Hello and welcome to the Rock n Coasters podcast; I am one of your hosts, Michele Forto. This year we are doing something new we are going to talk about the top metal albums of the year and share some cool facts from back in time. These short, bite-sized episodes should be perfect for a quick listen and, who knows, just might spur your interest in checking out some new tunes.
We are moving into the second decade of our countdown of the top metal albums of all time, the 1980s. What a glorious decade. The Gen-Xers would begin to take over the world!
Up first, The Miracle On Ice: At the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, the US men’s hockey team amazed the world (and themselves) by beating the Soviet Union. “Do you believe in Miracles!” Al Michaels. It’s hard to believe that he is still one of the top broadcasters in sports.
The Top Song was Lady by Kenny Rogers
On May 18, Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington, killing 57 people.
Mark David Chapman shot and killed former Beatles member John Lennon outside Lennon’s Dakota residence in NYC.
The Iran-Iraq war began in September when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered his forces to invade Western Iran. Over 1,000,000 people were killed by the time a cease-fire was agreed in 1988.
Erno Rubik patented his “Magic Cube” in Hungary in 1975. Debuting at The British Toy and Hobby Fair in January, by May 1980, it became a worldwide sensation.
A computer modem was invented.
Quotes:
“Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon? “
-Grey Poupon
“Who Shot JR?”
– Fans of CBS’s Dallas television series
1980: Black Sabbath, ‘Heaven and Hell’
After a remarkable and untouchable six-album streak, Black Sabbath was on a significant downslide following the face-flat clunkers ‘Technical Ecstasy’ and ‘Never Say Die.’ Ronnie James Dio assumed the microphone with Ozzy now ousted from the group, ushering the metal progenitors into the ‘80s with newfound power. Dio’s fantasy themes on ‘Heaven and Hell’ resonated with fans looking to heavy metal for escapism as Tony Iommi reclaimed his status as riff lord-in-chief. With songs like the epic title track, the energetic “Neon Knights,” the mystic-laced “Children of the Sea,” and Iommi’s nearly song-length solo on “Lonely Is the Word,” ‘Heaven and Hell’ was a world-class comeback.
Oh, one last bit of trivia, On January 6, The Global Positioning System time epoch began at 00:00 UTC. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provides geolocation and time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or near the Earth. My goodness, what would we do without GPS today? And on that note, we would love for you to support our show. Please head over to patreon.com/firstpawmedia and sign up today, and you will get access to behind-the-scenes content, exclusive merch, and more.
So, guys, what do you think? Do you like this series? Please let us know in the comments and on our social channels, search Rock n Coasters podcast. Also, please do us a favor and hit that subscribe button. One more thing watch your podcast feed on Mondays, as we will do the same format for the top rock albums too.
I am your host, Michele Forto, see you next time.
