Episodes

Bronski Beat were a synth pop trio from London who may have been fairly short-lived, but were very influential, especially with the gay community at the time. They were very politically active, and ahead of their time. Their ...

There were two musical synthesizers that revolutionized the way music was made in the late 1970's and all through the 80's, the Synclavier and the Fairlight. The least expensive model cost the equivalent of a small house, and...

Bobby McFerrin is one of the most famous musicians on the planet. He's been a singer, a conductor, a music ambassador, and even a pop star. But he's also written one of the most polarizing one-hit wonder songs of all time, wh...

In this episode, Blaine guides us through 10 hit sonts with controverisal or problematic subject matter that wouldn't be released today. This list came from one of his infamous trips down the proverbial rabbit hole. Connect w...

Formed in Los Angeles in 1983 and currently based in Portland, Animotion have one of the best one-hit wonder songs of the 80's, and are still around performing and releasing new albums to this day. We're here to tell the stor...

In this very special episode, Blaine explores a few songs by Billy Joel that he feels best show Billy's masterful songwriting. We think you'll enjoy it. RELATED LINKS: Our short but sweet Billy Joel playlist, on Spotify Billy...

Duran Duran are one of the biggest and best bands of the 80's, and we thought they would be perfect subjects for continuing our second anniversary celebration. We invited our friend Russ to help and add insight, as we delved ...

Can you believe it's our second anniversary episode? And our fiftieth? We're celebrating both, and we have a very special guest who makes an appearance. We're discussing our namesake movie, TapeHeads, a fairly obscure 1988 cu...

Suzanne Vega is someone you should know about, if you aren't aware of her already. We explore her musical connections and collaborators, including the illustrious Mitchell Froom and inimitable Tchad Blake. We also discuss the...

https://audiophix.com/posts/10-terrible-number-one-songs-1980s-01j306841kwf

The Liverpool band A Flock of Seagulls had one of the biggest hit songs (and weirdest haircuts) of 1982, which puts them up against some serious competition. Quite an interesting band and story. This one was by request. Also ...

One of our favorite subjects here on TapeHeads is bands at a point of major change in their sound or careers, and ZZ Top's 1983 album Eliminator (which sold 11 million copies) is a perfect example. Footlose is a 1984 movie ab...

Howard Jones is someone who you may not think you know, but you definitely know his songs. In this episode, we take a deep dive into his music, and you may be surprised at the number of coincidental connections and through-li...

Dolly Parton is one of the most important singer-songwriters of all time. She created an unforgettable persona that has, quite literally, changed the world. We've had a blast learning more about her. 9 to 5 is a 1980 movie th...

A veteran of the jazz, funk, and even disco scenes, Herbie Hancock took a left turn in the 80's to help usher hip hop into the mainstream of pop music, and we're certainly glad that he did. This episode focuses on 1983's "Roc...

The Outfield are a band we love, and our old band used to play one of their songs back in the day. We discuss their distinction and the fun of listening to them these days. The Dark Crystal is a 1982 fantasy movie created by ...

Tracey Ullman is very famous for her various TV shows and movie appearances, but before all of that, she had a Top10 hit in the U.S. and U.K. with the excellent song, "They Don't Know." We look into it and her subsequent care...

David Lee Roth is a human male singer that some people find compelling, including the two of us. His 1986 album "Eat 'Em and Smile" is a favorite of both of ours, and we dive into it with great enthusiasm. Connect with us at ...

Michael Penn is one of our collective favorites. The musician, that is, not the YouTube mathematician. You may not think you know him, but you certainly know his family; brothers Sean and Chris, TV director father Leo, actor ...

Naked Eyes' 1983 hit "Always Something There To Remind Me" is good but not among our favorites--we'll get into it--but it did open both of us up to a much larger story. We think you'll agree. The Coen Brothers' quirky and hil...

This is one of the biggest songs of all time, as well as the best and most distinctive videos. We do a deep dive into both. Our movie this time is the unique "My Dinner With Andre", starring Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory. I...

The Church are an Australian band, probably most well known for thier 1988 hit "Under the Milky Way," a beautiful song that is the subject of this episode. Three O'Clock High is a 1987 movie about a mild-mannered high school ...

In our favorite musical year of 1984, after many years of creating a multitude of hits separately, two musical giants came together at the top of their game to collaborate on one of the best songs of the 80's, "Easy Lover," b...

This episode is a bit different than our others so far. We'd actually been talking about doing a World Party episode recently, when Karl Wallinger suddenly died a week or so before this, which added some gravitas and urgency,...