1979 in music.

Blondie's Parallel Lines won 1978. Let's see who wins 1979. This one potentially feels a bit more obvious.

Billboard chart-topping albums of 1979:
Barbara Streisand - Greatest Hits Vol. 2
Billy Joel - 52nd Street (cont. from '78)
The Blues Brothers - Briefcase Full of Blues
Rod Stewart - Blondes Have More Fun
Bee Gees - Spirits Have Flown
Doobie Brothers - Minute by Minute
Supertramp - Breakfast in America
Donna Summer - Bad Girls
The Knack - Get the Knack
Led Zeppelin - In Through the Out Door
The Eagles - The Long Run

Billboard chart-topping singles of 1979:
Bee Gees - Too Much Heaven (cont. from '78)
Chic - Le Freak (cont. from '78)
Rod Stewart - Do You Think I'm Sexy
Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
Bee Gees - Tragedy
Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes
Amii Stewart - Knock on Wood
Blondie - Heart of Glass
Peaches and Herb - Reunited
Donna Summer - Hot Stuff
Bee Gees - Love You Inside Out
Anita Ward - Ring My Bell
Donna Summer - Bad Girls
Chic - Good Times
The Knack - My Sharona
Robert John - Sad Eyes
Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough
Herb Alpert - Rise
M - Pop Muzik
Eagles - Heartache Tonight
Commodores - Still
Barbara Streisand - No More Tears
Styx - Babe
Rupert Holmes - Escape

What are your top three albums for 1979? We will keep a running tally and eventually have some sort of bracket. For me it would be:
1. Talking Heads - Fear of Music
2. The Clash - London Calling
3. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

What are some of the forgotten gems from the year? What is overrated? What did you discover at a young age and what did you discover later?

YEARS IN MUSIC • forum.chorus.fm

 

rest of the top 10:
4. Sparks - No. 1 in Heaven
5. The Knack - Get the Knack
6. Pink Floyd - The Wall
7. Tom Petty - Damn the Torpedoes
8. Gary Numan - The Pleasure Principle
9. Led Zeppelin - In Through the Out Door
10. ACDC - Highway to Hell

honorable mentions:
Alex Chilton - Like Flies on Sherbert
The Cars - Candy-O
The Cure - Three Imaginary Boys
David Bowie - Lodger
Eagles - The Long Run
Elvis Costello - Armed Forces
Iggy Pop - New Values
Motorhead - Overkill
Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps
Patti Smith - Wave
The Police - Reggatta de Blanc
Squeeze - Cool for Cats
Tubeway Army - Replicas

stuff to check out:
Doobie Brothers - Minute by Minute
Donna Summer - Bad Girls
The Jam - Setting Sons
The Raincoats - The Raincoats
Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material
Van Morrison - Into the Music
Wire - 154

 

1. Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps
2. Talking Heads - Fear of Music
3. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

 

This year is a tricky one for me. Got a clear number one that is head and shoulders above everything else I've heard from this year, and then a bunch of stuff I like but don't quite love. Will need to think on it a bit.

 

it's the Zep for me here

1. Led Zeppelin - In Through The Out Door
2. Michael Jackson - Off The Wall
3. George Harrison - George Harrison
4. Wings - Back To The Egg
5. The Clash - London Calling
6. Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
7. Pink Floyd - The Wall
8. Bob Marley - Survival

first time listens for me that would be in contention:

AC/DC - Highway To Hell
Blondie - Eat The Beat
Aerosmith - Night In The Ruts
David Bowie - Lodger
Eagles - The Long Run
Earth, Wind and Fire - I Am
Elvis Costello - Armed Forces
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes
Van Halen - Van Halen II
The Police - Reggatta de Blanc

 

and my 1979 mix

 

probably my least favorite Zeppelin of the good ones but yeah it’s still quite good

 

Something about it I really like, I think it's how weird and wild they got and the places it goes that you may not expect. "Fool In The Rain" is truly special

 

1. Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
2. Commodores - Midnight Magic
3. Prince - Prince

Excruciating cuts:
Christopher Cross - Christopher Cross
Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
Earth, Wind, and Fire - I Am...
The Clash - London Calling

Others I love:
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes
Cheap Trick - Dream Police
Blondie - Eat to the Beat
Supertramp - Breakfast in America
Donna Summer - Bad Girls
Graham Parker - Squeezing Out Sparks
Steve Forbert - Jackrabbit Slim
The Cars - Candy-O
Cheap Trick - At Budokan
Rickie Lee Jones - Rickie Lee Jones

Good ones:
Elvis Costello and The Attraction - Armed Forces
Leonard Cohen -Recent Songs
Eagles - The Long Run
Van Halen - II
Irakere - Irakere
AC/DC - Highway to Hell
ABBA - Voulez-Vous
Electric Light Orchestra - Discovery
Nick Lowe - Labour of Lust
Chic - Risque
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Thin Lizzy - Black Rose: A Rock Legend
Pat Benatar - In the Heat of the Night
Richard and Linda Thompson - Sunnyvista
Dionne Warwick - Dionne
Marianne Faithfull - Broken English
Joe Jackson - I'm the Man
Leon Ware- Inside Is Love
Gang of Four - Entertainment!
The Knack - Get the Knack
L.T.D. - Devotion
ZZ Top - Deguello
Joe Jackson - Look Sharp!
The Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady
Raydio - Rock On
The B-52's - The B-52's
Journey - Evolution
Rufus and Chaka - Masterjam
Carolyne Mas - Carolyne Mas
Bill Withers - 'Bout Love
.38 Special - Rockin' into the Night
Randy VanWarmer - Warmer
Molly Hatchet - Flirtin' with Disaster
George Benson - Livin' Inside Your Love
The Specials - The Specials
Herbie Hancock - Feets Don't Fail Me Now
Aerosmith - Night in the Ruts
Donnie and Joe Emerson - Dreamin' Wild

Targets for listening:
David Bowie - Lodger
Desmond Child and Rouge - Desmond Child and Rouge
Kool and the Gang - Ladies' Night
Roxy Music - Manifesto
Sanford-Townsend Band - Nail Me to the Wall
Shalamar - Big Fun
Talking Heads - Fear of Music
The Crusaders - Street Life
The Damned - Machine Gun Etiquette
The Fall - Live at the Witch Trials
The Germs - (GI)
Japan - Quiet Life
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Gary Numan - The Pleasure Principle
Public Image, Ltd. - Metal Box
Sister Sledge - We Are Family
The Slits - Cut
The Undertones - The Undertones
Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Rust Never Sleeps
The Raincoats - The Raincoats
Led Zeppelin - In Through the Out Door
Robert Palmer - Secrets
Pat Travers Band - Live! Go for What You Know
Van Morrison - Into the Music
The Roches - The Roches
Dave Edmunds - Repeat When Necessary
Ry Cooder - Bop 'Til You Drop
Linton Kwesi Johnson - Forces of Victory
Art Ensemble of Chicago - Nice Guys
Shoes - Present Tense
Stevie Wonder - Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants
Herb Alpert - Rise
Spyro Gyra - Morning Dance
Eddy Grant - Walking on Sunshine
Barrington Levy - Englishman
Wings - Back to the Egg
Gerry Rafferty - Night Owl
Ellen Foley - Night Out
Instant Funk - Instant Funk
Cheryl Lynn - Cheryl Lynn
Taana Gardner - Taana Gardner
Alice Cooper - From the Inside
Ian Matthews - Stealin' Home
Roger Voudouris - Radio Dream
Bobby Caldwell - Bobby Caldwell
Maxine Nightengale - Lead Me On

 

I might suggest an alternative in which you listen to some new stuff this week and maybe find new ones you love? Haha

 

I think I’ll need to!

 

1. The Clash - London Calling
2. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
3. Blondie - Eat to the Beat

The easiest number one for me, the best double album ever released, and without doubt one of my absolute favourite albums of all time. Just incredibly varied and beautiful songwriting, thoughtful and evocative lyrics, and they were incredibly capable pop songwriters when they needed to be. Just perfect.

I've been on a massive Joy Division kick recently, been watching some films / documentaries about them, so just gave this the edge in position 2. A hugely influential post-punk album that did everything that little bit slower, with revolutionary production techniques and Ian Curtis' haunting vocals and lyrics.

Eat to the Beat is the best Blondie record, and contains their masterpiece "Union City Blue". One of my favourite songs by anybody. While Parallel Lines is probably a more popular choice, I think this record is where they perfected that blend of New Wave / Punk / 60s Pop / Soul mesh that they had going on.

Honourable mentions;

Talking Heads - Fear of Music: A fascinating mixture of disco, funk, post-punk and rock n roll. Nobody sounds like the Talking Heads really, and nobody can write lyrics quite like David Byrne can.

The Undertones - The Undertones: Worth a mention just because of "Teenage Kicks", one of the best pop-punk songs ever written. Worth checking out this scene in the film Good Vibrations, which incorporates this song as well as any other pop music scene in film.

Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material: I had this as 1980, until I thought to check it just now... The other side of the coin to The Undertones, both from the same city, but Stiff Little Fingers making explicitly political punk music, with a couple of all time classics, including Suspect Device and Alternative Ulster.

Van Morrison - Into the Music: What feels like a real "classic" Van record, with his blend of traditional folk meeting soul.

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk : A messy, sprawling double album and like almost all double albums (but not my number one choice), there's plenty of filler and experimentation, but some truly wonderful moments, and a bold follow up to Rumours.

Leon Ware - Inside Is Love: Ware's sexually charged soulful, funky album, which includes his version of the Minnie Riperton classic (and outrageously explicit), Inside Your Love, which he originally wrote.

Michael Jackson - Off The Wall: Debated whether I should include this, as I've found it hard to listen to him recently recently, but for me this is (was) the best Michael Jackson album, and a funky disco poppy masterpiece.

 

"Union City Blue" is a perfect song. And "Shayla" and "Dreaming" aren't far behind. I agree with you that it's their best record.

Love the Leon Ware shout. Had you heard Musical Massage from a few years back?

 

I have yeah, a fantastic record, not sure how I ended up missing it from my list (probably a mislabelled year haha…)!

I probably listen to Inside is Love more just because of how much I love the Inside Your Love song - an all time great.

I’m 99% sure you recommended her in the first place, so this may be superfluous, but have you heard the cover version of that track by an artist named Delilah from back in 2012?

It doesn’t look like she’s done anything since this album sadly, but this is a very sultry and atmospheric interpretation on the track.

 

the wall has some of floyd's best songs and the vision deserves praise but the amount of filler is truly insane

 

truth.

 

Hah I did rec her to you back then. She’s sadly fallen out of music totally. I still follow her on Facebook just in case. She had so much promise

 

man, apple lied to me. didn’t realize gang of four was this year.

 

'79 also saw the release of one of the greatest Christmas songs, made during the sessions of the weirdest album any Beatle made. What I admire most about it is simply how bare it is - a synth, some sleigh bells, and Paul's vocals. In the music video you can even see people playing guitars and some other instruments, as if there was some original full-band version that Rick Rubin came in and stripped down. And yet Paul was just like "yeah, I know I've never used synth in a song ever before, but might as well release this synth-only single just for the fuck of it"

 

1979 is still not really my comfort zone in terms of full albums, but going through this thread and some lists online I already saw a few I like:

Michael Jackson - Off The Wall (I think Rock With You is a perfect song)
Black Uhuru - Showcase (maybe one that won't be on other lists, so check it out, it's hypnotic)
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
The Clash - London Calling

I am aware of plenty of songs on other albums you guys are posting, but I can't say I have listened to those albums (yet).

If ranking is important (I'm still nut sure I understand these threads fully), I rank Off The Wall as my 1.

 

Is there any way to know when a new thread opens up by the way, without going into the music forum to check? Because I missed too many years. Sorry if it is somehow obvious.

 

all I do is follow these threads, when they are done @phaynes12 always links to the next thread so we can all transition over

 

Every Sunday-ish

 

if the day is monday there will be a new thread haha