If it's Not Love, it's the Bomb that Will Bring Us Together.

Welcome to Season 2 Episode 17 of our 80s Cold War podcast. In this episode we discuss tracks 91 to 95 of our second list of 101 songs.

But first, we introduce a special guest – Aidan Woods of Lightbringers, an East London based musician whose first album “Weather the Storms” came out at the beginning of September. It is an album of differing moods with big synth sounds – full of introspection and views of the world. Aidan discusses the album, the recording

process and his musical influences.

Our five songs are a mixed bag this week.

We start with Three Johns’ “Atom Drum Bop” (not from their album of the same name) – yet another memorable song about dancing to unthinkable destruction.

We move on to Pop Will Eat Itself’s “Def Con One” – a reference to a state of military readiness that (happily) we have never reached. This should have been a much bigger hit (were it not for the blatant references to McDonald’s) and also pays tribute to Alan Moore’s Watchmen comics.

The next song is “Seven Seconds to Midnight” by Wah! Heat. One of Pete Wylie’s many incarnations, this is a brilliant song from a fecund period of Liverpudlian musical output.

We move on to “Friendly Fires” by Section 25 – a dark and bleak picture of the price paid by children in the face of heavy military bombing – nuclear or otherwise.

Our final song is “Ask” by The Smiths. This got to 14 in the charts with Morrisey and Marr on fine form as they deal with the issue of spontaneity in love. The question at the end of the song provides the link to nuclear war and the title of this episode.

Our playlists are updated – enjoy all 91 songs we have covered so far in this Season as an accompaniment to the podcast

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4aHCNYfoQ2gtko5z6pwS9O?si=81bce0c59ff2470d

https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/bang-101-more-songs-about-nuclear-war-from-the-1980s/pl.u-vxy6L76uzVzd8Zl

Stay in touch via our socials:

Blue Sky: @bangpodcast.bsky.social

Facebook: Bang Nuclear Podcast

Reddit: r/bangnuclearpodcast

Email: bangnuclearpodcast@gmail.com

Opening and closing music: (Waiting for the) Heatwave – Fay Ray, appears courtesy of Fay Ray. Written by John Lovering

Artwork: Rachel Malbon

Assistant Producer: Shivam Pathak

Opening words: Richie Wheeler

“Heartsoar”, “Hindsight” and “Times Like These” by Lightbringers appear courtesy of Aidan Woods. Give him a follow on @lightbringersofficial

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.