1980 in music. • Page 2

But the riffs

 

Oh no, I’d have to disagree here.

 

First Van Halen album has the SONGS. The second and 1984 also do, so a bit lesser extent

 

Stickin w 1980, Romeo Delight, In A Simple Rhyme and Everybody Wants Some are all top tunes.

Eddie was like no other, bound by only 6 strings to this world

 

First listen (I think) with Ace of Spades, and I was pretty sure I’d enjoy this.

It finds that sweet middle ground between blues, punk and metal, with riffs and solos, but played at breakneck pace and attitude - feels very much like the precursor to thrash, which would come around 5 or so years later.

More or less all at the same relentless pace, and all songs basically feel the same, but they’re mostly great fun.


Jailbait though - yuck.

 

i love it. they're more of a greatest hits band for me though.

 

Diana Ross - Diana
Teddy Pendergrass - TP

 

Diana is so good, i love My Old Piano

and speaking of nile rodgers and bernard edwards, the production is unreal

 

glass houses is alright. it's not blowing me away or anything musically but it's got decent writing

 

Sales pitches for sleepers:

REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity
A true underdog story. Journeyman band just out there hacking away for years puts it together for one perfect record. Literally every song on this thing is a winner. The two huge hit ballads everyone knows by heard, but "Don't Let Him Go" is just as good, and songs like "Tough Guys" and "In Your Letter" are excellent.

Rossington-Collins Band - Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere
After Ronnie Van Zandt died, most of Skynyrd picked up with an amazing female singer, and a new third guitarist and drummer. "Don't Misunderstand Me" was deservingly a hit, but "Sometimes You Can Put It Out" is as fun as any song in Southern Rock.

 

I listened to Diana by Diana Ross, and while I’d never listened to a solo Diana Ross album before, I’m a big fan of the Supremes, so was pretty confident I’d enjoy it, which I absolutely did. Light, poppy and funky - it’s a great midway point between the soulful stuff she was doing in the 60s, disco and funk influences from the 70s, with that poppy 80s sheen. 8 tracks and 35 minutes long, a perfect demonstration of her talent. Just as lovely as I expected.

Also - I see she has a new album coming out in November! Will certainly make sure I check that out - a big sucker for late career albums, so hopefully it’s great.

 

I am VERY curious what the stuff she did with Antonoff sounds like.

 

Yeah me too! Not necessarily someone I’d say would be a natural pick for her, but intrigued to see what the results will be like. She’s got like 60 years of experience that I hope comes through in the record, at least.

 

I always saw it as an early "contemporary R&B" album. 'I'm Coming Out' at least is one of the oldest songs of my ultimate contemporary R&B playlist.

 

1. Kate Bush - Never for Ever
2. Talking Heads - Remain in Light
3. Bruce - The River

 

So far:

David Bowie - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
Circle Jerks - Group Sex
Genesis - Duke
Diana Ross - Diana
Iron City Houserockers - Have Fun (But Get Out Alive)
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
U2 - Boy
Larsen-Feiten Band - Larsen-Feiten Band
Cris Williamson - Strange Paradise
Kansas - Audio Visions
Pure Prairie League - Firin' Up
The Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Paul Simon - One Trick Pony

 

I was really surprised with this album. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. Album is pretty damn cool though

 

I am just flabbergasted by people who act like Genesis "sold out" when Collins took the fore. This is as complex and involved a prog album as I've ever heard, it's just that he was amazing at coming up with indelible melodies and there also happen to be two world-beating singles.

Even Invisible Touch, where they definitely made their big pop move, has complex tracks like "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" and "The Brazilian" and "Domino"

 

By the way, for anyone looking to up their representation quotient, that Cris Williamson album is great and she was absolutely a pioneer for lesbian musicians. At the forefront of what was known as the Women's Movement in music, and this one is produced by June Millington of Fanny, who is all over the record on guitar and drums(!).

 

yeah i did genesis yesterday too. been one of my favorite finds through multiple of these threads

 

I've been meaning to get into them

 

I full on stan for Invisible Touch.

 

In the past 2 years I've found myself listening to The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway an awful lot. Probably cuz there's a whole lot of nothin to do

 

Lightning Round...

The River probably isn't my favorite Bruce album but it's the one I listen to most. There's always a new corner to uncover and something new to pick up on.

And Zenyatta Mondatta is the weakest Police album and the one I listen to most. This one is the archetypal Police album, with the flangey chorus chords, the interpolation of culturally diverse sounds, the polyrhythm, the pocket, the...Sting factor.

Panorama is the 2nd worst of the initial Cars run, but "Touch And Go" is a top tune. I like this album, it's not very fun though.

The Joe Perry Project version of "Let The Music Do The Talking" is way better than the version on Done With Mirrors (which is one of the worst Aerosmith albums).

Arc Of A Diver is great for those sophisti-pop moods.

I think Voices is the first great Hall & Oates album. I imagine most people think that.

Some of Yoko Ono's songs on Double Fantasy are way, way overlooked. "Kiss Kiss Kiss" is my favorite.

I listen to Blizzard Of Ozz more than Black Sabbath. I'm not proud of it, but that's the way it is.

First Iron Maiden is always a pleasure. It's not as good as Killers, but all Paul Di'Anno Maiden rules.

I listen to The Kinks live arena rock record One For The Road often. This version of "Celluloid Heroes" rips. The Kinks adapted themselves to arena rock better than any of their peers. Maybe except the Rolling Stones.

Emotional Rescue is like 4 songs short of true greatness, but the highlights are up with their best.

Wild Planet is another killin' B-52s album. I think B-52's are a hair overlooked, a fantastic sorta post-punk band nudged out of the conversation by "Love Shack" (which rules).

"Clones" is one of Alice Cooper's best songs. Flush The Fashion is a cool record. Not amazing, but a good listen.

@cshadows2887 are you a Willie Nile fan? He's a somewhat lesser folk/heartland rocker, still cool though. Tough to beat a tune like "Vagabond Moon". Great east coast shore music.

The first Huey Lewis album is awesome. There's only 4 true keepers, but I love the sound here. "Some Of My Lies Are True", "Don't Make Me Do It", "Stop Trying", and "Now Here's You" are A+ power poppy rock n roll.

I love riffs and I love Rush and I love Permanent Waves. Cuz I love riffs.

I think Saved is an overlooked Bob Dylan album. 2nd best of the Christian Trilogy.

Cheap Trick has been one of my favorite bands since I was a teenager, but it took until this year for me to crack the code on All Shook Up. It's their weirdest album, but it's cool to hear that odd side to them come to the front.

Peter Gabriel 3 is my favorite of the first 4. Or maybe 1 is. I dunno. 3 is often unwelcoming, and my favorite song is "And Through The Wire" which is probably the poppiest song, but the density here is very striking. Actually, I def like 1 more.


There's also a pile of great punk records from 1980 from which my top 3 come, but I got think on it more...

 

1. Joan Armatrading - Me Myself I
2. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Get Happy!!
3. The Clash - Sandinista!

Me Myself I is my favorite discovery in recent years. It's hooky, it's effervescent, very wry and unserious but in so, it comes out deeply heartfelt. The title track is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. In the past year, the next album Walk Under Ladders has probably eclipsed this one for me, but this was my entry point for 80's Armatrading and it's near and dear.

Get Happy is my favorite Elvis album and really the only one I still listen to. I like songs a little undercooked and these tunes all have a lively off the cuff feel. Also sincerely love that terrible solid state Peavey guitar tone!

#3 could be any number of records, but I listened to Sandinista! all week and I'm deep in a Clash zone so that's the one today. It might be the densest great album ever. I find the struggle with this one isn't sifting through the chaff for the keepers, but wrapping my head around how little of this record is filler. Like The River, there's always something new and cool to stumble into.



1980 is the year of great-but-not-their-best punk records...

The Black Album isn't as good as Machine Gun Etiquette or Strawberries, but it's The Damned album that broke them loose. They're an inconsistent band, but one of the most interesting punk bands. To me, they feel like much more of a peer to The Kinks, The Who, The Animals etc than say, the Sex Pistols, who spit on the old sound. The Damned sound more like a heightened iteration of it.

And Black Sea is the album that broke XTC loose. My favorite of the pre-Skylarking albums.

Squeeze is one of my favorite bands from the 80's smart pop crowd, but I don't think they ever made a truly amazing album. They made a lot of great albums, Argybargy is my favorite, but there's quite a bit of filler.

Ditto for Split Enz. I like True Colours a lot, but it's not a great album.

Underwater Moonlight is great though. "Kingdom Of Love" and "Underwater Moonlight" are among the great psychedelic punk songs and "I Wanna Destroy You" is kinda like the gbv blueprint.

I wish Devo leaned less into synth land, I like them so much more when they're a guitar band. Freedom Of Choice strikes a good balance.

The first Psychedelic Furs album isn't one I listen to super often, but I like it more every time I do.

The Jam albums are (almost) all equally essential, right now I'm slightly less affectionate about Sound Affects. I don't love "That's Entertainment"...

Wipers - Is This Real?...actually this might be their best

The first Roky Erickson solo album is my favorite Roky album. Probably everyone's favorite. But it's so good. "I Think Of Demons" is his best song.