Hey! Remember the 80's?

Episode 207: Joe and Kari are always thrilled to get listener suggestions! First, from Matt B., a look at an act that started out in 1982, Everything But the Girl. True, they are probably best known for their hit from the 90's, but their 80's output is definitely worth checking out. Then, listener Alex suggested a few songs from Minor Detail and Polyrock. And finally, Blair's sugges...

Episode 206: First in Tidbits -- surely you've heard the news about the inductees for this year's class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and now Joe and Kari offer their two cents on who got snubbed.  Kari's Record Store Haul: A trip to MadCity Music in Madison, WI proved fruitful for Kari. In this episode, we take a look and some of the finds of the day. Albums from The Pretenders, R...

Episode 205: The Sax is Back! Thanks to The 80's Music Compendium,  Joe and Kari have a new batch of 80's songs to discuss that include long sax solos. Bobby Womack and Patti LaBelle joined forces to climb the R&B chart in 1984, and Dan Fogelberg took some inspiration from a trippy Tom Robbins novel to create a number one hit on the AC chart. You'll also hear about sax solos fro...

Episode 204: First up in Tidbits, a recap of Joe and Kari's trip to Minneapolis to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of Transmission! So much great music and dancing!  Then it's time for a new segment: It Peaked on This Day, a look at songs that peaked on April 25th. In 1981, songs by Steely Dan, The Outlaws, and Fantasy reached their peaks on the Hot 100. In 1987, songs from Peter Gabriel,...

Episode 203: Grab some punch and a piece of cake because we are celebrating BIRTHDAYS this week on HRT80s. No, not Joe or Kari's birthdays, but rather the birthdays of some notable musicians, including Iggy Pop, Paul Carrack, Jack Blades of Night Ranger, and The Triplets! Then it's time to discuss a truly bizarre (and awesome) song and video from a band that was founded by the one and on...

Episode 202: Batter up! Baseball season has begun, and notorious sports fans Joe and Kari are talking about those hits of the 80's that are about America's favorite pastime, including songs by John Fogerty and Bruce Springsteen. And UK act The Outfield was seemingly named after a love of the game, but the ref calls foul! Baseball terms! Just a Bit Outside: Songs that peaked outside of th...

Episode 201: Joe and Kari are preparing for a trek to Minneapolis, so it's time to bone up on some acts that originated in the area. Of course, Prince is the most famous of the bunch, and he's been discussed many times on the podcast -- but that doesn't stop your hosts from talking about Prince-adjacent acts like Apollonia and Ta Mara and the Seen. On the rock side, you'll hear...

Sound the alarm, Episode 200 is here! Yup, Joe and Kari are in disbelief as well. It's been a long road to get to this point, but your hosts are hopefully up to the challenge to bring you a "Greatest Hits" episode. All your favorite segments are here: Coming Around Again, That's What Friends are For, and Just a Bit Outside. Plus, it's all led up to this moment: Joe and Kar...

Episode 199: Joe and Kari are back with more R&B Superstars! Even though they've already reached the letter K in the Joel Whitburn book, they had to turn back a few pages to highlight Regina Belle, since that name has popped up a few times in the podcast. Then it's time to shine a spotlight on Kool Moe Dee, Lakeside, and the one and only Patti LaBelle!  Canadian Singles: The CBC made...

Episode 198: Time to flashback to March 11, 1989, with a look at the ads and articles from Billboard magazine (thank you, Monty Greenly). First up, an ad for a Boy George solo album that started out as an attempt to turn the former Culture Club frontman into a New Jack Swinger. Then, a report on the 1989 Grammy Awards -- which artists received the so-called Grammy Bump, and which new awards caused...

Episode 197: Say goodbye to the shortest month of the year with an episode about the shortest SONGS to hit the Hot 100. Joe and Kari discuss singles from The Georgia Satellites, Glen Campbell, Los Lobos, and Dave Edmunds, among others. And you'll find out which of the Vacation movies is the ONLY one Kari has ever seen. The answer may shock you.  Just a Bit Outside: Two non-top-40 singles are...

Episode 196: In honor of Fat Tuesday, this episode is all about PARTY songs from the 1980's! Whether you like to Party All the Time, or if you prefer just to have the occasional Party Weekend, Joe (mayor of Partytown) and Kari (World Dance Party Coordinator) have got the insider scoop on these Party classics. But the fun doesn't stop there! Kari gets QUIZZED on some of her most beloved 8...

Episode 195: Happy Valentine's Day! Just to switch it up a bit, Joe and Kari are here to talk about some anti-Valentine's songs. Joan Jett and Alice Cooper got a couple top ten hits out of theirs, but there's also room for songs from Freddie Mercury, Joy Division and J. Geils Band that didn't chart quite so high.  Number 195: Looking at some songs ranked on a couple of 200 best...

Episode 194: Break out the champagne! It's time to celebrate 4 whole years of Hey! Remember the 80's! The ever-thoughtful Kari marked the occasion by noting that the traditional gift for 4th anniversaries is Flowers or Ripe Fruit. On the menu for Ep 194: Songs/Bands with flowers or fruits in the name, including the song "One Bad Apple", the Scottish due Strawberry Switchblade,...

Episode 193: First up in Tidbits, a quick review of the recent Yacht Rock Doc "Sometimes When We Touch",  now streaming on Paramount+. Joe gives it a Thumbs Up, and is now rethinking his stance on Ray Parker Jr.  Listener Mail Bag: Thank you to listeners Heidi, Peter and Giovanni for their suggestions. A couple of hits from Martha and the Muffins and Soda Stereo are highlighted, then a l...

Episode 192: Coming Around Again - the segment where we look at songs that charted twice! Duran Duran had a hit in the UK that went all the way to number 2 in 1982. So why did it take 3 years for the song to hit the US charts? NKOTB released an album before Hangin' Tough, but it didn't hit. So how did one of the flop singles become such a success in 1989? Ask Kari.  Just A Bit Outside: J...

Episode 191: The stars have aligned, and Joe and Kari have now BOTH seen the new(ish) Whitney Houston movie, so get ready for a discussion in Tidbits.  The Main Event: Billboard Flashback 1/19/1985. (Feel free to follow along with the issue, you can find it at worldradiohistory.com). A front-page ad from RCA Records doesn't exactly inspire confidence, find out if their money was well-spent on...

Episode 190: Did everyone remember Kari has a book about the R&B charts? We left off on the letter J, so get ready for discussion about a few Joneses, and the Jonzun Crew! Also, name your favorite saxophonist! Who’s Holding Phil Now— your favorite Genesis member also moonlighted as Fixx-er! Send us Fan Mail

Episode 189 is here! Time to close out our look at each year of the 80's with a Supersized Just a Bit Outside segment. Which songs were populating the lower half of the Hot 100 in the last year of the 80's? You know the big hits from acts like Warrant, Surface, and DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, but these selections didn't exactly score a knockout on the charts. Some lesser kno...

Episode 188: In our look at (almost) each of the years of the 1980's, Joe and Kari are up to Episode 188, which means it's time to check out an event from 1988; the year Celine Dion sang the winning song in the Eurovision contest. While the song "Ne partez pas sans moi" might not ring any bells, it's a song that led to Celine becoming the international superstar that we no...

Episode 187: Time to celebrate the year 1987 by investigating some of the albums that were released in 1987! Teen queen Debbie Gibson burst onto the scene in that year, but even though she was young, it wasn't exactly an overnight success. Out of the Blue was a smash, but just how involved was young Debbie in the making of the record? (Answer: very!)  Three seasoned vets joined forces to reco...

Episode 186: There were soundtracks a'plenty in 1986! Yes, there was Top Gun, Pretty in Pink, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but those have already been discussed, so it's time to check out movies like About Last Night, Out of Bounds, and Back to School. Heavy hitters like John Waite and Adam Ant are represented, and other acts like JD Souther, Nancy Shanks and Jude Cole are up for d...

Episode 185: First up in Tidbits, a review of the performances from this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, and Eurythmics performed. Some sounded better than others, do you agree with Joe and Kari’s assessments? Episode 185 is all about 1985, particularly the debut of brand new music video channel VH1. The first VJs included Don Imus and Sha Na Na? Plu...

Episode 184: First up in tidbits, Joe and Kari pay tribute to the iconic Irene Cara, who we sadly lost this past weekend. Her music inspired many conversations between Joe and Kari, both on and off the air, and she will be missed.  Since it's episode 184, your hosts are looking at 1984 for significant events in Pop Music, and what could be bigger than the first ever MTV Video Music Awards? Be...

In celebration of episode 183, Joe and Kari rank the songs that peaked at number 83 on the Hot 100 throughout the 1980's. Songs from The Tourists, Carly Simon, Blue Oyster Cult, and Quarterflash are included, but only one song can take the top spot. Here's a hint: it's from a sister act!  Just a Bit Outside: The segment that focuses on songs that didn't quite make the Top 40 is...