477. Pretenders

Pretenders
Pretenders
1980

Tracks
1. Precious 
2. Phone Call 
3. Up The Neck 
4. Tattooed Love Boys 
5. Space Invader 
6. Wait 
7. Stop Your Sobbing 
8. Kid 
9. Private Life 
10. Brass In Pocket 
11. Lovers Of Today 
12. Mystery Achievement 


I really did not anticipate liking this one, as the way the female vocals were described online made it sound like it was going to be another Slits album.  Fortunately, I really liked this one and some of the songs even managed to find their way on my playlist.  

As soon as the first track played, I knew I was experiencing something special. It is not without its faults; the middle certainly drags on a bit with nothing extraordinary to offer.  Still, I loved "Precious"; it felt so spontaneous, as though she was improvising as she went. I also liked/related to "Stop Your Sobbing" and "Brass in Pocket."

So to the commentator that said I hate everything, while that is mostly true (not just for albums but in general), I am capable of adoration.  Especially when it comes to funky females with unusual voices.

RATING: 4/5

476. Arc of A Diver

Arc of A Diver
Steve Winwood
1980

Tracks
1. While You See A Chance
2. Arc Of A Diver 
3. Second Hand Woman 
4. Slowdown Sundown 
5. Spanish Dancer 
6. Night Train 
7. Dust

So today I woke up to a barrage of new comments on this blog!  The usernames and comments varied, but they all pretty much had the same general "you suck" thesis.  I don't know if someone got some sort of gang together to reply to my blog (presumably you all have Duck Stab t shirts).  First of all, I am flattered that you would take the time out of your day that would normally be devoted to kicking puppies or writing long social media posts about how misunderstood Trump is.  In any case, I suppose I should address some of the delightful insights that were shared with me this morning.  I have now listened to a total of 476 albums.  Yes, I would call that expanding my musical horizons.  I have never pretended to be a musical expert, but I am still allowed to have my own opinions that don't completely match yours.  Especially when we are on MY blog.  If anyone wants to discuss music in a polite way (if you are incapable of doing this yourself, look to commentator Ray for guidance) I am here.  Any more troll comments will be swiftly deleted, so you might want to  just save your insults for Reddit.   Also, as a side note, we have such little time on this planet and such little influence on other people.  Do you really want to waste the tiny impact you can have on others' lives by eviscerating a twenty year old because she didn't like some Residents album?  I suppose that is between you and your parole officers.  Anyway, on to Steve!

I'll be short with the review, as I took up so much space already by being sassy.  I read another review of this album where they compared the songs to "bad sitcom themes from the 80s."  That is a fairly accurate assessment.  But hey, tackiness can be fun and it was actually quite refreshing to hear from a musician that didn't seem to take himself so seriously.  Some of the songs were quite catchy and while I am not sure this album is worthy of its place on the List, it was still an enjoyable forty minutes.

Tomorrow: The Pretenders!

RATING: 4/5

475. More Specials

More Specials
Specials
1980

Tracks
1. Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) 
2. Man At C & A 
3. Hey Little Rich Girl 
4. Do Nothing 
5. Pearl's Cafe 
6. Sock It To 'Em JB 
7. Stereotype/Stereotypes Pt 2 
8. Holiday Fortnight 
9. I Can't Stand It 
10. International Jet Set 
11. Enjoy Yourself (Reprise)

475!  That's kind of a milestone right?  You know you are making significant progress on a project when you start celebrating odd numbers.  Anyway, we are continuing our streak of decent (but not outstanding albums) with More Specials.

Lyrically, this album wasn't as impressive as their debut.  I suppose I should applause them for "pushing boundaries" (i.e. naming random James Bond movies and playing sounds of a plane crash) but really, I was hoping they would be a tad more conventional in their style.  I think they are talented enough musicians that they don't necessarily need gimmicky songs to flesh out their album.  To that end, I enjoyed the songs "Hey Little Rich Girl" and "I Can't Stand It."

Hoping for something brilliant to come along but I guess I should be thankful for the general lack of suckiness lately.

RATING: 4/5

474. Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
1980

Tracks
1. Ha Ha I'm Drowning 
2. Sleeping Gas 
3. Treason 
4. Second Head 
5. Poppies In The Field
6. Went Crazy 
7. Brave Boys Keep Their Promises 
8. Bouncing Babies 
9. Books 
10. The Thief Of Baghdad
11. When I Dream

I had never heard of the Teardrop Explodes before today.  It's not entirely shocking, as I don't believe they are truly musical geniuses or anything.  Still, it was enjoyable album and after all the shit this List has put me through, decent is good enough.

Lyrically, this album is quite impressive.  I was blown away by how sweet the songs were; just a quite glance at the track listing made me think this was going to be intense.  However, it was surprisingly tender.  It actually had me searching to see how good-looking the members of this band were and if any of them are still single.  It's a negative to both those questions if anyone is interested.

Anyway, definitely an improvement from yesterday and worth checking out.

RATING: 4/5

473. Signing Off

Signing Off
UB40
1980

Tracks
1. Tyler 
2. King 
3. Twelve Bar 
4. Burden Of Shame 
5. Adella 
6. I Think It's Going To Rain Again 
7. 25% 
8. Food For Thought 
9. Little By Little 
10. Signing Off 
11. Madame Medusa 
12. Strange Fruit 
13. Reefer Madness

I am not sure there is anyone who actually likes reggae and if there is I am not sure I want to meet them.  I suppose this inclusion on the List has some merit, as the album probably has some notable influence.  Still, doesn't mean that I have to enjoy it.

I even felt a little creepy listening to this one, as though it was something that a sleazy guy would put on in hopes of tempting a woman to have sex with him.  I had it on in the background while I wrote, and it wasn't quite as grating as I expected it to be.  I guess that's a positive although if the nicest thing I can say about an album is that it wasn't quite as obnoxious as I imagined, it's not that great of music.

So a rather steep dip in quality from Tom Waits the other day.  Hopefully, The Teardrop Explodes has more to offer.

RATING: 2/5

472. Heartattack and Vine

Heartattack and Vine
Tom Waits
1980

Tracks
1. Heartattack And Vine
2. In Shades
3. Saving All My Love For You
4. Downtown
5. Jersey Girl
6. 'Til The Money Runs Out
7. On The Nickel
8. Mr. Siegal
9. Ruby's Arms

Wow has it really been nearly a month since I posted?  I apologize.  My 1001 movie blog is nearly finished and I have been spending most of my free writing time working on that.  That should be done within a few weeks or so.  Afterward, I will still contribute to my film blog but the album project will become my favorite child.  Until that day, let's sneak in some Tom Waits whenever we can.

I'm not sure I understood love at all before I listened to "Saving All My Love for You."  Maybe I will have figured it out by the next Tom Waits album.  I adore his voice; he would make every song sound powerful even if the lyrics were nonsensical.  Thankfully, the lyrics are brilliant here.  "Ruby's Arms" almost brought me to tears.

So a perfect album and warm welcome back after a nearly month long break.

RATING: 4/5

471. Sound Affects

Sound Affects
The Jam
1980

Tracks
1. Pretty Green
2. Monday 
3. But I'm Different Now 
4. Set The House Ablaze
5. Start 
6. That's Entertainment
7. Dreamtime
8. Man in the Corner Shop
9. Music for the Last Couple 
10. Boy About Town 
11. Scrape Away

This album felt like a throwback and I loved every minute of it.  Uh oh.  I am lamenting that music isn't as good as it was "back in the old days."  I'm apparently one of those people now.

It is hard not to like this album, as it is catchy as hell.  "That's Entertainment" is probably the best known track from this album and rightfully so, as it is by far the highlight of the album.  That's not to say the other tracks are bad, but none stand out so clearly.  "Monday" also impressed me lyrically and it was actually quite sweet.  I'm glad we are done with punk and I can start referring to things as sweet again.

So an easy five stars and hopefully an indication of Brit pop to come.

RATING: 5/5

470. Hypnotised

Hypnotised
The Undertones
1980

Tracks
1. More Songs About Chocolate And Girls
2. There Goes Norman
3. Hypnotised
4. See That Girl
5. Whizz Kids
6. Under The Boardwalk
7. Way Girls Talk
8. Hard Luck
9. My Perfect Cousin
10. Boys Will Be Boys
11. Tearproof
12. Wednesday Week
13. Nine Times Out Of Ten
14. Girls That Don't Talk
15. What's With Terry

I'm really loving the Undertones and I hope this isn't the last we see of them.  Once again, we get an album with great hooks, great melodies, and great cover art.  Well, the first two things were true at least.

Yeah, so I loved this album.  Maybe this isn't the deepest, most progressive album on the list but it is still a lot of fun.  Lyrically, it is not overly impressive. I am not even sure what half of the songs mean, but I don't get the feeling anything was going over my head (although I am so short I probably wouldn't even notice).  I know I usually say I need intelligent lyrics to enjoy an album, but I still ended up liking this.  All of the albums have been rather dark lately; it was fun to cut loose.

Next up: The Jam!

RATING: 4/5

469. Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
1980

Tracks
1. Prowler
2. Sanctuary
3. Remember Tomorrow
4. Running Free
5. Phantom Of The Opera
6. Transylvania
7. Strange World
8. Charlotte The Harlot
9. Iron Maiden

I was convinced that Iron Maiden and Iron Butterfly were the same band, which is probably a musical sin that some believe should be punishable by death.  I found that I much prefer Iron Maiden on all counts, except maybe when it comes to cover art.

I have always thought that heavy metal was fun, but didn't come with much substance.  I am pleased to report that a more thoughtful heavy metal does, in fact, exist.  "Remember Tomorrow" was particularly poetic.  Of course, the machoism returned with songs like "Iron Maiden" but I did enjoy the brief respites from the testosterone outpourings.

Far more melodic than I would believed from seeing the cover art.  Tomorrow: more Undertones!

RATING: 4/5

468. Closer

Closer
Joy Division
1980

Tracks
1. Atrocity Exhibition
2. Isolation
3. Passover
4. Colony
5. Means To An End
6. Heart And Soul
7. Twenty Four Hours
8. Eternal
9. Decades

First The Talking Heads and now Joy Division.  My prayers have been answered and we are finally free from our mediocre streak of albums. I have high hopes for the immediate future as well; we have Tom Waits and the Undertones on deck.

It is hard to know if this album would hold the same power if it hadn't been for Ian Curtis' suicide shortly after they had finished recording.  It is definitely darker and more gothic than Unknown Pleasures and it gets even more depressing when you think about it in context.  I wouldn't exactly call it a pleasure to listen to, but it is certainly atmospheric.

Definitely one to listen to before you die.  I like the sound we are moving towards.  It is just as emotional as punk music but much more sophisticated. 

RATING: 4/5 

467. Remain In Light

Remain In Light
Talking Heads
1980

Tracks
1. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)
2. Crosseyed And Painless
3. The Great Curve
4. Once In A Lifetime
5. Houses In Motion
6. Seen And Not Seen
7. Listening Wind
8. The Overload

This is the Talking Heads album I have been waiting for, the one that finally made me understand the hype.  I previously enjoyed their past albums, but I still didn't feel the need to worship on my knees like I was expected to.  Now I am ready to worship or, at the very least, provide the ritual sacrifice.

I loved this album, with my favorite song being "Once In A Lifetime."  Apparently, that is the Talking Heads' biggest hit, although I had never heard it before.  Really, there is not a bad song on the album.  I loved how cohesive the whole thing was, while still managing to be experimental.

Anyway, we hit a rough patch with an albums lately, so hopefully, this is a turning point.   The best thing I have heard in awhile.

RATING: 5/5

466. Group Sex

Group Sex
Circle Jerks
1980

Tracks
1. Deny Everything 
2. I Just Want Some Skank 
3. Beverly Hills 
4. Operation 
5. Back Against The Wall 
6. Wasted 
7. Behind The Door 
8. World Up My Ass
9. Paid Vacation 
10. Don't Care 
11. Live Fast Die Young
12. What's Your Problem 
13. Group Sex 
14. Red Tape

This is probably one of the shortest albums on the List.  Usually they clock in at around 40 minutes, but this album was a little more than 15 minutes.  But hey, I am not complaining as I don't exactly want to dwell on hardcore punk.

So each song is about a minute, although the first track is only 26 seconds.   All punk songs are fairly manic, but this album took it to the next level.  I suppose the style appeals to people who are into punk music.  But as this album is completely devoid of hooks, lyrical quality, or memorable songs.  Do I have to quote any of the lyrics here?  I think you can well imagine what the words to a song titled "I Just Want Some Skank" would be.

Are we back to pure punk?  I thought we had moved on to post punk.  In any case, I wouldn't call this album a complete waste of time, as it is so short.  But I suppose if the best thing you can say about something is that it was short, there isn't much quality there.

RATING: 2/5

465. British Steel

British Steel

Judas Priest

1980

Tracks

1. Rapid Fire
2. Metal Gods
3. Breaking The Law
4. Grinder
5. United
6. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise
7. Living After Midnight
8. Rage
9. Steeler

Is every album on this List going forward heavy metal?  Where are our quieter artists, our Joni Mitchells and Carole Kings?  I guess this is the trend now but I really wish some songwriters with a bit more talent will come along soon.

So not much else to say about this album.  We can tell from the track listing that this album is not for someone like me, who owns a "Reading is Sexy" t-shirt with a picture of Jane Austen on it.  Usually, I can find a few stanzas that I like in at least one of the songs, but no such luck here.

We are in a bit of a slump, but hopefully, we will get out of it with Group Sex, a fine solution to any problem.

RATING: 2/5

464. Killing Joke

Killing Joke
Killing Joke
1980

Tracks
1. Requiem
2. War Dance
3. Tomorrow's World
4. Bloodsport 
5. Wait
6. Complications 
7. So 36
8. Primitive

According to the Wikipedia page, this album influenced Nirvana and Marilyn Manson.  This is why it is so hard to review older albums; what sounded fresh in 1980 sounds tired now.  To me, this sounded like literally a hundred albums I have already listened to, which limited my enjoyment factor.

Still, it was original for the time and I suppose that makes it worth listening to.  "Wardance" is certainly the most intelligent of the songs, with lyrics like "The atmosphere's strange out on town, Music for pleasure, it's not music anymore.  Music to dance to, music to move.  This is music to march to."

So an album that deserves its place on the List, but not one that left much of an impression on me.  Thankfully, it did for other people.

RATING: 3/5

463. Ace of Spades

Ace of Spades
Motorhead
1980

Tracks
1. Ace Of Spades
2. Love Me Like A Reptile
3. Shoot You In The Back
4. Live To Win
5. Fast And Loose
6. We Are The Road Crew
7. Fire Fire
8. Jailbait
9. Dance
10. Bite The Bullet
11. Chase Is Better Than The Catch
12. Hammer

I have done a lot of posts today and only have to write about Motorhead before I am free to pursue my other hobbies, like reading and doing jigsaw puzzles.  Fellas, leave your numbers in the comments.

Once again, I wait a tad bit too long in between listening to this album and writing about it.  Forgive me if I don't go into specifics.  I am not a huge fan of heavy metal (see above regarding jigsaw puzzles) but this was actually a lot better than I expected.  I didn't feel like this band was over gimmicky, which I feared from the cover.  It was rather repetitive, but it still was an enjoyable album.

Sorry for the short review, but I am eager to be done with writing for today.

RATING: 3/5

462. Crocodiles

Crocodiles
Echo and The Bunnymen
1980

Tracks
1. Going Up
2. Do It Clean 
3. Stars Are Stars 
4. Pride 
5. Monkeys 
6. Crocodiles 
7. Rescue 
8. Villiers Terrace
9. Read It in Books 
10. Pictures on My Wall 
11. All That Jazz 
12. Happy Death Men

I spent a very enjoyable morning in bed with a mug of hot chocolate, listening to this album and finishing Ian McEwan's Black Dogs.  It is rather odd that I am so cheerful now, as both works could hardly be described as uplifting.

This album sounded quite similar to Seventeen Seconds from yesterday; perhaps this was a bit angrier.  I think I enjoyed this one slightly more, as I found the lyrics to be more accessible and poetic.  My favorite line came from "Stars Are Stars": "I caught that falling star, it cut my hands to pieces."  I appreciate that they are trying to communicating quintessential punk messages with more artistic flair.

Up next: Motorhead.  That sounds intimidating.

RATING: 4/5

461. Seventeen Seconds

Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
1980

Tracks
1. Reflection
2. Play For Today
3. Secrets
4. In Your House
5. Three
6. Final Sound
7. Forest
8. M
9. At Night
10. Seventeen Seconds

This might make some music fans cringe (if this blog didn't make them drop dead already) but my only previous experience of the Cure was "Friday I'm In Love."  I was eager to hear more of their music.  This certainly wasn't what I was expecting, although that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

This is a very gloomy album.  In lesser hands, it could have been slightly over the top and ridiculous.  However, it came across very well here and I will be interested to explore more gothic rock.  That being said, I am a lyric person.  As you could probably tell from the cover, it seems that everything about this album is intended to be vague.  I wish I could have gotten a firmer grasp on this band.  Maybe my inability to really access this album is half the allure.

I am definitely intrigued by The Cure, but I don't think any of these songs are making the iPod cut.

RATING: 3/5

460. Underwater Moonlight

Underwater Moonlight
The Soft Boys
1980

Tracks
1. I Wanna Destroy You
2. Kingdom Of Love
3. Positive Vibrations
4. I Got The Hots
5. Insanely Jealous
6. Tonight
7. You'll Have To Go Sideways
8. Old Pervert
9. Queen Of Eyes
10. Underwater Moonlight

As I am constantly behind on my writing, I keep waiting too long in between listening to an album and posting about it.   Consequently, the specifics of the album kind of fade from my memory.  Good thing I am keeping a record of progress, as most of these albums don't stick in my mind.

I have mixed feelings about this one.  Truly, the tracks were hit and miss.  Among the hits were "I Wanna Destroy You" and "Insanely Jealous."  The second half of the album definitely dipped in quality.  I felt like "Old Pervert" was there solely to remind people that they have punk roots and can be just as gross as their ancestors.  Lyrically, it didn't match the rest of the album.

Anyway, it was a perfectly fine way to pass thirty five minutes, but ultimately, I didn't spot any element original enough to warrant the album's inclusion on the List.

RATING: 4/5

459. Peter Gabriel III

Peter Gabriel III
Peter Gabriel
1980

Tracks
1. Intruder
2. No Self Control
3. Start
4. I Don't Remember
5. Family Snapshot
6. And Through The Wire
7. Games Without Frontiers
8. Not One Of Us
9. Lead A Normal Life
10. Biko

Any album that people refer to as "Melty Face" has got to be good, right?

It's been a long time since we had a Peter Gabriel album on the List.  I had almost forgotten if I liked him or not.  This album left me with a "meh" feeling; I will have to delve back into the archives to see if I was just as ambivalent in my previous reviews of Gabriel.  I have been complaining lately that the lyrics in these albums haven't been very good.  Lyrically, this album actually is impressive.  I particularly enjoyed "Not One of Us."  I still don't know what "Biko" means, though.  I tried to look it up and found definitions ranging from "please" to "blow job."  Maybe it's a combination of both.

In any case, yes, the lyrics are intelligent.   Still, none of the songs really grabbed me.  In my opinion, not one of the tracks had a catchy beat.  This is, of course, a very subjective barometer.  However, I still need at least one song to catch my interest to give an album a high rating.

RATING: 3/5

458. Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
The Dead Kennedys
1980

Tracks
1. Kill The Poor
2. Forward To Death
3. When Ya Get Drafted
4. Let's Lynch The Landlord
5. Drug Me
6. Your Emotions
7. Chemical Warfare
8. California Uber Alles
9. I Kill Children
10. Stealing People's Mail
11. Funland At The Beach
12. Ill In The Head
13. Holiday In Cambodia
14. Viva Las Vegas

You can already tell from the band name that is going to be a tasteful album.  Here is another unremarkable punk album with the typical childish agenda.  At the very least, we get an interesting cover of "Viva Las Vegas." Bands have been making some weird cover choices lately.

I don't have a whole lot more to say about this album, as it seems like something that has been done so often.  Songs like "I Kill Children" are just ridiculous.  It's like they tried to figure out what the most upsetting thing for people to hear would be and then added some dismal music in the background.  Is that art?  I hope not.

Peter Gabriel is next, so hopefully conditions will improve.

RATING: 2/5