844. Adrian Belew, Lone Rhino (1982) When Adrian Belew released his solo debut, Lone Rhino, he already had a resume heavy with time served alongside iconoclastic geniuses. In the prior decade, he’d been a showcase guitarist alongside Frank Zappa, David … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #844 to #841
848. The Fall, This Nation’s Saving Grace (1985) Although the classic college rock era covered by this particular Countdown partially tracks the journey from outsider obscurity to a wary mainstream for several artists — and, to a degree, the whole … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #848 to #845
852. Oingo Boingo, Boi-ngo (1987) Surely, MCA Records expected Oingo Boingo was poised for a major commercial breakthrough when the band delivered Boi-ngo, their sixth album overall and second for the label. Thanks in part to frontman Danny Elfman’s increasing … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #852 to #849
856. David Bowie, Lodger (1979) In the relentless fertile field of David Bowie studies, it’s probably accurate to say that Lodger represents the closing of an age. The cycle of constant reinvention of Bowie’s nineteen-seventies output — the decade’s equivalent … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #856 to #853
860. Faith No More, Introduce Yourself (1987) Faith No More formed in San Francisco in the mid-nineteen-eighties, essentially as an offshoot of another group called Faith No Man. Three of the band members jumped ship and gave their new outfit … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #860 to #857
864. Visage, Visage (1980) The new wave band Visage had their origins in the simple, noble act of trying to bring David Bowie music to the people. Steve Strange and Rusty Egan (the lead singer and drummer, respectively) successively set … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #864 to #861
868. Laurie Anderson, United States Live (1984) ”Since I tour a lot, especially in Europe, ‘I’ve frequently found myself sitting across the dinner table from people who ask me, ‘How can you live in a country like that?,’” Laurie Anderson … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #868 to #865
872. Sting, …Nothing Like the Sun (1987) These days, I’m as prone as anyone to treat the performer born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner as a punchline of uncoolness, sitting swaddled in a couture turtleneck on some sprawling, misty English estate. … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #872 to #869
876. Screaming Trees, Invisible Lantern (1988) “When we did Invisible Lantern, we were probably ready to call it quits,” Van Conner, bassist of Screaming Trees, once acknowledged. “We all had crap jobs, and had no future. You weren’t making any … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #876 to #873
880. Billy Idol, Don’t Stop (1981) The bloke born William Michael Albert Broad was exceedingly comfortable returning to promising material until it finally turned into a hit. Taking the stage name Billy Idol because his school teachers routinely derided his … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #880 to #877
Coffee for Two 