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PODCAST

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

David Yas & Michael ”Milt” Wolfe

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

music music commentary

All Episodes

122:30

The Hits of 1984 (Not 1983!)

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/10/02

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,”

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85:02

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

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/09/25

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

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129:57

1979’s Top Albums: Get Off The Wall!

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/09/18

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

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116:05

The Simply Irresistible Hits of 1988

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/09/11

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

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78:01

Turn It Up, Man! 1987’s Freedom Rock!

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/09/04

Dave and Milt record in person at Casa Wolfe for a special Past 10s episode that ditches the usual Billboard Top 10 format to start a “Freedom Rock” breakdown, inspired by the endlessly replayed 1987 TV ad. They explain the compilation’s formats (four LPs, three cassettes, or two CDs; 40 songs) and begin covering the first 10 tracks in order, rating each with ChatGPT’s absurd “Freedom Rock score” of 1–5 vans, plus … Footloose! Seinfeld! Vans! Vomiting! Let’s go!Topics 00:42 Podcast Setup at Casa

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116:26

The Touchy-Feely Tunes of 1973

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/08/28

Dave and Milt riff on Taco Bell shtick, Dolly Parton’s legacy, a listener spat sparked by Professor David Gallant’s harsh Rock Hall takes, and Dave’s front-row Squeeze concert (plus a grim Adam Ant review). The time machine lands on the Billboard Top 10 for August 18, 1973, with context on Nixon’s first televised Watergate address, DJ Kool Herc’s early hip-hop party, a Soap Box Derby cheating scandal, and the blaxploitation film Coffy. They run through the Top 10—pick winners (Croce and McCartney),

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43:00

The ‘80s: Our Listeners Punch the HOF Ballot

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/08/21

Dave and Milt reveal the listeners’ survey-driven top 10 forgotten ’80s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-worthy artists, noting the oddly neat result that—like the ’70s episode—about 10 acts clear a “put them in” majority threshold. The B-52s brought the beehives, The camp, the kitsch, the fun, But was weirdness enough when all was said and done? Steve Winwood had that golden voice, From Traffic to MTV, “Higher Love” was cool but twice-inducted? Must he be? Then Mötley Crüe came crashing in, With

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54:20

Snubbed? Which ’70s Acts Belong in the Rock Hall?

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/08/15

Dave and Milt reveal results from a listener poll rating which ’70s artists deserve Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, after briefly sharing comments on last week’s 1983 substitution episode (including an Ally McBeal/Robert Downey Jr. “Every Breath You Take” clip). Using a 1–5 scoring system, they count down the top 10 Hall “snubs” and also-rans.Topics 00:37 Sticks Snack Debate 02:15 Survey Results Setup 02:43 Listener Comments Roundup 10:59 How The Voting Worked 13:54 Countdown Begins Barry

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125:51

Re-Doing the Top 10 of July 1983

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/08/07

Dave and Milt introduce an episode built around listener survey results rewriting the Billboard Top 10 for July 30, 1983, after voters overwhelmingly chose to boot Sergio Mendes’ “Never Gonna Let You Go.” They preview covering survey comments next week, plug pod617.com, and detour into Dave interviewing Battle of the Network Stars captain Greg Evigan on a Beatles podcast. The listener-created countdown replaces the original Top 10 with your choices, with anecdotes about ads, lyrics, MTV videos, and

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93:56

Top TV of '83: Boobs on the Tube

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/07/31

Dave and Milt detour from Billboard to TV, counting down the top 10 shows for a week in July 1983 while arguing about pie, cheesecake calories, and why Five Guys “small” fries aren’t small. They plug a survey to rewrite the July ’83 Hot 100 top 10 using songs that never made the real top 10 (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GFG7SWG)The TV list includes Simon & Simon, The A-Team, Hill Street Blues, Newhart, Cagney & Lacey, 60 Minutes, The Jeffersons, Trapper John, M.D., Hart to Hart, and the

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110:33

Hits of ‘83: Can You Say Mama Sa Mama Coosa?

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/07/24

Dave and Milt celebrate seven years of Past 10s the only way they know how: by embarrassing themselves with old stories, reading listener shout-outs, and convincing everyone to fill out another substitution poll (vote here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GFG7SWG) for an upcoming listener-driven episode. Then it's into the Past Tens time machine for the Billboard Top 10 from the week ending July 30, 1983—a summer that gave us the Pine Tar Game, the debut of Friday Night Videos, National Lampoon's

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102:04

‘86 Flicks: Ferris! Ripley! Rodney! Goose?

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/07/17

If you thought we were done talking about 1976… think again. Dave and Milt kick things off by emptying the mailbag from our "all substitutions" listener episode, reading your comments, handing out a few well-deserved shout-outs, and revealing the song listeners were most eager to kick to the curb: "Misty Blue." That officially closes the book on one of our favorite summer experiments.Then it's off to the movies as the guys head back to July 1986 and count down the biggest box office hits lighting

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113:45

‘76 Hits: Our Listeners Re-Write the Top 10

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/07/10

ave and Milt revisit the week ending July 10, 1976, letting listeners vote on a replacement Billboard Top 10 drawn from 25 Hot 100 songs that never reached the top 10. They count down the survey results including the majesty of Steely Dan; the funk of Parliament; the whimsy of ABBA; and a poppy Queen. Once and for all, what were the Doobies doing dancing with Rerun on TV? Why is Milt talking about his hot buns? Did Billie Joe and Bobbie Sue get away with it or die in a hail of bullets? WHAT WILL BE

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76:55

Rock Bottom! Lowest Hits of ‘76

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/07/03

Dave and Milt announce a listener survey to vote on a new “substitution” Top 10 for the July 10, 1976 chart as part of their bicentennial-week trilogy, sharing shout-outs (including a Spotify playlist by Jason Hedman) and an email from Richard Holmes in Hawaii. For this episode they instead count up the Billboard Hot 100 “bottom 10” (positions 91–100) for that week, discussing each track’s background: Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.’s “I Hope We Get to Love in Time,” John Handy’s jazz crossover

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115:36

The Hits of 1976: USA! USA!

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/06/26

This week on Past Tens, we celebrate America's 200th birthday the only way we know how—by firing up the musical time machine and heading back to the Billboard Top 10 for Bicentennial week, ending July 10, 1976. But first, there are pressing matters to address. Why has Burger King effectively been outlawed in Milt's house? Did Thelma the bird finally convince her babies to leave the nest? And perhaps most importantly, was Milt secretly replaced by AI on last week's episode? Listener feedback pours

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25:27

The Most Underrated 70s Tunes

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/06/19

Things take a turn for the cosmic. Thanks to a special introduction from our old pal George Clooney, we learn that Elon Musk has apparently purchased Past Tens, folded it into SpaceX, and blasted Dave and Milt into separate pods orbiting somewhere above Earth. Fortunately, we were able to transmit this episode back to civilization before running out of Tang.The mission? Count down our picks for the most underrated songs of the 1970s. Now, whenever you do a list like this, you've got to define

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131:53

Hits of ‘86: Nu Shooz, Sad Songs, Bad Proms

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/06/12

Dave and Milt hop into the Past 10s time machine and travel back to the Billboard Top 10 for the week ending June 14, 1986. But before they even hit the charts, they celebrate the emotional madness of the Knicks’ incredible Finals comeback, debate why sports are better when you suffer and celebrate with others, and give some love to the loyal Past 10s listeners.Once the time machine lands in 1986, Dave and Milt set the scene: the nation is still processing the Challenger disaster report, a roller

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77:15

The Greatest SCREAMS in Rock History

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/06/05

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 Be Dumb" Tour at TD Garden, surviving the madness of Jazz Fest, and introduces Dave and Milt to the wonderfully bizarre world of YouTube legend Nardwuar.Meanwhile, Dave finally crosses a major movie off the bucket list, sharing his thoughts after watching 2001: A Space Odyssey for

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122:32

The Hits of 1970

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/05/29

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, complete with Jack White, Eminem, and a fire-marshal joke that somehow made perfect sense. Meanwhile, Milt delivers a major life update: Thelma the bird has likely become a mother, making him a proud and slightly obsessed bird granddad.Once the charts arrive, it’s a heavyweight

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90:49

The Top 10 Late-Night Hosts

PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s,... ·

2026/05/22

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 late-night television, counting down their Top 10 Gen X-era talk-show hosts — complete with favorite moments, grudges, nostalgia, and the occasional completely unnecessary tangent. Along the way: Michael speed-runs a Chinese-food dinner before airtime, Dave delivers another riveting

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