Random Music Talk LIII: Even more fun than the last thread!

[cobl04]

Cool story except Annie Clark is hotter

 

[joyfulgirl]

However, I still haven't found a whole lot from 1985-1990 that I can get into. I'm adamantly against the concept of any period of popular music being significantly weaker than any others, and I want to be proven right. What are some of your favorite albums from this period of music? I need suggestions.

The Joshua Tree



Okay, looking at my iPod, here are some of my favorites from that time period (not counting the obvious U2 and REM). I don't think anyone's going to argue for the "greatness" of some of these, but what the hell, these were my favorites.

a-ha - Scoundrel Days
Duran Duran - Notorious
Paul Simon - Graceland / The Rhythm of the Saints
Prince - Sign O' the Times
Sinead O'Connor - The Lion and the Cobra / I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Sting - Nothing Like the Sun (shut up, I love this album)
10,000 Maniacs - In My Tribe
Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy
The Cure - Disintegration
Depeche Mode - 101 (live albums spanning work from multiple years probably doesn't count, but damn, I love this album)
Madonna - Like a Prayer
Paul McCartney - Flowers In the Dirt
Indigo Girls - Nomads Indians Saints
The Sundays- Reading, Writing and Arithmetic

Yeah, those ^ (except McCartney which I don't even remember) and:

Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session
Lyle Lovett - Pontiac
Steve Earle - Guitar Town
Daniel Lanois - Acadie
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
X - See How We Are
Peter Gabriel - So
The Replacements - Tim, Pleased to Meet Me, Don't Tell a Soul
Lucinda Williams

The Trinity Session is still one of my favorite records.

 

[LemonMelon]

The Trinity Session is still one of my favorite records.

I already had interest in this (and Lucinda Williams' s/t), but now I won't delay in hearing them.

 

[corianderstem]

Yeah, those ^ (except McCartney which I don't even remember) and:

Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session
Lyle Lovett - Pontiac
Daniel Lanois - Acadie

Oooh, yes to all three of those.

The McCartney record is the one with My Brave Face on it, if that helps jog your memory.

 

[lazarus]

I will agree with you on Three Days, but overall I prefer Nothing's Shocking. Ocean Size gives Three Days a run for it's money, IMHO, but of course suffers from being less than half as long.

I think Nothing's Shocking is a bit more consistent, even if it doesn't reach the peaks of Then She Did (a beautiful tender epic about the death of Perry's mother that far surpasses Three Days IMO) or Classic Girl (an equally touching ode to Perry's wife). Standing in the Shower Thinking, Had A Dad, Summertime Rolls, idiots Rule, Mountain Song, and last but not least, perhaps the definitive Jane's track in Ted, Just Admit It.

And then you have the re-recordings of Pigs In Zen and Jane Says, perhaps unnecessary but still great tracks.

That's a hard lineup to top.

Personally, I get the most pleasure out of the self-titled debut than the other two. Trip Away, Whores, 1%, My Time (prob my favorite Jane's ballad--that harmonica!), and of course that epic live duo of the Velvet Underground's Rock & Roll segueing perfectly into Sympathy For The Devil. Two of my favorite covers, ever.

Stephen Perkins is arguably the best post 1970's rock drummer; only Jimmy Chamberlain comes close as far as I'm concerned.

 

[cobl04]

Ed Droste just tweeted Grizzly Bear will release a new album and tour Australia this year. Yay!

 

[iron yuppie]

Ed Droste just tweeted Grizzly Bear will release a new album and tour Australia this year. Yay!

I was just about to ask what Grizzly Bear was doing at the moment, but there you have it. You read my mind.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I already had interest in this (and Lucinda Williams' s/t), but now I won't delay in hearing them.

Excellent. Time well-spent. I saw the Junkies on that tour and fell under their spell.

"Side of the Road" from the s/t is probably my favorite Lucinda Williams song. It's so beautiful.

Something else I was so into during that time period was Jane Siberry "The Walking." Oh my God, she played in NYC a couple of times a year and I never missed a show. Talk about falling under a spell. She eventually got weird but she had a good, long run and her shows were epic.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

This is the curse of having greatest hits albums on the iPod instead of the actual albums - you forget Temple of Low Men!

That was one of my favorite albums (I even had it on vinyl) in high school.

YES . Can't ever go wrong with that band, really.

I recall there being quite a good bit of music from the late '80s and early '90s-I didn't pay any attention to specific albums or anything in that time period 'cause I was a little kid then, but I know there were lots of good songs that I loved from that time period.

Also agree on hidden tracks. Some hidden tracks are indeed very good songs and all that, but might as well either just make them part of the actual album or at least a B-side or something.

 

[bollox]

I think Nothing's Shocking is a bit more consistent, even if it doesn't reach the peaks of Then She Did (a beautiful tender epic about the death of Perry's mother that far surpasses Three Days IMO) or Classic Girl (an equally touching ode to Perry's wife). Standing in the Shower Thinking, Had A Dad, Summertime Rolls, idiots Rule, Mountain Song, and last but not least, perhaps the definitive Jane's track in Ted, Just Admit It.

Agree that Nothing's Shocking gets the edge for its consistency.

One thing I love about Ritual is that it so nicely splits into an A and B side. The 'rock' half (which I think is a superior take on funk metal that beats anything the Chili Peppers ever shat out) and then the 'epic' half. It also has their best song (Three Days) preceded by their worst (Been Caught Stealing).

 

[Axver]

However, I still haven't found a whole lot from 1985-1990 that I can get into. I'm adamantly against the concept of any period of popular music being significantly weaker than any others, and I want to be proven right. What are some of your favorite albums from this period of music? I need suggestions.

LM, you should know better than this! 1985-90 was part of Flying Nun Records' heyday. Some of the finest albums ever released came out during this period. So here's my list. I know you'll already have some of these, and I'm naturally not going to include U2 or REM or Sonic Youth or The Cure or whatever other obvious band, but here goes. Spoilered for length.

Spoiler

Able Tasmans: A Cuppa Tea And A Lie Down, Hey Spinner
The Bats: Daddy's Highway, The Law Of Things
Bel Canto: Birds Of Passage
Big Black: Songs About Fucking
Bird Nest Roys: Bird Nest Roys
Camberwell Now: The Ghost Trade
The Chameleons: What Does Anything Mean? Basically
Chapterhouse: Sunburst EP (shits aaaall over Whirlpool, and I love that album)
The Chills: Kaleidoscope World, Brave Words, Submarine Bells
The Church: Heyday, Starfish, Gold Afternoon Fix
The Clean: Vehicle
The Clear: The Clear EP
Crowded House: Crowded House, Temple Of Low Men
The Dentists: Some People Are On The Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now
Dinosaur Jr: You're Living All Over Me
Ekatarina Velika: Ljubav (you can thank djerdap)
Fugazi: Repeater
Game Theory: Tinker To Evers To Chance
Goblin Mix: Goblinmix EP
JPS Experience: The Size Of Food
Marillion: Misplaced Childhood
Midnight Oil: Diesel And Dust
Pale Saints: The Comforts Of Madness
The Parachute Men: Earth, Dogs And Eggshells
Rapeman: Two Nuns And A Pack Mule
Ride: Nowhere (I know I'm not listing most obvious suspects, but I can't not list the best shoegaze album of all time), Smile
The Sisters Of Mercy: First And Last And Always, Floodland
Skeptics: Amalgam
Snapper: Snapper EP (any Flying Nun Records fan is practically obliged to know Buddy by heart)
Sneaky Feelings: Waiting For Touchdown (I'm not much a fan but I think you'll like it more than I do)
The Stars Of Heaven: Rain On The Sea
Straitjacket Fits: Hail, Melt
Swans: Children Of God
The Telescopes: Taste
Tracy Chapman: Tracy Chapman
The Train Set: She's Gone EP
The Triffids: Born Sandy Devotional
Trouble: The Skull (if you're in the mood for Christian-themed doom metal that is unexpectedly not shit)
Twa Toots: The Peel Sessions EP (if you want some shambling twee that doesn't overstay its cutesy welcome)
The Verlaines: Juvenilia, Bird Dog
The Wedding Present: George Best
The Wild Poppies: Heroine

And tell me if you can find Into The Moon by The Puddle.

 

[LemonMelon]

Dunedin is strange because RYM isn't particularly helpful; every album is between 3.30 and 3.80 and 100-200 ratings, if that, so it's tough to tell what is essential and what isn't. Thanks for that list, it shall serve me well.

 

[IWasBored]

Wasn't Gaelic Storm the band in Titanic?

Yep. They're pretty good live, but ive come to the conclusion that Irish folk type bands are generally fun live.

 

[IWasBored]

So 1978-1984 used to be a weak area for me musically, not a whole lot that I enjoyed besides U2 and REM. Now I'm all about Joy Division, The Cure, Simple Minds, Blondie, Kraftwerk, The Cars, Elvis Costello, Replacements, etc.

However, I still haven't found a whole lot from 1985-1990 that I can get into. I'm adamantly against the concept of any period of popular music being significantly weaker than any others, and I want to be proven right. What are some of your favorite albums from this period of music? I need suggestions.

That block of years just screams the clash to me.

 

[Axver]

Dunedin is strange because RYM isn't particularly helpful; every album is between 3.30 and 3.80 and 100-200 ratings, if that, so it's tough to tell what is essential and what isn't. Thanks for that list, it shall serve me well.

Honestly, that's more reflective of the depth of the scene than anything, and I'm not sure a surge in quantity of ratings would change things much. I don't like the idea of "essentials" anyway; I think it's better to follow your nose and just check out whatever looks interesting to you. That's how I stumbled upon The Clear/Lung (most of whose releases are early nineties). Very few people would suggest they are in any way essential. Bollocks to that. Live Stomach (released in 1991 as The Clear just before evolving into Lung to avoid confusion with The Clean) is just a fucking great example of punky, somewhat sparse noise rock with excellent bass, perhaps a bit akin to Sonic Youth. If you're not going on too much of an exclusively 1985-90 binge, I totally recommend Live Stomach.

Anyway, hope you find something you enjoy from the list. I emphasised our mutual love of the jangle in places there.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

The Dentists

Ha, that's a fucking awesome band name!

Can't say I've ever heard of them before. But, yeah. Cool band name. I might have to try to find a song or two by them.

 

[Imperor]

Just preordered this beast:

Beggars - THE AVALANCHES • SINCE I LEFT YOU • VINYL RE-ISSUE

 

[cobl04]

Still haven't heard that album. What a great excuse to do so.

I don't think I've ever seen greater use of silences on television than in Breaking Bad.

 

[Imperor]

Still haven't heard that album. What a great excuse to do so.

How is it not required listening in Australia?

 

[cobl04]

Because there is endless stream of Bogan Rock compilations to get through first.

 

[Imperor]

I don't know what that is, nor do I care to find out.

As for Since I Left You, I get a real kick out of someone experiencing that album for the first time and their initial reaction. Report back posthaste.

 

[cobl04]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erSJGrpfnOI&feature=related

I think you know you don't need to tell me to report back on hearing an album. But rest assured, I will.

 

[Imperor]

I'm actually kind of jealous you get to hear it for the first time. My first trip through that album is still a really vivid memory. It's about as memorable an hour of music as it gets.

 

[cobl04]

Okay, I will make it a priority. After familiarising myself with Marry Me and Actor in preparation for tomorrow night.

 

[Imperor]

Fuck you.

 

[Popmartijn]

However, I still haven't found a whole lot from 1985-1990 that I can get into. I'm adamantly against the concept of any period of popular music being significantly weaker than any others, and I want to be proven right. What are some of your favorite albums from this period of music? I need suggestions.

There's so much great stuff from that period (some already mentioned) that it can be overwhelming. Here are some suggestions:

The Costello Show - The King Of America
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Blood And Chocolate
Elvis Costello - Spike
Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy
Talk Talk - The Colour Of Spring
Talk Talk - Spirit Of Eden
Urban Dance Squad - Mental Floss For The Globe
The Pogues - If I Should Fall From Grace With God
Prince & The Revolution - Around The World In A Day
Prince & The Revolution - Parade
Prince - Sign O' The Times
Prince - Lovesexy
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Good Son
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Lou Reed - New York
Lou Reed & John Cale - Songs For Drella
The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues
Traveling Willburys - Volume 1

 

[Danny Boy]

Shocked. SHOCKED I am at the Urban Dance Squad recommendation.

That actually is a really good album. Used to drive my roommate nuts with it in college.

 

[bollox]

However, I still haven't found a whole lot from 1985-1990 that I can get into. I'm adamantly against the concept of any period of popular music being significantly weaker than any others, and I want to be proven right. What are some of your favorite albums from this period of music? I need suggestions.

Uhhhhhhh, pretty much the entire Pixies discography (minus Trompe Le Monde)? Other than that, some great recommendations already made here. I'll add

Jesus & Mary Chain - Psychocandy
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man
Nirvana - Bleach
The Breeders - Pod
They Might be Giants - Flood

While I can't say I'm well versed in their discography, I've liked what I've heard of Concrete Blonde and I never hear people talk about them. This song is particularly stunning I think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46_Ynl1ARgM

 

[u2popmofo]

Talk Talk - Spirit Of Eden

Have you listened to Shearwater, Marty? If you like Talk Talk, I think you might enjoy them.

 

[u2popmofo]

While I can't say I'm well versed in their discography, I've liked what I've heard of Concrete Blonde and I never hear people talk about them.

Same. One of the people who used to post here a ton is / was a really big fan.