As one of the most powerful vocalists in heavy metal, Ronnie James Dio has fronted the likes of Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath (or Heaven and Hell as of 2006), and the aptly named Dio. Add to this impressive resume that he popularized the “devil’s horns” hand gesture and it’s safe to say that Dio is a metal legend.

In this “interview,” Dio reads himself pre-written questions, the responses to which would go on to be edited into a King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show. The format suits Dio well, as he eloquently tells the tale of his career trajectory.

00:00 – Playing in Elf before Rainbow / meeting Roger Glover and Deep Purple 01:00 – The evolution and demise of Rainbow 02:20 – Getting involved in Black Sabbath 03:16 – The first jam with Black Sabbath / writing “Children of the Sea” 03:44 – A chronology of his tenure with Black Sabbath 04:09 – Meeting Vinny Appice / the end of his stint with Sabbath 04:40 – Impetus for forming his own band 05:24 – Why the band was called ‘Dio’ 05:53 – Choosing his band mates for Dio 07:34 – Outro

Jack Bruce hadn’t released an album since 1983’s Automatic when he phoned up Scott Muni for this interview. It appears that someone from the radio show wrote Bruce a letter to track him down after a fan requested some news as to his whereabouts.

This letter coincided with the upcoming release of a 20-year retrospective of Bruce’s career, Willpower, and provided a great opportunity for him to call in. In keeping with the nostalgic nature of the recording, this interview is more about Jack’s past. He provides updates on Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and even Cat Stevens. He also provides some great introductions to some classic tunes like “Politician” and “Theme for an Imaginary Western.”

00:00 – Intro 00:40 – New project / upcoming tour 01:20 – The Edinburgh Festival 01:51 – From Glasgow 02:17 – Old songs vs. classic songs 03:05 – Returning to roots: “Politician,” The Bottom Line, The Moody Blues 03:59 – The new compilation album: Willpower, a long time in the making 04:35 – Eric Clapton on new album / his new outlook on life 05:02 – Been in hiding 05:31 – Last chat was in December 1980 06:13 – Everyone plays in the same band 06:54 – The philosophy behind the World of Rock / America’s greatest gift 08:40 – Ginger Baker update / Cream reunion? 10:04 – Cat Stevens update 10:35 – Ginger Baker working with Bill Laswell 11:08 – Away from the mainstream / home in New York 12:35 – The upcoming tour 13:17 – Band for the tour 14:09 – What happened to the Scottish accent? 14:44 – Intro to “Theme for an Imaginary Western” 16:34 – Intro to “Politician” 18:01 – Cream’s firsts: platinum album, playing MSG, one song per album side 19:49 — Outro

Although he had been releasing albums since the early 1970’s, and solo albums from 1974 onwards, Robert Palmer did not receive widespread commercial success until 1985 during his brief stint with Power Station. After a summer tour with that supergroup was planned, Palmer decided he would ride the name-recognition wave and recorded Riptide; this turned out to be a good move, as the album (and video for “Addicted to Love”) were wildly successful.

This interview was recorded with Scott Muni in 1988 during the Nova Tour, supporting his latest hit album, Heavy Nova. The first single, “Simply Irresistible,” became his second chart-topper and, as a result of this success, he had to call in from New Britain, CT, amidst a whirlwind tour. Notable for recollections of his childhood and for hinting at the fact that he would soon be leaving the videos-with-barely-clothed-models phase of his career, this chat captures a superstar at the height of his stardom.

00:00 – 53 shows in 53 days / the rewards of touring 01:36 – Upcoming dates in Europe then back to the US 02:03 – Vinegar Joe 02:46 – George Thorogood: 50 states in 50 days 03:36 – Intro to “Early in the Morning” 04:47 – The ladies in the “Simply Irresistible” video / nice while it lasted 06:35 – Earning the right to tour / getting sincere feedback 07:48 – Intro to “Change His Ways” 09:29 – Intro to “She Makes My Day” 10:47 – Playing Power Station songs in concert 12:20 – Liking the songs he writes 12:49 – Eclectic musical styles: New Orleans funk, Motown, New York R&B 14:09 – The first influences / American Forces Network on Malta 15:55 – Outro

“Trip Through Your Wires” was a radio show broadcast by the DIR network in which all 4 members of U2 answered questions from in-studio co-hosts and from fans calling in from all across America. The name of the show was taken from a track on U2’s Joshua Tree album, which had been released earlier in 1987 and has since become regarded as one of the best rock albums in history.

The show provides a sweeping, comprehensive look at the band. There is some heavier discourse as the co-hosts focus on the group’s socio-political concerns and stance on becoming rock and roll icons, but this is balanced nicely by the fans’ call-in questions, which are all over the map. The band’s responses and follow-up questions for the callers give more direct insight into each of their personalities. The highlights of this recording, however, are two of the earliest recordings of The Dalton Brothers (U2’s country western alter-egos), whom would soon be “joining” U2 on tour as an “opening act.”

00:00 – Rumors of a nude interview 00:37 – U2’s popularity in Ireland 01:35 – Drummer jokes 02:59 – Status of the Mother Record Label 04:30 – Working with Steven Spielberg? 05:20 – The inspiration for Bono’s lyrics 06:50 – Plans to join the 1988 Human Rights Now Tour 07:40 – Plans for a live album / The Edge’s favorite guitar neck / importance of a musician following their own path 10:05 – Failure as a cover band 10:50 – Interests outside of U2 12:18 – Future plans / The Dalton Brothers playing “Lucille” 14:28 – Adam’s favorite tourist spots in Ireland 15:19 – Bono’s wish for a duet / working with Robbie Robertson 16:18 – Reminiscing about Tempe, AZ 17:00 – The first club(s) they ever played (in the US and in Ireland) / playing in stadiums 19:13 – Intro to “Silver and Gold” 20:00 – Bono’s thoughts on apartheid in South Africa 20:49 – Working with Keith Richards 21:55 – Thoughts on becoming rock icons / not having answers 24:13 – Thoughts on the Joshua Tree spoof in Billy and the Boingers Bootleg 25:04 – Inspiration for the rooftop scene in “Where the Streets Have No Name” 25:48 – Thoughts on John Lennon 27:19 – Rock stars committing to social and political concerns 29:40 – Thoughts on “Maggie’s Farm” 31:18 – Painting pictures with sound 32:28 – Writing modern protest songs / influence of Bob Dylan 34:49 – Possibility of hearing old singles 36:12 – Going to Michigan / a warning about scalpers 37:53 – Trying to stay in charge of ticket distribution 39:43 – Larry’s role in merchandising 41:10 – Potential for corporate sponsorships 42:58 – Larry’s drumming inspirations 43:51 – Thoughts on “Elvis Presley and America” 46:00 – The Dalton Brothers singing “Lost Highway”