What is a Momentum Radio Hit? The Story of Four 80s Bands

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This episode is a look at four bands that had a big hit and then tried to capitalize on it with something called a “momentum hit” in the 80s. Or at least most had the followup hit. What’s that even mean? Here’s how we define it: Sometimes a band would have a hit single, getting significant radio play on rock or top 40 stations, and then follow it up with a song was usually not as good, but was still a hit, because the fans of that big hit single wanted more of that same sound.  Superstars have benefitted from … Read more

Friday 45: Tom Cochrane and Red Rider – “Big League”

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It’s our Friday series that takes a look at, and a listen to, one great single of the 80s that deserves another spin. There once was a band called Red Rider. The lead singer, Tom Cochrane, joined that Canadian rock band in 1978 and served as their lead singer and main songwriter for more than ten years. He recorded six studio albums with Red Rider. By 1986, the band was billed as “Tom Cochrane & Red Rider”. It’s a band never had a song in the Top 40 in the United States, although you might remember a rock and roll oddity – an atmospheric … Read more

Little Richard: Making Rock and Roll

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In this special presentation of RockPopand Roll, host Rob Nichols remembers the songs and what made Little Richard a legend – and architect – in the making of rock and roll.  Little Richard passed away at age 87 on May 9, 2020.  Of all the patriarchs of rock and roll music, Little Richard may have been the most outrageous, had the most hits in the shortest period of time, and could arguably be ahead of Elvis in his early takeover of the rock and roll libido of millions rock and roll fans. He was a screaming, inspired, piano playing black … Read more

Five Forgotten Great Rock/Pop Songs of The 80’s

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While there are many great songs and music from the 1980s, there are lots of tunes that have gotten lost. Music that was a hit, yet still somehow slipped away from classic hits and classic rock radio stations. Some of the songs were big hits, and it is tough to fathom how they are not remembered better or talked about more, and some songs had a flash of notoriety and slipped away.  In this episode, we revisit five of these songs, in our episode 1 podcast of FORGOTTEN GREATNESS- 5 SONGS OF THE 80’S on RockPopandRoll. Host Rob Nichols finds … Read more

LongPlayer: Bryan Adams “Into The Fire”

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Is Bryan Adams underrated with his legacy of loud rock and roll, filled with generic lyrics, cranking guitars, slamming drums, and hooks made of bubblegum? How has time treated the music of a guy who best took the Mellencamp/Springsteen template and covered it with a bunch of sugar? We look back at the album that came after his career-making Reckless record. Is Bryan Adams an overrated rocker, tainted by three or 12 too many vapid soundtrack songs?  Or not?  Here’s what I did. I slapped the 1987 Into The Fire album on the turntable (yep, the vinyl LP) and gave the … Read more

Essential 7 – Tom Petty

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In the years since Tom Petty’s passing, his music rings true as ever, and sounds just as it was produced – timeless.  Let’s rewind and take a listen to the band that has best represented American Rock music for 40 years – a deserved title for Petty and the Heartbreakers. Sounding not from one place (belying the band’s strong Florida roots), and instead sounding like they were from everywhere enabled them to connect with rednecks and hippies, East coast attitude and West coast shine. They rocked loud. And Tom could become acoustic and quiet. Lyrics resonated. Petty could also sweat … Read more

Welcome to Our Podcast

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We talk about the greatness that was the 80’s music. Radio. Rock and roll. Pop. The music that made the decade. We make lists. We rank things. We care. Take a listen. It’s look at music that was rock, pop, and radio of the 1980’s, with takes on the greatest, the worst, the underappreciated, and the burned. It’s a deep dive into the retro greatness of the decade, at the intersection where rock music, pop music, power pop, guitars, drums, memorable tunes, and guilty pleasures come together.  Longtime radio rock DJ and music writer Rob Nichols hosts, along with his … Read more