Hall and Oates Receive Praise For A Recent Des Moines Show
What scares plenty of 80s music fans is the fact that their favorite acts have aged and the sound may have wavered a bit. However, a recent report praised Hall and Oates for their timeless sound decades after their hits reigned supreme. “The iconic duo from the 1980s, backed by a seven-piece band, performed for the first time at Wells Fargo Arena on Monday night, burning through nearly two hours of classic rock favorites with a...
The Joshua Tree: 30 Years Later
I’ve been teaching the Glass Castle for years (phenomenal book, by the way), and every time I get to the Joshua tree part, I naturally think about The Joshua Tree, the game-changing U2 album that celebrated its 30th anniversary in March 2017. But only recently– as in right now, as I type this– have I realized how the Joshua tree from Glass Castle mirrors The Joshua Tree, the U2 album. In her memoir The Glass Castle, author...
New Order Quietly Releases ‘Be Music’ Production Album
Fans of 80s electronic music will remember New Order as one of the leading groups of the genre. Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert came together to show off their production chops on New Order Presents Be Music. “New Order Presents Be Music is a compilation of productions by members of New Order, including classic dance and electro tracks released on Factory Records between 1982 and 1985, as well as...
Former Bronski Beat keyboardist Larry Steinbachek Dies of Cancer
Larry Steinbachek, who played keyboard for the 1980s synthpop tiro Bronski Beat passed away unexpectedly at the age of 56. Steinbachek was one of the founders of the group along with partners Jimmy Somerville and Steve Bronski. They were never a major mainstream act, but had a following and charted with songs including Smalltown Boy and Why?. The group also had a minor hit with its cover of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love which it...
Get Lost In The ‘U2: The Joshua Tree Tour 2017’
Live Nation revealed U2 will return to select stadiums this year with U2: The Joshua Tree Tour 2017, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the iconic album. The band will perform The Joshua Tree in its entirety in each show. They band will also be accompanied by special guests including Mumford & Sons, OneRepublic and The Lumineers in North America and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in Europe. U2: The Joshua Tree...
Paul McCartney’s ‘Flowers In The Dirt’ Rereleases In 2017
Multiple-Grammy Award-winning Paul McCartney’s Archive Collection revealed that ‘s 1989 international #1 album, Flowers In The Dirt, will feature a reissued rerelease in 2017. “One of the most critically acclaimed albums of the eighties, nominated for both BRIT and Grammy Awards, Flowers In The Dirt saw McCartney team up with Elvis Costello to co-write a third of the album (My Brave Face, You Want Her...
These Are the Top George Michael and Wham! Songs
With Wham! singer and solo success George Michael having passed away at the age of 53, those of us here at Like Totally 80s wanted to give people a chance to remember the iconic artist. Here are some of his best-known (and best-loved) videos). Careless Whisper Faith Father Figure I Want Your Sex Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go The singer’s death was unexpected, but police do not believe there was any foul play. “It is with...
80s Icon Richard Marx Helps Overcome Drunken Passenger
“Hazard” is nothing new for Grammy Award winner Richard Marx, but neither he nor his wife, former MTV VJ Daisy Fuentes, were anticipating the chaos that erupted aboard a Korean Air flight somewhere above Asia on December 20. The confusion began when a 34-year old passenger, after having too much alcohol, attacked the plane’s crew. The man pulled a stewardess’s hair which prompted a response from Marx, 53, as Fuentes documented the...
‘Tis the Season to Be Jovi: The Bon Jovi Christmas Experience
Thirty years ago, in 1986, Bon Jovi officially made the jump to hyperspace with its album Slippery When Wet. The thing is, though, Slippery When Wet wasn’t Bon Jovi’s first album; it was its third. The band’s self-titled first album was released two years earlier, in January 1984. And even THAT album wasn’t the first professional recording for lead singer Jon Bon Jovi. That distinction belongs to the song “R2D2, We Wish You a Merry...
Meat Loaf Tells Oprah Where He Is Now
Meat Loaf has had a shockingly long career. A performer who easily could have disappeared after Bat Out of Hell faded from memory, he has instead become an actor, released more hit albums, and has remained a popular live act. The singer, currently promoting his latest album Braver Than We Are appeared in an updated version of his Oprah: Where Are They Now? episode where he shared the story behind “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” as...
Playlist: All Your Favorite 80s Music videos
MTV did not create the music video, but it brought all your favorite 80s music videos into prominence. Before the creation of the music video, people only saw musicians at live shows or when they appeared on one of very few shows that featured musical acts. And even those opportunities were rare for bands or solo artists on the edgier. Some of the best 80s bands and artists simply had no place aside from the radio before music videos...
Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks on Tour Through The End Of 2016
That voice. That hair. Stevie Nicks was the quintessential 80s girl if there ever was one and she remains as vital today as she was during her heyday (though there’s a little less drama now). Rolling Stone Magazine dubbed Nicks the reigning queen of rock and roll and the people agree. Fans of hers are loving Nicks’ current tour, 24 Karat Gold. Touring together with the Pretenders, their schedule included 27 venues and...
Will Boy George Be the Next Celebrity Apprentice?
Boy George may be the next Celebrity Apprentice. That sounds preposterous, but I’m afraid that it’s true. NBC recently announced the cast of 2017’s Celebrity Apprentice, and the 80s pop icon will be among the 16 “celebrities” who will scratch and claw their way to the top—competing for their favorite charities. If that’s not surreal enough, “The Governator,” Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, will be filling in for the former Apprentice...
Iconic 80s songs Inducted Into The Grammy Hall of Fame
Some of your favorite Prince and NWA’s late 1980’s songs will be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017. Which songs made the Grammy Hall of Fame cut? Sign “O” The Times by Prince (1987) and Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A. (1988) were both added to the list. Songs need to meet requirements like being 25+ years old, covering the various genres and having a historic or qualitative significance of some kind to be considered for...
Can’t Stop the Music: The Village People Had a Movie?
The theatrical trailer for The Village People movie Can’t Stop the Music promised, “It’s the musical extravaganza that launches the 80s.” That outrages claim was actually an understatement. Chances are that you’ve never seen or even heard of this movie from the summer of 1980. Well, there’s a good reason for that. It’s because it bombed at the box office bigger than Heaven’s Gate and Ishtar combined. At a price tag of a...
