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
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
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
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
'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