We're back this week to celebrate the second half of 1985 as we dissect July through December. There was a ton of music released in the second half of 1985 and Chris and Aaron are back to bring you some of the best tracks from the year. Without further ado, here are the stories, the people, and the sounds that made 1985 an interesting year for Decibel Geeks:

July:

July 13 – The Live Aid concert takes place in Wembley Stadium, London, UK and Philadelphia, USA. The headlining acts at the latter venue included a Led Zeppelin reunion, the first since their 1980 disbandment.

Rough Cutt – Take Her (Rough Cutt) 

August:

August 31 – Richard Ramirez, the serial killer known as the Night Stalker, is captured in Los Angeles.

Metal Edge Magazine is Launched.

Pantera – I Am the Night (I Am the Night) 

DIO - Fallen Angels (Sacred Heart) 

KIX – Sex (Midnight Dynamite) 

September:

September 6 – Michael Jackson purchases the publishing rights for most of the Beatles' music for $47 million, much to the dismay of Paul McCartney, whom he is bidding against.

September 19 – The Parents Music Resource Center's (P.M.R.C.) United States Senate hearing on rock censorship begin in Washington, D.C. Heavy metal singer Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, rock star Frank Zappa and country singer John Denver testify against the P.M.R.C.

September 22 – The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA.

KISS – Who Wants to be Lonely – (Asylum) 

Slayer - At Dawn They Sleep (Hell Awaits) 

Vandenberg – All the Way (Alibi) 

October:

October 18 – The first Nintendo home video game console in United States is released by the Nintendo Entertainment System.

ZZ Top - Planet of Women (Afterburner) 

The Cult – Rain (Love) 

November:

Aerosmith – Let the Music Do the Talking (Done with Mirrors) 

Twisted Sister - Kill or Be Killed (Come Out and Play) 

Dokken - The Hunter (Under Lock and Key) 

King Kobra – Shadow Rider (Ready to Strike)

WASP - The Last Command (The Last Command) 

December:

December 23 - Two young fans of Judas Priest in Sparks, Nevada shoot themselves, one fatally, after listening to the band's records. A lawsuit is brought against the group in 1986 claiming that they were compelled by backwards subliminal messages hidden in their music.

Bands Formed:

Britny Fox, Dream Theater, Drivin and Cryin, Roxx Gang, Guns N Roses, Jane’s Addiction, LA Guns, L7, The Mr. T Experience.

Band Breakups:

Diamond Head, Hanoi Rocks, Mercyful Fate, The Power Station, Quarterflash, Scandal

Births:

Orianthi, Reggie Bush, Bruno Mars

Deaths:

Nicolas Colasanto (Coach from Cheers), Margaret Hamilton (Wicked Witch), Rock Hudson (AIDS), Orson Wells, Ricky Nelson 

Buy Music!

Rough Cutt

Pantera

DIO

KIX

KISS

Slayer

Vandenberg

ZZ Top

The Cult

Aerosmith

Twisted Sister

Dokken

King Kobra

WASP

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