557. Hounds of Love

Hounds of Love
Kate Bush
1985

Tracks
1. Running Up That Hill
2. Hounds of Love
3. Big Sky
4. Mother Stands for Comfort
5. Cloudbusting
6. And Dream of Sheep
7. Under Ice
8. Waking the Witch
9. Watching You Without Me
10. Jig of Life
11. Hello Earth
12. Morning Fog

You all know by now how delighted I am whenever the Listmakers include a female artist among its sweaty, penis saturated ranks. I'm especially pleased when it is somebody as amazing as Kate Bush.

Because we just had a Suzanne Vega album, I am tempted to compare the two. I would say Suzanne Vega excels in terms of lyrical quality, but there is something fairly mesmerizing about Kate's voice. I wouldn't exactly label this album as commercial friendly (particularly the latter half) but I am quite content skipping over mainstream eighties music in favor of this. 

Next up is The Smiths. Liking the Smiths is movie code for being a cool young person. I can't wait!

RATING: 4/5

556. Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash

Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash
The Pogues
1985

Tracks
1. Sick Bed of Cuchulainn
2. Old Main Drag
3. Wild Cats of Kilkenny
4. I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day
5. Pair of Brown Eyes
6. Sally Maclennane
7. Pistol for Paddy Garcia
8. Dirty Old Town
9. Jesse James
10. Navigator
11. Billy's Bones
12. Gentleman Soldier
13. Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Apparently, the name of the album is a paraphrased quote of Winston Churchill, when he said something along the lines of: "don't talk to me about naval tradition. Nothing but rum, sodomies, prayers, and the lash." If only that man were alive during the Twitter age, we would have privy to some sick burns. 

Anyway, if you haven't heard this album, imagine what it would sound like if Long John Silver, Black Dog, and Jack Sparrow formed a band. I saw on Wikipedia that this was considered a folk punk album, which seems strange to me. I can't envision this album in a context other than a tavern named The Jolly Rogers or The Flying Dutchman.

It might sound like I am hating on the album, but I am not. I did actually enjoy it quite a bit as a novelty. It's amazing that the punk attitude can be applied to any genre. Maybe if they added punk elements to bongo rock they could really get that genre off the ground (#foreverhauntedbythebongos).

RATING: 3/5

555. Suzanne Vega

Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
1985

Tracks
1. Cracking
2. Freeze Tag
3. Marlene On The Wall
4. Small Blue Thing
5. Straight Lines
6. Undertow
7. Some Journey
8. The Queen & The Soldier
9. Knight Moves
10. Neighborhood Girls

I was already gleeful at the idea of a female solo artist, which is a true rarity in these parts. But this turned out to be one of the best albums I have ever heard, and no, I am not just saying that because of the genitals we share.

The standout track is undeniably "The Queen and The Soldier" which is powerful and tells a damn good story. And what more could you ask of a folk album? My other favorite was "Marlene On The Wall," a profound introspection that I have pretty much had on repeat since listening to this album. Compared to some of the more vapid albums I have been subjected to lately on this List, this was a welcome change. After this, we are back to sodomy (and Rum and the Lash).

Simply beautiful.

RATING: 5/5

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