488. The Pretenders, Extended Play (1981) The Pretenders delivered a major hit with their self-titled debut album, and the record label wanted more. An English band fronted by a tough, charismatic American, the Pretenders melded classic rock ‘n’ roll structures … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #488 to #486
491. The Suburbs, Love is the Law (1984) Serving as the trailblazers in a Minneapolis rock scene that went a long way towards defining alternative music in the pre-grunge era, the Suburbs were prepared to make a proper stab at … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #491 to #489
494. Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Rust Never Sleeps (1979) Neil Young had a record to promote when he went on the road in 1978. With backing band Crazy Horse sharing the bus, Young undertook a monthlong trek meant to … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #494 to #492
497. Rain Parade, Explosions in the Glass Palace (1984) Following their well-regarded debut album, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip, Rain Parade began to splinter. Most notably, band cofounder David Roback formally departed, evidently weary of jostling with the group’s other … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #497 to #495
500. INXS, Shabooh Shoobah (1982) The members of INXS knew they were on the verge of a breakthrough when preparing to record their third album, Shabooh Shoobah. After a couple reasonably successful album releases in their homeland of Australia, the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #500 to #498
504. Icehouse, Icehouse (1981) The band Icehouse introduced themselves to the world with the song “Icehouse” off of the album Icehouse. The heavily self-referential methodology wasn’t intention or even in place at first. Hailing from Australia, the band started in … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #504 to #501
508. Ramones, Halfway to Sanity (1987) The photo shoot that provided the cover art for Halfway to Sanity provides a pretty solid temperature check of how the Ramones were feeling about being the Ramones at the point of their tenth … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #508 to #505
512. Depeche Mode, Music for the Masses (1987) For Music for the Masses, Depeche Mode’s sixth studio album, the band was in search of a new approach in the studio. Since their first recordings for Mute Records, Depeche Mode always … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #512 to #509
516. Ian Hunter, You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic (1979) As so often happens in rock ‘n’ roll, Ian Hunter’s career trajectory was hampered by ugly business entanglements. The former Mott the Hoople frontman developed a modest but noticeable presence … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #516 to #513
520. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Dazzle Ships (1983) “It sounds strange, I know, but we had been trying to change the world,” Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s Andy McCluskey explained to The Guardian several years after his band experienced … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #520 to #517
Coffee for Two 