It's Friday. I need music.
I think I'll go with an '80s theme this week. Here are some early '80s songs to start things off that would likely not appear on a typical '80s various-artists album.
And last but far from least:
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Friday Music
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17 comments:
Let's start with some XTC, then add a little Billy Bragg, and finish up with my favorite Roxy Music song.
I'm going with an old-school rap theme here. Beastie Boys, Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, and Afrika Bambaataa. I'll try to come back with some more later!
The 80s were great for quirk. Case in point: Mexican Radio by Wall of Voodoo.
Got beans?
Incidentally, Mr. Conn is hanging around my place.
the late 70's and early 80's had some super sweet ska... and i chucked in a tad of b-52 new wave as well. 1980 was a good year! enjoy and happy friday!
B52s - Private Idaho 1980
The Specials - Gangsters 1980 (maybe '79)
The English Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom 1980
The Clash - London Calling 1980
Ooh, and one of the all-time-great New York songs. Space Ace!
jeffk: This XTC song is awesome. I'd never seen them in their formative years before. Of course you know I love Billy Bragg. I still just don't quite get Brian Ferry, though. I don't dislike him, but he doesn't do a whole lot for me either.
dm: I can always count on you for some old-school rap. That's one of my favorite B-Boys song. Did you know that Grandmaster Flash didn't actually do anything on "The Message"? He's credited, but he didn't do a thing on the song. Run DMC is a nice blast from my teen years, and that Afrika Bambaataa craziness was very cool.
eob: "Mexican Radio" reminds me of MTV. And I considered you posting Bobby Conn your second suggestion and listened to it for the 100th time. How can it possibly get better each time? How??
dalyn: I really got a kick out of the B52 number. Imagine seeing them live in those days. I've heard of both The Specials and The English Beat, but I'm not sure I've every actually heard them. I was surprised at how relevant they still seem all these years later. And of course there's never a bad time to listen to The Clash.
jeffk: At first I thought it was going to be one of their Kissco songs, a la "I Was Made for Loving You," but it turned out to be their hand-jive song. How did that poser Gene Simmons keep a straight face while headbanging to that song?
Here's some good, old-fashioned 80's pop: The Outfield, INXS, The Cars, The Dream Academy, Crowded House, Simply Red, and Tears for Fears. Oh, and what the hell...Here's some Wang Chung.
Alright, now it's time for some cock-rock...Ratt, Warrant, Motley Crue, Judas Priest, Winger, Poison, Lita Ford, Slaughter, and I have to throw in this nice little surprise.
I love you, Sleek. Did I ever tell you that?! I love Ashes to Ashes. And the DM nailed it with one of my favourite Tears for Fears tracks. Dayln has exquisite taste, as usual. It's gonna be difficult to compete. Oh, where to start?
Living In A Box: Living In A Box [1987] - You know your career is headed for one-hit wonderhood when you name your band after your debut single. It reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Erasure: Oh L'Amour [1986] - No matter how much it gets dressed up in glammy synths, it still remains an engaging and moving torch song.
Billy Idol: White Wedding [1982] - It's the growling drawl of him singing "it's a nice day for a - white wedding", that makes it, I think.
Alphaville: Romeos [1989] - My favourite West German band. And yes, that is Noah Taylor in the video.
Depeche Mode: Strangelove [1987] - Awesome, catchy subversive pop. One of my favourite favourites. With a pretty sexy music video by Anton Corbijn, might I add. "Will you return it?"
Tom Tom Club: Genius of Love [1981] - So way ahead of its time. This perennially funky classic has been sampled by many others, inlcuding Busta Rhmes and Mariah Carey.
Aerosmith: Dude (Looks Like a Lady) [1987] - How can you not be enthralled by the joyous, upbeat chorus? I'm not a long-hair rock fan, but I adore Aerosmith. Why is that?
Neneh Cherry: Buffalo Stance [1988] - Back in the days when dance music wasn't so damn serious and you could still sing along to it.
Thanks very much for that. I used to think the 80s were very gay but this is our shared white heritage.
Fact: white people love the 80s.
Here's a little 80's era Miles
And a good weekend to all.
dm: That's the most songs anybody has ever suggested in one week! All of the pop stuff is classic, killer stuff that you'd find on a typical mix. Wang Chung deservedly brings up the rear on this list, but I even enjoyed that one.
Well, Sleek, the '80s were our Dance Hall Days, after all!
dm: That Ratt song will be forever tattooed on my brain, though I was starting to move on to a new kind of music by the time "Cherry Pie" came out. Nice live Crue song -- I'm not a huge fan of this band, but "Shout at the Devil" is certainly one of the good ones. The Judas Priest song -- gotta admit I expected "Run to the Hills," so you surprised me there. This video makes me want to get my girl kicking. As for Winger, isn't this unbelievable? He's like 35. The guitar solo in this song is so freaking '80s. Lita Ford -- I was one of the kids who thought she was just smokin'. Leather sparingly used, singing about getting laid and knowing what she likes ... yeah, she got my attention in those days. I'd forgotten that Slaughter song -- how terrible it is. And of course that Dio video is one of the great rock videos of all time.
teoh: I don't think you have, but thanks! I'm quite fond of you as well. "Ashes to Ashes" is one of my favorite Bowie songs ever, which is saying something.
Living in a Box -- wow, I'd forgotten all about this song. This is exactly why we didn't write a song called "Snake Worshipers" back in my high school "band." Erasure -- you've done it! You've found an Erasure song that I like! The problem with "White Wedding" is that there's a guy named Dano (well-known in the motocross industry) who does the greatest karaoke version of the song ever, even better than the original. Karaoke is an art with this cat. I've never heard of Alphaville, but the sound is certainly familiar. I feel sorry for the kid in the video. Depeche Mode -- this isn't bad. That obviously doesn't match your enthusiasm for the song, but this is another one of those bands that I just don't quite get. Tom Tom Club -- this one's an encore. Very cool song and an imaginative video. Aerosmith -- maybe because you loved that they collaborated with Run DMC? I know that always bought them some juice with me. "Buffalo Stance" is awesome. Some rap, a little scratching -- this is my kind of dance music, because I actually went to dances when this song was popular. Like you said, those were definitely our dance-hall days. Thanks!
m@: I much preferred the '90s to the '80s in pretty much every way, but who doesn't have fond memories of the music from their youth? I could listen to '80s any time.
simon: You're always good for some jazz and blues, mate. How cool does Miles look in this performance? He must've turned heads everywhere he went.
Thanks, everyone! As always, Friday Music is still open.
TEOH: Holy crap! I'm dying over your Dance Hall Days comment. I'd forgotten about that one.
Without this forum, I may have never seen the Holy Diver video again for the rest of my days. That Ronnie James is a tough little dragonslayer.
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