Acclaimed Music Top 25 Albums from 1985 poll

some albums just missing the Top 25 include: 28 Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun, 29 Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85, 30 Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight, 32 The Sisters of Mercy - First and Last and Always, 33 Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair, 37 The Cult - Love, 38 Simple Minds - Once Upon a Time, 42 Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas, 43 Luther Vandross - The Night I Fell in Love, 44 Bryan Ferry - Boys and Girls, 45 Run-D.M.C. - King of Rock and 51 Sonic Youth - Bad Moon Rising.

title was wrong, now fixed for 1985.

thanks mods!

Can't deny the obvious: Kate B

No ABC? No Scritti? Gonna have to be The Fall!

uh, LL I guess? I don't even care that much about any of these. I might prefer Whitney if I'd heard it, maybe.

someone has to have released an album I love in 1985?

Tears For Fears or Meat Puppets would def be my vote if they were options. as is, Tom Waits i guess.

Better even than the '84 list for me. 1) Flip Your Wig, 2) Psychocandy or New Day Rising, 4) Fables, 5) VU or Tim (like about half of each). I tried hard to like Fear and Whiskey at the time, partially succeeded.

i think this is getting harder as these go on. i really, really want to vote for the brilliant Rum, Sodomy & the Lash as i never knew knew you could make music when you are that drunk. i also listened to Psychocandy remaster the other day and blew my mind. then there is that little album called The Head on the Door that is beyond classic. throw in Hounds of Love, Low-Life and This Is the Sea it makes for an almost impossible choice.

Really hard to pick between Steve McQueen and Don't Stand Me Down. Hounds Of Love and Low-Life are up there too.

COLOURFIELD - VIRGINS AND PHILISTINES SHOULD WIN THIS POLL

oh wait, it's not an option? oh well I'll just vote for Sting, lol

At the time it was 100% Tears For Fears. The Smiths would be a sentimental favorite but really, it must be The Mighty Fall.

Had to vote for Sam Cooke. One of, if not the, very best live albums of all time. Completely blew me away when I first heard it and still gives me shivers when I play it today.

Absolutely criminal that it sat in the vaults over twenty years. Criminal.

Rain Dogs

Kind of feels like the quality of the decade starts to slip a bit this year tbf

I'm really pissed about Up on the Sun not being on here; I like This Nation's Saving Grace more than Fear and Whiskey, but I'm not really huge on either, but I'll probably vote for the Fall just to encourage the one album of theirs that has a shot of doing well in these

voting Fear And Whiskey, honorable mentions: Fables, This Nation's Saving Grace

Hounds of Love by a million miles

This was the year that Brothers In Arms never left the tape player in my dad's car.

Oh wait, he played No Jacket Required the whole time too.

the CURE by a shiver over L.L.

A couple of really great post-punk/indie records that I personally would take over most of those on the list:

Killing Joke - Night Time
The Chameleons - What Does Anything Mean Basically

Liked/loved then:
Little Creatures
Around The World In A Day
Brothers In Arms
This Is The Sea
And Rhythm Of The Night, not on the op list.

Caught up with and liked/loved since then:
Hounds Of Love (the singles were inescapable and great, but I only heard the album years later. Played The Whole Story to death though)
Steve McQueen
Rum, Sodomy & The Lash
Tim
The Head On The Door
Fables Of The Reconstruction
VU
The Firstborn Is Dead

Kate gets my vote.

Fables. First REM I bought, still love it. Used to listen "Green Grow The Rushes" over and over and over, and this was on cassette, so it took a little work.

I think my favorite album of 85 is Promise, which is like, the third or fourth best Sade album. :/

hounds of love is my favorite record so voted that, but rain dogs is probably top 10 for me too. pretty bleh year after those two

A fine year. Had to vote for Little Creatures, which was as important to me then as it is now.

I do like Fables but don't think I heard it till later. Ditto the quite essential Rum, Sodomy & the Lash and Head on the Door.

I believe I liked both Brothers in Arms and Dream of the Blue Turtles in 1985, but niether one still leads me to experience joy. (Though I think it would be a good idea for me to hear "Love is the Seventh Wave" soon.)

My pick from that sting album would be fortress around your heart

The Head On The Door immediately and with zero hesitation!

Most of these are second or third place picks by excellent acts.

Most of these are second or third place picks by excellent acts.

― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, July 20, 2012 1:33 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I agree to a point! In the case of Low-Life, Meat Is Murder and Fables Of The Reconstruction, I couldn't say that they were my favourite releases from any of those bands, as excellent as those bands are and as good as those records are.
Always preferred Vega's Solitude Standing to her debut, too.
The only album I really could have gone for here aside from The Head On The Door was Steve McQueen!

wow kinda shocked scritti or meat puppets didn't make top 25, i knew that talking heads album was overrated (more at the time - pnj winner right? - than now), had no idea that somehow meat is murder had gotten a rep. or the prince for that matter - whuh? other than meat puppets, scritti, luther and maaybe tears for fears or bryan ferry nothing i can feel at all outraged at missing the cut. voted fave husker du (NEW DAY RISING NEW DAY RISING) over fave mekons, 2nd or 3rd fave kate bush, fave j&mc, 7th or 8th fave fall, 5th or 6th fave tom waits, 3rd fave husker du (flip yr wig).

tim

i wish there was a full live album circa tim (or a good boot someone could recommend) cuz that snl clip someone posted a little while back, as incredibly sloppy as it was, sounded so much better to me than the record, esp the 'bastards of young'.

meat puppets, scritti, luther and maaybe tears for fears or bryan ferry

would throw in Freddie Jackson's debut but otm

Think my votes for 83-86 are going to be Tom Waits/Metallica/Tom Waits/Metallica

I always talk way more about The Cure than I do Prince, but these polls have shown me that, at least up until 1989, I would choose pretty much any Prince album over any Cure album

i wish there was a full live album circa tim (or a good boot someone could recommend) cuz that snl clip someone posted a little while back, as incredibly sloppy as it was, sounded so much better to me than the record, esp the 'bastards of young'.

i have a tape of a show circa 1985 I found at a Boston shop a decade ago, i believe recorded at the Ritz in NYC, that was fun and had somebody yelling "MURDERRR!" every so often. If it has some HERE COMES A ROCKULAR moniker it's best found under I dunno it.

Pretty easily Psychocandy here. The sound they are going for isn't necessarily the most interesting to me, but the execution is so good that I love it anyways.

There's a Replacements boot recorded in 1985 at 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis that's a lot of fun.

I did/do like lots of these artists but NDR is the only album that I have worn on a lanyard around my neck laminated onto my nametag.

I'm now picturing you with an LP sized nametag like a hardcore Flavor Flav.

It was pretty big, larger than an index card. Visible from well across the room. Identifiable from its color scheme to anyone who recognized it.

fear & whiskey.

then there is that little album called The Head on the Door that is beyond classic

i think what makes The Head on the Door such a break through album, in my life, was a combination of many things. first this was the first album that Robert really seemed happy to make, he had a full band and was ready to break out with all these ideas. as far as i was concerned, i was very young and just trying to find myself. the timing could not have been better. probably one of the first albums i really learned to take onto myself, absorb it and ponder all the possibilities. perfect timing for a perfect time.

my vote.

the lack of support for Psychocandy kind of makes me sad :(

Don't be sad; I'm sure it will win

nah, 4th place

The Firstborn Is Dead, from Nick Cave's astonishing 80s run of perfect or nearly-perfect albums. An underpraised album in his catalog I think - "Knocking On Joe" finds him exploring the long ballad that'll become a big thing for him, "Tupelo" one of his all time propulsive jams, "The Black Crow King" a weird Junkyard feel to it, the "Wanted Man" cover's unbelievable (press at the time insisted that he'd gotten special dispensation from Dylan's publishers to do it - knowing what I know about publishing now, i.e. anybody can cover anything you just gotta pay the mechanicals, I think that was just a press hook, but maybe Dylan has some special deal idk), + 2 more weird ballads in "Say Goodbye to the Little Girl Tree" (the weakest song on the album, but still great) and "Blind Lemon Jefferson." well there you go I've broken down the tracks on The Firstborn Is Dead hope you enjoyed it have a great day everybody

although let's be honest neither Nick Cave nor anybody on this list is as awesome as Sam Cooke but I haven't heard the album in question

You haven't heard Live at the Harlem Square Club?!?!?! I can't recommend it highly enough. My favorite live album of all time.

yeah if i hadn't immediately eliminated the sam cooke and vu i'm pretty sure i would've voted one of them as much as i love new day rising.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

i'd also like to see up on the sun nominated. psychocandy is a brilliant album, and fables of the reconstruction is achingly sentimental to me. my choice still has to be hounds of love though.

curious to know how many will vote for Psychocandy.

Going This Is The Sea, though I'd be happy just owning a set of the records on this list.

New Day Rising over Radio and Rum/Sodomy/Lash for me. Just one of the great rock and roll record moments even if it can't sustain to the end. Fear & Whiskey done in by terrible '85 production, and Flip Your Wig and Tim are almost done, though I love "Swingin' Party" and "Games." Love moments of Psychocandy, Little Creatures, and This Nation's, and all of Sam Cooke and VU, just don't think of them as '85 albums. Never listened to Hounds of Love, I'll give it a try.

hard to call between these:

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
Hüsker Dü - New Day Rising
The Cure - The Head on the Door
LL Cool J - Radio

went with husker du

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

holy shit an ILM poll with two Husker Du options that are both shut out of the top 5 -- someone check the site code, something is broken

just listened to rain dogs today, should have included it in my shortlist

Oh wow 2 canine albums over Psychocandy??

Don't understand how anyone can pick New Day Rising over Flip Your Wig. Other favorites that year were Naked Raygun - Throb Throb and Effigies - Fly On A Wire.

New Days Rising vs Flip Your Wig: New Day Rising
Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill vs Every Everything: Heaven Hill
I Apologize vs Makes No Sense At All: I Apologize
Folklore vs Hate Paper Doll: Folklore
If I Told You vs Green Eyes: Green Eyes
Celebrated Summer vs Divide And Conquer: Divide And Conquer
Perfect Example vs Games: Games
Terms Of Psychic Warfare vs Find Me: Terms Of Psychic Warfare
59 Times The Pain vs The Baby Song: 59 Times The Pain
Powerline vs Flexible Flyer: Powerline
Books About UFOs vs Private Plane: Books About UFOs
I Don't Know What You're Talking About vs Keep Hanging On: Keep Hanging On
Random bullshit at the end vs random bullshit at the end: New Day's

And Divide And Conquer vs Celebrated Summer was easily the toughest battle, imo

Would've voted for Hounds of Love.

I'd take Every Everything, Flexible Flyer and Private Plane.

i'm with da croupier the only dumb throwaway part of NDR is the cat skins for nothin part, and that's easy to avoid. FYW has Baby Song (which i can't listen to ever again), and Hate Paper Doll, which is my least favorite HD song of all time.

oops would def take flexible flyer over powerline
but who's counting

Don't understand how anyone can pick New Day Rising over Flip Your Wig. Other favorites that year were Naked Raygun - Throb Throb and Effigies - Fly On A Wire.

― Fastnbulbous, Monday, July 23, 2012 9:39 PM (Yesterday)

love the super shrill, tinfoil sound, think the songwriting's WAY better overall. tbh, i would have picked it for "terms of psychic warfare" alone, but i've always been on #teamgrant.

Rain Dogs is Tom Waits' best and probably the only album of his I would bother to listen to anymore if I still owned a copy lol but gtfo with these poll results

Agree with Fastnbulbous that Flip Your Wig is way better than New Day Rising. I do agree that Hate Paper Doll is terrible but it's a solid album. I really like Baby Song, not sure why though.

i think most people would agree with you, but there's something i just love about NDR. i said i liked the sound, but that's not entirely true. i love it because of how hard i had to work to like it in spite of the sound. and it contains the best batch of tunes grant ever wrote, imo: heaven hill, psychic warfare, books about ufos. all time, afaic. FYW is more developed and a hell of a lot easier on the ears, but i never bonded with it in the same way. not saying that NDR is the "superior album" or anything.

actually, though, i'd be really hard to choose between "terms of psychic warfare" and "green eyes" for the for my favorite song on the two

Funny, at the time when I was 15 I absolutely, passionately hated the singles from Tears For Fears and Sade at the time, and was pretty ambivalent about Prefab Sprout, Scritti Politti, Colourfield, Waterboys and Eurythmics, but am enjoying all that stuff now. I still have extremely mixed feelings about Sting though.

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2013/07/08/vote-for-best-albums-of-1985/

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2013/08/01/best-albums-of-1985/

didn't vote in this one but would only replace INXS.

1. The Cure, The Head on the Door
2. The Smiths, Meat is Murder
3. New Order, Low-Life
4. The Jesus and Mary Chain, Psychocandy
5. R.E.M., Fables of the Reconstruction
6. Tears For Fears, Songs From the Big Chair
7. The Cult, Love
8. INXS, Listen Like Thieves
9. Kate Bush, Hounds of Love
10. The Replacements, Tim

13. Love and Rockets, Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven

My list.

OOPS! THAT PAGE CAN’T BE FOUND.

of course i want to look

https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2016/08/03/a-game-that-anyone-can-play-best-of-1985/

found the list but you are missing Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven. ;-)

but this is still the Cure.

good list Alfred!

thank you!

Alfred's list automatically superior to the Acclaimed Music Top 30 on the grounds that his includes Songs From the Big Chair. When I dropped by my parents' new house last weekend, I was delighted to find my mom listening to it while unpacking.

not sure what happened but i didn't make a mistake as it was copy and paste.

live version: 16 1184 Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair