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

547. This Nation's Saving Grace

This Nation's Saving Grace
The Fall
1985

Tracks
1. Mansion
2. Bombast
3. Barmy
4. What You Need
5. Spoilt Victorian Child
6. LA
7. Gut Of The Quantifier
8. My New House
9. Paintwork
10. I Am Damo Suzuki
11. To Nkroachment/Yarbles

We have finally arrived at the famed 1985, which is the best year of music according to Bowling for Soup. I know it might be considered blasphemous to reference that band in these hallowed pages, but I think we waved goodbye to any form of musical dignity after I couldn't appreciate the Rolling Stones.

Anyway, this was pretty good, with some interesting guitar work that I didn't expect to hear in 1985. The times they sure are a'changin'. I waited a few days between listening to this and writing down my thoughts, so this isn't as fresh in my mind as the albums usually are. Still, an enjoyable experience and a nice kick off to a new year.


RATING: 3/5

546. Born in the USA

Born in the USA
Bruce Springsteen
1984

Tracks
1. Born In The USA
2. Cover Me
3. Darlington County
4. Working On The Highway
5. Downbound Train
6. I'm On Fire
7. No Surrender
8. Bobby Jean
9. I'm Goin' Down
10. Glory Days
11. Dancing In The Dark
12. My Hometown

I like albums like this, ones that seem light and fun on the surface but conceal something darker underneath. "I'm Goin' Down" has the joyous cadence of a love song, but actually expresses the opposite sentiment. The entire album contains this curious element of paradox, with "Born In The USA" sounding like an anthem and being anything but.

Every song on this album is catchy and worth listening to, with my favorites being "I'm On Fire" and "Dancing in the Dark." I feel like we needed this album to inject a bit of life into the proceedings. Now I feel refreshed and ready to take on 1985.

RATING: 4/5

545. Immigres

Immigres
Youssou N'Dour
1984

Tracks
1. Immigrés/Bitim Rew 
2. Pitche Mi 
3. Taaw
4. Badou

In a list that it is notoriously skewed for Western tastes (you should see the 1001 book list; it's like white guy palooza), it was refreshing to hear an album from Senegal.

I think we can all admit at this point in 1984, synths are getting annoying. But they actually didn't bother me very much with this one. Maybe it's because Youssou N'Dour has such an interesting voice that I was properly distracted. 

Despite all that, my frequent readers know I connect to music best through lyrics (which has ultimately been to my detriment on this List), which is significantly harder to do when I don't speak the language. I am not faulting the album for this in the slightest, but since this blog measures my individual enjoyment of each entry on the List, this is a three-star album.

RATING: 3/5