Van Halen Vs. Guns N’ Roses and Why AC/DC 'Back In Black' Still Rules, Plus Elton John and The Jim Carroll Band E109

We roll into our 80s hard rock showdown, where we put ACDC’s Back in Black, Van Halen’s 1984, and Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction under the brightest light we know: track-by-track comparison. Jump meets It’s So Easy; Panama squares off with Nightrain; Hot for Teacher tangles with Paradise City. The fun isn’t just the score—it’s how those matchups rewire your nostalgia.From there, we zoom in on live recordings that changed how we hear legends: Elton John’s 1970 trio storm on 17-11-70, and The Doors’ final Jim Morrison concert, a difficult night for him by all accounts, that closes on the aptly chosen "The End."Minute with Jimmy unwraps the shockingly modern birth of Little Richard’s Tutti Frutti—those opening syllables were a drum part first—and why 1955 still sounds like tomorrow. We close on the Jim Carroll Band’s People Who Died, a song that once felt like pure punk adrenaline and now reads like a roll call of lives that shaped us. If you love rock history, live albums, and the way songs become landmarks, you’ll feel right at home.Learn Something New orRemember Something OldIf you enjoyed the show, follow, rate, and share it with a friend. Got a take or a memory to add? Email [email protected] and join the next Mailbag.Send us a one-way message. We can’t answer you back directly, but it could be part of a future Music In My Shoes Mailbag!!!