EPISODE150 - Talking 80s Music with Martin Hennessy

This week we turn our eighties obsessed peepers on the solo career of Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Gos. Often overlooked, Wiedlin's voice is necessary voices in 80s music. We play a brief retrospective mini-mix, "Blue Kiss," "Inside A Dream" and "Whatever It Takes." We could have spent longer on her but we'll get to hear her more when we do a full episode on the Go-Gos.

Nothing really technical to note. Tough week though. Dedicating this episode to the late Fred Sicks. Everything is going well otherwise and have a few interviews in the works. No, I'm holding it back until it's in the can and ready for your consumption.

EPISODE149 - Talking 80s Music with Martin Hennessy

This week's episode of Talking 80s Music fell on Halloween. Despite being Martin's favorite holiday, it's also the excuse he used to delve into the often creepy and disturbing side of rock music by focusing on industrial powerhouse Skinny Puppy. We featured their classic tracks "Smothered Hope," "One Time One Place," "Shadowcast" and "Tin Omen" in an effort to cover their career.

Still keeping our fingers crossed (and knocking on wood) as it must be said that the show has been sounding better technically. Thought of throwing in a bunch of Halloween sounds but... this wasn't an glossy show. We considered a few live tracks but the bass end of the songs we looked at were almost non-existent yet oh so necessary for showcasing a band like this.

EPISODE148 - Talking 80s Music with Martin Hennessy

This week on Talking 80s Music, we filled a historical gap by focusing on the Joe Perry Project. A lot of people think that Aerosmith has just been a juggernaut since the 1970s but there was a low moment when the band was without their guitarist as he walked... a different way. We played live versions of "Let The Music Do The Talking" and "Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker," "East Coast, West Coast" and a clip of "We've Got A Long Way To Go" from his new solo album, Have Guitar, Will Travel. It's an interesting story for fans and rock-a-holics alike. If anything, it leaves you with questions. What would have happened if the albums were promoted properly? Would the amazing success of Aerosmith have happened without this fractured moment? Did corporate sabotage keep fans from hearing great music? You'll have to answer those questions on your own.

Before we get to the technical stuff, we've been asked by our sponsors to get as many listeners to fill out this survey for us about the show. We'd be very appreciative if you do. Anyhow, using the system we have set up, we've eliminated the hum in the last few episodes. Don't see us playing with things to make them any worse. Did have a fun time on this show and our future episodes look even more promising.

EPISODE147 - Talking 80s Music with Martin Hennessy

This week on Talking 80s Music, we celebrated the life of one of the most powerful set of lungs in R&B... the late Luther Vandross. Quite a bit of work to cover a man that was very busy during the decade as a solo artist, backing vocalist and arranger but we do our best to do right by him. Expect a big retrospective mix, a live version of "A House Is Not A Home" as well as "I'll Let You Slide" and "Give Me A Reason." The mix is well worth paying attention to as you can see how diverse an artist he was by just a sampling of some of his work.

Need to put that link up for you to see a young Luther with his group Listen My Brother on an episode of Sesame Street. See if you can spot him. Went a bit longer on this episode than we expected but there is just so much to cover that leads you to his career and after our decade of focus. Had a lot of fun but a lot more work than normal. Must say that it sounds pretty good in the final mix. Good shows are what keeps us going and this could be one of them.

EPISODE146 - Talking 80s Music with Martin Hennessy

This week we had been thinking about getting a little healthier. A little jogging, eating better and taking our vitamins. So we're going to work on your musical health and get you your Vitamin Z -- the kind created in Sheffield. We'll focus on the band's two studio releases (1985's Rites Of Passage and 1989's Sharp Stone Rain) and even feature a song you should recognize. Great band to stump your friends on.

One of the best sounding episodes that we've done in awhile (from the microphone side.) And, oddly enough, we just changed back to our older mic. Go figure. The first two songs should have a little pop to them as they come from a vinyl source. Fun music and we had our first visitor from Egypt in the chat room.

EPISODE145 - Talking 80s Music with Martin Hennessy

This week, we figured that it was time to talk about one of the biggest icons of a single music genre and they don't get any bigger than late reggae artist Bob Marley. We played a retrospective mix (focused on his last two albums and singles), a bootleg of "Could You Be Loved" recorded in 1980 at Rockpalast and the unlikely posthumous collaboration, on "Roots, Rock, Reggae," with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.

Fun episode where we also previewed a sample from Cinderella's upcoming live album. Noticing some vocal audio issues during the show and hope to rectify it. Might try to route the microphone differently next week.

EPISODE144 - Talking 80s Music with Martin Hennessy

This week on Talking 80s Music, you hear The Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but The Truth as we focused on the U.K. act of the same name. Expect a retrospective mix of some of their singles, "A Step In The Right Direction," "Weapons Of Love" and, the very hard to find theme from the 1987 film The Hidden, "It's Hidden," to cover the many different phases of their career. Listen and ask yourself how many bands they sound like. The vocals on their biggest U.S. hit, "Weapons Of Love," remind Martin of the late Robert Palmer.

The mixing did seem to go too well but the problem remained that we had a mic that almost disappeared in the mix. To fix that, we had to accept a constant hum in the background... or some intermittent static. We opted for the static. This does mean we have to look at some changes for the next show. But overall, we had a great time and met some new listeners.