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PODCAST

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music

A podcast that takes a look at the development of alternative music in the 80"s with a focus on post-punk, electronic, dark wave, goth, synth, industrial, and indie genres. The podcast episodes feature stories, background, and discussions of artists, contributors, music, themes, and events of the early alternative era. The title of our podcast is based on the alternative song from 1988 by The Church, "Under the Milky Way".

music music history

All Episodes

28:18

The Gun Club - The Legacy of Jeffrey Lee Pierce

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/08/10

Led by vocalist and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, the post-punk band The Gun Club blended punk music with blues and other American roots music influences to become one of the first of the early days of post-punk to fuse those genres. Formed in 1979, The Gun Club became a fixture of the Los Angeles underground scene and would create seven studio LP’s during their history, starting with the blues filled 1981 album, Fire of Love.Started by Pierce along with guitarist Kid Congo Powers, the

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20:32

R.E.M. - Document and Green

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/08/03

Document was the fifth studio album from R.E.M., but the first album with producer Scott Litt, who would co-produce this 1987 album and the next five albums with the band. This album, with such classic songs as "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" and "The One I Love", would help move alternative rock to the mainstream. In 1988 the band would sign with Warner Brothers after their longtime relationship with the independent label I.R.S. Records and release the sixth

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20:27

The Slits - Not Your Typical Girls

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/07/27

The Slits were one of the first all-female punk bands and one of the pioneering bands of the post-punk era as they blended reggae and dub with punk music. Formed in London in 1976, the band's unique style and music was represented in their 1978 debut album, Cut, that has been called one of the defining releases of post-punk. The highly influential album included the songs that challenged societal norms, in particular the anthem song, “Typical Girls”, a song that questioned traditional ideas

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23:55

Soft Cell - Memorabilia and Some Bizarre Years

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/07/20

The English synth-pop duo of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist Dave Ball, better known as Soft Cell, created one of the most successful singles ever, "Tainted Love", followed by the influential 1981 debut album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret."Memorabilia", released just after Soft Cell signed with the independent label Some Bizarre Records, has been recognized as a pioneering song of the synth-oriented techno or acid house genre that would follow later in the decade. This podcast episode

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27:38

The Wedding Present - Lovelorn and Bittersweet Indie

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/07/13

The Wedding Present was one of the pioneering artists of UK Indie rock in the mid-80’s. Led by guitarist and lead vocalist David Gedge, the music of this band was often bittersweet love songs immersed in jangly and whirlwind guitars built on lovelorn lyrics. After forming in Leeds, The Wedding Present would be associated with C86, a compilation cassette released in 1986 by the British magazine NME, that featured new bands from Independent labels. The C86 scene is regarded as a key moment

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26:17

Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/07/06

The Scream, the 1978 debut album from Siouxsie and the Banshees, was a landmark release to widespread critical acclaim and is considered one of the most iconic and most influential albums of the post-punk era. Formed in London in 1976 by Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin, the band used experimental rhythms and sonics to develop a new and original music on the way to becoming one of the pioneers of post-punk music. This episode will tell the story of how this band began through their first

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24:09

Yazoo - Synth and Soul

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/06/29

Yazoo was an English synth-pop duo formed by former Depeche Mode founding member and keyboards master Vince Clarke, and the powerful soulful and bluesy contralto vocalist Alison Moyet. The band, also known in North America as Yaz, was short-lived after forming in late 1981 and breaking up by mid-1983. However, this was long enough to release two albums, Upstairs at Eric's and You and Me Both, which helped to define the synth-pop genre, electronic dance music, and the early house music scene

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25:06

Television - Marquee Moon and the Future of Music

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/06/22

The critically acclaimed 1977 debut album, Marquee Moon, from the New York band Television was a defining and foundational work in the history of music. With innovative instrumentation, sound, and elements taking music in a more artful and complex direction, the album would impact the development of post-punk, new wave, and alternative rock. The music consisted of intricate and angular guitar work, poetic lyrics, and dynamic interplay between the band members, most notably guitarists Tom

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30:05

Tears for Fears - From Hurting to the Big Chair

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/06/15

The Hurting, the 1983 debut album from Tears for Fears,was an intriguing and introspective album that focused on dark subjects such as child abuse, psychological trauma, and depression. This subject matter hit very close to home for the duo of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith of Tears for Fears, having dealt with these issues as part of their childhood. This album would hit number 1 on the UK album charts and produce three top five singles.Tears for Fears followed with an album that would be

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23:29

Lene Lovich - Finding a Lucky Number

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/06/08

In 1978, Lene Lovich signed with Stiff Records after years of art schools and travelling Europe , and she found her music career with the song, "Lucky Number". This song would reach number 3 on the UK singles chart and would help define the growing new wave genre.Lene Lovich created a sound that mixed post-punk and new wave styles with international music, along with a quirky style to influence many artists that followed.This episode tells the story of the early years of Lene Lovich's

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25:55

Ride - From Nowhere to Leave Them All Behind

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/06/01

The 1990 debut studio album, Nowhere, from the Oxford, England band Ride is considered one of the top shoegaze albums ever made. The music mixed bits of neo-psychedelia and indie rock with the shoegaze sound to creating this unique album. The band followed with their second album, Going Blank Again, and the lead single, the shoegaze classic, "Leave Them All Behind". This episode tells the story of Ride, the music of the legendary debut album, the band moving into album number two, and the

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19:10

Christian Death - American Gothic

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/05/29

Christian Death rose from the Los Angeles punk rock scene in 1979 to become one of the founding bands of American gothic rock and death rock. Initially led by Rozz Williams, the band would create the landmark debut album in 1982, Only Theatre of Pain. Valor Kand would join Williams in the band for the second and third albums before eventually become the band's leader after the departure of Williams in 1985.This episode discusses the development of the group, the creation of American gothic

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29:57

The Undertones - Teenage Kicks from Derry

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/05/25

The Undertones rose from the time of the Troubles in Derry, Northern Ireland to go on to be one of the biggest and most successful bands from Northern Ireland. The band's music developed from punk rock roots focused on teenage angst, growing up, love and heartbreak. The band’s first single was “Teenage Kicks”, a song that legendary DJ John Peel would say was his all-time favorite after playing it on his radio show, helping boost The Undertones career.This episode is the story of the band

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18:37

Mission of Burma - Signals from Boston

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/05/22

The Boston based post-punk band, Mission of Burma, was together for only four years during their initial run, but they had a lasting impact on music. One of the few releases from the band during these years was the landmark 1981 EP Signals, Calls, and Marches, which would be very influential to the future of alternative rock and indie rock. This episode discusses the band and their music during the incredible run from formation in 1979 until disbanding in 1983.

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20:33

Talking Heads 2 - Speaking in Tongues

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/05/18

After taking a couple of years off from recording as Talking Heads, the band returned to the studio for the 1983 album, Speaking in Tongues. This fifth studio album from the band would be the commercial breakthrough and the album would be followed by a tour that resulted in the critically acclaimed documentary, Stop Making Sense.This episode will talk about the band's members getting back to record Speaking in Tongues after some side projects, the music of the album, and the documentary

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17:15

Throbbing Gristle - Industrial Music for Industrial...

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/05/15

The English music and visual arts group Throbbing Gristle began in 1975 creating music which often contained harsh, mechanical, transgressive, and provocative sounds and themes. This was the start of what would be known as industrial music. This episode discusses the origins of the group, the creation of their music, and their three studio albums prior to their break-up of 1981.

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23:18

Visage - New Romantics

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/05/11

When they formed in London in 1978, Visage was a collective of musicians that would take an approach to music and style linking to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion and music movement of the early 1980s. Midge Ure, one of the founding members of Visage, would be part of the band's first two albums, both of which were commercially successful. During Ure's time with Visage, their music would be a key link between the electronic sounds of bands that came before them and the fashion-conscious

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18:55

Gene Loves Jezebel - Separated Twins

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/05/08

Welsh identical twin brothers, Jay and Michael Aston, formed the band Gene Loves Jezebel. From their post-punk and gothic rock debut album in 1983, the band would achieve commercial success by the third and fourth albums blending their music and their distinctive vocals with a more alternative rock approach. However, the relationship between the twins become strained leading to a separation that would result in two versions of the band going forward.This episode discusses the music of Gene

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29:19

Sonic Youth - Evolving from No Wave

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/05/04

Starting in 1981, Sonic Youth pushed boundaries as part of American experimental no wave scene to redefine what noise meant in terms of music. The band would combine innovative guitar tunings, dissonance, and feedback with hardcore punk and avant-garde music as part of the New York no wave scene.The music of Sonic Youth began evolving from these early years taking a more conventional approach as the band become a prominent member of American noise rock.This episode tells the story of the

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22:14

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Ballads and Beyond

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music ·

2025/05/01

In 1989, Nick Cave would experience some life changes and with those changes, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds would take their music in a new direction. By the end of the 1990’s, the band would achieve worldwide mainstream success with piano-driven ballads, most notably with the albums, Murder Ballads and The Boatman’s Call.This episode tells the story of the band and Nick Cave through their five albums of the 90's.

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70 results

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