Don and Dude keep the “I Love the 80s” trip rolling into 1985, when rock grew darker and more spiritual while RB slipped fully into the age of drum machines and neon-lit bedrooms. One of us drops the needle on a brooding British rock record that turns goth shadows and psychedelic guitar into stadium-sized transcendence, while the other sinks into a self-produced Michigan R & B debut where DIY cassette demos, sensual slow jams, and Minneapolis-inspired grooves rewire romance for the electronic era.

The Albums

The Cult – Love (1985) The Cult’s second album finds Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy fusing post-punk tension, psychedelic guitars, and classic rock heft into a moody, hypnotic sound that feels heavy without ever turning hostile. Producer Steve Brown surrounds chiming Gretsch riffs, tribal grooves, and spiritual lyrics with spacious, atmospheric mixes, creating an elemental world where songs like “Nirvana,” “She Sells Sanctuary,” and “Brother Wolf, Sister Moon” chase transcendence more than aggression. Across its eight-minute epics and goth-tinted anthems, the record helps define mid-80s alternative rock by proving that big riffs, ritualistic repetition, and belief can make rock feel massive and mystical at the same time.

Ready for the World – Ready for the World (1985) Cut largely in a Flint, Michigan studio and kept in near-demo form, Ready for the World’s self-titled debut turns a shoestring, self-produced setup into a sleek blend of synth-funk, electro grooves, and unabashed bedroom RB. Melvin Riley Jr. and company lean on drum machines, DX-era keys, and smooth tenor vocals to deliver everything from slow-burn seductions like “Tonight” and “Human Toy” to the Prince-adjacent smash “Oh Sheila,” which briefly fooled listeners into thinking it was a Minneapolis release. The album’s platinum run and crossover chart success show how mid-80s RB could sound futuristic and intimate at once, nudging the genre toward the stripped-down, synth-forward sound that would shape Quiet Storm and early New Jack Swing.

Diggin’ Albums

The Molotovs – Wasted on Youth (2026) A punchy London debut that slams together punk urgency, new wave hooks, and garage grit, tracing modern youth burnout and identity crises over short, shout-along anthems built for sweaty club stages.

Mr. Mister – Welcome to the Real World (1985) A polished 80s pop-rock landmark where shimmering synths, big choruses, and studio-perfect performances turn “Broken Wings” and “Kyrie” into FM radio staples with quietly existential streaks.

Softcult – When a Flower Doesn’t Grow (2026) Canadian twins Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn deliver a grimy, shoegaze-leaning full-length that weds fuzzed-out guitars and hazy vocals to unflinching songs about gender violence, trauma, and systemic misogyny

Bartees Strange – Magic Boy (2026) A shape-shifting set that pulls folk, emo, hip hop, and indie rock into intimate, guitar-forward songs, reconnecting his early acoustic roots with the expansive, genre-scrambling vision of his later work.

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“Hey, how come Andrew gets to get up? If he gets up, we’ll all get up, it’ll be anarchy!” – John Bender, played by Judd Nelson in 1985’s The Breakfast Club.

Don and Dude keep the “I Love the 80s” tour rolling into 1984, when country music drifted back toward rootsy storytelling while heavy metal hit MTV in full glam mode. One of us spins a mother–daughter country debut rooted in acoustic instruments, Appalachian harmonies, and front‑porch intimacy, while the other cranks a Sunset Strip glam‑metal breakthrough of twin‑guitar riffs and big, arena‑ready hooks. Together, the albums show how 1984’s country and metal both chased the mainstream yet stayed grounded in specific worlds: Kentucky kitchens and family conversations on one side, Hollywood alleys and neon‑lit clubs on the other.

The Albums

The Judds – Why Not Me (1984) Naomi and Wynonna Judd’s debut full‑length turns years of hard knocks and Nashville hustling into a lean set of neotraditional country songs that feel both radio‑ready and personal. Producer Brent Maher keeps the sound warm and spare, letting their harmonies carry stories of underdog longing, steady devotion, and working‑woman joy that helped nudge country back toward front‑porch intimacy.

Ratt – Out of the Cellar (1984) Ratt’s major‑label debut is a hook‑packed glam‑metal statement, mixing Sunset Strip grit with big choruses and Beau Hill’s punchy production. Powered by Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby’s dual guitars and Stephen Pearcy’s raspy sneer, it turned “Round and Round” into an MTV staple and helped lock in the sound and look of mid‑80s glam metal.

Diggin’ Albums

Megadeth – Megadeth (2026) Billed as their final studio album, this set folds classic Megadeth riffage into more reflective songs about age, legacy, and closing a long thrash chapter.

Tina Turner – Private Dancer (1984) A towering comeback that blends rock grit, pop hooks, and R&B drama, anchored by a run of hits and Tina’s mix of scars, power, and polish.

PVA – No More Like This (2026) The London trio’s second album pushes their dance‑punk into more tactile, exploratory territory, blurring club, bedroom, and art‑school energies.

Squeeze – Trixies (2026) Squeeze finally cut songs first written in 1974, turning old cassette‑era ideas into a nightclub‑set concept piece full of wry, grown‑up pop storytelling.

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“This was a music I had never heard. Filled with such longing, such unfulfillable longing. It seemed to me that I was hearing the voice of God.” – Antonio Salieri, played by F. Murray Abraham in 1984’s Amadeus.

Don and Dude keep the “I Love the 80s” tour rolling into 1983, a year when cable TV, mail‑order music clubs, and early MTV helped R&B and pop polish their hooks without sanding off all the emotional rough edges. One of us brings a married‑duo soul record that turns relationship conflict into sophisti‑funk therapy, while the other counters with a technicolor, hook‑stuffed debut that reframes punky, downtown weirdness as mass‑appeal pop. Together, the albums show how 1983’s R&B and pop could be slick, vulnerable, and chart‑ready, but still tangled up in money, heartbreak, and the messy work of becoming yourself.

The Albums

Womack & Womack – Love Wars (1983) On their debut as a duo, Cecil and Linda Womack fold family gospel roots, Sam Cooke’s shadow, and veteran songwriting chops into a lean early‑80s R&B set that treats love like an ongoing negotiation instead of a fairy tale. Built around supple basslines, tight James Gadson grooves, and restrained synths, the record plays like a living‑room soul soap opera where arguments, red flags, and reconciliations all get equal airtime. Tracks like “Love Wars,” “Baby I’m Scared of You,” and their quietly devastating cover of “Angie” push past easy romance into fear, honesty, and hard‑won optimism, sketching a relationship cycle that feels lived‑in rather than idealized. Produced by Stewart Levine with an A‑team of L.A. session players, the album’s space, subtlety, and emotional candor would later be heard as a bridge toward neo‑soul and more adult‑minded R&B.

Cyndi Lauper – She’s So Unusual (1983) Cyndi Lauper’s solo debut explodes out of the speakers as a neon‑bright mix of pop‑rock, new wave, and downtown art‑kid attitude, turning a batch of covers and co‑writes into an unmistakably personal statement. From the cynical, melodica‑laced opener “Money Changes Everything” through the feminist rallying cry of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and the tender, slow‑motion reassurance of “Time After Time,” she proves she can be funny, strange, and devastatingly vulnerable—sometimes in the same song. Rick Chertoff’s production leans on jangly guitars, stacked harmonies, and sharp synth hooks, but always keeps Lauper’s elastic, technically fierce voice at the center. The result is an album that made history with four Top‑Five singles and still plays like a manifesto for unapologetic individuality in pop.

Diggin’ Albums

Home Front – Watch It Die (2025) Edmonton’s Home Front push their self‑described “bootwave” further on Watch It Die, fusing 80s‑inflected synths, post‑punk grit, and anthemic choruses into songs about getting by when everything feels like it’s fraying at the edges.

The Twilight Sad – It’s the Long Goodbye (2026) On their sixth LP, The Twilight Sad stretch their dense, noise‑tinted indie rock into a reflective, slow‑burning set about loss, endings, and hanging on, wrapping James Graham’s thick‑accented confessions in towering guitars and electronics that feel both crushing and oddly comforting.

Flickerstick – Superluminal (2025) Reuniting after more than two decades, Flickerstick return with Superluminal, an 11‑track set of cinematic alt‑rock that folds their early‑2000s melodic instincts into grown‑up songs about time, aging, and the strange vertigo of getting a second act.

Def Leppard – Pyromania (1983) Pyromania finds Def Leppard and producer Mutt Lange perfecting the gleaming, radio‑ready side of hard rock, stacking harmonized choruses and surgically precise riffs into arena anthems like “Photograph,” “Rock of Ages,” and “Foolin’” that defined what big‑budget 80s rock would sound like.

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“You’ll find many of the truths that we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.” - Obi-Wan Kenobi