1979 is a mixed bag and I don't have a no-brainer number one. There are about ten albums in equal contention for my Mt. Rushmore. My top two are mostly set, but I'm having a difficult time ranking them. I'm also struggling between albums I loved in 1979 and albums I have discovered in the past ten years. This is going to be an issue in the Seventies with bands like Wire, Big Star and The Modern Lovers. In these cases I will probably err on the side of revisionism. Ok, I have my top four. Now I just have to decide number one. The contenders who missed out are: The Cars Candy-O, Frank Zappa Joe's Garage, Dire Straits Communique, The Police Regatta De Blanc, Led Zeppelin In Through the Out Door, The Clash London Calling, Talking Heads Fear of Music, ELO Discovery, The Knack Get the Knack, Joe Jackson Look Sharp ( "Is She Really Going Out With Him" is a top ten song for me) and Elvis Costello Armed Forces. Pretty solid list.
Alright, number one is Pink Floyd The Wall. One factor is this album still gives me goosebumps. It is sonically and lyrically powerful. The other factor is David Gilmour's playing. His solos on "Comfortably Numb" are tremendous. It's a great concept album that is partly hurt by a horrible movie adaptation. There are a few tracks that are criminally overplayed on classic rock radio, but "Comfortably Numb" and "Hey You" are briliant songs. I know it's basically a Roger Waters biography album and the band was falling apart, even more than they always were, but it is their last great album. Probably the most important band of the Seventies.
Coming in at a very close number two is Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This album was so huge when it came out. "Refugee" is an all-time classic. "We got somethin', we both know it, we don't talk too much about it. Ain't no real big secret, all the same, somehow we get around it". Damn the Torpedoes is Rickenbacker-licious. Mike Campbell is amazing. Benmont Tench has the greatest name in rock history. Great album.
Number three is Breakfast in America by Supertramp. This album was also huge in 1979. The singles were awesome. The Logical Song. Breakfast in America. Goodbye Stranger. Take the Long Way Home. The album cover is dumb, yet iconic. Roger Hodgson's voices is weird, yet fits the songs. Probably the most unlikely Mt. Rushmore album.
Number four is the brilliant debut album from the B-52's. When this album came out it was a total mind fuck. The vocal harmonies sounded futuristic. The surf rock sound was kitsch-y. Fred Schneider was insane. They came right out of the chute with "Planet Claire". "She came from Planet Claire. I knew she came from there. She drove a Plymouth Satellite oh faster than the speed of light. Planet Claire has pink air, all the trees are red. No one ever dies there. No one has a head". "Rock Lobster" is a classic. I love the part where Fred says "Pass the tanning butter!" My sleeper track is "Lava". The whole album is fantastic.
Looking ahead to 1978, there is an easy number one. Overall it's alright. I will have to do a quick review to make sure I'm not missing something, but number one is locked in. Here's a hint: it's one of the greatest debut albums of all-time. I can't find a good video of "Comfortably Numb", so I'll have to punt with something else. Peace.
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