Classic Rocktails
A listening party for friends where we play a great album that we loved back in the day, but may have forgotten about. Does that album hold-up? What is the *one* perfect cocktail to pair with that album? We hope that our listening party generates smart, funny conversation... So drop-in to the Classic Rocktails party!
Episodes
30 million albums sold. A band on the verge of collapse. And somehow they made this shimmering masterpiece.
Tango in the Night (1987)
Masterpiece… or overproduced 80s excess?
#FleetwoodMac
“Bohemian Rhapsody” made $900 million worldwide.
A movie about a 1970s rock band.
With no superheroes.
Let that sink in.
Why did this film hit such a nerve with audiences?
#ClassicRocktails
Grab the cocktail, listen to the mini-playlist (Tasting Flight) and then join the Classic Rocktails Pyromania Party!
When rock became precision-built.
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Produced by Robert John 'Mutt' Lange — the mad scientist of layered rock.
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Guitars and vocals were stacked obsessively (sometimes dozens of takes).
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Pioneered the “polished but heavy” sound later used by Bon Jovi, Poison, etc.
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More studio craft than raw band performance — c...
This week on Classic Rocktails, Doc and Mac go double-feature after accidentally prepping two different Styx albums—The Grand Illusion and Paradise Theater.
They debate Dennis DeYoung vs. Tommy Shaw, arena rock vs. theater, and which album truly defines Styx at their peak—plus cocktails inspired by both records.
Two albums. One band. One spirited showdown.
Arctic Monkeys — in 2013 they were the future. Did it arrive?
AM was carried by “Do I Wanna Know?”-- was it the last great rock crossover?
#ArcticMonkeys #AM #IndieRock
“Get Lucky” from 1981 is about wanting everything—success, sex, attention—and not feeling even slightly bad about it.
Listen, like, rate, subscribe, smile, square-dance, do all the things!
Join the Bourbon Brothers this week as they discuss Throwing Copper.
This album is one of the most nakedly confessional rock albums of the ’90s — jealousy, longing, anger, worship.
But does it hold up?
We debate Night Visions.
- Is Imagine Dragons unfairly criticized because they’re successful—or fairly criticized because their sound feels engineered rather than dangerous?
- What is Dragon Mount Rushmore?
- Does this hold up?
Billy Squier's iconic debut album "Don't Say No," featuring The Stroke, My Kind of Lover, In the Dark...
Is this Cock Rock-- or actually vulnerable? Despite the confidence, loneliness and paranoia creep in—fame isolates as much as it empowers. Is this album secretly about isolation disguised as swagger?
#classicrock
Clapton's comeback album, Journeyman. A polished gem-- or does the gloss make it sound trapped in the 80's?
#classicrock
Is Purple Rain a perfect album—or an untouchable myth we’re afraid to question?
In this episode of Classic Rocktails, we revisit Prince’s Purple Rain not as a shrine, but as a living, breathing cultural event. We unpack how sex, spirituality, ego, and ambition collide across the album—and debate which songs still feel dangerous versus which ones survive mostly on reputation.
Along the way, we examine how Purple Rain blurred the lin...
Is Tour de Force an under-appreciated piece of pure early-80s muscle rock?
- “If I’d Been the One” alone makes Tour de Force worth revisiting.
- Big hooks. Bigger choruses. Zero apologies.
- Still hits harder than you remember.
- What's the perfect cocktail to accompany this album?
#classicrock
Cocktails flow, a holiday gift exchange gets competitive, and rock legends land on the Naughty or Nice list. Laughs, hot takes, and holiday chaos—Classic Rocktails style.
Sergeant Peppers-- good, or just kind of goofy?
On this episode of Classic Rocktails, we take on one of the most revered albums in music history and ask the uncomfortable questions: does Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band still reward repeated listening, or has its reputation outpaced its emotional punch?
We break down the album’s role in reshaping what pop albums could be, debate whether concept outweighs songcraft, and explore...
Is Kenny Loggins’ High Adventure, a glossy, high-energy ride from the golden age of yacht rock- or kinda lame?
- From soaring pop hooks to classic Loggins soundtrack swagger, we break down the album’s best moments, surprising collaborators, and whether this overlooked early-’80s gem still holds up today.
- Grab a drink, cue the keyboards, and climb aboard.
#yachtrock
EMERGENCY HOLIDAY MINI-PODCAST!
Cheap Trick releases a new album and it is GREAT.
The Bourbon Brothers deep-dive this unexpected gem.
#cheaptrick #classicrock #rock #80smusic #newmusic
Country? Rock? Southern Rock?
Is Traveller a modern classic—or just great timing and a great voice?
In this episode of Classic Rocktails, we examine Chris Stapleton’s Traveller as a bridge between classic rock values and modern Americana. We talk about why this album connected so deeply, so fast—and whether its stripped-down honesty represents a return to roots or a reaction against overproduced modern country.
We debate Stapleton’...
- R.E.M. hit the ’90s like a southern breeze and a philosophical gut-punch, and Out of Time is the proof.
- In this episode, “Losing My Religion,” “Shiny Happy People,” and the quiet genius that turned an alt-rock band into global headline material.
- Expect mandolins, memory lanes, a few questionable Michael Stipe impressions, and a drink you’ll want to make twice.
Press play, sip slow, and fall back ...
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