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Post by Whitneyfan on May 25, 2023 19:24:55 GMT 1
I do like that Erasure album, especially the 3 singles from it, but they did get much better!
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on May 26, 2023 7:30:18 GMT 1
83 Billy Idol - Whiplash Smile
His third album and probably the last time I paid him a lot of attention. Maybe not as popular as his first two albums but this one still has a lot to offer, especially the ballad "Sweet Sixteen". The other two singles are pretty good as well. The record peaked at #6 in the US and #8 in the UK. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 26, 2023 7:38:04 GMT 1
82 Concrete Blonde - Concrete Blonde
The debut album from the American rock band from Hollywood. I would not know about them until I heard their 1990 album 'Bloodletting' which became my soundtrack for about 2 months. So for this I thought I'd go back to the early stuff. They are very hard to categorise, it is rock music yes but not like most of the bands around, it is maybe even ahead of its time. The main selling point is Johnette Napolitano vocals which really deserved them more attention. The record did chart in the US reaching #96. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 26, 2023 7:42:44 GMT 1
81 Harold Budd, Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie & Simon Raymonde - The Moon and the Melodies
This is a collaboration between composer Harold Budd and The Cocteau Twins and it is just gorgeous, especially the tracks with Liz singing on them. So yes maybe a bit of a left field inclusion, but I had to put it in. The record reached #48 in the UK and was an indie album #1. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 26, 2023 7:48:41 GMT 1
80 The Triffids - Born Sandy Devotional
Their second album and the Australian band were a group I wanted to get into but I never liked them enough to actually buy any of their records, money was precious in the late 80s. This was their second album and breakthrough record which featured the radio hit "Wide Open Road". It is a very nice album but I think I made the right choice letting this pass but their next album is a different story. It peaked #2 in the Uk indie album chart. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 26, 2023 7:53:13 GMT 1
79 Georgia Satellites - Georgia Satellites
Another debut from a US rock band this time from Georgia and you don't get much more Southern rock than The Georgia Satellites. They made an instant impression with their single "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" which went all the way to #2 in the US but I was always more of a fan of the follow-up single "Battleship Chains" which did better in the UK. I never actually realised how popular they were in the US, the album went to #5. We will hear from them again in 1988. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 26, 2023 7:57:20 GMT 1
78 Eric Clapton - August
This might seem a weird one but here is 'Slow Hands' tenth album. Why? well one main reason, his excellent cover of "Behind the Mask" which was one of the first singles I bought with my own money, yes I know I was odd. Anyway I genuinely like this album, so many guest stars and it mostly rocks a long quite nicely. It peaked #3 in the UK and #37 in the US. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 8:01:08 GMT 1
77 The Housemartins - London 0 Hull 4
Their debut album and a band that I never liked as much as I thought I should. The singles are great, but most of the album tracks are fine but they just don't do anything for me. I know they are a lyrics band so that's maybe what I am missing but I am here for the quality pop of songs like "Think for a Minute" and "Happy Hour" and there is just not enough of those moments. That though is probably just the way they are, that doesn't change for The Beautiful South either The record reached #3 in the UK. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 8:12:13 GMT 1
76 Bad Company - Fame and Fortune
This may seem like another weird one, why am I including their 7th album when I ignored their 1982 album. Well I knew Bad Company for the brilliant 70s hits "Can't Get Enough" and "Feel Like Makin' Love" nothing else though. I heard this great rock ballad through all the static on Radio Luxembourg and I managed to record it and I loved "This Love" for years. It would be about 25 years until I actually heard the song in digital clarity. Then I played the album a lot. To be fair its not that great when you compare it with their 70s output but sometimes a time or nostalgia just transcends common sense.. But I was not completely insane as in New Zealand, "This Love" reached #12, their only hit since 1975. The album didn't to great though, only reaching #106 in the US, their first to miss the top 30 at this point. Also terrible cover for a classic rock band. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 8:28:08 GMT 1
75 Red Box - The Circle & the Square
A band that I feel are pretty forgotten now but this is a really good debut album. They had been trying to have hits for a while but it took their eye-catching video for "Lean On Me", it is funny how little impressed us then. "Lean On Me" was a pop anthem, love that song so much. But they were no one hit wonders, they came back with another pop banger "For America". I feel this band could have been the next Pet Shop Boys or even nudged out Erasure but were they just a bit too eccentric. They have plenty more great songs on this album and yes they are a bit arty but never annoying, it's a tricky balance to have. The album didn't do great, I blame the long gap between singles and the release of the album. It should have been out in 1985. It reached #73 in the UK. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 8:34:41 GMT 1
74 Belinda Carlisle - Belinda
Her debut album and it is much better than many say although just noticing now, Belinda Carlisle solo was never such a big deal in the US as she was and still is in the UK. Hard to believe she never had a top 10 album in the US. At this point Belinda was still a US star and although her debut single "Mad About You reached #3 in the US, it did not cross over to Europe. So yes it's a good album, but she will get much, much better. The record reached #13 in the US. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 8:41:22 GMT 1
73 The Human League - Crash
Now we have maybe the most marmite album in their catalogue. This was their fifth album and due to the lesser success of the previous album and losing band members they took up an offer of handing production to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Now if you are going to hand it to anybody in 1986 that was a great decision but I feel it does mean Human League did sacrifice what made them unique. What saved them with fans was possibly their best single yet "Human", a gorgeous masterpiece of production and Phil's voice which was a US #1. The rest of the album, although consistently good, is quite samey until you get to "Love Is All That Matters" which shakes things up at last. The record reached #7 in the UK and #24 in the US. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 8:46:41 GMT 1
72 The Pretenders - Get Close
Their fourth album and maybe my least favourite so far, but still a lot to love on it. Their previosu records though surprised me at the quality of the album tracks, this one not so much it is quite ordinary. The two singles are amazing "Don't Get Me Wrong" and "Hymn to Her" but I just wasn't blown away by this one. It reached #6 in the UK and #25 in the US. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 8:57:04 GMT 1
71 Duran Duran - Notorious
Their fourth album and a strange one in their catalogue, the band are back together after their side projects but things sound a lot different. I feel this is a real fan's favourite album as I remember at the time, you could not say a bad word about 'Skin Trade' even though it flopped, well their first to miss the top 20 since their 2nd single. a misunderstood masterpiece. Yes it was a blend of Prince and INXS, when you play it now you realise how great it was. The 1975 have a lot to thank for it. A record that you had to spend time with and yes it was maybe a bit ahead of its time certainly for the UK. That is shown by the charts, it reached #12 in the US and just #16 in the UK.
3.5/5
why not!?
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 18:51:51 GMT 1
70 The Go-Betweens - Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express
The fourth album from the Australian indie rock band who are just getting better and better with each release. The first release on a new label and it is helping as they get their first charting album in Australia but still not the UK. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 19:02:57 GMT 1
69 Queen - A Kind Of Magic
I had expected their 12th album to do better than it has, some brilliant singles like "One Vision" and great songs from the 'Highlander' soundtrack like "Who Wants to Live Forever". But for every one of those is a filler song or a dodgy soundtrack song. So from brilliant to patchy.The record reached #1 in the UK and #46 in the US. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 19:07:52 GMT 1
68 Talking Heads - True Stories
Another band on a bit of a decline. This is a soundtrack album for David Byrne's movie of the same name. Excepting " Wild Wild Life" there is not a lot very memorable here, it is still Talking Heads so It's still pretty great overall but not up to the standard we are used to. Their seventh album reached #7 in the UK and #17 in the US. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 19:13:12 GMT 1
67 38 Special - Strength in Numbers
Now on their seventh album, they are moving further and further away from their Southern Rock roots into pop/rock./AOR. I don't mind that, but this is probably their weakest album yet, although Side 1 is much better than side 2. The record still doing well though, reaching #17 in the US but nowhere near the sales of previous albums. 3.5/5
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Post by TheThorne on May 27, 2023 19:18:53 GMT 1
66 The Stranglers - Dreamtime
Their ninth album and one where I knew a lot of the songs before playing the album, think there was at least 4 singles of this. There are some really good songs on this and one exceptional one which is "Always the Sun". It is a very easy album to listen to, not sure that is a good or a bad thing with The Stranglers. So probably their most shiny album yet it reached #16 in the UK and #172 in the US. 3.5/5 Am I being harsh on 1986 or are we struggling for great albums, can't believe we have no 4s yet. Actually no 1984 and 1985 have been the exceptions so far.
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Post by TheThorne on May 28, 2023 8:18:21 GMT 1
65 Jackson Browne - Lives in the Balance
1986 is a strange year, of all the years would you expect to see Jackson Browne this high. If I ever get to doing the 70s that will be a major undertaking, I expect he will do very well there. This though was a bit of a renaissance for him in the US at least. His 8th album and most political but the song that got me into him was "In the Shape of a Heart" even though "For America" was the top 30 hit for him. The record reached #23 in the US and #36 in the UK. I am not the only one that picked this album out as Rolling Stone actually ranked it in their top 100 albums of the 80s at 88. 3.5/5
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