The ‘80s: Our Listeners Punch the HOF Ballot
PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s, 80s and MoreShow Notes
Dave and Milt reveal the listeners’ survey-driven top 10 forgotten ’80s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-worthy artists, noting the oddly neat result that—like the ’70s episode—about 10 acts clear a “put them in” majority threshold. The B-52s brought the beehives, The camp, the kitsch, the fun,But was weirdness enough when all was said and done? Steve Winwood had that golden voice, From Traffic to MTV,“Higher Love” was cool but twice-inducted? Must he be? Then Mötley Crüe came crashing in, With hairspray, booze and flame,They filled arenas, scared your mom—But does excess equal fame? Tracy Chapman, quiet and fierce, Had songs that cut straight through,“Fast Car” somehow never gets old- is her résumé enough for you? Toto had chops to spare, “Africa,” “Rosanna,” too,The session-player super-team—Though critics often said, “Not you.” Eric B. & Rakim changed how rappers rap, Rakim rewrote the rules,Their influence towers over their charts—Does innovation trump record sales and pools? Rick Springfield was Jesse’s jealous friend, A heartthrob with a hook,He had more hits than some recall— But does the Hall give soap stars a look? The Smiths inspired gloomy souls With Morrissey and Marr,Influential? Undeniably. But four albums—does that get you far? Bryan Adams rocked the summer nights, With raspy, fist-pump flair,A mountain full of radio hits— Is that true rarefied air? DEVO wore the flowerpots, And warned that we devolve,Can they whip the Hall of Fame? A mystery to solve. Don Henley left the Eagles’ nest and did some solo stuff; “Boys of Summer,” “Dirty Laundry” Hmmm - is it enough? Sonic Youth made guitars sound Like power tools from Mars,Alt-rock owes them plenty—But are they truly stars? Huey Lewis & The News had heart, and hooks galore,In the 80s they were everywhere—can they knock down the door? Scorpions rocked us like a hurricane, And whistled winds of change,Would seeing them enshrined be juuust a little strange? The Bangles walked like Egyptians and harmonies were their ace,More than just an ’80s novelty—Though longevity hurts their case. Robert Palmer dressed impeccably, And made addiction chic,Soul, rock, funk and Power Station—But too brief and sleek? Kenny Loggins owned the cinema: “Footloose,” “Danger Zone,”But solo Hall credentials? That’s harder to condone. INXS had Hutchence, And Kick was wall-to-wall,A global band with sex and hooks—Is it now time for the Hall? Tears for Fears ruled everybody’s world, With brains behind the sheen,Big songs, ambitious albums—But is their catalog pristine? And finally there’s Sting, all tantric cool, With jazz where rock had been,The Police already punched his ticket— Can Gordo punch it again?
Topics 01:29 Survey SAYS… 04:09 The Final Countdown 04:30 Starting With A Bang(le) 07:43 INXS INdaHOF? … not yet 10:35 Be Originals. Be Standouts. B-52s. 14:24 Toto Rides the Yacht 18:25 This Was Supposed to be the Summer of Bryan! 23:37 Show Steve Some Higher Love 25:36 Frampton: Show Him the Way 26:28 Loggins. He’s All Right… 29:09 Did I Say Messina? 30:14 Building the Perfect Henley Debate 32:50 Huey Wants A New Plug 35:30 Also Ran Rundown 37:06 Are You Smiths or Are You Out? 38:53 The Sting of #1
More from PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s, 80s and More
Dave (coughing through the cold open) and chartmeister Michael “Milt” Wolfe take Past 10s back to the week ending Oct. 2, 1999, detouring through Adam Yas singing the national anthem at a Patriots game, listener mail about forgotten “best claps” songs, and why Polish jokes exist. They set the scene with Freaks and Geeks premiering, Double Jeopardy topping the box office, and ER ruling TV, then dive into a late-’90s Latin crossover-heavy countdown.
Dave and Milt record a special episode focused on ranking the best hand-clap songs, defining picks as songs where clapping is a crucial, compelling element that makes listeners want to clap along (not just a brief moment). You know, clapping. … Why are we overexplaining this? Sorry. … They discuss postponing recording due to Milt attending a Yankees playoff game, announce that Dave’s brother Adam Yas will sing the national anthem on the field before Sunday’s Patriots game (with related family coincidences), and note Milt’s AI-assisted birthday song for Dave (appended to the episode). Using combined rankings from over 50 candidates plus listener suggestions, they count down the top 10.
Dave and Milt revisit the rock chart for the week ending Oct. 6, 1984—after initially and repeatedly calling it 1983 and later admitting the error. After banter about ice cream habits, a contrived Willy Wonka competition show, and brief history/pop-culture notes (Richard Noble’s 633 mph “Thrust 2” land-speed record, Carl Yastrzemski’s final at-bat, Lech Wałęsa’s Nobel Prize, The Big Chill, and AfterMASH), they count down the rock Top 10: Krokus “Midnite Maniac,” Billy Idol “Flesh for Fantasy,” Survivor “I Can’t Hold Back,” Honeymoon Suite “New Girl Now,” U2 “Pride (In the Name of Love),” Lindsey Buckingham “Go Insane,” Bruce Springsteen “Cover Me,” David Bowie “Blue Jean,” The Fixx “Are We Ourselves,” and John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band “On the Dark Side.” They discuss trivia (Miami Vice placement, Bowie’s Jazzin’ for Blue Jean film, Bono lyric correction, Springsteen dance remix), play a “blue/blues” quiz, pick U2 as winner, and swap out Survivor and Buckingham for Twisted Sister “I Wanna Rock” and KISS “Heaven’s on Fire,” then plug social channels and a future “Freedom Rock” episode invite.
Dave and Milt revisit the famously corny-but-great Freedom Rock compilation, tackling side two track by track while rating each song’s “Freedom Rock” authenticity in a Cheech-and-Chong-style “vans” scale of 1-5 via ChatGPT. They banter about pet allergies, the ad’s cultural afterlife, and whether Freedom Rock could’ve become a movement like yacht rock. Also, Dave makes a simply miraculous run “guessing the vans.” Song SPOILERS below.
Dave and Milt slip into their glowing white socks and travel back to September 22, 1979—when albums mattered, packaging was an art form and apparently everybody owned a synthesizer. [EPISODE SPOILERS IN LIST OF TOPICS BELOW. In case you care. … You probably don’t. Sigh.] Before entering the time machine, the guys wade into the Macklemore–Robert Kraft controversy, debating free speech, private venues, “Free Palestine,” antisemitism and whether anybody emerges from the whole mess looking particularly good.Then it’s on to the week’s Top 10 albums: Robin Williams unleashes his manic mind, The Cars avoid the sophomore slump, Earth, Wind & Fire decline to release “September” in September, and The Commodores prove there was more to them than Lionel Richie. Michael Jackson steps Off the Wall, Chic battles the disco backlash, Supertramp serves breakfast, Bob Dylan finds Jesus, The Knack discovers that overnight success has an expiration date, and Led Zeppelin delivers one final studio album—with six covers, a paper bag and a surprising amount of synthesizer. Plus: the Winner of the Week, two substitutions and the continuing criminal exclusion of the B-52’s from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Topics 00:00 Cold open: Lunch in Libya, glowing socks and compulsory Knack listening01:00 Welcome—and Milt’s controversial decision to wear a tie04:00 Macklemore, Robert Kraft and the Ed Sheeran tour controversy08:00 Free speech, private venues and the right to say—or refuse to host—something12:00 Does shutting down speech help the cause or create a martyr?15:00 Why has “Free Palestine” captured so much attention from young Americans?19:00 The time machine lands on September 22, 197921:00 No. 10: Robin Williams — Reality… What a Concept33:00 No. 9: The Cars — Candy-O42:00 No. 8: Earth, Wind & Fire — I Am49:00 No. 7: The Commodores — Midnight Magic54:00 No. 6: Michael Jackson — Off the Wall1:10:00 No. 5: Chic — Risqué1:21:00 No. 4: Supertramp — Breakfast in America1:31:00 No. 3: Bob Dylan — Slow Train Coming1:39:00 No. 2: The Knack — Get the Knack1:46:00 No. 1: Led Zeppelin — In Through the Out Door1:58:00 The complete Top 10 recap2:00:00 Winner of the Week: Who else?2:01:00 Milt’s substitution: Talking Heads — Fear of Music2:04:00 Dave’s substitution: The B-52’s — The B-52’s2:08:00 Spotify frustrations, contact information and one final bowl of NyQuil