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| Ronnie Richards |
As you all (should) know the 80s was a fucking horrible decade - both musically and politically.
But there were exceptions..
(one album each artist/band)
1. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
2. The Pogues - Rum Sodomy & the Lash
3. Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombone
4. REM - Lifes Rich Pageant
5. Pixies - Surfer Rosa
6. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
7. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
8. NWA - Straight Outta Compton
9. Elvis Costello - Get Happy!!
10. Dexys - Searcing For the Young Soul Rebels
11. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back
12. Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
13. Nick Cave - Your Funeral My Trial
14. Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy
15. Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
just my opinion of course..
funny thing about these albums is they don't sound like the 80s.. |
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| Ronnie Richards |
yeah well it was supposed to be just ten.. |
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| speedfreakjive |
Dirty Work  |
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| Ronnie Richards |
Damn I forgot Shut Out The Light by Richard & Linda Thompson - should be in the Top 3..
BTW - Dirty Work was the second best Stones album of the 80s.. |
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| Riffhard |
I hate to say it,but here goes. Any list of great albums of the 1980's that does not include U2's The Joshua Tree is incomplete. That album is a great great record even if I hate the band. Daniel Lanois proved his genius with this record among many others. I'd also add Michael Jackson's Thriller to that list. Again,this has nothing to do with my personal taste per se. For example,I have never owned anything by Michael Jackson,but being perfectly honest those albums deserve to be on the list. Thriller was a goddamned worldwide cultural phenom so for that reason alone it deserves inclussion.
Riffy
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| Dead_Flowers |
Thriller was a goddamned worldwide cultural phenom so for that reason alone it deserves inclussion.
Riffy
[/quote]
That's very true. Even though Micheal is a freak now, you can't deny the success of that album.
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| Gazza |
Here's 12 ;
The River - Bruce Springsteen
Scary Monsters - David Bowie
New York - Lou Reed
Sign of The Times - Prince
Rain Dogs - Tom Waits
Tattoo You - Rolling Stones
Copperhead Road - Steve Earle & The Dukes
Oh Mercy - Bob Dylan
Sentimental Hygiene - Warren Zevon
The Joshua Tree - U2
Lucinda Williams
Uprising - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Had The Clash's "London Calling" been released a week later, it would have been possibly the best of the lot |
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| Riffhard |
quote:
Dead_Flowers wrote:
Thriller was a goddamned worldwide cultural phenom so for that reason alone it deserves inclussion.
Riffy
That's very true. Even though Micheal is a freak now, you can't deny the success of that album.
[/quote]
True dat DF! I tend to think that the massive success of that record may very well be one the things that led to his freakish turn.
Riffy |
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| Ronnie Richards |
I couldn't give a fuck about cultural impact - this is all about my "personal taste per se".
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| gimmekeef |
quote:
Riffhard wrote:
I tend to think that the massive success of that record may very well be one the things that led to his freakish turn.
Riffy
Geez Riffy...if your theory is true then Pink Floyd after Darkside...must be the biggest molesting pervs of all time....and we know that isnt true... |
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| Jumacfly |
2 words: Emotional Rescue. |
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| Dead_Flowers |
quote:
gimmekeef wrote:
Geez Riffy...if your theory is true then Pink Floyd after Darkside...must be the biggest molesting pervs of all time....and we know that isnt true...
I doubt they are as bizarre a MJ, but people handle fame differently. You have to remember MJ has been famous since he was 5 years old! I'm not defending him,I do believe he has a problem with "reality".
I would love to have the money fame bring, but could do without the attention. I'm sure you would be surrounded by people that would not act normally around you.
Just my opinion.
BTW.
The few top ten list that have been posted are great, You guys have great taste in music 
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| caro |
As much as I feel like a freak (especially on a Stones board), I'm very fond of the eighties. I even like Cindy Lauper. Not to mention fluo-blue-Flashdance-style t-shirts... *swoon*
Regarding albums, off the top of my head I'd say 1 or 2 Cure albums, "Sister" by Sonic Youth, and "New York" by Lou Reed.
Oh, and the eighties were also a good period for french music. Check out la Mano Negra, sweet songs and awesome live shows!
(here's a clip)
[Edited by caro] |
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| BILL PERKS |
DIRTY WORK
MEN AT WORK-CARGO
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD-ALBUM
KEITH RICHARDS-TALK IS CHEAP
VAN HALEN-FAIR WARNING
U2- JOSHUA TREE
INXS- KICK
GEORGE MICHAEL-FAITH
MELLENCAMP-SCARECROW
TATTOO YOU
THERE ,YOU HAVE IT
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| Dead_Flowers |
quote:
caro wrote:
As much as I feel like a freak (especially on a Stones board), I'm very fond of the eighties. I even like Cindy Lauper. Not to mention fluo-blue-Flashdance-style t-shirts... *swoon*
Regarding albums, off the top of my head I'd say 1 or 2 Cure albums, "Sister" by Sonic Youth, and "New York" by Lou Reed.
Me too!!! I guess I'm a freak like you. I even like classical music. |
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| Riffhard |
quote:
Ronnie Richards wrote:
I couldn't give a fuck about cultural impact - this is all about my "personal taste per se".
You need to simmer the hell down Ronnie. My post was quite obviously about the albums that deserve to be held out as the best of the best. Wether or not you,or I,give two shits about Jackson,or even U2,was not my point.
It's pretty goddamned simple really. Thriller was,and is,a brilliant album of pop music. Do I like this particular brand of music? No. That's not my point. The album is very well crafted,and the songs were almost all monsterous hits. There is not one band that has put out an album that made the cultural impact as did Thriller. Certainly the Stones never did. Not even the Beatles had an album of it's magnitude.
Many say the Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys is the stuff of genius. I would have to say that those people are right. I,however,could care less about "hoisting up the jaunty sail!" or any other such shit. I never really dug the Beach Boys regardless of their(Brian's)genius song crafting abilities.
Bottom line is this. Thriller had massive cultural impact,and that,in large part,is because it was a great fucking record!
Riffy
PS-Allow me to add a disclaimer here. I hate that fucking freak as much as anyone. That was not the point though.
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| M.O.W.A.T. |
Appetite for Destruction - Guns 'n' Roses
Definitely the high point of the plastic decade. |
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| Prodigal Son |
I don't have a huge knowledge of 80s music yet but let me say there is lots of crap but lots of great stuff in the vein of new wave, punk and alternative. There's not much tecnho rock/pop I like, and if I do it's mostly not the best tunes of a band and not its entire output or anything. Here are my favourites in no particular order (London Calling would be my #1 if it weren't released the last week of Dec. 1979). I should mention that some of these CD's I've yet to acquire/download all the songs. But I've heard them all in short clips enough to appreciate. I know that might bug Sir Stonesalot (wink) but it's the best way I can comment on 80s music considering I don't own a ton of it. I used to think it was a terrible decade for music. It wasn't as good as the 60s and 70s but was certainly better than the 90s and this cruddy decade if you ask me.
Tatto You (The only Stones album that IMO is worthy of being on a best-of-the-80s list)
The Joshua Tree-U2 (Ok, it's not at the top of my list. But even I have to give props to U2 on this one. Only one of their albums I like nearly as much is War. The rest range from ok to mediocre. This one found them doing something different and it worked. You don't find much more passionate and enthralling rock in the 80s than this. Even though Bono tries to ruin things with his pandering lyrics and over-emoting vocals, you can still find beauty in these songs. "With or Without You" is perhaps the best thing they've ever done, cause it just goes from serene and quiet to powerful by the end. The real wildcard behind the tremendous sound created for this record goes to the Edge. He seems to be an ok guy, a limited but innovative guitarist and a quiet sidekick to the talking head of an egomaniac that is Bono)
Let it Be-The Replacements (fantastic stuff and the best of 1984 if you ask me. Drunken punk rock mixed with some power pop, alternative and songs of teenage angst that make today's youngsters look like even bigger clown posers. Kurt Cobain owes a lot to Paul Westeberg-in songwriting approach and in that nicotene throat-tearing singing voice)
Wild Gift-X (now this was one hell of a punk band and album. Produced by Ray Manzarek of the Doors I believe-you know, the tall keyboardist with the glasses and big sideburns)
Strong Persuader-Robert Cray (Cray mixes blues, R&B and crafts some searing music that puts everyone else in the sucky R&B world of the 80s to shame)
Dirty Mind and Sign o' the Times-Prince (If the 80s was when R&B slumped and rap took up its place I guess Prince can be considered the, well, prince of R&B/soul. I find Purple Rain to be overrated considering I enjoy Controversy, Parade better although I don't have 1999 or anything between SOTT and Diamonds and Pearls, and after that-except for the ginormous triple-CD Emancipation which is ok. So, I guess PR is still one of his best. But DM and SOTT didn't rely on his 80s synth-drenched influence as much and DM was recorded all by himself and the demos were so good they released the album like so.)
Rum, Sodomy and the Lash-The Pogues (they made me actually appreciate Celtic music-even more than Van the Man. This is perhaps even more drunken-sounding than Let it Be... and I love it. Elvis Costello's production job captures that pub crowd late into the evening vibe and that rapscallion Shane MacGowan is actually intelligible on this one)
Thriller-MJ (Even if it sold 40-million or so copies and was pure pop, it was also great pop. No one else made an album so funky and so perfect for the dance floor, while actually moving some serious units. Bad was a disappointing follow-up and after that Michael's career really started going downhill. Amazing his popularity when you consider the wealth he accumulated just by making something like 6 studio records in the last 27 years. Of course, he was already rich from his teen idol solo career and the Jackson 5)
Shoot Out the Lights-Richard/Linda Thompson (This doesn't sound depressing but you can sense it in the lyrics, theirs was a marriage on the rocks. Using that marital stress, these two created some great folk-rock material and Richard Thompson's guitar work manages to be folk, rock and country all at once)
Remain in Light-Talking Heads (Eno turned them into a new direction motivated by funk, techno but fusing it with their arty new wave to create a sprawling record with only a few average ones on side 2. If it was all as good as side 1, I'd say A+ but A will suffice for this one-the best by the Heads. And who can forget "Once in a Lifetime" anyway?)
Wh'appen?-The English Beat (I liked this group a lot. They did a super job combining new wave with reggae and ska like so many other groups did in England back in that era, ie. the Specials, the Clash)
Field Day and Marshall Crenshaw-Marshall Crenshaw (great power pop artist who got totally overlooked. He writes songs like a young Macca/Lennon, except he isn't caught up in drively sentimentality like Paulie. If you hate the Beatles, you might still like these first two albums of his)
How Will the Wolf Survive?-Los Lobos (Hispanic/Latino rock is a narrow genre at best but these guys are definitely the most high-profile and great of that list. Their music does the talking even if their profile was raised by recording a bunch of Richie Valens hits for the soundtrack to the popular movie La Bamba)
Metal Circus, Candy Apple Grey and New Day Rising-Husker Du (really starting to like this group. I guess they were part of that big alternative scene brewing in the mid-80s out of the remnants of punk and new wave)
The Blue Mask, Legendary Hearts, New Sensations and New York-Lou Reed (Lou made a strong comeback in the 80s as his 70s work seemed to veer between great and spotty. Four of his 80s albums are unquestionably wonderful as far as I see it. Lou may not write the most melodically challenging things but he more than makes up for it with his garage rock songcraft, intense attitude and poetic lyrics)
Daydream Nation-Sonic Youth (This one succeeds where Lou's Metal Machine Music failed. Art as noise)
Avalon Sunset-Van Morrison (Even when Van lays on the grandiose orchestras, it never gets mushy or weighty. I hate most "tender" ballads especially those of the 80s but even I think "Have I Told You Lately" is one of the prettiest, most eloquent love songs of the decade. It may not be my favourite Van song but in terms of the melody, lyrics and all, it was one of his top 20 efforts all-time... Then Rod Stewart got his hands on it. Nonetheless, this is Van in his orchestral soul period after a religious exploration through most of the 80s. Poetic Champions Compose brought back some of the majesty and liveliness that had been missing from his work for about 5 years, while this just clinched it. Oh yeah, and "Coney Island/I'm Tired Joey Boy" is a masterpiece too. Best spoken word tune morphed with a traditional-sounding ditty EVER!)
Trust and King of America-Elvis Costello (Here we see E.C. running the gamut of oddball pop and new wave for Trust, even incoroporating his ever-growing interest in jazz. King of America is even more interesting as he tackles folk in a very English manner, not to mention Americana with some great rockabilly and country-rock. It's also very long, especially with the newest version adding bonus EP tracks and a mini-album of live performances on his tour with the Confederates)
The Nightfly-Donald Fagen (this one's for joey... nah just kidding cause I really do think this one was better than many of the
Dan's records, definitely superior to their last 2 and I prefer it to Gaucho, Aja and The Royal Scam)
Entertainment! and Solid Gold-Gang of Four (They were an arty punk group that eventually tried some more techno, electronica influenced stuff. Their spare three-piece days were better and their first two albums are kick ass. Franz Ferdinand should bow down to this gang. "Damaged Goods," "At Home He's a Tourist," "Ether," "Guns Before Butter" are all hypnotic, pulsating, near chants that manage to rock out a lot as well. The guitar work is cerebral too even if the distortion isn't up to 11 like in Spinal Tap. Best word to describe it is choppy and cutting. But in a good way, not an incompetent way)
Murmur and Document-R.E.M. (They got kinda preachy and Michael Stipe became more intolerable as he became more intelligble. But back when he "murmured" his lyrics, R.E.M. was one of the most introverted, ambitious, dark, mysterious and yet somehow energetic of all the alternative music emerging in this period. Peter Buck's Byrds-like guitar is also a treat. Document sees them emerging more into grungier territory with regards to the guitar sound and the volume levels. They get more of a country-rock sound going, one which would make 1991's Out of Time such a great outing. And Stipe actually tries to sing coherently so we get stuff like "The One I Love" and the pseudo-rap "It's the End of the World as We Know it."
Original Sin and Fear & Whiskey-The Mekons (awesome punk. Definitely some of the best you'd ever want to have from the 80s. The real hotbed for punk back then was in L.A. as England seemed more pre-occupied with techno junk by the mid-80s)
3-Way Tie for Last-Minutemen (ditto)
Talk Talk Talk-The Psychedelic Furs (one of those new wave bands i can tolerate from the synth-era)
Too Tough to Die-Ramones (a punk legend comeback LP from 1984. One of their best and perhaps their most metal-like album although I enjoy it much more than heavy metal cause it doesn't go off into demonic, tuneless, cartoonish, abrasive for the sake of being loud territory. Plus, there are some real great pop songs even if some use the same chords as "Blitzkreig Bop")
Graceland-Paul Simon (a great intro for those who like African/World music not to mention Zydeco and Tex-Mex Rock. Simon was writing some really uplifting music and the use of Lady Blacksmith Mambazo provides that angelical, wow factor on a few songs. There's no Art Garfunkel to be found anywhere, so this one is completely free of preciously candy sweet folk-pop that was S&G's weak spot as far as I'm concerned)
Born in the USA-Springsteen (what can you say? This one is a superb outing from the Boss. A few songs work like the throwaways from The River but when you have "Born in the USA," "Cover Me," "I'm on Fire," "Bobby Jean" and "Dancing in the Dark" you can't go wrong. Some people hate this one for its huge amount of hits and the patriotism it spurred on. But they're targeting a few songs. Try listening to the whole thing and tell me it still sucks. And guess what? This album isn't about how wonderful it is to be American just cause, it's about how big a bitch life in the U.S. can be for some blue-collar folks. I guess that makes him a true American in the eyes of some, but he's no chest-thumping flag waver like he was made out to be in this time. Oh, but he did get buff which certainly made him seem like a singing version of Rambo with a guitar instead of a machine gun)
Freedom-Neil Young (all Neil fans know this 1989 disc marked his re-emergence as an artistic force in rock. Nuff said)
The Poet-Bobby Womack (one of my fave soul artists, and a buddy of the Stones especially Woody, finally put together a great album from start to finish in 1981).
[Edited by Prodigal Son] |
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| lotsajizz |
Emotional Rescue--the Rolling Stones
Dirty Work--the Rolling Stones
Undercover--the Rolling Stones
Talk is Cheap--Keith Richards
Remain In Light--the Talking Heads
Closer--Joy Division
Unknown Pleasures--Joy Division
Pwer, Corruption, Lies--New Order
Avalon--Roxy Music
Back In Black--ACDC
Sandinista--the Clash
Road To Ruin--the Ramones
Too Tough To Die--the Ramones
Animal Boy--the Ramones
Damaged--Black Flag
Chill Out--Black Uhuru
War-U2
Purple Rain--Prince
Dirty Mind--Prince
Recknoning--the Grateful Dead
In The Dark--the Grateful Dead
Texas Flood--Stevie Ray Vaughn
Appetite For Destruction--Guns n'Roses
Scary Monsters--David Bowie
[Edited by lotsajizz]
[Edited by lotsajizz] |
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| Paranoid_Android |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
Had The Clash's "London Calling" been released a week later, it would have been possibly the best of the lot
Wasn't the US release the second week in January 1980? Rolling Stone Ragazine named it the best album of the 80's...I think they based it on the US release.
OK...I will try this now...in no particular order...
1)Clash: London Calling (based on above...otherwise sub in SANDANISTA!
2) Smiths: The Queen is Dead (so hard to chose just one)
3) PiL: CD aka Album aka Compact Disc
4) Jane's Addiction: Nothing's Shocking
5) GnR: Appitite For Destruction
6) Pete Townshend: Empty Glass
6) Pretenders: self titled debut
7) King Crimson : Discipline
8) Police: Zenyata Mondata
9) Madonna : True Blue
10) Suzanna Vega : Solitude Standing |
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| Gazza |
quote:
Paranoid_Android wrote:
Wasn't the US release the second week in January 1980? Rolling Stone Ragazine named it the best album of the 80's...I think they based it on the US release.
yeah, but I dont live in the US...LOL 
I dont know when it was released in the US but it was definitely out in the UK just before the end of 1979.
You're right about "Rolling Stone"'s bizarre choice of it as best album of the 80's though. Still, they should consider it from when it was first released.
I think some of Sandinista is as good as London Calling, but its overall too uneven to be mentioned in the same breath. Its amazing that in the space of 12 months, The Clash released London Calling (a double LP), Sandinista (a 36-song triple) and a couple of cracking singles in between (eg Bank Robber). Even more amazing (especially considering how money obsessed the music industry is now) that they insisted - despite the disbelief of CBS - that Sandinista should retail at something like £6.99, the price of a single LP. I think they had to sell a hundred thousand copies or something to break even
Good choice on "Empty Glass". The best thing Townshend has done in the last 30 years and criminally underrated. 1980 was a great year for music.
[Edited by Gazza] |
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| HardKnoxDurtySox |
One of my 80's favorites: Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie. Also when it comes to GNR records, I actually prefer Lies to AFD. |
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| Taptrick |
80's was a horrible decade? Not from my perspecticve. I thought it was a hell of a lot better than the 17% inflation of the late 70s. And I think music can be reflective of the times. While you may or may not like different genres of 80s music, I think it's fair to generalize it as mostly positive, up-beat, have fun music. To me 90s music became all about grunge, goth, and extreme negativity.
But for it me it doesn't matter what year it is - you can always find someone doing something you like. You just have to look for it.
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| ebmp |
My list
Born in the USA - an awesome album that suffers of bad and cheesy production. But its awesome. Born in the USA, No Surrender, Downbound Train, Dancing in the Dark (overplayed, but a great song), Bobby Jean are great
The River
U2 - The Joshua Tree, WAR and The Unforgettable fire (this album gets mentioned because of BAD alone)
GNR - Appetite for Destruction. In a time of cheesy hair metal this brought real rock n roll back to the charts |
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| sirmoonie |
Thriller was a great pop album, Jackson at his best post-childhood.
Tom Petty's Hard Promises, Long After Dark, and the incredible Southern Accents make this list easy. |
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| Chuck |
1. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
2. The Pogues - Rum Sodomy & the Lash
3. Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombone
4. REM - Lifes Rich Pageant
5. Pixies - Surfer Rosa
6. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
7. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
8. NWA - Straight Outta Compton
9. Elvis Costello - Get Happy!!
10. Dexys - Searcing For the Young Soul Rebels
11. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back
12. Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
13. Nick Cave - Your Funeral My Trial
14. Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy
15. Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
==========
#8, #11, and #15 I can agree with---the rest are, imo, examples of REALLY BAD 80s music, particularly U2, REM, Pixies, Smiths, and Sonic Youth. |
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| Spru |
Tattoo You, Joshua Tree, War, Unforgettable Fire, Born in the USA, Straight Outta Compton all gotta be on a best of 80s album list. |
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| sirmoonie |
quote:
Spru wrote:
Tattoo You, Joshua Tree, War, Unforgettable Fire, Born in the USA, Straight Outta Compton all gotta be on a best of 80s album list.
Good point, jeez, I seldom think to include "rap" albums. Straight Outta Compton! Hell yeah, Spruie.
Stone Cold Rhymin' (Young MC) is on this list too. That may be the best pure rap album of all time - a "crossover" album that even whitey can bust a move on. |
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| Throwaway |
Wasn't Back In Black released in 1980?
1.Tattoo You
2.The River (Bruce)
3.Back In Black (AC/DC)
4.Talk Is Cheap (Keith)
5.Appetite For Destruction (GNR)
6.Avalon Sunset (Van the man)
7.Full Moon Fever (Tom Petty)
8.New York (Lou Reed)
9.Texas Flood (Stevie Ray)
10.1984 (Van Halen..dont laugh) |
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| corgi37 |
1. tattoo you
2. 7th son of a 7th son
3. sonic temple
4. kings of the sun
5. appetite for destruction
6. Louder than love
7. ou812
8. Joshua tree
9. scarecrow
and for Gazza
10. SLIPPERY WHEN WET!!!! |
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