Brad from Infinite Monkeys was confronted by an 11th grader who expressed disdain for the music of the ‘80s. In order to form a proper rebuttal he has asked the blogosphere for help:
'What handful of albums would you recommend/lend to this teen to persuade him that the 80's were not a musical wastelend?”
That's a great question but it will inspire too many easy-in-retrospect answers (i.e., U2's 'Joshua Tree') So I'm curious to know what albums were essential but wouldn't be obvious (any soundtrack to a John Hughes movie is automatically disqualified). Be prepared to defend your choices -- especially if your selection includes any hair/metal bands.
Here are a handful of my choices:
The Smiths: The Queen is Dead & World Won't Listen (The soundtracks of future meterosexuals)
The Tubes: Outside/Inside ('She's a Beauty” was the most played song of my junior year but 'Wild Women of Wongo" came a close second.)
Randy Travis: Storms of Life (The birth of neo-traditional country.)
A-ha: Hunting High and Low (But just the stuff that didn't make it on the radio. (e.g., 'Sun Always Shines On T.V.))
The Lost Boys Soundtrack (The coolest alternative music for alt-wannabes)
Peter Gabriel: So (The one with 'Big Time” and 'Sledgehammer”. 'Nuff said.)
Kate Bush: The Whole Story (The godmother of Lilith fair-type fem alt-rock.)
George Strait: Greatest Hits (50 albums later, he has yet to top this collection from ‘85.)
Luther Vandross: The Best of Luther Vandross (Johnny Mathis for Gen-X.)
James Ingram: It's Your Night (This one had been in my tape deck (well, CD player now) since 1984. It never gets old.)
Steve Taylor: I Predict 1990 (The man who saved us from a lifetime of Amy Grant and Petra clones.)
Update: R.B. has put out his definitive list. Naturally, it's debatable whether the albums he includes are truly representative of the ‘80s. The selections are almost exclusively from the 'alternative” category. Without one one country or R&B record, for example, it can hardly be considered complete. And with some questionable choices (Michael Penn's 'March'? It had one good song.). Still, I appreciate some of the ones he points out that I should have added (Squeeze: Singles 45's & Under; The Cure - Disintegration; Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms; Tears For Fears - The Hurting) so I'll let it slide.
(Forget politics. We should spend every day arguing about mixed tape material.)
Update 2: Robb L. from Infinite Monkeys responds:
Howdy – thanks for the update link to my post. Just wanted to offer a clarification of one item, and a defense of two others:
--R.B., on the Blog*Spot blog, was actually Brad (Robert Brad). We thought that was confusing, so he’s just “Brad” now. I’m RobbL on the Blog, or Robb, which is my actual name.
--I LOVED March. Listened to it over and over again. I can understand how most folks didn’t care much for it, but it really was my favorite album of that year, and my favorite songs weren’t the singles (I preferred “Invisible” and “Innocent One”). I still like Michael’s material, although not as much as I did the first and second albums.
--I couldn’t list country or R&B because that just wasn’t what I was listening to. I tried to limit my list to albums “that I simply wore out”. It would be hard to underemphasize how much R.E.M., The Cure, and U2 I listened to during this decade, but I didn’t want to dominate the list with any individual band, so I kept it to one album per band.
And I tried to avoid albums that I “should have” really liked if I was cool, but didn’t actually listen to that much. (Example: If I were really hip, I would have listed more SST bands, and my favorite Husker Du album would have been “Zen Arcade”, but the one I listened to a lot was “Candy Apple Grey”, I didn’t care for Sonic Youth, Black Flag, or The Minutemen at all, and I didn’t start listening to local darlings The Meat Puppets until the 90’s.)
Anyway, cheers again for your participation! While I agree that I would LIKE to bag politics and just talk about mix tapes (and movies) for about a month, I think my business partners would not appreciate its effect on my productivity.
RobbL
1
Air Supply: Greatest Hits (Dude, it was so fresh. And Australian.)
Dan Fogelberg: Greatest Hits (Because every girl liked that hi breathy voice for some reason.)
J.J. Fad: Supersonic (What else was I supposed to grind to at the 7th grade icebreaker dance?)
Gosh.... How culturally bankrupt I must have been.
posted on 01.26.2004 1:39 AM2
Jim Steinman's Bad For Good (1981). Because he understood, when no one else did, how a teenage boy's love-life ups and downs could seem like the Götterdämmerung. And he showed you could be blessed with angelic music-composing and lyrics-crafting power even if your singing voice resembled an impression of MeatLoaf being done by Kermit The Frog.
posted on 01.26.2004 5:51 AM3
How about Men at Work - Business as Usual "We come from the land down under..."
posted on 01.26.2004 8:19 AM4
The Choir Wide Eyed-Wonder, 1989?
Eurythmics Sweet Dreams are Made of These, 1982
posted on 01.26.2004 8:23 AM5
Alan Parsons Project "Turn of a Friendly Card" (where would Pink Floyd be without Alan?... where would Alan be without Abbey Road studios?)
The Front "The Front" (Tommy Funderburk's vocals)
DA "Doppelganger" (light years ahead of any Christian band today)
posted on 01.26.2004 8:58 AM6
Wish I hadn't lost all my Steve Taylor cassettes. He was wierd, but talented.
posted on 01.26.2004 9:58 AM8
fIREHOSE: Ragin' Full On
Men At Work: Cargo
Prince: Soundtrack from Purple Rain
Run-DMC: Run-DMC
Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill
Paul Simon: Graceland
Violent Femmes: Violent Femmes
I would also like to second Peter Gabriel's So.
9
YES: 90125
Over 20 years later, nothing that's been recorded since comes close to matching this album's unique blend of riff-driven rock 'n' roll and delicately woven sonic intricacies.
Van Halen: 1984
Best album of the greatest hard rock band of the decade. They redefined the genre.
AC/DC: Back In Black
My aunt told me I'd go to hell for listening to this album. I hope she was wrong, because I've listened to it about a hundred times.
11
They Might Be Giants self-titled 1986 album helped a whole generation of nerds become COOL nerds. Well, we thought so, anyway.
posted on 01.26.2004 11:23 AM12
How does one define "heavy metal". I was not a Christian until the early 90s so I listened to a LOT of stuff in the 80s that I would avoid now.
If this guy does not like hard rock, then that is one thing. But albums like Scorpions "Love at First Sting", and Def Leppord's "Pyromania" were solid from start to finish.
The Cars first two albums were very good and quite unique in their day (but they may have been released in the late 70s..not sure there)
The Police certainly had good early stuff.
I also thought the Billy Squire "Don't Say No" album was excellent. Rather than a one-hit wonder, this guy was a one-album wonder.
Pretenders first two albums were awesome.
And I would rather listen to a lot of the "new wave" stuff (Oingo Boingo) than most pop stuff out now.
Just off the top of my head..
posted on 01.26.2004 11:25 AM13
Phil, Actually that AC/DC album was a "tribute"
The first album after Bon Scot's death. The tribute was in the black cover (and album title) and the opening church bells on the first song (But they titled the song Hells Bells..YIKES)..
Then, with tribute over, they just rocked you..
posted on 01.26.2004 11:30 AM14
Rush - Moving Pictures 1981 - Side one alone (Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ and Limelight is a classic). Watch and Listen to Exit Stage LEft and see how three men played the music of seven.
Rush - Hold Your Fire 1988 - The pinnacle of the symth era of Rush. All their talents poured out. The unmistakenable sound of the WAL bass and the unbelievable modified Ludwig Super Classics drums Peart played.
Ratt - Out of The Cellar - The first time we saw Tawny Kitaen (the cover girl on the CD front cover) and Ratt in my opinion was the best and most musically talented of the LA hair metal bands.
Stryper - Soldiers Under Command - The CD that helped bring Christian music to more unbelievers that the church did. Who could not forget Robert Sweet drumming sideways to focus.
Pink Floyd - A Momentarly Lapse of Reason - Considered the most 'commercial' Pink Floyd CD, the music is very interesting.
posted on 01.26.2004 11:47 AM15
Don't forget about a young rebel who, in 1982, was known at John Couger. His album (boy, does that term date us or what?) had such songs as "hurts so good" and "Jack and Diane."
Also, Stray Cats "Built for Speed" and another album that was actually released in 1979 but took off in the 80's was the self-titled release from the Romantics.
Oh... one more. "Synchronicity" by The Police
posted on 01.26.2004 11:51 AM16
The 80s had some good "greatest hits" bands..defined by me as a band that had a solid 10+ songs but took 5 or so albums to get there..
I would include.
Pat Benatar, Triumph, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Journey, The Fixx, The Alarm, Foreigner, and bands like these. (some had their start in the late 70s I realize)
Obviously if you were a fan of one of these groups you liked more of their stuff, but I think anyone who did not live through the 80s would not be disappointed by securing any of these GH albums.
posted on 01.26.2004 11:58 AM17
Steve:
I agree that there were many "Greatest Hits" bands in the 80's, but I don't think that Styx should be on there. Almost all of the good Styx songs came out in the 70's. Mr. Roboto had one decent song on it, but nothing that could compare to Grand Illusion.
posted on 01.26.2004 12:03 PM18
OK, I know this album was actually released in 1979, but it was certainly a dominant recording in the '80s and had radio play well past my highschool years. It was also a stunning break from most everything out there. If rock music could achieve masterpiece status, this one might be approaching it.
Pink Floyd - The Wall
posted on 01.26.2004 12:17 PM19
In fact, The Wall was released in the United States in December 1979. Close enough to the '80s. :-)
posted on 01.26.2004 12:19 PM20
Forgot,
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
Steve Winwood - Back in the High Life
Remember, this was about the time when you had to hunt for a place that sold music CDs. And these were two sweet sounding ones.
posted on 01.26.2004 12:31 PM21
My bad on Styx..like Supertramp (another GH band) they were more 70s I guess.
I actually listened to punk for a large portion of the 80s so that is why I am unclear on the release dates of some of this stuff when I did later listen to it in the later 80s and forward.
Adolescents, Black Flag, Youth Brigade, T.S.O.L, Channel 3, Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, Aggression were all bands I spent most of my listening time with from 1981-1985 or so...
posted on 01.26.2004 12:49 PM22
Steve, I have to second your inclusion of the Adolescents.
I also ought to mention that during the original conversation that led to my post that started this whole thing, we couldn't come to a decision on which Bauhaus album to put on the short list. Which also brings to mind the first, early greatest hits collection by Souxsie and the Banshees.
And Joe, darn you. You've hijacked my meme! By the end of the day, it seems you'll have more comments/entries than I'll have total traffic. Heck, I'm even adding to your version of the request for submissions. [Kramer voice] But I can't resist...[/Kramer voice]
posted on 01.26.2004 1:10 PM23
Oops, misspelled Siouxsie. And left the album unspecified. They released greatest hits albums in 82, 92, and 02. Oddly, a cursory glance at the songlists leads me to believe that the 02 "Best of" disc has the best cross section of their 80's work (better than the 92 GH).
/geek out
posted on 01.26.2004 1:25 PM24
R.B.,
Sorry about that. I was looking for a "Question of the Week" and you had the perfect one. I'll try to herd some of them over to your site. You are more than welcome to take all the ones that recommend Rush, RATT, and Pink Floyd. ; )
posted on 01.26.2004 2:00 PM25
You are more than welcome to take all the ones that recommend Rush, RATT, and Pink Floyd. ; )
thank you for saying that so I don't have to. :o)
also, I now feel really young because no one has yet mentioned any hip-hop, which was sort of integral to my 80s music experience (though PE and De La Soul get a mention or two on infinite monkey).
posted on 01.26.2004 2:56 PM26
Although I was just a youngin' throughout the 80s, I have been engulfed by a SERIOUS case of 80s nostalgia. As such, I've been listening to lots and lots of 80s stuff of all kinds. Some of my past (and current) favorites -
The Karate Kid Soundtrack - Obscure bands who, for the most part, were never heard from again. Highlights include No Shelter, by Broken Edge, and Young Hearts, by Commuter. Have I mentioned my petition lately?
Anything by Dire Straits, or Mark Knopfler solo. Truly great stuff.
I second the Steve Taylor mentions, but would substitute On The Fritz, though I Predict 1990 is, indeed, a great album.
Running in the Family, by Level 42 - Ok, ok, ok...only Lessons in Love is worth listening to, but it's a great song!
Invisible Touch, by Genesis - Some truly great music on this one, plus, you, too can mock Phil Collins' crazy pronounciation! - "In-vee-see-buw Touch-ah!"
[sigh] I miss that decade...
posted on 01.26.2004 3:36 PM27
ditto violent femmes
and the pixies (or the comeback kings)of coarse
28
I'm seeing some less than less-than-obvious choices here! ;-)
How about:
The Clash -- London Calling (1979, but still qualifies, I hope) and Combat Rock
The 77s -- debut self-titled album
King's X -- Out of the Silent Planet (Gretchen Goes to Nebraska too, if it wasn't early 90s)
And my pop contribution:
Huey Lewis and the News -- Sports (so obvious it's not obvious)
29
The Talking Heads came out with a few good albums in the 80s and so did Husker Du.
posted on 01.27.2004 9:39 AM30
And my pop contribution:
Huey Lewis and the News -- Sports (so obvious it's not obvious)