The 80s-est

Look, you guys are the one who wanted LEGENDS ONLY! So it’s up to YOU to pick between Journey and Eurythmics. Joe and I can’t help you, you’re on your own! 4-seed “Don’t Stop Believin’” would appear to have a numerical edge on 13-seed “Here Comes the Rain Again,” but in a Legends duel, you can throw away the seeds. Annie and Dave are every bit as 80s as Steve and Neal & the guys…so… flip a coin? G...

Every show, another conundrum! Which of these ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE 80s hits will you select to survive and advance in the LEGENDS bracket? You’ve got one of the biggest songs of the decade in 5-seed “Every Breath You Take” by The Police against, GUESS WHAT, ANOTHER of the biggest songs of the decade in Toto’s 12-seed “Africa”! Will this be a big upset? Only your votes can help us find out! This is a...

Tina was famous in the 60s and re-emerged victorious in the 80s. Queen was a titan of the 70s, and came back in the early 80s. Which of these LEGENDS will survive and advance? VOTE and find out! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the80sest.substack.com

Prince. You know him. He’s purple, he’s androgynous, he’s a musical god. Heart. You know them, too. Big in the 70s, ballads that rocked the 80s. Who will advance? Who will go home? Well, I think we know, but that’s why we VOTE! Also, if you haven’t seen this, and you like Prince, please watch. If you’re impatient, jump to 3:27 for Prince to absolutely melt your face off: This is a public episode....

The Boss has landed! His batch of 64 songs has been pared down to just 16, and now it’s time to reveal the Bruce Springsteen Region, and all of its seeds and songs! The graphical bracket below is a huge spoiler, so let’s not look at it before listening to the episode! I’ll put this picture of The Boss and The Big Man here to draw your attention away! And just below that is the playlist for this re...

The Material Girl and her band of 80s Legends have arrived! This batch of 64 songs has been voted down to 16, and now it’s time to reveal the Madonna Region, and all of its seeds and songs! The graphical bracket below is a huge spoiler, so let’s not look at it before listening to the episode! I’ll put this picture of Madge here to draw your attention away! And just below that is the playlist for t...

The Gloved One and his compatriots are here! This batch of 64 songs has been voted down to 16, and now it’s time to reveal the Michael Jackson Region, and all of its seeds and songs! The graphical bracket below is a huge spoiler, so let’s not look at it before listening to the episode! I’ll put this picture of the King of Pop here to draw your attention away! And just below that is the playlist fo...

The Purple One and his court have arrived! All 64 songs have been voted on, and 16 songs have emerged! It’s time to reveal The Prince Region, and all its seeds and songs! The graphic bracket below is a huge spoiler, so let’s not look at it before listening to the episode! I’ll put this picture of Prince here to distract you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other su...

We are back, and we are doing this! For 10 months, you’ve heard, “[This act] is too big to be in the game.” And “Maybe one day we will do a Legends bracket.” Dear listener, that day has arrived, as we give you Season 3: Legends Only! Tonight we reveal the 64 artists who have made it into the Legends Bracket. And then, it’s up to you, to some extent, to choose which song represents each of these Le...

All winners will be revealed, along with a few surprises, in this Side B Finale!!! (NO SPOILERS!!) See you in Season 3!! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the80sest.substack.com

It’s a VERY special episode of The 80s-est, where we bring in our friend, and 80s college radio specialist, Deni Mayer, to talk about his 80s experience, some of his favorite artists, and songs. The wide-ranging discussion eventually leads to Joe and Keith naming their Final Four for each of Deni’s brackets. So, re-apply your eyeliner, maybe go to a political protest (shouldn’t be hard to find one...

Well, this is IT. We are down to the FINAL. One of these two songs WILL be the winner of The 80s-est Side B! Will it be British synthpop band When in Rome’s 11-seed, “The Promise,” or will it be American synthpop group, Information Society with their 6-seed, “What’s On Your Mind?(Pure Energy)”? Vote now, and don’t forget to also vote in the 3rd place game! This is a public episode. If you would li...

This is IT! The past several Fridays have led us to the end of the road. And now it’s down to this: do you believe in the legend of Def Leppard and the decadent and bombastic “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” or do you believe in the prototypical hair band ultra-dramatic sound of White Lion, with high harmonies and guitars, as showcased in their big smash, “Wait”? It’s time to spray that hair up one last t...

The Final Four continues, as the winner of the Movies Region, (4)Send Me an Angel by Real Life, takes on the winner of the Foreigners(STILL Without Foreigner) Region, (11)The Promise by When in Rome! We have also said everything there is to say about these two songs…so once again there are no playlists here, no attached videos, it’s down to these two tunes at this point, and these two are are also...

The Final Four begins, as the winner of the Bands Region, (6)What's on Your Mind?(Pure Energy) by Information Society, takes on the winner of the Singers Region, (7)Tell It to My Heart by Taylor Dayne! We have said everything there is to say about these two songs…there are no playlists here, no attached videos, it’s down to these two tunes at this point, and they are both INCREDIBLY 80s. Which one...

The Hair Metal Final Four is HERE. BREAKING NEWS:The world experiences a hairspray shortage, because ALL THE AQUANET IS HERE! The best of the best are HERE! Now we just need YOUR votes to get us an exciting Final! TWO of these songs will advance to be the most totally hair metal song of the decade! In matchup one, British veteran rockers square off, as Def Leppard’s bombastic “Pour Some Sugar on M...

In the tightest race so far on this side, (5)The Look wins a tiebreaker against Level 42 (based on original seeding) to advance to the Regional Final. Here it clashes with the etherial underdog, 11-seed “The Promise” by When In Rome. What will it be? Swedish dance synth, or British love synth?? VOTE NOW!!! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get ac...

Well, the Singers Region all comes down to this. Two powerful women with powerhouse voices square off for the Singers Region crown, as (7)Tell It to My Heart by Taylor Dayne takes on tournament Cinderella (13)Toy Soldiers by Martika! Which will you choose, the loud dance groove about love vs. lust, or the soft, haunting ballad about addiction? Vote and tell us WHY! This is a public episode. If you...

There were no upsets in this week’s hair metal voting, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be this week! Smash radio hits rule the week as Poison takes on Ratt ((3)“Nothin’ But a Good Time” faces off against (6) “Round and Round”) In the nightcap, veteran rockers Mötley Crüe face off against fly-by-night White Lion as (7)”Wait” has the audacity to challenge (2)”Dr. Feelgood.” Make your vote and your...

Well, at long last, we have reached the end of the road in the Bands Region. One of these two songs will move on to represent the region in the Final Four! Neither of these songs should really even BE here today! Gone are the dreamy top five seeds in the region and their smash hits. Will the winner be pulsating, overproduced 6-seed “What’s on Your Mind?(Pure Energy)” by Information Society, OR wil...

One of these two songs will represent the Movies Region in the Final Four! Will it be the international #1 smash-hit, multi-award winning classic from the biggest action movie of the decade? Or will it be the barely-cracked-the-top-30 song from the BMX movie that about 2% of us have seen? It’s Top Gun vs. Rad ! It’s Berlin’s 3-seed “Take My Breath Away” against the 4-seed by 1-almost-hit-wonder, R...

We resume the Hair Metal mini-game with some absolute behemoths moving on. Leppard. G-n-R. Whitesnake. Only Dokken and (13)Dream Warriors managed to sneak through as an underdog! Here are the results, and the next round of voting! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the80sest.substack.com

It’s the Foreigners(STILL without Foreigner) final four! The top four seeds have crashed and burned. We have the 5,7,8, & 11 seeds vying for a spot in the Regional Final. In our first matchup, it’s ultracool British 8-seed “Something About You” by Level 42 against Swedish pop outfit Roxette, and their worldwide synthsational 5-seed smash, “The Look.” In our second matchup, it’s upset-winner 11-see...

We are down to the last 4 songs in the Singers region! All the top six songs are gone, and it’s all about the ladies! It’s listener Genevieve’s dream matchups(I think?)! In the first clash, teen pop idol Debbie Gibson takes on teen pop one-hit wonder Martika, as 9-seed “Only in My Dreams” faces off against upset special 13-seed “Toy Soldiers”! Meanwhile, the second battle pits strong-voiced Taylor...

We are hair here to present the final two matchups of the Hair Metal Region’s first round! In our first matchup of the day, Danish/Italian-American glam band, White Lion, “pride” themselves in their 7-seed “Wait",” and they probably won’t have to wait long to beat 10-seed Anthrax’s “I’m the Man,” which, while a good song, doesn’t seem to fit many definitions of being a hair metal song. The second...