What are the Essential (Non-Obvious)
Albums of the ’80s?
Music — By Joe Carter on April 29, 2008 at 12:17 am I hail from Generation X while my fifteen-year-old daughter is a member of Generation Y. Yet while our generations are alphabetically close, there is a vast chasm between us musically. She’s grown up in the American Idol-era of Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daugherty, and Carrie Underwood. To her, N’Sync is “old school” which makes the music of my high school years seem positively pre-historic.
Perhaps because of a lack of exposure, she isn’t able to grasp the strange and subtle beauty of ’80s music. So in order to refine her musical sensibilities, I’ll need open her ears. Which raises a question that I will put to the collective wisdom of the blogosphere:
‘What handful of essential but non-obvious albums would you recommend to a teen to persuade them that the 80’s were not a musical wasteland?’
The key element is “non-obvious.” Anything from REM, U2, The Clash, Springsteen, or the soundtracks of any John Hughes movie is automatically disqualified. Be prepared to defend your choices — especially if your selection includes any hair/metal bands.
Also, if you’re your list includes RATT, Culture Club, or Wham!, please close your browser and never, ever visit this blog again.
Here are a handful of my choices:
The Smiths The Queen is Dead & World Won’t Listen — The soundtracks for the lives of future meterosexuals.
The Tubes Outside/Inside — ‘She’s a Beauty’ was the most played song of my junior year though ‘Wild Women of Wongo’ came a close second.
Randy Travis Storms of Life — This debut album marked both the birth of neo-traditional country and the peak of Travis’ career.
A-ha Hunting High and Low — But just the stuff that didn’t make it on the radio (e.g., ‘Sun Always Shines On T.V.’).
The Lost Boys Original Soundtrack — The coolest album of alternative music for alt-wannabes.
Peter Gabriel So — The one with ‘Big Time’ and ‘Sledgehammer’. ‘Nuff said.
Kate Bush The Whole Story – The godmother of Lilith fair-type fem alt-rock.
George Strait Greatest Hits — 50+ albums later, Strait has yet to top this collection from ‘86.
Luther Vandross The Best of Luther Vandross — Vandross was Johnny Mathis for Generation-X.
James Ingram It’s Your Night — This one has been in my tape deck (well, CD player now) since 1986. It never gets old.
Steve Taylor I Predict 1990 — The man who saved us from a lifetime of Amy Grant and Petra clones.
Dire Straits Brothers in Arms — Mark Knopfler isn’t a great singer (he sounds like a coherent Bob Dylan) but this album makes the cut solely because of “Your Latest Trick.”
Garth Brooks Garth Brooks — Difficult as it is to imagine now, Brooks was once a great artist. Sadly, he peaked with his debut album (indeed, peaked with his first single–Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)–his greatest song).
Honorable mentions:
Crowded House Crowded House
Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent d’Arby
White Heart Greatest Hits
Sade Stronger Than Pride
Duran Duran Rio
Level 42 World Machine
Squeeze Singles 45’s and Under
Add your list on your blog or in the comments and I’ll include the best entries to this post.
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70 Comments
King Crimson–Discipline
Thomas Dolby–Golden Age of the Wireless
Bunny Wailer–Rock ‘n’ Groove
Here are a few albums that still hold up pretty well after 20+ years.
London Calling – The Clash: first punk album to incorporate various musical styles, years ahead of it’s time.
X – Los Angeles: one of the best debut albums anywhere, people forget that Ray Manzarik from the Doors produced and played on the album.
The Knitters: the album that really started the whole alt-county genre, this group was basically X and Dave Alvin from The Blasters.
Husker Du – Warehouse, Songs and Stories: I believe that they were the first American punk band to get signed to a major label. Listen to this and you will see who influenced the Pixies, Nirvana and many more.
Replacements – Let It Be: You get pop, punk, indie and even a Kiss cover song thrown onto one album.
I’ve seen a couple of people mention Oingo Boingo and even though I was a huge fan back in the 80’s, their albums just don’t hold up very well over time. Don’t know what it is about bands that went overboard with a synthesizer in the 80’s but it dated the music rather quickly.
Since you included a Christian album or two I’ll toss in several others:
“Sunday’s Child” & “The Wind and the Wheat” Phil Keaggy
“Never Say Die” Petra
“The Seeds of Change” Kerry Livgren
Both these guys had most of their best in the late 70’s, but these are IMNSHO their best of the 80’s:
“White Blossoms From Black Roots” Larry Norman
“Return to Paradise” Randy Stonehill
And finally two I’ve not listened much to but are supposedly key works for the Christian genera:
“To Hell With The Devil” Stryper
“Alarma Chronicles” Daniel Amos
Great suggestions so far
How about
YAZ – Upstairs at Eric’s.
Fine Young Cannibals. – Fine Young Cannibals
Squeeze – Singles
OMD – Crush
Roxy Music – Avalon
Michelle Shocked – Short Sharp Shocked and Captain Swing.
Lyle Lovett and his Large Band
More mainstream pop but a huge hit album
Bonnie Raitt – Nick of time.
I’m sure there’s more, but others have either already said them, or I haven’t been able to sift through the years to pull them out.
Fun Stuff! Thanks for the chance to reminisce!
Jamie
Is “Appetite For Destruction” by Guns N Roses too obvi? It is one of the ultimate hard rock albums of all time.
Is Metallica too hard for your daughter’s ears? “Master of Puppets” and “And Justice For All” are towers of riffage.
And Elvis Costello…you could start a love affair with that dude’s wordplay. “Imperial Bedroom” “King of America” “Trust”…that guy was on a roll for a while.
And if she likes all that pop crap, it is difficult to see how she wouldn’t like old Madonna songs.
And I second the Kate Bush. That woman was a genius, definitely set the stage for my all time favorite chick singer Bjork.
Roxy Music, “Avalon”
David Bowie, “Lets Dance”
Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams”
I believe Steely Dan and Brian Fagan would have had several albums that would qualify in this time frame.
As for Christian music, Degarmo & Key were big, and Long Distance Runner live was outstanding.
Paul Simon – Graceland
Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense
Peter Gabriel – So, Peter Gabriel III and IV
Sting – Dream of the Blue Turtles, Nothing Like the Sun
The Police – (everything)
RUSH – (everything)
YES – 90125, Big Generator
U2 – Under a Blood Red Sky, The Unforgettable Fire
Steely Dan – Gaucho
Men at Work – Business as Usual, Cargo
Level 42 – World Machine
Asia – Asia
Eurythmics – Touch, Be Yourself Tonight
David Bowie – Let’s Dance
Tears for Fears – Songs From the Big Chair
Oh yeah,
Styx — Paradise Theater
Earth, Wind, and Fire — Best of EWF
(other funk, or funk-disco stuff, can’t think of specifics right now)
Chicago — everything
No rap?
Public Enemy – It takes a nation of millions to hold us back & Fear of a Black Planet. Essential. Farakhan references have become a bit dated, however.
NWA — Straight outta Compton. Essential. Just put “Express Yourself” on repeat if you don’t want to handle the rest.
No punk?
Fugazi — 13 Songs (technically a 1990, but consists of two 1989 albums) & Repeater. The first half of 13 Songs (through “Suggestion”) is itself a great album.
Screeching Weasel — My Brain Hurts. California pop-surf punk with overeducated lyrics. Pretty good.
I second G&R’s appetite for destruction.
U2-War & Under A Blood Red Sky
The Clash-London Calling
The Police- Ghost in the Machine
Van Halen-1984
INXS-The Swing
Midnight Oil-Deisel and Dust
The Call-Reconciled
I can only think of a few albums I still listen to regularly from the 80s:
Steve Earle: Guitar Town (already nominated)
Cowboy Junkies: The Trinity Sessions
Miles Davis: Tutu
Bob Dylan had some clunkers in the 80s (though even his clunkers had a few great songs each) but Infidels (produced by Mark Knopfler) remains the most underrated Dylan album and the most underrated 80s album of all time.
I asked my Slovak wife (born 1968). She mentioned Wham! first!
The Croatian (Yugoslavian) cover had had the earings airbrushed out — she was surprised to see them after 1989 when the Wall came down (she being behind the Iron Curtain before).
OK, you don’t like George Michael — but he’s more Gen X “essential” than most of the bands I like.
And even Boy George still gets lots of Karaoke singers, of both sexes. Or did 3 year ago.
Somebody else got Mojo Nixon! Wait, I’ve got one more …
Dead Kennedys!: “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables” with California Uber Alles and Holiday in Cambodia.
File sharing should be legal; it is not immoral. Using gov’t force to stop sharing is immoral. The reason gov’t force is acceptable to punish real theft, is that after something of yours has been stolen, you have less than you had.
Purple Rain – perhaps the best soundtrack of the decade and certainly one of the best albums of all time. Its amazing mix of funk and rock as well as the sacred and profane make it a timeless classic. Everything on this album is as good, if not better, than anything on the radio today.
While I don’t have entire albums to recommend (save Billy Joel – Greatest Hits) the list would be incomplete without Kenny Loggins (Footloose and Danger Zone) and Katrina and the Wave (Walking on Sunshine).
Billy Joel, yes. But The Stranger was still more 70s, I’d say, altho both Uptown Girl (after dumping one wife) and the fantastic River of Dreams should qualify.
Laurie Anderson – Big Science … and Performance Art.
King’s X – Gretchen Goes To Nebraska (seriously, no one has mentioned this yet?)
Rush – Exit Stage Left (My introduction to Rush)
Van Halen – 5150 (I love Van Hagar)
Queensryche – Operation:Mindcrime (One of the great concept albums)
Dokken – Back For The Attack (George Lynch still shreds)
Joe Satriani – Surfing With The Alien
also,
Rush – Presto (“The Pass” is one of the greatest songs ever written)
Iron Maiden – Powerslave (Actually, I would include anything from Number through Seventh Son, but this has “Aces High.” Plus their three albums in the 2000’s are completely awesome.)
Just off the top of my head:
The Call – Reconciled, Into The Woods (dark, but hopeful), Let The Day Begin (spotty, but title track is a great song about common grace)
King’s X – Faith Hope, Love & Out of The Silent Planet
Rush – Moving Pictures, Signals
Marillion – Misplaced Childhood (Kayleigh, Lavender, Heart Of Lothian)
Cutting Crew – Broadcast
Genesis – ABACAB
Asia – Asia
Rick Springfield – Rock of Life
Simple Minds – Once Upon A Time
Big Country – The Crossing
Flim & The BB’s – Tricycle (jazz)
Paul Simon – Graceland
Peter Gabriel – So
Scritti Politti – Perfect Way (song)
Styx – Paradise Theater
Steve Camp – Fire & Ice
Whiteheart – Freedom
Kansas – Vinyl Confessions
AD – Art of The State, Timeline
DA – Fearful Symmetry, Darn Floor – Big Bite
The Swirling Eddies – Let’s Spin
Anything by Steve Taylor
The Choir – Shades of Grey
The Hooters – Nervous Night
I was cleaning up my iTunes library and came across some George Thorogood and the Destroyers. That man can rock and his band is tight. Add “Maverick”, “Bad to the Bone”, and “Born To Be Bad” to any 1980s music list or just add the “30 Years of Rock” compilation to catch all the best stuff.