290. Quarterflash, Quarterflash (1981) The members of the Portland band Seafood Mama spent a good portion of 1980 peddling their independently released single “Harden My Heart” as they gigged across the Pacific Northwest. The song took hold in local radio, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #290 to #288
293. Cocteau Twins, Blue Bell Knoll (1988) After Cocteau Twins were given their U.S. coming-out party with the release of the 1985 compilation The Pink Opaque, fans had to wait a long time for a proper new studio album from … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #293 to #291
296. Graham Parker and the Rumour, Squeezing Out Sparks (1979) “In the past, I occasionally found the music running away with itself, and I was fighting in the middle of it,” Graham Parker told Rolling Stone not long after the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #296 to #294
299. Iggy Pop, Instinct (1988) Iggy Pop was long a revered figure to those who rightly knew him as the Godfather of Punk. Unofficial honorifics don’t necessarily sell records, though. His underwhelming chart performance was enough of a damper on … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #299 to #297
302. Duran Duran, Duran Duran (1981) “We’re Duran Duran, and we want to be the band to dance to when the bomb drops,” Simon Le Bon declared from the stage in 1980, during the first live performance by the configuration … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #302 to #300
305. Eurythmics, 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) (1984) It was utterly logical for a major film adaptation of George Orwell’s most famous novel to appear in the year that made up the entirety of its title. By 1984, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #305 to #303
308. Utopia, Adventures in Utopia (1979) Utopia was regarded as the side project Todd Rundgren started to give him and some like-minded cohorts a chance to make highly experimental music, separate from the commercial expectations tied to Rundgren’s solo outings. … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #308 to #306
311. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984) The Red Hot Chili Peppers had a lucrative record contract in hand. What they were lacking was a full lineup. The group came into being in fairly impromptu … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #311 to #309
314. Bryan Ferry, Boys and Girls (1985) Bryan Ferry had several solo albums to his credit when he made Boys and Girls. Unlike most of those prior efforts, though, working through material under his own name didn’t seem like a … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #314 to #312
317. Violent Femmes, Hallowed Ground (1984) “We’ve been betraying people since the second album,” Gordon Gano told the Orlando Sentinel a few years after the Violent Femmes’ sophomore release. “With every album, people come up to me and say things … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #317 to #315
