Terence Trent DArby, Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D’Arby, 1987 on Columbia Records. One of the gems of the later 80s – I think every note…
Stevie Nicks, Bella Donna, 1981 on Modern Records. Nicks’ debut solo album, produced by Jimmy Iovine with Benmont Tench as musical director, Tom Petty on Stop Draggin’ My…
Laurie Anderson, Mister Heartbreak, 1984 on Warner Bros. Not sure how I first heard of Laurie Anderson, but it would have been around the time of this album….
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Organisation, 1980. Mine’s a 1986 UK pressing on Virgin sublabel Dindisc. Via Dyno Records in Newburyport (pre-covid). “Enola Gay, you should have stayed…
O Positive, Only Breathing, 1985 on Throbbing Lobster records. Boston based alternative band from the 80s – whose singer now teaches entertainment law at The Northeastern University College…
Blancmange, Don’t Tell Me, 1984 on London Records (uk pressing). 12″ single, b-side is “Get Out of That.” Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, my favourite electropop duo named…
Now This Is Music, 1984 on EMI out of the Netherlands. First in a series of Dutch copilations which appeared between 1984 and 1989 – basically the Dutch…
The Pretenders, Learning to Crawl, 1984 on Sire. Third Pretenders studio album, recorded after the deaths of James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon. Middle of the Road, Chain Gang,…
UB40, Signing Off, 1980 on Graduate Records. Opens with “Tyler” (about Gary Tyler, sentenced to death at 17 in Louisiana, who served 41 years before being released in…
Slash: The Early Sessions, 1983 on Slash Records. The Blasters, X, Rank and File, Violent Femmes, Fear, The Germs. Great cover art directed by Lou Beach. Via Planet…
Guadalcanal Diary, Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man, 1984 on DB records. My copy is the 1985 repressing on Elektra. Murray Attaway, Jeff Wallls (who passed…
The Young Snakes, Bark Along With The Young Snakes, 1982 on Ambiguous Records. Aimee Mann , Douglas Vargas, and Michael Evans. Extra credit for a pre-internet cat meme…
Mutant Pop 78/79 on PVC Records, 1980 Mekons, Scars, Human League, 2.3, The Flowers, Gang of Four. Collected singles from the Fast Product imprint out of Edinburgh