503. Madness - Rise and Fall

Release Date: 1982
Label: Stiff

This has been called the 80s equivalent of 'The Village Green Preservation Society', and because of that I was expecting good things. Good things is what I got, but no more really. I can't fault the album only to say it didn't blow me away.

Rating: 6/10

502. Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)

Release Date: 1982
Label: Virgin

Simple Minds are perhaps everything that is good and bad with 80s music. They're like a lesser version of U2.

Rating: 6/10

501. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Too-rye-ay

Release Date: 1982
Label: Mercury

Anybody who bought the Dexy's first album having only been familiar with 'Come on Eileen' will perhaps be reassured by the sound of fiddles on this, their second release. They will also be pleased to note the album is just as good as the band's debut.

Rating: 9/10

500. The Cure - Pornography

Release Date: 1982
Label: Fiction

In my eyes, The Cure are a good singles band. Maybe even a brilliant singles band. They are perhaps the Goth-Rock Abba. Their albums so far have beena good, but they don't seem essential.

Rating: 7/10

499. Elvis Costello - Imperail Bedroom

Release Date: 1982
Label: F-Beat

This is another album I already own.

Rating: 9/10

498. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - The Message

Release Date: 1982
Label: Sugar Hill

You'd expect this to be the first rap/hip-hop album on the list, and in a way you'd be right. In every other  way you'd be wrong too. There is a lot more 'singing' on this album that I'd have anticipated, although this doensn't make it any less interesting. Highlights are obviously the title song, 'It's Nasty' and the Stevie Wonder tribute, 'Dreamin'

Rating: 8/10

497. Prince - 1999

Release Date: 1982
Label: Warner Bros

Seventeen years ahead of its time, Prince's futuristic '1999' was the album that propelled him into international stardom. At over an hour long, its synth and drum machine arrangements were to influence generations of musicans to come.

Rating: 8/10

496. ABC - The Lexicon of Love

Release Date: 1982
Label: Neutron

1982 begins with one of the 80s greatest pop albums. Spawning two brilliant singles - 'Poison Arrow' and 'The Look of Love'

Rating: 9/10

495. Abba - The Visitors

Release Date: 1981
Label: Epic

Without a strong hit single (One of Us did get to number 3, but it isn't as good as their best songs), this was always going to struggle to convince. Benny and Bjorn do their best to entertain with what they've got and their two (now ex) wives willfully sing of love and flat-pack furniture.

Rating: 7/10

494. Rush - Moving Pictures

Release Date: 1981
Label: Anthem

I think Rush were the unfortunate recipients of my first one star review on this blog. This is at least better than '2112' - although that isn't difficult. It still has weedy vocals, but the songs are at least better.

Rating: 4/10

493. Tom Tom Club - Tom Tom Club

Release Date: 1981
Label: Island

What a fantastic record. The band start of well with their choice of name, but from the very first bars of 'Wordy Rappinghood', you know you're on to a winner.

Rating: 10/10

492. Bobby Womack - The Poet

Release Date: 1981
Label: Beverly Glen Music

This was an enjoyable album, but perhaps a little safe. The songs work your way into your system easily, and you will find yourself tapping your feet, or nodding along soon enough. If Marvin Gaye had made this album it would've been critically acclaimed and commercially successful. Instead, whilst it is good, it seems to be forgotten.

Rating: 7/10

491. Bauhaus - Mask

Release Date: 1981
Label: Beggars Banquet

Northampton's finest band without  question. A feat which is easily achieved as the only other contenders are The Departure (and they weren't very good!). 'Mask' is their second album, and is largely a welcome affair. 'Passion of Lovers' is particularly strong.

Rating: 7/10

490. The Gun Club - Fire Of Love

Release Date: 1981
Label: Ruby

At least this was better than the Cramps. It was however, not good enough to be a welcome addition to the CD shelves. Also, fancy having a song called 'For The Love of Ivy' and it not being a cover of the Mamas and Papas.

6/10

489. Human League - Dare

Release Date: 1981
Label: Virgin

By 1981, The Human League had already released two synth-pop albums without finding chart success. Following the departure of Ian Craig Marsh and Maryn Ware (to form Heaven 17), Phil Oakey went on to recruit teenage 'backing dancers' Joanne Catherell and Susan Sulley, and thus The Human League were to become succesful. Dare is their crowning achievement, although if you are only familiar with 'Don't You Want Me' you'd be wise to know it features less female vocals than you'd expect.

Rating: 9/10

488. Psychedelic Furs - Talk Talk Talk

Release Date: 1981
Label: CBS

Having listened to this on Friday and I can honestly say I was a little disappointed with the album. Yes it has the band's signature song, 'Pretty in Pink', but it wasn't enough to make an average album good.

Rating: 5/10

487. X - Wild Gift

Release Date: 1981
Label: Slash

There is nothing particularly wrong about this album, but the songs made no real impression on me.

Rating: 6/10

486. Black Flag - Damaged

Release Date: 1981
Label: SST

Another hardcore punk album which wasn't necessarily meant for me. This band are pissed off and they want you to know.

Rating: 3/10

485. Brian Eno and David Byrne - My Life In The Bush of Ghosts

Release Date: 1981
Labe: Sire

I really like what I've heard by Brian Eno and David Byrne so far in this book. I didn't this time.

Rating: 5/10

484. Orchestral Manoeuveres in the Dark - Arcitechture and Morality

Release Date: 1981
Label: Virgin

This is yet another brilliant piece of synth-pop from the early 80s. Whilst the stand out tracks are 'Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)' and 'Souvenir' (because they're the ones on the compilation I have) the rest are all good too.

Rating: 9/10

483. Soft Cell - Non-Stop Exotic Cabaret

Release Date: 1981
Label: Vertigo

Seedy and sleazy. Known mainly for their cover of 'Tainted Love' - which has now become the definitive version, Soft Cell can not have existed at any other time than the 1980s. NSEC is their debut album and worth a listen or two.

Rating: 8/10

482. Motorhead - No Sleep Til Hammersmith

Release Date: 1981
Label: Bronze

Do you think Lemmy ever got bored of playing 'Ace of Spades'? Alternatively, do you think most fans only came to hear 'Ace of Spades'? I don't know about you, but as good/bad as this album was, it was definitely poorer than the previous Motorhead album on the list.

Rating: 3/10

481. The Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat

Release Date: 1981
Label: IRS

Belinda Carlisle is one of my favourite pop singers from the 1980s. At least I think 'Heaven...' , 'Cirle in the Sand' and 'Leave a Light On' are great songs. Therefore, I enjoyed this album. It clearly influenced a lot of the 80s pop that came after (e.g. Bananarama) and that's no bad thing. Having said that, they are just throwaway songs - no more, no less.

Rating: 7/10

480. Heaven 17 - Penthouse and Pavement

Release Date: 1981
Label: Virgin

Heaven 17 were formed when the two synthasizists left the Human League to Phil Oakley and an ex-waitress to start their own band. With song titles like 'We Don't Need This Facist Groove Thang' it's impossible not to enjoy this album.

Rating: 8/10

479. Siouxsie and the Banshees- Juju

Release Date: 1981
Label: Polydor

the Banshees fourth, and their second in the list. Juju is better than their debut - and that's really good too -. Siouxsie's vocals and the McGeogh's guitar playing were singled out for praise in contemporary reviews.

Rating: 9/10

478. Einstürzende Neubauten - Kollaps

Release Date: 1981
Label: ZicZack

I don't have this one though, and neither does Spotify.

477. The Pretenders - The Pretenders

Release Date: 1980
Label: Sire

I have this one.

Rating: 8/10

476. Steve Winwood - Arc of a Diver

Release Date: 1980
Label: Island

Former member of the Spencer Tracy Group and Google favourites, Traffic, Steve Winwood returns to provide his best Phil Collins impression. Or rather, it seems Phil Collins solo career was probably inspired by this album.

Rating: 4/10

475. Specials - More Specials

Release Date: 1980
Label: Two Tone

Coming a mere few days after the first Specials record (in terms of this blog at least), 'More Specials' is the bands second album and - even if it isn't immediately apparent- it's still a great collection of songs.

Rating: 8/10

474. Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro

Release Date: 1980
Label: Fontana

Bless my cotton socks, I have this already.

Rating: 9/10

473. UB40 - Signing Off

Release Date: 1980
Label: Graduate

I will confess to liking UB40s versions of 'Red Red Wine', 'Kingston Town' and 'I Can't Help Falling In Love'. Even 'Baby Come Back' is quite good. So, I thought I'd enjoy this album more than a cool person should, but it was underwhelming. There wasn't a song that stood out, and it seems to be a wasted opportunity.

Rating: 4/10

472. Tom Waits - Heartattack and Vine

Release Date: 1980
Label: Asylum

I wish I liked Tom Waits more than I do. But his voice is all wrong. Don't get me wrong, there are times I can tolerate unorthodox vocals - but not this time.

Rating: 6/10

471. The Jam - Sound Affects

Release Date: 1980
Label: Polydor

The Jam are brilliant.

Rating: 10/10

470. The Undertones - Hypnotised

Release Date: 1980
Label: Sire

Even though this album doesn't have a hit as big as 'Teenage Kicks', it is still a very very good album by Derry's finest. The Undertones are clearly masters of the three minute punk/pop song.

Rating: 9/10

469. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

Release Date: 1980
Label: EMI

I'm sure they didn't mean to offend me, but I have never liked Iron Maiden ever since I worked in HMV. All of their albums look the same. This album hasn't helped ease the displeasure either.

Rating: 5/10

468. Joy Division - Closer

Release Date: 1980
Label: Factory

I already own this one too.

Rating: 9/10

467. Talking Heads - Remain in Light

Release Date: 1980
Label: Sire

I bought this album last year on a whim. I can't say I've heard enough to give an accurate score, but that's not going to stop me

Rating: 9/10

466. Circle Jerks - Group Sex

Release Date: 1980
Label: Frontier

There are fourteen songs on this album. The album lasts for fifteen minutes. This review is equally as short. It is music designed to offend.

Rating: 3/10

465. Judas Priest - British Steel

Release Date: 1980
Label: CBS

It is clear from a lot of these albums, and there are more to come, that we have entered the NWOBHM. Judas Priest are named after the Bob Dylan song on 'John Wesley Harding' and so they get points for that. They also get points for being listenable. Unfortunately that's all I'm giving them as the album isn't very good.

Rating: 6/10

464. Killing Joke - Killing Joke

Release Date: 1980
Label: EG

This is an album that is hyped by a plethora of future residents of this blog - Nirvana, the Foo Fighters, Mariyln Manson, Soundgarten etc. It is however, not up my street. In fact, I'm not even sure if it's in the same town as me.

Rating: 4/10

463. Motorhead - Ace of Spades

Release Date: 1980
Label: Bronze

If you love Ace of Spades (and by which I mean, if it's one of your favourite songs ever) then you will probably like this album too. The remaining eleven songs are variations on the same theme. They should have titles like 'Joker', 'Snap', 'Shuffle the Deck', '52 Card Pick Up' and 'Is That Your Card?'

Rating: 6/10

462. Echo and the Bunnymen - Crocodiles

Release Date: 1980
Label: Korova

Echo and the Bunnymen were arguably the first important band to come out of Liverpool after the Beatles disbanded in 1970.  This is arguably as dark as the Cure's album, but it is more accesible and melodic.

Rating: 9/10

461. The Cure - Seventeen Seconds

Release Date: 1980
Label: Fiction

Seventeen Seconds is the second album from The Cure, but the first one deemed important enough to include in this book. It has no obvious hits apart from 'A Forest' but it is still a relatively good album. Would I buy it? Probably not. It's good, but I'm fairly sure they can do a lot better.

Rating: 7/10

460. The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight

Release Date: 1980
Label: Armageddon

As nice as this was, you did just feel like they weren't doing anything that I haven't heard before. By the way I feel as though I should apologise for how short some of these reviews have become. I don't know who I'm apologising to because I know I'm the only person who reads this.

Rating: 7/10

459. Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt)

Release Date: 1980
Label: Charisma

At first I wasn't too impressed with this album, but the more I listened to it - the better it became until it finished with a gorgeous seven minute tribute called 'Biko'. It is better than his debut and as such, I think I want it.

Rating: 9/10

458. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

Release Date: 1980
Label: Cherry Red

It appears as though the Americans are running three years behind their friends on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. We have another punk album from the Dead Kennedys. The album has since been hailed as a big influence on what was to become, but to me it was a bit of a disappointment. The only song I really liked was 'Holidays in Cambodia'.

Rating: 5/10

457. The Cramps - Songs The Lord Taught Us

Release Date: 1980
Label: IRS

The Lord should've taught them different songs.

Rating: 3/10

456. AC/DC - Back in Black

Release Date: 1980
Label: ATCO

Again, this is an album I already own....

Rating: 7/10

455. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Searching For The Young Soul Rebels

Release Date: 1980
Label: Parlophone

This is an album I already own. Surprisingly it is the first Parlophone album on the list since The Beatles' Abbey Road from 1969. Clearly the 70s weren't a good year for EMI's most famous label. By the way, you wont find anything like 'Come on Eileen' on this.

Rating: 9/10

454. Adam and the Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier

Release Date: 1980
Label: CBS

We start the new decade with a bang! This is a great album, better than I perhaps expected it to be. Highlights included the first two tracks and the title track.

Rating: 7/10