Tag: 1980sPage 1 of 27

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Live Alive, 1986 on Epic

Recorded across four live performances between July 1985 (Montreux Jass Festivale) and July 1986 (Austin Opera House and Dallas Starfest). Includes his take on “Mary Had a Little…

Colin James Hay, Looking for Jack, 1987 on Columbia

Solo debut from the man more well known (to me at least) as the lead singer of Men At Work, which he fronted from 1978 to 1986. He’s…

Bob Dylan & The Grateful Dead, Dylan & The Dead, 1989 on Columbia

Recorded live in July 1987 during the six-city tour of that summer. While the shows from that tour typically had a first set of Dead material followed by…

Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Get Happy!!, 1980 on Columbia

Yes, that’s “Get Happy!!” with not one but two exclamation marks. Fourth Costello studio LP and the third with The Attractions, following after Armed Forces. More influence here…

Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA, 1984 on Columbia

Having recently seen Deliver Me From Nowhere, which covers the period where Springsteen wrote and recorded Nebraska, it was interesting to come back to this album, which included…

Depeche Mode, People Are People, 1984 on Sire / Mute

Compilation album for North America put out by Sire in 1984, pulling the title track single and a combination of album cuts, and b-sides. This song was such…

Leo Kottke, Guitar Music, 1981 on Chrysalis

Eleventh (?) LP from Kottke, a solo outing instrumental style. Recorded at Sound 80 in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. Includes a cover of Ry Cooder’s Available Space”…

Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Too-Rye-Ay, 1982 on Mercury

Credited on the cover to “Kevin Rowland & Dexys Midnight Runners,” this was their second LP, the first with Mercury Records and the one with the massive hit…

Sir Douglas Quintet, Live From Austin TX, 2006 on New West

Doug Sahm’s Sir Douglas Quintet recorded in 1981 but released in 2006 (on CD/DVD) / 2018 (vinyl) – live on Austin City Limits. (In 1981 that means the…

Katie Webster, The Swamp Boogie Queen, 1988 on Alligator Records

Webster started out as a session musician behind lots of Louisiana artists but then came back as a solo artist in the 1980s. This was her first album…

Abbey Lincoln, Golden Lady, 1981 on Inner City

Originally issued by Blue Marge in France under the name Painted Lady (Abbey Lincoln in Paris), the first US issue was on Inner City Records under the name…

Joe Jackson’s Jumpin’ Jive, Jumpin’ Jive, 1981 on A&M

Joe Jackson always seemed to me a bit like someone out of the wrong time – though I loved his new wave / new romantic era and azz…

The Replacements, The Pleasure’s All Yours: Pleased to Meet Me Outtakes & Alternates, 2021 on Sire

Released as part of Record Store Day 2021, these are outtakes and alternate versions of songs from Pleased To Meet Me released on vinyl for the first time….

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, Mainstream, 1987 on Capitol

Third and last studio LP under the name Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released by Polydor in the UK and Capitol in the US. Fared better in the…

Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five, Piano, 1989 on New Day Records

After the split between Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel, Mel took the “Grandmaster” role and continued with the Furious Five splitting. On this record the Furious Five include…

Neneh Cherry, Raw Like Sushi, 1989 on Virgin

I don’t think I knew it at the time, but Neneh Cherry is Swedish-born (Neneh Mariann Karlsson), and related to both Don Cherry the jazz trumpeter (step-daughter) and…

Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Blood & Chocolate, 1986 on Columbia

Costello’s 11th studio LP and 9th with The Attractions, as a follow up to King of America, and produced by Nick Lowe. Didn’t do so well commercially at…

Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Imperial Bedroom, 1982 on Columbia

Seventh studio LP from Costello and the sixth with The Attractions, out of F-Beat in the UK and Columbia in the US. A must have for collectors of…

The Pretenders, Get Close, 1986 on Sire

Fourth Pretenders LP, with “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and “My Baby,” both of which were hits in the US. This is after the deaths of Pete Farndon and…

The Dream Syndicate, The Dream Syndicate (Self-Titled), 1982 on Down There Records / Enigma

Another band associated with the Paisely Underground / Paisely Punk movement of the early 80s, Dream Syndicate were Steve Wynn, Kendra Smith, Dennis Duck, and Karl Precoda. This…