Good Times, Bad Fiddles: Hits of '79

Good Times, Bad Fiddles: Hits of '79

Author: david@pod617.com August 29, 2025 Duration: 2:07:34
It’s time travel, disco balls, and questionable fashion choices as Dave, Milt, and our buddy Adam Ya Ooh Ya Yas crack open the Billboard Top 10 from September 8, 1979. What holds up? What makes us cringe? What still makes us want to roller-skate in short-shorts? We’ve got opinions. Expect heated debates on “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” vs. “My Sharona,” detours into random trivia, and the usual cocktail of nostalgia, snark, and stories you didn’t ask for but can’t stop listening to. Spoiler: Bruce makes an accidental cameo. Highlights include: 🎲 Dave stumbles into Lady Gaga while prepping for ’79. Don’t ask. 🎬 Licorice Pizza, John Peters, and other Hollywood detours. 🎤 Yacht Rock therapy session. 🎻 Devil vs. Fiddle Showdown. ⚡ ELO teaches us not to bring them down (but we do anyway). 💍 Celebrity marriages, Taylor Swift tangents, and Bar Mitzvah flashbacks. 🎶 Chic’s “Good Times” and why it’s secretly behind everything. 🎸 The Knack still smacking us with “My Sharona.” And of course, the Past Tens patented Substitution Segment™—where we rip out one of the so-called “hits” and jam in a better one from that week. Then we slap a grade on the whole list like we’re back in homeroom. Settle in. This episode’s longer than a disco 12-inch single.

For anyone who’s ever argued about a one-hit wonder or wondered what exactly made a chart-topper tick, there’s PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine-Music of the 70s, 80s and More. Hosts Michael “Milt” Wolfe and David Yas don’t just play the hits; they dig into the actual top ten lists from decades past, serving up a blend of nostalgia and fresh commentary. Each episode is a deep dive into a specific chart, breaking down not just the winners but the curious also-rans and genuine oddities that shared the space. You’ll hear them analyze everything from the undeniable classics to those “how did that get there?” moments, all with a sense of camaraderie and genuine curiosity. While the core of the podcast revolves around the music of the 1970s and 1980s, they happily venture into the 90s and other eras, applying the same formula to themed lists like the greatest cover songs, iconic TV themes, and memorable movie soundtracks. It’s less a lecture and more like eavesdropping on a great conversation between two knowledgeable friends who love to unpack the stories behind the songs. The result is a consistently engaging listen that might make you revisit your old playlists with a new appreciation. Tune in for a weekly dose of musical archaeology that’s as much about the cultural context as it is about the melody.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s, 80s and More
Podcast Episodes
The Greatest SCREAMS in Rock History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:15
This week on Past Tens, Dave and Milt welcome a fresh face to the show: new intern Jason, a Tulane University student possibly as obsessed with music as the Past Tens bozos. Jason talks about catching A$AP Rocky's "Don't…
The Hits of 1970 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:02:32
Dave and Milt crank up the Time Machine and head back to the week ending May 30, 1970, but not before detouring through spam-text “pig slaughtering” scams, listener banter, and a recap of Stephen Colbert’s farewell show,…
The Top 10 Late-Night Hosts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30:49
Dave and Milt hit record for a special edition of Past 10s marking the end of an era: the final episode of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show. But instead of hopping into the Billboard Hot 100 time machine, the boys pivot to la…
The Rock of 1989: Doctor, There’s A Great White in My Heartbreaker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:54:05
Dave and Milt fire up the Top 10 Time Machine and head straight for the week ending May 20, 1989 — but this time they ditch the Hot 100 in favor of the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, because apparently Aqua Net, guitar…
The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30:58
Dave and Milt plug into one of rock nerd-dom’s favorite barstool arguments: Rolling Stone’s freshly dropped list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos Ever. Naturally, they treat it less like gospel and more like a karaoke ma…
The Hits – and the Glitz – of 1979 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:39:30
Milt’s off living his best life at Jazz Fest, so Dave taps in Deirdre McCarthy as guest co-pilot, and—folks—we fire up the time machine to May 5, 1979. It’s Laverne & Shirley on TV, Alien in theaters, The Hitchhiker’s Gu…
The Hits of ‘87, UK Style [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:48:59
Dave and Milt open with banter about expensive VIP options, coffee vs. tea, and then discuss the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class heavy with British performers (Phil Collins solo, Billy Idol, Oasis, Iron Maiden, Joy Divi…
The Michael Jackson Deep Dive [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:59
Dave and Milt crack open a special Past Tens where the subject is none other than the human moonwalk, Michael Jackson—timed nicely with the looming biopic that’s about to remind everyone just how absurdly dominant this g…
Hits of '82: The Fire & The Fever [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:57:29
Dave and Milt fire up the Top 10 Time Machine and land squarely in April 3, 1982—a week where the Falklands War is just getting started, Space Shuttle Columbia is touching down in the desert like it missed its exit, Mich…
The Best Opening Lines of ’70s Songs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:45:25
Dave and Milt are doing what they do best: arguing about music like it matters (because it does). This time, they’re counting down their favorite opening lines from 1970s songs — with Milt, naturally, gravitating toward…