This week we’re continuing our look at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, and this is the second half of the deep dive we started last week. On paper, this one was supposed to include Chubby Checker as well — but in true Rolling with Scissors fashion, my Chubby Checker records have apparently vanished into the same void that eats socks and guitar picks. So rather than half-assing it, we’re skipping Chubby this week and doing a proper Chubby Checker deep dive the moment I find those records. It will happen.
That said, the artists we are covering this week more than fill the space: Bad Company, The White Stripes, and Salt-N-Pepa — three acts who couldn’t be more different, but each earned their place in the Hall by carving out their own lane in the landscape of popular music.
Bad Company – Classic, Clean, and Loud in All the Right Places
We start tonight with the self-titled debut that hit like a lightning bolt in 1974. Bad Company came out of the gate fully formed — blues-driven, riff-heavy, and so cleanly recorded you can practically hear the air moving in the studio. “Can’t Get Enough,” “Rock Steady,” “Movin’ On,” and the title track are rock staples for a reason: they’re built on simplicity and swagger, and they still hit hard today. This is the kind of band that proves the Rock Hall occasionally gets it right.
The White Stripes – The Raw, Red-White-and-Black Revolution
From there we fast-forward to early-2000s Detroit, where Jack and Meg White took a two-piece lineup, stripped rock down to the bones, and accidentally kicked off a garage-rock revival. “White Blood Cells” is one of the most important rock records of its era — messy, brilliant, unpredictable — and we run through the entire thing. Then we backtrack to their earlier material from the self-titled “The White Stripes” album before arriving at “Elephant,” the record that gave the world “Seven Nation Army,” a riff that somehow became a stadium anthem in every country on Earth. The White Stripes are the last band who really felt dangerous in mainstream rock, and tonight we let that danger breathe.
Salt-N-Pepa – The Groove, the Attitude, the Legacy
And then we shift gears entirely.
Salt-N-Pepa aren’t just deserving inductees — they’re foundational. “Very Necessary” is the kind of record that owned an era, driven by confidence, humor, funk, and some of the most iconic tracks of the early ’90s. From “Shoop” to “None of Your Business” to “Whatta Man,” this album wasn’t just successful — it cracked the door open for future generations of women in hip-hop and pop. Salt-N-Pepa didn’t tiptoe into the mainstream; they kicked the damn door down. And yes — I’m playing the full record.
It’s a hell of a ride tonight. Rock, garage fury, hip-hop power — all under the umbrella of the artists joining the Rock Hall this year. Next week, once I locate the runaway Chubby Checker vinyl, we’ll come back and give him the deep-dive he deserves.
Hour 1
Artist – Song – Time – Album – Label
Bad Company – Can’t Get Enough – 04:16 – Bad Company – Swan Song – 1974
Bad Company – Rock Steady – 03:47 – Bad Company – Swan Song – 1974
Bad Company – Ready for Love – 05:02 – Bad Company – Swan Song – 1974
Bad Company – Don’t Let Me Down – 04:20 – Bad Company – Swan Song – 1974
Bad Company – Bad Company – 04:50 – Bad Company – Swan Song – 1974
Bad Company – The Way I Choose – 05:05 – Bad Company – Swan Song – 1974
Bad Company – Movin’ On – 03:24 – Bad Company – Swan Song – 1974
Bad Company – Seagull – 04:03 – Bad Company – Swan Song – 1974
Hour 2
Artist – Song – Time – Album – Label
The White Stripes – Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground – 03:04 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – Hotel Yorba – 02:10 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – I’m Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman – 02:54 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – Fell in Love with a Girl – 01:50 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – Expecting – 02:03 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – Little Room – 00:50 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – The Union Forever – 03:26 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – The Same Boy You’ve Always Known – 03:09 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – We’re Going to Be Friends – 02:22 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – Offend in Every Way – 03:06 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – I Think I Smell a Rat – 02:04 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – Aluminum – 02:19 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – I Can’t Wait – 03:38 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – Now Mary – 01:47 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – I Can Learn – 03:31 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
The White Stripes – This Protector – 02:12 – White Blood Cells – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2001
Hour 3
Artist – Song – Time – Album – Label
The White Stripes – Jimmy the Exploder – 02:29 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Stop Breaking Down – 02:20 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – The Big Three Killed My Baby – 02:29 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Suzy Lee – 03:21 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Sugar Never Tasted So Good – 02:55 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Wasting My Time – 02:13 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Cannon – 02:30 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Astro – 02:42 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Broken Bricks – 01:51 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – When I Hear My Name – 01:54 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Do – 03:05 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Screwdriver – 03:14 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – One More Cup of Coffee – 03:13 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Little People – 02:22 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Slicker Drips – 01:30 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – St. James Infirmary Blues – 02:24 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – I Fought Piranhas – 03:07 – The White Stripes – Sympathy for the Record Industry – 2002
The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army – 03:50 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – Black Math – 03:03 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – There’s No Home for You Here – 03:43 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself – 02:46 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – In the Cold, Cold Night – 02:58 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother’s Heart – 03:20 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – You’ve Got Her in Your Pocket – 03:39 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – Ball and Biscuit – 07:19 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – The Hardest Button to Button – 03:32 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – Little Acorns – 04:09 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – Hypnotize – 01:48 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – The Air Near My Fingers – 03:40 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine – 03:17 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
The White Stripes – It’s True That We Love One Another – 02:44 – Elephant – Third Man Records – 2003
Salt-N-Pepa – Groove Me – 04:23 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – No One Does It Better – 03:54 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – Somebody’s Gettin’ on My Nerves – 03:57 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – Whatta Man – 05:08 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – None of Your Business – 03:33 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – Step – 03:11 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – Shoop – 04:08 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – Heaven or Hell – 04:44 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – Big Shot – 03:50 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – Sexy Noises Turn Me On – 03:57 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – Somma Time Man – 03:26 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – Break of Dawn – 03:46 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993
Salt-N-Pepa – I’ve Got AIDS (PSA) – 03:18 – Very Necessary – Next Plateau Records Inc. – 1993 [fade out]
Rolling with Scissors airs live every Tuesday from 2–5 AM on 89.9 FM in Madison and streams at wortfm.org. Missed it? You can catch the episode for two weeks after broadcast at archive.wortfm.org or at rwsradio.com.
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