Brent’s 1981

 Day After Day – Pretenders (Pretenders II) – Aside from the absolutely mellow way they “rock out” here Christie Hynde is positively gorgeous in this video.

This Is Radio Clash – The Clash (12” Single) – Captures the cultural mash-up of rock, rap, dance, and even perhaps the avant garde in early 80’s NYC.

Leave The Capitol – The Fall

Armagh – Au Pairs – Could be applied just as appropriately in the US during the later Bush years. Included here because it rips…not as a political statement.

Family Treet – Raincoats

Dislocated – League Of Gentlemen

Our Lips Are Sealed – GoGo’s – Teenage alienation and isolation underneath this pop masterpiece…“There’s a weapon that we can use…”

Stand And Deliver – Adam & The Ants

Unchained – Van Halen – Eddie’s opening hooks are so heavy, so melodic, so good at the same time.

Nothing’s Going To Happen – Tall Dwarfs – Jeff Magnum an the Elephant 6 folks surely were hip to this.

Lp’s

Minor Threat – Minor Threat – Fully realized debut…right out of the gate.

Damaged – Black Flag

Kangaroo? – The Red Crayola and Art & Language – Mayo Thompson merges with British art collective and produces RIO classic.

Memory Serves – Material – See Radio Clash above and swap rap with avant garde.

Discipline – King Crimson

Dolmen Music – Meredith Monk

Wild Gift – X

Deceit – This Heat

Lounge Lizards – Lounge Lizards – Seems I include Arto Lindsey in this blog a lot…much more than I would expect. Not sure if that makes him overrated or underrated in my mind although this is clearly John Lurie’s vehicle. Had the opportunity to catch Roy Nathanson with Russ Johnson’s “Still Out To Lunch” project last week…what a great and inventive artist!

Milk Of Amnesia – Einstein’s Riceboys (Taung Child) – The LP is much better than the few offerings on youtube…you can find it (in Milwaukee)…buy it!

Mike’s 1981

What a glorious year in music. I’ve heard it said that the music we listen to in high school is the music we listen to the rest of our lives. At the very least, the music that shapes our lives in our formative years isn’t easily shaken. How lucky to have been introduced to many of these gems then that are now part of my DNA.

Songs

Laurie Anderson–“Born, Never Asked”

The Police–“Invisible Sun”

REM–“Radio Free Europe”

The Specials–“Friday Night and Saturday Morning”

Rickie Lee Jones–“We Belong Together” (I’ll say it. Maybe my favorite song of all-time.)

Penguin Cafe Orchestra–“Air a Danser”

Meredith Monk–“Dolmen Music” (Cheating…)

This Heat–“A New Kind of Water” (Deceit probably makes my album list as I become more familiar with it.)

X–“White Girl”

Brian Eno and David Byrne–“Regiment”

Albums

Rickie Lee Jones–Pirates (“Skeletons“, “Living It Up“)

Penguin Cafe Orchestra–Penguin Cafe Orchestra (“Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter“, “Telephone and Rubber Band“)

King Crimson–Discipline. It’s one thing to develop a truly unique sound for your individual instrument, and rare. Each member of this band accomplished that. Combined they devised an entirely new music that might be as shocking in its originality today as it was in 1981.  (“Sheltering Sky“, “Elephant Talk“)

Siouxsie and the Banshees–Juju. (“Monitor“, “Night Shift“)

David Thomas and the Pedestrians—The Sound of the Sand. Richard Thompson doesn’t dominate the proceedings here as much as he would on the followup. Completely zany, and, like the King Crimson, completely original. As experimental as the contemporary Pere Ubu albums (Art of Walking, Song of the Bailing Man), but infinitely more listenable and pleasurable. (“The Birds Are a Good Idea“–the only song on youtube)

Bill Evans–You Must Believe in Spring. Feel a little guilty about listing this as it was recorded in ’77, released in ’81. I always liked this a lot, but it has grown on me over the years. I now think it is as lovely as anything he ever did. (“The Peacocks“, “We Will Meet Again“)

Martha and the Muffins–This Is the Ice Age. This group seems to be pretty obscure in spite of their having a couple minor hits. Those aren’t on this album which mixes early Roxy Music Eno atmospherics with Fripp-influenced lead guitar work, but sounds very much of its era. There are enough progressive undercurrents and dynamics throughout to keep this from sounding too much like other typical early 80s electronic stuff….but that is too negative a take. This is consistently amazing! (“Swimming“, “Three Hundred Years/Chemistry“, “Jets Seem Slower in London’s Skies”)

Material–Memory Serves. A lot of people were interested in extending the range of what consituted dance music in the early 80s. I wish I could have been on a dance floor when this came on. (“Upriver“, “Memory Serves“)

Genesis–Abacab. I don’t know what to say about this. I just think it’s great! Every song!

1978

Apologies for the late post!

A bit rushed but I’ll stand by it for good or ill :)!

The Cars – The Cars (Moving in Stereo/All Mixed Up)

Eno/Moebius/Roedelius – After the Heat  (The Belldog/Broken Head)

Magazine – Real Life (Definitive Gaze/The Light Pours Out of Me)

Patti Smith Group – Easter (Babalogue/Rock N Roll Nigger/25^th Floor)

Pere Ubu – The Modern Dance (Street Waves/Nonalignment Pact)

The Residents – Duck Stab (The Electrocutioner/Sinister Exaggerator)

Steve Reich – Music For 18 Musicians

Stranglers – Black and White (Hey!/Sweden)

Talking Heads – More Songs About Buildings and Food (Thank You for Sending Me an Angel)

Wire – Chairs Missing (French Film Blurred/Outdoor Miner)

Honorable Mention:

No New York Compilation (I Can’t Stand Myself/Not Moving/Hairwaves)

 

Alternative TV – Nasty Little Lonely

Black Flag – Nervous Breakdown

Buzzcocks – Atonomy

Cabaret Voltaire – Do the Mussolini

DMZ – Don’t Jump Me Mother

The Fall – Bingo Masters Breakout

Gang Of Four – Armalite Rifle

Joy Division – Failures

Mekons – Where Were You

This Heat – Horizontal Hold

Tubeway Army – Friends