An Ear For An Era: 1985

I feel like I should have more to say about 1985 music. There were some all-time classics released, mostly ones that I don't have as much personal experience as would be required to do any justice to these albums. But aside from a handful, lots of it was forgettable. So this one's kind of short.

The first album that came up for 1985 was the classic Weird Al piece known as Dare to Be Stupid. One of my favorites by him, for reasons such as the Devo-inspired title track and the Kinks-and-Star-Wars-inspired "Yoda." Yesterday I was skiing in the trees and my dad once said "watch out for that tree," so for the rest of the day I had "George of the Jungle" stuck in my head. But the most memorable track on here was an early favorite for sure. Keep an eye on those background singers/dancers.

"Weird Al" Yankovic "One More Minute"

Talking Heads' Little Creatures is the first albums of theirs that I got once I got cool enough to seek them out. Opener "And She Was" might still be my favorite song of theirs. But I dig the whole thing, from "Creatures of Love" to "Stay Up Late" to "Road to Nowhere." Good travel music and such.

Minor Threat released their last music, the Salad Days EP. These three songs are pretty mellow relative to their earlier output, which I guess suggests the directions Ian MacKaye would head in his post-Minor Threat days. Speaking of stuff Iam MacKaye would go on to do, his future bandmate Guy Picciotto was making waves with Rites of Spring and thanks to him we now have lots of crappy emo music in this world. But in 1985, emo meant something very different. Not to go into a history lesson, but it's much less embarrassing to refer to this music as post hardcore or whatever than emo. End On End has nothing in common whatsoever with whatever '00s emo you have in mind when I use that word (over and over I admit). It's kind of mathy, kind of post rock, and it's very heavy. It's just the wail Guy Picciotto used here, it's otherworldly, it's coming from somewhere so deep and dark and pained.

Rites of Spring "Persistent Vision"

The Cure was also obviously a big influence on what would become fake "emo" or whatever stuff with all the mopin' around. The Head On The Door is one of their better albums in my opinion (I prefer their pop music). "Close To Me" is a top tier Cure pop single. And this album was full of pop with a darkness. I don't know. I like this song though.

The Cure "Screw"

I was a late adapter of The Jesus And Mary Chain's Psychocandy but when Stephin Merritt made all those great comments on it describing its production I knew I had to hear it. It is a huge influence on the indie pop to come. Not only Magnetic Fields, but Best Coast and Animal Collective and everyone in between. All the noise and distortion serving just to obscure the pop melodies just beneath. 

Tom Waits. Rain Dogs. The follow-up to Swordfishtrombones. More experimental jazz sorrow coolness. I can't come up with the right adjectives to describe this album. But duh. It's amazing.

Something completely different again: Remember a couple years ago when that hip hop track came out starring all sorts of giants of the genre? That was cool. And a very similar thing happened in 1985 when Fat Boys, Run-DMC, Sheila E, and Kurtis Blow got together for "Krush Groovin'." That is the jam right there.

Fishbone is red hot!! One of my favorite live shows ever is any time I ever saw Fishbone. They'll get the party going. Strangely I used to not like this song when it was played on the ska show on the college radio station KCSU when I was in high school.  But that has changed. I oddly don't have this full album but this song is worth showing a video for anyway. I need to go more obscure I think. Whatever, Fishbone is red hot!

Fishbone "Party At Ground Zero"

Other things.

• The Smiths. Have I mentioned them yet? I have the "Louder Than Bombs" (their quotation marks, not mine) collection and quite enjoy the song "Asleep." And obvious hit "How Soon Is Now" was also from 1985.
• Dead Kennedys got all serious and long songy in 1985 with Frankenchrist. No more short songs, they were now focused on creating creepy atmosphere.
• They Might Be Giants demo!
• If Kurtis Blow ruled the world...
• Prince just kept being awesome with Around The World In A Day. "Raspberry Beret" was the big hit but the whole album is catchy as hell.
• Brian Ferry's Boys and Girls is pretty awesome.
• Mekons were quite good.
• The Descendents' second album took a turn for the pop. I don't mind that at all, but some of the magic of the first album is gone. They're still good at the pop stuff though.
• Tears For Fears accomplished some strange feat of sounding so dated and 80s yet aging so well. "Everybody Wants to Rule The World," "Head Over Heels," "Mothers Talk," Songs From The Big Chair is just so inspiring to listen to.

Next Time...

I'll do better. Ha! I know I phoned it in this time. Sorry. At least I picked good clips to show you. But I'll have plenty to say about 1986 because The Beastie Boys! And Big Black! And my TWO FAVORITE Elvis Costello albums. And the actual debut of They Might Be Giants. And another classic from "Weird Al" Yankovic.

An Ear For An Era: 1983

All right, here it is. I'm going to see how this music of my birth year defines me as a person. From the timeless to the cheesy to the timelessly cheesy. Okay.

I was born in April of 1983. One album listed on Wikipedia as being released in "April 1983" was Minor Threat's only actual album Out of Step. I have a lot of love for this album. It exemplifies the greatness of Ian MacKaye's lyrics from the clarification of the title track (insisting that he doesn't care if you drink/smoke/etc he just doesn't happen to care for it) to the satire of the closing track "Cashing In." There's a bit more complexity to the music on this album, they started turning into something more. But still with the energy level that I love about them.

Minutemen sure doubled down on Double Nickels On The Dime. (DAMNIT I just saw it was released in 1984, not 1983. Someone needs to go through my music and correct all the dates! I'll still write about it here though because I listened to it in a slightly-incorrect context). This is all I have from them at the moment but I'd like to hear more. I kind of liken this album to a more stripped-down version of Gang of Four. The same rhythm attack is there in the bass and drums, but they were not trying to make you dance. It's thinking music. And it's 43 tracks long, so it's a commitment. It's got punk rock rage without being dumbed down and it's not afraid to slow it down. There's way too much going on for someone like me without more time to devote to it to give it justice, but just listen to "West Germany." I think it covers what I've said here. Unfortunately, people that put stuff on youtube are strange so I can't find just this track. Here's apparently the full album in youtube format. "West Germany" is probably around the 45 minute mark (or just listen to the whole thing, why not??).

Minutemen Double Nickels on the Dime

Latter era Ramones are a strange beast. Oddly enough, Subterranean Jungle is the first Ramones album I got because I gave vague instructions one year that I wanted Ramones albums for Christmas and this is what I got. Of course I knew the classic early hits so this wasn't my first exposure to them as a whole, but this album wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I listened to it quite a bit anyway though, and then didn't, so this album still takes me back to those days. It's more of a classic rock/pop album, not really trying to be punk amongst an era of great artists running with what they had kickstarted only 7 or so years earlier. But it really just feels out of touch, like a band of grandpas trying to fit in. Or dads I guess. At least on tracks like "Time Bomb" about how "I'm gonna break every rule" and "I'm not gonna stay in school." Fake rebellion that is not sold by the music or the vocal delivery. But I do enjoy the songs that play to their pop strengths, like this one.

Ramones, "My-My Kind of a Girl"

Kind of a timeless song on an otherwise cheesy/dated album. Now let's flip it.

Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones is crazy. And timeless. And one of the greatest albums ever recorded, really. It starts off with Waits screaming over a circus, includes allusions to everything he's done in the past (some spoken word content, some beautiful ballads, etc), but it's all so different. The music particularly. This is where he turns "unclassifiable" in my genre labels. Because what is this, aside from amazing? It's heartbreaking all over the place, but it's a rough-and-tumble ride through rage and such a high level of "cool" that only a few people in music have ever accomplished. Basically he could have farted into the microphone and it would have been amazing. This was ten years into an already incredible career, in the midst of an incredible string of albums, in a way that just makes everything he would do from now on "credible." And he ran with it, producing it himself, throwing everything at the wall, and all of it managed to stick.

Tom Waits "16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six"

The only full Daniel Johnston album I have is Yip/Jump Music. Super lo-fi bedroom recordings, simple songs with outrageously simple arrangements, but it's all just straight from the heart and it hits you in the heart in the most direct way that music can. He is such a great writer in the way he manages to distill it down to a few simple words.

Now we'll begin our drift from the timeless back to the dated, but this one is still timeless in a way that it doesn't matter that it sounds exactly like it's from the early 80s. I'm speaking of course about Talking Heads' Speaking in Tongues. Past their original era, past their work with Eno, they were now well-seasoned veterans of great composition. And I guess this is their most popular album because of "Burning Down The House." Which is a great house-burning track for sure. But I think "Girlfriend is Better" is a better single.

David Bowie also was getting very popular with Let's Dance, the title track of which was the #1 song in the UK on the day I was born. I used to like that track, but it's been overplayed which makes me realize that there's just not that much to the song. There are a couple other good songs on the album, but it's just not up there. And looking through what I have coming up, there's barely any Bowie I have from 1983 to 2001. I'm sure there's some good stuff I'm missing, but I think this marked the end of his great era of art rock dominance before some great comeback material he would later come back with.

New Order. "Blue Monday." One of the great house burners of the 80s and 80s revival nights and so 80s but so good. I've heard this song tons of times without getting sick of it. It comes from Power, Corruption & Lies, the only New Order album I actually own aside from their 2005 return. "Age of Consent" is a good opener, "Your Silent Face" is a good deep cut that you should listen to if you haven't, but "Blue Monday" is just one of those songs.

And now for the timelessly cheesy.

Whenever anyone tries to ask me my guilty pleasures, I have a hard time with that question. I don't think musical pleasures should be guilty. No matter what. But then I say something along the lines of "people might consider "Weird Al" Yankovic a guilty pleasure, but there's so much talent and intelligence there, and so many of my peers grew up on him that he's pretty universally loved." I don't know why that's in quotes, that's the first time I've expressed it exactly like that. But he's just great and his self-titled debut already has so much going on. It was my brother that had his self-titled tape on cassette, and the reason I got into Weird Al. We would listen to it a lot and laugh about the moaning/grunting guy that randomly popped up in "Another One Rides The Bus." And the wordplay of "Gotta Boogie." And playing "Happy Birthday" on people's birthdays. And thinking that "Stop Draggin' My Car Around" was an original and someone should reverse-parody it with "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (turned out that already did exist as a song that was being parodied by Al, of course). And this music video, oh this music video:

"Weird Al" Yankovic "I Love Rocky Road"

Rocky Road is one of my favorite ice cream flavors and now I'm not sure if that is because of this song or not. I just can't remember if it was the reason I first tried it, if it's the reason I repeatedly asked for it afterwards, or what. I'm sure it had some influence though. But marshmallow in chocolate ice cream is a brilliant idea.

Now the guy that probably could be considered a guilty pleasure if I'm being honest. 80s Billy Joel holds a significant place in my heart even though in my heart I know his 70s output has to be better. I think my parents probably just listened to An Innocent Man a lot and because it's so catchy it caught on with me as well. Once I was talking to Neil of The Lawrence Arms about Billy Joel, insisting this was his great achievement, but now I'm kind of embarrassed for saying that because his 70s stuff probably was his great achievement. Even from the perspective of accepting that everything he did was cheesy. But An Innocent Man is all songs I know from my childhood, and I know it's silly but "Uptown Girl!" (particularly thanks to the hippie episode of The Simpsons) and the a capella "For The Longest Time!" Even in college this was one of the albums I would put on before going out, listening to this song to get me excited about hanging out with a girl I had a crush on (nothing ever happened because I didn't "Tell Her About It").

Billy Joel "This Night"

So let's see what defines me based on my birth year. Creative, punk rock, artistic but simple, and not afraid to be silly and downright cheesy. Sounds about right.

Other commentary:

• Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" came up. It's a good rocker.
• Madonna's first single "Holiday" is a pretty good one there.
• I quite enjoyed "Radio Lover" by George Jones. A good story, gets country sad of course.
• "Every Sperm is Sacred," of course. Monty Python and whatnot.
• I don't have Sports, a purportedly great Huey Lewis & The News album according to some media (American Psycho). But according to Bender on Futurama, it didn't age well. All I had was "I Want a New Drug" which is entertaining enough and reminds me of more incoming Weird Al.
• Just a couple Prince singles for 1983, but both are great jams. "Delirious" and a dance remix of "Little Red Corvette."
• Berlin is a very dated sounding band but since Alkaline Trio and others covered them I developed an interest. I have the full album on vinyl, but all I've bothered with obtaining digitally are "The Metro" and "Sex (I'm A)," the latter of which is a pretty good entry into that whole clever sexy dance thing that got so popular in the revival of the early 2000s.
• Into to Pulp! So weird that Pulp was already up and going way back in 1983. They had a ways to go before they got to some of their later era genius though.
• For the moment Elvis Costello & The Attractions are pushed to this category. Punch the Clock is one of his lesser albums in my opinion. It's mostly all bombastic horn driven stuff and some more of that dated 80s sound. Of course there are some absolute classic greats on there. I quite enjoy "Charm School" and "Shipbuilding" is still one of his greatest ballads.
• Rick James' "Cold Blooded," later to be covered by ODB, is a great jam.
• What? They Might Be Giants AND Weird Al got going in 1983? The year I was born? No wonder I'm such a nerd! I never got as much into TMBG as I would have liked to (and I still hope to even though I'm now in my 30s) but some demos here are pretty good...
• Violent Femmes had some singles, "Ugly" and the brilliant "Gimme the Car." Wikipedia says the album I gushed about for 1982 was also actually from 1983 (April even!). Oops. I wonder how many of my dates are inaccurate, screwing this whole project up?
• I only had one hip hop jam for 1983! But it's yet another classic: "Renegades of Funk" by Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force.
• R.E.M. had their debut with Murmur. I need to give it more spins before I say much about it. But it probably signals some big step in alt rock that should be noted.

Next Time:

Big Brother is after you! Well I'm sure my 3-year-old big brother was super sweet on 1-year-old me, but watch out! 1984! Bruce Springsteen is back to being cheesy/bombastic, hip hop starts expanding with Fat Boys and Run-D.M.C., Husker Du is the classic punk rock band, a return of Leonard Cohen, The Pogues arrive, Purple Rain falls, Scratch Acid, The Smiths, and another Weird Al classic (I might have this at the end of every "Next Time" for a while since I look in alphabetical order and they were all classics in my eyes).

An Ear For An Era: 1979

That is going to do it for the 70s. That wasn't so bad, now was it?

Punk went postal, funk got poppier, pop got funkier, and I'm pretty sure a dance party with all 1979 music would be amazing.

Oh yeah, and something else has emerged. Something...else.

But we'll get to that in a minute. Let's talk about punk rock. I didn't realize how quickly things escalated here. I was aware that post punk was pretty much on the heels of the pop punk established by Ramones, but I didn't realize that hardcore punk was also champing at the bit at the same time. But here it was, the Dead Kennedys' early recordings. West Coast punk rock is here to burn everything up. To make The Ramones and Buzzcocks sound quaint. "California Uber Alles" was a single in 1979 and I also have some early live performances from the Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death compilation.  Here, a template is established that defines much of my high school music attention span and countless punk rock bands of the next 30 or so years.

The Dead Kennedys "Short Songs" (live)

The Cramps were also getting dirty and doing the horror-surf-punk thing so much better than The Misfits in my opinion. They epitomized this era of punk to me, just not caring about sounding polished, just banging their instruments together to create such energy...their cover of kindred spirits The Trashmen really stood out for me from their 1979 debut EP Gravest Hits.

The Cramps "Surfin' Bird"

So that was one side of punk rock that is really going to expand greatly as we get into the 80s. The other side was pushed forward by The Clash. Expansion, incorporation of ska, and oh yeah, the Most Important Album Of All Time. Right? London Calling was their masterpiece and I don't even know what to say here. I'm gonna blow it. It's all 3-5 star songs (I think the highest average rating for any album in my collection despite sprawling over 19 tracks). The ska part of this managed to make it more revolutionary than anything else, incorporating the Jamaican history of music and revolution into the revolutionary nature of punk in the late 70s, it just changed everything. This is what would be imitated for decades, get popular in the 90s in time for me to discover the ska punk genre at the peak time in my life (high school, feeling like an outcast) to show me what it means to rebel, to have something that drives that state of mind. When I finally discovered this album in particular it was a revelation. Everything else became irrelevant. Music follows an evolutionary path but this is such a high point that nothing has managed to effectively evolve from it (but I am looking forward to dissecting its kin on this very blog regardless). The energy, the words, the world it opened up, I know I've used this word a lot in this paragraph but it's what it is in the truest sense of the word (musically at least): Revolution.

The Clash "Revolution Rock"

Another band that did something very similar to The Clash but in its own unique was was Gang of Four. Their debut album Entertainment! establishes some other rhythmic identities that would be similarly imitated decades later. The main difference is the sparse arrangements. The funky rhythms though! There's actual skill and musicianship on the part of the drummer and bassist that was not particularly valued in punk rock at the time and it's pretty refreshing to have the energy, highly politicized lyrics and revolutionary spirit presented in such a groove.

Post-punk-but-soon-to-be-new-wave band The Cure made their debut with Boys Don't Cry in 1979 as well. It fits well with Gang of Four in that it's highly rhythmic (but much poppier) and has spare arrangements, particularly when contrasted with what the band would become in the 80s. Of course the title track was/is a giant hit among new wave fans, but the rest is pure post punk deconstruction.

David Bowie was back in 1979 to finish his "Berlin Trilogy" with Brian Eno with The Lodger. This album was very dark and very appropriate to listen to around Halloween time. I keep waiting for when Bowie becomes "difficult" but I'm not sure it's going to happen. Here he's dark but it's still easy to listen to.

David Bowie "Repetition"

Another artist with a fruitful relationship with Brian Eno was of course Talking Heads. Fear Of Music was their 1979 release. I have this one on vinyl and it's got a super cool texture on the sleeve. I missed out on More Songs About Buildings And Food (for which I apologize, I'm not sure how I neglected to pick it up every time I've been to record stores) so this is a giant leap from their debut. It's no longer just white people funk, it's got lots of different textures and rhythms and experiments. It retains the high level of energy and rhythm and benefits a lot from Eno's influence.

One more quick new wave hit! This is one that dominated my personal charts in the early aughts, mostly because they played it at all the cool dance clubs as a throwback smash. And I have memories of crazy nights centered on this particular jam.

B-52s "Rock Lobster"

I'm pretty sure that's the extent of the B-52s that will EVER appear on this blog. So I hope you enjoyed it.

Hey you know how I talked about The Clash and ska and such? I finally have some official Two Tone era ska! Just a couple songs from Madness. "My Girl" is a favorite mostly because Mike Park has a cover of it that I quite enjoy. I sang it in karaoke once on my birthday. And then this one, it's honest-to-goodness ska!

Madness "(They Call It) Madness"

Lots more ska coming your way soon!

Now let's talk about Elvis Costello & The Attractions, shall we? I'm pretty sure I'll have something to say about him in most years as we get through the 80s, into the 90s, etc. Armed Forces was his best album at the time of release. I know lots of fans consider it his best overall, but I have some others I prefer later down the line. But it establishes The Attractions as more than just a rockin' band to back up Elvis' great lyrics and singing. They are a force here, incorporating more intimately with Mr. Costello as a functional unit. And his writing hits a high point, showing a fearlessness, his vocals have that sneer that I always associate with him. Listen to this song, the "she'll be the one" part toward the end is one of my favorite sections of any Elvis Costello song, an early climax on the album, putting it on a high that carries through the album before exploding onto the closing track "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love & Understanding." You know that song is amazing but here's the song I tried to tell you to listen to in the last sentence but got off track. Here:

Elvis Costello & The Attractions "Big Boys"

Okay now's a good time as any to transition over to pop music. Now I'm not sure how it happened but I started warming up more and more to disco as this went on. I think a lot of it is due to the fact that I minimized how much is in my collection so I can't get sick of it. But some of these artists really stepped it up artistically as the decade wore on, and I also like this track because Feist did a cover of it and I really love her version. But here's the original:

Bee Gees "Love You Inside Out"

Okay now that's out of the way. Let's move on to the king of pop, who really asserted himself in 1979 with Off The Wall. Considered by many critics and snobs to be Michael Jackson's best album, I think I have to agree. Incorporating elements of disco and funk, along with some ballads, into a new signature sound that can be described simply as pop, this album is pure fire, front to back. The pop of the 80s, the one existing outside the world of new wave, is in full force from the opening track "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough." Of course that is the most well known song on that album and for a good reason. But there is absolutely no filler in this fire, it's a hot burning flame that is completely solid. My metaphors are starting to get confused. But Quincy & Michael struck gold...flaming gold...with this one. Of course all these fire metaphors mean I have to share this song.

Michael Jackson "Burn This Disco Out"

Of course where there's a king, there is also a Prince! The other king of pop in the same exact era! His  self-titled album was apparently his second one so it ain't no debut. But it's our debut here so that counts for something. Lots of similar sounds to Off The Wall but more diverse. I do like when he whips out the guitar for some rock & roll incorporated soul-funk-pop like on the song "Bambi." But I also think his best is yet to come at this point. Did you know that when you wikipedia "Prince" it returns some stupid entry about royalty? I say we petition wikipedia to make him the default entry for the word prince!

According to wikipedia, Prince opened for Rick James on tour around this time. Rick James was super awesome in 1979 pushing the funk train forward with songs like this.

Rick James "High On Your Love Suite: One Mo Hit (Of Your Love)"

You know what genre Rick James really influenced and continues to influence to this day? It was funny, it actually came up early in the shuffle but I had to end this entry on it. That's right, The Sugarhill Gang had a certain song that exploded in popularity and taught the masses about a brand new genre of music. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. I didn't realize how dirty this song was considering how relatively clean hip hop seemed to be in its early days. But yeah. Game changer. That means the framework for everything I have coming up for the rest of this journey has now been established. It's all just a matter of evolution from here.

The Sugarhill Gang, "Rapper's Delight"

Other blah blah worth something

• Sun Ra's Strange Celestial Road was interesting, a good moody driving record.
• I wasn't sure where to put Pink Floyd's The Wall so it's delegated to here. Sorry. I know it's epic and deserves many paragraphs.
• Delta 5's "Mind Your Own Business" was yet another post punk funky gem.
• Just a couple years after changing the world, the only Ramones track I have from 1979 is "Rock 'N' Roll High School," a nice novelty song to go with the novelty movie they were in.
• I didn't realize I was missing a crucial Devo album from my digital collection! "Secret Agent Man" is the only evidence I have that Duty Now For The Future exists. Big omission there.
• In high school I picked up the album I Am by Earth Wind & Fire because we played a couple of their songs in marching band (my marching band was better than your marching band). We played "In The Stone" from this album and it was super fun. The album itself reminds me of Off The Wall but without the benefit of Michael Jackson. "Boogie Wonderland" would go well on that theoretical 1979 dance party though.
• Joy Division was quickly evolving from raw punk rock to smoothed out post punk dance suites like "Transmission."

Next Time...

Like, totally, you know? Whatever! The 80s means new wave and hardcore punk and early hip hop and stuff. 1980 specifically means Afrika Bambaataa & Kurtis Blow, Bad Manners, English Beat, and The Specials, Exclamation marked albums like Sandinista! and Get Happy!!, more Cramps, more Dead Kennedys, Devo, Talking Heads, Joy Division, and the end of John Lennon. And more!!

An Ear For An Era: 1977

Now that's a turning point. For 1967 I got excited that that "element" would now be present, that I'd have something from the fringe/art/punk/whatever to look forward to with each year I'd listen to. Now in 1977 it is officially the focus. Those '7 years, huh? They seem to be significant. Like, if each decade were a story the '7 would be the climax leading to the denouement of the last couple years. Maybe each decade has a movement in music that reaches its creative prowess at 7 before it becomes commercialized and a bastardized "pop" version of itself (particularly in the early years of the next decade). Just think about '67, and then 1970. Now 1977. The start of new wave before it became lame. Does this make any sense?

I just don't want to screw this entry up. Punk rock turned my life around when I was in high school, it got me started on this journey, it gave me the necessary mindset of rebellion and fighting back and questioning everything, and it "began" here. I know I've been talking about a bunch of different bands in this blog that show the beginning of punk. I know there was already a Ramones album in 1976. But those were the spark and the fuse. This is the ignition. Everything else is going to the "also worth mentioning" section in this post.

Of course, the stuff I include as part of the punk movement will include new wave, post-punk, and whatever other associated styles I feel like including. Such as David Bowie.

Two Bowie albums in one year? You bet! And he's part of this. He worked with Iggy Pop, after all. He's an enigma really. Or just complicated. The first album in his "Berlin trilogy" with Brian Eno was Low, whose first half was full of short, fast songs. Just listen to this. It fits perfectly into 1977.

David Bowie "What In The World"

The second side of the album is a little more of what I would have expected from a Bowie/Eno collaboration with longer, slower, more instrumental songs. The next album in the Berlin Trilogy was "Heroes," one of the few times it is correct to put the name of an album in quotation marks. I think more artists should do that when an album shares its name with one of the songs. Or does he mean the other use of quotation marks, implying the "heroes" that we can be are not real heroes? "Heroes" is a great album though, everyone knows that song is one of his best. The rest of the album is quite great as well. It has a similar layout to Low in that the more song-oriented songs were at the front half with some experimental/instrumental/more-Eno-influenced tracks on the back end. "Sense of Doubt" is a very creepy track that would do well in a suspense movie.

So I feel like I am using the word "punk" way too much here but I don't know how else to go through this. But I'd just like to apologize for that. The godfather of punk Iggy Pop should have been right at home in 1977, because what his band had created was now exploding, but while The Stooges could have had a big payday (I'm sure they did when they finally did reunite recently) if they'd stuck together or got back together for this and played CBGB, instead he went solo, working with David Bowie, and exploring new territory. I think the only way the term "post punk" is valid is because it was what Iggy Pop did post punk. Because besides that, it really came up at the same exact time as punk. 1977 was the landmark year for both genres. But ok, Iggy Pop put out two solo albums in 1977. The Idiot was what I theoretically should like more because it's darker and more artsy. And I do quite like it. But I actually prefer Lust For Life, despite some misgivings about the title track. It's a fun song, it's good to dance to, but it's been played on too many commercials and is too repetitive and long for me to enjoy. But once you're past that song it's post-punk brilliance. His vocals have the same urgency as they did in the Stooges but the bed they ride on is all over the map, from ballads to rhythmic exercises.

Iggy Pop "Some Weird Sin"

And there was Elvis Costello's debut! My Aim Is True! And what a wonderful debut. Not much related to punk in sound, but in attitude and everywhere that matters it is pure and true. "Alison" remains one of my favorite songs of all time. Who can't relate to that one? But what I really love are the bonus tracks that came with the Rhino reissue. A bunch of old demos. I don't know of any other versions of some of these songs, such an early display of absolute brilliance from one of rock's best songwriters. Just him and a guitar. And poetry. Here is one of my favorites but before I "play it for you," let me also mention that when Elvis Costello was on Colbert a while back he was having voice issues and Colbert said he'd sing a song with him. Elvis challenged him with this song, such a rare deep cut, and Colbert knew all the words and nailed it. I didn't know there would be a way for me to like Colbert more, but then he pulled that off.

Elvis Costello "Cheap Reward"

Just remember you'll only be the boss so long as you pay my wage...

Another highly prolific artist is David Byrne and of course he got his start in a little band called the Talking Heads. Their debut, aptly titled Talking Heads: 77 is a very impressive debut. They are already so well established in their sound of African rhythms, funk, and yet something still very caucasian. I think I'll have more on them as we get into their catalog with Eno, but the first album already had the brilliant hit song (still persisting today) "Psycho Killer." But the song that closes the album is one of my favorites, as it keeps some of the funk rhythm but incorporates more of the CBGB rock influence and energy, perhaps as a preview of what the band would go on to accomplish.

Talking Heads "Pulled Up"

Does anyone else think Television singer Tom Verlaine sounds a lot like Gordon Gano? What? There are other amazing things about their debut album Marquee Moon? Such as EVERYTHING ABOUT IT? The sense of rhythm, the technical prowess of the entire band, it really is a direct influence of what would one day become math rock. The way the guitars interweave into an odd combination of driving the rhythm and disrupting it with noise, it also reminds me a lot of Joey Santiago's work in the Pixies. Here is a song that emphasizes that as well as the Gordon Gano-ness of the vocals (yes I do realize that Gano sounds like Verlaine and not the other way around).

Television "Friction"

When I picked up the Joy Division collection Substance 1977-1980 it was because I was a fan of their post-punk-ish/new-wave-ish songs like "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "Transmission." Stuff that was good to dance to. Because at the time I was big on stuff I could dance to. Don't judge. So even though I had my fully developed love of punk rock, I somehow wrote off and did not appreciate the early tracks included in the collection when they were really pretty much just a punk band. Listening again in the context of this project, I was shocked that I had given all these 1977 tracks two star ratings in itunes. Just kind of goes to show you that 1) context is huge and 2) itunes ratings are dangerous because they last until you hear the song again and change your mind, and a low rating may prevent you from hearing the song again for quite some time. So let me say that while this is rhythmic (so therefore post-punk?) it is raw as hell, punk as hell, and I gave this track a revised four star rating.

Joy Division "No Love Lost"

That's a good transition into the "real punk rock" as opposed to all the post-punk stuff. The Buzzcocks showed up briefly here with their single "Orgasm Addict." Maybe the fastest song yet encountered here. Or maybe it was Johnny Thunders' "Get Off The Phone."

And immediately after that came The Sex Pistols' Nevermind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols. I got this in high school, of course, and loved it for a while, but in the years since have come to regard it as overrated. Hugely important record, one of the most important ones leading up to another certain other record with "Nevermind" in its title (ahem), but not that great within the context of all this other stuff I've been talking about. Johnny Rotten was willing to sing in a, uh, rotten way, and they were revolutionary in the way they went out of their way to offend people, cashing in on the anger and frustrations of the lower class at the time (and they certainly lived the lifestyle as well, I'm not going to doubt that stories of their final American tour are any less shocking and mindblowing as they are made out to be). There was just better British punk rock at the time.

Yep, The Clash. The Only Band That Matters. One thing that annoys me is American versions of British albums. Particularly with this project. I was ready to talk about their self-titled album's "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" but that song didn't actually come out until 1978. I was all excited that ska-punk was as old as punk itself! But instead it's just nearly as old. Stupid American version of the album, being put out after their second album! Still, "London's Burning" could be considered a ska-punk song so still valid. Once I saw some punk band at a tiny bar and they covered "White Riot." Something was wrong with everyone else and they didn't seem to know the song. But I went crazy over it and got the mic in my face a few times for that one. Great memory. It's hard to believe this isn't the greatest Clash album, because it's one of the greatest albums and probably the best of all these 1977 albums I'm talking about. Not that I've heard the original British version...

And I'll close it out with the same band I closed it out with last time: The Ramones! Two 1977 albums. Leave Home is the first, and I'm a little less familiar with that one. I just got it actually. It all kind of blurs together. They were very true to their sound, to say the least.

Ramones "Pinhead"

Gabba Gabba 

We accept you 

We accept you 

One of us! 

They certainly were inclusive as well. A trait of punk rock that persisted and helped me feel accepted by something at last when I discovered it in high school. And then of course Rocket To Russia, the monster of a punk rock classic that includes so many anthems, goes over so easy, ends so fast, that you gotta just turn it up while it lasts. "Cretin Hop." "Rockaway Beach." "I Don't Care." "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker." "Teenage Lobotomy." To name a few.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR!

(you fill in the rest.)

Other Highlights Worth Mentioning Because Apparently Other Stuff Came Out Too:

• Dennis Wilson's only (official) solo album Pacific Ocean Blue was quite nice, a very different beast that I can't even try to associate with the punk movement. I think it kind of sounds like Bon Iver. Gorgeous.
• In contrast to most R&B of this time, Curtis Mayfield was still quite great on the album Short Eyes. 
• Kraftwerk! I can't say too much about Kraftwerk but Trans Europe Express is pretty great and is officially the first electronic album I've encountered here.
• My only actual Bob Marley album is Exodus. I can see that it is very good but the association with annoying people is too strong for me to want to listen to much.
• I have most of Billy Joel's The Stranger. Kind of a guilty pleasure but not as bad as his 80s work.
• The Bee Gees in full effect! "Stayin' Alive," one of the biggest hits in all of disco, both exemplifies everything that was wrong with popular music at the time and is one of the greatest dance songs of all time. I can hate disco and still love one of the biggest disco hits, right?
• I got a collection of Hall & Oates songs because it was cheap for a lot of songs. And then I realized I kind of hated most of them. But I still can enjoy "Rich Girl."
• There was a VERY brief overlap of the two Elvises! My last Elvis Presley song (except a 2002 remix) was "Way Down." Rest in Peace, king!
• And Queen...well I have some more from them coming up. But all I had for 1977 are their two biggest hits and two of my least favorite Queen songs. Of course, those are "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions."
• Speaking of Queen, The Queens Of Noise had THREE albums in 1977! I'm talking about The Runaways. It got a little tired to me after a while. They are best in smaller doses I think. But their level of rebellion, while a bit quaint next to the punk rock superheroes, was enjoyable and I can see it stirring the kids up.

On The Next Installment...

Punk/post-punk/etc: Blondie, lots more Buzzcocks, more The Clash, more Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe debuts (solo-ly), more Ramones, The 80s arrive early (The Cars! Devo!), a lost Dennis Wilson album, Marvin Gaye returns with an uncomfortably personal album, more of my favorite Queen songs, my last Rolling Stones album, Tom Waits is still great, Warren Zevon, and Willie Nelson does a standards album. Cool!