***The following all came from a collection dump at a thrift shop, most in pristine condition (Jul)
Men Without Hats - Pop Goes the World. 1987 Mercury (LP). For some reason, I had Men at Work in mind when I picked this up. Different group of course. Men Without Hats are from Canada and are most famous for the song 'Safety Dance' which I remember from high school. This is a few years after that, but it's still in-the-pocket New Wave music. Pleasant enough listen, but nothing really grabbed me here. Average for the style I would submit. In reading some reviews, it seems to be a cult classic of some sort. Not sure I hear anything radical enough to warrant that, but there it is.
Blondie - Autoamerican. 1980 Chrysalis (LP). My previous rating was somewhat mediocre, and in hearing the first couple of tracks, I thought I may have been too harsh. It starts off in serious orchestral mode before going into her disco comfort zone. Then a 40's number, a reggae bit, and on and on. Yea, my rating of average is right. I'm not too fond of genre hopping anyway, but especially from a group like Blondie.
Tom Tom Club - Close to the Bone. 1983 Sire (LP). The second album from Tom Tom Club is clearly less art pop, and more geared toward the dance floor. At first, I thought this album to be lesser. But as it went on, it became more infectious. 'The Man with the 4-Way Hips" is so ridiculous, you can't help but like it. Sometimes I wish I was more silly when I was 18 - I would have liked this. But alas, I was not a silly kid. In any case - fun listen, but not something I need to own.
Roxy Music - Avalon. 1982 EG / Warner Bros. (LP). Roxy Music has always been a preferred group for "The Smart Set". But since I'm a charter member of "The Dumb Set", I haven't ever really been drawn to their sound. They're the anti-Yes, and find favor with 70s arty songwriter fans. Not surprising at all that they were able to draw a new fan base with their take on 80s New Wave / Art Pop music. This was to be their last album, though it is considered one of their best. I found it pleasant enough, not overly distinctive from their peers. But then again, "select the next pattern that best represents the sequence of abstract shapes below" was never really my thing.
Joe Jackson - Night and Day. 1982 A&M (LP). This was a true nostalgia pickup, as I bought this album my senior year of high school, when it first came out. I was trying to "broaden my horizons" obviously lol. My social set in those days was a mix of the cool kids and the long haired freaks. The latter was my metal outlet, and early adventure into prog. The former was all about early 80s contemporary music. I thought 'Steppin' Out' was great, so why not? It's by far my favorite track on the album, and one wishes there was more of this kind of music in general. It's almost a throw back to Burt Bacharach before doing such was fashionable. But Jackson was always an odd bird. I held onto this album for some years before parting with it. In hearing it again, I have to agree with that decision, even though I'm moving the grade from good to very good. There's just not enough nostalgia pull here (I barely remember the rest), and it's not something I'm going to be excited to listen to.
Devo - Freedom of Choice. 1980 Warner Bros. (LP). This was also in the 80s collection I picked up three years ago (2019). I did manage to hear it all the way through last time, so my grade hasn't changed on this listen. Ohio's Devo captured the spirit of the era perfectly. They're a bit silly honestly, but it's all good fun. Not something for me to keep.
The Psychedelic Furs - Mirror Moves. 1984 Columbia (LP). Like with Devo, I first heard this in the 2019 80's collection purchase. And again my rating remains the same. The band name is a misnomer of course. Nothing psych about these guys, at least at this point in their career. Mirror Moves is oh-so-British accented New Wave music. By 1984 this style was already played out, but it's still a good example of the genre. Nothing I need though.
Tom Tom Club. 1981 Sire (LP). Tom Tom Club is a new name for me, but I'm sure many of you know that they are an offshoot of The Talking Heads. The music is similar Art Pop meets New Wave. It's heavily percussive as well. An interesting listen, more involved than your usual 80s music - but again not anything that goes beyond "good" in my world.
The New American Orchestra - Blade Runner. 1982 Full Moon / Warner Bros. (LP). This is the original version. Music was composed by Vangelis, but not performed by him. It's a true soundtrack with some decent electronic pieces, but average on the whole.
Bangles - All Over the Place. 1984 Columbia (LP). In my mind the Bangles existed earlier than 1984, but obviously that was not the case. While the 80s collection mentioned above had their more famous Different Light album ('Walk Like an Egyptian'), their debut shows the group to be more of that 80s indie/garage type sound. It's all very safe of course, nothing radical here, but at least the girls prove they weren't just a gimmick act. And as is usually the case, the market rewarded them only for their most ridiculous aspects. Oh well, they cashed in anyway. Nice album, but not anything I need to keep.
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