RockPopandRoll

rockforward•rockpopandroll.podbean.com

A look at music that was rock, pop, and radio of the 1980's, with takes on the greatest, the worst, the underappreciated, and the burned. It's a deep dive into the retro greatness of the decade, at the intersection where rock music, pop music, power pop, guitars, drums, memorable tunes, and guilty pleasures come together. Longtime radio rock DJ and music writer Rob Nichols hosts, along with his artist and writer friends, to dig into the music.

Last refreshed: August 17th, 2025 at 11:44 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Ep. 5: Five Hair Metal Songs and Bands That Matter

Did Hair Metal change the world? Well, some of the songs and the bands were part of the continuum that is rock music. It was really a flash - a bomb of hairspray rock and roll that hung around for about five years. We always like to offer a bit of an explanation. A Definition. A clarification of what we are searching for. What is Hair Metal? Pop Metal? Glam Metal? How is it different than hard rock? What makes it what it is? Sugary background vocals. That 80s era snare drum - the gated reverb- t...

May 31, 2020•32 min•Ep. 6

Ep. 4: What is a Momentum Radio Hit? The Story of Four 80s Bands

This episode is a look at four bands that had a big hit and then tried to capitalize on it with something called a "momentum hit" in the 80s. Or at least most had the followup hit. What's that even mean? Here's how we define it: Sometimes a band would have a hit single, getting significant radio play on rock or top 40 stations, and then follow it up with a song was usually not as good, but was still a hit, because the fans of that big hit single wanted more of that same sound. Superstars have be...

May 22, 2020•33 min•Ep. 5

Ep. 3: Friday 45: Tom Cochrane and Red Rider - "Big League"

It's our Friday series that takes a look at, and a listen to, one great single of the 80s that deserves another spin. There once was a band called Red Rider. The lead singer, Tom Cochrane, joined that Canadian rock band in 1978 and served as their lead singer and main songwriter for more than ten years. He recorded six studio albums with Red Rider. By 1986, the band was billed as "Tom Cochrane & Red Rider". It's a band never had a song in the Top 40 in the United States, although you might r...

May 16, 2020•10 min•Ep. 4

Ep. 2: Little Richard: Making Rock and Roll

In this special presentation of RockPopand Roll, host Rob Nichols remembers the songs and what made Little Richard a legend – and architect – in the making of rock and roll. Little Richard passed away at age 87 on May 9, 2020. Of all the patriarchs of rock and roll music, Little Richard may have been the most outrageous, had the most hits in the shortest period of time, and could arguably be ahead of Elvis in his early takeover of the rock and roll libido of millions rock and roll fans. He was a...

May 11, 2020•21 min•Ep. 3

Ep.1: Five Forgotten Great Rock/Pop Songs of The 80's

While there are many great songs and music from the 1980s, there are lots of tunes that have gotten lost. Music that was a hit, yet still somehow slipped away from classic hits and classic rock radio stations. Some of the songs were big hits, and it is tough to fathom how they are not remembered better or talked about more, and some songs had a flash of notoriety and slipped away. In this episode, we revisit five of these songs, in our episode 1 podcast of FORGOTTEN GREATNESS- 5 SONGS OF THE 80’...

May 11, 2020•26 min•Ep. 2

RockPopandRoll (Trailer)

A brand new podcast that takes a deep dive into the retro greatness of 1980's music and radio. The show is the intersection where rock music, pop music, power pop, guitars, drums, memorable tunes, and guilty pleasures come together. Join host, Rob Nichols, along with artists, writers, and friends as they dig into the music.

May 05, 2020•2 min

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