What does it actually mean for a song to be a "hit"? In this episode, I sit down with music critic Jeff Giles — founder of Popdose, contributor to Ultimate Classic Rock and Diffuser FM, co-host of The Record Player, and the writer behind the "Old Music Friday" spotlight on Discord — to put the 1986 Billboard Hot 100 side by side with the chart as it stands today. It's a bigger gap than it looks: in 1986, "That's What Friends Are For" topped a year-end chart that mixed AC ballads, synth-pop, and rock because everyone was competing for the same radio airwaves and record store shelves. Right now, country artists are holding four of the top five spots on the Hot 100, and Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" just logged its 19th week at #1 — numbers that would've been unthinkable by 1980s chart standards.

Jeff and I dig into where "repeat play" as a hit-making signal actually started (hint: it's a bar jukebox, not a radio station), whether that jukebox was ever measuring pure, uncurated taste, and why the "good old days" of Casey Kasem's countdown weren't quite the trustworthy democracy nostalgia remembers. I also share a story from my own time working in radio at KKIS, where a program director kept The Burns Sisters Band's "Listen to a Beat of a Heart" in rotation for reasons that had a lot more to do with personal charm than listener demand. We close out asking whether the last 40 years are really a story of decline — or just a story of the same old mechanisms wearing new clothes.

This episode is proudly sponsored by Steve Fox's Old School — classic soul and R&B brought to life with the timeless grooves, voices, and culture that shaped generations. Press play and experience a party in a box at stevefoxoldschool.com.

Folk-rock artist Allie Sandt returns to the Planet LP Podcast to talk about her debut album, In Pursuit of a Good Time. Known for blending folk, blues, jazz, and vintage rock into songs that feel both intimate and timeless, Allie opens up about the years-long journey behind the record — from songs that trace back to her time in the upstate New York indie circuit to new material written specifically for this project.

We dig into the stories behind some tracks, and Allie talks about self-producing the album and assembling the accomplished group of musicians who helped bring it to life (also documented in her behind-the-scenes YouTube mini-doc). She shares how listeners have responded to the record so far, and looks ahead to her upcoming tour plans — including an exciting run opening for British-Brazilian folk-pop and bossa nova singer-songwriter Liana Flores on the U.S. leg of her tour. We also get into her thoughts on breaking through in an era of endless new music releases.

As a Planet LP exclusive, Allie also performs a stripped-down acoustic version of "In Pursuit of a Good Time" — a highlight you won't want to miss.

This episode of Planet LP is brought to you by Steve Fox's Old School, celebrating classic soul and R&B with the timeless grooves, voices, and culture that shaped generations. Tune in and relive the hits at stevefoxoldschool.com.

Neneh Cherry was, for a brief but unforgettable stretch, one of the most influential voices in British pop — a punk-rock-raised, hip-hop-fluent artist who fused genres before it was fashionable, and who famously performed "Buffalo Stance" on Top of the Pops eight months pregnant. Her 2024 memoir, A Thousand Threads, was shortlisted for the 2025 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, and on this episode, Ted shares his personal take on the book — one he first picked up at Powell's Books in Portland.

The verdict, right up front: a B minus.

What works, and works well, is the book's throughline about Cherry's mother, Monika "Moki" Karlsson — a Swedish textile artist who lived an unconventional, bohemian life with jazz musician Don Cherry, running what amounted to an artist colony out of an old schoolhouse. The memoir is, at its heart, a daughter's love letter to her mother, and that material is where the book comes alive.

What doesn't work, at least for a longtime fan of her music, is how little space the book gives to the records themselves — especially Homebrew, Cherry's excellent 1992 follow-up to her debut. Ted highlights the moment that best captures the problem: Cherry's collaboration with Michael Stipe of R.E.M. on the song "Trout" gets exactly one sentence in the entire book (page 218). The long-rumored backstory behind "Buddy X" — reportedly inspired by Lenny Kravitz's infidelity while touring together — goes unaddressed entirely.

Ted also touches on a pattern common to a lot of musician memoirs: artists who've told the story of their career a thousand times to press and interviewers end up skipping over it in their own books, in favor of the material they haven't already talked to death — usually family, identity, and personal struggle. That's very much the case here.

Is it worth reading? Yes — it's a compelling, honestly told story about growing up between cultures and finding identity through family. Just don't expect much insight into the music that made Neneh Cherry a household name.

Grade: B-

Leave a comment below about this episode, or comment away at Planet LP's Facebook and Instagram pages.

This episode is sponsored by Steve Fox's Old School — commercial-free 90s R&B, hip hop, and classic soul, streaming 24/7 at stevefoxoldschool.com.

Guest of the pod, Elaine Leung, has seen Earth, Wind & Fire close to 25 times — and by her own admission, that still makes her a rookie in EWF fan circles. She joins Planet LP host Ted Asregadoo this week to dig into the band's "fire years," the run of albums from the mid-to-late '70s that turned Maurice White's group into one of the biggest acts in music.

The conversation covers a lot of ground: the jazz- and bossa nova-inflected 1971 debut most casual fans have never heard, the All 'n All one-two punch of "Serpentine Fire" and "Fantasy," and the humble kalimba — the thumb piano that shows up throughout the catalog and became so central to White's sound he named his publishing company after it. Ted plays a couple of clips from Questlove's new HBO documentary, Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That's the Weight of the World), including Maurice White on the kalimba and Stevie Wonder on how "Shining Star" inspired "I Wish."

Elaine and Ted also get into the harder parts of the story: White's difficult childhood, the band's brief pivot to a slicker, David Foster-produced pop sound on 1979's I Am, and the tension that came with it — plus why the band's lyrics seldom use gendered pronouns, and what that says about their whole philosophy of inclusivity and positivity. Elaine closes things out with a genuinely lovely story about her brother, "September," and why this song means so much to her.

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This episode is sponsored by Steve Fox’s Old School — classic soul, R&B, and hip hop from the golden era. Listen at stevefoxoldschool.com.

After 11 years and the unimaginable loss of Neil Peart, Rush is back on the road — and Planet LP host Ted Asregadoo was there to see it.

In October 2025, Rush announced their surprise "Fifty Something" tour, celebrating five-plus decades together with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, joined by new drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold. Ted flew to LA to catch the June 13th show at the Kia Forum and met up with an old friend: Dan Reed, a high school buddy of Ted's who now calls LA home. Dan's also the former drummer for Overwhelming Colorfast and Semprini.

This episode is a two-part conversation with Dan — one before the show, full of anticipation (and a little skepticism about ticket prices), and one after, recorded while the high of an unforgettable night was still very much alive. Ted's seen Rush close to ten times since 1981, and he says this performance is right up there with the best of them.

Tune in for talk of setlists, Neil Peart tributes, the thrill of hearing these songs played live again, and what it means when a band gets it right at the very start of a long tour, when so much can go sideways.

This episode is sponsored by Steve Fox's Old School — classic soul, R&B, and hip hop from the golden era. Listen at stevefoxoldschool.com.

For over 40 years, Sade has been making music that defies trends, ignores fads, and sounds just as fresh today as it did when Diamond Life dropped in 1984. On this episode of Planet LP, host Ted Asregadoo is joined by his wife, Julie, to talk about the band that has become the soundtrack of her daily life.

With only six studio albums to their name — Diamond Life, Promise, Stronger Than Pride, Love Deluxe, Lovers Rock, and Soldier of Love — Sade has built one of the most devoted fanbases in music history. The band's lineup of Sade Adu, Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale, and Paul Denman has never changed since 1982, and their music carries a consistency and elegance that is nearly impossible to find anywhere else.

Julie breaks down her favorite songs from every album, talks about what draws her back to Sade's music day after day, and makes the case for why this band deserves a spot in any serious music lover's rotation.

Whether you're a longtime Sade fan or someone who's only heard Smooth Operator on the radio, this episode will make you want to hit play on the entire discography.

Special Thanks to our Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Steve Fox’s Old School. It’s a "party in a box" featuring the best of Classic Soul, Disco, Hip-Hop, and '90s R&B. Listen now at SteveFoxOldSchool.com.

On January 8th, 2016, David Bowie celebrated his 69th birthday with the release of his 26th and final studio album, Blackstar. Two days later, Bowie was gone after succumbing to liver cancer.

Now, a decade after its haunting release, host Ted Asregadoo revisits Bowie’s final masterpiece. Was it a "pretentious" swan song or a stroke of avant-garde genius? From its "dark jazz" undertones to the incredible musicianship of the Donny McCaslin Quartet, we break down why this record remains a monumental final statement in a career defined by constant reinvention.

Joining the conversation is long-time friend of the pod and veteran radio broadcaster Michael McGauley (KCBS/KNX). Michael shares why Blackstar has climbed the ranks to become his favorite Bowie record and recounts his first experiences with the Thin White Duke’s legendary catalog.

• Track-by-Track Breakdown: We dive into the "guts" of the record, from the experimental merging of parts in the title track to the "Cure-esque" tones of Lazarus.
• The Power of the Band: A look at how drummer Mark Guiliana and the Donny McCaslin Quartet blew away even seasoned producers like Tony Visconti.
• The Death of Rock? We pivot to Billy Corgan’s recent "paranoid" claims about the decline of rock music. Is it a conspiracy, or has the genre run its course -- which is why Bowie kept pushing into new music territory.
• The Emotional Weight of Musical Icons: Ted reflects on a 2016 blog post written after the deaths of Bowie and Prince. He explores why we grieve for artists we never met—not just for the loss of the person, but for the loss of the "touchstones" to our own youth and the era of "immortality" we felt in our teens. Read the full post here.

Special Thanks to our Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Steve Fox’s Old School. It’s a "party in a box" featuring the best of Classic Soul, Disco, Hip-Hop, and 90s R&B. Listen now at SteveFoxOldSchool.com.

Episode 118 is here, and we're doing something a little different! This time, we're spotlighting a killer new track: "Wormslayer" by Kula Shaker – the title track from their 8th studio album.

This seven-minute prog-rock journey is EPIC. It starts with a meditative mantra, builds through psychedelic keyboards, and then the guitars absolutely kick in. Kula Shaker has been fusing Anglo-British rock with Indian influences for 30 years now, and "Wormslayer" shows them at their best – tempo changes, Hindi vocals, and that perfect blend of styles that traces back to everyone from The Beatles to Cornershop.

Plus, we're premiering the video on Popdose! It's got major Stranger Things vibes with D&D gameplay, anime characters, and all the campy fun you could want.

Will this finally be Kula Shaker's moment to break through in the US? Listen and decide for yourself!

Sponsored by Steve Fox's Old School – stream classic soul, R&B, and disco at stevefoxoldschool.com

Wormslayer by Kula Shaker is available to purchase at the band's website: https://kulashaker.os.fan/