Completely Conspicuous 321: Reeling in the Years, 1984 (Part 1)

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1984. I've also got music from Nancy, Benjamin Shaw and The Men.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic

- 1984: Brian was 2, Jay was 16

- A pivotal year for college/indie rock

- Husker Du, R.E.M., Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Replacements

- Aerosmith reformed, Yes bounced back

- Classic lineup of Deep Purple reunited

- The '80s wank guitar movement started with Yngwie Malmsteen

- Early days of hip hop, thrash

- Hair metal was emerging as a commercial force: Ratt, Twisted Sister, Dokken, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi

- Van Halen's 1984 was huge

- Eddie VH embraced synths

- The beginning of the end of the Roth era of VH

- MTV was a bigger hitmaker than radio

- The middle of a bad stretch for Paul McCartney

- Older artists rebounded: Kool and the Gang, Chicago, Stevie Wonder

- Miami Vice incorporated MTV-style techniques

- The video as movie trailer

- Death of Marvin Gaye

- Billy Squier's "Rock Me Tonite" debacle

- The negative power of a bad video

- Crappy solo work from Bowie, Billy Joel, Steve Perry

- Don Henley sucks

- The pop and marketing genius of Madonna

- Awesomely bad breakdance movies: Breakin', Body Rock, Beat Street

- Brian's albums outside top 5: Black Flag, Queen

- Jay: U2, The Cars, Rush, INXS, The Cult

- To be continued

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Music:

Nancy - I Want One

Benjamin Shaw - Goodbye, Kagoul World

The Men - Different Days

The Nancy song is on the album Nancy LP. Download the album for free at Bandcamp.

The Benjamin Shaw song is on the album Goodbye Cagoule World on Audio Antihero. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The song by The Men is on the album Tomorrow's Hits on Sacred Bones Records. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.