Dehydrated's 1981 AOTY
I've been shitting water for 3 days straight ladies and gentlemen but it's time to continue the decade decadence! Last year,a s the tradition states (see details in the 1971 AOTY list) I tackled 1981 for a whole new world of 80s treasures and deceptions alike. On with it! |
| 100 |  | Joey Scarbury
America's Greatest Hero
Release date: Sometime in 1981
Label: Elektra
Genre: Yacht Rock
What a better way to start this year that with one of my favorite themes of the 80s. The majority of you all will probably be too young to know of that legendary red suited blonde failed superhero, but I have this theme engraved in my DNA. The rest of the album is terrible by the way, but don't tell Joey i said that. |
| 99 |  | Los Jaivas
Alturas de Machu Picchu
Release date: November 1981
Label: Sazam
Genre: Progressive Rock
Interesting prog rock from Chile, very much in the line of what Triana did with their Andalusian roots, only that Los Jaivas weren't exactly from Peru, but I guess they were close enough. The album sounds like it belonged to the decade before but it's quite a trip. |
| 98 |  | Yellow Magic Orchestra
BGM
Release date: March 1981
Label: Alfa
Genre: Synthwave
I've been trying to get into YMO for a while now, and they're alright but I think they might have got too much praise just for the fact that they were Japanese. They did a good job in keeping up with what was going in Europe though, considering how late new style waves get into Japan. |
| 97 |  | Obus
Prepárate
Release date: October 26th
Label: Chapa
Genre: Heavy Metal
Obus were one of the most prominent heavy metal bands in Spain, basically the answer to the NWBOHM, along with Muro, Barón Rojo, Ángeles del Infierno, and a few others, but it's the only band I can honestly say I enjoy from the bunch. They did better on the next album. |
| 96 |  | Rick James
Street Songs
Release date: April 7th
Label: Gordy
Genre: Funk
Another album I got into just led by the single "Super Freak", which was featured in a wonderful movie called Little Miss Sunshine and that MC Hammer ripped off in his life altering hit "Can't Touch This", god knows how that ended. |
| 95 |  | Toto
Turn Back
Release date: january 1981
Label: CBS
Genre: AOR
Quite a misstep for the band fronted by Steve Lukather, unfortunately sandwitched between two classic albums like "Hydra" and "IV". Even Kimball sounds a bit off and the songs are just so weak compared to the rest of Toto material. |
| 94 |  | Toyah
Anthem
Release date: May 22nd
Label: Safari
Genre: New Wave
Before entrepeneuring a campaign to conquer youtube with her husband Robert Fripp of King Crimson fame by wearing boob enhancing clothing and covering dubious classics in the most hilarious way you could ever conceive, Toyah Willcox was quite a ferocious beast of the London New Wave scene. "Anthem" is not as good as her debut but it's also pretty enjoyable. |
| 93 |  | Kayak
Merlin
Release date: Sometime in 1981
Label: Vertigo
Genre: Progressive Rock
Prog in 1981, and save for Rush who were honeymooning everyone into their groove, wasn't selling as much records. People wanted SPACE. So for French proggers Kayak would put an end toa long career though the 70s, until they reunited again with the new millenium kicking in. Probably a wise move. |
| 92 |  | X
Wild Gift
Release date: March
Label: Slash
Genre: Punk
Fun album, and gotta give it to Exene Cervenka and John Doe for owning it with those vocal harmonies, a luxury that the punk audience of the time wasn't used to. A few years later some smart asses from Japan showed up and we all know what happened next. |
| 91 |  | Grace Jones
Nightclubbing
Release date: May 11th
Label: Island
Genre: Synthpop / Art Pop
I've always been fascinated by Grace Jones image, especifically on this cover. What a creature of the night, what a clubbin' queen! I know this album is some sort of staple for 1981 but honestly it didn't make me crazy. The closer is a beauty though. |
| 90 |  | The Passions
Thirty Thousand Feet Over China
Release date: September 18th
Label: Polydor
Genre: New Wave
I wouldn't have heard of this album if it wasn't for "I'm in Love With German FIlm Star". This song is fantastic, sounds so timeless that it's almost frightening. The rest of the album is fine, not quite on the same level, but it's a nice time. |
| 89 |  | The Replacements
Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash
Release date: August 25th
Label: Twin/Tone
Genre: Punk Rock
Not a big fan of punk rock nowadays to be honest, but I did have a phase around the time The Offspring released "Smash", so it's nice to get on the roots of where stuff like that comes from. "Customer" is a jam. |
| 88 |  | Grace Slick
Welcome To The Wrecking Ball
Release date: February
Label: RCA
Genre: Hard Rock
This is pretty... slick (hm). Quite the jump in style from her days with Jefferson Starship, but the cover is a good example of what the 80s did to a very good number of artists trying to switch from the 70s to the new 80s mentality. Some were more... gracious... than others. |
| 87 |  | Tygers Of Pan Tang
Crazy Nights
Release date: November
Label: MCA
Genre: Heavy Metal
A bit less inspired than the next album on the list for some reason, but still worth checking if you're into the Tygers' soft vein of heavy metal. |
| 86 |  | Tygers Of Pan Tang
Spellbound
Release date: April 10th
Label: MCA
Genre: Heavy Metal
One of the two albums released on the same year by the Tygers. They really benefitted from the addition of the later to become a renowned guitar maestro John Sykes, who gave the band's quite a new vibrant and fresh sound. This album includes "Mirror" which is one of my favorite Tygers' song. Cheesy as roquefort though. |
| 85 |  | F.R. David
Words
Release date: Might be 82 but aaah whatevs
Label: Cárrere
Genre: Synthwave
The first song, "Words", was basically the summer theme when I was like 4 year old but it still brings me to those times when my family was actually decently functional and happy. |
| 84 |  | Stevie Nicks
Bella Donna
Release date: July 27th
Label: Modern
Genre: Singer Songwriter
I can imagine the hype was out of the roof for a first solo Stevie Nicks album. It didn't disappoint, well, not entirely. Some very skippable ballads aside, "Bella Donna" contains that guitar pickin that still puts food on the table for all members of Destiny Child, and a few other bangers. You did good Stevie. |
| 83 |  | Patrick Cowley
Megatron Man
Release date: Sometime in 1981
Label: Megatone
Genre: Synthwave
Didn't know much about this gentlemen but it seems to be a major influence on many succesful electronic acts of later years and one of the pioneers of dance music. Went in blind and it was as you would expect, glorious synths and stomping beats. |
| 82 |  | Girls At Our Best!
Pleasure
Release date: October 20th
Label: Happy Birthday
Genre: Post Punk
Slightly intoxicating, equally clunky and wonderfully unique. These guys (and lady) from Leeds wrote some of the most amusing post punk of the year. Little bit of twee here and there to spice things up and yep, "Pleasure"! |
| 81 |  | New Musik
Anywhere
Release date: January
Label: Lemon
Genre: New Wave
New Musik were a special kind into the New Wave scene of the 80s. Listen to "Churches" from this album and you will see how they combine with great taste the Police with Kraftwerk, with a great production backing them. |
| 80 |  | Gang of Four
Solid Gold
Release date: March 9th
Label: EMI / Warner
Genre: Post Punk
First album I hear from the legends, (yep, I know, "Entertainment!" is reserved for my 1979 run) and I can see their status was well deserved. Great rythm section and their songs have a lot of... air? and space, all instruments are really easy to appreciate and songs like "Outside the Trains..." never fail to get me into the groove. |
| 79 |  | Demon
Night of the Demon
Release date: June
Label: Carrére
Genre: Heavy Metal
There are better bands to look for when exploring the vast catalogue of the NWOBHM, but Demon's debut is somehow a mandatory stop. The cover delivers a promise that the music does not, but it's a good hard rock record. |
| 78 |  | Tuxedomoon
Desire
Release date: January
Label: Celluloid
Genre: Post Punk / Experimental
Weird and hectic as usual. Not as charming as their debut, but they still managed to craft something that would result in instant crowd bewilderment. Starting with a 15 minute track is also a bold move. |
| 77 |  | African Head Charge
My Life in a Hole in the Ground
Release date: November
Label: On-U
Genre: Dub
Definitely a mood. And I wish I had my drugs with me when jamming the voodoo sounds of AHC. There was a lot of stuff going on in the 80s, but the collective didn't stray an inch. |
| 76 |  | Crass
Penis Envy
Release date: February? March?
Label: Crass
Genre: Punk
Lovely folk for sure. Harsh production, as it should be, and concentrated pills of pacifist anarcho-punk. "What the Fuck" tested my patience, I'd admit. |
| 75 |  | Raven (ENG)
Rock Until You Drop
Release date: January
Label: Neat
Genre: Heavy Metal
Oh mother of all riffs. Brit HM in all its glory. Raven were among the most intense of the bunch but their songs weren't as good as say Iron Maiden or Judas Priest, and it shows. |
| 74 |  | Foreigner
4
Release date: July 2nd
Label: Atlantic
Genre: AOR
Every good breakfast oughta have some good cheese, and every playlist of 80s music needs a good portion of AOR to feel complete. And nothing like Foreigner to do the job. |
| 73 |  | Landscape
From the Tea-Rooms of Mars to the Hell Holes of Ur
Release date: April 22nd
Label: RCA
Genre: Synthpop
I had no idea about this band when I started this year's run and after I finished I still don't know who the hell they are. If we're going by facts, it seems "Einstein A Go-Go" was quite a famous tune. Also, "To the Hell of Uranus" might be one of the best titles of the year. |
| 72 |  | Minako Yoshida
Monsters in Town
Release date: November 21st
Label: Alfa
Genre: City Pop
Coming from 1980's "Monochrome", this one felt more lively and saw Yoshida-san taking some liberties. It definitely wears some American soul influence with pride too, which is a good fit for her voice. |
| 71 |  | Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Release date: June 15th
Label: EMI
Genre: New Wave
The debut of one of the greatest pop bands in histor... wait who said this? It's ok, the album's ok, "Planet Earth" is a jam, but I still have a hard time understanding why they got so far. |
| 70 |  | Saxon
Denim and Leather
Release date: October 5th
Label: Carrére
Genre: Heavy Metal
Writing this at the same time that they have released their... what, 27th record? Are these guys immortal? Are they dead and a space entity is controlling them from a spaceship? Denim and leather, boys and girls. |
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In the Dead of Night |
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