533. Run-D.M.C.

Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
1984

Tracks
1. Hard Times
2. Rock Box 
3. Jam Master Jay
4. Hollis Crew (Krush Groove 2) 
5. Sucker MC's 
6. It's Like That 
7. Wake Up
8. Thirty Days 
9. Jay's Game

You only have to listen to the first ten seconds of this album to realize how influential it is in the development of hip hop. Now, you might not be able to tell this from reading my blog, but I actually don't know that much about rap rock or hip hop. Still, that didn't stop me from enjoying this album.

This is somewhat hard to communicate without sounding like the squarest of squares, but I find hip hop to consistently be packed with misogynistic and harmful messages (same with country music, but that's a different conversation). There are obvious exceptions, of course, this being one of them. I was struck with how positive this music was. Okay, I'll end this line of thought before I appointed PTA president.

Just give this album a listen; you won't be sorry.

RATING: 4/5

515. Violent Femmes

Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
1982

Tracks
1. Blister in the Sun
2. Kiss Off
3. Please Do Not Go
4. Add It Up
5. Confessions
6. Prove My Love
7. Promise
8. To The Kill
9. Gone Daddy Gone
10. Good Feeling

Once again, I am confined to bed after an ankle surgery.  Maybe I will binge myself on albums like I did with movies last time.  I'm not sure that the solution to excruciating pain is heavy metal music, but I think we are safe for now with the Violent Femmes.

Based on the name of the band, I was kind of hoping this was some Camp Cope-esque angry female group.  Although I was initially disappointed that the vocalist wasn't female, I quickly warmed up to Gordon Gano's voice.  It sounded very 70s to me, which was a fun throwback.

I hope their next album is on The List. Now if you'll excuse, I need to consume some drugs.

RATING: 4/5

514. Rio

Rio
Duran Duran
1982

Tracks
1. Rio
2. My Own Way
3. Lonely In Your Nightmare
4. Hungry Like The Wolf
5. Hold Back The Rain
6. New Religion
7. Last Chance On The Stairway
8. Save A Prayer
9. Chauffeur

I have lost track of how many times I have said this on this blog, but once again, I am on the verge of nervous breakdown for how much I have to get done.  So, naturally, I am prioritizing this blog over my other assignments, because sanity is a fleeting thing.

How can this music not make you happy?  It was nice to hear something relatively upbeat for once; I feel like the recent goal of these albums have been to make me have a breakdown (as though I need any nudging).  The best songs on this album are the ones that everyone knows, but the entire album is extremely fun.

So a nice break from heavy metal.  Back to reality...

RATING: 4/5

513. Number of the Beast

Number of the Beast
Iron Maiden
1982

Tracks
1. Invaders
2. Children Of The Damned
3. Prisoner
4. 22 Acacia Avenue
5. The Number Of The Beast
6. Run To The Hills
7. Gangland
8. Total Eclipse
9. Hallowed Be Thy Name

I am changing my icon to be a snail, as I feel like it really reflects my pace through this project.  I apologize for only averaging one album a week.  I am hoping I can increase my pace this summer (maybe to one a day even, although my eyes might be bigger than my stomach...ears).  Truth be told, the List has not been offering the strongest motivations lately (excepting Nebraska of course).

Oh, heavy metal.  I am a heavy metal racist; I can't seem to tell the different bands and albums apart.  Some I don't mind as much as others, although I think that reflects more the type of mood I am in than the quality of the music.  There's nothing distinctly intellectual in my distaste for this genre; viscerally, I just don't like it.  If you do, I envy you, as this List is probably a lot easier to get through.

Up next: Duran Duran!  This might out-eighties anything we have seen so far.

RATING: 2/5

512. Sulk

Sulk
Associates
1982

Tracks
1. Arrogance Gave Him Up
2. No
3. Bap De La Bap
4. Gloomy Sunday
5. Nude Spoons
6. Skipping
7. It's Better This Way
8. Party Fears Two
9. Club Country
10. nothinginsomethingparticular

After the greatness that was Nebraska, we get kind of a meh album here.  It wasn't particularly bad, it just didn't really seem remarkable in any way.  It seems so non descript compared to the other albums on this list; I am curious why it was included.

That said, after the recent string of terrible albums, "not bad" is actually refreshing.  It was music I could write to without getting overly distracted, so there is some value in that.  I could clearly see some of the influences behind the album (Bowie perhaps?), but unfortunately, it didn't have a distinct voice of its own.

Apparently, the band would urinate in their guitars while they were recording this.  Artists are such sensitive souls.

RATING: 3/5

511. Nebraska

Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen
1982

Tracks
1. Nebraska
2. Atlantic City
3. Mansion On The Hill
4. Johnny 99
5. Highway Patrolman
6. State Trooper
7. Used Cars
8. Open All Night
9. My Father's House
10. Reason To Believe

I listened to this album a little while ago, but I have had so many writing projects that I am falling behind.  Any further discussion on my current workload will lead to tears, so let's just move onto Nebraska.

Finally, we reached the end of our horrible streak of albums.  I didn't think I would connect to this, as my understanding of Bruce Springsteen was that he was the working man's hero.  Fortunately, this was just beautiful.  It was so simple; just his vocals, a guitar, and a harmonica (that made not be correct but that's what I heard).  You could really just focus on the lyrical quality of the songs, which was excellent.  Who knew Bruce Springsteen was such a poet?  Everyone, you say?

Highly recommended.

RATING: 5/5

510. Black Metal

Black Metal
Venom
1982

Tracks
1. Black Metal
2. To Hell and Back
3. Buried Alive
4. Raise the Dead
5. Teacher's Pet
6. Leave Me in Hell
7. Sacrifice
8. Heaven's on Fire
9. Countess Bathory
10. Don't Burn the Witch
11. At War with Satan

After writing a rant on my book blog and a rant on my movie blog, I thought I would complete the hate tour and complain about this album.  We are really in a bad rut with albums lately.  I hope Bruce Springsteen can save us.

So this is a shitty album, but unlike most of the shitty albums on this List, I understand why it is on here.  It's influential to a genre that I don't particularly enjoy, so I was never going to celebrate it.  Still, I thought I would find at least a little merit in this.  No such luck.  The lyrics are terrible, the songs are repetitive, and the vocalist has so absolutely no range.

Did I mention I hate this?

RATING: 1/5

509. Junkyard

Junkyard
Birthday Party
1982

Tracks
1. Blast Off 
2. She's Hit 
3. Dead Joe 
4. The Dim Locator
5. Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow)
6. Several Sins 
7. Big-Jesus-Trash-Can 
8. Kiss Me Black 
9. 6" Gold Blade 
10. Kewpie Doll 
11. Junkyard

I really thought that after "Thriller" I would be accepting of anything.  Well, once again, the List proved me wrong.  These are dark times, and I don't think the next album will likely improve the situation.

Well, we can tell from the cover art that I am not the target demographic for this album.  I am not sure who is...angry teenage boys perhaps.  This was just unpleasant to listen to.  I'm not saying every album has to be Duran Duran-level upbeat but it was moody without much substance, at least to me.  It might appeal to some people, but I hope we can at least agree that this album is probably only accessible to a small group of people.

I miss "Thriller."

RATING: 2/5

508. Thriller

Thriller
Michael Jackson
1982

Tracks
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2. Baby Be Mine
3. Girl Is Mine
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. PYT (Pretty Young Thing)
9. Lady In My Life

With so many obscure albums on The List, we finally reach one that everyone has heard of.  And it's a lot worse than the obscure albums.

I just read that this is the best selling album of all time, which is definitely surprising.  I am not saying there are no good songs.  I've always like "Human Nature" and well...that's about it for this album.  "PYT" just creeps me out in hindsight,  "Thriller" is cheesy as fuck (although I am sure some would argue that's what is fun about it), and I find "Billie Jean" to be...upsetting.  

I know a lot of my Michael Jackson related revulsion comes from what came out in later years.  But even disregarding that, the childlike voice is creepy.  Definitely skippable.

RATING: 2/5

507. Rip It Up

Rip It Up
Orange Juice
1982

Tracks
1. Rip It Up
2. Mud In Your Eye
3. Breakfast Time
4. Flesh Of My Flesh
5. Hokoyo
6. Million Pleading Faces
7. Turn Away
8. I Can't Help Myself
9. Louise Louise
10. Tenterhooks

Why do I keep listening to the rereleases of these albums?  It's always worse than the original.  It's like movie reboots and sequels.  Why can't they leave well enough alone?  Instead they had to include this extra strange track where the band jokes about touching kids?  Considering the next album on this List, this might be a case of ominous foreshadowing.

Other than that, this was a perfectly respectable album.  Perhaps a little generic and forgettable, but enjoyable nonetheless.  With some notable exceptions, there haven't been a lot of risk taking albums lately.  Child molestation references outside.

Still worth listening to, but don't expect to be wowed.

RATING: 3/5

506. The Dreaming

The Dreaming
Kate Bush
1982

Tracks
1. Sat In Your Lap
2. There Goes A Tenner 
3. Pull Out The Pin 
4. Suspended In Gaffa 
5. Leave It Open 
6. Dreamin' 
7. Night Of The Swallow 
8. All The Love 
9. Houdini 
10. Get Out Of My House 

Well, I knew I would like this, as I have always had fun with angsty women.  Speaking of which, I have gotten into Camp Cope lately, which is a band that I am sure was heavily influenced by Kate Bush.

Anyway, I love unusual female voices (I miss the days when Nico was on this blog) so this was quite enjoyable for me.  More than that, her lyrics were very poetic and beautiful.  I will say that I enjoyed brooding Kate more than angry Kate; I just felt that melancholy suited her voice better.  

One more album to go before Thriller.  Hold onto your butts. 

RATING: 4/5

505. Pelican West

Pelican West
Haircut One Hundred
1982

Tracks
1. Favourite Shirt (Boy Meets Girl) 
2. Love Plus One
3. Lemon Firebrigade 
4. Marine Boy 
5. Milk Film 
6. Kingsize (You're My Little Steam Whistle) 
7. Fantastic Day
8. Baked Beans 
9. Snow Girl 
10. Love's Got Me In Triangles 
11. Surprise Me Again 
12. Calling Captain Autumn

After the first song, I was all prepared to give this a five star review.  Unfortunately, it kind of petered out and I was quite happy when it was over.   I accidentally listened to the 2016 rerelease, which didn't help matters.  The thinking seemed to be "let's make the forgettable songs longer!"

On the other hand, I have listened to so many truly terrible albums on this List that I probably shouldn't complain, considering how decent the first half was.  The second half isn't horrible, but it just sounds like generic cheesy 80s music.

Kate Bush is up next!  I am excited to listen to a female artist!

RATING: 3/5

504. The Nightfly

The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
1982

Tracks
1. IGY 
2. Green Flower Street 
3. Ruby Baby 
4. Maxine 
5. New Frontier 
6. Nightfly 
7. Goodbye Look 
8. Walk Between Raindrops 

Perhaps I am just getting soft in my old age, but we have had some great albums lately.  I probably just jinxed myself.  In fact, I just checked and Thriller is coming up.  So definitely a jinx.

So this was a fun album that was surprisingly catchy.  I would never have expected to enjoy a jazz fusion album, so this came as a very pleasant surprise.  Of course, there was a decent amount of cheese, but thankfully, I'm not lactose intolerant.

Next up, Haircut One Hundred.  I wish I could get through one day without hearing about that band...

RATING: 4/5

503. Rise and Fall

Rise and Fall
Madness
1982

Tracks
1. Rise And Fall
2. Tomorrow's Just Another Day
3. Blue Skinned Beast
4. Primrose Hill
5. Mr Speaker Gets The Word
6. Sunday Morning
7. Our House
8. Tiptoes
9. New Delhi
10. That Face
11. Calling Cards
12. Are You Coming (With Me)
13. Madness (It's All In The Mind)

I lived in London in 2015 and miss it every day.  I spend a lot of time pining for those days so this album was a perfect fit.

The only song I had heard off this album before was "Our House."  It was probably the best song, mostly because it perfectly captured the mood of the album.  Nostalgic but still lots of fun.  I might have actually mistaken this for a Kinks album if the vocals weren't so unique.

There have been lots of great albums lately.  I hope they keep it up!

RATING: 5/5

502. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)

New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)
Simple Minds
1982

Tracks
1. Someone Somewhere In Summertime 
2. Colours Fly And Catherine Wheel 
3. Promised You A Miracle 
4. Big Sleep 
5. Somebody Up There Likes You 
6. New Gold Dream (81 82 83 84) 
7. Glittering Prize 
8. Hunter And The Hunted 
9. King Is White And In The Crowd

Happy New Year everybody!  Like most movie fans, I can easily identify Simple Minds from their Breakfast Club heyday.  However, I was unfamiliar with their other work and man, have I been missing out.

When I think of early 80s music I tend to jump to the worst of the worst (think "Mickey"). But this is really what should be remembered from this decade: danceable synth pop.  Does anyone do it better than Simple Minds?  I guess I will find out.

Let's enjoy this music while we can.  A band called Orange Juice is coming up!  That can't be good.

RATING: 4/5

501. Too-Rye-Ay

Too-Rye-Ay
Dexy's Midnight Runners
1982

Tracks
1. Celtic Soul Brothers
2. Let's Make This Precious 
3. All In All (This One Last Wild Waltz)
4. Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)
5. Old
6. Plan B 
7. I'll Show You
8. Liars A To E
9. Until I Believe In My Soul
10. Come On Eileen

We are officially more than half way done with this journey!  It took me five years to get to this point, which means I should be done with this project by 2021.  Wow.  That's not at all disheartening.


I was very impressed by Dexys' previous album, but I confess I haven't given them a lot of thought since then. It's like when you have a great first date but you never follow up on it.  That's a thing that happens to people, right?


Anyway, this was wonderful.  This is truly like nothing I have heard before.  I might be wrong about this, but it seems like they have created their very own genre.  You don't get more original than that.  I hope to see more of them in the future.

RATING: 4/5

500. Pornography

Pornography
The Cure
1982

Tracks
1. One Hundred Years
2. Short Term Effect
3. Hanging Garden
4. Siamese Twins
5. Figurehead
6. Strange Day
7. Cold
8. Pornography

I can't believe I am officially half way through this project.  Have I really listened to 500 albums?  Perhaps the truly amazing part is that I have written 500 posts about music.  I have never claimed to have intelligent opinions on music, but if my country has taught me anything, it's that incompetence should not stand in the way of achievement!  Besides, if you only complete projects you know you will excel at, you are never going to grow.  So thank you to everyone who has gone on this journey with me!  Let's hope the downhill ride doesn't include The Residents.  Ah, memories.

Now to talk about Joy Divis-ahem, I meant The Cure!  So this album is, predictably, a gloomy affair. I think everyone appreciates solid gloom every once in awhile.  Of course, this only works well if you are in the right mood beforehand.  I recommend looking at pictures of present day Robert Smith.  That will do the trick!

Happy 500!

RATING: 4/5

499. Imperial Bedroom

Imperial Bedroom
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
1982

Tracks
1. Beyond Belief 
2. Tear Before Bedtime 
3. Shabby Doll 
4. The Long Honeymoon 
5. Man Out Of Time 
6. Almost Blue 
7. ...And In Every Home 
8. The Loved Ones
9. Human Hands 
10. Kid About It 
11. Little Savage 
12. Boy With A Problem 
13. Pidgin English 
14. You Little Fool 
15. Town Cryer

Since Tuesday I have been in a state of mourning that not even Elvis Costello could cure.
Normally I would make some cringeworthy pun, considering the next entry is a Cure album.   But alas, my heart is too heavy.  Check out my movie blog if my misery is at all interesting to you.

As frequent readers may know, I adore Costello.  This album is a bit more experimental than his previous endeavors, but he is always able to remain accessible. This is probably due to his lyrics.  I particularly enjoyed "Man Out of Time," which was delightfully British.

Stay tuned for the big 500!

RATING: 5/5

498. The Message

The Message
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
1982

Tracks
1. She's Fresh
2. It's Nasty
3. Scorpio
4. It's A Shame
5. Dreamin'
6. You Are
7. Message
8. The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel

This is arguably the first hip hop album on the List.  Now, I know this might shock a few of my readers, but I really don't have that much experience with hip hop.  And by that I mean I don't think I could have named a single hip hop artist.  Until now...dah dah DAHHHHH.

Apparently, I had no idea what I was missing.  I loved this album.  I didn't even mind the preachiness of the song "You Are,"; in fact, I was kind of into it.  I also adored the tribute to Stevie Wonder.  I wonder what he thought about it...

I felt revitalized after this album.  I imagine it's the same feeling people have after going to church.  Definitely recommended.  The album, not the church part.

Next up: Elvis Costello!!  Praise Zeus!

RATING: 5/5

497. 1999

1999
Prince
1982

Tracks
1. 1999
2. Little Red Corvette 
3. Delirious 
4. Let's Pretend We're Married
5. DMSR
6. Automatic 
7. Something In The Water (Does Not Compute) 
8. Free 
9. Lady Cab Driver
10. All The Critics Love You In New York
11. International Lover

I have never been the biggest Prince fan, which I am sure would result in a public flogging in many circles.  I really hadn't been exposed to his stuff, so this is my first foray into the Princeverse.  It was interesting...

I was actually enjoying it quite a bit until "Lady Cab Driver."  It sounded vaguely rape-y, what with the sound effects that I can only imagine were added to please the male listener. I ended up googling the song and apparently a lot of people have reached the same conclusion.  So...um.  That was weird, I guess.

Other than that, though, I genuinely enjoyed it.  I do think the album peaked a little early in its runtime, but only means that it went from great to pretty good. RIP Prince.

RATING: 3/5