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 up America's theaters. Along the way they break down budgets, box office grosses, taglines, Rotten Tomatoes scores, Siskel & Ebert reviews, and—because we can't help ourselves—the Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon connection for every film.

As always, the conversation goes well beyond the numbers. Dave and Milt debate which movies have aged like fine wine (and which haven't), make passionate cases for the underrated Running Scared and Ruthless People, revisit Top Gun's massive cultural impact—including Quentin Tarantino's infamous interpretation of the movie—and test each other with a fun 1986 movie tagline trivia game.

It's another nostalgia-filled trip back to the summer of '86, packed with laughs, rabbit holes, and enough movie memories to make you want to hit the last Blockbuster on the planet, wherever it is.

Topics

00:31 Nicole Kidman Movie Ritual

02:08 Scary Movies and Listener Shoutout

03:32 1976 Survey Feedback

11:47 Wrapping the 1976 Marathon

13:17 July 1986 Movie Countdown Begins

14:54 Number 10 Great Mouse Detective

20:53 Number 9 About Last Night

29:22 Number 8 Ferris Bueller Day Off

37:22 Ferris Bueller Debate

38:19 Ebert Regret Reviews

39:16 Kevin Bacon Detour

40:11 Legal Eagles Trailer

41:20 Legal Eagles Verdict

44:51 Bowfinger Side Argument

46:07 Running Scared Breakdown

47:54 Running Scared Bits

53:51 Tagline Trivia Game

01:00:29 Aliens Deep Dive

01:05:18 Siskel Ebert On Aliens

01:07:54 Top Gun Tease

01:08:27 Top Gun Breakdown

01:11:09 Ratings and Soundtrack

01:13:31 Tarantino Top Gun Theory

01:16:24 Sequel Gap Trivia

01:18:40 Back to School Rewind

01:26:55 Ruthless People Rediscovered

01:33:35 Karate Kid Part II Debate

01:40:03 Wrap Up and Next Pods

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 THE NEW #1? Click, listen and also hear Milt’s raggedy rap about friendship.

Topics

02:22 Listener Vote Explained

05:30 Back To July 1976

06:30 Number 10 Kid Charlemagne

17:19 Number 9 Give Up The Funk

26:00 Number 8 Mamma Mia

34:32 Number 7 Take The Money Run

36:31 Bonnie and Clyde Lyrics

37:27 Joker Mashup Demo

38:51 Greatest Hits Rant

39:33 Run DMC Sampling

41:10 AI Guy Trailer

43:25 Office and Hot Buns

46:15 Frampton Live Phenomenon

49:42 High Fidelity and Simpsons

53:17 Queen Best Friend

59:40 Friend Songs Quiz

01:06:46 Fleetwood Mac Say You Love Me

01:11:39 Canadian Cover and Licensing

01:13:04 Countdown Shock Setup

01:14:14 Doobie Brothers Pivot

01:18:41 Whats Happening Clip

01:24:34 Crazy On You Breakdown

01:27:43 Classic Rock Radio Stats

01:33:47 Boys Back In Town

01:40:16 Top Ten Recap

01:41:29 Winners And Referee

01:43:27 Substitution Picks

01:51:41 Wrap And Socials

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 “Hard Work,” Eagles-adjacent Fool’s Gold “Rain Oh Rain,” The Outlaws’ CB-themed “Breaker, Breaker,” Donna Valery’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” The Isley Brothers’ “Who Loves You Better,” Bill Cosby’s Barry White parody “Yes, Yes, Yes,” DJ Rogers’ “Say You Love Me,” Michel Polnareff’s film theme “Lipstick,” and Henry Gross’s dog tribute “Shannon,” tying it to Casey Kasem’s infamous “Snuggles” outtake.

SURVEY! HELP US RE-DO THE TOP 10 FOR THIS WEEK IN 1976

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S2C3GRM

Topics

00:55 Listener Survey Trilogy

03:51 Shoutouts and Hawaii Email

06:47 Bottom 10 Concept Setup

10:12 No 91 McCoo and Davis

19:34 No 92 John Handy Funk Jazz

25:54 No 93 Fool's Gold Eagles Vibes

31:22 No 94 Outlaws CB Craze

38:49 No 95 Dana Valery Cover

41:36 Whats My Line Clip

44:04 Donna Valerie Debrief

44:42 Isley Brothers At 96

47:03 Lyrics Guessing Game

48:29 Cosby Parody Unease

53:17 DJ Rogers Soul Ballad

57:27 Lipstick Movie Theme

01:04:16 Shannon And Snuggles

01:12:23 Recap And Farewell

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 in, and we tackle it all.

Then we unveil something brand new for the show: our first-ever Listener Substitution Survey. We've picked 25 songs that made the charts but never cracked the Top 10, and we're turning the decision over to you. Vote for your favorites, and in two weeks we'll count down an all-listener-selected Top 10.

Once we're back in July of '76, it's a packed week. We revisit the daring Entebbe rescue, note the birth of Fred Savage, remember The Omen terrifying moviegoers, and somehow discover that the Miss Universe Pageant was America's favorite TV show.

The countdown itself is loaded with stories. We talk about Hall & Oates finally breaking through with "Sara Smile," the wonderfully confusing album cover that had everyone doing a double take, Gary Wright's "Love Is Alive," Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue," the Brothers Johnson's arrival, and Captain & Tennille at the height of their powers. Along the way we uncover gems like Joe Pesci recording a Beatles cover, Andrea True's unlikely path from adult films to disco stardom, Quincy Jones' fingerprints all over the charts, and the bass line connection to "Billie Jean."

We also review Questlove's terrific new Earth, Wind & Fire documentary, argue about spoken-word intros, answer songs, and musical ripoffs, laugh over some truly questionable 1970s comedy, and, after all is said and done, crown Hall & Oates' "Sara Smile" as the clear winner of the week. We finish by giving this chart our official rating—solidly in Bee Gees territory—and remind everyone to cast their vote in the Listener Substitution Survey before next week's results are locked in.

VOTE FOR OUR UPCOMING ALL-SUBSTITUTION EPISODE (What songs SHOULD have made the top 10 this week?): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S2C3GRM

Topics

00:50 Fast Food Banter

02:55 Thelma Bird Update

04:32 Last Week Pod Fallout

06:35 Listener Mail Highlights

09:41 Listener Substitution Survey

12:29 Bicentennial Week Setup

14:30 1976 News And Pop Culture

20:49 Concert Tragedy Detour

23:29 Top 10 Begins Beatles At 10

33:32 Hall And Oates Breakthrough

36:40 Androgynous Album Cover

39:07 Why Sarah Smile Works

41:00 Gary Wright Rediscovered

42:11 Love Is Alive Backstory

47:37 Dorothy Moore Misty Blue

51:35 Paul McCartney Diss Track

56:37 Linda on the B Side

59:17 Questlove Rock Doc Review

01:08:34 Andrea True Disco Scandal

01:15:39 Captain and Tennille Remake

01:17:58 Answer Songs and Ripoffs

01:19:32 Captain and Tennille TV

01:20:56 Corny Hat Comedy

01:22:59 Shop Around Revisit

01:23:31 Brothers Johnson Breakout

01:25:26 Quincy Jones Connections

01:27:46 Billie Jean Bass Reveal

01:31:20 Kiss and Say Goodbye

01:34:48 Spoken Word Intros

01:39:05 Afternoon Delight Scandal

01:43:30 Pop Culture Karaoke Clips

01:48:12 Recap and Winner

01:52:06 Ratings and Farewell

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 your terms. Milt comes out firing with a whole taxonomy of underratedness. Some songs were overshadowed by bigger hits. Some were unfairly dismissed by critics. Others were forgotten despite being huge at the time. And a few are simply masterpieces that never got the attention they deserved.

Milt's list includes Bruce Springsteen's epic New York City Serenade, Player's silky smooth Baby Come Back, Joe Tex's forgotten smash I Gotcha, Sniff 'n' the Tears' Driver's Seat, and Stevie Wonder's breathtaking As.

As for Dave, he took a different route. He championed the Bay City Rollers' terrific cover of I Only Want to Be with You, Aerosmith's bluesy rocker Chip Away at the Stone, the criminally overlooked studio version of the Jackson 5's Going Back to Indiana, Devo's wonderfully weird Uncontrollable Urge—complete with a story involving Mark Mothersbaugh and John Lennon—and Dr. Hook's Sylvia's Mother, penned by none other than Shel Silverstein.

Along the way, listener Al Nadel checks in with some underrated gems of his own, and we spend a little time wondering whether NASA, SpaceX, Matt Damon, or literally anybody is coming to rescue us.

So grab your headphones, fire up the oxygen generator, and join us for a journey through some of the most overlooked songs of the decade that gave us disco, punk, yacht rock, and bell-bottoms.

Topics

00:00 – George Clooney Cold Open From Orbit 02:02 – Establishing the Rules of "Underrated" 02:50 – Our Number Five Picks 06:32 – Number Four Selections 10:57 – The Forgotten Hit Category 12:41 – Listener Al Nadel's Picks 14:43 – Jackson 5 Deep Cut Spotlight 16:51 – Songs That Should Have Been Bigger 18:30 – Devo's New Wave Masterpiece 20:49 – The Number One Showdown 24:18 – Final Transmission From Space

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 coaster called Mindbender makes terrifying headlines, Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” moment is just days away, and future stars Shia LaBeouf and the Olsen twins are entering the world. Meanwhile, Back to School rules the box office and The... ahem... Cosby Show sits atop television.

The countdown kicks off with Level 42’s “Something About You,” a song that instantly becomes a contender for the crown. The discussion of Mike + The Mechanics’ “All I Need Is a Miracle” turns into a deep dive on Mike Rutherford’s post-Genesis success, Paul Carrack’s unforgettable voice, and the age-old question: Is this actually a miracle of a song? The answer depends on which host you ask. The debate somehow spirals into a passionate rant about Miracle Whip, because this is Past Tense.

Howard Jones’ “No One Is to Blame” brings up Phil Collins’ production magic and embarrassing high-school dance memories, while George Michael’s beautiful “A Different Corner” launches a wildly entertaining George-themed riddle contest and a rapid-fire celebration of famous Georges from throughout pop culture.

Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All” creates a debate about the George Benson original and inspires a trip to the world of Randy Watson and Sexual Chocolate from Coming to America. The crew then tackles The Jets’ “Crush on You,” Billy Ocean’s “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)” — which receives one of Dave’s classic passionate critiques — and Nu Shooz’ “I Can’t Wait,” including the fascinating story of how a remix transformed a little-known demo into a massive dance hit.

A quick detour into celebrity Knicks fans leads into Madonna’s haunting “Live to Tell,” a discussion of Christopher Walken and the dark movie At Close Range, before the chart reaches the #1 song: Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald’s “On My Own.”

Throughout the episode, intern Jason provides fresh ears, song grades, and a younger perspective, including his own Substitution pick. When the final votes are tallied, Dave and Jason crown Level 42’s “Something About You” as the champion of the week, while Milt goes with Madonna’s “Live to Tell.” The Substitution songs also spark debate, with Dave bringing in Art of Noise’s “Peter Gunn” and Jason adding Simple Minds’ “All the Things She Said.”

Throw in cold-open jokes, music snobbery, random tangents, nostalgia, and a little Miracle Whip controversy, and you have another unforgettable ride in the Past Tense time machine.

Topics

00:18 Knicks Finals Chaos

04:30 Shared Experience Talk

06:56 Listener Shoutouts

08:11 Time Machine Setup

09:53 June 1986 Context

16:12 Birthdays Movies TV

20:24 Top 10 Begins Level 42

30:48 Mike Plus Mechanics

33:59 Mike Rutherford Reboot

35:16 Carrack Live Memory Lane

36:57 Miracle Song Debate

40:34 Miracle Whip Rant

41:44 Intern Jason Rates The Track

43:20 HoJo, PhilCo

49:18 Prom Night Stories

52:01 George Michael Deep Cut

58:17 Famous Georges Riddle Game

01:07:09 George Trivia Mashup

01:11:27 Whitney Song Debate

01:16:54 Randy Watson Parody

01:21:01 Jets Family Hit

01:29:11 Billy Ocean Rant

01:35:38 Nu Shooz Club Remix

01:39:24 Demo Breakdown

01:40:05 New Shoes Backstory

01:41:05 Song Ratings Debate

01:41:48 Knicks Celeb Tangent

01:44:19 Madonna Live to Tell

01:47:53 Walken Movie Talk

01:52:21 Number One On My Own

01:56:52 Recap and Birthdays

01:58:24 Winner and Substitution

02:06:15 Interns Song Swap

02:08:36 Wrap Up and Farewell

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 the very first time. Verdict? Beautiful to look at... but maybe HAL could've picked up the pace a little.

Then it's time for the main event:

From primal soul howls to arena-rock shrieks, the guys count down the ten most unforgettable screams ever put on tape. SPOILER ALERT… Here’s the list below.

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🙂

;)

3 …

2 …

1 …

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#10 Little Richard — Good Golly, Miss Molly #9 Wilson Pickett — Land of 1000 Dances #8 Aerosmith — Dream On #7 James Brown — Get Up Offa That Thing #6 Guns N' Roses — Welcome to the Jungle (yes, THAT 17-second scream) #5 Led Zeppelin — Immigrant Song #4 The Beatles — Can't Buy Me Love #3 The Beatles — Revolution T-#1 The Who — Won't Get Fooled Again T-#1 Joe Cocker — With a Little Help From My Friends

Along the way, the guys debate what actually qualifies as a great scream, pay tribute to rock's greatest vocal acrobats, and rip through a stack of worthy also-rans.

As if that wasn't enough, they squeeze in a quick three-round snake draft of the greatest vocalists of all time, with names like Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Sting, Chris Martin, and Carole King coming off the board. Hayley Williams gets some well-deserved love, too.

It's loud. It's ridiculous. It's exactly the kind of thing that happens when you put three music nerds in a room and ask, "Yeah, but who had the BEST scream?"

00:20 — Meet the New Intern 03:13 — Jason's Concert Stories 06:18 — Dave Finally Watches 2001 11:20 — Ground Rules for Great Screams 14:25 — #10 Little Richard 18:35 — #9 Wilson Pickett 22:33 — #8 Aerosmith 27:54 — #7 James Brown 32:44 — #6 Guns N' Roses 37:17 — Mini Vocalist Draft Setup 39:21 — Snake Draft Begins 39:35 — Round One Picks 41:52 — Round Two Shakeup 46:00 — Final Pick Debate 48:40 — Back to the Countdown 51:36 — Beatles Scream Spotlight 54:55 — Revolution, Sellouts & Rock Arguments 59:32 — Also-Rans Rapid Fire 1:09:33 — The Tied #1 Revealed 1:14:58 — Wrap-Up & Plugs

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 showdown. The guys rave about classics like “Let It Be,” “Vehicle,” “The Letter,” “Up Around the Bend,” “Cecilia,” and “American Woman,” while taking a considerably dimmer view of “Which Way You Goin’ Billy?,” “Love on a Two-Way Street,” and “Everything Is Beautiful.” Along the way they uncover a Jay-Z sample connection, debate the mystery of Cecilia vs. Celia, call an old 800 number, wander into cheesesteak territory, and somehow find room for Claudia Schiffer, the Butthole Surfers, and The Lego Movie.

The episode also features a Beatles lyric quiz (A-to-Y edition), spirited arguments over Beatles minutiae, and a pair of chart substitutions as Sly & the Family Stone’s “I Want to Take You Higher” and Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen” earn honorary spots in the lineup. In the end, “Cecilia” and “Let It Be” emerge as the week’s champions, and the chart earns a final grade of “Bee Gees Plus”—which, in highly scientific Past Tens terms, is pretty darn good.

Topics 00:53 Wrong Number Scam Texts 03:38 Nicknames and Listener Banter 04:22 Colbert Finale Recap 07:47 Time Machine to May 1970 09:35 Bird Granddad and News 16:02 #10 – Let It Be Deep Dive 28:48 #9 – Vehicle and Horn-Rock Greatness 38:38 #8 – Tyrone Davis Soul Stop 41:59 Soul Vibes Warning 42:39 #7 – Joe Cocker’s The Letter 45:35 Mad Dogs & Englishmen Grit 47:47 Beatles A-to-Y Quiz 56:34 Trippy Beatles Debate 58:35 Poppy Family Deep Cut 01:02:20 Seasons in the Sun Tangent 01:05:33 #6 – CCR’s Up Around the Bend 01:12:03 Calling the Old 800 Number 01:15:11 #5 – Simon & Garfunkel’s Cecilia 01:18:33 Celia vs. Cecilia Mystery 01:20:17 Cheesesteak Saint Debate 01:21:11 Legendary Cheesesteak Duel 01:21:58 #3 Countdown Begins 01:25:26 Jay-Z Sample Surprise 01:27:14 Moments Name Change Story 01:30:38 #2 Countdown Spot 01:31:32 American Woman Origin Story 01:33:50 Dreams and Claudia Schiffer 01:37:10 Butthole Surfers Detour 01:40:20 #1 Song Revealed 01:42:06 Everything Is Beautiful Roast Session 01:44:27 Lego Movie Comparison 01:45:59 Top 10 Recap 01:47:32 Winner of the Week 01:49:38 Righting a Musical Wrong 01:56:32 Past Tens Grade Debate 02:00:57 Sign-Off and Plugs