176. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Goodbye Cruel World (1984) Elvis Costello was through with the Attractions. The relationship between Costello and his backing back had been souring for some time, and he reached the conclusion that continuing on was … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #176 to #174
179. Jane’s Addiction, Nothing’s Shocking (1988) The cover of Nothing’s Shocking, the second LP from Jane’s Addiction, puts irony to the album’s title, which was presumably always the intent. Polymathic creator Perry Farrell, the band’s frontman, rendered a sculpture of … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #179 to #177
182. The Three O’Clock, Arrive without Travelling (1985) After the Three O’Clock’s 1983 album, Sixteen Tambourines, grabbed the attention of student programmers, I.R.S. Records came calling. Perhaps no other label was so sharply focused on assembling a roster of acts … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #182 to #180
185. Big Country, Steeltown (1984) Big Country has the kind of debut album a rock act longs for. Boosted in part by the surging influence of the new cable network MTV, The Crossing and its single “In a Big Country” … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #185 to #183
188. The Jam, The Gift (1982) “For me, the songs on The Gift have less stops and starts,” Rick Buckler, drummer of the Jam, observed several years after the release of the band’s final album. “This is what I’m getting … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #188 to #186
191. X, See How We Are (1987) The sixth X record, See How We Are, found the Los Angeles band in transition. On their previous studio outing, Ain’t Love Grand, they undertook a shift that proved faulty. They parted ways … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #191 to #189
194. Big Audio Dynamite, This is Big Audio Dynamite (1985) “We put on a great show, unless you turn up hoping to see the old Clash,” Mick Jones explained as his band Big Audio Dynamite embarked on a tour to … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #194 to #192
197. The Bongos, Beat Hotel (1985) RCA Records thought this new band they signed held some promise of crossing over. There were already some little inklings that the Bongos had the makings of mass appeal. Two of the singles from … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #197 to #195
200. Los Lobos, By the Light of the Moon (1987) “We were trying to take it somewhere else — a step further or something, just to not repeat what we’d done,” David Hidalgo, guitarist and vocalist of Los Lobos, later … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #200 to #198
203. JoBoxers, Like Gangbusters (1983) Subway Sect was a band that spun like a revolving door. Their first single, released in 1978, featured them playing with fervor and fury. By the early nineteen-eighties, their sound shifts entirely to lounge-tinged pop … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #203 to #201
Coffee for Two 