Acclaimed Music Top 25 from 1981 poll

Oh man, not sure I could pick between The Sound and Comsat Angels were they on the list. Both bands mean sooooo much to me.

I went with the Psych Furs, who just don't get enough credit due to their later (brief) sell-out, much like Simple Minds.

Computerwelt is my favorite Kraftwerk

This is Dare! very easily.

Why are all you poseurs calling it Computerwelt now?

Man if 81 had only Boodle Boodle Boodle, Slates, and "Lie Dream", that would be enough to be one of my fvaorite years ever, but then there's also the first EPs by ESG & Liquid Liquid, Return of the Giant Slits, Wild Gift, Fire of Love, The Visitors, Talk Talk Talk, Slave's Showtime, Fire of Unknown Origin. Still tons from this list and others (Japan, Grace Jones, Soft Cell, Black Uhuru, New Age Steppers, Cab Voltaire's Red Mecca, Neubauten, etc)

that I need to check out, is how that last sentence should end.

Yellow Magic Orchestra-BGM

To me this is the clear winner, I'd even take it under Computerworld; there's so much innovation on BGM that was just unheard of in 1981, it's still one of the best produced albums I've ever heard and IIRC the first time pretty much anyone heard an 808. They released Technodelic the same year and I'd also take that over anything on the list; it sounds more like 1991 than 1981. Really YMO had three great musicians and composers all peaking at the same time and IMO there really hasn't been anything like it before or since.

Tough choice for me between Bush of Ghosts, Wild Gift and Discipline. Trust is up there too.

Some excellent albums in the list, but I went for Kraftwerk in the end. Could have chosen five others and if "Architecture and morality" was in there it would be even tougher.

I would've been two this year. So many of these albums I haven't yet heard.

I may be wrong, but from a US point of view, looks like the only big singles were from the Rolling Stones and The Police. Were any other albums from the top 25 dominating the US radio with its singles?

"Don't You Want Me" and "Tom Sawyer" man!

and "Tainted Love"! and "Tempted"! and "We Got The Beat"! and motherfucking "Super Freak"! i'll stop.

Was Pull Up To The Bumper a hit in the US?

Not much on radio iirc. Big in dance clubs.

(tie) Laurie Anderson: "O Superman"/"Walk the Dog" (One, Ten/Warner Bros.) 56
The Rolling Stones: "Start Me Up" (Rolling Stones) 56
3. Grandmaster Flash: "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" (Sugarhill) 44
4. Kim Carnes: "Bette Davis Eyes" (EMI America) 39
(tie) Yoko Ono: "Walking on Thin Ice" (Geffen) 39 *
6. Tom Tom Club: "Genius of Love" (Sire) 36
7. Pete Shelley: "Homosapien" (Genetic import) 31
(tie) Soft Cell: "Tainted Love"/"Where Did Our Love Go?" (Sire) 31
9. Funky Four Plus One: "That's the Joint" (Sugarhill) 28
10. Prince: "Controversy" (Warner Bros.) 27
11. Grace Jones: "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Island) 26
12. Taana Gardner: "Heartbeat" (West End) 24
(tie) Billy Idol With Generation X: "Dancing With Myself" (Chrysalis) 24 *
(tie) Teena Marie: "Square Biz" (Gordy) 24
(tie) Frankie Smith: "Double Dutch Bus" (WMOT) 24
16. Go-Go's: "Our Lips Are Sealed" (I.R.S.) 23
17. Smokey Robinson: "Being With You" (Tamla) 22
18. Rick James: "Super Freak" (Gordy) 21
19. Rosanne Cash: "Seven Year Ache" (Columbia) 20
20. New Order: "Ceremony" (Factory) 18
21. Bob Dylan: "The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar" (Columbia) 17
22. The Pointer Sisters: "Slow Hand" (Planet) 14
(tie) The Police: "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (A&M) 14
24. Squeeze: "Tempted" (A&M) 13
25. Gang of Four: "To Hell With Poverty" (EMI import) 12
(tie) Deniece Williams: "Silly"

Not a one of those singles is less than good.

Yeah, wiki says "Bumper" didn't chart. First glance at this list I kinda knew it was going to be between Dare and Computerworld for most folks. I like both of those, and Red, but I can't front: I spun Beauty and the Beat way more than anything else on this list.

RUSH

Voted Go Go's only because I didn't see the Furs there before I submitted. Woulda been neck 'n' neck though.

Kind of wish that I'd given a vote to Ghost in the Machine now. Probably my favourite thing they did, think the synths work really well on it and remarkably for a Police album, it only has one total clunker.

Wow - that singles list! A much better year for singles than for albums, IMO.

Kind of wish that I'd given a vote to Ghost in the Machine now. Probably my favourite thing they did, think the synths work really well on it and remarkably for a Police album, it only has one total clunker.

which is..?

I too really love this album and wish more people would show some respect!!

this would have been a big fight between Juju and Faith had they made the list

good thing for Talk Talk Talk they didn't

oh man, had Controversy been on the table I probably would have had a fit and not voted

me if Controversy had been in the poll:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42816000/jpg/_42816269_stefan_rat_india203.jpg

1981 = one of my favourite ever years for music. And man, was this fucking difficult. I went for Dare in the end, but it could have been any number of albums on that list.

not cool, Alf

which is..?

Have always hated Rehumanise Yourself, that kind of wacky tune is a bit of a throwback to their earlier stuff and doesn't really sit that well with the other tracks imo

Had to go with Soft Cell. That album has been my #1 stress reliever all year, even ahead of wine.

quite a drop in quality from the previous two years' lists imho

Black Flag all the way tho

I like Talk Talk Talk, Street Songs, B&TB, Tattoo You, Hammersmith and Wild Gift but I don't feel super strongly about any

there's a time i would have voted human league but the tracks between the first three and last three are just too blah

Kraftwerk > Black Flag > Human League

correction:

Kraftwerk > Neubauten > Black Flag > Human League

there's a time i would have voted human league but the tracks between the first three and last three are just too blah

― da croupier, Friday, June 15, 2012 10:04 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

What? You're putting 'Darkness' and 'I Am The Law' into that pigeonhole?

hate to be boring, but this is Computer World

But Heaven in Here is great, too!

UP HERE

What? You're putting 'Darkness' and 'I Am The Law' into that pigeonhole?

haha well I skip "Darkness" too. My favorite album track is still "Seconds."

actually I meant "Do or Die" for the crazy synth breakdowns.

Going to be hard to not vote for Moving Pictures but Neubauten, King Crimson, and Birthday Party are all classics. Interested in hearing all of Eno/Byrne, Police, Rickie Lee Jones, Elvis Costello.

listening to Computer World for the first time ever, what can i say this was before my time.

Wow, this is some incredible stuff and i'm only like 2 minutes into the first song...

wait ok, i know the song "Pocket Calculator."

this is really cool, i need to explore Kraftwerk a bit more!

"Computer Love" is hitting all the right spots right now. this stuff i right up my alley. incredible.

i is

I dont know whats the consensus on these polls but I like them. Some odd choices here and there and at least one album you mildly care about.

Also voting kraftwerk because it blows my mind that this album is 30 years old.

Where any of you there? I imagine it sounded gimmicky for many of its listeners back then and only a few ones could visualize the scope and potential behind it.

at first it sounded a bit gimmicky - as did "autobahn" on FM radio in the 70s - but repeated exposure to CW tracks on club dancefloors and subsequent use by and influence on afrika bambaataa et al made me realize its scope and potential. my critical line on this album: "the sgt. pepper of 80s R&B"

it's got a good beat and you can dance to it i give it a 10

Does that make 1999 the Abbey Road?

Soundslike that is completely awesome, makes me wish i was around back in the day...

"Tin Drum" is the obvious pick here.

Thanks, guys. You can't go wrong, with music that good. Bee OK, the mixes are available for download at the links provided (mix titles). Amazingly, I got requests for a copy of the box trickling in for years--sadly I don't even have a copy myself anymore.

Aw that is sad

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

thanks for telling me about those links Soundslike, looking very forward to hearing this.

Talk Talk Talk again!

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Loving the mixes soundslike. Two questions:

1. Are there any more like this?
2. What's the concept behind each disc? I get feet is for dancing per example.

Oh ignore the second question just realized you explain it in your posts.

High five to you other two Go-Go's lovers. You know what's up.

Moka-- I had hopes to treat 1979 in a similar fashion, or maybe 1971. But the project was made when I was young, had just broken up with someone, had disposable income and free time. None of those things is true, nine years on from when it started : )

However, there are some "post-punk miniatures" mixes on that blog, as well as a number of other post-punk related mixes. The 'Le Tour du Monde' mixes are sort of like these, but for three-or-four year periods, and focused on the '70s.

High five back atcha, Phil D. Also happy to see Grace Jones got a couple votes; I played that record more than most on this list.

so proud of ILX right now

I'm listening to Talk Talk Talk for the nth time this morning.

This one's tough. DAMAGED or DARE? Yang or Yin?

This box - one of my fave things ever.

Hearing Family Fodder for the first time was like - !!!