Music

“The 80s Have Arrived! Heavy Metal and Post Punk Palooza!”

Week 23: 1001 Album Challenge

I’m listening to 1001 albums in a year and documenting the journey on Medium and in more depth (with costumes and characters!) on Youtube. If you want more information on the self-imposed rules, check this out. For my channel, click here.

Without further ado, let’s talk about what I heard this week in our first albums of the ‘80s…

Some Takeaways From This Week:

• Adam and the Ants “Kings of the Wild Frontier” may not be a serious album, but it certainly is a fun one. The drums in particular are top notch, so much so that Michael Jackson used to call Adam and ask how he made them that good.
• Dexy’s Midnight Runner’s “Searching for the Young Rebels” is often a subject of a Medium piece and for good reason: this album is unbelievable! With great vocal harmonies, tons of horns, and growling guitar, this is a gem that should make its way into your music rotation.
• The Cramps “Songs the Lord Taught Us” borders on novelty with goofy sound effects. It reminds me a bit of the Slits, but there’s more too it then that. With a punk band that repurposes 50s rockabilly and doowop, you’ll get an intriguing album here by an artist I’d never heard of.
• Peter Gabriel’s “Melt” may not be what the studio expected (to Gabriel’s detriment — they dropped him), but with Robert Fripp and Phil Collins backing him up, it becomes one of his most successful solo albums on another label for a good reason. With great lyrics about isolation while a fantastic band backs him up, you’re in for a treat here.
• It’s easy to forget that The Cure went through a goth rock phase and did stuff like “Seventeen Seconds.” Don’t let it slip through the cracks though, because this album is quiet, atmospheric and beautiful. It’s not boring either, making its way into driving new wave rock at times. It’s fun and easy to get lost in this album’s groove.
• If you want a hidden gem that hearkens back to Syd Barrett, the Beatles, the Byrds, and British psychedelia, look no further than The Soft Boys’ “Underwater Moonlight.” From the use of sitar to on-point 60s guitar tone, you’ll feel like you’re flashing back to the Woodstock heyday while somehow also maintaining the modern sensibility that influenced REM, The Pixies, and many more on the alternative scene. Although it was a flop at the time, it’s become a highly influential album. And it’s fun to boot! Give it a shot!
• I had always heard good things about Echo and the Bunnymen, but “Crocodiles” confirms those commendations with great guitar, backing vocals, and killer basslines. If you’re afraid of checking out post punk, start here.
• But if it’s heavy metal you’re looking? Judas Priest’s “British Steel” is a classic. Not only for “Breaking the Law” though! With heavy riffs and trebly guitar sound, you’ll find much head banging fun to be had here.

But Wait! There’s More!

If you enjoy me writing about all this stuff, it’s worth checking out my channel. There are albums I didn’t talk about here (Killing Joke’s s/t, Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades”, and more…) with extra commentary on my 1001 Albums Challenge show.

In addition in a separate video, I talk about how AC/DC is able to turn tragedy into inspiration with their album “Back in Black.” Where normally your lead singer dying marks the end of a band, not so with AC/DC. Instead, they make one of the best selling albums of all time.

If any of that sounds intriguing to you, it’s worth looking into.

Here’s the playlist for this week so you can get a taste on what I listened to:

As always, thanks for reading and watching.

Hope this helps.

Love you all.

I’m Bill. I write about music. A lot.

Give me a follow if you like my vibe.