Music Blogs

Nope, back in 1984, artists had freedom of expression--and looking back on that great era, not only do you have enduring legends singing from the grave, but new artists putting out their early works at a time when it would have been possible to have them stopped. Not to fall into silly hyperbole, but looking back at 1984 right now, I think it's safe to say, it was perhaps the greatest time to ever be alive. Everything since has been downhill and everything before it was irrelevant. If you had to pick only one year to experience over and over--your own Groundhog Year, so to speak--it would have to be 1984.

But then again, I say that about all the years I'm currently reliving. It's a common side effect to the medications Yahoo! provides.

And later this month, R.E.M.'s re-releasing their second album Reckoning as an expanded 25th Anniversary Edition. Man, whoever thought getting old would be this profitable!

25) Bon Jovi--Bon Jovi: See, this is what I mean! We could've stopped these guys. Back when they had only a debut album, they weren't demi-gods of rock. They were guys from New Jersey without a single rest stop named after them. But the kids could not be silenced and arena rock demanded their roar and normally well-behaved young ladies melted at the site of young Jon. It must've been tough being him.

24) Adrenalin OD--The Wacky Hi-Jinks of...: On the flip-side in New Jersey came this youthful group of punks who never quite "crossed over" to the mainstream audience they so obviously coveted with songs such as "Trans Am (The Saga Continues)," "Going to a Funeral," "Middle-Aged Whore" and "Rock & Roll Gas Station." In their immortal words, "Bang Your Hand!"

23) Twisted Sister--Stay Hungry: These guys weren't going to take "it." I don't blame them. "It" can really get on your nerves. In the early days of MTV when the network played music videos around the clock, MTV needed bands like Twisted Sister, visually compelling groups looking to overthrow the established order of parents and their tyrannical ranks. These days the network relies on young, stupid kids, caseloads of alcohol and hot tubs. That's progress!

22) Sade--Diamond Life: Old people have always been among us. And old people like to get mellow. It's what makes them old people. And they need music to calm their frayed nerves. Something that says, it's OK to have that third martini at lunch. Wet brain leads to all kinds of odd decisions. But Sade isn't one of them. She's classy and has a voice that can put you to sleep or rock you into a state of euphoria. Like most medications, results vary and you should check with your doctor to see if Sade is right for you.

21) Pretenders--Learning to Crawl: The music industry killed off two of her original bandmates within months of each other and the Pretenders were one of those few groups who earned the tag "group." Each member contributed beyond what was down on paper. So for Chrissie Hynde to regroup was doubly hard. But this was one tough rocker and she didn't fold. She paid her fallen brothers a tribute ("Back on the Chain Gang") and turned around a mega-hit that sounded damn fine coming out of the radio.

20) Robyn Hitchcock--I Often Dream of Trains: Rock critics wanted Robyn Hitchcock to be a star. I'll bet Robyn Hitchcock wanted to be a star. He just had a funny way of showing it. Maybe he thought Springsteen's Nebraska was a hot, commercial move. But for whatever reason, Robyn Hitchock recorded this acoustic album of songs destined to not be played on commercial radio no matter how many illicit substances fell out of its sleeve. Nope, this was the sound of a cult artist learning his cult. And quite well, I might add.

19) Echo and the Bunnymen--Ocean Rain: I don't know what happened but sometime in the 1970s, the U.S. decided to NOT like bands from Britain anymore. Or to do so much more selectively. We no longer allowed them to come over and "invade" us unconditionally. The excitement we expressed over the Beatles and the Stones was not applied to the Jam or the Clash and certainly not to the bands that came after. Instead, we allowed it to exist as "college rock" or "new music" or eventually "alternative" because it didn't sound like Bob Seger?

18) The Replacements--Let It Be: Then again, the rules of rock n' roll got a terrible re-write throughout the 1980s. It was almost a rule that if your band was any good at all, it could not be successful. You played to small crowds in small clubs and transmitted your sounds on small radio stations with small audiences that guaranteed your smallness in a world of big and bigger. Superstars with LOUSY albums sold millions, while you argued over whether or not you should even sign with a major label. Then you did and the results were disastrous.

17) Minutemen--Double Nickels on the Dime: Are you sensing a theme here? Another band that nowadays everyone likes. But who couldn't draw more than a few hundred people in most populated locales. Funny how everyone was there the first time. Yet they couldn't have been. I have my excuse. I was grounded!

16) John Lennon and Yoko Ono--Milk and Honey: It took nearly four full years, but John Lennon finally made another album after he died. Which at the time seemed like a lifetime. Heck, his "retirement" lasted five years, so this was practically like that. The weird part here is that the tracks actually sound better than his official comeback (1980's Double Fantasy) since he's looser and slightly unfinished. You get a better sense of the man. And that always mattered more than whatever tune he happened to be singing.

15) Daryl Hall and John Oates--Big Bam Boom: I agree they should have been known as Oates and Hall but sometimes it's an alphabetical world we live in. Who would've expected the '70s popsters to become so huge a decade later? Would you have put your money on these guys after so many records that failed to make an impression on the record buying public? Sure, anyone can have a hit or two, but these guys became a virtual machine. Not with that moustache, you're thinking, right? Yeah, me too.

14) Duran Duran--Arena: Either Duran Duran sensed it was a new era where attention spans might not be what they once were or they really weren't up for writing a whole new album, but they managed to put together a LIVE album with a live video, a board game, a book, collectible cards, a video tour documentary. A fan could go broke liking these guys. In fact, I don't want to point any fingers here, but if you were to trace people's current financial problems back to the point of where it al began, you might be surprised to learn that Kiss and Duran Duran are among those most responsible for the high consumer debt of today. But the No-Spill Coffee Mug really was sweet!

13) Black Flag--Slip It In/My War/Family Man: Legal snafus kept these California punks tied up for a few years, but once they got the hassles out of the way they started releasing albums like they were Ryan Adams of Robert Pollard or something. And it wasn't even punk anymore. Just loud crushing guitar rock with a singer--Henry Rollins--who sure sounded upset about something.

12) Bryan Adams--Reckless: I interviewed Mr. Adams once and found him to be one of the nicest, most agreeable musicians I've had the pleasure of speaking with. You'd never know that once upon a time he was a huge star with huge hits and the chance to be a huge jerk if he so chose. But that wasn't his way. First off, he was Canadian. They're not allowed to have an attitude. (Celine Dion is technically an alien, I believe). So he settled for polite young man singing songs about love, life and summers now past.

11) Tina Turner--Private Dancer: Who wasn't happy to see Tina Turner have a comeback? Why not? She was a hard working performer who at a young age picked a less than great guy for a husband. It happens. According to the always reliable Wikipedia: "Worldwide the album has been estimated having sold 14 million copies, but also some sources estimating it sold over 20 million copies." Never mind the grammar, look at that math! If I'm doing my calculating right, that's a sales discrepancy of SIX million. That translates into a lot of dinero! I hope she had competent legal assistance at this point.

10) Husker Du--Zen Arcade: Another one of those incredibly unsuccessful groups who have gone on to influence a generation or something like that. I don't know. They made a double album--a concept album--that sounded like it was produced in a warehouse and then eventually they signed to a major label and named an album Warehouse that sounded like it was recorded in an even bigger warehouse.

9) Eurythmics--1984 (For the Love of Big Brother): Annie Lennox was once everywhere. She played off that creepy totalitarian vibe that is evoked when women cut their hair real short and wear freaky looking makeup. I would think the "New World Order" would be something more seductive, something less obvious. Maybe it is and we were all taken over by Baywatch.

8) Madonna--Like A Virgin: To think there was a time when Madonna was almost "brand new." How weird is that? Now she's like a Christmas Tree. You haul her out of the attic every year and string a bunch of lights and tinsel on her and think "next year I'm getting a real one."

7) Van Halen--1984: I never would have guessed that Van Halen would be the one hard rock band to know what year it was. David Lee Roth always seemed so oblivious to such details. After all, he was happy recording "cover tunes" of the Kinks and Roy Orbison and Martha And the Vandellas. Who does that? That's potential songwriting and publishing money being flushed out the back of the van. No wonder they got rid of him.

6) Spinal Tap--This Is Spinal Tap: It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Spinal Tap the band that changed Heavy Metal forever. It just took nearly a decade for its practitioners to feel embarrassed about it. "Oh, wait, is that me they're making fun of?"

5) Metallica--Ride the Lightning: Slowly but surely, Metallica built their legion of followers. Back before most people were paying attention, the band were steadily improving, creating a new life force within the metal community and plotting world domination. No 40,000 dollar-a-month therapy for these boys. Just loud, fast riffs that would teach a new generation how to come down with neck injuries and carpel tunnel syndrome.

4) U2--The Unforgettable Fire: Just one more huge release for a band who would define huge releases for the rest of eternity. That they were once young men seems impossible now. It's only a matter of time before Bono is added to Mount Rushmore. Talk about a Rock of Ages!

3) The Smiths--The Smiths: In the UK, the Smiths were given their proper due, I think. They sure weren't here. I'm sure somewhere in academia there's an entire major devoted to figuring out why, but I prefer to think it's because Americans just don't hear right.

2) Bruce Springsteen--Born in the U.S.A.: You couldn't get away from this album in 1984. He released something like seven singles from it which is more than half the album. Imagine how the five non-singles felt about this. Even "My Hometown" got to be a single. If you're "Darlington County," you're pretty bummed about this. If only you'd been given a chance!

1) Prince--Purple Rain: Here's the other guy who was everywhere in 1984. Even I ended up seeing his movie in a theater somewhere wondering if anyone else thought he was an egotistical jerk who treated everybody like crap and couldn't act. Sure, the music was great. But a purple motorcycle? Really?