By the end of 1981, the Rolling Stones were launching the era of corporate sponsored touring, with their Tattoo You album and tour, spearheaded by their last great end-of-summer single, Start Me Up. In this episode Mick and Jim discuss the influence of Start Me Up, as well as the first appearance of Rap in a #1 hit (Blondie’s Rapture), and the first song to kick off the MTV era, The Buggles’ Video Killed the Radio Star. Als in 1981, Walter Cronkite signed off as the anchor of CBS Evening News after almost 20 years of hosting, shortly after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated President of the United States and the 52 Americans in Iran were released after being held hostage for 444 days. The Space Shuttle Columbia made its first trips into space, just in time to be used in the graphics that helped launch a new concept called “Music Television.” Sit back, relax, and revisit 1981 with Jimbo and the Mickster.

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In 1978 we saw the collision of Punk, Disco, and Rock. John Travolta appeared in not one, but two iconic movies, both filled with music. This episode opens with the Rock/Disco fusion of the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” the segues into the Rock/Punk/Jazz fusion of the “Roxanne,” by the Police, and finishes with one of the anthems of the year, the flat out disco of “Stayin’ Alive,” by the BeeGees. It was a heck of a year for recording and composing in France and singing in falsetto.

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1975 saw the fall of Saigon, the Energy Crisis, and two assassination attempts on the President of the United States. On a more positive note, we also witnessed “The Thrilla’ in Manilla,” and the inaugural episode of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” In this episode, we take a look at three groundbreaking music releases from the same year: Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” and . . . yes . . . “Get Down Tonight” from KC & the Sunshine Band.

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