway 61 Revisited to the masses. It became a defining cultural document for Dylan, rock, folk, the 60s, and anyone who ever took a left because everyone wanted them to take a right.

One of the most potent albums to come from a 90’s California group sold over 11 million copies despite being distributed on Epitaph Records, an independent label. During this time, the voice and leader of these Garden Grove punks was a white guy with braids who had earned two biology degrees from the University of Southern California. Their lead guitarist was an elementary school janitor whose nickname was, and still is, Noodles. And the band’s name was inspired from a 1987 horror film titled, The Offspring they were born to kill. In April of 1994, the Orange County foursome came out with their 3rd album, titled Smash. In an era where rock bands were tapping into mainstream fame on major labels, The Offspring were going at things the old fashion way: word of mouth, local radio play, and dynamite music.

In 1975, Aerosmith pulled out all the bells, whistles, and harmonicas for their third studio album. Toys in the Attic is riddled with tracks that were destined to grace classic rock radio until the end of civilization. The record also contains a slew of numbers that would assist in cultivating Aerosmith’s diverse catalog. The Bad Boys from Boston's footprint on 70’s culture was set in stone, but this record ensured Aerosmith would forever be considered rock n’ roll royalty.   

On November 18th, 1993, Nirvana was primed to bare their sensitive sides in an intimate setting. Armed with acoustic guitars, well placed microphones, a cello, flowers and candles fit for a funeral, a surprise musical guest, cigarettes, tea, an office chair, and a set list woven together from a potent combination of cover and original songs, The Grunge God's were set to create one of the defining cultural documents for the last decade of the 20th century. Kurt Cobain’s last album with Nirvana was released posthumously on November 1st, 1994. While it would have been a haunting record without the connection to tragedy, the LP takes on an almost mythical significance with the world having to say good-bye to the iconic front-man all too soon.

By the time the mid 80's rolled around, Van Halen was ready to push the envelope and expand the band’s sound. Led by Eddie Van Halen, and his trusty Fender Stratocaster guitar, nick-named “Frankenstein”, the mad scientist rocker went into his laboratory. To crescent his new home studio, 5150, Eddie kick started Van Halen’s next project. And, along with charismatic front-man David Lee Roth, the golden voiced bassist Michael Anthony, his bombastic drummer of a brother Alex, Eddie concocted Van Halen’s 6th studio album. 1984 became an era defining rock record that masterfully fused synthesizers with guitars, drums and suggestive lyrics to capture the spirit of the 1980’s music scene.

Hello, I am Chad Jones. Welcome to the introduction episode for "Don't Scratch The Vinyl." For the first show, I dive into the format of my music history podcast and share about myself. This show will be centered around me, sometimes solo and sometimes with a guest, breaking down an album song by song. I will be discussing the context of when the record was released, why it mattered in real time, and what music fans can take from the record today.