Completely Conspicuous 425: Reeling in the Years, 1981 (Part 1)

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1981. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - In 1981, Jay was 13 and Brian wasn't born yet - Jay: Lived in Canada for most of the year, then moved to U.S. - Listened to a lot of hard rock and AOR - Toronto radio was cool but a few years from becoming heavily formatted - A lot of solo albums - Beginnings of indie rock - Lots of soft rock on the charts - The Stones had a resurgence in '81 - Old rockers were in their 30s and 40s then - Death of Lennon hung over the music scene - Hall and Oates left a strong legacy of pop hits - The puzzling Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame selection process - The strange popularity of Steve Miller - "Under Pressure" has become bigger as years passed - MTV's debut in August 1981 - USA Network premiered "Night Flight" - REO Speedwagon's one breakout year - Ozzy's comeback continues - To be continued   Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review! 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.