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The Secret History of Rock

The War Against Recorded Music

May 4, 2012 Alan Cross 1 Comment 0 min read

Whenever there’s an advance in technology, the people who feel threatened by it fight back.  We’ve certainly seen this  a lot with music over the last 100-plus years.  In 1930, the American Federation

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The Secret History of Rock

Another Theory on the Origin of the Term “Rock and Roll”

May 3, 2012 Alan Cross 1 Comment 0 min read

The accepted etymology of the term “rock and roll” is that it descended from African-American slang for “sex.”  This has been traced back to at least to the years around World War I. 

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The Secret History of Rock

The Old Our Lady Peace Dude

May 2, 2012 Alan Cross 1 Comment 0 min read

Have you ever wondered about the old guy that has played such a big part in the artwork for Our Lady Peace albums and videos?  His name is Saul Fox and he came

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The Secret History of Rock

The Cruelty of Meningitis

May 1, 2012 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

Meningitis is one of the worst things that can happen to you.  It’s an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and the spinal cord and is caused mainly by bacteria and

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The Secret History of Rock

Life After Rock: Jim Martin of Faith No More

April 28, 2012 Alan Cross 1 Comment 0 min read

Faith No More remains a most-beloved band for many people who grew up in the 90s.  Their combination of metal, funk and rap set the stage for a lot of the stuff that

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The Secret History of Rock

The Story Behind U2’s Under a Blood Red Sky

April 27, 2012 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

U2’s first live album was Under the Blood Red Sky, a recording they made at the Red Rock Amphitheare just outside Denver on June 5, 1983.  What most people don’t know is that

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The Secret History of Rock

The 3-inch CD

April 26, 2012 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

How big is a compact disc?  The standard CD is 4.7 inches or just under 12 centimeters in diameter.  But have you ever heard of the mini Compact Disc?  They were just like

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The Secret History of Rock

Weird Facts About Bad Hearing

April 25, 2012 Alan Cross 2 Comments 0 min read

You don’t need me to tell you that loud music can be very bad for you hearing.  However, scientists have discovered that like the rest of your body, your ears near a physical

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The Secret History of Rock

The Oldsmobile and What That Meant to Rock History

April 24, 2012 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

On April 29, 2004, the last Oldsmobile rolled off the assembly line after General Motors decided to kill off the brand that was started in 1897.  So what does that have to do

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The Secret History of Rock

The Day the Clash Was Arrested for Terrorism

April 23, 2012 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

The middle and late 70s was a tense time with Britain with the IRA bombing campaign in full effect.  Unfortunately, on March 30, 1978, Paul Simonen and Topper Headon of the Clash along

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The Secret History of Rock

The Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

April 22, 2012 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

When Billy Corgan told the Smashing Pumpkins record company that the third record would be a double album, they were appalled.  First of all, it was highly uncool at the time for an

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Ongoing History of New Music Podcast

Each week, the podcast looks at something from the alt-rock universe, from artist profiles to various thematic explorations. Whatever the episode, you’re definitely going to learn something that you might not find anywhere else. Trust us on this.

Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry

Have I got a story for you! Award-winning Music Historian and host of the chart-topping Ongoing History of New Music Podcast Alan Cross unleashes his next amazing podcast. In every episode, Alan Cross takes you inside unbelievable true stories of crime, murder, scandal, strange deaths, unexplainable events, and the general mayhem from the music industry through the decades. There is a lot of bad behaviour that needs to be talked about. It’s a one-of-a-kind podcast featuring true crime stories from the world of music. OUT NOW!

The Science of Song by Alan Cross

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