Ep 5 Jan 80 Buggles, Jefferson Starship, Boomtown Rats, Kenny Rogers, Specials, Cliff Richard, AC/DC

NOTE: THIS IS AN OLD EPISODE WHERE I WAS TRYING SOMETHING WHICH DIDNT WORK, THE POD ONLY GETS GOOD FROM EPISODE 7 ONWARDS. FEEL FREE TO SKIP!

Welcome back to I Completed 80s Music with me the 80s Mixtaper, a show more dazzling than Legs and Co's legs!

After an Olympic-sized intro, in this episode, described by What Budgie magazine as "the full 42 minutes", we visit a fantabulously funky documentary by our good friend Mel Begyn, friend of the show Doris Thigh writes in with a postcard from Rhyll and we arrive at the next batch of tunes in Playlist 5!

We start with Buggles and their minor hit Living in the Plastic Age. Legend is a term used nowadays as liberally as sprinkles on a sherry trifle, but we learn why it applies to Trevor Horn, a pantheon inductee.

Next we meet Jefferson Starship with their rockin song Jane, as they metamorphose from the caterpillar of Jefferson Airplane into future hit-makers Starship.

We then revisit our lovely friends the Boomtown Rats with their ever-so-prescient song about the surveillance state Someones Looking At You. Was Bob Geldof a savant or a man with a tin foil hat?

Next we saunter into country music territory and pick a brawl with Coward of the County, a top 10 entry by the ever-wonderful Kenny Rogers.

2 pantheon entries in one podcast you ask? Oh yes! Too Much To Young by the Specials takes us to a place where the fun bounce of Ska meets the serious themes of single parenthood.

Cliff Richard being edgy? I should cocoa! We relive the track Carrie, a woman who has disappeared but why? And finally we end with Bon Scott's swansong with AC/DC, Touch Too Much, before we welcome Brian Johnson into the lead singer's spot.

As always, for reminiscences, corrections and other jolly laughs please email [email protected] or find me on Instagram and X as the 80sMixtaper.

Links to Playlist 5

Spotify

Apple Music

In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are:

1. Buggles - Living In The Plastic Age

2. Jefferson Starship - Jane

3. Boomtown Rats - Someone's Looking At You

4. Kenny Rogers - Coward Of The County

5. The Specials - Too Much Too Young

6. Cliff Richard - Carrie

7. AC/DC - Touch Too Much

Link to Mel's superb documentary: Let's Funk Tonight

Thanks to the following:

Fabian Roch - for the glittery intro on all the songs

BreakzStudios - for the olympic opening

GregorQuendel - for the crowd cheer

All can be found on pixabay!