In Episode 341 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin rings in the "new year” of 1980 by examining how classic rock, metal, punk, and new wave bands either reinvented themselves, stalled out, or flat-out quit as the calendar flipped from the ’70s into the radically different ’80s.

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In Episode 340 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin treats Judas Priest’s Painkiller and AC/DC’s The Razor’s Edge as near-identical 1990-era comeback doppelgangers, comparing their timing, guitars, drummers, production, and missed momentum as two old-guard metal bands tried to outmuscle a changing scene on the eve of grunge.

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In Episode 339 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores how persistence and simply staying in the game can eventually pay off, using life-lesson stories and musical examples—from Gary Moore and John Wetton to Tommy Thayer and Derek Shulman—of artists who kept showing up, climbed the ladder in different ways, and ultimately landed career-defining gigs inside and beyond the rock world.

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In Episode 338 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores why veteran rock stars like Alice Cooper, Robert Plant, Rob Halford and others collaborate with younger musicians, examining whether it’s for creative renewal, staying culturally relevant, genuine mentorship, or tapping into youthful energy.

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In Episode 337 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin examines rock and metal bands that “missed the pre-grunge window” by failing to release one more album before grunge’s 1991 breakthrough wiped out their commercial momentum.

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In Episode 336 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin ponders the bands who managed—through timing, luck, pivots, or pure momentum—to sneak in a successful album just before grunge exploded and reshaped the entire rock and metal landscape.

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In Episode 336 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin ponders the bands who managed—through timing, luck, pivots, or pure momentum—to sneak in a successful album just before grunge exploded and reshaped the entire rock and metal landscape.

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In Episode 335 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin traces the parallel rise, stumbles, and enduring legacies of Motörhead and Saxon, showing how the two bands evolved like true heavy-metal doppelgängers across debuts, classics, live albums, missteps, and comeback eras.

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In Episode 334 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin digs into why so many rock, metal, and even punk bands slip old-school 1950s-style rock-and-roll rave-ups into their albums, exploring the roots, motives, and surprising examples behind this enduring musical quirk.

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In Episode 333 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives into those puzzling album openers that deflate excitement right out of the gate—exploring songs that worry, confuse, or misrepresent their bands, from The Who and Rush to Queen, Rainbow, and Yes.

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