The 80S

Product Information

Philip Oakey wrote the lyrics to the Number 1 hit Don't You Want Me based on a story in a women's magazine and the idea carried through to the sleeve. The typeface and the vignette of Oakey's face (carried through to the reverse and the inner gatefold) pay homage to the classy world of fashion mag Vogue. He dismissed "Let My Love Open the Door" as "just a ditty," but it charted as high as any Who single ever had, reaching Number Nine. "If I disagree with the fact that [ Empty Glass] is the best work I've done in a long time, I would be fooling you," Townshend said in 1982. Later, he admitted that the Who seemed much less viable as a result: "I think the only thing that really went wrong was that I realized, as soon as Empty Glass was finished, 'Hey, this is it. I'm not able to achieve with the band what I've achieved here.'" It's real obvious to me," says producer Ted Templeman when asked why 1984 won Van Halen a broader and larger audience. "Eddie Van Halen discovered the synthesizer." The centerpiece of the record is "My Life Is Good," which details the self-importance of a Hollywood wheeler-dealer. Asked about the similarities between the song's protagonist and himself, Newman laughs and says, "If I were that big a jerk, I wouldn't admit to it." The third Smiths album features a shot of the French-Swiss actor Alain Delon, taken from the 1964 film L'Insoumis (aka The Unvanquished), dressed in bottle green with pink lettering.

200 Best Albums of the 1980s | Pitchfork The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s | Pitchfork

The Mona Lisa's Sister was really exciting for me, because I had an idea that was a little off the wall, and I didn't compromise it for anybody," Parker says. "And it paid off." The notion Parker had for his 1988 album was that he should write all the songs and produce them himself-but that proved problematic. I think we cross a lot of boundaries and I think our fans are very open-minded.” Ne Obliviscaris and the making of Urn The reclusive Franklin had spent many of the preceding years in her hometown of Detroit, looking after her seriously ill father, the Reverend C. L. Franklin. According to Walden, Aretha hadn't sung seriously in two or three years. After her father died in 1984, the singer began thinking about returning to the music scene. In fact, for the song "Nite Club," the band even brought in an audience. "We had roadies, Chrissie Hynde and a few other friends," says Staples. "It was a laugh, because we had a little drink to get the pub atmosphere going."But when he recorded his own albums, Vandross says he "got tired of going into the same studios, driving up the same streets and going up the same elevators I had gone up during all my years of sessions. After a few albums, I said, 'There's got to be another way to record.'"

80s (Top 1980s Albums) - Music Grotto 51 Best Albums Of The 80s (Top 1980s Albums) - Music Grotto

In the final analysis, it's inspirational music. "Maybe they're living in hell," Herman says of the mbaqanga players, "but when they get down to the music, it's something from themselves, something from the heart, something that gives them strength." Sting's record company initially questioned the wisdom of his musical expeditions on … Nothing Like the Sun."It wasn't simple enough or directed toward the charts," says Sting. "I said, 'Why underestimate the record-buying public?'" In fact, the album was a commercial success, spawning a hit single in the jaunty "We Will Be Together." Ms. Simon 'Why' indeed? Not over comped, but just a bad song. + just cause my mother played her music relentlessly while I was growing up doesn't mean I like it. The first time I saw the Nevilles was at the Bottom Line, in New York," says producer Joel Dom. "They completely blew me out of the water." David Byrne and Brian Eno make their second appearance on this list, with Eno producing the whole of this Talking Heads album. Similar to My Life In The Bush of Ghosts, Remain In Lightutilises jittery, fragmented loops to create a set of songs that are as rhythmically powerful as they are melodically engaging. Some of Talking Heads’ finest work can be found here, and Remain In Light rightfully remains hailed as one of the best 80s albums.Brightly colored, loud, and in-your-face, Cyndi Lauper was an icon of the 1980s. This reputation began with her debut album, She’s So Unusual,released in 1983. The album featured many of Lauper’s most famous songs, such as Time After Timeand Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. The latter was a hit worldwide, sending Lauper to the international stage. She’s So Unusualwas nominated for six Grammy Awards and won two. The trouble started when Parker submitted a thirty-song demo tape to his new label, Atlantic Records. The label didn't like the songs and asked Parker to work with an outside producer and collaborate with other songwriters. Parker, who felt that his recent albums had been fatally overproduced, refused. Atlantic released him from his contract, and Parker eventually signed with RCA, where he found the autonomy he craved. The album's opener, "I Can't Live Without My Radio," became a B-boy anthem. Now that LL has reached the advanced age of twenty-two, he says he is still unable to live without his radio. "But now it's in my car — know what I mean?" It's the longest album I've ever done," says Young. "It's a real mouthful. When I listen to it, it's almost like listening to the radio — it keeps changing and going from one thing to another."

Rolling Stone Best 1980s Albums - Rolling Stone

Jump" was followed by two more singles from 1984:"I'll Wait," a ballad whose chorus was written by Roth with an uncredited Michael McDonald, and "Panama," a hard-charging number to which the sounds of Eddie Van Halen's revving Lamborghini were added. Full Moon Fever, Petty's first album without the Heartbreakers, fell together almost by accident early in 1988 when he and new acquaintance Jeff Lynne wrote and cut a few songs together at guitarist Mike Campbell's garage studio. The result was an album of pop nuggets with a bright, Sixties-style sheen.The group chose material ranging from the well known (Jimmy Cliff's classic "Many Rivers to Cross") to the unknown (Winston Groovey's "Please Don't Make Me Cry"). UB40's lilting rhythms, uncluttered arrangements and sweet, soulful vocals proved irresistible, and Labour of Love helped break UB40, which had been famous in Europe since 1980, in the U.S.