1984 Rank/discuss the canon

[rayge]

OK, you know what (not) to do. I'm sure you guys know al these off by heart, but just in case they do, vids can be found at preludin.proboards.com/thread/6657/preludin-canon-open-1976-85?page=16 and subsequent pages.

Have at it

Style Council - Paris Match
The Cult - Spiritwalker
The Pretenders - Show Me
Strafe - Set It Off
Prince - Purple Rain
Pogues - Streams of Whiskey
The Mighty Wah - Come Back
Replacements - Unsatisfied
Blue Nile - Tinseltown in the Rain
The Lyres - Help You Anne
Jesus and Mary Chain - Upside Down
Danielle Dax - The Spoil Factor
REM - So. Central Rain
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Two Tribes
The Fall - No Bulbs

[DayoRemix]

REM - So. Central Rain
Pure jangly perfection. Cemented the band's early murky textures and cryptic lyricism, while opening things up ever so slightly, to bring in more fans. A creative video also helped with this fact. 


Danielle Dax - The Spoil Factor
Dax was a force of nature from an alternate universe. ("Hammerheads" was on my short list from this album. (I know fishy doesn't like this track as much) Her off-kilter sensibilities came to full flower with her second album and this track, a deceptively simple tune, worms into one's brain.


Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Two Tribes
"Relax" gets all the praise and airplay, but "Two Tribes" is the real winner. Great movement combined with being topical for the time and presented by a kick ass video, the track pulsates, bringing the listener unto it's spell.


Jesus and Mary Chain - Upside Down
A mission statement from the Mary Chain. Blast of noise.. check.. Gentle vocals.. Check.. Big beat drum .. Check It was the Reids telling the audience who they were and what to expect later. 


Prince - Purple Rain
Not my favorite track on the album, but as far as 80s anthems go, this is right near the top of the heap. Great buildup and pay off.


Replacements - Unsatisfied
The 'Let it be' album was when the drunken punk rockers mature, hone song craft and become drunken singer songwriters. Out of the garage and into the den, as it were. "Unsatisfied" is Westerberg's passionate take on an REM track.


The Cult - Spiritwalker
Back when the Cult were still dark post punk and hadn't yet morphed into Aerosmith.






The Pretenders - Show Me
Began the softening of Chrissie. It's a lovely track, but lacks the grit of her previous incarnation from the first two albums.

Style Council - Paris Match
Edges smoothed to a fine, dull paste. Blue-eyed Adult contemporary, piano bar crooner soul.

(I'll get to the rest after a re-listen)

[Sneelock]

I will sit in my easy chair and not get up to yank off the tone arm of any of these.
I might get up to increase the volume on DD, J&MC, R's, maybe even the Cult.
I will admit to liking "two tribes" more than I should. I must say the ballsiness of releasing a debut double album impressed me quickly before I wore the fuck out on that Holly guy.

the pogues and rem are pretty good if you like that sort of thing and I suppose I do at least intermittently.

now I will dump on "Purple Rain" I understand that it is much loved. I'll even admit that the vocal seems earnest enough.
but, what the FUCK is Purple Rain even about? anything?

I sat through that movie enough times and heard this singled out as "among the best songs ever" that I feel safe in saying I don't like it and hope I never hear it again.

thunk.

[DarknessFish]

In order, best to worst, and not commenting on my incredible Danielle Dax pick:

Frankie - Two Tribes
Now, if you're going to pick a pop monster, pick a fucking pop monster. This is such a beast. Their best record by an absolute mile, pretty much era-defining. Dramatic, dynamic, everything you want from a big pop thing.

Jesus and Mary Chain - Upside Down
I still say Never Understand is the best track they ever recorded, but this isn't far behind. I do like a bit of a wall of feedback (Les Rallizes Denudes do it better, obvs) and I do like a nice understated catchy hook.

Strafe - Set it Off
You could accuse this record of being dated, I mean it couldn't really sound more 1984, but it stands up pretty well for me. It's a change of pace for most preludin, a slice of electro, and it's fairly surprising it doesn't come off as being a bit cheesy, as electro often can. Sounds influenced by the Knight Rider theme tune as well, which means it's at the pinnacle or recorded sound.

The Cult - Spiritwalker
What's better than walking on water? Walking on spirits. It's a shame the drums don't keep the interesting more tribal/Killing Joke kinda pattern that it holds in the intro, but I do like Ian Astbury's vocals, he gives it everything throughout. Kinda thin sounding though, isn't it, doesn't sound a great production job, unless that's just the yootoob/my headphones.

The Fall - No Bulbs
Yep, sounds like The Fall, singing about the poor state of garden centre supplies between Moses Gate and Prestwich. It's alright, generally, as The Fall generally were.

The Pretenders - Show Me
As I've probably mentioned multiple times in the past, I absolutely love Chrissie's vocals, just the tone and the warmth of it is catnip for me. But I don't really like her songs, generally. Or don't love her songs. This is ok, sounds an awful lot like you'd expect mid-80s Pretenders to sound. Which is kind of pleasant. Can't really say much negative about it, but it's not entirely my bag.

The Blue Nile - A Walk Across the Rooftops
Another NME fave, weren't they? I tend to think they're kind of Deacon Blue/Del Amitri with music mag support. I guess the vocals are given some effort, there seems some genuine emotional involvement/commitment to the song, though that might just because he sounds a bit like a drunk Bowie. Not too bad, really, but again, not exactly the most distinctive of mid-80s sounds.

REM - So. Central Rain
Mumbly-Micky era. Never heard this track before, it sounds ... ok again. I'd say The Blue Nile track does something similar better, but the bass in this track is occasionally lovely. Is it ok to say I prefer later REM? Is that uncool?

The Replacements - Unsatisfied
Another band I don't get the adulation for, though I think it tends to be more of a t'other side of the pond thing than a UK thing. They seem quite bland to me, in a Bruce kinda way. Nothing really distinctive about them at all.

The Mighty Wah - Come Back
No, I never got the indie music-mag vague obsession with Pete Wylie, either. This sounds little more than a Bananarama track with Echo & The Bunnymen production. I do not like it.

Prince - Purple Rain
Not sure there's a lot to be said about Purple Rain. I do't particularly like anything Prince did, the overall sound of his records seems quite flat to me, and this is every bit as over-the top and melodramatic as any Guns n' Roses power ballad.

The Lyres - Help You Anne
Hmm. Nuggets, but even more pointless.

The Style Council - The Paris Match
I wasn't expecting to like a Style Council track, and I don't, but not for the expected reasons. This is very kinda mature singer-songwriter stuff where I use the word mature as a synonym for dull. Sounds very mid 70s radio 2 fair, very disappointing. I expect to be annoyed by this lot, not bored.

The Pogues - Streams of Whisky
Ick. Lots of plastic paddyisms, fiddle-de-dee, a nasty Foster & Allen.

[tory]

Strafe - Set It Off

Disco producer Walter Gibbons, who loved a pair of dungarees whenever he could wear them and sweeping string arrangements, in a minimalist 808 drum workout.

The original "box jam".