Tag: 80s

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“Best O’Boingo” by Oingo Boingo No. 30

Album cover: Best 'O Boingo

Album cover: Best 'O BoingoYou can’t hide from Danny Elfman. Well, I suppose you could, but you’d have to be a pop culture recluse to do so. He’s got 104 composer credits for a slew of films and TV shows, and then there’s this band… Oingo Boingo.

Naturally my first exposure to Oingo Boingo came from Weird Science, 1985’s John Hughes’ film that asks the important question “what if two nerds attempted to create the perfect woman with a home computer?” As a 15-year-old nerd, I loved this movie, and (of course) I also loved the title track. But it would be a number of years before I finally dug further into Oingo Boingo’s catalog. Continue reading ““Best O’Boingo” by Oingo Boingo No. 30″

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“Waxworks” & “Beeswax” by XTC (No. 31)

Album covers: XT Waxworks and B-Sides

Album covers: XT Waxworks and B-SidesWaxworks and Beeswax are a double dose of angular, jumpy, frenetic pop from Swindon’s XTC. This pairing captures the very best of XTC’s early period, before they evolved into a more “pastoral” (and Beatlesque) sound on later albums.

Officially Waxworks: Some Singles 1977–1982 and Beeswax: Some B-Sides 1977–1982 are separate albums. However, I’m lumping them together because that’s how I first found them, as a long-play cassette from Virgin released in 1982.

At 25 songs, it was one hell of a score when I still chose new music based on how much I could scrape together from part-time jobs. “This album has 12 songs, but this one is the same price and it’s 25 songs! Score!” I’ve never really thought of side two as b-sides, probably because XTC’s b-sides were usually just as good as their singles – and certainly better than a lot of bands’ singles. Continue reading ““Waxworks” & “Beeswax” by XTC (No. 31)”

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“Life’s Rich Pageant” by R.E.M. (No. 42)

Life's Rich Pageant album cover

Life's Rich Pageant album coverIt’s almost by accident that I wound up being a big fan of R.E.M. A happy accident, I might add.

Earlier in this series I talked about my early obsession with Robyn Hitchcock. Not long after I became a big fan of Robyn Hitchcock, a friend of mine turned up with tickets to R.E.M.’s Green tour. Was I interested? “Dunno,” I responded, “I’m not really a big R.E.M. fan” – and threw out an unlikely scenario “unless Robyn Hitchcock is opening or something…” Turns out, yes, he was. So… I decided to brush up on my R.E.M. Continue reading ““Life’s Rich Pageant” by R.E.M. (No. 42)”

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“Black Celebration” by Depeche Mode (No. 53)

Black Celebration by Depeche Mode album cover

Black Celebration by Depeche Mode album coverNo instruments were harmed in the making of this album. Well, no instruments were used in the making of this album, anyway. I kid, of course, but I remember debating fiercely with friends in the 1986-1987 time-frame whether Depeche Mode made “real” music because the bulk (if not all) of the music was made with synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines.

I believe we’ve come down firmly on the side of yes, you can make music with electronic instruments, especially when you consider influential works like Black Celebration. Continue reading ““Black Celebration” by Depeche Mode (No. 53)”

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“Duran Duran: The Singles 81-85” by Duran Duran (No. 55)

Duran Duran The Singles album cover

Duran Duran The Singles album coverThis next entry may be cheating, slightly. Does a box set count as an “album?” Let’s ask the judges if they’ll allow it. Oh, right. I’m the judge, so … yeah, I’m allowing it. My next pick is Duran Duran‘s collection, The Singles 81-85.

I’ll be honest, Duran Duran didn’t win me over initially with their consistently catchy songs. They didn’t win me over with John Taylor’s damned decent bass playing. It wasn’t the slick album art, nor Andy Taylor’s tasteful lead guitar playing. Nope, it was definitely the scantily clad women in the “Girls on Film” video. In my defense, I was 12 or 13, and scantily clad women were very relevant to my interests. Continue reading ““Duran Duran: The Singles 81-85” by Duran Duran (No. 55)”

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“I’m Your Man” by Leonard Cohen (No. 56)

I'm Your Man album cover

I'm Your Man album coverThere are two kinds of people: Those who appreciate Leonard Cohen, and those who are wrong. I present as evidence Cohen’s eighth studio album, I’m Your Man.

Released in 1988 with heavy use of synthesizers and drum machines/electronic drums, I’m Your Man should sound dated. Indeed, if you focus on the backing tracks for the songs on this album, you’ll notice the distinctive sound of cutting-edge mid-80s technology. But it’s the songs, the lyrics, and the voices that propel I’m Your Man – and Cohen’s voice, the lyrics, and his backing chorus are timeless. Continue reading ““I’m Your Man” by Leonard Cohen (No. 56)”

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“All of this and Nothing” by Psychedelic Furs (No. 68)

All of This and Nothing cover

All of This and Nothing coverThank goodness for Columbia House. The “12 cassettes for a penny” deals helped me build a healthy music collection back when I was a teen with minimal spending cash. That’s how I landed All of this and Nothing, the Psychedelic Furs compilation album that serves as a fairly comprehensive selection of their best cuts.

The Furs’ last studio album, World Outside was good enough to make the top 100, but it’s hard to beat a collection that has “The Ghost in You,” “Love My Way,” and “Pretty in Pink.”

All of this and Nothing is wall to wall 80s alt/rock/pop that (if you’re an 80s kid) you’ll recognize instantly. Richard Butler’s raspy croak shouldn’t work, but it does. The warbling saxophone shouldn’t work, but it does. The wall of bass and guitars should work, and it does.

Had I only enjoyed “Pretty in Pink,” it would have been worth snagging via Columbia House. But I also re-upped to buy the collection on CD after I’d worn the cassette to shreds, and took the time to rip the CD to MP3 for frequent playback.

But every single track is a treasure. All of this and Nothing has been one of my favorite albums for flights, long walks, and long road trips. You should be able to find it on any and all of the major streaming services, if you don’t have it already. I suggest you cozy up with it and let it work its way into your favorites too.

(Apologies for brevity, writing this post while at Flock and don’t have quite so many cycles to write the lengthy post I’d usually wish to.)

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“Red Sails in the Sunset” by Midnight Oil (No. 91)

Midnight Oil’s breakthrough in the United States came with “Beds Are Burning,” off Diesel and Dust. That’s a fine album, as are many in Midnight Oil’s catalog, but Red Sails in the Sunset is the album I reach for most often.

Sunset preceded Diesel by three years, and while both albums are excellent representations of the band, Sunset is rawer and a more interesting piece.

Continue reading ““Red Sails in the Sunset” by Midnight Oil (No. 91)”

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“Vivid” by Living Colour (No. 92)

How much was I into Living Colour‘s 1998 debut album, Vivid? I was willing to go to a concert with my mother just because Living Colour was the opening band.

Sure, you think, that doesn’t sound so bad. But at 19, going to a Rolling Stones concert with my mother and two of her friends was the pinnacle of things I definitely didn’t want to do. And yet, I girded myself for the inevitable embarrassing spectacle of my mother screaming her head off in public at Mick Jagger, just so I’d get to catch like 40 minutes of Living Colour from nosebleed seats. Yeah, it was worth it. Continue reading ““Vivid” by Living Colour (No. 92)”