3. The Clash, Sandinista! Trouser Press wrote: “Overblown, overambitious and only this bunch could pull it off. Still the only band that matters?” How in the hell does a band follow-up a double-album that immediately got tagged with wholly justifiable … Continue reading College Countdown: The Trouser Press Top 10 Albums of 1981, 3 (tie)
3. The Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat Trouser Press wrote: “Refreshing dose of pop insouciance. Also the new wave chart invaders of the year.” The previous subject of the College Countdown feature, 90FM’s Top 90 Albums of 1989, was presented on air on New Year’s Eve, with the process of getting to the top of the list intended to occupy the entire programming day. The way the countdown was structured, however, required a little something more to help fill out the time. Luckily, CMJ, the trade publication that served college radio, was celebrating its tenth anniversary and had sent … Continue reading College Countdown: The Trouser Press Top 10 Albums of 1981, 3 (tie)
5. Squeeze, East Side Story Trouser Press wrote: “Craftsmanship needn’t be dull. Someday their songs will get the recognition they deserve; don’t wait.” Well, Trouser Press was sure correct about that “someday” part of the review. Though the album was … Continue reading College Countdown: The Trouser Press Top Ten Albums of 1981, 5
6. Holly and the Italians, The Right to Be Italian Trouser Press wrote: “More polished than the Go-Go’s, but just as breezy and tuneful. (Subscribers: Play flexi-disc for details.)” The album The Right to Be Italian opens with lead singer … Continue reading College Countdown: The Trouser Press, Top Ten Albums of 1981, 6
7. The Pretenders, II Trouser Press wrote: “Derivative? Sure! But Chrissie Hynde can still charm your pants off (sic) when she wants.” Let me start by noting that I don’t get that review. It’s not that I substantively disagree with … Continue reading College Countdown: The Trouser Press Top 10 Albums of 1981, 7
8. The dB’s, Stands for Decibels Trouser Press wrote: “Thanks to an amazing timewarp, this band is with us right now–and almost singlehandedly saving power pop’s reputation.” Some records announce that they’re special from the very first notes. Stands for … Continue reading College Countdown: The Trouser Press Top 10 Albums of 1981, 8 (tie)
8. The Undertones, Positive Touch Trouser Press wrote: “Derry’s finest grow up without growing old. Refined yet rocking, and true to its title.” Naturally, Trouser Press isn’t going to provide a nice, clean exercise in backwards counting. Idiosyncrasy must run … Continue reading College Countdown: The Trouser Press Top 10 Albums of 1981, 8 (tie)
10. The Dictators, Fuck ‘Em if They Can’t Take a Joke Trouser Press wrote: “Our first cassette-only selection. Rock will never die as long as bands like this are around to give it a swift kick in the pants.” Thirty … Continue reading College Countdown: The Trouser Press Top 10 Albums of 1981, 10
When I was a student treating the college radio station as a second home, one of the music magazines that loomed the largest for me was Trouser Press. And yet, to the best of my recollection, I’d never seen an issue of the publication. After all, it had ceded publication five years before I ever crossed the threshold of the station. Trouser Press co-founder and co-editor Ira Robbins presided over a fat paperback slab of incredibly thorough artist biographies and album-by-album reviews of their respective discographies (it’s the fourth edition of the book that sits proudly on the bookshelf in … Continue reading College Countdown: The Trouser Press Top 10 Albums of 1981, An Introduction
1. Bodeans, Home There are seven other artists with distinct Wisconsin connections in the whole of the 90FM Top 90 of 1989, including three that reside lower within the Top 20. As I’ve noted previously, even if we didn’t have some highly vaunted scene like the one of Minneapolis that was sadly reaching its end, the staff at our central Wisconsin radio station held a collective special affection for performers who shared our Dairyland roots. There was no free pass for these artists, but if one of their respective records somehow hit the station’s sweet spot, it was sure to … Continue reading College Countdown: 90FM’s Top 90 of 1989, 1
Coffee for Two 