Listomania! - 1985

My main memory of 1985 is the Live Aid concert on July 13th. I got up early and watched it in its entirety, which was roughly 19 hours or so. Gord was with me for quite a lot of it as he was aware at age 7 of the problems that Ethiopia and Africa in general were having and also because he loved the music that would be played that day. I recall an outstanding performance from London's Wembley Stadium by the Style Council, who came on 2nd, right after Status Quo. Weller looked great and sounded even better as they ripped through 4 songs in about 20 minutes. During the broadcast, they kept showing the devastation in Ethiopia and the starving kids, all the while asking for people to call in and pledge money for the cause. Well, this started Gord crying and begging his Dad to call in with some money. I tried to explain to him that I had already bought the Christmas 45 last December and that I gave money regularly through work to all kinds of different charities, but he would not be placated. So, I picked up the phone and called in a $20 pledge. Satisfied that we had just saved the whole continent of Africa, Gord then settled in for some more good music. We were joined by Steve in the afternoon and the three of us had a great time watching the show. I remember liking the performances of Bryan Ferry, U2, Queen (who were spectacular), Bowie, The Who, McCartney doing Let It Be, and many more. It was a huge event to be sure and though I don't know if the money ended up in the right hands, it was still a noble undertaking by Bob Geldof. The biggest criticism I recall hearing was that all these bands just did it to further their careers. Well, that may have been true in a lot of instances, but that really was beside the point. Gord still remembers it to this day and it was maybe the most memorable music event of my lifetime. Here, then, is my list for that year:

Top 10 Of 1985

10. Pushing Up The Daisies - The Colourfield

Remember the singer Terry Hall from The Specials and Fun Boy Three? Well this was his latest band. He must have gotten bored very easily or something, going through a new band every 2 years or so. This song is built around a groovy '60s-style bass line and a fantastic acoustic guitar part. It is almost Flamenco in spots and is just brilliantly played. Terry Hall wrote his usual cynical lyrics, but despite this cynicism, you could always count on singing along with one of his tunes. This band only made 2 albums before they split up and never achieved any commercial success, but this first album, Virgins & Philistines, is quite a good record that deserved better. "You're smoking pot with groovy chicks, the politics of habitats are all drunk up." Far out man!

9. The Headmaster Ritual - The Smiths

Morrissey always wrote lyrics that I found intensely personal. He was the first writer that I knew of at the time that took a very first-person stance in every song. This tune deals with the harsh treatment of students in English schools by vicious headmasters, which he had experienced first-hand many times. When I am in a period of self-doubt and need to wallow in some self-pity, there is nothing better than a good dose of Morrissey. It can get tiresome when one is happily going along through life, but his music got me through many a dark time. Johnny Marr lays down his usual brilliant, chiming guitar and the rhythm section of Andy Rourke on bass and Mike Joyce on drums are solid and workmanlike as always. Nothing like the brutality described in the song ever happened to me at school, but I loathed shop class so much in Grade 8 that I used to beg my Mom to let me stay home on those days. She never did let me, so I got back at her by going to work in a factory, which was like one big 12 year shop class! " I want to go home, I don't want to stay. Give up education as a bad mistake." My baddest mistake was giving up education......

8. The Murder Of Love - Propaganda

Damn, how I loved the sound of this record! It is from the album called A Secret Wish and I think I gifted it to half of London that Christmas. Propaganda were a short-lived German band fronted by one Claudia Brucken. She was the wife of Paul Morley, a former ink-stained wretch for the NME, who started his own record label that some of you may have heard of called ZTT. They were responsible for Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Art Of Noise as well. While I wasn't a huge lover of these bands, I found the sound they got on record to be just jaw-dropping. This particular song was produced by Trevor Horn, who had played in Yes and was also in early MTV faves The Buggles. I love the chorus, with its pretty melody and Brucken's ESL vocals, and also the gorgeous keyboards that wash over the ears throughout this tune. "I'm charging you with murder, the fire of love's dying down. But in the face of the verdict, I'm feeling all jealousy drown." I swear I didn't do it!

7. Don't Bang The Drum - The Waterboys

This is so majestic, so epic! The opening bit with the piano and trumpet hint at what is to come, but when the band comes crashing in, riding that sledgehammer of a snare drum thwack, you just know that something special is happening. Vocalist Mike Scott wrote the music, but the words are from pianist Karl Wallinger, who would soon leave the band. It is an early environmentalist tune, with lyrics bemoaning man's disregard of history and lack of caring about the future. It holds a light up to those who care only about so-called progress, referring to those types with simian metaphors and imagery. It is a rousing, anthemic song and always pumps me right up. If you're feeling down, throw this on the old iPod and try and stop from feeling alive! Oh yeah, the saxophone is fantastic, which was par for the course on these first 3 Waterboys albums. "I know you love the high life, you love to leap around. You love to beat your chest and make your sound, but not here man - this is sacred ground." Leaping around? While high? Never!

6. A Night Like This - The Cure

This is not your buddy Steve's Cure. From their 6th album, The Head On The Door, Fat Bob and the guys have welcomed basist Simon Gallup back into the fold after an abscence of 2 years and it his great bass playing that drives this song. This was their breakthrough record as they dispensed with drowning their records in reverb and dissonance and fully embraced melody and a much clearer production job. They had 2 hit singles from this record, the New Order-ish In Between Days and the claustrophobic Close To Me, but this is such a great album that I had a real task trying to pick a favourite, but I went for this gorgeous song full of a lover's feelings of failure and desperation. There is a great sax solo by Ron Howe, who had played with Gallup in his hiatus from the band. When I saw them live, this song was a standout of the show. "The way that you look at me now makes me wish I was you." Now that is called getting the point across!

5. Can't Get There From Here - R.E.M.

I think this could be the funkiest R.E.M. ever got. The bass line and the scratchy guitar are quite good, as is Michael Stipe's falsetto "Ahhh" before the chorus. This is from the superb Fables Of The Reconstruction album, on which they decided to try a different producer, Joe Boyd, best known for his work with Fairport Convention. They recorded the album in England, but, ironically, it is perhaps their most Southern record. The songs are full of the mythology and landscape of the South, even mentioning the tiny hamlet of Philomath, GA in this song. Stipe sings this with his Georgia drawl out front, especially the "cain't" on the choruses. What a fun, groovy little tune! "Go on ahead Mr. Citywide, hypnotized, suit and tied, gentlemen testify." Well, go-llleee!

4. Bonzo Goes To Bitburg - The Ramones

The Ramones go political! Apparently, they were big Ronnie Raygun supporters, but when he decided to visit a German graveyard where a bunch of Waffen SS soldiers were buried, that was too much for Joey Ramone, who happened to be Jewish, to take, and in his anger, he penned this classic. What fantastic backing vocals, what a melody! This is my fave Ramones tune, not that I was a big fan, but they could really hit the mark and they sure did here. It has been said that they changed the name of the song to My Brian Is Hanging Upside Down when it appeared on the 1986 Animal Boy album because guitarist Johnny Ramone was unhappy with Joey putting down Reagan. "Bonzo goes to Bitburg then goes out for a cup of tea. As i watched it on TV, somehow it really bothered me." Well, Nancy.....

3. She Sells Sanctuary (Long Version) - The Cult

I will never forget the first time I heard this song. Steve and I were becoming quite the scene-makers in London and the coolest place to go was Note's on Monday night. I mentioned the DJ there in an earlier post, a guy we called AKA. Well, he liked our taste in music and this one Monday, we came into the bar. AKA came running out of the DJ booth over to us and started going on about this new song from The Cult that he had just picked up on import from the U.K. I had read about it in the NME and was dying to hear it, so he put it on the turntable and I heard the swirling sound and the "Hey,hey,hey" and then....Ka-boom! Coming out of that massive sound system they had, I had never heard anything sound quite that amazing before! This song is from their best album, Love, which helped get me back into loud guitars for the first time in years. I loved Ian Astbury and his balls-out approach to singing as well and I was a huge fan of this band for many years. I caution you though - make sure you don't settle for the album version! The 12" Long Version (yes, that's what it's called) is what you want to listen to. There is no comparison between the two. "I'm sure in her you'll find the sanctuary." I would, but not for about 2 more years....

2. 24 - Game Theory

From the Paisley Underground scene in San Francisco came Scott Miller and his ever-changing lineup of musicians. Remember Michelle from Nebraska from a previous post? Well, she was responsible for my hearing these guys as she made me a cassette of this, their first album, called Real Nighttime. This is Power-Pop at its finest and it wears the Big Star influences as proud as a peacock. You will not be able to stop yourself from singing as the melody is utterly infectious. The guitars are suitably jangly and the band is so tight. The production is done by the master, Mitch Easter, who would produce all 4 of Game Theory's records. They sold about 5 records at the time, but, judging by the outlandish prices their records fetch on eBay, more people like them now. "And for whatever reason I wish that I had two minds, opposite signs, parallel lines, wide point and fine." I'd settle for a 24 year-old mind!

1. Shout To The Top - The Style Council

Right away, that Motown groove hits you - get out of the road because there may be an outbreak of happy feet! There is a great little punchy bass line, fantastic orchestration and piano, and brilliant drumming from the incomparable Steve White. This is such an uplifting tune that while it is playing and you are dancing around, everything seems possible. Paul Weller continues on with his political lyrics here, spitting righteous indignation at all that Thatcher has wrought and telling us that no matter what, we have a voice and we will not be denied! This is from the great Our Favourite Shop album and I almost copped out and put the whole damn album as #1 on the list. There are just a bunch of great songs on this record, which may well be Weller's finest ever. "When you're knocked on your back an' your life's a flop and when you're down on the bottom there's nothing else but to shout to the top." I was never much of a flopper, more of a scissors guy.....