An Ear For An Era: 1982

And...we're back! 1982. The last year before me. The world would forever change (for me) in just one short year. So what kind of music was coming out? Lots of kinds at this point. Some great oddities, some of the biggest pop albums of all time, and some of my favorite albums of all time. It was a big year.

Let's start with the pop because my goodness was this album huge. I don't know if you've heard of Thriller, by young up-and-comer Michael Jackson, but it came out in 1982. I don't think much needs to be said about this. "The Girl is Mine" is pretty cheesy but besides that this album is just so full of gigantic pop anthems it's kind of ridiculous. "Thriller" is followed up immediately by "Beat It" and then "Billie Jean?" But it doesn't feel like it's all stuffed together because there are only 9 tracks and the hits just keep hitting? That's right, person with theoretical questions. That's right.

The king and the Prince. Both put out crazy big pop albums in 1982. Prince's 1999 is significant to me mostly because they played the crap out of that song on NYE 1998 and 1999 I think, both of those New Years Eves. But it's got other big awesome hits like "Little Red Corvette" and Prince's trademark sexiness in songs like "Let's Pretend We're Married."

How do I get from pop to punk? Billy Idol will do fine as a bridge here. His self-titled debut album is pretty hit-and-miss, but the hits are quite good. There's a certain musk to how he presents himself, it brings me back to my dancin' days of the early-to-mid aughts. Those 80s dance nights were a place to listen to "Dancing With Myself" and dance with a few people and show off the debauchery we were capable of, our flexibility, and whatnot. It was a big time for my social life and it was songs like this that made it happen (and people like Enoch; I miss you so much buddy!). As a wallflower, unable to talk to people I didn't already know, this is the music that allowed me to be social because I didn't have to talk.

Is this getting too personal? Too bad, pretty soon this blog is going to be focused on my personal experience with music instead of just a way to carry through the old stuff that happens to also tie me to a certain time/place in my life.

Punk continued to push forward on both coasts. I think I've already discussed how great the early 80s were for punk, but 1982 saw some big debuts and otherwise huge albums. There was The Vandals, whose EP Peace Thru Vandalism showed a band refusing to take itself seriously. Flipper brought all the attitude to punk rock but changed the approach by playing really slow/brooding songs. The Misfits used a lot of whoa-oh-ohs that would go on to be such an integral part of punk rock, and while I wasn't into them so much in high school I feel like if I had gotten this album back then it would have been pretty high in rotation. And then there was Bad Brains, one of the most ferocious punk bands when they played punk. Then one of the most soulful reggae bands to be heard outside of Jamaica when they played reggae. They played up that dichotomy in much more black-and-white terms than others that combined them.

The Clash blurred that line quite a bit with Combat Rock. Actually, they blurred it their whole career. I just figured this would make a good transition. I'm going to miss The Clash popping up here, because this is the last I'll be hearing from them. This is their poppiest album, their most successful financially, and includes such hits as "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" and "Rock The Casbah." Confession time: I never got this album until just a few years ago. I got to the point where I was embarrassed to pick it up because I didn't want people to know I didn't already own it. So I'm not as familiar with it as their other work, but I do like opener "Know Your Rights," and obviously I am a big fan of "Straight to Hell" (to later be sampled on a certain hugely successful M.I.A. song). That song and having a contribution from Allen Ginsberg keeps the cred here even if it sounds like they were starting to pursue that larger audience they were picking up. Still a worthy addition to The Clash's discography, and that's a pretty big compliment you can give an album.

And now we're really getting into the stuff that I have loved for years and years.

The Descendents' debut album (I just realized I missed their "Fat EP" here because I only have it on vinyl! D'oh!) Milo Goes to College might be my favorite punk rock album of all time. Or pop punk if that's the correct term. Back when pop punk wasn't an embarrassing term because all the "pop" meant was catchy. They sang about being kids. They perfectly encapsulated that time for me. I listened to some punk in high school but I wasn't a punk. I was just a "square going nowhere." They weren't afraid of singing about girls and even marriage in a genre that was mostly tough guys and political posturing. I got this album in my stocking one year for Christmas and I listened to it over and over again immediately that morning. Before this, I'd only heard their "new" stuff, Everything Sucks from 1996. This was so much rawer but so engaging...I don't think any initial listening of an album has stuck with me for so long, the experience of hearing these songs for the first time was ingrained into my being and this album will always be such a significant part of me. Every time I hear it, I'm taken back there, to those simpler times. I have to play the opening track because that's the first thing I heard that morning and even though I love all the tracks, this exemplifies the spirit: There's no reason for you to quit just because we try harder!

Descendents "Myage"

The Violent Femmes' self-titled debut is another one that, front to back, has always been a favorite. The lowest rated song on the album for me is "Blister in the Sun," their one big hit. It's okay. But when they really get going, when they express the personal so effectively through the combination of incredibly heartfelt lyrics and catchiness and a circus of sound coming out of a very simple setup (acoustic guitar, bass, a couple drums, maybe a xylophone or violin here and there) that builds and rises (and RISES AND RISES) and falls again, when all of it comes together, it hits you hard. Or me. I can't say what it does to you. I think next time I do karaoke, and if they have something besides "Blister in the Sun," I will have to sing some Violent Femmes. Here I 'd probably play "Confessions" or "Add it Up" to exemplify what I've described if I could, but I can't resist playing the closer. It shuts me down anytime I hear it, that's for sure. The circus isn't here but it's the prettiest ballad with some of my favorite lyrics ever: "laughing at the sunrise like he's been up all night." Everything that that implies, just puts me in a place that has been a long night that you didn't want to end and you're so tired...so simply put together in a few words.

Violent Femmes "Good Feeling"

Speaking of ballads, those are the reason that Imperial Bedroom is my third favorite Elvis Costello (and the Attractions) album. Actually 2nd favorite with the Attractions, because one of the other two is not an Attractions one. Where was I? Oh yeah, ballads. And Imperial Bedroom. The songs are just so personal and sad. With a couple strains of hope strung along throughout. The way "The Long Honeymoon" tells the tale of a wife freaking out about her husband being out late, the burdensome side of a line like "she never thought her love could ever be as strong as this" (on a bed of the most lovely piano playing by Steve Nieve) transitions into some brutal power chords and screaming that just jolts you into the song "Man Out of Time" that didn't really need that jolt, it's just a way to keep you on your toes (the song itself is again piano based, pretty light, just bookended by these power chords), taking you back down to "Almost Blue," another gorgeous soft ballad...it's a roller coaster but it's consistent. It goes like this for the full album. Lots of songs from women's perspectives, music that goes up and down (mostly down). It's a great showcase of Elvis' lyrics and Steve's virtuoso piano playing. (The Audrey Hepburn montage is just bonus).

Elvis Costello & The Attractions "Almost Blue"

Another rock artist that put out a ballady collection was Bruce Springsteen. I can't claim a huge personal connection to this, but do you know how often Nebraska comes up when interviewing bands about their influences? Half of indie rock was influenced by this album! This is the side of Bruce that justifies all the hoopla he gets for his rock songs. It's the heart. It's just not disguised by synths and distorted guitars and stadiums. Stories of real people's real lives. Stripped down Bruce is the way to go.

Hip hop (that which I have in my collection at least) continued to be something of a novelty, as exemplified by this track from that Third Unheard comp I've discussed in the past. Willie Brown & Woodie recorded a track called "Ventriloquist Rap," because Woodie is a puppet. Of course. Dang it, I can't find it on youtube. Ask me to play it for you sometime because it's something else. Afrika Bambaataa had some great jams with Soulsonic Force. "Looking For The Perfect Beat" is good enough that it's the title to the collection of singles that I have. But "Don't Stop...Planet Rock" is just the song I have to put here. I just have to. It's officially a party here for the next 6 1/2 minutes.

Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force "Don't Stop...Planet Rock"

Now for the weirder stuff.

I don't remember how I first discovered Carmel, a jazzy soul band with one of the most unique and beautiful voices I've heard. I do know that it's hard to find anything by them anywhere, so any song I can pick up I will. I have a cover of "Tracks of My Tears" which is a great way to experience the voice in a somewhat familiar context (it's jazzy but it's the Smokey Robinson song) but just as a showcase of what I'm talking about here's the other song I have of theirs from 1982.

Carmel "Storm"

My dad introduced me to art rock. It was my dad. I've talked about how he got me into Nilsson and Kristofferson, but that wasn't enough. He introduced me to really really weird music. Music that is now on display at MoMA. I saw the video there as an art installation! Us kids really liked it when Dad put on this tape. Of weird talking and wolf howling. Have you guessed yet? Laurie Anderson! Big Science! It made us laugh at times, it was terrifying at others (and sometimes the same time), and we couldn't get enough. "I no longer love the way you hold your pen...and pen...cil." "We are all going down...put your head in your hands, put your hands on your hips, haha..." I bet this makes no sense to you if you haven't heard this album. You should listen to it. I can't really do it justice. Here's a taste, but really, hear the whole thing. Preferably in a small truck with your siblings and your dad.

Laurie Anderson "Sweaters"

And of course if I played Laurie Anderson now I have to talk about her husband Lou Reed. You may have heard of him. When he passed away last year I wasn't sure if I should try to write about him on this blog. But I didn't think I had the perspective needed to do anything of importance; other tributes were written beautifully so I didn't have anything to contribute. So I just put a few words on Facebook, knowing I'd soon get to some more Lou Reed on this here project.  The Blue Mask is a very good Reed album. It was just weird trying to listen to it subjectively because it's the first time he's come up in this since then. The weirdest thing about this was that the last couple tracks on here are pretty death-obsessed. "The Day John Kennedy Died" and "Heavenly Arms." I remember looking for a fitting song to play after his death and couldn't find a suitable one from Berlin. But this will be a good way to say goodbye (not really goodbye though, I have some more stuff because he did a lot between 1982 and 2013).

Lou Reed, "Heavenly Arms"

Other things to say things about/Other things about which to say things:

• How about other random pop songs that everybody knows and loves? Maneater by Hall & Oates? And "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye?
• Or what about the quintessential 80s/new wave/whatever jams that, yes, everybody knows and loves? "Come on Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners, "Rio" by Duran Duran, and "She Blinded Me With Science" by Thomas Dolby. Is that enough of that?
• Speaking of Duran Duran, I also have the song "The Chauffer" thanks to the Greenberg soundtrack, and it is really something!
• Daniel Johnston put out some more greatness; I quite enjoy the song "Story of an Artist."
• Right now Sonic Youth will be in this miscellaneous category. The fact that they are part of the lexicon now changes everything, but I'll be writing about them a lot in the future. Their self-titled debut shows hints of what's to come but they weren't quite there yet. I like it but don't love it. It takes a bit more than an EP to change music forever.
• Queen fully embraced the 80s with Hot Space, a very poppy album from a band previously known for its emphasis on rock & roll and guitar solos. Lots of dance tunes here, including the always beloved "Under Pressure" featuring David Bowie. They do dance/pop well, it turns out.
• I'm not a big metalhead, but Iron Maiden's The Number of The Beast is very great. The title track is my go-to if I ever find myself in an air guitar solo competition. Love that solo.
• I didn't have a ton of two tone era ska from 1982 other than a Bad Manners album Forging Ahead (such an 80s sounding ska album!) and some Madness tracks including their big hit "Our House." It's good stuff.
• Remember that old Volkswagen commercial and that "Da Da Da" song? It's by a German band called Trio and that song came out in 1982. When the commercial was big my buddy really wanted the album that song came off of, and I ended up finding an import after much searching. There was a German version and an English version and the English version sounded goofy because I don't think they knew English that well. Anyway, it's the German version I have in my collection now.
• Always turn it up for a couple more Minor Threat songs. "12XU" is a cover but it's still one of my favorites.

Next Time...

The year that bore me! I'll totally remember picking up all these albums at the record store on release day from here on out because that's how with it I am. Ever since birth. Or not. But here's what's in store (alphabetical order). Billy Joel at his cheesy best, a full Daniel Johnston album, Bowie says Let's Dance! Duran Duran, Elvis Costello as usual, a Minor Threat album, Minutemen, New Order, Pulp (already??), R.E.M. (seriously??), Talking Heads Speak in Tongues, They Might Be Giants have some Early Stuff To Share Already, Tom Waits' crazy circus finally comes around in full with the brilliant Swordfishtrombones, and We Are Now Officially In The Era Of "Weird Al" Yankovic So Watch Out!

2013 in Music: An Outsider's Opinion

Is that title ok? Is it pretentious? I'd like to think not. I'm not saying I was above it all, I was just outside of it all. Doing this thing I've been doing on this blog I was much less invested in the music of this year than I have in years past. It will be funny when I finally reach 2013 in that other project, because the memory will be that I was focusing on older music at the time.

Not that I can consider myself a huge outsider. While I was less invested than usual, I still got a lot of music and tried to listen to it when it made sense to. In between years and whatnot. There was a lot of music I was looking forward to this year, and I couldn't just leave it alone. I just only have a few listens through of each of the albums I took seriously. And have less than the last few.

But yeah, anticipation. That has to be the theme of this year. Highly anticipated releases in some ways or others. Strange that many favorites were surprises.

I'm going to take a cue from last year and not try to rank anything. I'm just going to write about whatever I feel like sharing an opinion about. And the top top releases, I'll put stars in front of them showing my enthusiasm. But there were some overrated things I also want to write about. And other things I'm sure. Enjoy!

In Alphabetical Order Because I Am Serious About Not Ranking Things:

• ***Arcade Fire starts with an A! Early hype was "Arcade Fire is recording with James Murphy!!" Then there was the whole shrouded in mystery thing. And then a TV blitz. And it was just too much. Funny thing about this record. I love it in spite of all of that. I need to hear it more but I quite enjoy it. And I've complained in the past about them showing too much ambition, trying to make big statements and such (particularly on Neon Bible) when they were so young, and I so appreciated The Suburbs because they were taking a step back in that department. But here, they shot for the stars. And the results are fantastic. It takes a couple listens (honestly I didn't really like any of the songs the first time I heard any of them on their various TV appearances), but now songs like "Joan of Arc" and "Here Comes The Night Time" have pulled me in, and I discover more joy in this each time I put it on.
• ***Crooks On Tape just snuck up on me with their debut album Fingerprint. I've been a John Schmersal fan for a while now. After I discovered Brainiac in my early college years I was obsessed with his very own blend of delightful weirdness and undeniable catchiness. Enon became one of my "top 3" bands for the longest time past that, and they kind of mysteriously stopped doing things, and I tried to watch for any new Schmersal projects but didn't hear about anything. Until a week before this album dropped. It is almost everything I love about Enon! A wide variety, a respectable amount of experimentation and weirdness, and the catchiness. Oh, the catchiness. I have a new band to try to get my friends to love as much as I do!
• **David Bowie managed to make a giant comeback without much hype about it. I need to give it even more time than I did, but I do quite like all of the material from the original album, bonus tracks, and bonus EP. That James Murphy remix for "Love is Lost" on the bonus EP is epic and I don't take that word lightly. But it's everything you would want from a combination of Bowie and Murphy.
• *Deltron 3030 put out Event 2. Now there's a release with a buildup. The first album came out in 2000 and I first started hearing about the sequel being worked on in 2006. That means the time it was hyped for for me personally (I know the artists didn't spend all this time building it up, I just got very excited when I heard about it and kept trying to find more information) was longer than the time between the original release and the start of the hype. As the release date approached and I didn't hear much from Koala or Automator and I got less and less interested in Del's solo material, I started dreading this. I worried it would suck, my expectations dropped considerably, but I still knew I had to get it. And I was just relieved that it was good! I guess the critics didn't care enough about it when it came time to make year end lists, but damnit if Automator didn't create some more catchy beats here! And the David Cross/Amber Tamblyn skits are mildly entertaining even after quite a few listens. And all the guests bring it and Del brings it and nothing will ever meet that original Deltron album but this is a very worthy successor.
• *Elvis Costello working with The Roots? Do You Want More??! Get Happy! This one was an odd one, this Wise Up Ghost. Again, highly anticipated for me, as Elvis Costello is my #1 all time #1. And The Roots are The Roots! And for as restless as the chameleon Mr Costello is musically, it felt like he was treading water on the last couple albums. So ?uestlove was just the one to shake things up. Things never live up to expectations but still, this is a good shake up of some old Costello lyrics and new context and yet another dynamite ballad from the master, "Tripwire."
• ***Janelle Monae is The Electric Lady. She got considerably more popular this year, didn't she? That "alternative reality pop music" I spoke of a couple years ago may be coming to fruition. I don't know if this album quite measures up to The Archandroid in consistency, but its bangers are as hot as the bangers of its predecessor. It's just so damned front loaded. Hook 'em with the hook, hold 'em with the heartbreak and love ballads. She makes it work but I just preferred the ballads of old a little more. Might be the lack of commitment on my part though.
• Ok, everybody putting Yeezus on the top of their list makes me feel like this year was subpar or something. I was so excited for this after seeing him on Saturday Night Live, because it was (one of?) the biggest stars in pop music doing something abrasive and angry and anti-commercial and using his talent for good. But then I got the album and it just fell short for me. And the more I listened to it the more I wanted to just listen to Saul Willams' Trent Reznor produced album from a few years ago. Something with an actual message and not just bitching. Something with anger instead of hate. Something with the passion I thought I heard when I first heard those first couple songs.
• ****My Bloody Valentine killed it with their first album in forever (making it highly anticipated) and its surprise release (undercutting any building anticipation that would have formed). This cuts to my soul, man! Like Radiohead. And it beats "chillwave" at its own game by bringing a rock-oriented version of that atmosphere (that mbv had been integral in creating in the first place all those years ago). I don't know how to write about this but this might be #1 if I were keeping track.
• ***Not only do The National grow on me when I listen to an album over and over, but they grow on me with every album they release. The odd time signatures on this one, the chorus about being the television version of someone with a broken heart, I keep liking every album of theirs a bit more than its predecessor. Not sure if that's just me...
• ***And Okkervil River continues to be underrated forever as they just up and put out another masterpiece this year and nobody seems to remember it come year-end time. I mean, it's fine, I appreciate that I can see them at places like The Marquis instead of having to pay for The Fillmore.
• Another highly anticipated one was Talib Kweli's Prisoner of Conscious. When I first heard about it it seemed like it was going to be a very personal album for him, a grand statement that would push him to a new level. There were even a couple albums that came out before that, so I figured he was saving something for PoC. But then it just came out without fanfare and something about it just isn't what I hoped for.
• **Weird, this Yo La Tengo album doesn't have any songs over 10 minutes! Not even over 7 minutes! What we get is the usual YLT catchiness and diversity and they even sneak some of that feel-goodness that only they ever really accomplish for me, usually over the course of an epic long track. In this case it's over some short pop songs, but it still works.

I have less to say about these but still something:

• !!! THR!!!ER They have some good beats here, and this album served as the soundtrack to many runs this year very effectively. Highly energetic, singing about sweating, other catchiness. Pitchfork complained about the lack of huge builds and drops a la "Intensified" from their first album, and sure, those would have pushed this over the top, but this album shows a maturity and songwriting craft that was very conspicuously absent from their older material.
• Aceyalone's Leanin' On Slick was kind of a sequel to The Lonely Ones, one of my favorite random hip hop experiments. But this one felt like it should have come before The Lonely Ones, because it was less of a stretch from his "normal" material.
• Bilal. I wanted to love A Love Surreal but instead I merely like it. There's plenty to like on this record and he continues to be quite underrated.
• I like the idea of the Daft Punk album and it took me longer than it should have to get over "Get Lucky."
• Danny Brown...yeah I got it because it was cheap and I think I like it but I didn't have time to listen to it enough to form a strong opinion of it. Maybe it will be spoken of highly when the ol' EfaE catches up to 2013...
• Death Grips put out another free album in case people forgot about a true bombastic/abrasive/angry hip hop artist in the wake of Yeezus...
• The Ex & Brass Unbound. Enormous Door. What else can The Ex do these days? Bring in a brass band! It's a killer combination.
• How about that Justin Timberlake? Fun guy.
• Man or Astro-Man made a triumphant return as well this year! Defcon 5...4...3...2...1 is that same old band that's been consistently awesome with every release.
• Hey everyone! Neko Case is still amazing! Bonus points for the cover of the "other" Nico!
• of Montreal in a song format must leave less of an impression on me than their wild and crazy concepts, but I still like that they did what they did with this one.
• I dug that Phosphorescent one, it reminded me of what I like about Fleet Foxes.
• The Pixies have to have their name on something from this century, and something without Kim. I kind of dig that "Indie Cindy" song but for the most part this new EP sounds just like a Frank Black solo album. But what else are they supposed to sound like at this point? 
• Run The Jewels. El-P and Killer Mike just having a good time. Yes please.
• I feel like She & Him have reached a new level of confidence and swagger with Volume 3. I like it.

I admit I missed the boat on...

• Savages. That was on my list all year and I never did get it. I know, it was the best.
• Vampire Weekend. I'm ok with Pitchfork calling it album of the year if only because I'm sick of seeing Kanye top every list. I used to have something against them but I think I'd actually like their new material now.
• Where CHVRCHES as great as people have been saying?
• Disclosure?
• Who are all these young whippersnappers?

I'll be back in a bit with something older than me.

An Ear For An Era: 1981

Put in some grand statement here later. 1981 is the year my brother comes from. And more punk and other stuff that was decidedly not punk. Is that good enough? I think so...

In high school I was obsessed with Minor Threat. I even did the straight edge thing when it didn't matter (i.e. when I wasn't 21 yet). I judged people that drank underage. So when I was getting into punk rock and discovered Minor Threat they became my favorite hardcore band. They had two EPs in 1981, both very solid. There was a self titled one and In My Eyes. This coming up early on in the rotation was very energizing and brought me right back there. In My Eyes has two of their classic songs "In My Eyes" and "Out of Step (With the World)" but the self titled debut is front-to-back hardcore brilliance. I admit that it's weird for me to separate these out because I know it as the "Complete Discography" album and I always listened to the full thing, but the tracks that ran through as I listened to just the first release they ever had were full throttle, 8 songs in 9 minutes, and it all begins here:

Minor Threat "Filler"

So that was the DC scene. Let's go to the west coast. I finally got to catch up with Black Flag, who I know went back to punk's beginnings, but the earliest material I had available was Damaged. I hate that I keep saying classic but that's what this is (Kill yr idols!). More music to throw yourself around the room to. This video is one I saw back in those high school days on a show called Punk TV that aired late at night. It's so dated but it's so enjoyable...

Black Flag "TV Party"

The Cramps' second album already kind of had them slowing down. Psychedelic Jungle just kind of went by. There was stuff on the album I quite enjoyed but it was more in a slow, brooding way as opposed to the unhinged nature of their early stuff. Kind of like when The Stooges went slow. But someone else took over in most evil sounding group in punk. Or post punk or whatever. I'm talking about Nick Cave's early group The Birthday Party. Prayers on Fire shows the darkest side of Cave, before he developed his cool. Here is a song where he sounds like Zorak, the music sounds vaguely jazzy, but entirely straight from Hell. Maybe this was my favorite album of 1981?

The Birthday Party "Nick The Stripper"

Because I have no better place to put this, AC/DC! Is this my first actual metal I've covered here? Yes besides a couple mentions of Judas Priest and Ozzy. For Those About To Rock We Salute You is the only AC/DC album I own, so I'll just talk about what I like about them. The drums. The beat. It sounds classic. Like it's from another era in another dimension. It doesn't seem like typical metal drumming to me. The guitars are metal, the drums are some sort of alternate classic rock. The vocals bring them together.

And now new wave because why not. Depeche Mode's Speak & Spell is so much poppier than the Depeche Mode I typically associate with the name (and I like to call them The 'Peche). Did you know Violator came out way in 1989? We won't get to that for a bit. But this is when they were one of those new wave bands cashing in more on dance beats than darkness. I can't resist the catchiness of the popular "Just Can't Get Enough" and this one:

Depeche Mode "Boys Say Go!"

The poppy new wave group of choice for me for 1981 is definitely Soft Cell. In the early aughts when I was all into electroclash and dancing and such, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret was my go-to record for dance mixes and getting excited to go out and requests. Sure, the "Tainted Love" cover is popular enough to call them a one hit wonder, but there's so much great sleaze to this album, it's enticing and sexy and danceable in all the best ways. I've long wanted to create a mashup of Franz Ferdinand's "The Dark of the Matinee" and this song for a sexy jaunt in the cinema:

Soft Cell "Seedy Films"

How about hip hop? If the day comes that I have a child, and that child one day goes to school, I might have to play the Connecticut hip hop novelty gem for them "Get Up And Go To School" by Pookey Blow from that Third Unheard compilation I mentioned last time. Unfortunately that song is not on youtube. But Afrika Bambaataa & The Jazzy 5 kept reminding me of Jurassic 5 (I'm guessing Jurassic 5 was aimed partially at reminding people of The Jazzy 5) with this song. Fine, we'll do an actual great song!

Afrika Bambaataa & The Jazzy 5 "Jazzy Sensation"

I don't have a lot of ska from 1981, but I have one of my favorite 2-Tone era songs, which was released only as a single. It's been in some movies (Shaun of the Dead used it quite well) and can put me in certain movie moods, but it's still such a great stand-alone song that I have to share.

The Specials "Ghost Town"

And now we have to talk about Elvis Costello. He put out two albums in 1981. First was Trust, a favorite of many but one of my less favored in his overall library. Something about the cover with the sunglasses, the beats used, it seems like he's just trying to be cool in 1981. It feels more dated than the rest of his material. It still has some great songs and I feel like I need to give it more spins to fully appreciate it. I always love the ballads. Particularly "Different Finger." But there was another album: "WARNING: this album contains country & western music and may cause offence to narrow minded listeners." Almost Blue was his country covers album. And kind of like My Aim Is True, I kind of preferred the bonus disc. This bonus disc had 27 tracks. Apparently he recorded a lot of country covers (ok some of these are live performances, some are countrified versions of songs he would later release in a different style, and some tracks appear multiple times in different versions). One of my favorite Costello songs is "Stranger In The House," an original country tune that has appeared on several bonus discs of his tracks from earlier in his career and never on a proper LP. But what I tend to like about cover albums and/or genre-concept albums like this is what it opens up in future released by the artist. This is the predecessor for my favorite Elvis Costello album King of America (coming in 1986!), and it also paves the way quite heavily to his next album of original material Imperial Bedroom (which is another favorite). I think I just like him doing ballads, and covering all these sad country songs sparked the same piece of the songwriter that had originally written "Stranger In The House" in the mid 70s. So...good ballads coming up thanks to Almost Blue (which is also the name of one of my favorite ballads by him, coming up on Imperial Bedroom).

Elvis Costello "A Good Year For The Roses"

Some other great country was coming out. I'm not sure what the deal was with country around this time. But the outlaws were chuggin' away makin' great tunes. George Jones had "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)" and Emmylou had this heartbreaking (big surprise!) "Colors of Your Heart," which does not seem to be on youtube.

Also to Say...

• Bob & Doug McKenzie's album The Great White North was from this year. I just have a couple tracks from it. But those dudes're funny.
• The first stuff I have from Daniel Johnston from the Welcome to My World compilation popped up. "Living Life" is a great track but I know even better is on its way.
• Yep, cheesy pop was a very big thing. This year brings us "Endless Love" by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie, such Hall & Oates gems as "You Make My Dreams Come True" and "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)," Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," Phil Collins' great "In The Air Tonight," 
• Just the year after Lennon passed, George Harrison released "All Those Years Ago." Ah, memories...soon I will reach a time in this of where I had memories.
• One of my favorite 80s pop/new wave/whatever songs is "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League. Good show.
• Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' I Love Rock & Roll means we are close to Weird Al's infiltration of this blog. I for one welcome it. Also this album is quite enjoyable.
• The great Freddie Mercury-David Bowie duet "Under Pressure" by Queen was released as a single. I might talk about it more when I get to the album next year, but for now...remember how great this song is???
• The Ramones kept doing what they'd been doing. I don't have the album Pleasant Dreams but I have the track "The KKK Took My Baby Away," a classic despite coming out all the way in the 80s.
• "Super Freak."
• "Start Me Up."
• Rush! Classic year for Rush. "Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight." If I felt like looking up what album this was from I'm sure it's one I'd enjoy quite a bit.

Next Time...

More great Afrikaa Bambaataa! More great punk (Bad Brains are introduced! So are The Descendents The Best Pop Punk Band Of All Time! And Flipper and The Misfits and The Vandals and More great Clash for maybe the last time with Combat Rock! )! Some more ska (Bad Manners! Madness has their biggest hit!), 80s goodness from Billy Idol, Bruce Springsteen (Nebraska, his best album??), another early favorite Elvis Costello Album, MAIDEN, Art from Laurie Anderson and a certain young band calling itself Sonic Youth, a belated farewell to Lou Reed (thanks to his classic The Blue Mask), and holy crap indie rock is a thing because The Violent Femmes are now a thing with an album.

And pop classics 1999 and...Thriller. 

The last year before I existed.

But before all that I'm going to take a break here for December. I'm going to attempt to make sense of 2013 and come up with a list of what was good and stuff so December 2013 is dedicated to 2013. I'll make a post about that but AEFAE will see you in 2014 for 1982 if that makes sense. 1982 looks enticing though.

An Ear For An Era: 1980

Hey it's the decade that made me! And lots of people. And lots of odd choices.

1980 specifically though, had some hardcore punk rock, some innovative uses of different genres by punk rock outsiders (including much ska from the UK), more super fun party rap, and some cheesy stuff by lots of people.

So let's go in that order.

The Cramps' first actual album Songs The Lord Taught Us is such a great introduction to not giving a damn. Sloppy, ugly, and yet fun and original and pure energy. Zombie Dance, I'm Cramped, Sunglasses After Dark, I Was A Teenage Werewolf, it's all just like lightning. Lightning that zapped a corpse, reanimating it. And continued to zap it, making it dance. Zapping at its feet. You know?

Dead Kennedys on the other hand did give a damn. They gave a lot of a damn. Their actual debut album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is one of the most fiercely political, satirical, pissed off albums I own. In high school a guy that was oh so punk rock had a Dead Kennedys jacket he wore all the time and that was around the time I got into punk rock. This was an intimidating introduction to the real stuff. Singing about killing children? Ok that one is obviously satirical, playing on parents' fears of these punk rock fiends, but lynching the landlord and chemical warfare? There is some real anger in here and a lot of information about where said anger comes from.

Dead Kennedys "When Ya Get Drafted"

Other great punk bands had songs that I only have one song from. One of my favorites is Stiff Little Fingers' "Tin Solders," a song later covered by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. This era is going to prove to be hugely influential on mid 90s punk, of course. I also got excited to get my first song by The Ex, a super amazing Dutch punk band that has been evolving since then and still blows my mind with every passing release. They were pretty standard punk rock back in 1980, but were already showing their restlessness with the limitations that they would soon destroy.

The Ex "The Sky Is Blue Again"

Now time to kind of detour into post punk. Joy Division was really starting to get interesting and then Ian Curtis died. This is going to be a theme here. Great bands that showed endless promise get cut short by a tragedy. The only album of theirs I have (other than the singles collection) is Closer. The world may associate the band with the oft-covered "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (not of this album but of this year) but something about the driving beat of this song really gets me going, the emptiness created by the echo, it's everything the good side of the 80s comes from. Rest in peace Mr. Curtis.

Joy Division "Twenty Four Hours"

Am I going to post a video for everything? Not sure yet. Either that or I just mention my favorite or most noteworthy track off each album I talk about here.

How about The Clash?? Sandinista! is quite the undertaking. It just keeps going! And it goes dub on several occasions! Part of me agrees with some of the critics of that time saying it would have made for a great single-disc album. But no, they had to go triple! Of course my favorite tracks are the more classically Clash sounding ones (the ska punk of London Calling, the few straightforward punk rock tracks). I applaud their ambition, and the ambition of anyone who sits down and listens to this whole thing front to back. Check out "Washington Bullets" for a great political song in the vein of London Calling or "Police on My Back" for the most early Clash sounding song. Oh whatever, I'm going to post that one. It was quite invigorating when it came up because I'd gotten exhausted (it's right at the halfway point in the experience) and it's a shot of energy and catchiness and not dub.

The Clash "Police On My Back"

Not quite as ambitious but still ambitious was Elvis Costello & The Attractions' Get Happy!! 20 tracks that were all jammed to fit on one single record! Lots of songs under 2 minutes but he didn't go in the direction of punk rock (that would have been quite interesting). It was more influenced by the 60s and soul and the simplicity of Buddy Holly and yet lots of diversity. "Motel Matches" is the most ballady song and probably my favorite. "New Amsterdam" introduces one of my favorite styles of Elvis Costello song (a certain type of folky one he would revisit on King of America). "Human Touch" is ska.

Speaking of Elvis Costello and ska, did you know he produced the The Specials' self-titled debut? Did you know I had it labeled as 1980 but it seemed to have come out in 1980? Damnit!  This is the big one  when it comes to the two tone era. It epitomizes the unity and the black and white checkers and has tons of classic tracks. But I missed my chance to talk about it (that's how this works, right?). I only have one song from the 1980 follow-up More Specials, but I like it a lot. It's a cover of an old song but I always want to play it at parties.

The Specials "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)"

What other ska was there, you ask? Well, one of my favorite ska records is The English Beat's I Just Can't Stop It. It's very 80s. It's a mix of different styles of ska and covers lots of other influences like rock & roll and soul. It's almost as much a new wave record as it is a ska record. Covers of songs like "Tears of a Clown" and "Can't Get Used to Losing You" bring in the soul in a way that makes it so intimate and then "Ranking Full Stop" is a full on party song.

I saw The English Beat live in concert once as an 80s throwback lineup with A Flock of Seagulls and Devo. This is about Devo, not A Flock of Seagulls. I think I overlook Freedom of Choice because of the overplayed curse that is "Whip It." Aside from that song it's a really great album, one of their best even. And anything for a chance to post another Devo music video!

Devo "Freedom of Choice"

Now let's change to hip hop a bit. Just for a quick paragraph. After this blog series' introduction to the genre last time with "Rapper's Delight" we already have a bit of an explosion. I've long had Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks" as a representative old hip hop song in my collection. It used to bore me because of how long and repetitive it was. But in context with this other stuff it's more enjoyable. Afrika Bambaataa Nation funk it up very awesomely on "Zulu Nation Throwdown," and I'll probably have more on Afrika Bambaataa soon. But surprisingly (?) my favorite 1980 hip hop came from a collection called The Third Unheard: Connecticut Hip Hop 1979-1983. They were apparently partying pretty hard in Connecticut and making their own hip hop innovations. Rappermatical 5 had a great jam called "Party People," The Outlaw Four had a pretty silly song called "Million Dollar Legs," and someone named Mr. Magic had this super awesome party time song. Listening to it I can kind of picture the role of the MC...he's not the star here, he's letting the DJ do his thing for this mostly instrumental track, and peppering it with some rhymes.

Mr. Magic "Potential 1980"

Now to the kinda cheesy part of things. Not that hip hop wasn't cheesy. But for a while there I was listening to all this stuff wondering if 1980 was the cheesiest year for music. One Queen album wasn't particularly cheesy but I don't know where else to put it. The Game is one of their better albums with classics like "Another One Bites The Dust," "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," and the title track. But they also had another album from 1980: The Flash Gordon soundtrack! It includes lots of little snippets of dialog from the movie and it seems to be such a splendidly campy affair. And the electric guitar playing the wedding march is just so inspired and cheesy I hope someone I know someday walks down the aisle to that song. At least a grocery aisle. I hope they play that song at the grocery store.

But for real, 1980 was full of cheesy cheese by people like Diana Ross ("I'm Coming Out"), Leon Huff (Here to Create Music is a super 80s sounding soul album...it's pretty good but pretty cheesy too), Hall & Oates (enough said), Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (I really miss late 60s Roberta Flack), and surprisingly enough John Lennon. Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm just comparing 1980 John Lennon to early 70s John Lennon. Or even the Beatle. My opinion may be skewed because this is the last I have before he died, but this cheesiness comes more from him being happy with his life, at peace, or that's what I like to imagine. He was killed way before his time was up, but the songs I have of his from 1980 all kind of show him at peace. A love song for his kid, for crying out loud. But he really spells it out in this song and I think it's the perfect last word from him (except some posthumous stuff came out in 1984 and then those "new" Beatles songs in the 90s).

"I just had to let it go..."

John Lennon "Watching The Wheels"

Etc stuff:

• Bowie was still being awesome. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) is a good harder rockin' side of the chameleon.
• Emmylou Harris' Roses in the Snow shows that she was still in her prime, and includes a nice cover of Simon & Garfunkel and a song with Johnny Cash.
• Judas Priest made their way into the rotation with "Breaking The Law." I don't have to tell you how awesome it was when that came up.
• I may have been sorely missing Black Sabbath as I went through the 70s but this is the 80s so now we've got solo Ozzy and the jam "Crazy Train." That's almost as good, right?
• What I like about The Romantics' "What I Like About You" is how well it captures the 60s in the 80s. I used to think it was an old Kinks song!
• Even Rush was getting into the ska thing as there was a brief ska section in "The Spirit of Radio." Talk about undercover s.k.a.!
• Only one Tom Waits song off Heartattack And Vine. But "Jersey Girl" is a very lovely song.
• Apparently a highly influential year on Skankin' Pickle as well. Their final album (not out until the 90s, don't worry) was half cover songs and many of them were from this year: Bad Manners' "Special Brew," Devo's "Gates of Steel," Oingo Boingo's "Violent Love." Those would all have been good choices of songs to play.
• I forgot to put Talking Heads in here! Remain In Light is the album with their signature song (as far as I'm concerned) "Once in a Lifetime." 

On The Next Installment Time Following This...

Reagan means rock & roll got better...thanks Reagan! For what it's worth! Angry music rules 1981 (AC/DC, The Birthday Party, Black Flag, The Cramps, Minor Threat, ), and more hip hop (Afrika Bambaataa continues, "Cuzz Band" and others from that Connecticut compilation keep it going in CT), New Wave is obviously just getting warmed up (Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The Human League), Elvis Costello goes country, and cool indie outsider Daniel Johnston gets started.

But before I get to that it'll be a while. I just procured the complete (Freddy Mercury era) Queen discography and I have some backlog to listen through (i.e. pretty much everything they recorded in the 70s). So you might not hear from me in a while. Cheers! And thanks Andrew!

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: 1978

You're going to have to bear with me. I usually try to write these as quickly as I can after I finish listening to something, so I remember the thoughts I had, what I'd wanted to write, etc. But in this case I was trying to get done before a vacation, successfully finished listening to 1978 the night before, but had to pack and such and could not find time during the vacation to write it out. You know, I was busy exploring castles and cliffs, visiting whiskey distilleries and seeing the beauty of the world in general. Ireland is beautiful. I hope I can remember enough to make this a good write-up for you.

1978 was the year my older sister came from. It also featured music. A continuation of 1977 really, with expanding landscapes of punk and new wave and crappy rock and disco as well. I would also like to mention that to this point I have been including videos that are usually fan-created photo montages or whatever to the songs. Music videos were a thing now though, and the majority of the videos I've posted in this entry are actual music videos. So enjoy those!

We'll start with the fairly corporate. I didn't like Queen's (singles) output of 1977 but 1978 had three of my favorite songs of theirs. "Don't Stop Me Now" used to get me pumped up (I'd listen to it before going out when in college. Vinyl.) and then was used in Shaun of the Dead to great effect so now it makes me visualize that scene. "Bicycle Race" is my historical favorite Queen song. "Fat Bottomed Girls" is the companion piece to that.

I think this is the end of the line (for this project) for the Rolling Stones.  Some Girls was a decent album, I quite like "Beast of Burden" and "Lies." But I always just kind of think of this album as the one with "Miss You," their attempt at disco.

So while corporate rock dinosaurs were resorting to cheap ploys at relevance like disco songs, the exciting, envelope-pushing new bands like Blondie were innovating with their use of disparate genres like disco. But before I get to that, they had TWO albums out this year. Plastic Letters kind of makes me think of how much fun it would have been to see them in these days at CBGB. Deborah Harry bringing tons of attitude, the band going all over the place with jazz tunes and punk rock. And then Parallel Lines just took it further. The classic pop stylings, robotic rhythms, and yes, disco, that the band is best known for.  And a Buddy Holly cover! I like this album a lot. Here is of one of my favorite styles Blondie did, the sunny pop song.

Blondie "Picture This"

And of course I have to move on to the other big CBGB band, The Ramones. Road to Ruin is kind of their last "classic" album. After this I have a lesser album from 1983 and some various singles (and a live show from '95). They continued their blitz with fast hard songs, including the hit "I Wanna Be Sedated" but some of the songs remind me of that Blondie track above. A little bit slower, while keeping the trademark catchiness they so owned. Here is probably the most blatant version of that. I wonder if the punks were as pissed about this as they were about "Heart of Glass."

Ramones "Needles and Pins"

You know what punk band wasn't slowing down: Buzzcocks! I have Operators Manual, a collection of early singles, and the bulk of it is from 1978. Of all the 1978 examples I have, I feel like the Buzzcocks were the most like the coming-up-generation-of-punk, the focus on playing short fast songs. But the way they did it was still catchy like the Ramones. I get songs like "Noise Annoys," "What Do I Get," "Ever Fallen In Love," and "Fast Cars" stuck in my head all the time.

And The Greatest Punk Band Scratch That The Greatest Band The Clash had an album too, the somewhat unsung Give 'Em Enough Rope. It gets overlooked for not being their debut or their greatest album (London Calling) or their most experimental (Sandinista!) or their most popular (Combat Rock). But I kind of like that about this one. It's got the same energy level as their debut, is still primarily focused on punk over experiments, but it has just enough of that special edge to be interesting. It's the album that sounds like The Clash but has not been overplayed (by me at least).

OK how about new wave though? Devo made their debut with Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Now this is punk. Completely outside the realm of what rock and roll should be expected to do, yet it's rocking. More of those robot rhythms. Completely deconstructing a rock & roll classic ("(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"), turning everything into machines including the act of prayer. The idea of this band was de-evolution. In that mindset this is the band at its most evolved. And it has to be their best album (we'll see if I take that back next time they come up here!). I've heard people talk about "nerd rock," and crediting Buddy Holly with starting that. I don't think that's accurate. Buddy Holly was super cool, he just wore glasses. Devo gave the nerds something they could understand. In a way that I think had been overlooked by the rock & roll machine up until now. The middle track is the most quintessential Devo song, the most rhythmic, and the one that includes the album title. Please note that the version below is not the one from the album (it's much slower) but this video is so amazing I have to share it. Devo was also streets ahead in regards to music videos.

Devo "Jocko Homo"

You know who else was nerdy? They Might Be Giants. Of course, they weren't around quite yet but The Residents probably were an influence on them...

The Residents "Constantinople"

Elvis Costello is still my favorite artist. Not too nerdy despite the glasses. This year he put out This Year's Model, which showed a shift towards more fast-and-loose rock and roll. The Attractions probably had a lot to do with that. But classics like "Pump It Up" and "Radio Radio" kind of define this early era of his career and they are just full of energy and spit. I also have the live album Live At The El Mocambo, which was a recent release BUT it's a performance from 1978 so I include it here. I mention that because it demonstrates the power of Elvis Costello & The Attractions as a force of nature, rolling through tracks with reckless abandon. I'm not sure if this live video is specifically The El Mocambo but it has the same energy.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions "Lipstick Vogue" (Live)

I feel a little bad for Nick Lowe. Sure, he's great and has continued his music career to this day so he has to be doing just fine, but I always just think of him as the lesser version of Elvis Costello. He produced a bunch of his records, he wrote "Peace Love & Understanding," and he put out new wavy records not too different from those of Elvis Costello's. They just don't hit the same highs for me. Jesus of Cool comes the closest though. He went a somewhat more pop route (the American title for this record was Pure Pop For Now People, which I think is an appropriate title), while undercutting everything with a cynical edge.

I don't know where else to talk about Tom Waits. Blue Valentine is yet another step toward his more experimental side, but it could still be considered part of the early period of his career. Dominated by the same coolness, jazz, and his distinctive vocals that continue to work toward what we now know. "Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis" is odd in that I have it on my Christmas music playlist but the song really has nothing to do with Christmas. Just a sad tale. I have one song from his 1980 album Heartattack and Vine and then my next Tom Waits album is Swordfishtrombones so...this is going to be the most "normal" he'll be. Next time I write about him it'll be absolutely gushing though.

Is that good enough? I think so.

Other stuff to say something about:

• I like "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty because of The Simpsons.
• Rick James, dude! I dig the song "You And I."
• I have but one early track by The Mekons, who are still going strong. This was when they were still straightforward punk..."Never Been In A Riot"
• Journey served as a fascinating way to see the terribleness that was going on in the mainstream at this time. Why do I keep it on my hard drive though?
• Willie Nelson put his trademark style on standards with the quite enjoyable Stardust.
• Marvin Gaye started emo? Maybe not, but Here My Dear is definitely a precursor to the oversharing overpresent in that genre. Unsurprisingly my favorite parts of the album are the less personal parts, such as "A Funky Space Reincarnation," which is a cool take on Mothership-style funk.
• The Cars' self-titled album to me felt like the start of the 80s. I associate them so closely with the 80s that it was weird hearing them come up, even though I also associate Devo with the 80s. The beginning of the (long drawn out) end for new wave?
• Warren Zevon's Excitable Boy is a good enjoyable album.

On The Next Installment...

The end of the 70s as we know it! I will have made it! What treasures do the rest of the 70s hold for me? How about London Calling?? Yeah. What else could I possibly need? Maybe The Cure?? The Cramps? Dead Kennedys (already!?)? Armed Forces is one of those consensus-favorite Elvis Costello albums so I'll have words about that one. Gang of Four! Michael Jackson's Off The Wall!?! And Pink Floyd's The Wall?? Weird I didn't know those were the same year! And Prince! And Talking Heads' Fear of Music. Lots of giant albums to look forward to here. Mostly London Calling though.