Hey! Remember the 80's?

Episode 237: Happy New Year, folks! Joe and Kari are starting off 2024 with a bang! They've chosen their Top Five Number One singles of the 80's and discuss each one's merits. They also discuss live versions, demos, or remixes. Get ready for chatter about Genesis, Janet Jackson, Bruce Hornsby & The Range, Cyndi Lauper, and more! Find out if any of your faves made this totally subjective list!

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It’s a very special episode of HRT80s and it’s dropping right smack dab in the middle of the busy holiday season. As we get ready for a new year, let’s take a look at some songs that hit the Hot 100 at the end of 1989. Some of these are definitely considered more “90’s” but since they debuted in 1989, they are fair game for HRT80s! Friend of the Podcast Chad joins Joe and Kari to discuss some of the songs that were On The Brink of the 90’s, including songs from Gloria Estefan, Technotronic, and Aerosmith! Grab your party hats and noisemakers and join in on the fun!

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Episode 235: Time for a trip back through time, to August 27, 1983 to be exact. That's the date on the front of the issue of Billboard that Joe procured at the antique mall, but you can follow along at worldradiohistory.com if you like. This episode is a review of the ads and articles from the issue, like ads for Louise Mandrell's scorching new album Too Hot To Sleep! There's also a lot of ink devoted to the rise of that new invention the CD! Singles from Will Powers, Tom Tom Club, Two Sisters and Debra (sorry, that's Zebra) are among those reviewed by Joe and Kari. 

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Episode 234: It's time for another Grab Bag episode -- Joe and Kari are taking listener suggestions (as well as their own suggestions to each other) to discuss some songs that just didn't fit into any other episodes. Thanks to listener Wes for his suggestion on Contemporary Christian artists in the 80's. Steve Taylor and The 77s had some very interesting songs, thank G**! And Joe and Kari also discuss a couple of forgotten gems that deserve a listen from Starpoint and The Look

Just a Bit Outside: Two more songs that hit the Hot 100 (but did not earn a spot in the coveted Top 40) -- this time the singles are from 2 very different rock bands, The Knack and Winger. Did they deserve to chart higher? 

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Episode 233: Think back to Episode 229 from a few weeks ago, when Joe and Kari discussed in Tidbits the list of the 500 Best Pop Songs from Billboard. If you remember, part of the criteria included that the song HAD to chart on the Hot 100 to qualify. Well, the people at Billboard put together ANOTHER list of the 100 Best Pop songs NOT to hit the Hot 100, and that's what is being discussed in this week's episode! You'll hear about pop non-hits from Miquel Brown, Taena Gardner, Bonnie Raitt, Randy Newman and others! Did they deserve to make the list? 

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Episode 232: Yes, Joe and Kari attended the Darker Waves Festival, and they lived to tell the tale! On the podcast! Their review kicks off this episode, find out what they liked (OMD! English Beat!) and what they didn't like (Lines! People! Paying for beer!). 

Since World AIDS Day is December 1st, Joe and Kari are taking a look at some of the artists who tried to use their music to bring awareness to this serious topic, like Cyndi Lauper, Jimmy Somerville of Bronski Beat, and Book of Love. 

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Episode 231: If you haven't heard Joe and Kari discuss this in previous episodes, they are traveling to Huntington Beach, CA this week to attend the Darker Waves Festival! The lineup is STACKED with artists that have been discussed on HRT80s many times, but this episode is dedicated to some of the lesser-known bands like The Chameleons and Clan of Xymox, as well as faves like The English Beat, OMD and X! You'll feel like you're at a music festival when you listen to this one, and the beers won't be 18 dollars each! 

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Episode 230: This week's episode is a very special one, as Joe and Kari welcome their first international guest to the podcast: Listener Dom from New Zealand! Dom has been kind enough to suggest some of the segments that we've brought to you on HRT80s, and this week, we get to know the man behind the ideas, and what exactly he loves about music from the 1980s. 

Then we invite Dom to discuss one of his segment ideas: Not the Song You're Thinking Of, which takes a look at songs that have the same title as huge hits of the 80s, like "Freedom", "I'm Your Man", "Trouble" and "The Power of Love". You don't want to miss this episode!

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Episode 229: Spooky Halloween Edition! Since this episode drops on Halloween, Joe and Kari took some listener suggestions on their favorite creepy songs of the 80's. Toto Coelo sang a love song about Dracula, Whodini warned us that the freaks come out at night, and Ministry gave us a goth anthem with "Everyday is Halloween."

Finally, the Great 80's Music Quiz comes to an end with the final rounds. Find out who wins the sack of full-size candy bars, and who comes home with a bag full of those weird peanut butter chews in the orange and black wrappers (you know the ones, they're nasty). 

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Episode 228: As promised, here is Part Two of the recap of the Countdown America program from February 18, 1989. Dick Clark hosted this syndicated radio program that used the Top 30 Adult Contemporary charts from Radio and Records magazine. In the upper reaches of the countdown, we have songs from Vanessa Williams, Anita Baker and Barbra Streisand. Plus, Debbie Gibson and Tiffany face off with ballads from their sophomore albums. Which song was more successful on the charts (and in our hearts)? And who was the more successful solo member of the Eagles -- Glenn Frey or Don Henley? You'll find the answers in this episode, as well as the song that took the number one spot!

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