“Major Tom (Coming Home)” – Peter Schilling
I get songs stuck in my head all the time, but usually it’s because I heard a snippet of the song or something that reminded me of the song recently. Other times, a song pops into my head for no reason I can fathom and demands that I give...
“Close (To The Edit)” – Art of Noise
A discussion on Metafilter today about interviews with J.J. Jeczalik from Art of Noise tickled my brain and put this song back in heavy rotation....
“It’s a Mistake” by Men at Work: pop at the height of the cold war
There’s not a bad song on Cargo (1983), but “It’s a Mistake” is one of the standout cuts on the album. Written by Colin Hay, it was the third single off Cargo and did pretty well on the charts. If I remember correctly, the video was in heavy rotation...
“Disintegration” by The Cure (No. 4)
Disintegration is the album that really sold me on The Cure. Yes, I know, I was a bit late to the party. Some of the singles off Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me were too good to ignore, but I wasn’t a big fan of Robert Smith’s voice initially....
“Document” by R.E.M. (No. 19)
For Document R.E.M. picked up a much harder edge than previous albums. Sure, Life’s Rich Pageant dabbled a bit with more aggressive guitar, but Document has a much harsher sound throughout. And it sounds so, so good. Document practically kicks you in the face with the opening track, “Finest...
“Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” by The Cure (No. 20)
Most of The Cure‘s albums are outstanding, but Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is simply magical. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me shows The Cure delivering perfect, joyful pop right alongside languid and extended jams that don’t give a damn about radio play. I have to be honest,...
“Queen Elvis” by Robyn Hitchcock ‘n’ The Egyptians (No. 21)
Watching “alternative” bands like The Cure, R.E.M., and U2 punch through to mainstream success, I had high hopes that Robyn Hitchcock would break through with Queen Elvis. Released in March 1989, Hitchcock was opening for R.E.M. on the Green tour. Queen Elvis, by Robyn Hitchcock ‘n the Egyptians, was...
“The Joshua Tree” by U2 (No. 23)
It’s a little daunting to try to find something original to say about an album like The Joshua Tree. Released in 1987, The Joshua Tree sold something like 25 million copies, While it’s no Rumors or Thriller, The Joshua Tree has been rather thoroughly reviewed many times over. I...
“The Game” by Queen (No. 24)
Queen‘s The Game will probably be best remembered for two things, “Another One Bites the Dust,” and the first album from the band that featured the use of a synthesizer. I remember it best because my family had the album on 8-Track and I played it incessantly. I’m not...
“Starfish” by The Church (No. 29)
If it weren’t for lucking into a few decent mix tapes and dubs of entire albums, I’m not sure what my musical tastes would be like today. Case in point, Starfish by The Church. Starfish landed on my radar thanks to a guy named Kent who loaned me a...