Totally 80s and 90s Recall

Strap in, gear up, and prepare for a bug hunt. This week, Rob and Dave are joined by Kurt to dive into James Cameron’s 1986 powerhouse, Aliens —the sequel that traded a haunted house in space for a full-scale intergalactic war. The sequel cranked the volume to eleven, trading shadows for pulse rifles and introducing us to the most terrifying matriarch in cinema history. Whether you’re a die-hard C...

1996 Alt Rock Rewind: Is Grunge Dead? Travel back to the peak of the 90s with Rob and Dave as they countdown the best Alternative songs of 1996. From the rise of Britpop and the explosion of Pop-Punk to the moody evolution of Post-Grunge, 1996 was a defining year for the airwaves. In this episode, we’re breaking down the cultural shifts that happened when "Alternative" officially became the mainst...

Phil Collins vs. Genesis: Who truly ruled the 80s? This week on Totally 80s and 90s Recall, Rob and Dave tackle the ultimate pop-rock showdown: Phil Collins versus his own band, Genesis. In an era where Phil seemed to be everywhere at once, we break down the friendly—and highly lucrative—rivalry that defined the 80s and early 90s. We’re weighing massive solo hits like "In the Air Tonight" and "Sus...

"I am a F.B.I. Agent!" This week, we’re paddling out into the 50-year storm to revisit the 1991 adrenaline-fueled masterpiece, Point Break . It’s a film that shouldn’t work on paper—a Zen-philosophical surfing heist movie—yet it somehow redefined the action genre. From the high-stakes "Ex-Presidents" bank robberies to Gary Busey’s unhinged energy, we’re breaking down why this K...

Forget "Footloose" and "Danger Zone"—Dave and Rob are digging into the 80s movie deep cuts you forgot you loved. This isn't your average Top 10; it’s a high-octane countdown of the best "non-mainstream" tracks to ever grace the silver screen. In this episode, the guys bypass the obvious radio hits like "Ghostbusters" and "The Power of Love" to cele...

Is 1983 the greatest year in music history, or does 1993 take the crown? In this episode, we dive deep into the sonic rivalry between the neon-soaked 80s New Wave and the raw, rebellious 90s Alternative era. From the global takeover of Michael Jackson’s Thriller and the synth-pop hooks of The Police, to the distorted guitars of Nirvana and the West Coast grooves of Dr. Dre, we’re breaking down the...

Was Big Trouble in Little China the greatest cult classic of the 80s, or just a misunderstood martial arts masterpiece? In 1986, John Carpenter and Kurt Russell teamed up to create a genre-bending adventure that defied every box Hollywood tried to put it in. Join Rob, Kurt and Dave as they dive into the wild world of Jack Burton, the Lo Pan sorcery, and the neon-soaked underground of San Francisco...

Was Metallica’s The Black Album the moment they traded their souls, or the moment they became legends? In 1991, four guys from San Francisco changed the course of rock history forever. Join Rob and Dave as they crack open the CD binder to dissect Metallica’s self-titled masterpiece and explore how the band transitioned from heavy metal underground dominance to a global 90s rock phenomenon. Metalli...

From the Seattle rain to the L.A. sunshine, today we are counting down the 10 albums that defined the 90s. Rob and Dave crack open the CD binder to dive headfirst into the 90s music landscape, revealing our personal top-ranked albums of the decade. (Listen to our breakdowns of these iconic records) 0:00 - Relax and Rewind: Welcome to 80s and 90s Recall 2:19 - The impossible mission: Crafting our d...

This week we're reviewing the 1991 Kevin Costner classic Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves. We'll travel back to 1194 to frantically help Costner look for his English accent. This high action darker take on Robin Hood was a global financial success earning over $390 million worldwide. Although Costner's hair and flaming arrow may have gotten you to the theater, it's Alan Rickman who steals the show as...

Dust off the rhinestones and fire up the jukebox, because 1980s country was where neon lights met steel guitars. The decade kicked off with outlaw grit still echoing from the 70s, but soon the airwaves filled with the polished swagger of artists like George Strait and Reba McEntire, who balanced tradition with arena-sized confidence. Bands like Alabama turned country into a crossover powerhouse, s...

Dave, Rob, and Kurt are plugging in their guitars and cranking the volume to eleven as they drop the needle on 1992’s Wayne’s World, the movie that turned public access TV into a rock-and-roll religion. From the opening Bohemian Rhapsody headbang to the immortal cry of “Party on,” this episode dives straight into the movie’s glorious chaos. They’ll revisit the birth of Wayne and Garth as big-scree...

Valentine’s Day is usually a parade of roses and power ballads, but Dave and Rob are taking a scenic detour through the heartbreak aisle. The 80s had a special talent for turning breakups into epic events, complete with echoing drums, pleading vocals, and choruses that felt designed for late night staring contests with the ceiling. These songs did not whisper their sadness. They announced it with...

The 90s had a velvet-lit corner of the dance floor reserved for slow jams that knew exactly what they were doing. Rob and Dave are cracking open that time capsule this week, lining up their favorite Valentine-ready booty jams where the bassline lingered and the vocals whispered promises. Artists like Keith Sweat and Blackstreet didn’t rush the moment. They let it simmer, letting silk-smooth harmon...

The week of January 27th, 1986 found the Billboard Hot 100 glowing like a neon strip of American pop confidence. Radio and record stores were in lockstep, and the charts reflected a nation humming along to big hooks and bigger personalities. Bruce Springsteen was still flying the blue collar flag high, Dire Straits proved that sophisticated guitar rock could dominate mainstream ears, and The Cars...

We’re cracking open 1991 like a fresh VHS rental and drafting the very best films the year had to offer. Rob, Dave, and Kurt will go head to head, assembling their dream rosters from a cinematic moment that still hums with electricity. This was the year of Terminator 2: Judgment Day rewriting the rules of the blockbuster, The Silence of the Lambs turning prestige drama into a pop culture event, an...

New Jack Swing kicked the door open in the late 80s and rearranged the furniture. Born at the crossroads of slick R&B vocals and the punchy swagger of hip hop beats, it fused polished melodies with drum machine snap, sampled funk, and a streetwise pulse. Teddy Riley was the mad scientist at the center of it all, wiring together sounds that felt futuristic and familiar at the same time. Artists...

In this episode, Rob and Dave fire up the musical time machine and pit 1982 against 1992, two years that changed the sound of pop in very different ways. They start by breaking down each year’s Billboard Top 5 hits, where synths, power ballads, and early MTV shine in ’82, while ’92 flexes with grunge tremors, hip hop dominance, and slick pop polish. From chart-toppers that ruled car radios to song...

The lights are hot, the synths are humming, and the 80s Movie Bracket has reached its glorious endgame. Rob, Dave, and Kurt throw open the studio doors and welcome two heavy hitters of nostalgia, Jim from Children of the 80s and Giff from Pop Culture Yearbook , to help settle an argument that has echoed since VHS rewinds were a workout. Four mighty brackets, Action, Comedy, Sports, and Sci-Fi/Fant...

Rob and Dave Pry open the Billboard Holiday 100 for the week of December 13, 2025, like two kids shaking a suspiciously heavy gift under the tree. They wander through the chart’s blizzard of seasonal contenders, pointing out the trends, oddities, and eyebrow-raising entries that somehow drifted their way into the top 100. Their goal: identify the tracks that deliver genuine holiday sparkle rather...

Dave, Rob, and Kurt settle into their studio chairs like a trio of over-caffeinated elves, ready to unwrap the 1990 holiday juggernaut that is Home Alone . Their conversation whirls through booby-trap brilliance, John Williams magic, and the curious physics of paint cans that apparently double as guided missiles. Each host brings a different flavor to the sleigh ride: Dave with his delighted foren...

Christmas in the ’80s and ’90s had a magic all its own—equal parts neon lights, tinsel overload, and the warm glow of TV specials you had to catch live , or you missed them for the whole season. It was the era of mall Santas, department-store catalogs thick enough to use as booster seats, and the unmistakable sound of wrapping paper tearing open to reveal toys that felt larger than life. From driv...

This week on Totally 80’s and 90’s Recall , Dave, Rob, and Kurt kick off the Christmas season with a look back at Scrooged from 1988—a darkly funny and totally 80s reimagining of A Christmas Carol . Starring Bill Murray as Frank Cross, a cold-hearted TV executive who learns the true meaning of Christmas through a surreal series of ghostly visits, the movie blends sharp satire with slapstick chaos....

In this episode, Rob and Dave are taking it all the way back to the golden age of gaming — the 1980s — when the arcade was the place to be. From the flashing lights and 8-bit soundtracks of Pac-Man , Donkey Kong , and Galaga to the quarters lined up on the cabinet waiting for your turn, the arcade became a social hub where kids, teens, and even adults lost track of time chasing high scores. It was...

In this episode, Dave, Rob, and Kurt are teaming up with Jason and Dee from The Surely You Can’t Be Serious Podcast for the ultimate showdown — the final 80s movie bracket, Sci-Fi and Fantasy edition! Sixteen legendary films enter the arena, from time-traveling adventures like Back to the Future to alien encounters in E.T. and Aliens , and the wild imagination of The Goonies and Beetlejuice . It’s...