Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #88
Albums: Adam & The Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier (Epic, 1980), The Scooters - Blue Eyes (EMI, 1981), Elvis Costello - Trust (Columbia, 1981)
Episode: Season 3, Episode 19, "A Simple Little Wedding"
Original air date: Sunday, March 21, 1981
Click here for more WKRP posters!
Labels:
1980
,
1981
,
Adam Ant
,
Elvis Costello
,
The Scooters
,
WKRP
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Editions of Musician Magazine (1976-1985)
1976 |
Issue | Date | Cover |
Oct |
(Music America) School Jazz
|
|
Nov |
(Music America) Career Education Center
|
|
Dec |
(Music America) Synthesizers in the Budget
|
1977 |
Issue | Date | Cover |
Jan |
(Music America) Saxophonist
|
|
Feb-Mar |
(Music America) Art Blakey
|
|
Apr |
(Music America) Louis Bellson
|
|
May-June |
(Contemporary Music America) Maynard Ferguson
|
|
Sept 15 - Oct 30 |
Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter
|
|
Nov-Dec 15 |
Festivals
|
1978 |
Issue | Date | Cover |
Dec 15-Jan |
Charles Mingus
|
|
Feb 15-Mar |
Weather Report
|
|
May - Jun 15 |
Ornette Coleman
|
|
July-Aug 15 |
McCoy Tyner
|
|
Oct |
George Benson
|
|
Dec |
Chick Corea
|
1979 |
Issue | Date | Cover |
Feb |
Keith Jarrett
|
|
Apr |
Art and Funk
|
|
June |
Pat Metheny
|
|
Aug |
Frank Zappa
|
|
Sept-Oct |
Steely Dan
|
|
Nov |
Brian Eno
|
1980 |
Issue | Date | Cover |
Jan |
Stevie Wonder
|
|
Mar |
The 80's...What's Ahead
|
|
Apr-May |
Bob Marley
|
|
Jun-July |
Bob Seger
|
|
Aug |
Paul McCartney
|
|
Oct |
Jimi Hendrix
|
|
Nov |
Dire Straits
|
|
Dec |
Michael McDonald/Capt. Beefheart
|
1981 |
Issue | Date | Cover |
Feb | Bruce Springsteen
|
|
Mar |
Steely Dan
|
|
Apr-May |
David Byrne
|
|
June |
The Clash
|
|
July |
Tom Petty
|
|
Aug |
Jim Morrison/The Doors
|
|
Oct |
Grateful Dead
|
|
Nov |
Reggae/Black Uhuru
|
|
Dec |
The Police
|
1982 |
Issue | Date | Cover |
Jan |
The Cars
|
|
Feb |
Ringo Starr
|
|
Mar |
Miles Davis
|
|
Apr |
Hall & Oates
|
|
May |
Eric Clapton
|
|
June |
Nick Lowe/Graham Parker
|
|
July |
Willie Nelson
|
|
Aug |
Pete Townshend
|
|
Sept |
Eddie Van Halen
|
|
Oct |
Steve Winwood
|
|
Nov |
Neil Young
|
|
Dec |
Billy Joel
|
1983 |
Issue | Date | Cover |
Jan |
Joni Mitchell
|
|
Feb |
Joe Jackson
|
|
Mar |
Tom Petty
|
|
Apr |
Bob Seger
|
|
May |
David Bowie
|
|
June |
Andy Summers/The Police
|
|
July |
Bob Marley
|
|
Aug |
The Kinks
|
|
Sept |
Prince
|
|
Oct |
Elvis Costello
|
|
Nov |
Jackson Browne
|
|
Dec |
Keith Richards/Mick Jagger
|
1984 |
Issue | Date | Cover |
Jan |
Midnight Oil
|
|
Feb |
Stevie Wonder
|
|
Mar |
Chrissie Hynde
|
|
Apr |
Laurie Anderson
|
|
May |
Thomas Dolby
|
|
June |
Van Halen
|
|
July |
Michael Jackson
|
|
Aug |
Peter Wolf
|
|
Sept |
Judas Priest
|
|
Oct |
Prince
|
|
Nov |
Bruce Springsteen
|
|
Dec |
David Bowie
|
1985 |
Issue | Date | Cover |
Jan |
U2
|
|
Feb |
Paul McCartney/Rickie Lee Jones
|
|
Mar |
John Fogerty
|
|
Apr |
Mick Jagger
|
|
May |
Jeff Beck
|
|
June |
Phil Collins
|
|
July |
Sting
|
|
Aug |
Brian Wilson
|
|
Sept |
Dire Straits
|
|
Oct |
John Mellencamp
|
|
Nov |
Talking Heads
|
|
Dec |
Joni Mitchell
|
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Best Debut Albums of All Time" (2022 edition)
Back in 2013, Rolling Stone magazine released their picks for the 100 best debut albums (I posted about that list on October 28, 2013). I just noticed that they updated the list in 2022, so let's take a look at the new list as it concerns albums released 1976-85. It is quite a bit different and it should be - different people with different perspectives in a different place in time. 5 albums were dropped from the list; 4 albums were added to the list; 17 albums dropped in ranking; 10 albums moved up. The biggest movers were Violent Femmes (dropping 66 places from 22 to 88) and Madonna (moving up an incredible 80 spots for 96 to 16), while Steel Pulse is introduced to the list at 17.
2022 | 2013 | Artist | Title | Year |
- | 98 | Joe Jackson | Look Sharp! | 1979 |
- | 68 | Talking Heads | Talking Heads: 77 | 1977 |
- | 52 | U2 | Boy | 1980 |
- | 41 | Boston | Boston | 1976 |
- | 38 | The Police | Outlandos d'Amour | 1978 |
2022 | 2013 | Artist | Title | Year |
66 | - | Sade | Diamond Life | 1984 |
58 | - | The Slits | Cut | 1979 |
36 | - | X-Ray Spex | Germfree Adolescents | 1978 |
17 | - | Steel Pulse | Handsworth Revolution | 1978 |
2022 | 2013 | Artist | Title | Year | |
98 | 76 | -22 | Devo | Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! | 1978 |
92 | 89 | -3 | Yaz | Upstairs at Eric's | 1982 |
89 | 84 | -5 | Whitney Houston | Whitney Houston | 1985 |
88 | 22 | -66 | Violent Femmes | Violent Femmes | 1983 |
87 | 63 | -24 | Cyndi Lauper | She's So Unusual | 1983 |
83 | 54 | -29 | Metallica | Kill 'Em All | 1983 |
79 | 51 | -28 | The Smiths | The Smiths | 1984 |
75 | 50 | -25 | X | Los Angeles | 1980 |
74 | 48 | -26 | Modern Lovers | Modern Lovers | 1976 |
70 | 45 | -25 | The Jesus & Mary Chain | Psychocandy | 1985 |
64 | 21 | -43 | Elvis Costello | My Aim is True | 1977 |
40 | 27 | -13 | Van Halen | Van Halen | 1978 |
43 | 28 | -15 | The B-52's | The B-52's | 1979 |
37 | 26 | -11 | Run-D.M.C. | Run-D.M.C. | 1984 |
30 | 16 | -14 | The Cars | The Cars | 1978 |
24 | 13 | -11 | Pretenders | Pretenders | 1980 |
23 | 7 | -16 | The Sex Pistols | Never Mind the Bollocks | 1977 |
2022 | 2013 | Artist | Title | Year | |
62 | 69 | +7 | Wire | Wire | 1977 |
60 | 75 | +15 | The Go-Go's | Beauty and the Beat | 1981 |
52 | 64 | +12 | The English Beat | I Just Can't Stop It | 1980 |
49 | 81 | +32 | Gang of Four | Entertainment! | 1979 |
38 | 40 | +2 | Television | Marquee Moon | 1977 |
19 | 20 | +1 | Joy Division | Unknown Pleasures | 1979 |
16 | 96 | +80 | Madonna | Madonna | 1983 |
11 | 18 | +7 | R.E.M. | Murmur | 1983 |
9 | 12 | +3 | The Clash | The Clash | 1979 |
1 | 2 | +1 | The Ramones | The Ramones | 1976 |
Labels:
album
,
list
,
magazine
,
Rolling Stone
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Top 50 Jazz Albums of 1984
According to the December 22, 1984 edition of Billboard magazine. Chart peaks are from that publication's jazz, pop, and R&B album charts, respectively. If the album was released in a year prior to 1984, that information is noted following the album title.
Album | Artist | Jazz | Pop | R&B | |
1 | Backstreet ('83) | David Sanborn | 1 | 81 | 21 |
2 | Think of One ('83) | Wynton Marsalis | 1 | 102 | |
3 | Future Shock ('83) | Herbie Hancock | 2 | 43 | 10 |
4 | December ('82) | George Winston | 2 | 54 | |
5 | Autumn ('80) | George Winston | 7 | 139 | |
6 | Wishful Thinking | Earl Klugh | 1 | 69 | 18 |
7 | What's New ('83) | Linda Ronstadt | 5 | 3 | |
8 | Passionfruit ('83) | Michael Franks | 4 | 141 | |
9 | In Your Eyes ('83) | George Benson | 1 | 27 | 6 |
10 | Jarreau ('83) | Al Jarreau | 1 | 13 | 4 |
11 | Access All Areas | Spyro Gyra | 1 | 59 | 41 |
12 | Imagine This ('83) | Pieces of a Dream | 4 | 90 | 16 |
13 | Winter Into Spring ('82) | George Winston | 14 | 127 | |
14 | Ghetto Blaster | The Crusaders | 3 | 79 | 20 |
15 | Individual Choice ('83) | Jean-Luc Ponty | 2 | 134 | |
16 | G Force ('83) | Kenny G | 6 | 62 | 17 |
17 | Decoy | Miles Davis | 1 | 169 | |
18 | Rejoicing | Pat Metheny | 4 | 116 | |
19 | Foxie ('83) | Bob James | 3 | 106 | 45 |
20 | Shadowdance ('83) | Shadowfax | 13 | 145 | |
21 | Travels ('83) | Pat Metheny Group | 3 | 62 | |
22 | In the Heat of the Night | Jeff Lorber | 7 | 106 | 44 |
23 | City Kids ('83) | Spyro Gyra | 2 | 66 | |
24 | Night Lines | Dave Grusin | 4 | ||
25 | Domino Theory | Weather Report | 5 | 136 |
Album | Artist | Jazz | Pop | R&B | |
26 | Bodies and Souls ('83) | The Manhattan Transfer | 10 | 52 | 38 |
27 | Modern Times | Steps Ahead | 11 | ||
28 | Scenario ('83) | Al Di Meola | 8 | 128 | |
29 | Time Exposure | Stanley Clarke | 10 | 149 | 52 |
30 | Low Ride ('83) | Earl Klugh | 2 | 38 | 27 |
31 | Now | Patrice Rushen | 7 | 40 | 4 |
32 | Steppin' Out | George Howard | 9 | 178 | 39 |
33 | Caverna Magica ('82) | Andreas Vollenwieder | 8 | 149 | |
34 | On the Line ('83) | Lee Ritenour | 12 | ||
35 | Love Explosion | Tania Maria | 13 | ||
36 | Target ('83) | Tom Scott | 9 | ||
37 | An Evening with Windham Hill Live ('83) | Various Artists | 18 | ||
38 | Scenes in the City | Branford Marsalis | 11 | 164 | |
39 | Banded Together | Lee Ritenour | 6 | 145 | |
40 | Third Generation ('83) | Hiroshima | 10 | 142 | 50 |
41 | Offramp ('82) | Pat Metheny Group | 1 | 50 | 43 |
42 | Rendezvous | Sadao Watanabe | 2 | 37 | |
43 | Marathon | Rodney Franklin | 15 | 187 | 54 |
44 | Breakin' Away ('81) | Al Jarreau | 1 | 9 | 1 |
45 | Past Light ('83) | Will Ackerman | 20 | ||
46 | Jammin' in Manhattan | Tyzik | 15 | 172 | 35 |
47 | The Two of Us | Ramsey Lewis & Nancy Wilson | 6 | 144 | 42 |
48 | Fill Up the Night ('83) | Sadao Watanabe | 19 | ||
49 | Sound System | Herbie Hancock | 7 | 71 | 34 |
50 | Come With Me ('83) | Tania Maria | 28 |
Speaking of jazz albums from 1984, why don't you give Dr. Smooth's flashback a listen:
Labels:
1984
,
Billboard
,
jazz charts
Friday, February 23, 2024
Counting down the Top 50 of '84 - Albums #5 - 1
(or, more accurately, my favorite albums released in 1984)
Difford & Tilbrook
Difford & Tilbrook
Difford & Tilbrook
Produced by: | Tony Visconti, E.T. Thorngren, Chris Difford, & Glenn Tilbrook |
Billboard 200: | 55 |
CashBox 200: | 25 |
Rolling Stone 100: | 33 |
- Billboard: "sleeker, more expansive pop feel"
- Rolling Stone (★★★): "chock full of Tilbrook's typically jaunty pop tunes"
- Smash Hits (6 out of 10): "plenty of rewards."
- Record Mirror (++): "a disappointment"
Top 3 Tracks
"Love's Crashing Waves"
"Action Speaks Faster"
"Man for All Seasons"
The songwriting duo from Squeeze put out this album after the group split up (temporarily) in the early '80s. Compared to the duo's usual fantastic writing, the songwriting on this release isn't that great, but even the best material couldn't hold up to the slick, flat production given here. However, this came out in the summer of 1984 and I listened to it non-stop, so I'm very familiar with all the tunes and arrangements. Difford & Tilbrook should have been more well known in the US, but this wasn't the release that would gain them that fame and recognition.
Big Bam Boom
Daryl Hall & John Oates
Daryl Hall & John Oates
Produced by: | Daryl Hall, John Oates & Bob Clearmountain |
Billboard 200: | 5 |
CashBox 200: | 7 |
Rolling Stone 100: | 5 |
- Billboard: "The hit machine rolls on"
- CashBox: "substantial pop that is constantly anchored by a big funk sound."
- Rolling Stone (★★★★): "the most solid Hall and Oates album in years"
- Stereo Review: "a stiff, slightly awkward record - not a must."
- Robert Christgau: B
U.S. Billboard charted single: | Hot 100 | R&B | Dance | AC | Rock |
Out Of Touch | 1 | 24 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
Method of Modern Love | 5 | 21 | 15 | 18 | 5 |
Some Things are Better Left Unsaid | 18 | 85 | 17 | 16 | |
Possession Obsession | 30 | 69 | 20 | 8 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Some Things are Better Left Unsaid"
"Method of Modern Love"
"Out of Touch"
"Some Things are Better Left Unsaid"
"Method of Modern Love"
"Out of Touch"
This album was a marked departure for the group as they updated their "blue-eyed soul" sound to match the times. Lots of synths, sequencing, echo, and dance beats in a louder and noisier setting than we were used to with these guys. Now it sounds like every other dance/hip-hop album from the late '80s, so I guess these guys were actually ahead of their time in terms of sonic originality.
Learning to Crawl
The Pretenders
Produced by: | Chris Thomas |
Billboard 200: | 5 |
CashBox 200: | 4 |
Rolling Stone 100: | 1 |
- Rolling Stone: ★★★★
- Trouser Press: "100 percent Hynde. And it's fine."
- CashBox: "one of early 84's success stories"
- Billboard: "strong songs, crack performances"
- Smash Hits (5 out of 10): "a patchy comeback LP"
- Robert Christgau (A-): 'I'm not the kind I used to be/I've got a kid, I'm thirty-three' is certainly a quotable quote, and whether rock-and-rolling her baby or growling at fat cats Chrissie Hynde backs it up."
- High Fidelity: "contains some of the Pretenders' finest music to date"
- Stereo Review: Best of the Month
U.S. Billboard charted singles: | Hot 100 | Rock |
Back on the Chain Gang | 5 | 4 |
My City was Gone | 11 | |
Middle of the Road | 19 | 2 |
Time the Avenger | 6 | |
Show Me | 28 | 8 |
Thumbelina | 57 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Middle of the Road"
"Time the Avenger"
"My City was Gone"
This is The Pretenders' greatest album and a more complete album than any they previously released, including their spectacular debut (yeah, I said it). Plus, this music has aged well. The song My City was Gone is especially poignant to me now because it makes me think of the town I grew up in which has undergone significant changes and decay over the years.
Like a Virgin
Madonna
Madonna
Produced by: | Nile Rodgers, Steve Bray, & Madonna |
Billboard 200: | 1 |
CashBox 200: | 1 |
Rolling Stone 100: | 1 |
- CashBox: "a healthy dose of disco-rock"
- Billboard: "This second album brings considerable muscle"
- High Fidelity: "Madonna pulls off the neat trick of outstripping her own fast start."
- Rolling Stone (★★★½): "Rodgers wisely supplies the kind of muscle Madonna's sassy lyrics demand."
- Smash Hits (8 out of 10): "a good all-American dance album"
- Stereo Review: "sounds thin to me - not terrible, but predictably commercial"
- Robert Christgau: B
U.S. Billboard charted single: | Hot 100 | Dance | AC |
Like a Virgin | 1 | 1 | 29 |
Material Girl | 2 | 1 | 38 |
Angel | 5 | 1 | 5 |
Dress You Up | 5 | 3 | 32 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Material Girl"
"Like a Virgin"
"Dress You Up"
"Material Girl"
"Like a Virgin"
"Dress You Up"
No sophomore slump here. Madonna brought in Nile Rodgers to produce, found a great bunch of dance tunes, put a sexy "Boy Toy" picture on the cover, and gave the whole package an ambiguous, suggestive, slightly controversial (at the time) title. With this album, Madonna moved from pop singer to pop icon. Madonna doesn't have a great voice, but she knows how to put together a package (e.g., the backing band for much of the album is freakin' Chic for chrissakes) and, with a few missteps, this album transcended the existing concepts of dance-pop and set the stage for dance music in the late '80s.
Stop Making Sense
Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Produced by: | Talking Heads & Gary Goetzman |
Billboard 200: | 41 |
CashBox 200: | 29 |
Rolling Stone 100: | 16 |
- Rolling Stone (★★★★): "a solid artistic statement from a band that's starting to have as much as they've given their listeners."
- Stereo Review: "a great live performance"
- Robert Christgau (B+): "a soundtrack, albeit for the finest concert film I've ever seen"
- CashBox: "an electrifying LP"
- Billboard: "sustains remarkable polish"
Top 3 Tracks
"Found a Job"
"Once in a Lifetime"
"This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"
Simply put, this album represents the best concert movie ever filmed.
These are my personal top 10 albums released in 1984. The following criteria was used on a very slippery sliding scale:
- How often I enjoyed the album at the time of release
- How often I've enjoyed the album over the years since release
- My opinion of the overall quality of the album
The top tracks for each album are solely my opinion.
Other album charts from MFD (formats vary):
- 1976 (17 albums, 3 posts) Top album: Songs in the Key of Life
- 1977 (10 albums, 1 post) Top album: Saturday Night Fever
- 1978 (19 albums, 1 post) Top album: 52nd Street
- 1979 (50 albums, 6 posts) Top album: I Am
- 1980 (10 albums, 2 posts) Top album: Glass Houses
- 1982 (82 albums, 10 posts) Top album: Rio
- 1983 (83 albums, 4 posts) Top album: North of a Miracle
- 1985 (25 albums, 5 posts) Top album: Cupid & Psyche 85
Labels:
1984
,
albumslist
,
Hall and Oates
,
Madonna
,
Pretenders
,
Talking Heads
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