| Author | Message | ||
     kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 1518 Registered: 05-2005 |
In my opinion the best year ever, seminal landmark albums galore. Check the NME list for 1979 here and you will see what I mean, albums that would be top dog almost every other year are also rans - London Calling at No 8 for example. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/1979.html My list is as follows, couldnt stop at 10 so heres a top 15 1. Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division 2. Metal box - Public Image ltd. 3. Entertainment - Gang of four 4. Fear of music - Talking heads 5. London Calling - The Clash 6. Armed Forces - Elvis Costello 7. Same song - Israel Vibration 8. 154 - Wire 9. Forces of victory - Linton Kwesi Johnson 10. Cut - The Slits 11. Dragnet - The Fall 12. Even serpents shine - The only ones 13. The Undertones - The Undertones 14. Lodger - David Bowie 15. Humanity - Royal Rasses | ||
| abigail law Member Username: Abigail Post Number: 117 Registered: 06-2005 |
for all joy division fans 2058005%2C00.html,http://music.guardian. co.uk/news/story/0,,2058005,00.html | ||
| frank bascombe Member Username: Frankb Post Number: 39 Registered: 01-2007 |
OK for me 1. London Calling 2.Armed Forces 3.The Specials 4.154 5.Blue Valentine 6.Fear of Music 7.Setting Sons 8.Unknown Pleasures I agree Kevin great great year all these I seem to listen to on a regular basis, must say I never really got in to PIL despite seeing them live | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1419 Registered: 05-2005 |
Kev for me in retrospect, yours is probably my ulitimate list. Howvere at that time I probably only heard Lodger and Londn Calling. Your list is cool too Jerry. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 539 Registered: 08-2006 |
I need a clarification from the judges. 1979 was smack in the middle of this period when lots of well-known British albums were getting released in US well after the UK got them. For Americans, '79 saw the release of the Clash's first album; "London Calling" was '80. Joy Division, PiL and Gang of Four all showed up in '80. So what you guys remembered as a banner year happened a year later for us in the States. From this side of the Atlantic, '79 looked like this (at least to me): 1. The Clash - "The Clash" 2. Neil Young - "Rust Never Sleeps" 3. Pere Ubu - "Dub Housing" 4. Nick Lowe - "Labour of Lust" 5. Graham Parker - "Squeezing Out Sparks" 6. Tom Verlaine - "Tom Verlaine" 7. The B-52s - "The B-52s" 8. Talking Heads - "Fear of Music" 9. Michael Jackson - "Off the Wall" 10. Van Morrison - "Into the Music" | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1828 Registered: 03-2006 |
Great list, Rob. Mine would pretty much be exactly the same, though I might add Tom Petty's "Damn the Torpedoes", which I played the hell out of that year... | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 559 Registered: 01-2005 |
I'll include international release dates for 1979. I can't just got with 10 though, I've got to double it! 1. Gang Of Four - Entertainment 2. The Clash - London Calling 3. Elvis Costello - Armed Forces 4. Talking Heads - Fear Of Music 5. Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps 6. Squeeze - Cool For Cats 7. Wire - 154 8. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures 9. The B-52s - The B-52s 10. The Specials - The Specials 11. Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! 12. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English 13. XTC - Drums and Wires 14. Rachel Sweet - Fool Around 15. The Slits - Cut 16. Blondie - Eat To The Beat 17. The Undertones - The Undertones 18. The Soft Boys - A Can Of Bees 19. Lena Lovich - Stateless 20. Public Image - Metal Box | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 540 Registered: 08-2006 |
Was "Damn the Torpedoes" '79? Wow. I don't own that record any more - I'm pretty sure it went in The Great Vinyl Purge of '89 - but it was omnipresent in my little suburban world when it came out. Seemed like everyone in my junior high school had a copy. I dunno if it cracks my revisionist top 10, although I have fond memories of it at school dances, etc. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 545 Registered: 10-2004 |
Wire - 154 Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures The Cure - Three Imaginary Boys Japan - Quiet Life Cowboys International - Original Sin The Clash - London Calling Magazine - Secondhand Daylight XTC - Drums and Wires Buzzcocks - A Different Kind of Tension PIL - Metal Box Gang of Four - Entertainment Gary Numan - Replicas Nick Lowe - Labour of Lust The Specials - The Specials The Jam - Setting Sons Madness - One Step Beyond Roxy Music - Manifesto Simple Minds - Reel to Real Cacaphony Elvis Costello - Armed Forces The Stranglers - The Raven Motorhead - Overkill AC/DC - Highway to Hell Tom Verlaine - Tom Verlaine Talking Heads - Fear of Music A fine year for music. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 546 Registered: 10-2004 |
Damn it, I forgot Joe Jackson's "I'm the Man." For me, that album warrants inclusion solely on the strength of "It's Different for Girls." | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1128 Registered: 03-2005 |
I know it's cheating, but the Buzzcocks' "Singles Going Steady" goes onto this list for me. Kevin, you forgot Magazine's "Secondhand Daylight." Definitely one of the best of the year. I'd give an honorable mention to X-Ray Spex "Germfree Adolescents." | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 541 Registered: 08-2006 |
Was "Singles Going Steady" the first Buzzcocks album released in the States, Randy? If so, I'd say it qualifies for the list even though it's a comp. It's kind of like The Only Ones' "Special View." Not an album proper, but our introduction to the band. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 547 Registered: 10-2004 |
Yeah, I agree about "Singles Going Steady." I was trying my hardest to avoid comps, but it is by far my most listened to Buzzcocks album. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1130 Registered: 03-2005 |
I have no idea, Rob, but it's where I started with them. Looking at the lists above, there are a number of things I'd love to hear which I never have, such as the Soft Boys and the Slits. I've also never heard "Drums & Wires." And I've yet to hear "Dragnet," the allegedly unlistenable Fall album. I've never heard Japan. In fact I've never explored any solo Tom Verlaine. Too damn much music. Some of the other popular choices I just never really got into. Mr. Costello and I have a difficult relationship. I duly bought "Setting Sons" and saw the Jam in '79 when they toured it but it doesn't really hold up for me any longer as an album. I could never get into the ska revival bands like the Specials; I preferred the original. I'm not keen on the Doors so the Stranglers never worked for me. I friend of mine way back then LOVED Gary Numan; I couldn't stand him. He also loved Duran Duran. Yeah, I know, that's unfair. I loved Lene Lovich but find her embarrassing now. I wonder if I'd like Squeeze today? They never did anything for me back then. I wouldn't give "Lodger" a space on the "best of" list. It's a decent album but far from a peak moment for Bowie and nowhere near the quality of so many of the others you all have posted. For me, I guess the dark records: "Secondhand Daylight," "Unknown Pleasures" and "154" are the ones that hang in best. BUT I should have a listen to "Fear of Music," "Metal Box" and "Entertainment." All are records I valued greatly but haven't heard in forever. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1345 Registered: 04-2005 |
An amazing year indeed. As noted by the other Yanks, it's a tough one for us because we got a lot of seminal '79 albums later. However, unlike now or almost any year since '79, I was a voracious import buyer in those days, so I probably heard most of those great UK records pretty close to their UK release date, so I'll call "London Calling," etc., '79 albums. Also, as Randy, Rob, and Jeff point out--what to do about the bands with U.S. comps in '79 that were arguably better than the UK original albums? I guess too much good music in a year is a nice "problem" to have. The Clash - London Calling Talking Heads - Fear of Music Gang of Four - Entertainment! Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Rust Never Sleeps Wire -154 Graham Parker & the Rumour - Squeezing Out Sparks Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Armed Forces Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures Public Image - Metal Box XTC - Drums and Wires U.S. comps: The Only Ones - Special View Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady The Clash - The Clash (UK debut tracks + early singles) Very honorable mentions: Tom Verlaine - s/t The Only Ones - Even Serpents Shine Pere Ubu - Dub Housing Marianne Faithfull - Broken English The Specials - s/t The B-52's - s/t Lou Reed - The Bells Magazine - Secondhand Daylight The Raincoats - s/t David Bowie - Lodger Roxy Music - Manifesto My god, '79 looks like a "best of the decade" list. I think I'd go with Kevin on calling it the best year ever. It's the year music mattered the most to me, anyway. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1829 Registered: 03-2006 |
Wo wo wee wa - I didn't realize that "Cool For Cats" came out that year. Another stone(d) favorite that spent excessive time on my turntable, even if I didn't understand half of the Anglocentric expressions it employed... | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1830 Registered: 03-2006 |
Another of those great comps that came out in the states in '79 that worked really well as an album, and also, rocked my world: Wreckless Eric - The Whole Wide World. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 561 Registered: 01-2005 |
LK, I didn't get "Cool For Cats" until a couple of years ago. It might be my favorite Squeeze album. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 170 Registered: 07-2006 |
i don't go in for unknown pleasures much - but worth the price of admission alone just for "disorder". actual favourite records from said year fleetwood mac - tusk! ... a great year for melancholia marianne faithful - broken english... see above blondie - eat to the beat... one of my first true loves xtc - drums and wires donna summer - bad girls | ||
| David Gagen Member Username: David_g Post Number: 44 Registered: 02-2007 |
I think Patti Smith's "Wave" was from 79. Although not her best, its still is a storng album. Worth it just for Dancing Barefoot. Kinda a goodbye album. Was still in my Pink Flloyd days so played "The Wall" a lot. Don't like it much now. Hated Dylan's "Slow Train Coming" when it first appeared in 79, but still listen to it about every 6 months or so, production values on album very good in remastered CD. London Calling and Rust Never Sleeps in my top 5 of all time!!! What a year. Also a Devo record I can't remember the name of, that all my friends n I used to play every day for a few months! What do they say, "Youth is wasted on the young!" | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1132 Registered: 03-2005 |
Drugs are wasted on the young. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1420 Registered: 05-2005 |
this year covered then? even 1979, the numbers together as the year look cool, and sound cool too!!! | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 171 Registered: 07-2006 |
it's true. a shame about the song of the same name... | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 542 Registered: 08-2006 |
"Tusk" was '79, too? Add that to my list. I just listened to it the other night, but somehow didn't spot it on any of the '79 album lists I consulted. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 562 Registered: 01-2005 |
I need to get the reissue of Tusk. It just missed being in my Top 20 as did The Roches and The Raincoats debuts and Joe Jackson's "I'm the Man". I love Robert Fripp's guitar on The Roches album. I was a big Rachel Sweet fan back in 1979, so I included her "Fool Around" on my list as I still enjoy listening to it. Lena Lovich sure gets dragged around in the mud these days as a period piece, but "Stateless" is still a powerful album. I saw GOF two years ago this May, and I rank it as one of my Top 5 concerts ever. "Entertainment" was an easy pick for me as my #1 for 1979, even though the other four picks are all great and would land in my top 10 for the 70's. | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 615 Registered: 08-2004 |
Chic - Risque Marvin Gaye - Here My Dear 1977 thru 1982 was the best 5 year period in popular music, imho. There was still an old guard worth hearing & the young punks inspired their own inspirations. Aside from that I have nothing further to add. ps good choices Rob. Off The Wall is the best pop album ever & VM's Into The Music is one of his best. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1831 Registered: 03-2006 |
Heartily concur about Into the Music. Sometimes I think it is Van's best... always, at least, while I'm listening to it...and, if it's not his best, it's his most satisfying... | ||
| Wolfgang Steinhardt Member Username: Berbatov Post Number: 65 Registered: 09-2006 |
Drugs are wasted on the young, alcohol included - thank you for the reminder Randy - thats why I loved to listen to My Sharona that year. Two serious additions: Mitch Ryder - How I Spent My Vacation Flying Lizards - s.t. Ry Cooders Bop Till You Drop came out this year as well and I remember it was the first record ever recorded with digital equipment only and now it's all about downloads and stuff ... |