Mt. Rushmore: 1978

 

     So, 1978 turned out to be tougher than I thought at first look. My number one hasn't changed,  but it was difficult cutting down to four albums. Revisionism lost out in 1978, because Chairs Missing by Wire and Third/Sister Lovers by Big Star missed the cut. The final cuts were painful. I wanted to get Some Girls by The Stones, Heaven Tonight by Cheap Trick and Darkness on the Edge of Town by Springsteen on the Mt. Rushmore, but couldn't. Other cuts were Devo Are We Not Men?, Dire Straits self-titled, The Jam All Mod Cons, Peter Gabriel Scratch, David Gilmour's debut solo album, Boston Don't Look Back, Elvis Costello This Year's Model and Foreigner Double Vision. 

     The obvious number one is the brilliant debut album by The Cars. This is basically a greatest hits album. Every song was on the radio. It was the first record I bought where I felt cool buying it. I have posted on this previously, so please go back and check that out. There's not much else to say. This was a no-brainer.

     Number two is a record that I originally hadn't intended to put on the Mt. Rushmore. Not sure why, because it's a juggernaut of musical virtuosity... Hemispheres by RUSH. This album has my favorite RUSH instrumental, "La Villa Strangiato", which includes one of Alex Lifeson's top three solos and his homage to Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse". "Circumstances" and "The Trees" are RUSH classics. And the side long "Cygnus X-1 is epic. It's a fitting end of an era iin RUSH's catalog.

     Number three is another great debut, Van Halen I. This album is incendiary. It opens with "Running With the Devil", then EVH kills it on "Eruption", then a rare amazing cover performance on The Kinks "You Really Got Me". Next is my favorite track, "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". "I went to the edge. Then I stood and looked down. I lost a lot of friends there baby. I got no time to mess around". "Jamie's Cryin'" is a great pop tune and "Atomic Punk" is a stone cold jam. Then there's the happy, fun time track "Ice Cream Man" and it's juvenile double entendre. Classic DLR! 

     Finally, I had to get these guys on a Mt. Rushmore. Yet another great debut in 1978, Outlandos d'Lamour by The Police. It's basically on here just because of "Roxanne" and "Can't Stand Losing You". Those are top twenty songs all-time for me. Back in the day, I always compared them negatively to RUSH in the battle of rock trios. Over the years, I've grown to appreciate what a musically gifted band they were. I've even come around on Sting. Great album.

     Looking ahead to 1977, there's another locked in number one and it is revisionist. However, there are a ton of great albums so the other three spots will be problematic. The rest of the Seventies looks to be a hard slog of getting down to four albums every year. Peace.

Mt.Rushmore: 1979

     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.

Mt. Rushmore: '80's Recap

 

     I love the Eighties. I started high school, graduated from college and started my life as a wage slave. It was the best of times. It was the decade of MTV and Weird Al. And there were so many great songs. PLease indulge me in listing several of my favorites. Jenny, Jenny. The Safety Dance. In a Big Country. Who Can It Be Now? I Know There's Something Going On. Goodbye To You. Everybody Have Fun Tonight. Jessie's Girl. Our House. Walk Like an Egyptian. We Got the Beat. Save It For Later. Good Thing. Whip It. Don't Change. Space Age Love Song. New Year's Day. Modern Love. Time. Red Skies at Night. Wild Wild Life. Do It Again. Smooth Operator. Red Rain. Like the Weather. I'll Be You. End of the Line. Handle With care. Cult of Personality. Under the God. Mayor of Simpleton. Under Pressure. I Can't Go For That. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. Panama. Love Shack. Karma Chameleon. Sledgehammer. 

     I'm sure I missed dozens more, but you get the idea. Now, to the business of ranking my number ones albums for the Eighties. As with the Nineties, this list could change everyday. 

1) Diesel and Dust

2) Permanent Waves

3) Moving Pictures

4) Fables of the Reconstruction

5) Doolittle

6) So

7) Reckoning

8) Murmur

9) Love Junk

10) Days of Wine and Roses

     That's a nice list, but not as strong as the Nineties and probably the Seventies either. Looking ahead to the Seventies, I know I called it the decade of live albums. However, I will not be considering live albums for the Mt. Rushmores. Sorry Cheap Trick at Budokan. The Seventies was the decade of my childhood. I really started to buy records and get into music in 1975. Looking forward to these Mt. Rushmores. Peace.

Mt. Rushmore: 1980

 

     Time to wrap up the Eighties with my Mt. Rushmore for 1980. Once again there is an obvious number one and a bunch of contenders for the other three spots. 1980 was the Year of "Another One Bites the Dust". In fact, my favorite NFL team, the Detroit Lions (insert jokes here), did a version of this song when they started the season 4-0. The season immediately went down the toilet and fans changed the lyrics to "Another one beats our butts." However, The Game by Queen did not make the cut. As usual, I am making my final cuts as I type. Here's my very long runners up list: The Police Zenyatta Mondatta, B-52's Wild Planet, XTC Black Sea, The Soft Boys Underwater Moonlight, Bruce Springsteen The River, Davis Bowie Scary Monsters, Peter Gabriel Melt, Judas Priest British Steel, Dire Straits Making Movies, Devo Freedom of Choice, The Cramps Songs the Lord Taught Us, Van Halen Women and Children First, Def Leppard On Through the Night, Pete Townsend Empty Glass and the final cut Adam and the Ants Kings of the Wild Frontier. That is one hell of a list. It really killed me to leave off Kings of the Wild Frontier. The first time I saw Adam and the Ants and heard "Ant Music" was on American Bandstand and they blew my mind. 

     Alright, number one is note for note my favorite RUSH album, Permanent Waves. This was  a transitional album to a new decade and a more accessible pop song structure. Still, it had a couple epic tracks, "Jacob's Ladder" and "Natural Science". Permanent Waves features the hit single "Spirit of Radio". "All this machinery making modern music can still be open-hearted. Not so coldly charted it's really just a question of your honesty. One likes to believe in the freedom of music, but glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity". It also features the live show staple "Free Will". "If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice". I also love the end of "jacob's Ladder": "Follow men's eyes as they look to the skies. The shifting shafts of shining weave the fabric of their dreams". 

     Number two is Blizzard of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne. "I Don't Know" and "Crazy Train" are rock radio staples. The secret weapon on Ozzy's first two solo albums is the late, great Randy Rhoads. Ozzy going solo created a win-win scenario for himself, as well as, Black Sabbath.

     Because my number three is Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath, featuring their new frontman Ronnie James Dio. This album ranks right up there with any of the Black Sabbath albums from the Ozzy era. The title track is stupendous. "The world is full of kings and queens who'll blind your eyes and steal your dreams, it's heaven and hell". Every song on this album is great and Dio is the best heavy metal frontman ever. Fight me!

     Speaking of fighting me, number four may be my most controversial pick in this whole exercise. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Hi Infidelity by R.E.O. Speedwagon. In 1980, I probably played this album just as much as Permanent Waves and it sent me down a Speedwagon rabbit hole. Gary Richrath was the most underrated lead guitarist of the Seventies and he is brilliant here as well. This was also a transitional album, but still had plenty o' rock and just a little balladry. Unfortunately, after Hi Infidelity the ballads took over and they were dead to me. At least I still have their Seventies albums. 

     So, tomorrow will be the Eighties recap post. My number ones began with RUSH, ended with The Pixies and plenty of R.E.M. in between. I will give a nod to some of my favorite singles of the Eighties, as well, since this was a great decade for hit songs. Peace.

Mt. Rushmore: 1981

 

     As I have reviewed the albums of 1981, I've had strong feelings of nostaglia. I remember spending hours in my room listening to WLAV out of Grand Rapids and records by RUSH, Triumph and April Wine. So now my Mt. Rushmore will probably be clouded. I was having a hard time after my number one, but I'm going to go with the albums I was obsessed with at the time. The albums that will not be making the cut are: The Police Ghost in the Machine, Men at Work Business as Usual, The Go-Go's Beauty and the Beat, Def Leppard High and Dry, The Kinks Give the People What They Want, AC/DC For Those About to Rock, Genesis ABACAB, Van Halen Fair Warning, Ozzy Diary of a Madman, U2 October and Black Sabbath Mob Rules. That's some good shit. 

     The obvious number one is Moving Pictures by RUSH. Red Barchetta. Tom Sawyer. YYZ. Limelight. The Camera Eye. Witch Hunt. Vital Signs. What an amazing album. "Limelight" is probably my favorite RUSH song of all-time. It's top three for Alex Lifeson guitar solos. I still have my original LP and it is worn out and beat to shit. I have probably listened to it over 200 times in my life. 

     The record I listened to second most in 1981 was Allied Forces by Triumph. Even though they were written off as RUSH Jr., I love Triumph. Last year I got the 40th anniversary box set of Allied Forces which has a ton of cool stuff. Rik Emmett is one of my favorite guitarists. I forgot about their album Never Surrender, partly beacause it was released in Canada in 1982 and the US in 1983. It was also tremendous. I remember hearing Triumph live on the King Biscuit Flower Hour all the time. "Magic Power" and "Fight the Good Fight" were such great singles. 

     Let's keep the Canadian train rolling with number three, Nature of the Beast by April Wine. These guys were also a staple of the King Biscuit Flower Hour. "Just Between You and Me" and "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" were huge to me. Such an underrated band. 

     OK. My Mt. Rushmore can't be all Canadian. Number four is an album that I also played the shit out of and an artist whose career was killed by MTV: Don't Say No by Billy Squier. I got sucked in by "The Stroke" and stayed for "In the Dark", which is an all-time classic. Great, great, great album. 

     Looking ahead to 1980, my number one is obvious again, but I have a metric shit ton of contenders for the other three spots. IT IS LOADED! Once again, I will do a recap of the Eighties number ones after that. The Eighties numbers ones are definitely an step down from the Nineties. They are still great though. Peace.

Mt. Rushmore: 1982

 

     1982 was the beginning of a, roughly, three year reign of Michael jackson's Thriller being everywhere and winning all the Grammys. I even have Thriller on LP. It s not going to be on my Mt. Rushmore because I still have PTSD from living through Thriller-mania. I'm pretty sure Michael Jackson's legacy will withstand this egregious snub. 1982 was a decent year. My list of contenders that missed the cut is quite good. They are: XTC English Settlement, Flock of Seagulls self-titled, Asia self-titled, INXS Shabooh Shoobah, Judas Priest Screaming For Vengence, Culture Club Kissing to be Clever and Paul McCartney Tug of War. 

     Considering my hatred of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground it's surprising that my number one is Dream Syndciate's Days of Wine and Roses. One thing that saves it for me is Steve Wynn's vocals have enough Jonathan Richman to counterbalance the Lou Reed influence. He sounds much less dreary and more playful than Reed. The great things about this album are the guitar work and the timeless production. It came out of the Paisley Underground scene, but has it's own sound that isn't shackled to any particular place or time. 

     Number two is Signals by RUSH. I've posted quite a bit about RUSH and this is one of my favorites. The standout track for me is "Analog Kid". The playing is amazing and the lyrics are great. "Too many hands on my time. Too many feelings. Too many things on my mind. When I leave I don't know what I'm hoping to find and when I leave I don't know what I'm leaving behind". Top Peart. "Subdivisions" is an iconic song about suburban alienation. "Chemistry is a hidden gem in the RUSH catalog. 

     Number three is Vs. by Mission of Burma. This album, along with their 1981 EP Signals, Calls and Marches, cemented them as one of the most important bands of the indie rock underground of the Eighties. Mission of Burma influenced many bands, including R.E.M. 

     Finally, a shout out to The New Romantics with Rio by Duran Duran. When Rio came out it was a new and exciting sound. And the music videos were exotic and cinematic. Simon LeBon has one of the signature voices in pop music. The singles from Rio were great and so are the deep cuts. If you were a guy in 1982, it wasn't cool to admit you liked Duran Duran...but you did. Don't even try denying it. 

     Looking ahead to 1981, I think you can probably guess my number one. It's another decent year, however 1980 is going to be loaded. Peace.

Mt. Rushmore: 1983

     1983. The year I graduated from high school. Also the year I went to college and discovered MTV. I grew up in rural mid-Michigan and we didn't have cable TV. I spent countless hours in the dorm's common room watching MTV. It exposed me to music and bands I had never heard of as well as bands that I loved. As I mentioned yesterday, my 1983 contenders list is long and there's another ten great albums that didn't even make that cut. I would like to mention those artists just to illustrate what a great, diverse era this was for music. The Police, Pink Floyd, Men at Work, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, Talking Heads, Stevie Ray Vaughn, ZZ Top, Huey Lewis and the News and Cyndi Lauper. There are many amazing albums on my final cut list. Those are: Big Country The Crossing, Culture Club Colour By Numbers, Marillion Script For a Jester's Tear, U2 War, John Cougar Mellencamp Uh-Huh, David Bowie Let's Dance and Iron Maiden Piece of Mind. Iron Maiden was the last cut and it was very difficult. 

     My number one is also difficult. My top two are both game changing debut albums that were like nothing else in popular music at the time. Don't hate me again, but number one has to be Murmur by R.E.M. My reasons are 1) Their importance in the Eighties, 2) their innovative sound, 3) three of my all-time favorite songs; "Radio Free Europe", "Sitting Still" and "Shaking Through". 

     Number two is the self-titled album by Violent Femmes. Nobody sounded like these guys. This album starts out with "Blister in the Sun", "Kiss Off", "Please Do Not Go" and "Add it Up". That's crazy. They sounded kind of goofy, yet there was in your face attitude like "Well, you can all kiss off into the air, behind my back I can see them stare. They'll hurt me bad, but I won't mind. They'll hurt me bad, they do it all the time". And then "I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record". And they wrote the most famous song about masturbating. I probably should have made this number one, but Murmur is an iconic album. Sorry. 

     Number three is my favorite heavy metal frontman, Ronnie James Dio, with Holy Diver. I've posted about Dio before. He's awesome. I'm glad I could put him on a Mt. Rushmore. Go back and check out my old post on Dio; I said everything there. 

     Finally, one of my favorite groups from the Eighties who I feel are grossly underrated; The Fixx with Reach the Beach. One Thing Leads to Another. Sign of Fire. Saved by Zero. Great album. They did get considerable play on MTV, but for some reason they never reached the level of a band like INXS. 

     Looking ahead to 1982, I was reminded that Thriller came out in 1982. So, I don't know why it was on the list of best albums of 1984. I did live through Thriller-mania. Not sure how I missed that. Anyhow, 1982 is pretty solid. As much as I want to select Chronic Town by R.E.M. as number one, I won't because it was an EP. There's a spoiler for ya. Peace.