Tag: The 1980’s
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Billy Idol ‘Rebel Yell’ (1983)
There’s nothing like Billy Idol’s vocals on Rebel Yell‘s title track. It’s what got me into Idol in the first place. It’s a perfect new wave punk song. Idol’s manic and uncontrolled primal energy, the undeniably hooky guitar lead line, how the overdriven guitars punch through in the chorus, the absolute shredfest of a solo.…
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Bruce Hornsby and The Range ‘The Way It Is’ (1986)
Bruce Hornsby is one of my favorite piano players of all-time. Everything he plays has this undeniable quality of sentimentality. It’s in his melancholic chord choices, his delicate phrasing, and the glistening tone of his piano. It’s perfect. Hearing Hornsby play I always get a feeling of homesick longing. It’s a feeling of missing something…
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Whitney Houston ‘Whitney Houston’ (1985)
As I’ve mentioned before there are only two singers in the GOAT conversation for me– Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston. They are two different types of singers (you can read our recap of Aretha’s 1972 album Young, Gifted and Black to understand why her soulful delivery is so damn special) but from a technical perspective…
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Tracy Chapman ‘Tracy Chapman’ (1988)
Tracy Chapman began 1987 busking on the streets of Boston. She ended 1989 with three Grammy wins, a multi-platinum record, and over one million records sold in the first two weeks of this album’s release. It’s an incredible story, and one that set the stage for the singer-songwriter revolution that swarmed the United States during…
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The Cure ‘Disintegration’ (1989)
Epic. Grandiose. Expansive. Just a handful of words to describe The Cure’s 1989 magnum opus Disintegration. This was the album that returned The Cure to their goth-rock roots, and what a gloriously incredible return it was. One of my favorite albums this year. Lead songwriter and vocalist Robert Smith is a musical and cultural icon,…
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The Stone Roses ‘The Stone Roses’ (1989)
Despite their short lifespan that featured only two full album releases. The Stone Roses influenced an entire generation of Britpop artists. Their self-titled debut was not only their most commercially successful, but is also regarded as one of the greatest albums of all-time for people who get paid to write about this sort of thing.…
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Peter Gabriel ‘So’ (1986)
So is a dichotomy. On one hand it is a pop record with massive hooks. On the other hand, it is a nuanced prog-pop album that features sonic choices that challenge the listener to re-imagine what a song could be. I’m not sure if there’s been album that has walked the tightrope between artistic integrity…
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Joe Jackson ‘Night And Day’ (1982)
Joe Jackson’s Night And Day has all of the elements that make the 80’s such a wild time in music history. The album throws elements of jazz, new wave, salsa, classical, and pop into a blender with a laissez-faire panache. What comes out the other end is an album of absolute excess, filled with big…
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U2 ‘The Joshua Tree’ (1987)
The Joshua Tree is one of the best-selling albums of all-time. You can read all about the cultural impact it had here. That’s not what we’re here for. What we are here for is to talk about the impact The Edge (aka David Howell Evans) has had on popular music. Specifically, we’re here to analyze…
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The Bangles ‘Different Light’ (1986)
There’s effectively no middle ground when it comes to 80’s pop music– it’s either heartwarmingly cheesy, or just plain cheesy. The Bangles 1986 sophomore effort Different Light is filled with a lot more of the latter unfortunately, a saccharin sweet concoction of jangly guitars and reverb that feel empty despite taking up so much space.…
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Beastie Boys ‘Paul’s Boutique’ (1989)
Beastie Boys cover immense sonic ground in their 1989 sophomore effort. It’s a record that celebrates abrupt dynamic shifts, sampling a grand total of 105 (!!!) songs plucked from a massive grab bag of funk, prog, punk, and rock influences. You have what sounds like a MIDI keyboard played underwater in “Car Thief” as well…
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Patrick Cowley ‘Afternooners’ (1982)
Widespread recognition of Patrick Cowley didn’t come until decades after his untimely death from AIDS at the age of 32, but his spirit of decadence lives on in this posthumous collection released in 2017. The songs featured in adult films during the 80’s sound the part– arpeggiated synths spread out over thick drum patterns, with…
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