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Michael Bachman
Member
Username: Michael_bachman

Post Number: 633
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 05:35 pm:   

Another new month, another year to review. Please feel free to express your favorites for the year as they are now, not the way you felt back in 1984!

1. Robyn Hitchcock - I Often Dream Of Trains
2. The Go-Betweens - Spring Hill Fair
3. R.E.M. - Reckoning
4. The Replacements - Let It Be
5. Cocteau Twins - Treasure
6. Bangles - All Over the Place
7. Echo and The Bunneymen - Ocean Rain
8. Let's Active - Cypress
9. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds -From Her To Eternity
10. Husker Du - Zen Arcade
11. This Mortal Coil - It'll End In Tears
12. The db's - Like This
13. Lloyd Cole and The Commotions - Rattlesnakes
13. Dalis Car - The Waking Hour
14. Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C.
15. The Long Ryders - Native Sons
16. Everything But The Girl - Eden
17. The Fall - The Wonderful and Frightening World
18. Los Lobos - How Will The Wolf Survive?
19. The Lyres - On Fyre
20. The Smiths - The Smiths
21. The Pretenders - Learning To Crawl
22. Lou Reed - New Sensations
23. Rank and File - Long Gone Dead
24. The Boss - Born In The U.S.A.
25. Prince - Purple Rain
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Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 1397
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 06:59 pm:   

I was very out of touch with UK stuff back in '84, preferring American indie bands and even some mainstream stuff, and I never really caught up. So this list is glaringly conventional. And I was surprised to realize that neither Waits or Costello had new releases in '84.

Go-Betweens - Spring Hill Fair
Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime
Bangles - All Over the Place
Lou Reed - New Sensations
Replacements - Let It Be
R.E.M. - Reckoning
Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
Husker Du - Zen Arcade
Prince - Purple Rain
Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual (I'm gonna get shit for this one)
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Jeff Whiteaker
Member
Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 565
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 07:10 pm:   

Wow, for me 1984 was a landmark year. An extraordinary time for music.

1. Microdisney - Everybody's Fantastic
2. Go-Betweens - Spring Hill Fair
3. Cocteau Twins - Treasure
4. Smiths - Hatful of Hollow (I know it's a comp, but I'm including it because it in many ways bettered their debut. A monumental album in the band's history. Sorry!)

5. Smiths - Smiths
6. Felt - Strange Idols Pattern..
7. Siouxsie - Hyaena
8. Thomas Dolby - The Flat Earth
9. Pale Fountains - Pacific Street
10. Echo & the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
11. Prefab Sprout - Swoon
12. Everything But the Girl - Eden
13. XTC - Big Express
14. David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees
15. Blue Nile - Walk Across the Rooftops
16. Dead Can Dance - Dead Can Dance
17. Tones on Tail - Pop
18. Dalis Car - The Waking Hour
19. This Mortal Coil - It'll End in Tears
20. Modern English - Ricochet Days
21. Lloyd Cole - Rattlesnakes
22. Orange Juice - Third
23. REM - Reckoning
24. Style Council - My Ever Changing Moods
25. The Room - In Evil Hour
26. The Church - Remote Luxury (I know it's a comp of 2 EPs, but it was presented in the US as a regular album so I'm counting it)

27. The Sound - Shock of Daylight
28. Raincoats - Moving
29. The Fall - Wonderful & Frightening World...
30. Section 25 - From the Hip
31. Aztec Camera - Knife
32. The Stranglers - Aural Sculpture
33. Stockholm Monsters - Alma Mater

Maybe I should stop now...
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Little Keith
Member
Username: Manosludge

Post Number: 1977
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 07:23 pm:   

1. GBs - Spring Hill
2. dbs - Like This
3. REM - Reckoning
4. XTC - The Big Express

I was hoping to get through this with all "initials" groups, just to save typing, but alas, have to move on to groups with actual complete words in their names....

5. Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
6. Prince - Purple Rain
7. Pretenders - Learning to Crawl
8. Los Lobos - How Will the Wolf Survive?
9. Lloyd Cole and his Conniptions - Rattlesnakes
10. The Neville Bros. - Nevillization
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kevin
Member
Username: Kevin

Post Number: 1602
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 07:47 pm:   

Hmm, did I say the 80s was a poor decade? One of the better years was 1984 right enough.

Reckoning - Rem
The Smiths - The Smiths
Spring Hill Fair - The Go Betweens
Wonderful & Frightening World Of.. - The Fall
Swoon - Prefab Sprout
Red Roses For Me - The Pogues
Ocean Rain - Echo And The Bunnymen
Brilliant Trees - David Sylvian
Microdisney - Everybody's Fantastic
The Replacements - Let It Be
Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade
Lou Reed - New Sensations
Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II

Kurt, I had to smile about your comment regarding the Cyndi Lauper album. Personally I would give you as much stick for The Bangles mate!!
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Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 1400
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 08:49 pm:   

I understand, Kevin...but I stick with my belief that "All Over the Place" is a really good power-pop album with some real standouts like "Hero Takes a Fall," "Going Down to Liverpool," and "Dover Beach." But the Bangles got terrible immediately afterward, granted.

Michael, help me out here!
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spence
Member
Username: Spence

Post Number: 1551
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 09:50 pm:   

Go-Betweens - Spring Hill Fair
Smiths - Hatful of Hollow
Smiths - Smiths
Felt - Strange Idols Pattern..
Pale Fountains - Pacific Street
Echo & the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
Prefab Sprout - Swoon
Blue Nile - Walk Across the Rooftops
This Mortal Coil - It'll End in Tears
Lloyd Cole - Rattlesnakes
Orange Juice - Third (though i think its only ok now)
REM - Reckoning
Aztec Camera - Knife (ditto as OJ)
Blue Aeroplanes - Bop Art
Julian Cope - Fried
Julian Cope - World shut yer Mouth
Simple Minds - Sparkle in the rain ("Mr Bombast er"!
U2 - The unforgettable Fire
The Moodists - Thirsty's calling
Scott Walker - Climate of hunter
Talking Heads - Stop making sense
The Farmers Boys - get out and Walk
The Blow Monkeys - Limping for a Generation
Lotus Eatrs - No sense of sin
Special AKA - In the studio
Friends Again - Trapped and Unwrapped
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spence
Member
Username: Spence

Post Number: 1552
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 09:52 pm:   

Anyone got the Kane Gang album on CD?
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Jeff Whiteaker
Member
Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 566
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 10:43 pm:   

Whoops! Thanks Spence, for reminding me that I forgot to list the Lotus Eaters. I love that record! Those Julian Cope records are good too.

Also, it's great to see someone (Kevin, in this case) listing "Everybody's Fantastic."
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XY765
Member
Username: Judge

Post Number: 248
Registered: 01-2006
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 12:54 am:   

Nice mention of Red Roses for Me Kevin, I love that album. I think their version of the Ould Triangle is my favourite. On that note my dad is a true Dubliner and he reckons the 'Ould Triangle' is a polite euphemism for the prostitutes', ahem, 'map of Tasmania' as they say in Australia. Look at the map if you don't get my drift...
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Michael Bachman
Member
Username: Michael_bachman

Post Number: 634
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 12:56 am:   

Right you are Kurt! Except you forgot "James", "Live" "Restless" and "All About You" which are also gems on All Over The Place. I've had to defend AOTP many times to people who only know the Bangles of 1986-88 when they bowed to lable pressure to can the Big Star power-pop and crank out radio/music video friendly pablum.

I often compare the Bangles with Til Tuesday. They both had a song titled "Crash and Burn" on their third album, both released three albums in the 80's. Both were MTV darlings for a while. However, while Aimee and TT got better with each album culiminating with the exceptional Everything's Different Now, the Bangles got much worse with each album.
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Randy Adams
Member
Username: Randy_adams

Post Number: 1213
Registered: 03-2005
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 02:07 am:   

1984 looks like a mighty good year to me. In alpha order:

Blue Aeroplanes -- Bop Art
Bronski Beat -- Age of Consent
Cocteau Twins -- Treasure
Leonard Cohen -- Various Positions
Lloyd Cole & the C's -- Rattlesnakes
The Fall -- Wonderful & Frightening World
GoBees -- Spring Hill Fair
Robyn Hitchcock -- I Often Dream of Trains
Pale Fountains -- Pacific Street
Prefab Sprout -- Swoon

Felt and Dead Can Dance's eponymous album probably both belong on the list but it's been a little too long since I've heard either one so I'm not sure. I'll bet "Everybody's fantastic" would go on my list but I still haven't heard it all. My eBay battles continue.

Spence, I think "Climate of Hunter" is 1983. Otherwise it would definitely go on my list.

And I see all sorts of things on people's lists that I haven't heard. Future purchases.
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joe
Member
Username: Dogmansuede

Post Number: 209
Registered: 07-2006
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 03:02 am:   

boys...anyone who hasn't heard cyndi lauper's debut is sorely missing out. it's a classic by anyone's definition that sadly she was never even slightly able to touch again.

personally, i can't think of a better year for lps. in no particular order...

go-b's - spring hill fair
cyndi - she's so unusual
rem - reckoning
the go-go's - talk show
prince - purple rain
the blue nile - a walk accross the rooftops

this mortal coil - it'll end in tears (antony referred to song to the siren as the greatest recording of the modern era.....i daresay kangaroo might be the contender here...it's cut itself deep into my brain)

cocteaus - treasure
madonna - like a virgin
the bangles - all over the place
smiths - smiths/hatful
bronski beat - the age of consent
david sylvian - brilliant trees
human league - hysteria
soft cell - this last night in sodom (if only for "soul inside" and "where was your heart")
depeche mode - some great reward
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joe
Member
Username: Dogmansuede

Post Number: 210
Registered: 07-2006
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 03:07 am:   

goddamn it, how could i forget sparkle in the rain?!?

i never got into ocean rain much compared to what preceded it.
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Geoff Holmes
Member
Username: Geoff

Post Number: 218
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 07:31 am:   

Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
Church - Remote Luxury & Persia eps
Cocteaus - Treasure
David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees
Smiths - Hatful of Hollow
Go B's - Spring Hill fair
Lloyd Cole - Rattlesnakes
REM - Reckoning
Cope - Fried and World
Aztec Camera - Knife
Hoodoo Gurus - Stoneage Romeos (? this year?)
..what a great year for music! These are STILL some of my all time faves.
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kevin
Member
Username: Kevin

Post Number: 1603
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 08:26 am:   

Randy, about your list. Once more this board comes up trumps - until a few months ago you had never heard Swoon or Pacific Street and now they are amongst your favourite records for 1984 - fantastic eh? Big Up the Go-Bs board :-)

By the way, if you look at these links there are plenty of Microdisney(inc Everybodys Fantastic) records.

http://www1.gemm.com/c/search.pl?field=A RTIST+OR+TITLE&wild=microdisney&Go%21.x= 0&Go%21.y=0&Go%21=Search

http://www.netsoundsmusic.com/nsds.html

(I cant get the link for the Microdisney page to work for Netsounds, but I'm sure you know what to do when you get there!)
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Rob Brookman
Member
Username: Rob_b

Post Number: 632
Registered: 08-2006
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 02:00 pm:   

Man, what a great year '84 was. My fave Lou, fave Go-Betweens (today, at least), and my fave of the whole freakin' decade. I'm going to force myself to go with 10, although I could include quadruple that many.

1. The Replacements - "Let It Be"
2. Bruce Springsteen - "Born in the USA"
3. The Go-Betweens - "Spring Hill Fair"
4. Lou Reed - "New Sensations"
5. Prince - "Purple Rain"
6. The Minutemen - "Double Nickels on the Dime"
7. Husker Du - "Zen Arcade"
8. King Sunny Ade - "Aura"
9. Los Lobos - "How Will the Wolf Survive?"
10. The Ramones - "Too Tough to Die"

And on and on: REM, Meat Puppets, Pretenders, Cyndi Lauper, Lloyd Cole, The Blue Nile, the dBs... So many records from that year I pull out again and again.
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Randy Adams
Member
Username: Randy_adams

Post Number: 1214
Registered: 03-2005
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 03:43 pm:   

Kevin, this board also gets credit for Blue Aeroplanes' "Bop Art" and Felt.

Thanks for the links. The netsounds one might work. I'm looking for the CD versions of the Microdisney albums and they're the ones which are hard to locate and always expensive.
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spence
Member
Username: Spence

Post Number: 1553
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 06:34 pm:   

Randy I have al the Micro CD's and rare stuff and vids etc. I'll do you a DVD.
Actually they are all on one DVD sent to me by the guy who doess their website.
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Michael Bachman
Member
Username: Michael_bachman

Post Number: 635
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 09:53 pm:   

I really should get on order "Fried", "Swoon" and "Pacific Street".

Is the "Double Nickels on the Dime" cd that is currently avialable decent sounding? I have it on vinyl but haven't played it in over a dozen years as my turntable is currently out of action.
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kevin
Member
Username: Kevin

Post Number: 1604
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2007 - 02:05 am:   

michael - doubble nickels is decent sounding - trust me so is swoon , and i forgot pacific st and fried for my list
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kevin
Member
Username: Kevin

Post Number: 1605
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2007 - 03:41 am:   

from swoon - cruel

my contribution to urban blues - waht a great line
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Pádraig Collins
Member
Username: Pádraig_collins

Post Number: 1478
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2007 - 09:04 am:   

Double Nickels is available on CD Michael, but is missing three of the songs from the double vinyl. Timewise, two of the three could fit onto a single disc, so I'm not sure why they left three off.
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frank bascombe
Member
Username: Frankb

Post Number: 91
Registered: 01-2007
Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2007 - 09:10 am:   

Almost all theones I love mentioned,
Spring Hill Fair, The Smiths, Hatful of Hollow, The Blue Nile,Rattlesnakes, Born in the USA, Brilliant Trees, Reckoning
also Billy Braggs "Brewing up with "
bought that the same day as Rattlesnakes-both gems
very good year
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Michael Bachman
Member
Username: Michael_bachman

Post Number: 638
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2007 - 05:27 pm:   

Kevin and Padraig,

Thanks for the DNOTD info.

Spence,
I just got "Saint Julian" last week, so "Fried" and "World shut yer Mouth" are next on my Cope short list. I did get "Peggy" the first year it came out and it will be on my Best of 1990 list. I never bought any of his later releases though. Do they fall short of PS?
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spence
Member
Username: Spence

Post Number: 1558
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2007 - 07:44 pm:   

Swoon is like Murmer, its that grass roots, low cost sounding beauty, that line Kev is wonderful, there's many many wonderful lines on Swoon, oh Swoon!

Michael, do you like St Julian? I thought it was a cracker. I think Cope was taking the piss with the leather n the look and THAT mic stand etc, though the C86 ers of the time like Mighty Lemon Drops et al were into leather i suppose. The songs were great, great pop tunes.
Fried and WSYM were more introspective and plain weird. I always thought Strasbourg was a great song fit to be a single.
Pegy Suicide was great. It maked St Julian's demise and the birth of the arch drude. I saw him live around this time he was fab. My wife bought all the later albums, but in a word, yes, they do fall short of PS. Way over self indulgent and plain weird. I guess like Momus, (similar characters) they were moving away from music, in its popular form and pushing the boundaries. Both set up their own record labels too. I think his intersts in Meagalithic Europe and stuff were his real interests as he got older. Having said that, he's now strutting his stuff as a HEAVY metaller, so Christ knows what's around the corner!

Sorry, gone on a bit...
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Geoff Holmes
Member
Username: Geoff

Post Number: 220
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, June 05, 2007 - 03:00 pm:   

Michael, of all of the "Post suicide" albums, "Jehovahkill" is not bad and "20 Mothers" is a GREEEAAATTTT album!!!!!...has touches of the old Cope AND the first take (piss take??? Never can tell with him!) madness like on Skellington.
Can you get St Julian again???!!!!
I'll be on the hunt, again!!
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spence
Member
Username: Spence

Post Number: 1562
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, June 05, 2007 - 03:08 pm:   

Geoff, yes your are on the money, sorry forgot 20 Mothers was good.
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Michael Bachman
Member
Username: Michael_bachman

Post Number: 641
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Tuesday, June 05, 2007 - 04:58 pm:   

Spence,
I like it a lot so far! It's right up there in quality with "My Nation Underground", but maybe not as quiet as overtly poppy as MNU but more consistent stem to stern. I can't believe I ledt off MNU in my best of 1988 list.

Geoff,
I picked up a very good used copy of "St Julian"!

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