TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 11, 2023 9:02:37 GMT 1
19 Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
When our original indie club at Edinburgh Uni was finishing up, we got to take a few favourite LPs for ourselves, I have several that I had my eye on, which were acts that got played which I didn't own anything by, we will see a couple of those acts later but one of the first I grabbed was this album. This was the debut album from the US folk punk band, and for me, it is one of the most essential alternative albums of the 80s. There are at least three tracks that you could stick on at the club and people would dance, but of course the most famous is "Blister in the Sun". The album only reached #171 in the US but has sold over 1 million as an indie classic. 4.5/5
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 11, 2023 9:10:30 GMT 1
18 Eddie Money - Where's the Party?
Ok we just had something cool in an AOR sandwich. But Eddie Money was the man and this was a record I hadn't heard anything off before, but it did not disappoint, the guy is peerless and sadly missed. Eddie makes a party record and come on if you wanted to go to an 80s party, there are not many other people I would like to host it But sadly this album falls into his fallow period between the late 70s and his comeback in a few years and only reached #67 in the US, shocking. 4.5/5
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 11, 2023 9:17:33 GMT 1
17 Stevie Nicks -The Wild Heart
Her 2nd album and I can't decide if I prefer this to her debut, although it does finish higher on the list. It is still way better than I expected though "Stand Back" the only song I knew, but this album is brilliant but as I said before she was always my favourite. The record peaked #5 in the US and #28 in the UK. 4.5/5
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 11, 2023 9:23:04 GMT 1
16 Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard RainFirst of two Scottish bands making their debut in 1983 and featuring in my top 20. Apart from "Oblivious" I didn't really know them until I got into them later in the decade and heard more of their singles. Many say this is their best album and I can see why, but a record that is still to come has a bit of an advantage in that I owned it, so I can't give this that accolade yet. The album raeched #22 in the UK and #129 in the US. 4.5/5
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TheThorne
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*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 11, 2023 9:29:15 GMT 1
15 Duran Duran - Seven and the Ragged Tiger
This was their third album and the last I suspect that will make my top 20, although I am sure all future records will still make my top 100. This was actually better than I thought it would be, still has three brilliant singles, and it's very consistent but I always though 'Wild Boys' was on this, and it isn’t, seemingly it was on a live album, there you go. That might have pushed it into the top 10 if it had been. The record reached #1 in the UK and #8 in the US and sold nearly 3 million worldwide. 4.5/5
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 11, 2023 9:34:31 GMT 1
14 Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual
Safe to talk about this Haven Factor entrant now and never mind that new kid on the block, Cyndi was the pop princess for now, with her debut album. I get that she is not for everyone, maybe why she was a tricky act for HF, but I can listen to her sing anything, but her ballads are just the best. Only one weak track on this, but that's ok as it was very short. The album was a hit all over the world, reaching #4 in the US and #16 in the UK and selling 16 million worldwide. 4.5/5
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Post by Whitneyfan on Apr 11, 2023 10:54:52 GMT 1
I love Cyndi's version of Prince's 'When you were mine', but after 'What's Going on' did so badly I wasn't game to enter it in Haven Factor.
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Post by greendemon on Apr 11, 2023 11:19:22 GMT 1
'She's So Unusual' was the first Cyndi album I heard (like most people I imagine, what with it being her debut, though in my case it was many many years after it was first out). Still my favourite.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 11, 2023 14:43:20 GMT 1
13 New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies
This is New Order's second album and another I am hearing for the first time, I own all their albums from 'Technique' onwards and I have 'Substance' on vinyl but until this past months, I have not listened to any of these early albums. 'Age Of Consent' was the only track I have heard before but saying all that I loved this and that is first impressions, I bet if I played it a couple more times it would have pushed into the top 10. Just can't fault them. I am only knocking off half a star due to the fact I can not pick out favourites yet, I am just remembering it as a coherent work, once I can pick it apart more likely to give it a 5! The album reached #4 in the UK. BUt for me and many others I think the albums fell into the shadow of the non album singles. C'mon we had 'Blue Monday' and 'Confusion' this year, either of them added would have made this a 5 no question. 4.5/5
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 11, 2023 14:54:17 GMT 1
12 Bryan Adams - Cuts Like a Knife
His 3rd album and a huge leap forward for him, the songs are better, and we can see that he is going to be an international star. Bryan Adams is the man to watch in AOR/rock now, and can't wait to hear his next record. There is nothing I don't love on this album, but I can't give it a 5 as I do know what is coming. This record reached #21 in the UK and #8 in the US 4.5/5 but a very high one
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 11, 2023 15:05:37 GMT 1
So who just misses the top 10, this was so close to call between these next two records but in the end it is 11 Def Leppard - Pyromania
Their third album and like Bryan Adams, this is just another level to their previous records. And who to thank, well I think save to say Robert John "Mutt" Lange. If I had only heard these albums in order and at the time, I would be hailing this a masterpiece, but I can't as U know that record is still to come, but it is very, very close. 'Pyromania' and even the singles were relatively knew to me as there was no way to hear them legally without buying them physically, I eventually caved and got a #Best Of' album to fill the gaps but soon later they gave in and all their music is available to stream. So again if I had 20 years to listen to this, it could well be top 5, but I have only heard it in full 3 times. This top 10 is actually the first time that I had heard all the albums before playing them this year. A much bigger success in the US, they were not getting the big hits singles here which will come, the album reached #2 in the US and #18 in the UK. The album has sold over 10 million in the US alone and relatively modestly elsewhere, only, 80000 in the UK which again I can blame their Luddism for causing. 4.5/5 another big one
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 11, 2023 15:11:29 GMT 1
So top 10 tomorrow 4 acts have made my top 10 before 2 others have made my top 100 before so that means we have 4 debutants, although only 3 are actually debut albums Country Split
4 UK, 5 US, 1 ROI I own 4 of them physically, all on vinyl
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Post by smokeyb on Apr 11, 2023 21:26:05 GMT 1
17 Stevie Nicks -The Wild Heart
Her 2nd album and I can't decide if I prefer this to her debut, although it does finish higher on the list. It is still way better than I expected though "Stand Back" the only song I knew, but this album is brilliant but as I said before she was always my favourite. The record peaked #5 in the US and #28 in the UK. 4.5/5 I'm a big fan of both Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac, I have this one on vinyl.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 12, 2023 8:25:08 GMT 1
10 R.E.M - Murmur
I never expected this, I have listened to all of R.E.M albums, but this is the one that I had only heard once before this month, although I knew two singles really well. So the bar is set high, they make my top 10 with their debut album. I totally loved this which is so weird as when I first got into R.E.M around 1987, and I later bought the I.R.S compilation 'Eponymous' I didn't really get the older stuff, guess I grew into it. "Talk About the Passion" is maybe in my top 20 R.E.M songs now. This record reached #36 in the US and is regarded as the 5th best album of the 80s by Pitchfork and 6th by Q and 8th best alternative album ever by Spin.
4.5/5
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 12, 2023 8:36:59 GMT 1
9 The Police - Synchronicity
This, though very predictable, only shock is it isn't higher. Straight away, I will say this album has the best singles of any Police album, especially "King of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" but it is let down by consistency on side one, Side two is close to perfection. This was their fifth and final album, and it was number one all over the world, selling over 10 million, 8 million in the US alone.
4.5/5
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 12, 2023 8:45:28 GMT 1
8 Journey - Frontiers
This was their eighth album and I would say their second best, I have listened to them all!!! Side one is just like my dream tracklist and one track 'Send Her My Love' has a very special memory for me now, I had never heard it before and The Night Game, played it before they came on stage, it sounded magical. Happy to enjoy that moment with a Haven friend So it's maybe my favourite track now but this is filled with epic AOR classics "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)", "Faithfully" and "Only the Young" as a bonus track. Are Journey my favourite 80s band, they are definitely up there. This album reached #2 in the US and a very good #6 in the UK, it has sold over 6 million in the US alone. Can't quite give it a 5 as it does get a little generic by the end.
4.5/5
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 12, 2023 8:55:29 GMT 1
7 U2 - War
All I can say is Oof! I was not sure if I could listen to this album, but we are over a year in, and I am coping, well to be honest this record actually made me feel better in a weird way. We have been here before and things have been very bad, and they got better. This album hits hard as The Troubles/Cold War is kind of a larger version of how things are now in certain parts of the world, and we got through it and they will to. Yes, so a bit of an emotional wreck after playing this, it was never one of my favourites, but I so get it now. Anyway back to facts, this was their third album and features some of U2's biggest and hardest hitting songs "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "New Year's Day" and "Two Hearts Beat as One", But the song "Seconds" turned me to jelly! The album reached #1 in the UK and #12 in the US and has sold 11 million worldwide.
4.5/5
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 12, 2023 9:02:20 GMT 1
6 Huey Lewis and The News - Sports
Happy to stick my head in the sand now after that and listen to some feel good rock and roll from my man Huey. This was their third album and the one that turned them into huge stars. I missed this album when it came out, as I was one of the majority who got into them through 'The Power Of Love' but I did have two of the tracks on an EP. 'Sports' was one of the first albums I listened to on downloads via legal Napster, not sure why I never bought it, It's not perfect I am not a fan of the doo wop type songs, but you know you will always get 1 or 2 with a Huey album but 5 of these songs are totally brilliant. The record reached #1 in the US and #23 in the US where it has sold over 7 million alone.
4.5/5
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Post by greendemon on Apr 12, 2023 15:06:13 GMT 1
9 The Police - Synchronicity
This, though very predictable, only shock is it isn't higher. Straight away, I will say this album has the best singles of any Police album, especially "King of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" but it is let down by consistency on side one, Side two is close to perfection. This was their fifth and final album, and it was number one all over the world, selling over 10 million, 8 million in the US alone.
4.5/5 I rank this below Ghost In The Machine, but 'King Of Pain' is the best thing The Police ever recorded and you can't change my mind
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Post by Whitneyfan on Apr 12, 2023 15:47:17 GMT 1
'War' is my favourite U2 album (that I have heard anyway). It helps that it has their 2 best songs on too (New Years' Day & Sunday Bloody Sunday)!
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