Tag: 1980s
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The Brains, The Brains, 1980 on Mercury
Self-titled debut album from Atlanta’s The Brains, including a song later made famous by Cyndi Lauper, “Money Changes Everything.” The Brains would only go on to one more full length LP, Electronic Eden. Both were produced by Steve Lillywhite. Various members went on to play in other Atlanta bands, including the Georgia Satellites. Tom Gray…
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Bruce Cockburn, Waiting for a Miracle: Singles 1970-1987, 1987 on True North
Collection of singles from Canada’s Bruce Cockburn, whose career ranged widely from folk to what we might call world music to rock. Cockburn was a Berklee School of Music dropout before being a dropout from Berkelee was de rigeur. I first found Cockburn via “If I Had A Rocket Launcher” and his association with various…
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Gene Loves Jezebel, Immigrant, 1985 on Relativity / Situation Two
Gene Loves Jezebel were twin brothers Jay Aston and Michael Aston, delivering post-punk with a goth-adjacent feel – most well known in the US for “Desire.” This was their second album, following Promise. Later they had a follow hit with “The Motion of Love” from their fourth album The House of Dolls. Relativity was a…
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The Honeydrippers, Volume One, 1984 on Es Paranza
Robert Plant’s early 80s group dedicated to reproducing the sound of R&B, which had a big hit with a cover of “Sea of Love.” The title, Volume One, turned out to be aspirational as it was their only LP. The lineup, however, includes (in addition to Plant): Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Paul Shaffer, Nile Rodgers,…
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Wall of Voodoo, The Ugly Americans in Australia, 1988 on I.R.S. Records
Live Wall of Voodoo recorded on their 1987 tour in Australia, primarily at The Palace in Melbourne. The cover painting is by Robert Williams (aka Robt. Wms.). This was their last output on I.R.S. and basically the end of their label support – after this things were self-released or reissues. My copy—via Vinyl Destination in…
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The Romantics, Strictly Personal, 1981 on Nemporer
Third album from The Romantics, who originally came out of Detroit MI. Look at the new wave style here – matching pink leather suits and bolo ties. Did not reach the same heights as their self-titled debut and “What I Like About You” but continues in that same sound. Nemperor was a label founded by…
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Flesh for Lulu, Long Live The New Flesh, 1987 on Beggars Banquet / Capitol
Third full-length album from Brixton London post-punks Nick Marsh, James Mitchell, Rocco Barker, Derek “Del Boy” Greening, and Kevin Mills—and their first on Beggars Banquet/Capitol. (Capitol in the US, Beggars Banquet in the UK). The lead single “I Go Crazy” was featured in the film Some Kind of Wonderful and became a minor hit. This…
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Cactus World News, Urban Beaches, 1986 on MCA
This was the debut album for Cactus World News, with a different cover in US and UK editions- this one is the US cover. They were an early 80s band in Dublin, and had the good fortune to have Bono produce their first single “The Bridge” (a re-recording of which is on this album). What…
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T-Bone Burnett, Trap Door, 1982 on Warner Bros.
Most people think of T-Bone Burnett these days as a Grammy-winning producer associated with Americana and roots music, but has also long been a solo artist releasing music since the 80s. This EP was Burnett’s first release on Warner Bros, after leaving Takoma. Rhino released a compilation including this EP and the companion EP Behind…
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Flesh for Lulu, Plastic Fantastic, 1989 on Capitol / Beggar’s Banquet
This was the fourth studio LP from Flesh for Lulu, and the second on Beggar’s Banquet (in the UK) and Capitol (in the US). “Decline and Fall” from this LP was a hit on the “modern rock tracks” charts. It would also be their last studio LP. (Gigantic was later released under the Flesh for…
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The Alarm, Change, 1989 on I.R.S. Records
We recently lost Mike Peters of The Alarm, after a 30 year battle with cancer. He also had a lengthy solo career following the band’s breakup in the early 90s, and founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation. This album was their penultimate with the original lineup, and has NID YN CYMRU AR WERTH carved into…
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Flesh For Lulu, Big Fun City, 1985 on Statik Records
This was the sophomore studio album by Brixton’s Flesh For Lulu, released by London-based Statik Records in 1985. Nick Marsh (vocals, guitar), James Mitchell (drums), Kevin Mills (bass), Rocco Baker (guitar), with Cassell Webb (percussion). Great mid-eighties post-punk / gothic sound. They later signed to Beggars Banquet and then Capitol Records. My copy—via the now-defunct…
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Various Artists, The Best of Chess Blues, 1987 on Chess / MCA
Great 2xLP 80s compilation of the post-war blues that made Chess such a critical label, issued by MCA who acquired the rights to the Chess catalog in the mid-eighties. My copy—via Mel’s Record Shop in Amesbury MA—is a 1987 pressing by MCA Records’ plant in Gloversville, NY.
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Wall of Voodoo, Dark Continent, 1981 on I.R.S. Records
This was the debut album for Wall of Voodoo, before the big hit “Mexican Radio” which was on their follow-up Call of the West. In addition to the immensely talented Stan Ridgway (credited here as “Stanard Ridgway”) the band here includes Bruce Moreland, Joe Nanini, Marc Moreland, and Chas Gray. A live version of “Back…
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Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Texas Flood, 1983 on Epic
Hard to believe given how fully formed the sound is, but this was the debut album for Vaughan and Double Trouble. Said to have been recorded in two days with no overdubs. What a fantastic debut: “Love Struck Baby,” “Pride and Joy,” and the title track lead off side one. The band here is Vaughan…
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UB40, Little Baggariddim, 1985 on DEP International / A&M
Great EP by UB40 from the mid-eighties, including a duet with Chrissie Hynde covering Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe,” with a dub version on side 2. There’s also a new version of “One In Ten” from Present Arms There’s a full album called Baggariddim – this EP was only released in the US…
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Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel (aka Security), 1982 on Charisma
The fourth in Peter Gabriel’s self-titled set of albums, this one was labelled Security in some regions, and sometimes is referred to as Peter Gabriel 4. I love this whole quartet of albums, from 1977 to 1982 – this one includes “Shock The Monkey” as well as “They Rhythm of the Heat” and “San Jacinto”…
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The Selecter, Celebrate the Bullet, 1981 on Chrysalis
The Selecter were a Coventry band on 2 Tone; Celebrate the Bullet was their second album, following Too Much Pressure. Neol Davies, Pauline Black, and Arthur Hendrickson did most of the songwriting here, with production by Roger Lomas. My copy—via Lucky Records in Reykjavik—is a 1981 Santa Maria pressing.