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
281. The Housemartins, The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death (1987) With their bright, buoyant melodies and crisp pop sound, the Housemartins hardly sound like the sort of band that would inspire outrage. At around the time the PMRC was … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #281 to #279
284. Dire Straits, Dire Straits (1978) Dire Straits were looking only for advice when they handed their five-song demo tape to Charlie Gillett, an influential BBC radio host. The band had only recently formed, mostly as a creative outlet for … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #284 to #282
287. Gene Loves Jezebel, Discover (1986) Welsh twins Jay and Michael Aston, joint frontmen of Gene Loves Jezebel, strode into the peak music video era knowing how to command attention. Lounging scallywags with haybale hairdos, kaleidoscopically colorful outfits, and troweled-on … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #287 to #285
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
Coffee for Two 