RockPopandRoll

Ep. 25: Huey Lewis and The News - After the 80’s

Huey Lewis and the News were a bar band that was better than a bar band. That’s such a lazy way to describe a band anyway.  A bar band is a good thing anyway, right?  That means they cut their chops live and can make a crowd - big or small - happy. Lewis and the band just happened to have the songs, the performance chops, and the talent to take that bar band moniker and make it huge.  
 
There’s a long history of bar bands who had some fame and a hit or three and have a bit of a legacy. The J. Geils Band comes to mind.  Southside Johnny and the Jukes. Georgia Satellites. John Cafferty. I might say the greatest bar bands of all time may be Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Springsteen with the E St. Band.  So there is no shame there.  Lewis and the News where a glossier,-pop-leaning bar band than who had nine top 10 hits over the space of about four years. Later in their career, they turned deeper to soul and Stax and to a version a band leaning into a bit of R&B later in their career, to pretty good results.  
 
After that glorious run from about 1982 through 1987, they began that journey, beginning with Small World album.  Though it reached #11 on the album chart -and the song "Perfect World" went to  #3 on Hot 100, the white-hot radio magic was on it's way out for the band.
 
What happened after the 80’s to Huey Lewis and the News? They continued to release albums.  They continued to play live. Hard at Play was the first of those post-80's albums to be released. Though they weren't burning at the levels of the mid 80's any longer, the record produced two top 40 singles with "Couple Days Off" and "It Hit Me Like a Hammer".   What came after these?  How did they age?  What is worth hearing hat we might have missed.  That's the podcast.  Dig in.
 
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Ep. 24: Jackson Browne and the 80’s - Rating his Singles and his Decade

Let's do a little Jackson Browne history: Browne wrote several songs for Nitty Gritty Dirt Band early on - he was briefly a member in 1966 before they were signed. He co-wrote the first Billboard Top 40 hit for the Eagles  in 1972 with "Take It Easy". Browne released his debut album in 1972, which had one Top 40 hit, "Doctor, My Eyes" (#8) and another that should have been "Rock Me on the Water" (#48)
With his third album, Late for the Sky, he reached number 14 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.  It was his fourth album, The Pretender – produced by Jon Landau - that cracked the top 5  on the album chart with singles "Here Come Those Tears Again" (#23)  and "The Pretender" (an FM radio hit).  By the time he got to the 1980's, he was ready for some radio hits and some MTV love.
Browne was one of the singer songwriters that bridged the late 60s/early 70 socially conscious singer songwriter with the days of AOR and guitars, loud drums and the rock and roll that ruled a lot of radio in the 80s. His 70s output is underrated and the classic rock stations of today only skim the same few, forgetting a lot of his catalog. 
Jackson is one of those musicians who we take for granted a bit, and maybe dismiss when his thoughts, actions, and causes don’t match up politically and socially with with our own.  But that doesn’t make him any less great.  He is a rock guy who makes an effort to be an artist.  And has done it for more than 50 years.  Followed his heart.  His beliefs.  His art.  Jackson Browne is important in the telling the story of rock’s history.  We talk about his 70s output, what happened in the 90s and beyond, but focus this podcast on Jackson Browne in the 1980's, his golden years of getting played on the radio.  
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Ep. 23: Power Pop and Why it Still Rocks

With this episode, we're cranking the power pop sound. A lot of bands fit this genre so the episode is a teaser – a primer if you will. Not everything that ever happened, but a taste of that sound. Some history, some not-so-talked about bands, and the roar of guitars bashing, sugared harmonies, and cracking drums. 
We dive into some rocking rabbit holes to talk about bands and artists, and hear throwbacks to the sounds of many, including Marshall Crenshaw, Rockpile, Phil Seymour, and Donnie Iris.
Cheap Trick may be the biggest of the genre, still doing their thing, playing "Surrender" and their great catalog live. The Raspberries had “Go All The Way” and are widely thought of as early power pop heroes.  Matthew Sweet did the sound better than almost anyone in the 90s.  It is a sound that I still love.  So let's go.  Turn it up.
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EMAIL: rockpoprollpodcast@gmail.com TWITTER: @80srockpopandroll FACEBOOK: @rockpopandrollROB'S INSTAGRAM: @rockrob
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Ep. 22: The Case for U2: The Biggest and Best Band of the 1980s?

Who was the best and biggest and most consistent rock band of the 1980s?  That’s a question that was banging around my head.  I have a winner.  And you aren’t going to like it. Or maybe you will.  
I was thinking about who truly, really was the kings of rock and roll bands of the 1980s and I can’t say no to U2.  Springsteen and the E St. Band Right are up there, but The River was 1979. Then it was Nebraska.  So Bruce is really one band album in the decade.  Petty?  Always solid.  Prince?  I mean, he had 1999 and Purple Rain back to back.  Bon Jovi?   Def Leppard?  We can talk about it. I mean, there were a lot of contenders.  Journey?  Queen?  Late decade Guns and Roses. Van Halen?  The Police? That’s a lot of great rock and roll.
And why is there a distaste that persists for U2? People like to throw stones at Bono. he is earnest above all.  The band is so non-ironic, that it scares some people. They reinvent.  They tour stadiums and do it well.  Some still hate on them.  Well, screw them. I’m onboard and I will tell you why.
LINKS:
U2 Live 1983 US Festival
U2 Live in Dortmund 1984
U2 at Live Aid 1985
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EMAIL: rockpoprollpodcast@gmail.com TWITTER: @80srockpopandroll FACEBOOK: @rockpopandrollROB'S INSTAGRAM: @rockrob
WEBSITE: rockpopandroll.com

Ep. 21: The Curious Case of The Romantics

It is the curious case of The Romantics. Detroit rockers worth another listen. 60s garage rock.  Pop punk.  Ear worms for those who like hard candy. Detroit attitude.
The group's debut was a 1978 single "Little White Lies on Spider Records,  followed that year by the Bomp! single "Tell It to Carrie". 
Here's what you know for sure about the Romantics: "What I Like About You”. 

Would seem like a strong start, right?  But the song wasn’t a hit when they released it.  Sort of, but not really.  #49 on the Hot 100 – didn’t crack the top 40. So they slogged along until the one golden, overlooked-in-rock history album.
They are remembered for a relatively minor hit that everyone who has heard a radio, been to an athletic event, or watched TV knows.  Everyone can sing it. "Hey."
Fluke.
But the In Heat album was real.  Sounded great, had terrific energy and hit the pop rock button during just the right time. And radio made those songs sound even better.
Then they went poof.  Gone.  Faded.  But never completely burned away to ash.   hey played tiny, out of the way joints to stay alive. They came out on the other side.
These are the Romantics and what you should hear.
LINKS:
Hear our exclusive Spotify playlist for this episode: The Curious Case of the Romantics
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CONTACT:
Show suggestions.  Comments.  Thoughts.  Smiles.  All of it.
EMAIL: rockpoprollpodcast@gmail.com TWITTER: @80srockpopandroll FACEBOOK: @rockpopandrollROB'S INSTAGRAM: @rockrob
WEBSITE: rockpopandroll.com

Ep. 20: The Essential 7 Albums of Tom Petty

In the years since Tom Petty’s passing, his music rings authentic and sounds just as it was meant to be - timeless. We uncover why he is, and they are, the band that has best represented American Rock music for 40 years – a deserved title for Petty and the Heartbreakers. And we choose the Essential 7  - the albums of Tom Petty.
It’s a band with a long history, going back to the original Mudcrutch days. Giving them the nod as the quintessential American rock and roll band is no small honor. Petty and his boys owned the whole package, and they shared it on album and on stage for 40 years. Writing, passion, craftsmanship, music loved across age groups.  loud American rock and roll guitars, sweet-ass rock and roll hooks.
Links:
"She's The One" Documentary
Hear our extra Spotify playlist for this episode: The Essential 7 Albums of Tom Petty / Songs + More
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Ep. 19: The Last Rolling Stones Album That Really Mattered

The Rolling Stones spent much of the 1980s on the struggle bus.  After a couple of good early decade albums, they were fighting amongst themselves, Keith Richards didn’t want to be in the band. Mick Jagger made a solo record. So did Keith. The 1986 One Hit to the Body single was about all they did right. Harlem Shuffle was weak. The early decade live shows weren’t strong.  The Rolling Stones pretty much had fizzled out as a group.
Then they made Steel Wheels. The final album they would make that really mattered. We take a listen to why that record was their real last hurrah and the single that made it happen.
The massive Steel Wheels Tour started just two weeks after the single’s release. With the album and ensuing tour, it was the return to the sound that the classic rock fans wanted. The sound of the (kinda) gritty and greasy Stones. A throwback to the sound of the Stones of the 70’s, or as close as they had been to that sound in 10 years. The sound that made them loved.  This album tried hard to be that, and radio bought in. 
Links:
Hear our extra Spotify playlist for this episode:  The Greatness of The Rolling Stones - Steel Wheels and Other Cuts
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Ep. 18: Elton John in the 80's - Rating the Singles

How do you follow up the 70’s if you are Elton John? Can you successfully. The 1980's Output of Elton John: How Was It? Rating his 80s singles.
In 1970, Elton’s first hit single, "Your Song", from his second album, Elton John, became his first top ten in both the UK and the US. His most commercially successful period was 1970–1976, with the albums Honky Château (1972), Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) and his first Greatest Hits compilation.
In this episode, we talk about how Elton’s piano playing is integral to the success of his best hits, and hear why.  Might he even be underrated (or at least not appreciated like it should be) as a piano player?  Are there any certifiable classics worthy of his 70s greatness? 
We could argue - and we might. - that Elton was the biggest rock and pop music artist coming out of the 1970's.  Is it fair to compare the decades?  How could he live up to the ten years that came before? How did Reginald Dwight do with the decade of the 80s? That’s what we will look to discover in this podcast.
Links:
Hear our extra Spotify playlist for this episode: Elton John / The 80s Songs (and some extras)
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Ep. 17: More than Celebration / The 80's Output of Kool & The Gang

Kool & The Gang mastered the transition from funkmeisters to smooth pop R&B. A band since 1964, they are still tour ready. Top 40 radio dug them for the better part of ten years. I mean, really loved them. 
The band's first taste of pop  success came with the release of their fourth album Wild and Peaceful (1973), which contained the US top-ten singles "Jungle Boogie" (#4) and "Hollywood Swinging" (#6).
Disco didn’t really work for them.  Back in the 70's, they had  more in common with Sly and the Family Stone than Donna Summer. We dig in to the 80’s Output of Kool & The Gang, with a peek into the workmanlike, early funk before they had a middle career making hit music on the radio, and showed themselves to find success with the slow pop song too.
In 1979, J.T.Taylor had joined the group and they found a producer with a love for ear candy, hooks and choruses. Emergency (1984) remains their highest selling album and spawned four US top 20 singles. By this time, they ha smoothed the rough edges and became the only band to have four top 20 singles from a single album in 1985.  We dive into the hots and more.
Links:
Hear Spotify Playlist: Kool & The Gang Mixtape
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Ep. 16: Three Bands That Sounded Like Other Bands

There’s always been bands that had some part of their success because they – a little or a lot- sounded like other bands.  The Beatles and Badfinger.  The Beatles and a band called the Knickerbockers with a 1965 hit song called “Lies”.   “Oh Sheila” was a hit for the band Ready For the World that had a sound like Prince. An R&B singer named Fontella Bass sounded a whole lot like Aretha Franklin with a 1965 hit called “Rescue Me” - Greta Van Fleet sounds eerily like Led Zeppelin. So did the 80s band Kingdom Come. 
And I always kind of wonder what happened to a band.  How did they go from having hits to having sorta hits, not really being a band anymore.  Did they burn out. Fade away?  Get taken advantage of?  Dropped by the record company.  Implode?
In this podcast, we revisit three bands that had hits – big hits – in part because the albums they made sounded a little - or a lot like a more successful band. Not that it made them bad. But that’s the truth. Let’s dig into the careers of Quarterflash, The Outfield, and John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band.
Links:
Hear Spotify Playlist: Tracks From Bands That Sounded A Little - or a Lot - Like Other Bands
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