PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s, 80s and More

David Yas & Michael ”Milt” Wolfe
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70s and 80s Music Fans! It’s PAST TENS: A Top 10 Time Machine! The podcast that looks back at a past list of top 10 hits and breaks down the winners, losers and WTF moments. With Michael ”Milt” Wolfe and David Yas (david@pod617.com)Lots of fun revisiting the music of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and beyond.The best 80s songs of all time. The best 70s songs of all time. The best cover songs. The best TV themes. The best movie soundtracks. The best cowbell songs. The worst songs of all time. The best mashups of all time. The best rock of the 70s and 80s. The best hip-hop of the 70s and 80s. And you will hear more than you new about artists like:Michael JacksonPrinceMadonnaDaryl Hall & John OatesGeorge MichaelBilly JoelLionel RichiePhil CollinsJohn Couger MellencampElton JohnKool & The GangKenny RogersHuey Lewis & The NewsWhitney HoustonStevie WonderDiana RossDuran DuranJourneySheena EastonPointer SistersChicagoRick SpringfieldRod StewartBon JoviOlivia Newton-JohnBruce SpringsteenStarshipPaul...

  1. 3d ago

    Top 10 Yacht Rock Songs

    Host Dave welcomes fill-in cohost (his brother Adam) for a “Top 10 yacht rock songs” countdown, joking about absent cohost Milt and defining yacht rock’s breezy, jazzy, meticulously crafted sound (and noting the term was coined in the mid-2000s). They cite the Bill Simmons-produced HBO documentary, discuss why Hall & Oates and the Eagles don’t qualify, and reference yacht rock’s themes of wistful narrators, duets, and even “outlaw” lyrics delivered softly. The countdown reveals: #10 “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” (England Dan & John Ford Coley), #9 “Whenever I Call You Friend” (Kenny Loggins & Stevie Nicks), tied #8/7 “Ride Like the Wind” (Christopher Cross) and “Africa” (Toto), #6 “Rosanna” (Toto), #5 “Lido Shuffle” (Boz Scaggs), #4 “Summer Breeze” (Seals & Crofts), #3 “I Keep Forgetting” (Michael McDonald), #2 “What a Fool Believes” (Doobie Brothers), and #1 “Peg” (Steely Dan).   Topics 01:32 Big Galloop Banter 03:19 Yacht Rock Countdown Rules 04:23 What Counts as Yacht Rock 08:21 Yacht Rock Vibes Explained 08:58 Countdown Begins Number 10 14:55 Number 9 Loggins Nicks 20:44 Number 8 Ride Like Wind 27:47 Number 7 Africa Revival 34:19 Number 6 Rosanna Deep Dive 39:55 Number 5 Lido Shuffle 44:56 Summer Breeze Debate 47:45 Yacht Rock Origins Talk 50:28 Number Three McDonald 52:34 Regulate Sampling Tangent 54:46 Number Two Doobies 58:19 Patrick Stewart Mixup 01:00:51 Also Rans Rundown 01:08:43 Sailing Hot Take 01:16:38 Number One Peg 01:18:20 Rocket 88 Detour 01:24:28 Wrap Up And Plugs

    Top 10 Yacht Rock Songs

  2. Oct 23

    Freedom Rock 3: Turn It Up Even More, Man

    Dave and Milt welcome special guest Professor David Gallant to the Time Machine for a Part 3 (of 4) revisit of the overplayed ’80s Freedom Rock mail-order compilation. They “count” through songs including Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla” (Pattie Boyd lore, Goodfellas body-count trivia, and a 4-van rating), the Moody Blues’ “The Story in Your Eyes,” Five Man Electrical Band’s protest anthem “Signs,” Jonathan Edwards’ “Sunshine,” the O’Jays’ “Love Train,” Cream’s “White Room,” the Guess Who’s “No Time,” Judy Collins’ “Both Sides Now,” a Seals & Crofts deep cut, and Zager & Evans’ “In the Year 2525,” which Gallant passionately defends. Along the way they run a Grammy Hall of Fame quiz, trade Boston/Canadian tangents, and Gallant fights gallantly in the Freedom Rock van showdown.   Topics 01:00 Past Tense Returns 01:48 Meet The Professor 04:25 Freedom Rock Setup 07:58 Rules Van Ratings 09:57 Layla Deep Dive 24:10 Moody Blues Pick 34:17 Signs Rebellion Anthem 42:17 Mandela Effect Detour 43:36 Sunshine Next Track 44:20 Brotherly Boston Memories 45:12 Puritan Preacher Detour 46:51 Sunshine Protest Origins 50:08 Freedom Rock Ratings 53:38 Love Train Breakdown 59:33 Grammy Hall Quiz 01:14:28 White Room Deep Dive 01:21:41 Time Warp Math 01:22:22 White Room Van Score 01:25:12 Guess Who Deep Cut 01:27:45 Rock Hall Snub Talk 01:30:41 No Time Van Ruling 01:32:40 Both Sides Now Debate 01:36:43 Judy Collins Van Shock 01:38:34 Seals and Crofts Tangent 01:45:58 2525 Love It or Hate It 01:55:11 Rules Fight Final Score 01:58:48 Wrap Up And Call In

    Freedom Rock 3: Turn It Up Even More, Man

  3. Oct 16

    The Hits of 1999: Yo Quiero Latin Beats!

    Dave (coughing through the cold open) and chartmeister Michael “Milt” Wolfe take Past 10s back to the week ending Oct. 2, 1999, detouring through Adam Yas singing the national anthem at a Patriots game, listener mail about forgotten “best claps” songs, and why Polish jokes exist. They set the scene with Freaks and Geeks premiering, Double Jeopardy topping the box office, and ER ruling TV, then dive into a late-’90s Latin crossover-heavy countdown.   Topics 00:57 Dave’s Cold Struggles 02:29 Patriots Anthem Moment 04:26 Dream Gig Debate 06:55 Listener Mail Catchup 10:17 Back to October 1999 12:12 1999 Pop Culture Setup 19:51 Countdown Begins Marc Anthony 28:55 Scar Tissue and Hot Ones 38:43 Hot Ones Meltdowns 39:50 Simpsons Chili Peppers Bit 40:57 Scar Tissue Debate 41:52 All Star Overplayed 45:37 Shrek Effect Explained 50:30 Sugar Ray Origins 52:16 Shrinky Dinks Nostalgia 58:29 Christina Breakout Era 01:04:33 Ariana Grande Impressions 01:08:42 90s Lyrics Playdate Quiz 01:20:29 Enrique Bailamos Story 01:24:23 Bailamos Pronunciation Debate 01:25:18 Enrique Goes Final 01:27:15 Mambo No 5 Origins 01:30:53 Lawsuits And Backlash 01:32:40 Bob The Builder Parody 01:36:20 Smooth Mega Hit Breakdown 01:42:13 Ricky Martin Forgotten Ballad 01:46:31 TLC Unpretty Message 01:53:44 Recap And Musical Wrong 02:01:36 Shania Swap And Farewell

    The Hits of 1999: Yo Quiero Latin Beats!

  4. Oct 9

    The Top 10 Hand-Clap Songs

    Dave and Milt record a special episode focused on ranking the best hand-clap songs, defining picks as songs where clapping is a crucial, compelling element that makes listeners want to clap along (not just a brief moment). You know, clapping. … Why are we overexplaining this? Sorry. … They discuss postponing recording due to Milt attending a Yankees playoff game, announce that Dave’s brother Adam Yas will sing the national anthem on the field before Sunday’s Patriots game (with related family coincidences), and note Milt’s AI-assisted birthday song for Dave (appended to the episode). Using combined rankings from over 50 candidates plus listener suggestions, they count down the top 10.   Topics 00:33 Show Intro and Hosts 01:11 Yankee Game Detour 02:18 Patriots Anthem News 04:13 How It Happened 06:26 Birthday AI Tribute 07:55 Defining Clap Songs 11:21 Rules and Listener Mail 13:19 Countdown Begins 10 18:05 Hey Ya Debate 23:33 Beatles Clap Moment 27:55 Queen Crowd Clap 34:41 Boston Rock Clap 37:14 Top Five Tease 38:00 Power Pop Clap Debate 39:41 Fitzpatrick Jets Tangent 41:06 NFL Halftime Panel Rant 42:16 Cutting Cable for Football 43:08 Jack And Diane Claps 45:24 Tastee Freez Food Spiral 48:51 Top Three Car Wash 52:11 Number Two SOB Party 54:58 Ampersands And Hoagies 55:57 Also Rans Rapid Fire 01:04:01 We Will Rock You Miss 01:06:40 Number One Cars Claps 01:08:53 Clapping Music Minimalism 01:10:12 Friendship Clap Game 01:11:20 Wrap Up And Plugs

    The Top 10 Hand-Clap Songs

  5. Oct 2

    The Hits of 1984 (Not 1983!)

    Dave and Milt revisit the rock chart for the week ending Oct. 6, 1984—after initially and repeatedly calling it 1983 and later admitting the error. After banter about ice cream habits, a contrived Willy Wonka competition show, and brief history/pop-culture notes (Richard Noble’s 633 mph “Thrust 2” land-speed record, Carl Yastrzemski’s final at-bat, Lech Wałęsa’s Nobel Prize, The Big Chill, and AfterMASH), they count down the rock Top 10: Krokus “Midnite Maniac,” Billy Idol “Flesh for Fantasy,” Survivor “I Can’t Hold Back,” Honeymoon Suite “New Girl Now,” U2 “Pride (In the Name of Love),” Lindsey Buckingham “Go Insane,” Bruce Springsteen “Cover Me,” David Bowie “Blue Jean,” The Fixx “Are We Ourselves,” and John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band “On the Dark Side.” They discuss trivia (Miami Vice placement, Bowie’s Jazzin’ for Blue Jean film, Bono lyric correction, Springsteen dance remix), play a “blue/blues” quiz, pick U2 as winner, and swap out Survivor and Buckingham for Twisted Sister “I Wanna Rock” and KISS “Heaven’s on Fire,” then plug social channels and a future “Freedom Rock” episode invite.   Topics 01:29 Ice Cream Confessions 04:33 Willy Wonka Game Show 06:08 Time Machine Setup 07:45 Week in History Bits 15:52 Countdown Begins Krokus 23:06 Chart Year Mixup 25:07 Billy Idol Deep Dive 33:45 Survivor and Mall Cop 39:47 Honeymoon Suite Arrives 42:02 Honeymoon Suite Breakthrough 42:43 Miami Vice Hit Boost 44:19 MTV Metal One Hit Era 45:51 U2 Pride Origins 50:08 MLK Lyrics And Facts 55:23 Jazz Cover Misfire 57:13 Lindsey Buckingham Synth Turn 01:02:45 SNL Whats Up With That 01:09:35 Springsteen Cover Me Story 01:13:40 Dance Remix Madness 01:16:41 Bowie Blue Jean Deep Dive 01:19:54 Jazzin For Blue Jean Film 01:24:07 Bowie Grammy Shock 01:25:10 Bowie Calls Out MTV 01:25:32 Blue Songs Quiz Begins 01:27:02 Rapid Fire Blue Hits 01:31:25 Neil Diamond Blue Stumpers 01:33:26 Fixx Chart Trivia 01:37:43 Jim Fixx Dark Humor 01:39:38 On the Dark Side Story 01:48:07 Recap and Winner Pick 01:51:06 Substitution Twisted Sister 01:55:27 KISS: Heaven’s on Fire

    The Hits of 1984 (Not 1983!)

  6. Sep 25

    The 1970's Freedom Rock Part 2: Turn it Up Again, Man!

    Dave and Milt revisit the famously corny-but-great Freedom Rock compilation, tackling side two track by track while rating each song’s “Freedom Rock” authenticity in a Cheech-and-Chong-style “vans” scale of 1-5 via ChatGPT. They banter about pet allergies, the ad’s cultural afterlife, and whether Freedom Rock could’ve become a movement like yacht rock. Also, Dave makes a simply miraculous run “guessing the vans.” Song SPOILERS below.   Topics 00:49 Show Intro And Hosts 01:28 Finley The Dog Talk 02:17 What Is Freedom Rock 04:55 Side Two Setup 06:12 Track 1 Feelin Alright 15:45 Track 2 Going Up Country 24:50 Track 3 Reach Out Darkness 30:50 Track 4 Horse No Name 37:48 Track 5 Free Bird Begins 45:55 Encore Banter 46:43 Free Bird Rating 48:23 Ramblin Man Deep Dive 54:10 Guess Who Nostalgia 57:58 Comedy Sketch Detour 01:02:27 Elton Friends Review 01:09:05 Jesus Pop Hit 01:18:12 Black And White Finale

    The 1970's Freedom Rock Part 2: Turn it Up Again, Man!

  7. Sep 18

    1979’s Top Albums: Get Off The Wall!

    Dave and Milt slip into their glowing white socks and travel back to September 22, 1979—when albums mattered, packaging was an art form and apparently everybody owned a synthesizer. [EPISODE SPOILERS IN LIST OF TOPICS BELOW. In case you care. … You probably don’t. Sigh.] Before entering the time machine, the guys wade into the Macklemore–Robert Kraft controversy, debating free speech, private venues, “Free Palestine,” antisemitism and whether anybody emerges from the whole mess looking particularly good.Then it’s on to the week’s Top 10 albums: Robin Williams unleashes his manic mind, The Cars avoid the sophomore slump, Earth, Wind & Fire decline to release “September” in September, and The Commodores prove there was more to them than Lionel Richie. Michael Jackson steps Off the Wall, Chic battles the disco backlash, Supertramp serves breakfast, Bob Dylan finds Jesus, The Knack discovers that overnight success has an expiration date, and Led Zeppelin delivers one final studio album—with six covers, a paper bag and a surprising amount of synthesizer. Plus: the Winner of the Week, two substitutions and the continuing criminal exclusion of the B-52’s from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Topics 00:00 Cold open: Lunch in Libya, glowing socks and compulsory Knack listening 01:00 Welcome—and Milt’s controversial decision to wear a tie 04:00 Macklemore, Robert Kraft and the Ed Sheeran tour controversy 08:00 Free speech, private venues and the right to say—or refuse to host—something 12:00 Does shutting down speech help the cause or create a martyr? 15:00 Why has “Free Palestine” captured so much attention from young Americans? 19:00 The time machine lands on September 22, 1979 21:00 No. 10: Robin Williams — Reality… What a Concept 33:00 No. 9: The Cars — Candy-O 42:00 No. 8: Earth, Wind & Fire — I Am 49:00 No. 7: The Commodores — Midnight Magic 54:00 No. 6: Michael Jackson — Off the Wall 1:10:00 No. 5: Chic — Risqué 1:21:00 No. 4: Supertramp — Breakfast in America 1:31:00 No. 3: Bob Dylan — Slow Train Coming 1:39:00 No. 2: The Knack — Get the Knack 1:46:00 No. 1: Led Zeppelin — In Through the Out Door 1:58:00 The complete Top 10 recap2:00:00 Winner of the Week: Who else?2:01:00 Milt’s substitution: Talking Heads — Fear of Music 2:04:00 Dave’s substitution: The B-52’s — The B-52’s 2:08:00 Spotify frustrations, contact information and one final bowl of NyQuil

    1979’s Top Albums: Get Off The Wall!

  8. Sep 11

    The Simply Irresistible Hits of 1988

    Dave and Milt fire up the time machine to revisit Billboard’s Top 10 for the week ending September 10, 1988, amid banter about insomnia, last week’s “Freedom Rock” episode (and Finley the wonderdog), and some period trivia (Hurricane Gilbert, Jerry Lewis’s telethon, Kevin Bacon marrying Kyra Sedgwick, and Elm Street 4 topping the box office). They debate Kenny Loggins’ Caddyshack II soundtrack hit, declare fatigue with “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” praise New Edition’s Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis upgrade, and note Taylor Dayne’s ballad getting blocked at #3. “Fast Car” is lauded as the week’s enduring masterpiece, while Van Halen’s Sammy-era “When It’s Love” gets torched. George Michael’s “Monkey” sparks a primate-song quiz, Huey’s “Perfect World” gets a reappraisal, Robert Palmer’s “Simply Irresistible” earns affectionate mockery, and Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” closes the countdown. Winners/substitutions: Dave picks “Monkey,” Milt picks “Fast Car,” they boot “When It’s Love” for Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young,” and swap out “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” for “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”   Topics 01:19 Insomnia and Sleep Hacks 03:18 Freedom Rock Recap 05:26 Back to Regular Pod 05:57 Time Travel to 1988 07:14 This Week in History 10:31 Movies and TV Talk 14:48 Countdown Begins Number 10 15:30 Kenny Loggins Caddyshack II 22:10 Bobby McFerrin Overplayed 30:39 New Edition Jam and Lewis 37:05 Touchdown Dance Story 38:13 New Edition Hall Debate 40:21 Taylor Dayne Deep Dive 43:51 Tig Notaro Taylor Tale 49:01 Fast Car Breakdown 55:06 Tufts Alumni Trivia 57:47 Van Halen Love Ballad 01:05:08 George Michael Monkey 01:11:33 Primate Songs Quiz 01:16:57 Perfect World Deep Dive 01:20:49 Huey Memories and No Apologies 01:23:26 Perfect World Movie Detour 01:24:36 Simply Irresistible Breakdown 01:27:52 Prince Song and Estate Talk 01:31:46 Sweet Child O Mine Analysis 01:37:44 Ticket Tales and Live Shows 01:41:20 Recap and Winner Debate 01:45:39 Substitutions Forever Young 01:49:13 Fresh Prince Surprise Pick

    The Simply Irresistible Hits of 1988
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70s and 80s Music Fans! It’s PAST TENS: A Top 10 Time Machine! The podcast that looks back at a past list of top 10 hits and breaks down the winners, losers and WTF moments. With Michael ”Milt” Wolfe and David Yas (david@pod617.com)Lots of fun revisiting the music of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and beyond.The best 80s songs of all time. The best 70s songs of all time. The best cover songs. The best TV themes. The best movie soundtracks. The best cowbell songs. The worst songs of all time. The best mashups of all time. The best rock of the 70s and 80s. The best hip-hop of the 70s and 80s. And you will hear more than you new about artists like:Michael JacksonPrinceMadonnaDaryl Hall & John OatesGeorge MichaelBilly JoelLionel RichiePhil CollinsJohn Couger MellencampElton JohnKool & The GangKenny RogersHuey Lewis & The NewsWhitney HoustonStevie WonderDiana RossDuran DuranJourneySheena EastonPointer SistersChicagoRick SpringfieldRod StewartBon JoviOlivia Newton-JohnBruce SpringsteenStarshipPaul...

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