Tune into Hell's Kitchen Radio, with John Hell, every Monday night 8-10PM (Pacific), on Radio Valencia (https://radiovalencia.fm) in San Francisco. You can find my playlists and links to the podcasts right here.
I need to burn some sage or something to get this past few months off of me. I guess some metal sage will have to do.
Growing up in the 80s meant a lot of metal in my life. Luckily for me I never cared what my friends thought of my musical taste, so there was rock, metal, punk, rap, and the good ol' Grateful Dead.
But for tonight I really need to blistering guitar solos. I can't think of a better duo than these two headliners: Judas Priest and Black Sabbath.
Let's start off with some British Steel! Judas Priest with the double guitar assault of KK Downing and Glenn Tipton. In the 80s nothing could compare to these two. I still hold Priest up there as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. They set the standard of what heavy metal was supposed to be. I can still hear their influence in almost every band that calls themselves metal, today.
This show from September 10, 1982 at the Civic Center in San Antonio, Texas is the perfect example of a heavy metal band firing on all cylinders. The vocals of Rob Halford have never been better. The classic metal quintet is en fuego!
I truly believe there wouldn't even be a genre of metal if it weren't for our headliner tonight. Black Sabbath burst on the scene in 1969 and starting with their self-titled debut, blew the doors off every other band within a 100 mile radius. By 1971 a good one hundred bands around the world were trying to sound just like them. Even the great Flower Travelin' Band out of Japan covered "Black Sabbath" on their debut album just a few scant months after Sabbath released it.
I have quite a few Sabbath shows from throughout their career, but call me a purist, I really prefer the original quartet. This show from December 20, 1970 shows the prowess that is Black Sabbath. I would have loved to have been in the room during these early shows, when they were still finding their footing, and the audience was right along there with them.
Lineage: Soundboard Recording for TV Broadcast
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Support these bands. Buy their officially released music and merch, and never ever sell live bootlegs. These are for trade only.
Stick around Monday's 8-10PM Pacific for my weekly music mix, Hell's Kitchen Radio. Lots of new music to share with you every week.
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I Am Not Your Jukebox!
In no way am I trying to mock the late great philosopher, historian, educator, and writer, James Baldwin. He was a true master; much more eloquent than I could ever hope to be.
However, the truth remains, I am not here for you to put a quarter in and expect your choice of song to jump out. That wouldn't be fair to you, myself, nor the listener. I rarely take a request, and when I do I only trust a few people that I have known to have a stellar reputation for musical knowledge to throw me a track during me show. Damn, what an elitist bougie bastard I am! No, I'm an artist. I have a two hour aural canvas I'm painting for you with sound.
I do love it when bands send me their music. I do love it when bands send me their music. Case in point, I love this new release from local Bay Area band The Campbell Apartment, and I'm thrilled they shared music from their latest release "Curmudgeon" with me. And thank you Ari and crew for allowing me to choose the track I played tonight! But I'm no sycophant. And it's hard, you know? I'm friendly with so many amazing musicians, who's music I really enjoy listening to more often than not. That being said, if you're sending me music you want me to play, please be prepared for me to choose the track I think best fits on my show. I'm not saying this because some bands have given me flack for not playing their chosen single. I cannot think of the last time that even happened. I'm just trying to keep the boundaries clear.
Got it? Great. Thanks.
I have two goals for my show for the second half of 2020.
Stay alive
Buy more music
Play a more diverse selection of genres
PLAY MORE WOMEN ARTIST!!!
Host other shifts during the week to showcase my live bootleg collection
Get into our new studio and make it the best studio Radio Valencia has had
Interview kick ass musicians who love their craft
Make love
Start a revolution
OK, that was nine goals. I think I've got this.
When I said earlier that I don't take requests, that doesn't mean you can't send me what you like. Just don't ask for it on Monday's between 8-10PM.
I have also decided to take over the Radio Valencia stream during the days when there isn't a live show being broadcast, to share my live bootleg library with you. Wednesday, June 24th from noon-2pm I have Pink Floyd live at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, April 29, 1970 cued up. What a treat!
Enjoy.
jh
Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell Mondays 8-10PM Radio Valencia in SF http://radiovalencia.fm
Download Memories, HERE! Listen into all my shows here. You can subscribe to my show through iTunes here.
Rain makes me nostalgic. It reminds me of when I was younger and was first hearing tunes that I really connected with. I remember walking around San Mateo, south of San Francisco, as a teenager with my headphones on listening to Led Zeppelin and hungry for more. I remember hearing bands like Judas Priest and wanting to eat up everything Metal. I think about my growing love of the Grateful Dead, starting around 1983 when I was 13.
Tonight's show is all about discovery. It's the feeling you get when you hear something you've never heard before, but it gets all up in ya, and you have to have more. We're lucky to live in a world where media is at our fingertips, but that still doesn't change the sensation one gets when they hear something new and they just have to have more of it.
Into the Void: Black Sabbath
Sacrifice: Glitter Wizard
Gyre: Meatbodies
Second Coming/Ballad of Dwight Fry: Alice Cooper
Paper: Ty Segall
Smells Like Teen Spirit: Willie Nelson
Polly (Demo): Kurt Cobain
Night Goat: Melvins
Greedy Man: James Brown
Oh My People: Last Poets
Love Buzz: Nirvana (1991-11-25 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, NL)
Rockin' In The Free World: Neil Young (04-07-1990 Indiana Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, IN)
Little Girl Blue: Nina Simone (12-1977 Theater Royal Drury Lane, London, England)
Hitler/All Hail The American Night/The Holy Shah: Jim Morrison (March 1969 Los Angeles, CA)
54-46 Was Her Number: Toots and the Maytals (1976 The Longbrach Saloon, Berkeley, CA)
Walk Away: James Gang (02-26-2001, Allen Theater, Cleveland, OH)
The Green Manalishi: Judas Priest (11-04-1979 The Palladium, NYC, NY)
Parchment Farm: Blue Cheer
Pepsi Jingle: T-Rex
Rock And Roll Queen: Mott the Hoople
How many bands can you name from Birmingham England?
What is it about this town? Tonight on A Season in Hell, John Hell and Steffan Chirazi break it down. From this landlocked industrial town, came a myriad of talented groups of many genres, all of whom were a strong influence on bands that followed.
We don't follow a conventional path for the show, and right out of the gate you can tell that we want to bash you over the head. But hold on tight, as we take you down dirty steel town road of early heavy metal, punk, and industrial.
"During the 1960s Birmingham was the home of a music scene comparable to that of Liverpool.[131] Although it produced no single band as big as The Beatles it was a "a seething cauldron of musical activity", and the international success of groups such as The Move, The Spencer Davis Group, The Moody Blues, Traffic and the Electric Light Orchestra had a collective influence that stretched into the 1970s and beyond.[131] The city was the birthplace of heavy metal music,[132] with pioneering metal bands from the late 1960s and 1970s such as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and half of Led Zeppelin having come from Birmingham. The next decade saw the influential metal bands Napalm Death and Godflesh arise from the city. Birmingham was the birthplace of modern bhangra in the 1960s,[133] and by the 1980s had established itself as the global centre of bhangra culture,[134] which has grown into a global phenomenon embraced by members of the Indian diaspora worldwide from Los Angeles to Singapore.[133] The 1970s also saw the rise of reggae and ska in the city with such bands as Steel Pulse, UB40, Musical Youth, Beshara and The Beat,
expounding racial unity with politically leftist lyrics and multiracial
line-ups, mirroring social currents in Birmingham at that time.
We don't get to all of these find bands, but I think you'll enjoy what we play, as well as the banter, mostly supplied by Steffan, as he waxes poetic about Birmingham and the many stories of its vast musical history.
You're sure to learn something to help round out your musical knowledge tonight on A Season in Hell.
Enjoy.
jh
Click to download this chunk of musical marvel Stream this industrial and rock powerhouse directly to your ear holes.
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A Season in Hell with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia, 87.9FM in SF http://radiovalencia.fm
Necessary Evil: Napalm Death
Multinational Corporations/Instinct of Survival: Napalm Death
Knights in White Satin: Moody Blues
Symphony of the Universe: Black Sabbath
Snowblind: Black Sabbath
The Wizard: Black Sabbath
Brontosaurus: The Move
Don't Bring Me Down: ELO
Race Against Time: GBH
Metal Gods: Judas Priest
Victim of Changes: Judas Priest
Steeler: Judas Priest
Cum On Feel the Noize: Slade
***I have just been alerted (November 2, 2025!!!) by none other than Radio Valencia host Malderor (Sundays 2-4pm) that Slade is from Wolverhamton, which is 15 miles from Birmingham and that Wolves are fiercely territorial.
Circle of Shit: Godflesh
No More Weapons: Steel Pulse
Vanilla: Rufige Kru/Goldie
Black Dog: Led Zeppelin
Whole Lotta Love: Led Zeppelin
Well we've gone and done it again. Last night Ron Donovan and I hosted ROCK FIGHT 11! At this early hour I'm a bit tired; having hosted a six hour show, interviewed three amazing people, played some of the rip-roaringest rock and roll, put up with Ron, and standing on my feet from about 6:30AM-12midnight.
My neck hurts.
In our previous 10! incarnations of Rock Fight, the format was all about not repeating an artist throughout the night. Though this proved to be a challenge, Ron and I were always up for the challenge. You see, rock poster artist Ron Donovan, and yours truly, John Hell, have what quite possibly will prove to be the LARGEST LIVE BOOTLEG COLLECTION IN THE WEST! Really, I stake my 25+ year radio reputation against that claim. We're junkies for the live rock 'n roll, and we want to share our problem with you.
For Rock Fight 11 we changed up the format a bit. Instead of it being a plethora of fabulous finger picking and hellacious head banging from many, MANY bands, we would do 30 minute blocks of a featured band. The set list below includes the song/artist/date/location and who selected the tune (JH=John Hell, RD=Ron Donovan).
We had some special guests in the studio, as always. I want to thank Bassy Stacy and Amy Ace of the all-female KISS cover band, KISSER for stopping by. I've been a fan of Stacy since she was in the Kinks cover band, The Minks. KISSER is amazing! This is the band we've all been waiting for. Listen to the interview and you can hear for yourself how enthusiastic they are about "their" music and the gigs. You have got to see them live. In the meantime check out their YouTube channel.
Even Steffan Chirazi of "So What" the official Metallica fanzine did a set. And what a set it was! He came by to talk about the recent Metallica show in ANTARCTICA! What the what?! Awesome! Steffan is a talented and experienced journalist, so interviewing him is always a blast. You have got to hear his story about Axel Rose. You may remember Steffan from the show he and I co-hosted back in May, following the passing of Margaret Thatcher. Take a listen.
Last night he brought some tasty tracks from the Antarctica set, as well as a few other juicy tidbits.
The banter was brilliant at times, and other times I was losing track of Ron's technical DJ errors. HA! That, and he talking away from the mic, and I wanted to hit him over the head with the turntable more than once. How I love that hobbit-wizard of the ink pulling world.
We'll do it again in June. Until then...
You can download all the delightful delicacies here.
Feel free to stream this into your noggin here.
You can check out all of my shows by going here, or just scroll down.
I'm taking a few weeks off for the holidays and heading to South Island, New Zealand! I can't wait. I'll see you all in January. Have a great holiday season, and get well rested and prepare for a kick ass 2014, with more of A Season in Hell, with John Hell on the greatest radio station west of East Rutherford, NJ, Radio Valencia!
A Season in Hell with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia, 87.9FM in SF http://radiovalencia.fm
Rock Fight: Cheech and Chong
Whipping Post: Allman Brothers (07/03/1970 Atlanta Pop Festival)-JH
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed: Allman Brothers (2/11/1970 Fillmore East, NYC)-JH
Remedy: The Black Crowes (10/28/1998 Paris)-RD
Wiser Time: The Black Crowes (10/28/1998 Paris)-R
Hard to Handle: The Black Crowes (05/26/1995 Greek Theater, Berkeley, CA)-RD
Sin City: AC/DC (10/1979 Australia)-RD
Cold Shot: Stevie Ray Vaughn (12/31/86 Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA)-JH
Texas Flood: Stevie Ray Vaughn (06/17/1985 Red Rocks Amp., Morrison, CO)-JH
Superstition: Stevie Ray Vaughn (04/29/1990 Jazz & Hertiage Festival, New Orleans, LA)-JH
I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town: Stevie Ray Vaughn & Albert King (12/06/1983 CHCH Studios, Ontario, CN)-JH
Thank You/Jesus Just Left Chicago/Waiting for the Bus: ZZ Top (04/15/1980 Clarkston, MS-RD
I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide: ZZ Top (04/19/1980 Essen, GR)-RD
Beer Drinkers and Hellraisers: ZZ Top (04/15/1980 Clarkston, MS)
The Bomber: James Gang (02/26/2001, Allen Theater, Cleveland, OH)-JH
Interview with Kisser
Detroit Rock Fight City: KISS (09/03/1976 Richfield, OH)-JH
Love Gun, KISSER (07/27/1973 Visalia, CA)-JH
Interview with KISSER
Black Diamond: KISS (11/27/1979 Fresno, CA)-JH
Interview with KISSER
She: Kiss (05/31/1974 Long Beach, CA)-JH
Sitting by the Ocean: Queens of the Stoneage (12/07/13 KROQ)-RD
With the Flow: Queens of the Stoneage (12/07/13 KROQ)-RD
Open Invitation: Santana (04/06/87 East Berlin, Germany-RD
Snowblind: Black Sabbath (08/26/2013 Shoreline, Mountain View, CA)-JH
For Whom the Bell Tolls: Metallica (09/21/2013 Apollo Theater, NYC, NY)-RD
Hit the Lights: Metallica (09/21/2013 Apollo Theater, NYC, NY)-RD
You Are Blessened: Melvins (08/22/2013 Slim's, SF, CA)-JH
Interview with Steffan Chirazi of Metallica fanzine "So What"
Fight Fire With Fire: Metallica (12/20/1984 Lyceum Theater, London, England)-Steffan
Interview with Steffan Chirazi of Metallica fanzine "So What"
Master of Puppets (headphones-mix): Metallica (12/08/2013 Antarctica)-Steffan
Master of Puppets: Metallica (12/08/2013 Antarctica)-JH
Interview with Steffan Chirazi of Metallica fanzine "So What"
Electric Eye: Judas Priest (05/23/983 US Festival)-Steffan
Riding on the Wind: Judas Priest (05/23/1983 US Festival)-Steffan
Lust For Life: Iggy Pop (01/26/1992 Nue Welt, Berlin)-Steffan
Raw Power: Iggy Pop (03/07/1977 Rainbow Theater, London, England)-Steffan
In My Time of Dying: Led Zeppelin (03/20/1975 Vancouver, BC)-JH
We're Gonna Groove: Led Zeppelin (01/01/1971 Canada)-JH
Heartbreaker: Led Zeppelin (06/02/1973 Kezar Stadium, SF, CA)-JH
Astro Boy (outtake 2): Jimi Hendrix (1969 studio outtake)-RD
Power of Soul: Jimi Hendrix (12/23/1969 Studio outtakes)-JH
Red House: Jimi Hendrix (07/30/1970 Honolulu, HI)-JH
Free Ride: Edgar Winter (09/03/1974 New Haven, CT)-RD
A Quick One While He's Away: The Who (04/06/1968 Fillmore East, NYC)-JH
Relax: The Who (04/05/1968 Fillmore East, NYC)-JH
Overture/It's a Boy: The Who (10/22/1969 Fillmore East, NYC)-JH
I should have called this show "Technical Difficulties". The stream went down during Judas Priest. I don't know why, but the Internet Gods obviously had something about my choice of music tonight. Up yours!
Stream the show here.
Download it here.
Listen to all of my shows here, or scroll down to see them all.
Track 5: Aluk Todolo
Hama: Boris
Mama Said Knock You Out: Lagwagon
Snuff: Slayer
Rattlehead: Megadeth
Suicide's An Alternative/You'll Be Sorry: Suicidal Tendencies
Hellfudge: Lard
Taking Bong Rips in the Tombs of the Blind Dead: Population Reduction
Suicide in Progress: Melvins
Urban Struggle: The Vandals
The Ayes Have It; Big Business
The Body: Zeni Geva
Devil's Child: Judas Priest
Legend Of The Headless Rider: Mercyful Fate
Supermarket Nightmare: Victims Family
Long End of a Firearm: Truman's Water
Sunday: Oxbow
Nick the Dick: Three Day Stubble
Savage Vigilance for a Rug Free America
Pop Song: Jesus Lizard
Lesbian Nun: The Dwarves
Red Bath: Boss Hog
