554. Atomizer

Atomizer
Big Black
1986

Tracks
1. Jordan, Minnesota
2. Passing Complexion
3. Big Money
4. Kerosene
5. Bad Houses
6. Fists of Love
7. Stinking Drunk
8. Bazooka Joe
9. Strange Things
10. Cables 

The Book made a mistake with this album, as it is from 1986, and we are still stuck in hopeless quagmire of 1985. The listmakers frequently make me feel inferior, with their snooty essays and insistence that bongos can carry an entire album. So I must savor this victory over them. 

Okay, the moment has been properly basked in. So the first thought I had about this album was that it wasn't music, it was just loud noise. Fully aware that this was the sentiment of a grumpy old man, I did some research and found that this album was tied to the birth of "noise rock," so apparently I wasn't too off in my reaction. 

So here's hoping the next album actually contains notes, and not the industrial sounds that aliens would listen to on their commutes.

RATING: 2/5

553. Fear and Whiskey

Fear and Whiskey
Mekons
1985

Tracks
1. Chivalry
2. Trouble Down South
3. Hard To Be Human Again
4. Darkness And Doubt
5. Psycho Cupid (Danceband On The Edge Of Time)
6. Flitcraft
7. Country
8. Abernant 1984/5
9. Last Dance
10. Lost Highway

Alt-country apparently begins with this album, although any time you cite an album as the beginning of some movement, some angry entity is summoned and cites three albums before that which ACTUALLY started the movement, and then they spit on you for good measure. 

Anyway, it's not a genre I am well-acquainted with, so it's hard to say at this point if I don't like the genre or I just didn't enjoy this album. I like "Darkness and Doubt." It would be a good song to discover a dead body to.

Is it racist that the idea of a group of pasty Englishmen releasing a country album makes me giggle? I hope they try rap next.

RATING: 2/5

552. Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen
Prefab Sprout
1985

Tracks
1. Faron Young
2. Bonny
3. Appetite
4. When Love Breaks Down
5. Goodbye Lucille #1
6. Hallelujah
7. Moving The River
8. Horsin' Around
9. Desire As
10. Blueberry Pies
11. When The Angels

I had never heard of this band before, but the band name is just the kind of British nonsense that I love. Now that the pop movement in the 80s has been effectively soaked in cheese, we have bands coming along that are attempting more "serious" pop. I suspect that Prefab Sprout is one of these bands.

So I laughed in places that I probably wasn't supposed to (I'm sorry, but parts of "Appetite" were too much for me). Still, I enjoyed this album for the most part, although I am not sure any of the tunes will stick with me.

There are some pretty bad albums coming up, so let's savor the small victories.

RATING: 3/5

551. Brothers in Arms

Brothers in Arms
Dire Straits
1985

Tracks
1. So Far Away 
2. Money For Nothing 
3. Walk Of Life 
4. Your Latest Trick 
5. Why Worry 
6. Ride Across The River 
7. Man's Too Strong 
8. One World 
9. Brothers In Arms

I think I would have resented the listmakers if they hadn't included this album on The List, as it was extremely popular and at least warrants the same amount of space in The Book as the Butthole Surfers. On the other hand, I really would have preferred not having to listen to this, not being the biggest Dire Straits fan.

So it was...okay I guess. I found most of the songs to be forgettable although I did recognize snatches of them from pop culture. For some reason it seems to me that the band is trying to be edgier than it was, adding a layer of cringe that's slightest thicker than the usual 80s helping.

However, as I frequently point out, the bar on this blog is rather low (there was a bongo album for Pete Townshend's sake). So it still gets three stars.

RATING: 3/5

550. Songs From the Big Chair

Songs From the Big Chair
Tears For Fears
1985



Tracks
1. Shout 
2. The Working Hour 
3. Everybody Wants To Rule The World 
4. Mothers Talk 
5. I Believe 
6. Broken 
7. Head Over Heels / Broken 
8. Listen

80s pop is now in full swing and I have to say, this is a huge step up from A-ha (although don't get me wrong, A-ha is really fun). This album has obviously passed the test of time, as most of these tracks are instantly recognizable.

The album just feels more mature than A-ha, like it is interested in more than providing a catchy tune. I am not sure it always succeeds, given the lyrical quality, but hey, at least it tries.

Someday, I'll be able to sing "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" without starting out too low, thus becoming inaudible by the word "world." Today is not that day.

RATING: 4/5

549. Hunting High and Low

Hunting High and Low
A-Ha
1985

Tracks
1. Take On Me
2. Train Of Thought
3. Hunting High And Low
4. Blue Sky
5. Living A Boy's Adventures Tale
6. Sun Always Shines On TV
7. And You Tell Me
8. Love Is Reason
9. I Dream Myself Alive
10. Here I Stand And Face The Rain

I find it difficult to identify musical trends based on this List, as the editors like to choose albums like, say, Abdullah Ibrahim's Water from an Ancient Well which a total of 52 people alive have heard, as opposed to the mainstream trash that is constantly clogging up radio airwaves. I am not necessarily saying that's a bad thing, but I do like it when we come across something that is iconic of its time.

We are all pretty familiar with "Take On Me" and while that is the best song on the album, there are a couple of other gems on the track listing. "Hunting High and Low" and "Love Is Reason" are both quite good. 

You don't get more 80s than this and I'm loving the vibes. Next up, we are getting into Dire Straits. 

RATING: 4/5

548. Water From an Ancient Well

Water From an Ancient Well
Abdullah Ibrahim
1985

Tracks
1. Mandela 
2. Song For Sathima 
3. Manenberg Revisited 
4. Tuang Guru 
5. Water From An Ancient Well 
6. Wedding 
7. Mountain 
8. Sameeda

Well that was a bit of a mixed bag, with some of these tracks being quite good while others sounded like they would be played at a rather dreary dinner party. It's been awhile since we have had a jazz album, but hey, I guess the 80s are all about being retro.

I listened to this while reading Strindberg; the only thing missing was a pipe. I am not sure which author to pair with our next album, Hunting High and Low. Maybe I'll do James Joyce, just to annoy him.

RATING: 3/5