 | Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti Squeeze A&M 5085 Produced by: Laurie Latham |
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box | RS |
| 57 | 37 | 26 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★ |
| Allmusic | ★★★ |
| Virgin | ★★★ |
| Christgau | - |
| Smash Hits | 9/10 |
| U.S. charted singles: | Rock |
| Hits of the Year | 39 |
Top 3 Tracks
"King George Street"
"Break My Heart"
"Hits of the Year"
Not as good as I had hoped, not as bad as it could have been. 3 years after splitting up, Squeeze was back and even though the break didn't do their skills any good, this album grew on me after fifty or sixty listens. Worth the effort, though, as there are some typical Difford and Tilbrook gems among these 10 tracks.
 | Songs from the Big Chair Tears for Fears Mercury 824300 Produced by: Chris Hughes |
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box | RS |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★ |
| Allmusic | ★★★★½ |
| Virgin | ★★★ |
| Christgau | B |
| Smash Hits | 8/10 |
| U.S. charted singles: | Hot 100 | Rock | AC | Dance |
| Everybody Wants to Rule the World | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Shout | 1 | 6 | 1 | |
| Head Over Heels | 3 | 7 | 5 | |
| Mothers Talk | 27 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Head Over Heels"
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
"Shout"
I had heard the group's previous album, The Hurting, but it didn't do much for me (I like it now, though). But when the happy shuffle of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" hit my radio, I made a beeline to buy this cassette. And that song wasn't even the best song on the album. Bombastic and entertaining, this thing immediately takes me back to spring of 1985, finishing up my first year of college, and heading home for that first awkward summer home with the folks.
 | Little Creatures Talking Heads Sire 25305 Produced by: Talking Heads |
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box | RS |
| 20 | 12 | 5 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★★ |
| Allmusic | ★★★★½ |
| Virgin | ★★★★ |
| Christgau | A |
| Smash Hits | 8/10 |
| U.S. charted singles: | Hot 100 | Rock | Dance |
| Road to Nowhere | 105 | 25 | |
| And She Was | 54 | 11 | 33 |
| Stay Up Late | 24 |
Top 3 Tracks
"And She Was"
"Road to Nowhere"
"Stay Up Late"
I was late to the Talking Heads party, but by the time this came out, I was a full on fan and purchased this LP without having heard a single song. Good move on my part. David Byrne didn't quite shed all his quirky, but enough to make a difference. Or maybe he simply wanted to make an accessible pop album. Too bad that didn't last longer than this album, but we were treated to some good stuff here.
 | In Square Circle Stevie Wonder Tamla 6134TL Produced by: Stevie Wonder |
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box | RS |
| 5 | 6 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★ |
| Allmusic | ★★★ |
| Virgin | - |
| Christgau | B+ |
| Smash Hits | - |
| U.S. charted singles: | Hot 100 | R&B | AC | Dance |
| Part-Time Lover | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Go Home | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Overjoyed | 24 | 8 | 1 | |
| Land of La La | 86 | 19 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Overjoyed"
"Go Home"
"Whereabouts"
Nowhere close to Stevie's best album and if I never heard Part-Time Lover again I'm okay with that, but it's a Stevie Freakin' Wonder album after all. And "Overjoyed" is so gorgeous that if it were the only good song on the album, it might still make the top ten of this list. As I've written before, this is the last good Stevie Wonder album, although I'm holding out hope he's got a huge comeback left in him. Did I mention how beautiful "Overjoyed" is?
 | Here's to Future Days Thompson Twins Arista AL8-8276 Produced by: Nile Rodgers and Tom Bailey |
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box | RS |
| 20 | 27 | 15 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★½ |
| Allmusic | ★★★★ |
| Virgin | ★★ |
| Christgau | C+ |
| Smash Hits | 5/10 |
| U.S. charted singles: | Hot 100 | Rock | AC | Dance |
| Lay Your Hands on Me | 6 | 14 | 14 | 46 |
| King for a Day | 8 | 35 | 13 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Lay Your Hands on Me"
"You Killed the Clown"
"King for a Day"
I listened to a dubbed cassette copy of this album quite often during the fall of 1985, almost nightly for months as I sat around and talked with friends in my dorm room after dinner. That sort of listening subconsciously burns songs to memory. Tom Bailey's writing was never better or more consistent; Nile Rodgers brings his usual quality work to the production. This continues to be a singalong kinda album.
These are my personal top 25 albums released in 1985. 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 past 30 years
- Overall quality of the album
References:
- Billboard magazine chart information is available from the Billboard website, the American Radio History archives, Google Books, or any of the wonderful Record Research books.
- The Cash Box chart information was taken from The Cash Box Album Charts, 1976-1985 (1987).
- The Rolling Stone chart information was compiled using Rolling Stone magazine's DVD-ROM set, Cover to Cover: The First 40 Years (2007).
- The Rolling Stone ratings were taken from either the Rolling Stone Album Guide, 3rd ed. (1993) or the Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999).
- The Virgin ratings were taken from The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (1997).
- The Robert Christgau ratings were taken from Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s (1990). They are also available at his comprehensive website.
- The Smash Hits ratings were taken from the archives at Like Punk Never Happened.
We twinned again at #8.
ReplyDeleteYou've got six of my Top 10 and two of my Top 5 so I gotta tune back in on Friday and see how it all ends.