560. Queen, The Game (1980) Producer Reinhold Mack told Queen it was time to use a musical tool they’d resisted to that point. Across seven prior studio albums, the flashy, British rock band made bigger and bigger sounds, always noting … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #560 to #557
564. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, O.M.D. (1981) Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark were very busy in 1980. Starting as a duo comprised of bassist Andy McCluskey and keyboard player Paul Humphreys, the band released their first two full-length studio … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #564 to #561
568. The Inmates, First Offence (1979) During the height of punk rock mayhem, in the latter half of the nineteen-seventies, performers took it as an imperative to adopt stage names that skewed toward the confrontationally putrid. That’s what makes it … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #568 to #565
572. Various Artists, Dance Craze (1981) Although director Joe Massot couldn’t have had particularly warm feelings about working on the Led Zeppelin concert film The Song Remains the Same, having been kicked off the project by the producers, he was … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #572 to #569
576. Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Re·ac·tor (1981) Outside circumstances mandated a new approach for Neil Young when he recorded the album Re·ac·tor. His infant son Ben, his first child with his second wife, had recently been diagnosed with severe … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #576 to #573
580. The Untouchables, Wild Child (1985) Well before the advent of Kickstarter campaigns, the Los Angeles band the Untouchables figured out a way to draw an advance from the enthusiasm from their fans. When the group was playing shows to … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #580 to #577
584. The Cure, The Walk (1983) The Cure were on the verge of collapse in 1983, and that’s naturally when they enjoyed their most commercially successful year to that point. Bassist Simon Gallup left the band in late 1982, prompting … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #584 to #581
588. Nina Hagen, Fearless (1983) Released in her homeland as Angstlos, the fourth album by German wildling Nina Hagen delivered a notable shift in sonic style. A compatriot of the Sex Pistols, Hagen had previously leaned into offbeat art rock, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #588 to #585
592. That Petrol Emotion, End of the Millennium Psychosis Blues (1988) That Petrol Emotion recorded their third album knowing that a major change was looming. At the outset of their time in the studio, guitarist and co-founder John O’Neill announced … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #592 to #589
596. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Paint Your Wagon (1986) By the time they buckled down to record their second full-length album, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry had already gone through enough upheaval to remake half their roster. Guitarists Chris Reed and … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #596 to #593
Coffee for Two 