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

496. The Lexicon of Love

The Lexicon of Love
ABC
1982

Tracks
1. Show Me 
2. Poison Arrow 
3. Many Happy Returns 
4. Tears Are Not Enough 
5. Valentine's Day 
6. Look of Love (Part One) 
7. Date Stamp 
8. All Of My Heart
9. 4 Ever 2 Gether 
10. The Look of Love (Part Four) 

We have finally reached 1982, which means, like it or not, synthpop is now a major part of our lives.  I don't particularly mind it.  It isn't quite as tacky as disco but it is just as fun.  And speaking of embracing the cheese, how about that album cover?

Martin Fry spends the album lamenting his lack of success in romantic relationships.  While this is a somewhat tired theme in the musical world, I was pleased by the vocals and production, particularly during "The Look of Love."  

There is no denying the corn factor of this album, but hey, 1982 is the year of Porky's and ET.  So it could be worse.

RATING: 3/5

495. The Visitors

The Visitors
ABBA
1981

Tracks
1. Visitors 
2. Head Over Heels 
3. When All Is Said And Done 
4. Soldiers 
5. I Let The Music Speak 
6. One Of Us 
7. Two For The Price Of One
8. Slipping Through My Fingers
9. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room 

ABBA is so horribly overexposed that I can't tell if my dislike of them is warranted or simply a result of fatigue.  The Listmakers must be huge ABBAs fans, as I haven't been able to escape them in my movie blog either.  I half expect the 1001 book list to squeeze them in somehow.  Thankfully, I hadn't heard a lot of the songs in this album so I was able to extract some novelty from this experience.

So far it hasn't seemed like any eighties band is intent on wowing us with their vocal talents.  I miss hearing truly unique voices, like Nico or Joan Baez.  The vocals on this whetted my appetite for the exceptional a little bit, but for the most part, there wasn't anything particular memorable about this album.

Hey, it could be worse.  There are albums on this List that have made me want to abandon this project in its entirety.  This was kind of forgettable, but not unpleasant.

RATING: 3/5