Retro Island Album Game: Round 1, Match 1

[phanan]

Please vote for the playlist you LIKE THE MOST.

Welcome to the first match of the first round of the Interference Retro Island Album Game! In this competition, instead of being stranded on a desert island and seeking the best playlist to enjoy while there, we're heading off to Retro Island to savour the best that the punk/new wave genre of the late 70's and 80's has to offer.

For every win, each player will receive three points. If there is a tie, each player gets two points. If a player loses a match but is within three votes of the winner, that player will earn a single point. Current standings will be displayed at the end of each round.

Our first heat kicks off with hardyharar and namkcuR battling it out.

If you don't know the songs, or wish to hear how each playlist flows, feel free to check out the Desert Island website.


Forum name: hardyharhar

Things had gotten a bit bloated in rock by the late 70’s and a shake-up was needed. The amount of great music which emerged from the punk movement is quite staggering. I tried to keep the list upbeat and mix it up with the different styles that made up this rich tapestry of sounds. Amongst it all here, you’re forced to suffer through the prophetic political rantings of Jello Biafra & the DK’s in an updated Reagan era California Uber Alles. The slightly heavier leanings continue with Midnight Oil & The Clash. Then it’s pretty much fun & games the rest of the way, iIncluding, a shameless stab at votes with one of my favorite U2 songs, a solo jaunt from Ultravox founder John Foxx, the original version of Pretty In Pink given the full Furs treatment as opposed to the re-recorded version for the movie soundtrack, and a Sparks song originally found only in the early Nicholas Cage comedy, Valley Girl. Overall, just a drop in a 10 year span of rejuvenated rock ‘n roll. So why vote for my list? Well, with tongue firmly in cheek, I am the oldest entrant, which means I have less time to win one of these and it shows respect for your elders. A fine trait. And it shows you can support one with an embarrassingly low purity test score. Also, a vote for me will most likely help slow global warming. A noble endeavor. Enjoy!

1. Dead Kennedys – We’ve Got A Bigger Problem Now (In God We Trust) 4:29
2. Midnight Oil – Best Of Both Worlds (Red Sails In The Sunset) 4:04
3. The Clash – Police On My Back (Sandinista) 3:16
4. Sex Pistols – Pretty Vacant (Never Mind The Bollocks…Here’s The Sex Pistols) 3:17
5. Devo – Uncontrollable Urge (Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo) 3:09
6. The Cramps – Can Your Pussy Do The Dog (A Date With Elvis) 3:22
7. The Jam – All Mod Cons (All Mod Cons) 1:20
8. The Buzzcocks – Love You More (Singles Going Steady) 1:51
9. Squeeze – Is That Love (Singles 45’s And Under) 2:33
10.Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Lip Service (This Year’s Model) 2:38
11.Bow Wow Wow – What’s The Time (Hey Buddy) (When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going) 3:08
12.The English Beat – Best Friend (I Just Can’t Stop It) 3:01
13.Magazine – Model Worker (The Correct Use Of Soap) 2:53
14.Madness – Night Boat To Cairo (One Step Beyond) 3:31
15.U2 – Stories For Boys (Boy) 3:04
16.Split Enz – I Got You (True Colours) 3:30
17.Simple Minds – Film Theme (Real To Real Cacophony) 2:26
18.Wire – Blessed State (154) 3:28
19.John Foxx – Systems Of Romance (The Garden) 4:05
20.Killing Joke – Eighties (Laugh? I Nearly Bought One!) 3:51
21.The Cure – In Between Days (The Head On The Door) 2:58
22.Psychedelic Furs – Pretty In Pink (Talk Talk Talk) 3:58
23.Sparks – Eaten By The Monster Of Love (Angst In My Pants) 3:01
24.Love And Rockets – No New Tale To Tell (Earth, Sun, Moon) 3:27
25.The Specials – You’re Wondering Now (The Specials) 2:37

Total Runtime: 79:51


Forum name: namkcuR

THE AGE OF THE RUBIX CUBE

I don't have a deep enough knowledge of these genres to put together a list of obscure tracks that nobody's heard of, so I've simply tried to cram as much well-known awesomeness into eighty minutes as I could. In short, it is highly doubtful that there's anything on my list that you haven't heard before, and I wouldn't be surprised if I have the most mainstream list in this contest. But it is, imo, the cream of the crop of the songs you've heard a million times. It starts off with a blast of punk before settling into new wave territory for the rest of the way.

1.Joan Jett - "Bad Reputation" - Bad Reputation(2:48) - 1981
2.The Ramones - "Blitzkrieg Bop" - Anthology(2:14) - 1999(Actual: 1976)
3.Violent Femmes - "Blister In The Sun" - Add It Up(2:24) - 1993(Actual: 1982)
4.The Clash - "Rock The Casbah" - The Essential Clash(3:43) - 2003(Actual: 1982)
5.Joe Jackson - "Is She Really Going Out With Him" - Look Sharp!(3:36) - 1979
6.Elvis Costello - "Allison" - My Aim Is True(3:21) - 1977
7.Blondie - "Call Me" - Greatest Hits(3:33) - 1980(Actual: 1979)
8.Duran Duran - "A View To Kill" - Decade(3:35) - 1989(Actual: 1985)
9.Soft Cell - "Tainted Love" - Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret(2:42) - 1981
10.Simple Minds - "Don't You Forget About Me" - Breakfast Club Soundtrack(4:21) - 1985
11.Madness - "Our House" - Total Madness(4:22) - 1986(Actual: 1982)
12.Thomas Dolby - "She Blinded Me With Science" - The Golden Age Of Wireless(5:10) - 1982
13.Talking Heads - "Once In A Lifetime" - Remain In Light(4:19) - 1980
14.Gary Numan - "Cars" - The Pleasure Principle(3:59) - 1979
15.Eurythmics - "Sweet Dreams(Are Made Of This)" - Sweet Dreams(Are Made Of This)(4:52) - 1983
16.A-ha - "Take On Me" - Hunting High And Low(3:50) - 1985
17.The Police - "Every Breath You Take" - Every Breath You Take: The Classics(4:13) - 1995(Actual: 1983)
18.The Cure - "Pictures Of You" - Disintegration(4:46) - 1989
19.Joy Division - "Love Will Tear Us Apart" - Substance(3:25) - 1988(Actual: 1980)
20.Depeche Mode - "Everything Counts" - Construction Time Again(4:22) - 1983
21.The Buggles - "Video Killed The Radio Star" - The Age Of Plastic(4:14) - 1979



UP NEXT: phanan vs. Screwtape2


Competition Master List.


Have fun!

 

[LMP]

nam has a great collection of songs that I know and love (most of which I considered for my list) and they're put together well, so that's great.

Hardy's list, however, had a bunch of tracks I hadn't even heard of but really dug and they sound great together. I'll have to give my vote to him, but it's no slight on the other list.

 

[Lila64]

I like hardy's list and the flow. No, I'm not biased (maybe a little ). He has a lot of the artists/bands on there that I like/love: Midnight Oil, U2, Elvis Costello, Split Enz, Love & Rockets, Squeeze, Simple Minds... Covers a wide range I'd say. I suggested to him after the fact to use a different DK's song (I did not help to put the list together, just uploaded the tracks & gave him a quick rundown of iTunes). I remember walking through Macy's department store once & was shocked they were playing a DK's song. Maybe they thought it was acceptable 25 years later.
I like how it ends with The Specials as well


namckuR's list is a nice "greatest hits" of the timeframe. But being that some of the songs have been played to death over the years.... I worked at a record store when most of this stuff was released as well as MTV coming into existence. I really can't listen to 'Rock The Casbah' anymore And being an Elvis fan, I really think Alison is overrated. Many other much better songs.

 

[bono_212]

Like the above, Hardy's list was much more obscure for me, and I knew all but two tracks on Nam's list. I liked that it was a greatest hits, and I liked that it had some decent segues, but for the most parts it was songs that I can't stand to listen to. Hardy's was a little two obscure for me, but it was something new as well so

Hardy

 

[hardyharhar]

Can't vote for myself, unless NamkcuR makes a comeback I'll even vote for him tomorrow if it's still a shutout, because I'm already tired of my list from hearing it so much. But seriously, I liked a lot of Nam's list and none of the sets are too different. I'll be keeping the Buggle's, T. Dolby, Blitzkrieg Bop, Depeche Mode, Joe Jackson, Talking Heads. These are tracks I don't have and like a lot. And I like a lot of the rest that I have already. A darn good effort considering the limited exposure to this period and upbeat, which I like.

 

[VintagePunk]

My vote went to hardy for many of the same reasons as others listed. Quite simply, I think his tastes are more in line with my own, and I think he did a great job of representing what the genre means to me.

namkcuR's list was good as well, but just a little more hit and miss for me. There are some songs on it that I absolutely love, but there are also some that have been overplayed for me over the years. There are also a few artists that I feel could have been better represented by choosing other songs that better fit the genre (Blondie - Call Me; The Police - Every Breath).

 

[phanan]

Can't vote for myself, unless NamkcuR makes a comeback I'll even vote for him tomorrow if it's still a shutout, because I'm already tired of my list from hearing it so much. But seriously, I liked a lot of Nam's list and none of the sets are too different. I'll be keeping the Buggle's, T. Dolby, Blitzkrieg Bop, Depeche Mode, Joe Jackson, Talking Heads. These are tracks I don't have and like a lot. And I like a lot of the rest that I have already. A darn good effort considering the limited exposure to this period and upbeat, which I like.

Just to clarify - everyone can most definitely vote for themselves. It's really to be expected.

I thought hardy's list was fantastic, save for two songs. A couple of entries from the 80's might have helped mix it up a bit more, but that's a minor point.

namkcuR also had a great list. Nothing wrong with using well-known songs at all. Again, there were a couple of songs on his that I didn't care for, either. The difference here is that I thought hardy's list was a more cohesive package overall.