251. The Fixx, Phantoms (1984) “Looking back, I think Phantoms was a dark, reflective album for us,” Cy Currin, lead singer of the Fixx, said of the group’s third studio album. The British band was buoyed by success when they … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #251 to #249

254. Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars (1988) Word traveled to the major labels that there was a local band in Dallas that was playing to sellout crowds. Reps swarmed to the Deep Ellum neighborhood to … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #254 to #252

257. Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes (1983) The beloved legend isn’t quite true. The story goes that Violent Femmes were propelled to a record deal and national cult hero status when a lucky break came their way while they were busking … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #257 to #255

260. David Bowie, Scary Monsters (1980) As the nineteen-eighties dawned, David Bowie was arguably the quintessential rock ‘n’ roll artiste. Bowie was coming off a trio of studio albums — Low, “Heroes,” and Lodger, which he had taken to referring … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #260 to #258

263. Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, Easy Pieces (1985) “I could think the sound of this LP is considerably different to the first one,” Lloyd Cole said not along after the release of Easy Pieces, his sophomore outing with backing … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #263 to #261

266. The Rolling Stones, Undercover (1983) Mick Jagger and Keith Richards weren’t getting along. There are plenty of eras from the long history of the Rolling Stones when that statement was true. In the making of Undercover, Richards later pegged … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #266 to #264

269. The Greg Kihn Band, Rockihnroll (1981) Years after the release of Rockihnroll, the man who wedged his last name into the middle of its punny title reflected on the album with about the level of nuance and insight that … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #269 to #267

272. Thomas Dolby, The Flat Earth (1984) When he made his first recordings, Thomas Dolby took great pride in his fairly isolated tinkering with computer equipment to click towards his finished product. In interviewers, he referred to himself as an … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #272 to #270

275. The Del Fuegos, Boston, Mass. (1985) Circa 1985, it wasn’t considered cool — or all that acceptable, really — for a band to peddle their music for use in a commercial. Given that stigma, the Del Fuegos were beset … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #275 to 273

278. David Bowie, Tonight (1984) There’s no question that David Bowie was a certified rock legend as the calendar edged forward in the early nineteen-eighties. That didn’t mean he couldn’t hit new heights. His 1983 studio album, Let’s Dance, was … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #278 to 276