Hey, it's Alan, and I just wanted to let you know that you can now listen to the ongoing

history of new music early and ad-free on Amazon music, included with Prime.

Before we begin, I want to let you know about a new show from Curious Cast that I think

you might really, really enjoy. It's called Russia Rising. Putin's Russia has been accused of

using internet trolls and hackers and even

assassins to influence the West. This new investigative podcast hopes to unravel this giant mystery

with the help of those who know best. Russian trolls, hackers, Putin supporters, even a former Russian KGB agent.

Join Europe Bureau Chief of Global News, Jeff Semple. He goes on a journey to unravel how Russia has

gone from tenuous ally to a potential global threat. You can listen to Russia Rising for free

at curiouscast.ca.ca. Or wherever you're enjoying the ongoing

history of new music. Do it. Trust me. You'll love it. Okay. Is it just me? Or has there been an

uptick in the number of one-hit wonders over the past couple of years? Think about all the

hot bands who've had just one good album or even just one good song before they're forgotten.

Now, in the old days, a group developed and evolved over a series of albums, three, four, five, six records even.

It was slow, took a lot of patience, a lot of fighting to keep things together, but more often than not, it paid off.

I mean, look at U2 or REM or Blur, or Depeche Mode, or 9-inch Nails.

None of these bands was what you'd call immediate, instant, hit-it-out-of-the-park successes.

Each group was allowed to build a career the old-fashioned way, slowly and carefully.

And most importantly, they were allowed to make mistakes along the way.

Oh, you know who we missed in this list of bands?

Radiohead.

They started slow.

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