Wow, what a strange year. Music in transition from the 70s to the 80s, and the list below (as well as the omissions) find a lot of the artists searching for a new sound and coming up aces. My taste did come into play somewhat in the choices on this particular poll, as I doubt many other boarders would've chosen Back in Black and British Steel over say, U2's Boy, The Clash's Sandinista, The Jam's Sound Affects or The Sound's Jeopardy...but what are you gonna do. I'm the one running the poll.
Omissions:
# Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band * Doc At The Radar Station (Virgin)
# The Feelies * Crazy Rhythms (Line)
# The Birthday Party * The Birthday Party (Missing Link)
# The Sound * Jeopardy (Korova/Renascent)
# The Jam * Sound Affects (Polydor)
# Colin Newman * A-Z (Restless/Beggars Banquet)
# The Fall * Grotesque (Rough Trade)
# Killing Joke * Killing Joke (EG)
# The Pretenders * The Pretenders (Sire)
# Joy Division * Substance (Factory/WB)
# The Soft Boys * Underwater Moonlight (Rykodisc)
# English Beat * I Just Can't Stop It (Sire)
# Magazine * The Correct Use of Soap (Virgin)
# The Comsat Angels * Waiting For A Miracle (Polygram)
# Michael Prophet * Serious Reasoning (Island)
# The Pop Group * For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? (Rough Trade)
# The Buzzcocks * A Different Kind Of Tension (Restless)
# Motorhead * Ace Of Spades (Roadracer)
# The Associates * The Affectionate Punch (Fiction)
# Ryuichi Sakamoto * B 2 Unit (A&M/Alfa)
# New Age Steppers (On-U Sound/Statik)
# Fela Kuti * I.T.T. (Polygram)
# Martha & the Muffins * Metro Music (Dindisc)
# Tetrack * Let's Get Started (Greensleeves)
# Hugh Mundell * Time And Place (Jet Star/Rockers)
# The Chords * So Far Away (Polydor/Captain Mod)
# Stiff Little Fingers * Nobody's Heroes (EMI)
# Dead Kennedys * Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables (Alternative Tentacles)
# Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark * Organisation (Virgin)
# The Clash * Sandinista! (Epic)
# Squeeze * Argybargy (A&M)
# Siouxsie & the Banshees * Kaleidoscope (Polydor/Geffen)
# The Teardrop Explodes * Kilimanjaro (Mercury)
# Yellow Magic Orchestra * Solid State Survivor (Restless)
# XTC * Black Sea (Geffen)
# Japan * Gentlemen Take Polaroids (Virgin)
# Pink Military * Do Animals Believe In God? (Eric's)
# MX-80 * Out Of The Tunnel (Ralph)
# Subway Sect * What's The Matter Boy? (MCA)
# Bauhaus * In the Flat Field (Beggars Banquet)
# Ultravox * Vienna (Chrysalis)
# The Cramps * Songs the Lord Taught Us (I.R.S.)
# The Royals * Ten Years After (Tamoki?Wambesi)
# Tuxedomoon * Half Mute (Ralph)
# Iron Maiden (Capitol)
# Bob Marley & The Wailers * Uprising (Tuff Gong/Island)
# Joe Jackson * Beat Crazy (A&M)
# Nick Lowe * Labour Of Lust (Demon)
# Lydia Lunch * Queen Of Siam (Triple X)
# Prince * Dirty Mind (WB)
# Fingerprintz * Distinguishing Marks (Virgin)
# Tony Allen * No Discrimination (P-Vine)
# James Chance & The Contortions * Soul Exorcism (ROIR/Danceteria)
# Chrome * Red Exposure (Siren)
# Gary Numan * Telekon (Beggars Banquet)
# The Ruts * Grin & Bear It (Virgin)
# The Monochrome Set * Love Zombies (Virgin)
# The Clash * Black Market Clash (Epic)
# Devo * Freedom Of Choice (WB)
# Sugar Minott * Black Roots (Black Roots)
# Yello * Solid Pleasure (Ralph/Mercury)
# Black Uhuru * Sinsemilla (Mango)
# The Passage * Pindrop (Ltm)
# Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (Virgin)
# Burning Spear * Hail H.I.M. (Heartbeat)
# Gang of Four * The Yellow EP (WB)
# The Cure * Seventeen Seconds (Elektra)
# Wall Of Voodoo * Wall Of Voodoo (The Index Masters) (Restless)
# The Monochrome Set * A Strange Boutique (Virgin)
# Judy Mowatt * Black Woman (Island/Shanachie)
# The Undertones * Hypnotised (Sire/Rykodisc)
# New Musik * From A To B (Epic/Edsel)
# The Psychedelic Furs (Columbia)
# John Foxx * Metamatic (Virgin)
# Clock DVA * White Souls In Black Suits (Industrial Records)
# Ozzy Osbourne * Blizzard Of Ozz (Jet)
# U2 * Boy (Island)
# The Twinkle Brothers * Countrymen (Front Line/Virgin)
# Cristina * Doll In The Box (Ze)
# Rubber City Rebels (Capitol)
# Peter Gabriel * 3 (Geffen)
# Alan Vega * Jukebox Babe (Infinite Zero)
# Fela * Authority Stealing (Universal)
# Purple Hearts * Beat That! (Fiction/Captain Mod)
# The Lambrettas * Beat Boys in the Jet Age (Dojo)
# Secret Affair * Behind Closed Doors (I Spy/Captain Mod)
# Johnny Guitar Watson * Love Jones (Collectables)
# Dire Straits * Making Movies (WB)
# D.A.F. * Die Kleinen und die B?sen (Mute)
# The Only Ones * Baby's Got A Gun (Columbia)
# The Human League * Travelogue (Virgin/Caroline)
# Minutemen * Paranoid Time EP (SST)
# UK Subs * Brand New Age (Gem)
# The Damned * The Black Album (Big Beat)
# Elvis Costello & the Attractions * Get Happy! (Columbia)
# Simple Minds * Empires And Dance (Virgin)
# Kate Bush * Never For Ever (EMI)
# Bob Marley * Uprising (Tuff Gong)
# Lene Lovich * Flex (Stiff/Rhino)
# Bad Manners * Ska 'n' B (69 REcords)
# Subhumans * Incorrect Thoughts (CD Presents)
# Angel Witch (Castle)
# The Dickies * Great Dictations (A&M)
# The Ramones * End of the Century (Sire)
# Black Sabbath * Heaven And Hell (WB)
# The Blasters * American Music (Slash/Hightone)
# Suburbs * In Combo (Twin/Tone)
# Iggy Pop * Soldier (Arista)
# The Plimsouls * Zero Hour EP (Beat)
# Cabaret Voltaire * Live At the YMCA (Rough Trade)
# Mission of Burma * Forget (Taang!)
# Crass * Stations of the Crass (Crass)
# Rush * Permanent Waves (Mercury)
# Van Halen * Women And Children First (WB)
# The Vapors * New Clear Days (UA/Liberty)
# Yellow Magic Orchestra * Xoo Multiples (EMI)
# Tom Waits * Heart Attack And Vine (Elektra)
# Mission Of Burma * Mission Of Burma (Taang!)
# Kid Creole & The Coconuts * Off The Coast Of Me (Ze/Universal/Island)
# Rolling Stones * Emotional Rescue (Virgin)
# The Cars * Panorama (Elektra)
# The B-52's * Wild Planet (WB)
# Blondie * Autoamerican (Chrysalis)
# Pere Ubu * The Art Of Walking (Rough Trade)
# The Dickies * Stukas Over Disneyland (A&M)
# Peter Gabriel * Peter Gabriel (Mercury)
# Queen * The Game (Elektra)
# Billy Joel * Glass Houses (Columbia)
Talking Heads - Remain In Light
Quote:
The musical transition that seemed to have just begun with Fear of Music came to fruition on Talking Heads' fourth album, Remain in Light. "I Zimbra" and "Life During Wartime" from the earlier album served as the blueprints for a disc on which the group explored African polyrhythms on a series of driving groove tracks, over which David Byrne chanted and sang his typically disconnected lyrics. Remain in Light had more words than any previous Heads record, but they counted for less than ever in the sweep of the music.
Joy Division - CloserQuote:
If Unknown Pleasures was Joy Division at their most obsessively, carefully focused, ten songs yet of a piece, Closer was the sprawl, the chaotic explosion that went every direction at once. Who knows what the next path would have been had Curtis not chosen his end? But steer away from the rereading of his every lyric after that date, treat Closer as what everyone else thought it was at first -- simply the next album -- and Joy Division's power just seems to have grown. Hannett was still producing, but seems to have taken as many chances as the band itself throughout -- differing mixes, differing atmospheres, new twists and turns define the entirety of Closer, songs suddenly returned in chopped-up, crumpled form, ending on hiss and random notes.
David Bowie - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)Quote:
David Bowie returned to relatively conventional rock & roll with Scary Monsters, an album that effectively acts as an encapsulation of all his '70s experiments. Reworking glam rock themes with avant-garde synth flourishes, and reversing the process as well, Bowie creates dense but accessible music throughout Scary Monsters. Though it doesn't have the vision of his other classic records, it wasn't designed to break new ground -- it was created as the culmination of Bowie's experimental genre-shifting of the '70s. As a result, Scary Monsters is Bowie's last great album. While the music isn't far removed from the post-punk of the early '80s, it does sound fresh, hip, and contemporary, which is something Bowie lost over the course of the '80s.
X - Los AngelesQuote:
X's debut, Los Angeles, is considered by many to be one of punk's all-time finest recordings, and with good reason. Most punk bands used their musical inability to create their own style, but X actually consisted of some truly gifted musicians, including rockabilly guitarist Billy Zoom, bassist John Doe, and frontwoman Exene Cervenka, who, with Doe, penned poetic lyrics and perfected sweet yet biting vocal harmonies. Los Angeles is prime X, offering such all-time classics as the venomous "Your Phone's Off the Hook, but You're Not," a tale of date rape called "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene," and two of their best anthems (and enduring concert favorites), "Nausea" and the title track. While they were tagged as a punk rock act from the get-go (many felt that this eventually proved a hindrance), X are not easily categorized. Although they utilize elements of punk's frenzy and electricity, they also add country, ballads, and rockabilly to the mix.
Judas Priest - British SteelQuote:
With Hell Bent for Leather, Judas Priest had begun the task of developing their image for increased mainstream attention, reveling in leather-and-motorcycle trappings while beginning to simplify and streamline their sound. British Steel brings that process full circle, offering the band's catchiest, most accessible set of tunes yet, while retaining the precision guitar assault and quasi-operatic vocals that had come to define their sound. It was the simplest music Priest had yet attempted, but thanks to the (mostly) top-notch songwriting and AC/DC-like willingness to allow the songs' grooves room to breathe, the record is a smashing success overall, with maybe one or two subpar tracks. There are a couple of trends beginning here that would take their toll later on -- the lyrics are a bit more juvenile, and the music seems to prize commercialism over complexity -- but in this context, neither really matters, as Priest display a real penchant for stadium-ready anthems. "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight" became genuine hit singles in the U.K., and deservedly so, while the album became their first to reach the U.S. Top 40, going platinum in the process.
AC/DC - Back in BlackQuote:
Bon Scott's alcohol-related death in early 1980 couldn't have come at a worse time for AC/DC; the band was poised for worldwide breakthrough success, as their last album, Highway to Hell, was Angus and company's first gold-certified stateside release. They made an excellent choice in selecting Brian Johnson as their new vocalist; while he had the same bluesy edge as Scott, Johnson sang with more power and conviction. The first album from the new group, Back in Black, was issued only five months after Scott's passing but immediately rocketed up the charts, eventually becoming one of rock's all-time classics. By 1997, it had sold an astounding 16 million copies in the U.S. alone. Musically, the band hadn't changed much, although producer "Mutt" Lange helped the group focus its high voltage rock. The result was such perennial rock anthems as the stomping title track, the eerie "Hell's Bells," the melodic "Shoot to Thrill," the album-closing battle cry "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution," and one of AC/DC's best and most recognizable tracks, "You Shook Me All Night Long." Not a single weak track is included; even the lesser-known album tracks are strong ("Have a Drink on Me," "Shake a Leg"). Back in Black is the ultimate example of a band turning a career-threatening negative into a remarkable positive and stands alongside such landmark albums as Van Halen, Led Zeppelin II, Are You Experienced?, and Paranoid as hard rock's greatest achievements.
Rockpile - Seconds of PleasureQuote:
Rockpile didn't leave a large recorded legacy, but nearly everything they did was great, which is easier to see now, after all the initial negative reviews and dashed expectations have faded, leaving behind just the music -- and, frankly, rock & roll doesn't get better than this.
Echo and the Bunnymen - CrocodilesQuote:
Inspired by psychedelia, sure. Bit of Jim Morrison in the vocals? Okay, it's there. But for all the references and connections that can be drawn (and they can), one listen to Echo's brilliant, often harrowing debut album and it's clear when a unique, special band presents itself...Brisk, wasting not a note and burning with barely controlled energy, Crocodiles remains a deserved classic.
The Police - Zenyatta MondattaQuote:
The stage was set for the Police to become one of the biggest acts of the '80s, and the band delivered with the 1980 classic Zenyatta Mondatta. The album proved to be the trio's second straight number one album in the U.K., while peaking at number three in the U.S. Arguably the best Police album, Zenyatta contains perhaps the quintessential new wave anthem, the haunting "Don't Stand So Close to Me," the story of an older teacher lusting after one of his students. While other tracks follow in the same spooky path (their second Grammy-winning instrumental "Behind My Camel" and "Shadows in the Rain"), most of the material is upbeat, such as the carefree U.S./U.K. Top Ten "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da," "Canary in a Coalmine," and "Man in a Suitcase." Sting includes his first set of politically charged lyrics in "Driven to Tears," "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around," and "Bombs Away," which all observe the declining state of the world. While Sting would later criticize the album as not all it could have been (the band was rushed to complete the album in order to begin another tour), Zenyatta Mondatta remains one of the finest rock albums of all time.
