Pete is totally right. If Ted shuts up and plays guitar he is our favorite Ted. 😅

Great episode gents. A few "what if" scenarios: 1. What if Dave Mustaine doesn't get fired from Metallica and Kirk Hammett stays in Exodus? 2. What if Rob Halford never leaves Judas Priest in the 90's? 3. What if Michael Schenker doesn't go solo and stays in UFO or joins Scorpions full time with the Lovedrive tour? 4. What if the Megadeth "Rust in Peace " line up never broke up? 5. What if Metallica doesn't have Bob Rock produce the Black album?

Deguello is one of my all time favourite albums, but I never knew it had an outside cover. Martin's collection literally is a Rock 'n' Roll Aladdin's cave.

My dad used to go see ZZ Top all the time here in New Orleans in the 70’s. I was a kid. They played at a place called The Warehouse. They were essentially the house band bc they played there so much.

This was fantastic Pete. I really loved this topic. You and Martin never disappoint!!

One can’t overstate how talented Mutt Lange was in the producer’s chair. I once heard that when Mutt would coach Joe Elliot on how to best sing the songs Mutt himself would sing on the demos. Apparently he was such a good singer the rest of the band thought it was Joe the whole time and were blown away by how good the demos sounded.

Rush's 80s material was still as good as the 70s material. We all know that Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures were fantastic albums. Signals was really solid as well. Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows were awesome too.

I remember reading an interview in Kerrang with Neil Peart in the 80's, who said he never considered Rush a heavy metal band & never would.

Popoff and Pardo are at it again and still consider "what if" realities for what might have or no have happened. An entertaining follow-up to last week's episode and to add just a few personal ones - the first being similar to Pete's what if Mutt Lange never produced Def Leppard... 1. What if the Beatles never had Sir George Henry Martin as a record producer? 2. What if Brian Wilson never suffered from his mental health issues? 3. What if Sea of Tranquility never went just from a webzine to include a fully realized KZfaq channel? 4. And what if Popoff and Pardo never met? As to the last one, we would all be a lot less informed and entertained. Thanks, gents, for another great hour or so of musical mental meanderings. There ya go!

Great show guys have a fantastic weekend cheers. Jonathan

What if Rush extended their Prog phase after Caress, 2112, Kings and Hemispheres?

Here's one that I think is interesting: What if Alan Parsons accepted the offer to be the engineer on Pink Floyd's WYWH?

My biggest what if would be, what if Black Sabbath would have gone into rehab and taken an extended break after releasing Sabatage. I think with clear minds and new management they would have absolutely slayed everyone and Never Say Die and Technical Ecstasy would have been even better.

The Rainbow 1995 Theory sounds like a Page/Plant 90s endeavor. I think Blackmore and Dio could have turned into that if the right money came with it, the were still at a good age back then to do it. I don't believe Roth would have made it as a solo artist in 1976, he was a great frontman but not enough agains the music market in 1977 at least. A fascinating episode guys!

Welcome to standard Australian summer weather. Heat must be effecting you guys? 🥵The 90's was my metal band heaven. 😍 Recently seeing Hypocrisy (only one Oz tour ever), Emperor, Immortal (Abbath with King Ov Hell on Bass), Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Kreator, Amon Amarth, Metallica, Immolation, Black Sabbath to name a few on their more recent tours virtually kicked off or were set by the 90's. "Not big in metal"? I guess mainstream wise maybe (even with pre-internet VHS carry) but some killer metal band came out then surely? 🤘🤘🤘

My biggest gap in discographies is the album Van der Graaf would have released after Pawn Hearts IF Pawn Hearts had been more commercially successful. That would be another cornerstone of prog ( with Black Room , Louse is not a Home, Rouncevaux ) it would be epic

What if Tony, Geezer and Ronnie sat down together during the mixing of Live Evil ? What if Ronnie, got a colonoscopy ? What if Joe didn't quit Aerosmith? Would we still have both of the toxic twins today ? What if Bruce said no to joining Iron Maiden and they kept Paul ? What if Vinnie and Dime joined KISS ? What if Cozzy didn't answer the phone call What if Steven Clifford from Icon didn't quit the band, How big would they of become? and the big one once again What if Andrew Wood lived

I'm currently reading Martin's Anthem 70s Rush book, and just revisited 2112 yesterday. There is a bit of gallup in Overture/Temples that I hear in Maiden and others. I wouldn't want to lose Signals/Grace Under Pressure, but would certainly have enjoyed a more metal-oriented direction in the late 80s instead of Presto. For Led Zep, it makes sense that they toured heavily, but since I was only three years old, I would much rather they'd taken a break and done another album in '72 when they were at peak powers. For Sabbath, I wouldn't want to lose those Ozzy or Dio led albums, but I would gladly have seen Dio join Sabbath fresh off of Rainbow Rising in 1977 instead of 1980 and put out an additional two albums with 'em. Def Lep -- I like the idea of Martin Birch doing Pyro. Then strippers would not have had "Pour Some Sugar" ;)

Would have loved Ted and Meatloaf to be together on all those albums!

What if Dave Mustaine stayed in Metallica? What kind of sound would it be, could they last and make more music?

What if Martin and Pete were neighbors?! 🤯

Like, what if Elton had never met Bernie?

What if Paul Rogers joins Deep Purple instead of David Coverdale?

Yes is my favorite band, or one of the 5, Every album they released generates an "what if" for me. ex: what if Patrick Moraz had made one more album with them after Relayer? What if Tormato were well produced? What if Jon had sang in Drama? What if Union were not messed up by tons of pos production? What if Big Generator had a better cover and different order of songs? What if Keystudio were released with a good cover instead of 2 Keys to Ascention? What if they had made more rock -hard ,- riiff guitar driven songs ( like South side of the sky) from 90s on songs instead of softer and softer?

I don't know the ins and outs of why Derek St Holmes and Ted Nugent couldn't get on but what was apparent from Double Live Gonzo and You Tube videos of live shows from that time is the incredible effort St Holmes had to make to be heard over the wall of guitar noise (and he was the rhythmn guitarist). His voice was right on the edge for most of the songs, even though he hit every note still so maybe he just had enough of the mayhem on stage every night?

There's a very interesting "What if?" scenario I've seen written about several times but am skeptical of because the accounts differ. The claim is that at one point in the late 60s, Robert Plant was considered as a replacement for Roger Daltrey in The Who. Pete Townsend says it's true but Townsend isn't a particularly reliable narrator. In Townsend's version, Daltrey was taking a break from The Who and missing gigs after getting into a squabble with Keith Moon over the latter's excess drug abuse, and a young pre Zeppelin Robert Plant (then just 17) had been attending Who concerts and noticed Daltrey was MIA and eventually worked up the courage to offer to replace him. Townsend seriously considered until "My Generation" started to climb up the charts and they decided to stick with Daltrey. The first time I came across this story, it was a very different and even more interesting account. In this version, Daltrey had been fired from The Who after getting into a fist fight with Townsend, and whilst The Who were considering replacing him with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page offered the lead singing spot for his new band (that would become Led Zeppelin) to Daltrey, and it was almost a go until Daltrey and Townsend reconciled. It'd be a great "What if?" if it were true but the fact that there are at least two very different versions makes it dubious, as does the timeline. Jimmy Page didn't put Led Zeppelin (originally The New Yardbirds) together until 1968, 3 years after "My Generation" broke and by that time The Who were very well established. It's almost certainly not true even if one of the versions is cosigned by Townsend. I love The Who but Townsend has a tendency to spin yarn and confabulate. It does present the very interesting scenario of a Led Zeppelin fronted by Roger Daltrey and a Who fronted by Robert Plant.

What if the Beatles don't break up and 'All things must Past' material, 'Imagine' and 'Band on the Run' is a Beatles double record?

What if Tony Iomi stays in Jethro Tull and those riffs are in Jethro Tull songs

Would you ever consider doing an episode on B sides? It is something that is now dead. But used to be a great thing. So many Jems and stinkers

What would happen if.... Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf never met? Bon Scott never joined AC/DC? KISS didn't remove the makeup in 83? Aerosmith's reunion album "Done With Mirrors" was more commercially successful? David Byron rejoined Uriah Heep in the early 80s? Ozzy had stayed retired after the "No More Tours" tour in the early 90s? David Longdon sang on Genesis' "Calling All Stations" instead of Ray Wilson? Ian Anderson never played the flute in Jethro Tull? Pete Townshend completed his "Lifehouse" concept and that followed-up The Who's "Tommy" instead of "Who's Next"? And one for a laugh... What would happen if... Hulk Hogan had played Bass with Metallica in the early days, as he claimed almost happened? 😄

Love the topic - You guys are the college professors of rock…Great show :) How about this -What does The Who and Led Zeppelin do next if they didn’t lose Moon and Bonham (respectively) ? How about if they would’ve lost Entwistle / Jones first ?

What if Heroin was a drug never touched by musicians?

What if Genesis found a singer in 1998 that helped created a hit new album for them? I sometimes have thought the music of Muse & Coldplay could pass as modern versions of what Genesis was doing in the 80s anyway. It would be interesting and exciting to think of somebody like Chris Martin, Adam Levine or the dude from Muse singing alongside Banks, Rutherford in a giant stadium doing “Clocks,” “Knights of Cydonia,” “In My Place,” and “Starlight,” and “Viva La Vida” performed alongside “Land of Confusion,” “Suppers Ready,” and “The Lamb lies down on Broadway” in 2023. Same goes for Van Halen III.

Another great show topic. Love this one 👏🏻👏🏻 I know it’s a band you’re not fond of, but I’ve always wondered what Guns N Roses would have sounded like if they continued along. They were getting heavier.

Another great episode - I really like the 'forks in the road' aspect. What if someone had stayed in the band? Left earlier? Ventured further down some of their genre experiments? For some of the genres I'm into: What if Operation Ivy didn't break up and Rancid was never a band? What if Matthew Good didn't go solo? What if Steven Page stayed with BNL? What if Radiohead made it big slightly later or earlier than they did?

I really enjoyed this episode. On Ted Nugent, I loved the album with Meatloaf and have often thought that pairing would have been great. The question on Ozzy staying with Sabbath. I wouldn't trade Heaven and Hell, The Mob Rules, Blizzard of Oz or Diary of a Madman for any parallel universe. The song Diary of a Madman and Megolomania seem same in concept and similar in execution to me. Great Topic!! Thanks guys!!

I'd have been all over that Rainbow reunion!!

The producer topic would be fantastic!!!! And should bands self produce?

To me, RUSH had their heavy sound when they started in the 70s. When the 80s happened, synths totally dominated everything, and you couldn't escape it. Many bands had to adapt willingly or not. For example, look at the band HEART.

An interesting show, gentlemen!

What if Michael Schenker never left Scorpions or never left UFO? Also what if Heart continued to make Led Zeppelin influenced hard rock in the 1980s?

What if Dio doesn't leave Sabbath after 'Mob Rules' and 'Holy Diver' & 'Last in Line' are the next 2 Records?

What if Tommy Bolin didn’t die. Would the Come Taste the Band lineup continue would we not have Whitesnake or would Tommy have become Columbia records Peter Frampton they were targeting him for that with his looks singing and songwriting skills along with his world class guitar skills. The possibilities for the magic of Tommy are endless. Cheers

What if John didn't meet Paul.

I really wanted a Rainbow reunion with Ronnie James Dio 🔥🔥🔥🔥 I did hear Dio mention a reunion in interviews back then.

If Bon hadn't of tragically died... imagine a world with no Back In Black. Or, alternatively, imagine a world with more Bon AC/DC albums. Either way they hit gold

If Rush had got heavier, would they have taken up the ground that Dream Theater took up and would Dream Theater not have become as big as they did ?

Fun discussion as usual! @57:48 re: the Def Leppard & Mutt Lange debate, I would argue that the Leps would still have ballads-and still do the quirkier songs-regardless of who is producing them (Mutt or Martin Birch or anyone). Remember Joe and the band are massive glam rock fans, Bowie fans, Ian Hunter fans. The music might not have been as precise without Mutt, but the glam influences would be there. As much as "hardcore" (LOL) metal fans want it to be, Def Leppard was never going to be a metal band. \m/ Cheers guys!

Under your premise I think Rush would had sounded more like Dream Theater or Tiles. More guitar driven progressive music than the keyboard heavy sound they became. Although,I do love Signals. Alex’s solo Analog Kid is irreplaceable.

You forgot to ask... What if Dave didn't leave Van Halen after 1984?

What if Hendrix hadn't passed away and joined ELP ? What if Syd Barrett hadn't lost his mind ? What if Patti Smith joined Blue Oyster Cult ? What if Terry Reid became Zeppelin's singer instead of Plant ?

I saw online somewhere "What if Paul Dianno never left Iron Maiden" It was a pretty good read. Basically, the outcome is that Maiden never gets as big and splits up by 85/86.

After Pink Floyd did the Live8 reunion back in 2005 everyone was waiting for the reunion tour. Such a missed opportunity

What if Michael Schenker doesn't leave U.F.O. and his riffs from the first 3 MSG records are a part of their legacy? What if Michael stays with Scorpions after 'Love Drive' and 'Victim of Illusions', 'Samurai', 'Rock you to the Ground' etc. were U.F.O. or Scorpions classics?

What if James Hetfield had kept his mullet?

Good discussion- what if Frank Zappa hadn't passed away so young?

1. What if Tommy Iommi had never cut his finger?. 2. How would 'Hysteria' (Def Leppard) have sounded with Jim Steinman as producer? If Rick Allen wasn't in that car accident where he lost an arm 3. What if Yoko Ono never met John Lennon? 4. What if Alex Van Halen wasn't the better drummer in the band?

What if Judas Priest had signed off on Turbo Lover being the theme song for the movie, Top Gun? I think their popularity would have soured with the mainstream. A possible Oscar nomination, and they would have already been in the RnR HoF years ago, on the other hand, they would have been living the high life at the time, and I don't think they would have ever recorded the masterpiece, Painkiller. So it would have meant more money and accolades for the band, but we probably would have missed out on a classic album.

What if....Richie Edwards didn't go missing would have the manic street preachers get as popular as they did when they released the first album after Richie went missing 9 Everything must go ) i know Richie wrote some songs from that album but he did not write the blockbuster songs 'A Design For Life' etc

If Sabbath stays together as Martin states,you probably get a live album and then something between Never Say Die,Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Mob Rules (Heaven and He’ll is overly Dio to me)

What if Lynch and Dokken could’ve set their differences aside and had agreed to sign that supposed big record contract and continued to put out more Dokken albums? Would the follow up to Back for the Attack had elevated the band to hockey arena headlining act?

What if another Yes album with Patrick Moraz after Relayer ?

What if Randy Rhoads doesn't die? Does he last beyond 'Bark at the Moon'? Do he an Ozzy eventually part ways because Randy becomes a SuperStar in his own right?

Fastway album Mick Feat - bass guitar (uncredited)

A given that Black Sabbath & Purple would be mentioned prominently in this episode. What if SoT had never existed? For one thing I wouldn't be typing this right now...🤷‍♂If ZZ Top released a double live album then there would've been about twice as many live ZZ tunes...Seriously though some what-if's that have occurred to me recently: - If the early 90's Steve Marriott/Frampton Humble Pie project had actually run to completion...Frampton also came close to joining The Small Faces in the late 60's - talk about multiple stars per band: Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones & Frampton! Post Small Faces the rest of the band did OK, joining up with Ron Wood & Rod Stewart to form The Faces - If Rush hadn't changed their sound in the 80's - I'd suggest they wouldn't have been nearly as interesting - Sticking with 'what-if' double live albums - Trower's Robin Trower Live! (1976). Thankfully we have Live At The BBC & State To State: Live Across America 1974-80 from around the same time - If Tommy Bolin had continued making all-out fusion albums past Spectrum. He did release some individual fusion tracks here and there (check out his Archives & Live '74 albums). Many probably don't know this but he cut a demo version of Jan Hammer's "Sister Andrea" (w/Cobham & later made famous by Mahavishnu) in '71 - check it out on YT. Jan himself says he likes this one better. We could've potentially have gotten 3 more years of fusion greatness from Bolin! Also what if he stayed in Purple (and lived of course) - CTTB is on my short list of greatest 70's rock albums - Fueled by Pete's recent 'What If This Star Did Not Die?' episode: Hendrix & what if he lived? Always my go-to for this type of thing...Another one that hit me later on: Ronnie Montrose, died in 2012 age 64 & due to cancer had stopped playing completely a couple of years earlier - but man I love those solo albums! What if Lennon hadn't been senselessly murdered in 1980... - What if Yoko & Allen Klein didn't enter the picture, what could've been with The Beatles? Maybe they could've caught on & sold a few records...😎 Derek St. Holmes - what a great talent! Easily Nugent's 'golden period', firing him was the Nuge's biggest mistake. Whitford/St Holmes & St Paradise is really good stuff. Ted's singing is passable at best (at least for me) - fits some of the rawer tunes...Need to mention Jason Becker on DLR's A Little Ain't Enough - a really tremendous player pre-ALS (Steve Hunter also played on that record). What if he didn't get sick? A career rivalling at least Marty Friedman's is easy to imagine...I really dislike Blackmore's Night a lot...

Sorry guy's but you missed out a biggy. What if Michael Schenker had not left UFO , just how big could that band have got ?

What if Uli would have stayed in the Scorpions?

If Def Leppard hadn't given Pete Willis the boot, would they had stayed heavier more like NWOBHM, instead of becoming the pop band they are now with Phil Collen.

What if the Beach Boys 'Pet Sound' doesn't exist? Do the Beatles progress the same? Specifically does 'Sgt Peppers' exist?

Is it just me, or does this start to feel a bit like groundhog day? I mean the topics maybe different, but the bands are always the same.

What if 'Drama' YES continued?

I always loved the babys in the 70s i always thought if they got along better an stayed together what would of happened or deep purple would not of jumped around singer stayed together i loved also love 76 77 journey kimn and perry singing together was like heven to me

What if Rick never lost his arm in Def Leppard or if Bon didn’t die in ac/dc

Sabbath wouldn't have come up with anything as good as Blizzard of Ozz and Heaven and Hell if they would have stayed together. Those two albums caught lightning in a bottle and some would say Heaven and Hell is the best metal album of all time and the best Black Sabbath album. Diary of a Madman is personally one of my favorite metal albums of all time.

What if Cozy played in Led Zeppelin

What if Kiss had recorded a Creatures of the Night style album instead of The Elder? Ace Frehley stays on, and we get many more years of Ace and Eric Carr together, a great combination.

What if Pete really got into Punk music . There would be one really awesome punk show with Pete, Martin, and Karen on SoT every month.

Leppard wanted Mutt to produce On Through The Night (probably because of the AC/DC connection). They got bullied into Tom Allom but insisted on Mutt for High & Dry. So the real question should be, what if Mutt did On Through the Night as well? Pete might have been out earlier, they wouldn't have lost the UK by making the rather insipid debut which was generally disliked in the UK. Leppard were pretty much dead in the water around High & Dry after being the leading lights of NWOBHM thanks to the Rocks Off EP. If Leppard had a powerful sounding debut it wouldn't have given Maiden the clear run they had to be #1 in the UK and it might have taken them longer to get going.

I think if Ritchie and Ronnie would have gotten Rainbow back together I think it would have been a hybrid of Rising and Long Live Rock and Roll lineups with Tony Carey on keyboards and Bob Daisley on bass since it seems Ritchie preferred Daisley over Bain

Bowie never in Audience at New Orleans Jazz fest to hear SRV

Going back to the Def Leppard thing: Take it back a step. What if Pete Willis had never been fired? Or what if Steve Clark was still alive?

What if Paul Stanley wound up producing the first G N' R album instead of Mike Clink? What if Roy Thomas Baker hadn't re-mixed the first Motley Crue album? What if Chris Holmes hadn't gotten screwed out of his WASP royalties? What if Van Halen's Diver Down album had more original tunes and less covers?

What if Gillan & Glover stay and Mark II continue until 1975? Burn and Stormbringer are Mark II and California Jam is historically more important among the Big Festivals. Blackmore then leaves to form Rainbow with Dio and Deep Purple continue as Mark III with Rory Gallager on guitar. Songs like Moonchild, Calling Card, Secret Agent, Jack-knife Beat become Purple tracks and this Mark III ironically sounds similar to the real Mark III/IV for Jack-knife Beat is not that far from Coronarias Redig or Dealer in vibe.

Martin sort of eluded to who may have started Hair Metal. Sorry, I forgot who he mentioned, but it wasn't Van Halen. VH seems so obviously the one to me. We could argue that it was KISS, but they seem to have remained in a category of heavy, but campy. VH had the campiness, but added something more substantial, like Zeppelin or Sabbath meets Kiss.

What if Rodger Bain had continued as Sabbath's producer for the next two albums? What if Syd Barrett kept it together and eventually invited his old pal David Gilmour to join the Floyd? What if Jimmy Page either a) followed through with the XYZ band or b) started a project with Ian Gillan in the early 1980s?

What if DIO joined forces with KERRY LIVGREN after recording two tracks on Kerry's debut solo album ✝️🤘🏻

What if Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Buddy Holly, Janice Joplin, Curt Cobain, Duane Allman hadn't died?

What if Gilmore and Waters actually got along?

What if Bon was on Black In Black?

To this day, I always wondered what would've happened if Pete Willis wasn't fired from Def Leppard. Yeah, working with Mutt Lange made them more meticulous and perfectionists, in a way, but Pete not being there contributed to that downfall as well. I love Def Leppard, but it's such a shame what could've been if the band helped Pete get clean and didn't leave him in the dust.

Arguably if "Pyromania" wasn't produced by Mutt Lange, you could say that the more commercial side of Hair Metal wouldn't have happened, bands Bon Jovi, Warrant, "1987" era Whitesnake, Winger, Danger Danger, Trixter, ETC.

My favorite 'what if?' is... What if Eruption had not been on VH/VH? Yes, everything would remain pretty much the same... but... I don't think Eddie would've become quite the legend he did become. I love Van Halen the band, and the man as much as anyone. Just sayin', Eruption put a king's crown on him as soon as the curtain opened. He still would've been renowned for his sound an his playing, but just a couple notches down from everyone just stopping what they were doing to let their jaws hit the ground. And apparently it was Ted Templeman's suggestion to put that guitar solo from their live show on the first album. I think he may have done that because the solos on the regular songs are super tasty, but don't really display that wizardly capability.

What if Peter Gabriel doesn't leave Genesis and his solo material becomes a part of their legacy? What happens to a Phil Collins that stays behind the kit?

Big one to me Beatles without George Martin who added so many sounds (strings,horns,effects) and arrangements. Do they sound more like Revolution 1

Mutt never producing AC/DC or Mutt kept producing AC/DC? Bon doesn't pass away? Bill Spooner never leaving the Tubes? Jim Morrison doesn't pass away? Gabriel and Hackett staying with Genesis?

What if Vince Neil had died in his car smash instead of Razzle?

What if Mike and Carol's original spouses hadn't died? No Brady 6, no "Time To Change", no "We Can Make The World A Whole Lot Brighter"...

What if Terry Reid joined zeppelin instead of Plant.

What if: The Beatles had stayed together? Rob Halford replaced Paul Di’Anno instead of Bruce Dickinson for Iron Maiden? Bruce Dickinson at the age of 17 had been the vocalist for Judas Priest in 1976 replacing Rob Halford after the album “Sad Wings of Destiny”? Randy Rhoads had stayed with Quiet Riot? Klaus Meine had lost the ability to sing for The Scorpions who could of replaced him? Which of these sounds far fetched? Inquiring minds want to know. Cheers, Mike L 😎🇨🇦🤘🏼

What if Al Bouchard didn't leave BOC after Fire of Unknown Origin?