“Their music was devil’s music: high decibel, tortured, frenzied songs about Death, Destruction and Black Magic.” Welcome to Night Flight’s 1984 Take Off to Heavy Metal History with a look at metal forgers Black Sabbath. We go back to the 1970s for classic Sabbath, trace the development of Ozzy Osbourne and Ronny James Dio from their days as Black Sabbath’s lead singers to their solo careers in the mid 80s as “Rock’s Top MadMen.” We’ve heard from many of you that your first exposure to BS was late at night on Night Flight, so consider this your return trip home to some 35 years ago. If you are a Black Sabbath original line-up purist and Dio isn't your thing, may we suggest the Black Sabbath Video Profile for another excellent episode?

"Take Off To Animation" takes a colorful look at the use of animation in music video over the previous few years in styles ranging from experimental camera technique to 'Saturday morning cartoon'. Many of the videos compiled for this episode first became well-known due to their repeat exposure on Night Flight. Bona fide Night Flight classics here include Tom Tom Club's "Pleasure of Love", Randy Andy's "The People (Livin' in the USA)", Machinations: "Pressure Sway" & Will Powers: "Adventures In Success". Night Flight's innovative "Take Off" series dispensed with playlists, bland VJ set-ups and the usual tired video countdown format and instead cleverly programmed music videos and performance clips by theme. The series regularly featured hits from Eighties pop icons juxtaposed against obscurities from not-ready-for-MTV cult favorites. Original Air Date: 2-17-84

This Night Flight Original episode features a segment from the "Take Off" series on Politics and Progressive Rap. We also included extra special bonus feature on 'Movie Villains.'

Welcome to Night Flight circa 1993. “Ten years ago,” Pat Prescott tells us “The Replacements played their first ragtag gig in a church basement in Minneapolis. Much to everyone’s surprise, including their own, the ‘Mats became one of the hottest underground bands in the world.” Tonight’s Video Profile shows off some of the band’s finest moments and features ultra-candid interviews with Paul Westerberg. Part B of Night Flight's Original Episode tonight is the German-surrealist short film "Balance." Created by twin brothers Wolfgang and Christoph Lauenstein, this stark experimental animation allegory won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short in 1989. Another treasure of the archive.

"All through the rich history of Rock N Roll, artists have claimed the material of others..." says Night Flight syndication host Tom Juarez at the start of tonight's Take Off to Cover Songs. The hour long episode salutes the great musical tradition in what turned out to be the golden decade of covers, featuring Fine Young Cannibals covering Elvis, Cyndi Lauper's best Marvin Gaye impression, and The Pretenders' Jimi Hendrix reinvention. Chrissie Hynde sits down at the Night Flight studio to talk us through how she created the tune, while additional cuts from Boomerang, Club Nouveau and more follow.

Night Flight’s full episode from June 30th, 1984 kicks off hot and heavy with a bold “Take Off” to Sex. “Music videos use phallic and vaginal symbols,” Pat Prescott tells us as she introduces videos from INXS, Berlin, Mary Jane Girls and of course, Prince. Then we get into a Heavy Metal Half Hour with Ratt, Divinyls and Def Leppard. Dig into more music videos from Rush, The Go Go’s, Nick Lowe, and a strange short film called The Speed of Light, starring Sally Norvell (later cast by Wim Wenders as “Nurse Bibs” in Paris, Texas).

This sexy Short Cut compiles music videos and interviews featuring the most transgressive figures in the business, including Prince, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Queen.

This special ‘90s syndication episode feature host Tom Juarez introducing multiple classic Night Flight segments. PAL Tape 6 is an in-depth review of the Motown Sound.

Starting off with Michael Jackson's iconic Pepsi commercial, this full 3 hour special of Night Flight from 1984 truly has it all with a top ten video pick featuring Dead or Alive, The Cars and George Kranz and an excellent Radio 1990 clip with a Van Halen profile and interview. We finish with a cult classics section of UBU, Space Cadet, Santana and Stephen Stills' Manassas

Welcome aboard Night Flight's New Sounds circa 1988. Tonight, we'll climb into the cockpit with Paul Kelly and the Messengers, Gentlemen Without Weapons, The Christians, and some high-tech irony in "Disco Dancer" from the Spud boys of Akron, Ohio: DEVO.

This week, Night Flight puts the focus on the visionaries behind some of the most experimental and interesting music videos of the 80s. This unique ‘Take Off’ takes music video directors as it’s subject, focusing specifically on the work of Creme & Godley and Zbigniew Rybczyński, including candid and creative interviews with the directors. Lol Creme and Kevin Godley (originally of the band 10cc) discuss the videos they created for Visage, The Police, Herbie Hancock (the excellent robotics video for "Rock-it"), the uncensored Night Flight favorite “Girls on Film” for Duran Duran and gorgeous video for their own song "Cry." For Part 2 of this special, Night Flight takes off to the work of Academy Award winning Polish director Zbigniew Rybczyński, featuring videos the surreal, groundbreaking music video classics for Art Of Noise, Chuck Mangione, Grandmaster Flash, and mysterious Columbia Records supergroup Iam Siam .

Night Flight covers the origins and politics of reggae music, featuring interviews and performances from artists such as Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley. English musicians influenced by reggae such as UB40 and The Police are also featured.

"Take Off" to Country Jam features Nashville faves such as Ricky Skaggs, Dwight Yoakam, KD Lang, Hank Williams Jr and others. Following that is Night Flight's Video Profile of the most glamorous pop stars to come from Birmingham, England- none other than Duran Duran.

Return to March 1986 for a full 2-hour episode of As Aired Night Flight. This broadcast was brought to you by 501 Levi’s Blues, Sun Country Wine Cooler, Lee Press-On Nails, Hostess Pudding Pies and so much more. How do we know? The commercials are still in the master tape! Enjoy the full immersion.

"TV 2000's a different kind of video show: We've got everything!" The 1985 music series and Night Flight sister show hosted by John Kassir (voice of the Cryptkeeper) and Joe Gallo includes a top ten countdown, home movies, artist conversations with Night Flight & Radio 1990 resident interviewer Lisa Robinson, and some fantastic sweepstakes (sorry, entry is now closed!). Tonight's show, dubbed Episode 1 in the library, features videos from Duran Duran, Til Tuesday, Lisa Robinson on location with model Jerry Hall and a sizzling video Hot Pick of the Week. Commercials included!

This early episode of Night Flight features a live performance of Mink DeVille, a band built around the talents and swagger of frontman Willy DeVille. The group began in the mid 70s and was known for its association with early punk bands at CBGB. “In a more perfect world,” Marc Cambell wrote in Dangerous Minds, “Willy DeVille would have been a huge star. He had the voice, the look, the chops and the charisma.” This 1981 performance at NYC's Savoy club helps correct that inequity some 40 years later. Featuring “Slow Drain,” “Love Me Like You Did Before," and more.

Blue Oyster Cult stops by the Night Flight studio in this fantastic early NF special from 1983. Band members Allen Lanier and Joe Bouchard (we know, we know, their names are spelled wrong!) sit down for a lengthy and informative conversation about the band with tracks including the somewhat controversial and oft-banned “Joan Crawford” and “Veteran of the Psychic Wars,” a dark, brooding track featured on the Heavy Metal soundtrack.

Tonight we present another edition of Politics in Music Video with John Lennon, Nena, U2, Men at Work and the Fixx. As we dig through the massive vault of Night Flight tapes, we see more and more that politics were a recurring theme for our 1980s writers. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise if you read Night Flight creator Stuart S. Shapiro’s recent book "Identifi Yourself" where he reminisces about his time as “one of the go-to concert organizers from D.C. to Boston for the anti-war movement.” Night Flight was born from the inextricable connection between art and politics.

Welcome to Radio 1990, today we present a very special video profile on The Rolling Stones. Featuring Lisa Robinson’s exclusive interview with Bill Wyman. “There has never been another rock and roll band quite like The Rolling Stones,” Host Kathryn Kinley explains, before launching into video roll of some the band’s best. Check it out!

Yothu Yindi combine rock music with traditional Aboriginal instrumentation to create a distinct sound all their own. This 1992 60 Minutes story covers their history, influences and politics.

"This sassy rocker's radioactive red hair, junk shop chic, up-beat personality and pitch perfect vocals make her one of the hottest performers of the '80s," Pat Prescott tells us. Tune in tonight for our 1985 profile of Cyndi Lauper, featuring music videos and history in true Night Flight style.

Directed by Peter Litvin. Discover Hollywood's dark side.

Featuring Chris Rock, Lorne Elliott, Rosie O'Donnell and more...

Two back-to-back classics in one from the Night Flight vault. First up- Night Flight teamed up with Hit Parader magazine in the mid-80s for the series "Heavy Metal Heroes". This installment features legends like W.A.S.P., Triumph and Accept along with cult-favorite also-rans Vandenberg, Raven and Van-Zant. Next on deck is a spotlight on Eighties movie soundtrack tie-in videos! Late greats David Bowie and Glenn Frey both make a showing with their hits from "Falcon and The Snowman" and "Beverly Hills Cop" respectively. A rare cut from "Porky's Revenge" by Dave Edmunds, El DeBarge's contribution to the "Last Dragon" soundtrack and a rarely seen video promoting "Amadeus" starring the inimitable David Lee Roth round out the set.

Tonight's new Short Cut dives into the theme of money in music, showcasing cash-and-capitalism themed videos from Talking Heads, the pioneering 3D-animated classic "Adventures in Success" by Will Powers, playwright Sarah Tuft's commercial collage, and the Pheromones' send-up of the '80s yuppie class in "Yuppiedrone."

Night Flight "Take's Off" to the once and future glory of Acid Rock. The original catalytic agent for Acid Rock faded away, but Night Flight tracked the visual cues and sonic elements of Acid Rock making a major flashback for the '80s through artists like S'Express, The Cult, The Psychedelic Furs, Nina Hagen and The Mission.

Episode 284. An original episode of Radio 1990 from 1984 featuring Girlschool, Hotsox Fashion, and Billy Joel (it was his birthday!)

Episode 276. An episode of Radio 1990 from 1984 featuring The Icicle Works, Bonnie Tyler and an interview with Brian Setzer.

Salvador Dali, Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground and other denizens of Andy Warhol’s netherworld make an appearance in this long-lost footage from the Factory for Nico's "Frozen Warnings." Featuring the gorgeous, droning arrangements of John Cale's pipe organ, and the otherworldly voice of Warhol’s muse, this The Marble Index deep cut is a perfect backdrop to some of the best looking footage of The Factory you can find.  “Somewhere along the line, punk and disco got all mixed up in the pulsating metal machine music of Industrial sounds.” Hell yeah, Pat Prescott. Sign us up. For Night Flight’s industrial dance mega-mix, our editors creatively synced footage of ‘60s Go-Go Dancers with crackin’ edits from Meatbeat Manifesto, Renegade Soundwave, KLF and 9 Inch Nails [sic].

Tonight, we "Take Off" to the Motown Sound, the most successful independent record label in the world. Former boxer and auto mobile assembly line worker, Berry Gordy Jr. founded Motown in 1959 and created the sound of young America with Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Little Stevie Wonder (pictured above), and Diana Ross and the Supremes. Gordy ran Motown like an assembly plant, churning out hits all through the 1960s, eventually making Motown the largest black-owned corporation in America. Unlike most music television programming, Night Flight went beyond genre when curating and tonight’s episode is one of our crown jewels!

Episode 158 - 10/28/83 Welcome to Radio 1990. The Future is here today with Radio 1990. Tonight Lisa Robinson concludes our interview with John Cougar Mellencamp, with his latest video hit ‘Crumbling Down,’ with more on The Moody Blues, Earth Wind and Fire and a look at the 1983 film “The Right Stuff.”

Welcome back to Viewer’s Choice, where you get the videos you asked for. “We’ve got some wild requests tonight...” Pat Prescott proclaims as she lists of: Zappa, The Cure, Falco (“Jeanny!!!”), Whistle, Ultravox, Shriekback and Phil Collins. Another snapshot of pop music in the '80s from the perspective of the fans, preserved forever in an episode of Night Flight. “Ska is a pre-reggae Jamaican dance rythym first popular in the 60s…” Pat Prescott explains, while introducing this very special Video Vault. Tonight we all dance to a Ska beat when the vault opens to the leaders of Britain’s ska revival of the 80s featuring Special AKA, Madness, Fun Boy 3, The English Beat and more.

"Tonight we bring you your favorites!" "Over the last couple months you've written in to tell us what you want to see most," Pat Prescott says, explaining the viewer-requested curation behind this classic episode of Night Flight. Unsurprisingly, it turns out Night Flight viewers had great taste. Among the top requested artists are Kate Bush, Prince, Culture Club, The Thompson Twins, and Duran Duran. Check out this exceptional episode of that turns the attention back on the fans and viewers, who in 1986 were the ones making the Night Flight dream a reality.