[Music] Radio 2 best albums of the 80’s

[zefarelly]

Summer of 1980 which I remember well! Had started living in the West Mids and with a gf in Birmingham. There was a real buzz about the band. Also the start of the bleak political/social situation and this captured it perfectly - Madam Medusa a case in point + Tyler and the first couple of singles. Great band live too - shame it ended so acrimoniously

UB40 In Brum , Specials in COventry, and the 2 tone tour . . . what a time for the Midlands. I was 8 going on 9 . . . and just discovered Madness via TOTP.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I’m learning slowly that late 70s is probably my favourite era for music - a lot of exciting stuff happening in numerous genres then, however there’s a lot I love about the 80s too.

My favourite 'decade' for music would be is 76-85 but that would be cheating I guess.

I was very lucky to be 15 in 1976 so some great bands to listen to/see in my late teens/early 20s

Back on topic it will take me a while to come up with top 10 albums of the 80s, but the following three spring immediately to mind:

The Jam - Sound Affects

Bruce Springsteen - The River or Born in the USA (can't decide!)

ABC - Lexicon of Love.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

It’s pandering to a Radio 2 middle aged, middle of the road, Ford car driving, largely never indulged in class A narcotics demographic, so has to be seen in that context.

In vaguely relayed news, the omission of Hounds of Love from their list is pretty outrageous.

I promise you will love this - and totally agree that Hounds of Love is a classic album by any measure - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000my63

 

[zefarelly]

This kicked off a run of 80s albums from the best home-grown singer-songwriter of the era imo - they were all different and great.

Definitely up there, but Armed Forces is THE EC&A album ( IMO)

 

[Live by the sea]

Should have added Sade - Promise to my list . Massive talent .

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

Definitely up there, but Armed Forces is THE EC&A album ( IMO)

Sorry - I stuck to the 80s theme in the thread - the debut My Aim Is True would probably be my fave 70s one but they are all very strong. Genuinely talented guy

 

[lawros left foot]

UB40 In Brum , Specials in COventry, and the 2 tone tour . . . what a time for the Midlands. I was 8 going on 9 . . . and just discovered Madness via TOTP.

I saw the Two Tone tour at Pompey Guildhall, Madness, the Selector
and the Specials .
NF skinheads giving Pauline Black grief, Zelig heiling , etc, till the Madness boys got amongst them with the rest of the crowd and turfed them out.

A really great gig.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

10 you say?
this will take a while, but without having to think these 4 will always make the list


Closer
8 Legged Groove Machine
Wild Planet
Doolittle


Edit

Mind Bomb & Blue Sunshine takes it up to 6

 

[Questions]

It’s pandering to a Radio 2 middle aged, middle of the road, Ford car driving, largely never indulged in class A narcotics demographic, so has to be seen in that context.

In vaguely relayed news, the omission of Hounds of Love from their list is pretty outrageous.

I’m in the minority then PG as although I drive a Ford I still do copious amounts of Class A’s whenever possible.. I will not though listen to Michel Buble

 

[lawros left foot]

Peter Gabriel. Melt ( 3)

Hazel O’Connor. The soundtrack to Breaking Glass.

 

[Pevenseagull]

80s you say?

Blue Bell Knoll -Cocteau Twins
Laughing Stock -Talk Talk
Ocean Rain -Echo & The Bunnymen
Throwing Muses -Throwing Muses
Isn't Anything - My Bloody Valentine
Born Sandy Devotional - The Triffids
The Dreaming - Kate Bush
Remain in Light - Talking Heads
16 Lover's Lane - The Go Betweens
Rock and Roll - The Mekons

plus everything by REM, The Fall, Husker Du, Elvis Costello & The Cure

 

[Guinness Boy]

There were a lot to originally choose from on the BBC site. I voted "Stone Roses". But they were VERY mainstream. I'd probably say mine are (might change my mind tomorrow)

The The - Soul Mining
The Stone Roses
Happy Mondays - Bummed
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Wonder Stuff - 8 Legged Groove Machine (school mate and I played this until the tape broke)
The Cure - Faith (N.B. not when released when I was a bit too young but Head on the Door was a gateway drug for me and I worked my way backwards until I found this and stuck with it)
The Pixies - Doolittle
Kurtis Blow - America (annoyed my parents)
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead (they got that right)

So still pretty mainstream but not the full Radio 2. Perhaps redolent of Liz Kershaw's Saturday lunchtime show on 6 Music which these days serves to make me think "I reckon so and so used to play that in their first car" as I'm making a sandwich and regretting that Huey's already done for another week and there's still an hour or so to go before Giles and Craig.

As for the 80s it was what you made it. Personally couldn't stand much of what was in the charts and never "got" New Romantics but, by the end of the decade I was mainly listening to tracks and mixes. Mostly indie/dance crossover, hip hop and increasing amounts of Acid House and first starting to get into Balearic DJ mixes by the likes ot Weatherall and Rampling that would end up changing my musical tastes forever.

 

[MattBackHome]

The Stone Roses doesn't count for this I reckon

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

 

[Guinness Boy]

Isn't Anything - My Bloody Valentine

Oh FFS forgot this despite it being a post just above mine.

MBV in.

*throws Kurtis Blow under the bus*

 

[Guinness Boy]

The Stone Roses doesn't count for this I reckon

How so?

 

[KeithDublin]

In no particular order:

Stone Roses - s/t
Rites of Spring - s/t
dexy's midnight runners - searching for the young soul rebels
Julian Cope - Fried
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Echo and the Bunnymen- Crocodiles
Minutemen - Double Nickles on the Dime
XTC - English Settlement
The Go Gos - Beauty and the Beat
Husker Du - New Day Rising

 

[KZNSeagull]

Pretty much all the good ones have been mentioned, but I would add George Best by The Wedding Present, Garlands by Cocteau Twins and Pornography by The Cure.

 

[warsaw]

Sure, there are always going to be some BRILLIANT albums in any decade.

But let's be honest, overall, the 80's was RUBBISH compared to the 70's and the 90's.

*Walks away whistling

I think the issue for the 80s is that it produced some great tunes, way better than the 70s for me, but clearly didn't result in many great albums. And that's OK isn't it?

Sent from my WAS-LX1A using Tapatalk

 

[MattBackHome]

How so?

Cause it's basically a 90's record, that just happened to be released in the 80s.