The History of Heavy Podcast
A show that traces the chronology of extreme, loud and extremely loud music song by song. From The Kinks to Kiss, The Beatles to Black Sabbath, Miles Davis to Motörhead we dive deep into the circumstances, influences and popular culture that made each of these tracks seem so intense and groundbreaking when they were released. Your co-hosts Michael Huntsman and "Big Daddy" Dave Lieberman take you on a journey from the late 50’s to present day that promises to blow your hair back and piss off your neighbors.
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EP29: The Blizzard of a Madman
07/29/2025
EP29: The Blizzard of a Madman
In April 1979 Ozzy Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath for behavior so disruptive to the group that even his notoriously hard partying bandmates could no longer deal with him. Upon his dismissal, the rock world had assumed that they had heard the last of the then 32 year old singer but less than a year a half later he would release his soon to be classic debut solo LP that featured a young musical prodigy named Randy Rhodes on guitar. A second solo record would follow a year later and his legacy as a solo artist and heavy metal icon would be cemented, arguably eclipsing even what he had accomplished with the mighty Sabbath. HHP Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy
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EP28: Remembering Ozzy Osbourne
07/23/2025
EP28: Remembering Ozzy Osbourne
Mike and Dave reminisce about the impact that Ozzy had on their lives and pay respect to his one of a kind greatness. Rest in Peace John Michael Osbourne. Recommended Listening, Watching & Reading The Best of Black Sabbath Playlist Sabbath Covers Playlist Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy
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EP27: Sir Lord Baltimore "Kingdom Come”
07/22/2025
EP27: Sir Lord Baltimore "Kingdom Come”
The Brooklyn power trio never found success in their early ’70’s heyday but in recent decades have been often referenced by hard rock and heavy metal nerds as one of the great overlooked bands. Their influence can clearly be heard in the stoner rock riffage of Kyuss and in the thick fuzziness of Melvins. Sir Lord Baltimore may have missed their shot at glory but their music continues to age extremely well. Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy
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EP26: The Best of Black Sabbath
07/15/2025
EP26: The Best of Black Sabbath
In honor of Sabbath’s last ever "Back to the Beginning" show at Villa Park in Birmingham we discuss our all-time favorite songs by the band that started it all! Recommended Listening, Watching & Reading HHP EP21: “The Wizard” Brown Sabbath “Fairies Wear Boots” Sepultura “Symptom of the Universe” The Cardigans “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” “Children of the Grave” White Zombie https://open.spotify.com/track/7eEHTD3EEevRKoLj7RwbYn?si=161c359d01624548 Lamb of God https://open.spotify.com/track/5pdb4UFAWnuiepRAyAUvsd?si=6cee4a82b0654cf3 HHP: The Best of Black Sabbath Playlist Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy
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EP25: Atomic Rooster "Death Walks Behind You"
06/24/2025
EP25: Atomic Rooster "Death Walks Behind You"
We’ve discussed iron butterflies and we'll get to hawk winds and swans but tonight it’s all about nuclear cocks as we take a step deeper into the heaviness that was beginning to emerge in early 1970’s London. Recommended Listening, Watching & Reading Movies Sly Lives Summer of Soul Love and Mercy Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy
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EP24: Uriah Heep "Gypsy"
06/17/2025
EP24: Uriah Heep "Gypsy"
Uriah Heep were undoubtedly heavy for their time and they were also incredibly self-serious and goofy, which begs the question; were they a key inspiration for the mighty Spinal Tap? Recommended Listening, Watching & Reading Randy Holden Population II Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy
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EP23: Stray "All in Your Mind"
06/10/2025
EP23: Stray "All in Your Mind"
Stray were largely ignored throughout their career in the 1970s and have been all but forgotten since. However, their lack of any commercial or critical success is due to no fault of their own. They were good players that wrote some great songs. Chalk their irrelevance up to bad timing in a highly competitive market that included the likes of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Regardless of their cultural and financial fate, this song from their debut LP is an absolute jam and slots nicely into our conversation chronicling how heavy music was evolving in the early 70s. Recommended Listening, Watching & Reading They Just Seem A Little Weird by Doug Brod Iron Maiden “All in Your Mind” https://open.spotify.com/track/3FdwNolOXxTx573XgVclZV?si=3a2322be887740e7 Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy
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EP22: The Stooges "Loose"
06/03/2025
EP22: The Stooges "Loose"
The Stooges are to punk what Black Sabbath is to metal. That is, they effectively invented the genre and all of its splinter subgenres which would all sound completely different without them. Like Sabbath, The Stooges don’t get enough credit for how multi-dimensional their music was. Elements of Free Jazz, psychedelia and even art rock are as prominent as their acclaimed shambolic electrical blues approach to garage rock was. All of these influences come together with beautiful chaos on their second record, Funhouse. For our on-going conversation about the history of heavy music, we focus on the albums second track, “Loose." Recommended Listening, Watching & Reading Movie: Gimmie Danger Directed by Jim Jarmusch Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy
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EP21: Black Sabbath "The Wizard"
05/27/2025
EP21: Black Sabbath "The Wizard"
We’re always talking about Sabbath but now we’re really talking about Sabbath. Recommended Listening, Watching & Reading Black Sabbath: Symptom of the Universe by Mick Wall Into the Void by Geezer Butler The Huntsman Hill Polanco Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/1GFdiJwePQggciuOMAF3cI?si=2cb1be20608b48a8 Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy
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EP20: The Heaviest Songs of the 1960's
05/20/2025
EP20: The Heaviest Songs of the 1960's
We dedicated 18 episodes to the heavy songs to the 1960’s and traversed psychedelia, electric blues, proto-punk, acid jazz, hard, garage, art, and occult rock. Now we reevaluate all of them to determine which two songs will rule them all and be crowned the heaviest of the decade. Reccommeded Listening, Watching & Reading Aldous Huxley The Doors of Perception Spotify Playlist Instagram https://instagram.com/the_history_of_heavy @historyofheavy
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EP19: Coven "Wicked Woman"
05/13/2025
EP19: Coven "Wicked Woman"
This late sixties/early seventies Occult Rock band featured a member named Oz Osborne, had a track called “Black Sabbath” that kicks off it’s debut album and is credited with being the first band to ever use the devil horn hand gesture... and they are not called Black Sabbath. In fact, Coven’s debut LP predates Sabbath’s by a year and while not widely acknowledged, their influence stretches well beyond the Birmingham legends. Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy LINK TO EPISODE IN BIO
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EP18: Captain Beefheart "Dachau Blues"
05/06/2025
EP18: Captain Beefheart "Dachau Blues"
It’s time to get weird and you don’t get much weirder than Captain Beefheart. His amalgamation of garage rock, free-jazz, delta blues and avant garde insanity was challenging and strange in the 1960’s and its power hasn’t diluted one bit all these decades later. “Dachau Blues” is from his widely recognized masterpiece Mask Trout Replica and the future sound of PiL, Gang of Four, Sonic Youth and the like can be heard in every note. Add lyrics about an infamous Nazi concentration camp and you have capital "H" heavy. It’s an important touchstone in our ongoing conversation Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy
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EP17: MC5 "Kick Out the Jams"
04/29/2025
EP17: MC5 "Kick Out the Jams"
It’s safe to say that without the MC5 punk rock and all of its adjacent sub genres would sound completely different. They were chaotic, intense, political and heavy in every sense of the word. Nothing about their unedited, unwavering approach was ever delivered lightly. Though their popular musical legacy doesn’t go much further beyond the title track of their debut LP, their impact and influence cannot be overstated. Recommended Listening, Watching & Reading MC3 Sonic’s Rendezvous Band “City Slang” https://open.spotify.com/track/2btWvfhvg9qn2ApUIl4GCE?si=bfc26af8237345cd Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram @historyofheavy
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EP16: Led Zeppelin "Dazed and Confused"
04/22/2025
EP16: Led Zeppelin "Dazed and Confused"
Led Zeppelin were pretty popular. Though often pigeonholed as a “Hard Rock” band, their music was fairly eclectic, touching on elements of blues, folk and psychedelia. Still, they are mostly remembered as being loud and bombastic and one of the forebears of what would come to be known as Heavy Metal. Their eponymous first album predates Sabbath’s debut by a full year and the sludgy tempo of their version of Jake Holmes’ “Dazed and Confused” is as legit a ground zero as any. Recommended Listening, Watching & Reading The Hammer of the Gods by Stephen Davis Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram: @historyofheavy
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EP15: King Crimson "21st Century Schizoid Man"
04/15/2025
EP15: King Crimson "21st Century Schizoid Man"
Prog Rock is structurally complex, it’s technically proficient, it's eclectic, it’s fantastical and maybe even philosophical. But is it heavy? Sure Rush and Yes have their moments but more often than not, prog leans too far into its jazz and psychedelic elements to summon any notion of “heavy" by the Sabbathian definition. King Crimson are the exception. The London five piece had the rare ability to have their saxophones and insane time signatures while also maintaining all the power a stack of Marshalls could summon. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram: @historyofheavy
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EP14: The Beatles "(I Want You) She's So Heavy"
04/08/2025
EP14: The Beatles "(I Want You) She's So Heavy"
Did the Beatles invent Doom Metal? The Fab Four are not exactly the first group you consider when discussing the history of heavy music but the song that closes Side One of Abbey Road is undeniably the precursor of many a down-tuned guitar to come. From the droning repeated guitar phrase to John Lennon’s pained vocal, this ode to Lennon’s desire for muse Yoko Ono is as heavy as anything on Black Sabbath’s debut which wouldn’t be released until four months after the Fabs unleashed their heaviest seven minutes and forty seven seconds. The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 HHP Social IG: @thehistoryofheavy
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EP13: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown "Fire"
04/01/2025
EP13: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown "Fire"
Arthur Brown proclaimed “I am the god of hell fire” in the opening moments of his band’s lone hit single “Fire” and those words coupled with his extravagant stage presentation (which included face paint and a flaming headpiece) and unique vocal style, would prove to be a massive influence on everyone from Alice Cooper and KISS to King Diamond, Iron Maiden and the whole of Norwegian Black Metal. “Fire” isn’t sonically as “heavy” as most of the songs that we talk about on this podcast but it would be impossible to discuss the history of heavy music with including Mr. Brown and his Crazy World. Spotify Playlist: Instagram: @historyofheavy
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EP12: Blue Cheer "Summertime Blues"
03/25/2025
EP12: Blue Cheer "Summertime Blues"
Blue Cheer may have released the first Heavy Metal album when they put out their debut Vincebus Eruptum in 1969. It had all the trademarks that would come to define the genre — angry vocals, heavily distorted guitars, a thundering rhythm section) and it was released more than two years before the first Black Sabbath record. What the San Francisco power trio also brought was the danger. They were named after a particulate toxic strain of LSD, fights and mayhem were common at their shows and they were managed by an ex-Hell’s Angel. Blue Cheer were a rock and roll band but they weren’t too far removed form being a gang. We prefer to call them Outlaw Rock. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 Instagram: @historyofheavy
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EP11: Iron Butterfly "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
03/18/2025
EP11: Iron Butterfly "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
It’s not inaccurate to call Iron Butterfly a one hit wonder but it is unfair. In seventeen minutes and four seconds “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” ebbs and flows and constricts and expands exploring every corner of psychedelia, prog, garage, acid, occult and hard rock. The songs lyrics, vocal melody, sludgy guitars, bass fills and two minute plus drum solo would influence scores of bands across every genre of heavy music and is in an off itself still a thrilli listen some 56 years since its release. The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify Playlist: HHP IG @thehistoryofheavy
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EP10: The Jimi Hendrix Experience "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"
03/11/2025
EP10: The Jimi Hendrix Experience "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"
In addition to being one of the most influential guitar players of all time and a brilliant songwriter, Jimi Hendrix was also 1/3 of one of the heaviest power trios to come out of 60’s psychedelia. The power of the band (which also included Noel Redding’s bass and Mitch Michell’s drums) was never more clearly on display than on Electric Ladyland’s last track. The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify: Playlist: HHP Social IG: BlueSky: @historyofheavy
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EP9: The Velvet Underground "Sister Ray"
03/04/2025
EP9: The Velvet Underground "Sister Ray"
It’s appropriate that our longest episode to date is a discussion about the 17+ minute, “Sister Ray,” the longest song in the Velvet Underground’s catalog (and it’s also their heaviest). The improvised cacophony that the band created in 1968 would foretell everything from Sonic Youth to My Bloody Valentine. We excavate the details and the songs legacy after a long discussion about the announcement of Black Sabbath's final show in Birmingham this summer. The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify Playlist: HHP Social IG: BlueSky: @thehistoryofheavy
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EP8: Cream "Sunshine of Your Love"
02/25/2025
EP8: Cream "Sunshine of Your Love"
The first of what will be many episodes dedicated to power trios, each of whom prove that you can make a mighty racket with simply a guitar, bass and drums (plus plenty of loud amplification). The technical chops of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker are undeniable but on this, their best known song, they simplify to the bare essentials to produce the heaviest track in their catalog and providing a blueprint for many a heavy three-piece to follow. The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify Playlist: HHP Social IG: BlueSky: @thehistoryofheavy
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EP7: The 13th Floor Elevators "You're Gonna Miss Me"
02/18/2025
EP7: The 13th Floor Elevators "You're Gonna Miss Me"
“Psychedelic” is probably the word most commonly associated with the 13th Floor Elevators. Their electric jug driven music doesn’t necessarily lend itself to “heavy” however, the combination of Roky Erickson’s manic squeal, Benny Thurman’s bass and band's overall approach certainly had a significant influence on those that would come to define the term in the coming years and decades. Recommended Listening, Watching & Reading Album: Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye (A Tribute to Roky Erickson) The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 HHP Social IG: BlueSky: @thehistoryofheavy
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EP6: John Coltrane "Ascension"
02/11/2025
EP6: John Coltrane "Ascension"
Coltrane’s first foray into the world of the avant-garde is the focus of our first non-guitar/non-rock n roll centered episode. While lacking the screeching distortion or thundering bass often associated with heavy, one would be hard pressed to find a song weightier than the saxophonists 20 min+ improvisational free jazz masterstroke. Or as Dave puts it “this piece is the sheep’s head of jazz." Recommended Listening The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify Playlist Spotify Playlist: HHP Social IG: BlueSky: @thehistoryofheavy
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EP5: The Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
02/04/2025
EP5: The Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
Once upon a time The Rolling Stones were hungry, dangerous, and yes, heavy. It all started with “(I Can’t Get Know) Satisfaction,” which may be difficult to understand today given the racket that metal, punk, industrial, hip hop, thrash, hardcore, death, doom, and grindcore acts have been making in the 60 years since it’s release. We attempt to connect the dots. Recommended Listening, Watching & Reading Book: Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angles and the Inside Story of Rock’s Darkest Day by Joel Selvin Book: They Just Seem a Little Bit Weird: How KISS, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz Remade Rock and Roll by Doug Brod The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 HHP Social IG: BlueSky: @thehistoryofheavy
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EP4: The Sonics "The Witch"
01/28/2025
EP4: The Sonics "The Witch"
You may not have heard of the Sonics but it’s highly probable that Mudhoney, Nirvana and the whole of the Seattle grunge rock scene never would have existed without them. Their raw, gritty sound would be the template for thousands of guitar wielding teenagers hell bent on making a distorted racket. But were the Sonics “Heavy?” We discuss how and why they fit into our ongoing conversation to answer that question. The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify Playlist Spotify Playlist: HHP Social IG: BlueSky:
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EP3: The Kinks "You Really Got Me"
01/21/2025
EP3: The Kinks "You Really Got Me"
When Ray Davies sat at his piano in 1964 and wrote “You Really Got Me” he had no way of knowing that the song would not only kick start the success of his band, The Kinks' but also be the track responsible for launching Van Halen into superstardom fifteen years after the fact. You could even make the case the song’s signature guitar riff (designed by Ray’s bother Dave) was ground zero for what we become Heavy Metal (the song was released six years before Black Sabbath’s debut LP). Mike and Dave discuss the musical landscape before and after. Recommended Listening, watching & reading Questlove Supreme w/ Adam “AdRock” Horovitz The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify Playlist Spotify Playlist: HHP Social IG: BlueSky:
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EP2: The Kingsmen "Louie Louie"
01/14/2025
EP2: The Kingsmen "Louie Louie"
“Louie Louie” is the most covered song of all-time and one of the earliest garage rock seeds to ultimately sprout punk rock, heavy metal and many of their sub-genres. Among the heaviest versions recorded include those by Motörhead, The Stooges and, Black Flag none of whom may have even existed without The Kingsmen’s ragged version of Richard Berry’s 1956 original. On episode 2 Mike and Dave discuss their love of the song and its importance in the heavy canon. Recommended Listening, watching & reading The Trashmen “Surfin Bird” (1963) The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify Playlist Spotify Playlist: HHP Social IG: BlueSky:
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EP1: Link Wray "Rumble"
01/07/2025
EP1: Link Wray "Rumble"
The History of Heavy series premiere! We begin our chronology tracing the timeline of heavy music song by song in 1958 with Link Wray’s “Rumble.” Co-hosts Michael Huntsman & “Big-Daddy” Dave Lieberman discuss the social climate at the time, the emergence of the teenager and the origins of guitar distortion. Recommended Listening, watching & reading Electric Wizards: A Tapestry of Heavy Music 1968 to the Present by JR Moores Monolithic Undertow: In Search of Sonic Oblivion by Harry Sword Link Wray at Winterland (1974) Kustom Kulture: Von Dutch, Ed “Big Daddy" Roth. Robert Williams and Others by Rob Turner The History of Heavy Podcast Spotify Playlist Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qkURdYib8hLz8s20D9yTC?si=1526168526854a62 HHP Social IG: BlueSky: Contact us at: [email protected]
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