The Clash's seminal punk album London Calling won 1979. Let's see who wins 1980. The beginning of a decade expanding beyond the rock sound that has dominated the last few. Billboard chart-topping albums of 1980: Donna Summer - Greatest Hits Bee Gees - Greatest Hits Pink Floyd - The Wall (cont. from '79) Bob Seger - Against the Wind Billy Joel - Glass Houses The Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue Jackson Browne - Hold Out Queen - The Game Barbara Streisand - Guilty Bruce Springsteen - The River Kenny Rogers - Greatest Hits John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy Billboard chart-topping singles of 1980: KC and the Sunshine Band - Please Don't Go Rupert Holmes - Escape Michael Jackson - Rock With You Captain and Tennille - Do That To Me One More Time Queen - Crazy Little Thing Called Love Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. II (cont. from '79) Blondie - Call Me Lipps Inc. - Funkytown Billy Joel - It's Still Rock and Roll to Me Olivia Newton-John - Magic Christopher Cross - Sailing Diana Ross - Upside Down Queen - Another One Bites the Dust Barbara Streisand - Woman in Love Kenny Rogers - Lady John Lennon - Just Like Starting Over What are your top three albums for 1980? We will keep a running tally and eventually have some sort of bracket. For me it would be: 1. Talking Heads - Remain in Light 2. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz (he's back, baby) 3. Steely Dan - Gaucho 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
going to try to do a better job of getting around to stuff this week. have had a few busy weeks with work lately. remainder of the top 20: 4. X - Los Angeles 5. The Cure - Seventeen Seconds 6. Joy Division - Closer 7. Bruce Springsteen - The River 8. the Police - Zenyatta Mondatta 9. Emmylou Harris - Roses in the Snow 10. Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell 11. U2 - Boy 12. Devo - Freedom of Choice 13. The Clash - Sandinista 14. Ramones - End of the Century 15. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden 16. AC/DC - Back in Black 17. Circle Jerks - Group Sex 18. David Bowie - Scary Monsters and Super Creeps 19. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables 20. Motorhead - Ace of Spades other honorable mentions: bob seger - against the wind the cramps - songs the lord taught us jim carroll band - catholic boy john lennon and yoko ono - double fantasy (album itself is decent but the “stripped down” version they released is incredible) judas priest - british steel the psychedelic furs - the psychedelic furs queen - the game rush - permanent waves warren zevon - bad luck streak in dancing school willie nelson - honeysuckle rose stuff to check out: barbara streisand - guilty bauhaus - in the flat field billy joel - glass houses bob marley - uprising christopher cross - christopher cross dexys midnight riders - searching for the young soul rebels grace jones - warm leatherette herbie hancock - mr. hands the jam - sound affects johnny cash - rockabilly blues kate bush - never for ever merle haggard - back to the barrooms peter gabriel - peter gabriel the pretenders - pretenders prince - dirty mind rick james - garden of love siouxsie and the banshees - kaleidoscope stevie wonder - hotter than july van halen - women and children first wipers - is this real
1. Billy Joel - Glass Houses 2. AC/DC - Back In Black 3. John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy 4. Talking Heads - Remain in Light 5. Queen - The Game albums I heard for the first time recently and could make the list someday Blondie - Autoamerican David Bowie - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) Genesis - Duke Elvis Costello - Get Happy!! Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July Van Halen - Women and Children First
I hesitate to even say that Christopher Cross is technically a ‘79 because I REALLY want you to listen
1. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables 2. Joy Division - Closer 3. Talking Heads - Remain in Light Dead Kennedys are one of my absolute favourite punk bands, incredible songwriters, far and above ahead of most of their contemporaries, and hugely satirical and humours, whereas some of the other political punk bands could be a bit po-faced. This is full of brilliant, genre-defining songs, with riffs and sounds that no-one else was doing in punk, all with Jello's brilliant sneer to his voice. For something just about in the punk world, but completely different moods, Joy Division's Closer is a haunting and tragic record, released a few weeks after Ian Curtis committed suicide, and impossible to listen to it's bleak and pleading lyrics and think of anything other than Curtis' tragic end. With it's use of synths and electronics, it was pushing punk or post-punk into new directions. Remain in Light is my favourite Talking Heads album, a funky rhythmic record, with David Byrne's unmistakable vocals and lyrical storytelling. Full of some of their absolute best songs, including Once in a Lifetime, Born Under Punches and Houses in Motion. Honourable mentions; The Clash - Sandinista!: Can't remember the last time I've made it all the way through this in one go. Would have been a perfect single album, a good double album, but it's a bloated triple. Some wonderful moments in there though, even if it absolutely doesn't justify the length. Bruce Springsteen - The River: This comes much closer to justifying the length, even if I can't always make it through the record in one go. Some phenomenal songs here, and some moments that hint at the poppier directions Bruce would go for his next record. Prince - Dirty Mind: Prince at his leanest and most funky (maybe...), this is a superb record, full of sexually charged RnB numbers, and with Prince playing literally everything, a superb demonstration of his incredible talent. Kate Bush - Never for Ever: First track Babooshka is definitely one of Bush's best tracks, and while the rest of the record isn't quite as good as that, it shows Bush moving away from the more proggy stuff she started with, and the more experimental poppier stuff she'd do slightly later. Minutemen - Paranoid Time: About 5 minutes long, with most tracks lasting less than a minute, this is a fantastic and influential little debut from Minutemen, who made these little jagged, edgy music that was more like ideas than songs. Circle Jerks - Group Sex: About 15 minutes long, with 14 tracks, that just power and thunder through. A really important record, and while once you've heard a few tracks you've heard them all, it's a great angry 15 minutes of music, that would prove highly influential. Stiff Little Fingers - Nobody's Heroes: Worth it just for "Tin Soldiers", a perfect and furious punk song about a young army recruit. Stevie Wonder - Hotter than July: A slight step back from Wonder's classic period, this is still a great collection of soulful poppy songs, written with Wonder's fantastic ear for melody. Killing Joke - Killing Joke: A bleak industrial post-punk record, brutal and unpleasant at times, and a great testament and pre-cursor to 80s Britain in general.
1. Billy Joel - Glass Houses 2. Prince - Dirty Mind 3. AC/DC - Back in Black Excruciating cuts: Bruce Springsteen - The River Warren Zevon - Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band - Against the Wind Others I love: Pat Benatar - Crimes of Passion ABBA - Super Trouper Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July Talking Heads - Remain in Light Rush - Permanent Waves Heart - Bebe Le Strange Dan Fogelberg - Phoenix John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy Grover Washington, Jr. - Winelight Good ones: Rossington-Collins Band - Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel [3] Al Stewart - 24 Carrots Pretenders - Pretenders Queen - The Game Jackson Browne - Hold Out Dire Straits - Making Movies Shalamar - Three for Love Steely Dan - Gaucho X - Los Angeles Earth, Wind and Fire - Faces Journey - Departure Roxy Music - Flesh + Blood Motorhead - Ace of Spades Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz Hall and Oates - Voices Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Get Happy!!! The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta Kool & the Gang - Celebrate Linda Ronstadt - Mad Love The Jacksons - Triumph Judas Priest - British Steel Paul McCartney - Paul McCartney II Dexys Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels Gordon Lightfoot - Dream Street Rose Bill Evans Trio - I Will Say Goodbye Ramones - End of the Century The Gap Band - III The Knack - ...But the Little Girls Understand Donna Summer - The Wanderer Steve Winwood - Arc of a Diver Elton John - 21 at 33 Mink DeVille - Le Chat Bleu Richie Havens - Connections George Jones - I Am What I Am Robert Palmer - Clues Merle Haggard - Back to the Barrooms George Benson - Give Me the Night Bill Evans - I Will Say Goodbye Commodores - Heroes Donny Hathaway - In Performance Targets for listening: David Bowie - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) Genesis - Duke Larsen-Feiten Band - Larsen-Feiten Band Paul Simon - One Trick Pony U2 - Boy Adam and the Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier Circle Jerks - Group Sex The Cramps - Songs the Lord Taught Us The Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables Echo and the Bunnymen - Crocodiles Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden Killing Joke - Killing Joke The Soft Boys - Moonlight The Specials - More Specials Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro UB40 - Signing Off The Undertones - Hypnotised Tom Waits - Heart Attack and Vine Joy Division - Closer The Clash - Sandanista! The Cure - Boys Don't Cry Diana Ross - Diana The J. Geils Band - Love Stinks The Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue The Romantics - The Romantics Pete Townshend - Empty Glass Van Halen - Women and Children First Frank Sinatra - Trilogy: Past, Present, and Future Barbra Streisand - Guilty Rockpile - Seconds of Pleasure The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms The English Beat - I Just Can't Stop It Smokey Robinson - Warm Thoughts T Bone Burnett - Truth Decay Lydia Lunch - Queen of Siam Iron City Houserockers - Have Fun (But Get Out Alive) Professor Longhair - Crawfish Fiesta Carlene Carter - Musical Shapes Joan Armatrading - Me, Myself and I Cris Williamson - Strange Paradise Kansas - Audio Visions Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell Change - The Glow of Love Pharoah Sanders - Journey to the One The Doobie Brothers - One Step Closer Cheap Trick - All Shook Up Pure Prairie League - Firin' Up
In case you didn't know, Heaven and Hell features Ronnie James Dio on vocals for Sabbath, of Rainbow and Dio.
I did! I love the two Rainbow records he’s on and the first two Dio records. Wasn’t sure whether Heaven and Hell or Mob Rules was the preferred Sabbath record with him though
What a life he led. Left a band with Richie Blackmore, joined a band with Tony Iommi, then started a band with Vivian Campbell
1. Bruce Springsteen - The River 2. AC/DC - Back in Black 3. U2 - Boy When I first got into Bruce, The River took me a little longer to come around to than a lot of his records, but it's one that's come to be very deeply important to me over time. Bruce always said it was his attempt to make an album as big as life, and that's what I hear in this album: a lot of hardship, but a lot of joy, too. It's one of those sprawling albums where everything feels like it has a purpose to me, even the weakest bits of filler. The exuberance of the bar band rock songs really lends gravity to those heartbreaking ballads, and the heartbreakers in turn make the little moments of euphoria seem so hard won. I used to be of the mind that, if you sliced The River down to its dozen purest essentials, you'd have Bruce's best record. And sure, this album is stacked with at least that many of his best songs, from the desolation of the title track, to the raucous block party of "Sherry Darling," to the sweeping romance of "Drive All Night." But as I've gotten older I've grown to love The River that much more for its unruly sprawl. There are some Springsteen records I can only listen to on good days, and some Springsteen records I can only listen to on hard days or sad days, but The River is for every day. I don't need to tell anyone how hard Back in Black rips. I love how it basically trojan horses an incredible set of pop songs into the trappings of a hard rock album. The hooks, plus the riffs, plus the voice, make for one of the most fun albums ever. Boy feels like it sets the table for so much music that I love that I'd be remiss if I left it off. It's one of the U2 albums that took me the longest to appreciate, as someone who discovered this band during the All That You Can't Leave Behind era, went back and grabbed The Joshua Tree, and came to know the band first and foremost for their biggest, most grandiose stadium rock songs. Boy sounded like a rough sketch to me, in comparison. Now, I love it for how comparatively messy it is--even though they already sound like the biggest band on earth here. Not many opening tracks from debut albums that make quite as strong an impression as "I Will Follow." HM for Glass Houses, which kicks Billy Joel into a new era. I've been digging the '80s Billy Joel records lately, this one especially, but I think I love Boy just a little more.
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) is hands-down one of the best Bowie albums I've heard. Like dude just popped his head out of a mound of cocaine and fascism and was like "Alright, fine I'll be the best pop artist alive. Fiiiiiine." Amazing. Hated Group Sex by Circle Jerks though. Just not at all for me. Duke by Genesis is an all-timer prog record for me. To still be epic and ambitious and complex, but have melodies that memorable and hummable? That shit just doesn’t happen. Yes and Tull and ELP just didn’t have that batting average. Phil Collins will never get credit for just how gifted he actually is.
The 80’s…. I already know damn near every top 3 for these years is going to include a hair metal band lol. Black Sabbath- Heaven & Hell Rush- Permanent Waves Iron Maiden- Iron Maiden
Sales pitch for the super underrated, and oft-forgotten Sacred Songs by Daryl Hall. Particularly this bonkers song, "NYCNY". Album was produced and featured the guitar work of Robert Fripp, which is quite evident. (YouTube says '77, which was when this was recorded I believe, but came out in '80.) I actually discovered this record because of Live From Daryl's House, an episode with Minus the Bear where they played this song. Luckily that is also on YouTube.
Yap that album is really great. I really love the title track, especially the turnaround on the hook I’ve never listened to the Fripp sister album, is it good?
I loved Have a Good Time But…Get Out Alive by Iron City Houserockers. Didn’t know how much I needed a band who shoots the gap between Huey Lewis and Bruce Springsteen
i don’t think van halen is for me haha. both this one and the debut feel like the jock rock stuff that kinda make me hate this era of popular rock a bit.
I grew up on Van Halen a lot, but I think their Greatest Hits is really all that seems essential rather than full albums