“Is it wrong, wanting to be at home with your record collection?” ― Nick Hornby, High Fidelity
"Decades don't always begin at zero." ― Martin Fry
Why 1976-1985?
Well, why not? For years, I've visited websites devoted to 80s music, but my love of soft rock and disco music has kept me from identifying myself solely as a "Child of the Eighties." So instead of pledging allegiance to a particular decade simply because the third number of the year is the same, I've scratched out a decade I can claim as my personal favorite.
While my parents had bought me the occasional children's album when I was a wee lad in the West Texas desert, the first pop 45 single I purchased on my own was "Theme from 'S.W.A.T.'" b/w "I Wouldn't Treat A Dog (The Way You've Treated Me)" by Rhythm Heritage.
That single reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on February 28, 1976. I figured I must have purchased the single around that time, so early 1976 seems like as good a starting place as any. Adding ten years to that starting point put me around the end of 1985, which brings us to Live Aid.
Live Aid was a huge event; I remember watching some of it but mostly listening to it on the radio. All the big names were there, but looking back, I think of the Live Aid concert as a big “goodbye” to many of the New Wave acts I followed in high school and didn’t follow as much after 1985: Adam Ant, Duran Duran, Ultravox, Spandau Ballet, The Cars, to name a few. And with the big production, MTV moved from a fun DIY outfit to a corporate giant. A few of my favorite groups, The Police, Squeeze, and the English Beat didn't perform because they had split. It just seems like a natural dividing point for me. So, to make things easy for me, I'll just try to stick with the 1976-1985 dates.
I started the year 1976 aged 9 years and finished 1985 aged 19, so this decade covers my teenaged years. During that decade, I went through puberty, graduated high school, survived a family move prior to the 7th grade, endured my first heartbreak, suffered through the measles and the shingles, caught the acting bug, learned how to drive, bought cratefuls of albums and cassettes, met my future wife, had my first job, began studying for a music degree, and I listened to music. A lot of music.
Between the years 2013-2024, I tried to provide a healthy helping of rock, pop, disco, New Wave, jazz, West Coast/AOR, and maybe even a little punk and country music, too. All from the years 1976-85. It's been a pleasure. If you're new here, I hope you enjoy.
Your humble writer during his favorite decade (he's had a bad hair life):
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| 1976 with cowlick | 1985 with mullet |
Visit our sister sites:
- The CD Project
- Jazz LPs (1970's & '80s)
- Album Charts of Billboard, CashBox, Record World, etc.
- Legend of the Longbox
- YouTube Channel
- Mixcloud: Dr. Smooth
- Mixcloud: Soft Rock Kid
