98. The J. Geils Band, Love Stinks (1980) The career boost sought by the J. Geils Band had worked, more or less. After several years on Atlantic Records, they jumped to EMI based on the promise that they’d get more … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #98 to #96
101. Foreigner, 4 (1981) For anyone who want to understand — really, really know — what album-rock radio sounded like in the nineteen-eighties, particularly the first half before hair metal came prancing in to knock the system askew, Foreigner’s 4 … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #101 to #99
104. Bangles, Different Light (1986) There was no official lead singer in the Bangles. On Different Light, the band’s second full-length studio album, every last member of the quartet — guitarist Susanna Hoffs, drumer Debbi Peterson, guitarist Vicki Peterson, and … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #104 to #102
107. Big Audio Dynamite, Tighten Up Vol. 88 (1988) Mick Jones believed Tighten Up Vol. 88 was an album made to vault Big Audio Dynamite to next level of commercial popularity. The band’s first two albums, This Is Big Audio … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #107 to #105
110. The Alarm, Declaration (1984) “Everything has happened so quickly, and we have hardly had time to think about it,” said Eddie Macdonald, bassist and guitarist for the Alarm, a few weeks before the band’s debut full-length was released. “But … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #110 to #108
113. Siouxsie & the Banshees, Tinderbox (1986) Siouxsie & the Banshees had grand ambitions with their seventh studio album, Tinderbox. The group’s first LP following Robert Smith’s departure to concentrate on the Cure full time, Tinderbox was originally conceived to … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #113 to #111
116. The Replacements, Let It Be (1984) The story of Let It Be, the third studio album from Minneapolis band the Replacements, really begins with a song off of its immediate predecessor, the 1983 effort Hootenanny. Although the Replacements largely … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #116 to #114
119. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Get Happy!! (1980) The back cover of Get Happy!!, the fourth studio album by Elvis Costello and the Attractions, features a fine-print note from producer Nick Lowe: “Hi! You’ll have noticed that there are … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #119 to #117
122. Sting, The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985) “There’s no way I was going to allow just free jazz,” Sting said of his debut solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles. “There’s a discipline to pop music that … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #122 to #120
125. Pretenders, Pretenders II (1981) No one expected the Pretenders self-titled debut album to be a hit, or at least not a hit at the level it reached. The Pretenders only produced one Top 40 single in the U.S., the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #125 to #123
Coffee for Two 