Tag: 1980s
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UB40, Signing Off, 1980 on Graduate Records.
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 2016), and includes: King (a tribute to MLK), Burden of Shame (“bloody deeds have been done in my name”) and Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit. Resonating with me…
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Slash: The Early Sessions, 1983 on Slash Records.
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 Records in Cambridge
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Guadalcanal Diary, Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man, 1984 on DB Records
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 in 2019), Rhett Crowe, and John Poe. Another Georgia indie band from the early 80s, though they were from Marietta not Athens. Originally signed to DB records…
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The Young Snakes, Bark Along With The Young Snakes, 1982 on Ambiguous Records.
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 cover. Via Planet Records in Cambridge
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Mutant Pop 78/79 on PVC Records, 1980
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
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What’s New (1983), Lush Life (1984), and For Sentimental Reasons (1986)
What’s New (1983), Lush Life (1984), and For Sentimental Reasons (1986) A great trio of platinum albums by Linda Ronstadt with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra on Asylum/Warner Bros. The last was released after Nelson Riddle passed in 1985
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Paul Young, No Parlez, 1983 on Columbia.
Paul Young, No Parlez, 1983 on Columbia. My copy is a Canadian pressing. Debut studio album including covers of “Love Will Tear Us Apart Again” (Joy Division) and “Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)” (Marvin Gaye) as well as “Love Of The Common People.” He hit it big in the US later with…
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Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Power of Love, picture disk, 1984 on ZTT
Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Power of Love, picture disk, 1984 on ZTT I dont have a ton of picture disks (they tend not to sound as good as non-picture vinyl) but love this one we need the power of love right now.
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Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry, Temptation, 1989 on Situation Two
Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry,, Temptation, 1989 on Situation Two.( SIT 60T) Another Leeds UK export Situation Two was one of the sub labels of Beggars Banquet in the UK in the 80s Via The Thing, Greenpoint
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The Eurythmics, Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four), 1984 on RCA.
The Eurythmics, Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four), 1984 on RCA. The Eurythmics made a soundtrack for Virgin Records for the film version of Orwell’s 1984 by Michael Radford, not knowing the director had commissioned an orchestral score separately. Various releases of the film exist with a mixed score or with just the orchestral score – I’ve always…
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Sting, Nothing Like The Sun, 1987
Sting, Nothing Like The Sun, 1987 While Sting has fallen out of fashion in some hip circles (duet album with Shaggy for example) I love every second of this record
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The March Violets, Natural History, 1984 on Rebirth
The March Violets, Natural History, 1984 on Rebirth Rebirth was a label formed by the band. Includes “Religious as Hell” which was their first single in 1982 on Merciful, the label formed by Andrew Eldritch from The Sisters of Mercy. Unfortunately my copy no longer has the Zillion Dollar insert. Not sure if I had…
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Forever Young, Alphaville, 1984 on WEA.
Forever Young, Alphaville, 1984 on WEA. Venezuelan pressing I found atDaddy Kool Records in St. Petersburg Debut album rushed out based on the success of “Big In Japan”
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The March Violets, Electric Shades, 1985 on Relativity
The March Violets, Electric Shades, 1985 on Relativity Tom Ashton, Cleo Murray, Loz Elliott, Simon Denbigh – great 80s goth out of Leeds UK Via Academy Records
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UB40, The Earth Dies Screaming / Dream a Lie, 1980 on Graduate Records
UB40, The Earth Dies Screaming / Dream a Lie, 1980 on Graduate Records (12 GRAD 10) Wonderful early UB40 12″ single for earth day Via Academy Records
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The Smithereens, Green Thoughts, 1988 on Capitol.
The Smithereens, Green Thoughts, 1988 on Capitol. While the debut album was “Especially For You,” the track by that name is on this sophomore release, along with “Only A Memory” and “Drown In My Own Tears.” Pat DiNizio’s songwriting and inimitable vocals made The Smithereens a key part of my 80s musical landscape. (He passed…
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Tears for Fears, The Hurting, 1983 on Mercury.
Tears for Fears, The Hurting, 1983 on Mercury. This was actually one of my first CDs, and remains one of my top 20 of all time. This is an original US Hauppauge pressing I picked up at Daddy Kool Records last year – had been on my wants list for a long time The US…
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Soft Cell, Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go, 1981 on Sire.
Soft Cell, Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go, 1981 on Sire. Combined cover of Gloria Jones and The Supremes, by the inimitable Marc Almond and David Ball.