Listomania! - 1983

The year 1983 was a year when a lot of changes happened. I got quite immersed in the fashion of the day, wearing a houndstooth trenchcoat and all the latest clothes. I shopped at used clothing stores, not only because I had little spare cash, but I liked the look of the vintage stuff they had in there. I had several funny hair cuts as well, and on more than one occasion, was called names or had stuff thrown at me from the windows of passing cars. As I was the sole breadwinner, we had to move to a smaller apartment because the rent was getting out of hand at our townhouse. The kids didn't care as they were too young to know any different, so we happily soldiered on. Gord started Kindergarten and really liked school a lot, as most kids that age do. Taylor was proving, even at the age of 2, that she would be a bit of a music geek. She loved to play records and we have several pictures of her sitting with the headphones on and perusing the album covers. She used to shout out, "Play Echobunnymen!", who were one of her fave bands at that age. I had to stop playing hockey due to a broken shoulder blade I had suffered which caused me to have to take 6 weeks off work and killed our finances. In the world of copper-tubing, there was no such thing as getting paid if you didn't work and since the injury wasn't work-related, I got no pay while I was off. I had been accumulating a fairly good bank balance before that, but it was gone in short order. On a brighter note, Steve had come back from his 3 years in Toronto and we reconnected and hung out a lot. He was a regular visitor to our place and the kids loved him. Gord liked to watch football with him on Sundays and Taylor liked that he wore badges on his coat, especially the Boy George ones. She loved George O'Dowd and when Steve would come in the door, he would put his Culture Club badge on the inside of his coat. Tay would go running up to him and, not seeing the badge, would start to get upset, but then he would open his coat to reveal Boy George's smiling face, to which Taylor would shriek,"Boy George! Boy George!", much to our amusement. Guitars started making a comeback for me in '83. I still liked the U.K. bands, but some Yanks were rearing their ugly heads. Here's the list:

Top 10 Of 1983

10. Our Lips Are Sealed - Fun Boy Three

This is the REAL version folks, not the one by the Go-Gos. It was co-written by singer Terry Hall and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Gos and the girls put it out first, in 1981, but this is a much better rendition without question. Terry Hall and his buddies from The Specials, Neville Staple and Lynval Goulding, give the song the required level of cynicism and moodiness. These 3 left the Specials in 1981 and put out 2 albums, this being the second called Waiting, which was produced by Talking Head major-domo David Byrne. I love the shuffle of the drums and the "dum-ba-bum" of the backing vocals as well as the funky little groove of the guitar part. Terry Hall has the most sardonic delivery of any vocalist ever. I don't think the man has ever broken a sweat in his life. "Can you hear them talking about us? Telling lies, is that a surprise?" In other words, we are way cooler than them anyway, so pay no mind.

9. Oblivious - Aztec Camera

Out of Glasgow came a 17 year-old wunderkid named Roddy Frame. His band went by the name Aztec Camera, but he wrote all the songs and was the inspiration behind their whole existence. This is from their great debut album, High Land, Hard Rain, which is still a fantastic record today as it contains at least 4 superb classic tunes in addition to this one. As with a lot of '80s music, the production sounds a bit dated, but if you can get past that, it is truly a sublime album. This song is all about Frame's amazing acoustic guitar playing. It is almost a classical style of playing, and the solo is just brilliant. The lyrics are also quite sound for such a young guy, with some great lines all throughout the tune. "They're calling all the shots, they'll call and say they phoned, They'll call us lonely when we're really just alone." I wish I had written that!

8. This Charming Man - The Smiths

Like many of the songs from the '80s, I read about this one before I ever heard it. I used to read New Musical Express from the U.K. weekly in those days, long before the Interwebs put reviews and such at my fingertips. This song caused a huge sensation over there and I couldn't wait to grab an import copy at Dr. Disc to see what all the fuss was about. There wasn't a synthesizer to be found on this record, but there were 3 things that made me sit up and take notice. First, the unique sound of Johnny Marr's guitar, all jangly and chiming and so original. Second was the sinalong, catchy melody. Third, and not least, it was the words and vocal of one Steven Patrick Morrissey. This guy was different all right! Full of ego and pride, in a seemingly gay man! Now that was original, believe you me! His ego was huge and while that did tire over time, this song was like an elixir for my ears that made me love it. Foot-tappingly spectacular! "I would go out tonight, but I haven't got a stitch to wear." Oh, the problems life throws at us!

7. The Cutter - Echo & The Bunnymen

I was a huge Bunnymen fan back then and I loved Ian McCulloch. This song contains his finest vocal performance ever captured on tape. It is so epic, the way he holds the notes, the way he belts it out, that the hairs still stand up on my arms when I hear it. They added strings on this record, to great effect. The drums are so snappy and the bass is just cooking, so hang on for the ride! This is in the shower, all soaped up, sing at the top of your lungs stuff here kids! Taken from their 3rd record called Porcupine, it is easily the best song on the album. "Come to the free for all with cello-tape and knives." I hate wrapping presents!

6. Talk About The Passion - R.E.M.

This was my introduction back into how wonderful guitar music could be. Peter Buck played with such feel in a way that I hadn't heard for many years. It is just such a gorgeous and melodic guitar part in this song that, for me, has few rivals. Just listen to the first 15 seconds! Wow! Add to that the almost indecipherable vocals by Michael Stipe, before he declared himself the voice of a generation. This song's lyrics can be understood better than most of the songs on their debut, Murmur, but not by much. Stipe had a real shyness about him back then, so much so that, when playing live, he would often turn his back to the audience while singing. I love it when he throws in the "combien de temps" line. They were from a musical hotspot of the time, Athens, GA, sometimes playing the same parties and bars as The B-52s. By 1986, they had become my fave band. "Not everyone can carry the weight of the world." Atlas could!

5. My City Was Gone - The Pretenders

OK, I'll start by saying that this is my favourite Pretenders song, despite the fact that it used to be the theme song for the right-wing blowhard and all-star pill-gobbler Rush Limbaugh's radio show. Chrissie Hynde threatened to sue the fat pig for unauthorized use of the song until he agreed that all royalties from it would be donated to her "pet" cause PETA. The selling point here is that killer bass line. It is so good, so catchy and lays the foundation upon which the rest of the tune can stretch out. These are pretty funky vocals from Ms. Hynde as well, perfectly syncopated with the beat. It is quite a coincidence that my sister Shannon now lives in Buttfuck, Ohio and every time I cross the state line from Pennsylvania into Ohio, I play this song. I know, I'm weird like that. "I went back to Ohio, but my pretty countryside, it had been paved down the middle by a government that had no pride." I'm glad they paved it, or else going to see Shannon would be a rough ride!

4. A Solid Bond In Your Heart - The Style Council

The best Motown song that Motown never released! Wow! What a shot across the bow of the good ship Jam this was. The Jam had dabbled with soul, but this is a true belter of a soul tune! Paul Weller lets loose on this one, with all the passion he could muster. It is a fast-paced, foot-stomping, joyous ode to a girl, but it is so much more. The rollicking piano played by Mick Talbot and the sixteenth note hi-hat fiesta on the drums by the incomparable Steve White are such a tour de force! I was young and full of energy and this song is how I felt inside then. What a great way to start off a new band! While Jam fans were asking after the whereabouts of Weller's guitar, the train passed them by, but I knew when it was leaving the station and jumped aboard. "I am fuelled by the idea, that this world was made to share." Some for you, some for you, some for me.....

3. Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

I used to sing this song at work when I was loading copper bomb shells into the furnace to soften them up. I saw a parallel between my doing that at work and the boom in towns like Liverpool in the shipbuilding trade caused by the Falklands War. The song basically says that the same guys who are building the ships will be coming home on them dead. Check out the lyrics and you'll see what I mean. Robert Wyatt did a great version of this before Elvis released his version on Punch The Clock, but this version is the gold standard for me. Elvis wrote it with the album's producer, Clive Langley. It is a gorgeously sad song and one of his best vocal jobs in my opinion. I never get sick of it and can listen to it many times in a row, one of the few songs that I can do that with. The piano played by the outstanding Steve Nieve from The Attractions is to die for and the cherry on the top of this aural sundae is provided by the brilliant jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, with his amazing, understated solo. "Within weeks they'll be re-opening the shipyards and notifying the next of kin, once again." War-huu-what is it good for?

2. Uncertain Smile - The The

From the great album Soul Mining, my fave album of '83, this is Matt Johnson's opus. It is almost 7 minutes of pure heaven. His guitar playing is sublime, nothing fancy, but true and pure. He played almost all the instruments on the album, aided by Zeke Manyika, from the band Orange Juice, on drums and former Squeeze man and pianist extraordinaire Jools Holland, who, starting at about the 3:20 mark, plays the best piano coda since Layla. The lyrics are among the finest in any song I've ever heard and the music sets the perfect mood for them. I am at a loss for words here, it is breathtakingly brilliant. Did I say that I really love the piano part? "A howling wind blows the litter as the rain flows, as street lamps pour orange- coloured shapes through your window. A broken soul stares from a pair of watering eyes, uncertain emotions force an uncertain smile..." Gets ya right here...

1. Second Skin - The Chameleons

These guys were obscure even then, a state in which they have remained over the years. They were a Manchester band who never made it big like many of their contemporaries, but I believe they were much more deserving of widespread success than most. This is my fave song by them, from their first album Script Of The Bridge. Steve's Mom, who as I have said before, was as hip as could be, bought this album and it only took 1 listen to hook me in. This song is so moody, so atmospheric, sung by bassist/songwriter Mark Burgess in his Mancunian accent. The dual guitar melodies they employ here are fantastic and the keys give the song an almost Prog Rock feel. But, make no mistake, this is quite danceable, especially after a few puffs and beverages. The lyrics hit on the feelings of alienation and disappointment that that generation of kids in the U.K. under Thatcher's rule could relate to and I could certainly feel it on this side of the pond too. Just an outstanding song from an outstanding band! "It's when you fail to make the connection you know how vital it is. Or when something slips through your fingers, you know how precious it is.
Well you reach the point where you know it's only your second skin." Like sand through the hourglass.....