Hey! Remember the 80's?

Episode 177: In this week’s episode, Joe and Kari welcome a very special guest: DJ Jake Rudh! You may know him from his Transmission specials (broadcast on Twitch), but Jake has been in the DJ business for over 30 years, and is a club and radio DJ in the Minneapolis area. He was kind enough to let Joe and Kari ask him all sorts of questions about his amazing career, including questions about some of the iconic performers he’s opened up for. And since Jake will once again be performing his sets at 80’s in the Sand, he’s joining Joe and Kari as they discuss just some of the acts that will be performing this year, including Morris Day and the Time, Wang Chung, and Klymaxx! You don't want to miss this one!

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Episode 176: The segment "Just a Bit Outside" covers all the songs that hit the Hot 100, but never made it to the Top 40. Joe and Kari's TIRELESS effort to cover all of these songs continues in Episode 176, and this week's contenders include a singer-songwriter that is one of Joe's faves, a legendary R&B musician and icon, the artist that co-wrote one of the biggest hits of the 80's, and a superstar guitarist that's been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. 

Steel Drums: What's that sound? It's a steel drum, and it's included in all kinds of 80's songs, including singles from Spyro Gyra and El Debarge with Debarge (featuring DeBarge). 

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Episode 175: First up in tidbits, some 80's-related TV notes (Cobra Kai, Women Who Rock), and a reaction to the first trailer for the upcoming Whitney Houston biopic. Then it's time for the main topic, a Billboard magazine flashback to the September 19, 1987 issue. A new band's debut album and single "demand your attention!" Then, a news article explains why Michael Jackson's blockbuster "Bad" album won't debut on this week's chart. The top-grossing live shows include some faves, plus an R&B legend comes out on top. Remember the movie "He's My Girl"? Probably not, but Billboard does! Also included: REM, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and get ready to bundle up because it's about to get FROSTY!

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Episode 174: Since Kari was stoked to see one of her favorite bands, Crowded House, live in concert later this month, she thought it would be a good time to discuss the band's history in this week's episode. Crowded House may have postponed their US dates, but HRT80s must go on! The story begins with brothers Tim and Neil Finn (and the band Split Enz), and endz with another set of brothers! Meanwhile, Joe wanted to discuss ABC due to his recent obsession with the insane video for "The Look of Love". This suave UK act is responsible for some great "sophisti-pop", and ABC's Martin Fry is still at it!

The Other Number Ones: This episode, number one hits from the Dance and R&B are represented by music from Rockers Revenge and LeVert. Should the songs have fared better on the Hot 100?

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Episode 173: Remember a few weeks back when Joe and Kari ranked songs with America in the title? They had so much fun, they decided to open it up to all the countries around the world! Songs that were "Big in Japan" or had you "Dancing Under a Latin Moon" are up for debate! The list is quite diverse, so there is sure to be a song in the mix that that you love, or maybe you will hear a song for the first time!

Number 173: Joe and Kari went to the lists of the 200 best songs of the 80's and found the entries for 173: An influential punk band from the Pacific Northwest and a beloved UK synth pop group!

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Episode 172: Joe and Kari left off on the letter "H" in the R&B Singles reference book, so it's time to check in with some artists that were putting in a lot of time on the R&B Chart: Howard Hewett, Miki Howard (did we know she was in Poetic Justice??), and Phyllis Hyman. By the time they get to the letter J, they are dealing with some legends: Millie Jackson and Al Jarreau. 

HRT80s Court is in session! Our case in this week's episode: The Pet Shop Boys didn't rip off Cat Stevens, or did they? Surprise witness Jonathan King is here, and he is no stranger to the judicial system! Get ready for a ruling!

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Episode 171: Coming Around Again; the segment which focuses on songs that charted or were released more than once is back again! The song "Don't Tell Me Lies" by UK act Breathe got a remix and a second shot at success on the Hot 100, as did an early single from Adam and the Ants. John Foxx and Paul Young (or rather, their record labels) also re-released some singles...did any of them deserve a second chance?

Just a Bit Outside: no second chances for these singles from Rush, Crystal Gayle, Kiss and Bonham. They have been relegated to the lower reaches of the Hot 100, but should they have charted higher?

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Episode 170: Of course, Joe and Kari have to pay tribute to Olivia Newton-John. Kari said it best in one of the first episodes of HRT80's: ONJ is our superstar, forever and always. 

Ebony And Ivory: More long piano solos from the 80's; including songs from Peter Cetera, Smokey Robinson, and Fine Young Cannibals. Kari is a huge fan of piano and keyboards in popular music, but does she enjoy all of the songs covered in this segment? Before you answer, we forgot to mention that Manhattan Transfer is also on the list. 

Obscure Soundtrack Songs: Kari teased an upcoming segment, did you guess that we would be discussing The Boy Who Could Fly? Because Joe was stumped! And don't forget there's more music in Flashdance than just Irene Cara and Michael Sembello!

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Episode 169: Joe and Kari are celebrating the 41st anniversary of MTV by revisiting the videos that were chosen to air on that first day of programming. We all know "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles was the first video to air, but the Buggles also had another video in rotation at the time.  Lesser known acts like PhD and Robin Lane and the Chartbusters were also pioneers by having produced videos early in their career, as well as Lee Ritenour and The Shoes. Big names like Paul McCartney and Pete Townshend were also in the early rotation.

Just a Bit Outside: Songs that hit the Hot 100 but didn't make it to the Top 40. Jefferson Airplane aka Jefferson Starship aka Starship were in the bottom half of the Hot 100 in 1980 AND in 1989. Did they deserve to chart higher??

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Episode 168: Billboard Flashback, July 28, 1984: Let's look at some advertisements and articles from an old issue of Billboard Magazine. First up, is America ready for Wendy O. Williams? Her label ponied up for a front page ad touting "The finest heavy rock album since Pyromania." Well she certainly loved fire. Page 2 features the former lead singer of The J. Geils Band, Peter Wolf. Is his debut album a departure from his previous work? Also, an article lists some of the disappointments in the music world from 1984, plus a look at some of the most added songs and videos of the time.

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