In 1981, the music world was still riding the wave of disco’s afterglow while carving out the sounds that would define the decade. Rock was dominant on the charts, with bands like Journey, REO Speedwagon, and Foreigner packing arenas, while new wave acts such as The Go-Go’s and Duran Duran were beginning to reshape pop with synthesizers and bright, punchy hooks. MTV hadn’t launched yet—that would come in August of ’81—so radio play and word of mouth still ruled how fans discovered music. It was a year where the classic rock giants coexisted with the fresh sounds of new wave, setting the stage for an explosion of styles in the 80s.
Fast-forward to 1991, and the landscape looked completely different. Grunge had crashed onto the scene with Nirvana’s Nevermind, turning the polished glam metal of the late 80s into yesterday’s news almost overnight. Hip-hop was no longer underground—it was chart-topping, with acts like Public Enemy and A Tribe Called Quest pushing boundaries while mainstream rap stars like MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice were everywhere. Meanwhile, pop was thriving with Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Boyz II Men dominating radio. Unlike 1981, when MTV was just getting started, by 1991 music videos were the cultural centerpiece, shaping not just what people heard but what they wore and how they acted. This week, Dave and Rob will be looking at both years side by side, comparing the sounds, the trends, and the artists who defined each moment in music history.
Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/totally-80s-and-90s-recall/PC:1001051135
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/totally-80s-and-90s-recall/id1662282694
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/11dk5TUoLUk4euD1Te1EYG?si=b37496eb6e784408
Playlists:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5jDvx5w8Z0fp9xcUnMiCrH?si=0DsqLrf5SW-ZQn4u3T365A
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/1981-vs-1991/pl.u-11zB9K3SZmL1YD?ls
Contact Us:
Website: https://totally80s90srecall.podbean.com/
Email: 80s90srecall@gmail.com
LinkTree:https://linktr.ee/80s90srecall
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.