Acclaimed Music Top 25 from 1980 poll

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The albums are ranked by a weighted rating based on the average rating and the number of ratings from a selection of music magazines and webzines.

Acclaimed Music Top 25 from 1979 poll

Poll Results

OptionVotes
1 35 Talking Heads - Remain in Light 13
10 473 Prince - Dirty Mind 10
24 962 The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight 9
17 582 Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth 8
9 428 X - Los Angeles 5
15 499 The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms 5
6 296 Dexys Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels 5
2 41 Joy Division - Closer 5
14 494 Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (III) 4
18 588 The Cure - Seventeen Seconds 4
13 492 The Clash - Sandinista! 3
3 95 AC/DC - Back in Black 3
7 326 Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables 3
5 289 Bruce Springsteen - The River 3
4 163 Pretenders - Pretenders 3
12 491 David Bowie - Scary Monsters 2
11 487 The Jam - Sound Affects 2
23 926 Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden 2
20 781 The Cramps - Songs the Lord Taught Us 2
19 603 Fehlfarben - Monarchie und Alltag 1
21 790 Echo and the Bunnymen - Crocodiles 0
22 809 U2 - Boy 0
16 555 Motörhead - Ace of Spades 0
8 377 Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Get Happy!! 0
25 967 The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta 0


Bee OK, Thursday, 7 June 2012 02:26 (eleven years ago) link

Sandinista!, Crazy Rhythms, Ace Of Spades and Underwater Moonlight? It's like picking a favorite child.

But I can't imagine ever getting the chance to vote for a Hitchcock album on ILM, so UM it is.

EZ Snappin, Thursday, 7 June 2012 02:28 (eleven years ago) link

some albums just missing the Top 25 include: 27 The Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro, 28 Judas Priest - British Steel, 29 Killing Joke - Killing Joke, 30 Magazine - The Correct Use of Soap, 31 John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy, 38 Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz, 39 Bauhaus - In the Flat Field, 40 Bob Marley and The Wailers - Uprising, 41 Steely Dan
Gaucho
, 46 XTC - Black Sea, 47 Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell and 56 Ultravox - Vienna.

Bee OK, Thursday, 7 June 2012 02:32 (eleven years ago) link

Hard to deny any of these records but YMG is the one for me, homemade drum machine and the driest ever vocals

Ò (Ówen P.), Thursday, 7 June 2012 02:33 (eleven years ago) link

Woah Hard

wolf kabob (ENBB), Thursday, 7 June 2012 02:36 (eleven years ago) link

Pretenders all the way

shipl.de.al (some dude), Thursday, 7 June 2012 02:36 (eleven years ago) link

i'm thinking Talking Heads should win this but being ILM you never know.

Bee OK, Thursday, 7 June 2012 02:50 (eleven years ago) link

yeah, a lot of people like joy division for some awful reason

shipl.de.al (some dude), Thursday, 7 June 2012 02:51 (eleven years ago) link

What's the source for these lists again? Curious who's ranking Fehlfarben up there w/Blizzard of Ozz

Ò (Ówen P.), Thursday, 7 June 2012 02:57 (eleven years ago) link

SO much great stuff here, but... Sandinista!

mr.raffles, Thursday, 7 June 2012 02:57 (eleven years ago) link

it's a site that compiles various year/decade end polls and the like, i'm not sure what their algorithm is (if there even is one) but as a snapshot of conventional wisdom it's good enough: http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/

balls, Thursday, 7 June 2012 02:59 (eleven years ago) link

dirty mind over colossal youth, crazy rhythms, remain in light

balls, Thursday, 7 June 2012 03:02 (eleven years ago) link

Fehlfarben? X for the title track and "The World's a Mess"; the Cramps I used to love, the Feelies I love one song ("Raised Eyebrows").

clemenza, Thursday, 7 June 2012 03:48 (eleven years ago) link

re Fehlfarben - Monarchie und Alltag because who the fuck are they, from Wiki:

Monarchie und Alltag was not critically well received on its release, but in spite of line-up changes the band managed to increase public interest over time through live performance and the release of new material. Months after its October 1980 release, in May 1981, the album entered the German album charts where it gradually climbed to #37, only earning gold status in 2000 after a reissue coincident with the post-punk revival. Over time, however, the album has developed a tremendous reputation. Die Zeit described the album as a "revolutionary monument". Telepolis described it as "an unsurpassed masterpiece". It has been variously termed "a cornerstone of modern German rock", "the most important German punk album", and "the best German-language album overall". Bayerischer Rundfunk states that the group and the album were the "epicenter of the German punkscene in the early 1980s" and that with the release of Monarchie und Alltag the band became "the first volume in the German new wave".

At the time of release, the album did not secure any hit singles, but two years after the album was released label EMI issued "Ein Jahr (Es geht voran)" to capitalize on the rising popularity of the German new wave (Neue Deutsche Welle) movement. The song reached the top 20 in the charts.

According to Der Tagesspiegel, the album has lost nothing of its appeal over the years, to those who were punk at the time or even those who were not yet born, as it retains its forcefulness, directness and relevance.

Bee OK, Thursday, 7 June 2012 03:55 (eleven years ago) link

Real answer: Cultosaurus Erectus. But I'll probably vote for X narrowly over Prince.

freebroheem (loves laboured breathing), Thursday, 7 June 2012 04:05 (eleven years ago) link

80 is a really cool year but I'm not quite as familiar with all the facets of its awesomeness the way I am with 79.

(81 otoh is a huge favourite. Also: year of my birth)

freebroheem (loves laboured breathing), Thursday, 7 June 2012 04:10 (eleven years ago) link

I was listening to that Gabriel album today. Pretty sure that's my favourite. Bowie, Talking Heads, and Joy Division all great though. Should probably listen to Closer again.

EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, 7 June 2012 04:10 (eleven years ago) link

(Ha, I totally had you pegged as younger than that from your modern rock taste, freebroheem!)

EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, 7 June 2012 04:10 (eleven years ago) link

Peter Gabriel for me, but I'm banking on either Talking Heads or Prince winning this.

Johnny Fever, Thursday, 7 June 2012 04:16 (eleven years ago) link

Mmm, kinda weak compared to the '79 list, but still some classic stuff. It's down to Remain In Light/Pretenders/Dirty Mind/Colossal Youth for me. I think Dirty Mind takes it. One of several perfect Prince albums.

Quiet Desperation, LLC (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 7 June 2012 04:17 (eleven years ago) link

Yeah, definitely fewer albums I love on this list than the last. Voted Feelies over Talking Heads and Pretenders.

da croupier, Thursday, 7 June 2012 04:38 (eleven years ago) link

There's some stuff near and dear to my heart in here:

Holiday in Cambodia
When You Were Mine
Ashes to Ashes
Nausea
Once in a Lifetime
Intruder
obv Ace of Spades

freebroheem (loves laboured breathing), Thursday, 7 June 2012 04:49 (eleven years ago) link

('Near and dear' might be misleading somewhat considering most of those were huge mega-hits but I still love all of em in that approximate order)

freebroheem (loves laboured breathing), Thursday, 7 June 2012 04:55 (eleven years ago) link

YMG over Dexy's for me.

timellison, Thursday, 7 June 2012 05:29 (eleven years ago) link

Japanese Gentlemen Stand Up Please!

meisenfek, Thursday, 7 June 2012 07:17 (eleven years ago) link

The Cure

crüt, Thursday, 7 June 2012 08:18 (eleven years ago) link

Fehlfarben?

dudes this is a jam (admittedly a jam I think the band don't even like):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ckAlX7mSno

but I am voting Feelies.

instant coffee happening between us (a passing spacecadet), Thursday, 7 June 2012 08:39 (eleven years ago) link

i could vote for Remain in Light, Sound Affects, Closer, Dirty Mind, Pretenders, Crazy Rhythms, or even Crocodiles and yeah 17 Seconds.

(REAL NAME) (m coleman), Thursday, 7 June 2012 09:29 (eleven years ago) link

If it wasn't for Remain In Light, I would have a hard time picking between AC/DC and the CURE.

nicky lo-fi, Thursday, 7 June 2012 11:08 (eleven years ago) link

My two favorites are pretty much polar opposites: the sparse and minimalist Colossal Youth vs. the dense and multi-layered Remain In Light. Love YMG so much, but T. Heads is definitely one of my most-played cassettes/LPs/CDs of all time.

Soccer mom, hopeless and lost, in utter despair (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 7 June 2012 13:59 (eleven years ago) link

I don't REALLY think "Searching for the Young Soul Rebels" is better than "Remain in Light," but it's nearer to my heart and somehow more singular and strange, so I'm voting for it. Of course, if the Teardrop Explodes were #25 instead of #27, I'd vote for that with no hesitation.

Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 7 June 2012 14:26 (eleven years ago) link

I'm just gonna throw one out there for "Underwater Moonlight", though objectively Talking Heads is definitely better.

justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Thursday, 7 June 2012 14:29 (eleven years ago) link

I scanned through the rest of that list. The only thing I saw on a cursory glance that fell outside of the top 25 and that I'd rep for hardcore is the Swell Maps' Jane From Occupied Europe.

Quiet Desperation, LLC (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 7 June 2012 14:32 (eleven years ago) link

In 1980, when I was really immersed in punk and the New York Dolls, I used to puzzle over why people thought the Talking Heads were so great. "I don't get it--surely that will fade away over time." (I don't hate them.) Thirty years later, people still hear what I don't hear. I was wrong.

clemenza, Thursday, 7 June 2012 14:35 (eleven years ago) link

Talking Heads followed by Dexys.

Scary Move 4 (dog latin), Thursday, 7 June 2012 14:38 (eleven years ago) link

My Top 5:

Prince
Talking Heads
Feelies
Dexys
The Jam

Kind of lukewarm on Underwater Moonlight when in theory it ticks so many boxes for me. The River is too high here - it's the one weak album in Springsteen's '70s/'80s run.

Gavin, Leeds, Thursday, 7 June 2012 14:43 (eleven years ago) link

Torn between Joy Division, Dexy's and Young Marble Giants. Second tier would be Talking Heads and Soft Boys.

I've heard a couple of Fehlfarben tracks I've liked, but yeah, they're a bit of an oddity popping up here.

emil.y, Thursday, 7 June 2012 15:54 (eleven years ago) link

"Ein Jahr (Es Geht Voran)" was one of the standout tracks I discovered when I delved into neue deutche welle several years back. Never thought to check out any other Fehlfarben stuff but perhaps I should.

Quiet Desperation, LLC (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 7 June 2012 17:13 (eleven years ago) link

Sound Affects was the second record I ever bought (when I was 7).

Pacific Trash Vortex (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Thursday, 7 June 2012 17:15 (eleven years ago) link

this is just me grinding the axe, but again, weird list. as in 1979, the artists involved are almost all white & male, and the selections are heavily skewed toward UK-centric punk, postpunk and new wave. maybe this is, in general, the stuff that published critics "acclaim" from this period, but i'm surprised and a bit disappointed by the narrowness.

1980 RYM list for comparison:

1) Joy Division - Closer
2) Talking Heads - Remain in Light
3) Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
4) John Williams - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
5) Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
6) Motörhead - Ace of Spades
7) The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms
8) Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
9) Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations
10) Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (III)
11) AC/DC - Back in Black
12) The Sound - Jeopardy
13) Rush - Permanent Waves
14) Wipers - Is This Real?
15) The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
16) The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight
17) Steve Reich - Octet / Music for a Large Ensemble / Violin Phase
18) Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth
19) Roky Erickson and the Aliens - Roky Erickson and the Aliens (5 Symbols)
20) The Jam - Sound Affects
21) X - Los Angeles
22) Deep Purple - Deep Purple in Concert
23) XTC - Black Sea
24) Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
25) Prince - Dirty Mind

similar in that dirty mind is the only album fronted by a nonwhite artist to make the top 25, and it's even less welcoming of female artist/acts fronted by women than the acclaimed list. it tilts just as strongly in favor of UK artists, but isn't so wholly devoted to punk, postpunk and new wave. main difference is the room it clears for heavy metal.

Cecil Taylor - One Too Many Salty Swift and Not Goodbye
Kate Bush - Never for Ever
The Beat - I Just Can't Stop It
Pylon - Gyrate
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Uprising
Siouxie and the Banshees - Kaleidoscope
Emmylou Harris - Roses In the Snow
The Specials - More Specials
The B-52's - Wild Planet
Scientist - Heavyweight Dub Champion
Abba - Super Trouper
Black Uhuru - Sinsemillia
Joan Jett - Joan Jett (Bad Reputation)
Joan Armatrading - Me Myself I
Zapp - Zapp

spextor vs bextor (contenderizer), Thursday, 7 June 2012 18:51 (eleven years ago) link

^ those last 15 = a selection of other, less "acclaimed" 1980 releases culled from the lower tiers of RYM's top list

spextor vs bextor (contenderizer), Thursday, 7 June 2012 18:53 (eleven years ago) link

Feelies!

skip, Thursday, 7 June 2012 18:53 (eleven years ago) link

Oops, didn't notice Prince.

skip, Thursday, 7 June 2012 18:53 (eleven years ago) link

X over Dead Kennedys for me (that The Beat album is pretty good too).

o. nate, Thursday, 7 June 2012 19:21 (eleven years ago) link

voting Cramps cuz they never get their due

retro-shittified (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 7 June 2012 19:25 (eleven years ago) link

voted 'colossal youth' on the strength of 'final day.'

(The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Thursday, 7 June 2012 20:11 (eleven years ago) link

do yall think joy division is so overrated because of the suicide factor?

Impetuous hybrid (Matt P), Thursday, 7 June 2012 20:20 (eleven years ago) link

voted underwater moonlight but could have gone with x, prince, the feelies, talking heads

Impetuous hybrid (Matt P), Thursday, 7 June 2012 20:21 (eleven years ago) link

Wildly suspicious of anyone who doesn't vote AC/DC.

Your Favorite Album in the Cutout Bin, Thursday, 7 June 2012 20:38 (eleven years ago) link

voting Cramps cuz they never get their due

Cramps tempted me as well. But so did several other albums. 1980 was just as good as 1979 and 1981 imo.

Johnny Fever, Thursday, 7 June 2012 20:39 (eleven years ago) link

record too

a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 7 June 2012 23:44 (eleven years ago) link

Voted Talking Heads but would probably have voted for Beefheart's Doc At The Radar Station if it was there.

You can do it Sun Myung Moon (NickB), Thursday, 7 June 2012 23:44 (eleven years ago) link

Simple Minds' Empires & Dance should have been on there somewhere too.

You can do it Sun Myung Moon (NickB), Thursday, 7 June 2012 23:47 (eleven years ago) link

do yall think joy division is so overrated because of the suicide factor?

― Impetuous hybrid (Matt P), Thursday, June 7, 2012 8:20 PM (3 hours ago)

more inclined to say they're sometimes underrated for that reason -- everyone thinks 'oh joy division lol goth suicide depresso' but the MUSIC on those two albums is sharp, unpredictable, and rich in a way that the popular image of them doesn't do justice to. you can ignore curtis's lyrics (which are sometimes good and sometimes not) and still get as much out of them. if curtis hadn't offed himself i don't think anyone would think of JD as being any more particularly 'depressing' than magazine or young marble giants or PIL.

(The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Thursday, 7 June 2012 23:47 (eleven years ago) link

I'll reverse the usual polarity: Joy Division sounds even sharper now thanks to New Order.

a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 7 June 2012 23:56 (eleven years ago) link

I am prepared to venture that Zenyatta Mondatta is the weakest album the Police ever made. I like Voices Inside My Head and Shadows In The Rain and Don't Stand So Close To Me, but there's a truckload of filler on that thing.

You can do it Sun Myung Moon (NickB), Friday, 8 June 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link

Pretenders just barely over Sandinista!

Though the fact that Dirty Mind could be only the third best album of ANY year makes me want to live in 1980 right now.

the mating calls of sarcastic sharks (jer.fairall), Friday, 8 June 2012 00:06 (eleven years ago) link

where is Chic's Real People?????

a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 8 June 2012 00:13 (eleven years ago) link

I'd also include Donna Summer's The Wanderer.

a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 8 June 2012 00:14 (eleven years ago) link

where is Chic's Real People?????

64

Bee OK, Friday, 8 June 2012 01:20 (eleven years ago) link

Soft Boys. Suspish me all you want, I'm not into AC/DC though I find them entertaning.

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 8 June 2012 01:30 (eleven years ago) link

Thanks for that Family Fodder song, jim. I'd only ever heard their goofy cover of "Sunday Girl" before, but that song you posted is pretty rad. I'mma check 'em out.

Quiet Desperation, LLC (Deric W. Haircare), Friday, 8 June 2012 01:31 (eleven years ago) link

Peter Gabriel. Only beaten my Japan in my 1980 favourite albums.

The GeirBot (Geir Hongro), Friday, 8 June 2012 01:38 (eleven years ago) link

This is possibly my favourite year for music. I am voting for Dexys just ahead of Prince but they are both in my top five albums of all time. Also love Talking Heads, Pretenders, The Jam, The Feelies, X, Bowie and Elvis Costello.

Plenty of other amazing albums that didn't make the list,

John Foxx-Metamatic
Associates-The Affectionate Punch
Japan-Gentlemen Take Polaroids
Diana Ross-Diana
Human League-Travelogue
The Passions-Michael & Miranda
Adam & The Ants-Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Devo-Freedom Of Choice
Grace Jones-Warm Leatherette
Kano-Kano
Change-The Glow Of Love
The Jacksons-Triumph
Telex-Neurovision

Kitchen Person, Friday, 8 June 2012 01:41 (eleven years ago) link

ymg just squeaking out pretenders s/t

sissy space echo (electricsound), Friday, 8 June 2012 01:44 (eleven years ago) link

was listening to that fehlfarben lp with s- the other day, reminded me of early midnight oil

sissy space echo (electricsound), Friday, 8 June 2012 01:45 (eleven years ago) link

I didn't really start paying attention to music until 1981, but 1980 stands as a very fine year for me. The aftermath of new wave meeting the heyday of post punk, the beginning of new romantics and even some quite nice albums from old prog heroes Yes and Genesis.

The GeirBot (Geir Hongro), Friday, 8 June 2012 01:47 (eleven years ago) link

Other highlights of the year:

Sun Ra - Sunrise in Different Dimensions
Slapp Happy - Acnalbasac Noom
Bob Dylan - Saved

o. nate, Friday, 8 June 2012 02:07 (eleven years ago) link

Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue

a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 8 June 2012 02:11 (eleven years ago) link

John Foxx-Metamatic
Associates-The Affectionate Punch
Japan-Gentlemen Take Polaroids
Devo-Freedom Of Choice

Holy crap, not sure The Soft Boys would be an automatic if they were up against these! Damn.

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 9 June 2012 17:39 (eleven years ago) link

after much deliberation i decided that i must vote for the brilliant debut album by the Pretenders.

Bee OK, Sunday, 10 June 2012 00:06 (eleven years ago) link

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Monday, 11 June 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link

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

System, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link

Only 2 votes for the Cramps. Shame on you

van smack, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 00:04 (eleven years ago) link

Wau Closer are we in the midst of a full-blown JD backlash?

freebroheem (loves laboured breathing), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 00:14 (eleven years ago) link

I've always thought of Joy Division as one of my favourite bands but I just rarely get the urge to put them on these days, especially compared to how much I listen to New Order. Closer is one of probably ten classic albums in this list but unlike most of the others I guess I have to be a certain mood to put it on. It was the same with the 79 list, Unknown Pleasures is obviously a great album but there were a bunch of albums I go back to a whole lot more. I was delighted The B-52's won as that album sounds incredible anytime.

Not surprised with the top two here, Dexys got my vote but these two albums are perfect.

Kitchen Person, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 02:05 (eleven years ago) link

the god Chrissie Hynde is too good for you people

shipl.de.al (some dude), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 02:30 (eleven years ago) link

what is most interesting about these results is Dexys Midnight Runners Searching for the Young Soul Rebels. i have heard exactly one song by these guys. so i would like to know a bit more about them if anyone wants to suggest where to start.

Bee OK, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 04:06 (eleven years ago) link

btw, i really thought The Soft Boys were going to win in an upset.

and lol at U2 getting no votes.

Bee OK, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 04:08 (eleven years ago) link

Boy is far and away my favorite U2 album, but it's not nearly the best record on that list. Love the Pretenders and Cramps too, but I feel the same way about those.

Soccer mom, hopeless and lost, in utter despair (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 04:23 (eleven years ago) link

Dexys album is more in a Northern Soull style than "Come On Eileen" isn't it?

freebroheem (loves laboured breathing), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 04:49 (eleven years ago) link

I don't know how Northern Soul it is. They had their own style!

timellison, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 04:55 (eleven years ago) link

Although "Seven Days Too Long" does have a real '60s soul chorus.

timellison, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 05:25 (eleven years ago) link

Seven Days Too Long is actually a cover of an old Northern Soul song by Chuck Wood. They also covered Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache which is another Northern Soul favourite too. They were heavily influenced by that scene, especially on Young Soul Rebels but they really did have their own sound which mainly comes from Kevin's unique voice and personality.

what is most interesting about these results is Dexys Midnight Runners Searching for the Young Soul Rebels. i have heard exactly one song by these guys. so i would like to know a bit more about them if anyone wants to suggest where to start.

― Bee OK

I can't recommend all three of their albums enough, they are all quite different but all equally great. I'd start with Searching For The Young Soul Rebels, it's passionate, moving and totally ridiculous in places. Don't Stand Me Down is their third album which pretty much killed their career at the time due to most of the songs being really long and featuring a lot of talking. Its a really incredible album, that would be the next one to try as it features their best song This Is What She's Like which is 12 minutes long but is not boring for a single second.

Here are a few tracks to try out. I'm guessing Come On Eileen is the only song you've heard.

There There My Dear from Searching For The Young Soul Rebels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZwWnXuB_eg

Let's Make This Precious from Too-Rye-Ay (the album with Come On Eileen on it)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Ae0TfhK8M

This Is What She's Like from Don't Stand Me Down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXh19wfJT3Q

Kitchen Person, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 14:44 (eleven years ago) link

Small sample, I know, but maybe X isn't as forgotten as I sometimes think they are--nice. (I assume Wild Gift will do even better on the next one.)

clemenza, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 14:46 (eleven years ago) link

Speaking of which, anyone ever seen The Unheard Music? I almost rented it out the other day but passed.

clemenza, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 14:48 (eleven years ago) link

one of those docs that I don't think is necessarily amazing in its own right but if you want to see old X live clips and interviews, you really don't have a better option

da croupier, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 14:51 (eleven years ago) link

They're in the Penelope Sheeris film, but I don't think there's very much of them.

clemenza, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 14:55 (eleven years ago) link

that's out of print, too

da croupier, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 14:58 (eleven years ago) link

They are AWESOME in Decline and Fall; I ended up going w Fresh Fruit, just bcz my favorite songs from that film--"We're Desperate" and "Beyond and Back"--were on Wild Gift. Nausea is p great too

freebroheem (loves laboured breathing), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 16:06 (eleven years ago) link

They were heavily influenced by that scene, especially on Young Soul Rebels but they really did have their own sound which mainly comes from Kevin's unique voice and personality.

Songwriting too. You can hear that they liked Northern Soul, but "Geno" and "Burn It Down" don't seem to me like they're structured that much like Northern Soul tunes.

timellison, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 22:00 (eleven years ago) link

Honestly, I think it's like how the Jam don't really sound all that much like The Who Sings My Generation, if people think that's comparable.

timellison, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 22:21 (eleven years ago) link

seven months pass...

Slicing Up Eyeballs is doing a 1980 poll this month.
http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2013/02/04/vote-for-best-albums-of-the-80s/

VOTE FOR YOUR 5 FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 1980

Rules: Pick up to 5 albums, hit 'Submit' button | Voting ends 5 p.m. EST Feb. 22
If a record's not listed, you may enter it in the 'Other' field at the end of the list

01. Adam and the Ants, 'Kings of the Wild Frontier'
02. The Associates, 'The Affectionate Punch'
03. The B-52s, 'Wild Planet'
04. Bauhaus, 'In the Flat Field'
05. The Beat, 'I Just Can't Stop It'
06. The Birthday Party, 'The Birthday Party'
07. Blondie, 'Autoamerican'
08. David Bowie, 'Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)'
09. Bow Wow Wow, 'Your Cassette Pet'
10. Harold Budd/Brian Eno, 'Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror'
11. Buggles, 'The Age of Plastic'
12. Kate Bush, 'Never For Ever'
13. Cabaret Voltaire, 'The Voice of America'
14. Jim Carroll, 'Catholic Boy'
15. The Cars, 'Panorama'
16. Circle Jerks, 'Group Sex'
17. The Clash, 'Sandanista!'
18. The Comsat Angels, 'Waiting For a Miracle'
19. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, 'Get Happy!!'
20. The Cramps, 'Songs the Lord Taught Us'
21. The Cure, 'Seventeen Seconds'
22. The Damned, 'The Black Album'
23. Dead Kennedys, 'Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables'
24. Devo, 'Freedom of Choice'
25. Dexys Midnight Runners, 'Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'
26. Ian Dury & The Blockheads, 'Laughter'
27. Echo & The Bunnymen, 'Crocodiles'
28. Fad Gadget, 'Fireside Favourites'
29. The Fall, 'Grotesque (After the Gramme)'
30. The Feelies, 'Crazy Rhythms'
31. Flowers, 'Icehouse'
32. John Foxx, 'Metamatic'
33. Peter Gabriel, 'Peter Gabriel' (aka 'Melt')
34. Half Japanese, 'Half Gentlemen/Not Beasts'
35. The Human League, 'Travelogue'
36. INXS, 'INXS'
37. Joe Jackson, 'Beat Crazy'
38. The Jam, 'Sound Affects'
39. Japan, 'Gentlemen Take Polaroids'
40. Joy Division, 'Closer'
41. Killing Joke, 'Killing Joke'
42. Madness, 'Absolutely'
43. Magazine, 'The Correct Use of Soap'
44. Midnight Oil, 'Bird Noises'
45. Minutemen, 'Paranoid Time'
46. Colin Newman, 'A-Z'
47. Gary Numan, 'Telekon'
48. Oingo Boingo, 'Oingo Boingo'
49. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, 'Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark'
50. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, 'Organisation'
51. Plasmatics, 'New Hope for the Wretched'
52. The Police, 'Zenyattà Mondatta'
53. Poly Styrene, 'Translucence'
54. Iggy Pop, 'Soldier'
55. The Pop Group, 'For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?'
56. Pretenders, 'Pretenders'
57. The Psychedelic Furs, 'The Psychedelic Furs'
58. Pylon, 'Gyrate'
59. Ramones, 'End of the Century'
60. Lou Reed, 'Growing Up in Public'
61. Roxy Music, 'Flesh and Blood'
62. The Selecter, 'Too Much Pressure'
63. Simple Minds, 'Empires and Dance'
64. Siouxsie and the Banshees, 'Kaleidoscope'
65. Skids, 'The Absolute Game'
66. The Soft Boys, 'Underwater Moonlight'
67. The Sound, 'Jeopardy'
68. The Specials, 'More Specials'
69. Split Enz, 'True Colours'
70. Squeeze, 'Argybargy'
71. Stiff Little Fingers, 'Nobody's Heroes'
72. Suicide, 'Suicide' (aka 'The Second Album')
73. Talking Heads, 'Remain in Light'
74. The Teardrop Explodes, 'Kilimanjaro'
75. Tuxedomoon, 'Half-Mute'
76. U2, 'Boy'
77. Ultravox, 'Vienna'
78. The Undertones, 'Hypnotised'
79. Visage, 'Visage'
80. Wipers, 'Is This Real?'
81. X, 'Los Angeles'
82. XTC, 'Black Sea'
83. Young Marble Giants, 'Colossal Youth'

Fastnbulbous, Monday, 4 February 2013 19:08 (eleven years ago) link

Wow, talk about impossible even to pick just 5! Sigh...

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:10 (eleven years ago) link

no Cultosaurus Erectus, no credibility

Drugs A. Money, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 08:41 (eleven years ago) link

okay I just read the full post, my bad

Drugs A. Money, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 08:41 (eleven years ago) link

am bummed I could only do one write-in, but found four other worthy albums in there

Drugs A. Money, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 08:45 (eleven years ago) link

this is kind of cool, thanks fnb.

Bee OK, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 03:01 (eleven years ago) link

one month passes...

The results! 3,360 ballots, man that site has some juice! And it's really just re-posts of news, very little original content.

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2013/03/08/best-albums-of-1980/

1. Joy Division, Closer
2. The Cure, Seventeen Seconds
3. Talking Heads, Remain in Light
4. U2, Boy
5. Echo & The Bunnymen, Crocodiles
6. David Bowie, Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
7. Bauhaus, In the Flat Field
8. The Clash, Sandinista!
9. Siouxsie and the Banshees, Kaleidoscope
10. Pretenders, Pretenders
11. The Police, Zenyattà Mondatta
12. X, Los Angeles
13. Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel (aka ‘Melt’)
14. Devo, Freedom of Choice
15. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Get Happy!!
16. The Psychedelic Furs, The Psychedelic Furs
17. The B-52s, Wild Planet
18. Dead Kennedys, Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables
19. The Jam, Sound Affects
20. XTC, Black Sea

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Adam-and-the-Ants-.jpg

21. Adam and the Ants, Kings of the Wild Frontier
22. The Beat, I Just Can’t Stop It
23. Ultravox, Vienna
24. INXS, INXS
25. Killing Joke, Killing Joke
26. The Feelies, Crazy Rhythms
27. OMD, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
28. Squeeze, Argybargy
29. Kate Bush, Never For Ever
30. Ramones, End of the Century

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/The-Cramps.jpg

31. The Cramps, Songs the Lord Taught Us
32. Japan, Gentlemen Take Polaroids
33. Oingo Boingo, Oingo Boingo
34. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Organisation (TIE)
34. Roxy Music, Flesh and Blood (TIE)
36. Simple Minds, Empires and Dance
37. The Soft Boys, Underwater Moonlight
38. Split Enz, True Colours
39. Magazine, The Correct Use of Soap (TIE)
39. Gary Numan, Telekon (TIE)

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Young-Marble-Giants.jpg

41. Young Marble Giants, Colossal Youth
42. Dexys Midnight Runners, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
43. The Teardrop Explodes, Kilimanjaro (TIE)
43. Blondie, Autoamerican (TIE)
45. The Specials, More Specials
46. The Birthday Party, The Birthday Party (TIE)
46. The Cars, Panorama (TIE)
48. The Damned, The Black Album
49. The Human League, Travelogue (TIE)
49. The Sound, Jeopardy (TIE)

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/John-Foxx.jpg

51. John Foxx, Metamatic
52. Visage, Visage
53. The Fall, Grotesque (After the Gramme)
54. Madness, Absolutely
55. Cabaret Voltaire, The Voice of America
56. Pylon, Gyrate
57. Buggles, The Age of Plastic (TIE)
57. Circle Jerks, Group Sex (TIE)
59. Minutemen, Paranoid Time
60. Joe Jackson, Beat Crazy

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Wipers.jpg

61. Wipers, Is This Real?
62. The Comsat Angels, Waiting For a Miracle
63. Suicide, Suicide (aka ‘The Second Album’)
64. The Associates, The Affectionate Punch
65. Harold Budd/Brian Eno, Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror (TIE)
65. Stiff Little Fingers, Nobody’s Heroes (TIE)
67. Fad Gadget, Fireside Favourites
68. Jim Carroll, Catholic Boy
69. The Selecter, Too Much Pressure
70. Midnight Oil, Bird Noises

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/The-Undertones.jpg

71. The Undertones, Hypnotised (TIE)
71. Flowers, Icehouse (TIE)
71. Tuxedomoon, Half-Mute (TIE)
74. Rockpile, Seconds of Pleasure
75. Lou Reed, Growing Up in Public
76. Iggy Pop, Soldier
77. Colin Newman, A-Z
78. Bow Wow Wow, Your Cassette Pet (TIE)
78. Prince, Dirty Mind (TIE)
80. Pop Group, For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/The-Skids.jpg

81. Skids, The Absolute Game
82. Plasmatics, New Hope for the Wretched
83. Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Laughter
84. Pete Townshend, Empty Glass
85. Half Japanese, Half Gentlemen/Not Beasts
86. Poly Styrene, Translucence
87. Swell Maps, Jane From Occupied Europe (TIE)
87. Residents, Commercial Album (TIE)
89. Chrome, Red Exposure
90. Television Personalities, …And Don’t The Kids Just Love It
http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Yellow.jpg
91. Yello, Solid Pleasure
92. Toyah, Sheep Farming in Barnet
93. Bad Manners, Ska ‘n’ B (TIE)
93. Lydia Lunch, Queen of Siam (TIE)
93. Alice Cooper, Flush the Fashion (TIE)
96. Klaus Schulze, Dig It
97. Motorhead, Ace of Spades
98. Rolling Stones, Emotional Rescue (TIE)
98. Any Trouble, Where Are All the Nice Girls? (TIE)
100. Cheap Trick, All Shook Up

Fastnbulbous, Saturday, 9 March 2013 15:05 (eleven years ago) link

this is great stuff, along with the pictures!

great showing for Seventeen Seconds it didn't do that in this poll...

2010 and 2012 World Champions San Francisco Giants (Bee OK), Monday, 11 March 2013 05:29 (eleven years ago) link


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