1. REM- Murmur 2. Bruce Springsteen- Nebraska 3. Rush- Power Windows 4. Prince- Purple Rain 5. The Smithereens- Especially for You 6. Cheap Trick- All Shook Up 7. The Clash- London Calling 8. The Screaming Blue Messiahs- Gun Shy 9. The Replacements- Pleased to Meet Me 10. Paul Kelly and the Messengers- Gossip
nice one, love that album. another down-under classic i don't think has been mentioned: the Go-Betweens, 16 Lover's Lane
To make it onto my list, the album must be entirely playable (ALL songs) and must stand the test of time. Pink Floyd - The Final Cut Rush - Moving Pictures The Police - Synchronicity Peter Gabriel - So Genesis - Invisible Touch Rush - Permanent Waves nine inch nails - Pretty Hate Machine (although certainly not nin's best work) Roger Waters - The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking Van Halen - 1984 Duran Duran - Rio ACDC - Back in Black The Cure - Disintegration U2 - Joshua Tree
I'm surprised anyone else would know who they are. A great unheralded band from the 80s. And Big Country's first album would have been number eleven on my list.
I remember a few Smithereens... Blood And Roses (saw/heard this and liked it from 120 Minutes), Only A Memory and A Girl Like You. Good stuff! Big Country also crossed my mind. Of course, so did a number of other bands...just tried to limit it to the OP's request. To add...I love these threads (80s music) that pop up from time to time. They make me feel a little old...but also remind me of how great the music was back then.
Green Thoughts and 11 were definitely on my turntable and cassette deck back in the day. Same with The Crossing. Everyone knows the song In A Big Country, but that whole album was amazing. I think it's still somewhere on my iPod even today.
The Smithereens played in Houston several times in the 80s- Sam's Boat, Back Alley, etc. Great band- Especially for You, Green Thoughts, 11, even Blow Up. I'm a huge, huge fan of power pop- The Ramones, Cheap Trick, The Smithereens, Green Day, Weezer, The Who, The Kinks- give me great melodies, but give 'em to me LOUD!! Midnight Oil, Psychedelic Furs, Big Country, The Call, Big Audio Dynamite, Simple Minds - so many good groups- a welcome relief from a lot of the "corporate rock" stuff that came out like Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon- I mean, some of those songs were good, and some of the CDs were, as well, like Journey's Departure- but I think we were ready for more "alternative" stuff. Oh, and forgot about Pete Townshend's Empty Glass, Peter Gabriel, Dire Straits- these lists are just too hard!! A
OK, but I have one minor complaint. Can you honestly tell me that you can listen to the song Mother from Synchronicity in its entirety? Seriously, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?? The rest of the recording is terrific.
Actually the song Mother is one of my favorite. I can listen to that song a million times more than I can "Every Breath You Take". That song blows and was when I kind of gave up on the Police. The fact that Mother was on the album proved to me that they weren't just Sting being a sappy/poppy douche. Mother showed me they still had some cred.
Actually, most people don't get that song, which is hilarious. They think it's a love song, or they've turned it into that. WRONG! It's a song about stalking- Sting himself says he's always amused when he gets these letters saying how it's their "song." Every move you make...I'll be watching you Oh, can't you see...you belong to me That, my friend, is a STALKER- and which is why I think it's a great song.
Synchronicity is probably my least favorite Police album. Gone forever were the reggae/punk influences that gave them "their" sound. It was basically the beginning of Sting's solo career with Andy and Stewie as his temporary backup band. Mama was a song Andy wrote (and sang) that Sting hated with a passion but decided to put on the album to sabotage it. He hoped it would showcase the difference between his songwriting and Andy's. They hated each other so much while recording this album that they couldn't even be in the studio on the same days without coming to blows. All that being said, Synchronicity I may be my 2nd all-time favorite Police song (behind So Lonely), if that makes any sense. Especially when they play the speed-induced, amped-up, super-fast version live. Pure adrenaline, baby: <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0A154OavghI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0A154OavghI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
I would like to respectfully dissent. I know you specifically mentioned Joy Division, but New Order Substance is also a compilation though it did include a new single. At it's basic form, and album is just a collection of things......though "album oriented rock" made us perceive most of the songs on an album as being related (and they often are). New Order was the antithesis of album oriented rock.......they're known for all of their 12" singles. I would just hate to establish a rule that would eliminate New Order Substance from consideration as one of the top alnums of the 80's. The first time I saw this thread title, New Order Substance was the very first thing that popped into my mind. Of course, I'm a bit biased too. The very first CD I ever bought in my life (first two I guess..........seeing as it is a two CD set) was Substance. And although I'd have a hard time picking the best CD I've ever owned, it would certainly be in the running.
And I took some of my nieces and nephews to see New Order at Astroworld (they aren't much younger than me).
Wow. This old thread? Yeah...I was just stating my opinion, obviously. Joy Division's "Substance," while released in the 80s contains mostly material from the 70s. If that type of entry set precedent in a thread about "best albums from the 80s," then someone could easily post some "best of [insert ridiculous 70s band]," based on a release of said album during any decade...regardless of when the music was originally released. Wasn't trying to get too deep nor to create any "rules" about posting in a thread. I [heart] New Order and had a good time at AstroWorld also. They were better at the Maceba Theater during the "Low Life" tour, though...
I can absolutely listen to "Mother". I think "Every breath you take" is my least favorite song on the album. I agree that there are a lot of greater songs on other Police albums, but Synchronicity is the one that has complete playability while, on other albums, I skip around from song to song.
The Best of the 80s - Vol 1 The Best of the 80s - Vol 2 The Best of the 80s - Vol 3 The Best of the 80s - Vol 4 The Best of the 80s - Vol 5 The Best of the 80s - Vol 6 The Best of the 80s - Vol 7 The Best of the 80s - Vol 8 The Best of the 80s - Vol 9 The Best of the 80s - Vol 10
Yes, I've heard that. It doesn't help the song not be sappy. It's not that it's pure saccharin, but that it's overly emotional, and the music is sappy as well.
