The Eighties was a musically diverse decade. My list of contenders for 1984 mirrors that trend. As I type, I still haven't picked my top four albums. I know two for sure, one of which should be no surprise. I mentioned yesterday that Sade was a contender, but she didn't make the cut. At the other end of the spectrum, I have an album by a band from The New Wave of Heavy Metal. And there are albums from everywhere in between. Ok, I did a final review and decided on my Mt. Rushmore. The albums that missed the cut are: The Replacements Let It Be, RUSH Grace Under Pressure, Sade Diamond Life and The Kinks Word of Mouth. The Kinks was the final cut. I love this album and the track "Do It Again". Sad.
Don't hate me, but number one is R.E.M. Reckoning. I posted before about "Rockville", which is top three R.E.M. for me. "So. Central Rain" is classic R.E.M. and contains a phrase that would be my band name, if I had a band, Rivers of Suggestion. Maybe I should start an R.E.M. tribute band. Other standout tracks are "Harborcoat", "7 Chinese Brothers" and "Pretty Persuasion". These IRS albums can't be stopped. You can only hope to contain them.
Number two is the best album by The Pretenders, Learning to Crawl. "Middle of the Road" is a flat out banger. "Don't harass me, can't you tell? I'm goin' home. I'm tired as hell". "Back on the Chain Gang" is a perfect pop song. The rest of the album is tremendous as well.
Number three is Powerslave by Iron Maiden. I loved Maiden and Priest back in the day. Powerslave's Egyptian themed album cover is fantastic. One thing I love about Iron Maiden is their references to the 60's TV show, The Prisoner. This album is no exception with the track "Back in the Village". The album kicks off with two classic Maiden twin guitar assaults, "Aces High" and "2 Minutes to Midnight". There's also an epic song about , and titled, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". There is also an instrumental, which is hilariously titled, "Losfer Words". Almost as good as Piece of Mind.
Finally, probably my favorite U2 album, The Unforgettable Fire. Two of my favorite U2 songs are the title track and "Bad". For me, R.E.M. and U2 ruled the Eighties. I just love R.E.M. slightly more. My wife disagrees, but she doesn't have a blog.
Looking ahead to 1983, my 11 contenders are even more diverse than 1984. And I left many more great albums out of contention because I knew they wouldn't make the cut. But more about that tomorrow. Peace.
Addendum to 1984
I went back and looked up best albums of 1984 and saw Purple Rain, Thriller, Born in the USA and Van Halen 1984. For many of you, that would have been the Mt. Rushmore for 1984. After some consideration, I stand by not having any of these in contention. I don't understand and can't relate to Prince. I hate Van Halen 1984 with a white hot passion, except "Panama". Thriller is fine, but I hated it at the time. Born in the USA has grown on me somewhat, but I also hated it at the time. Sorry. Peace out.
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