1001 Albums Book: 1987

OK, it’s been a little while since doing this but people seem to enjoy these posts. So opening the book at random I land on 1986 again but one page over is the next year so that’s going to be it for this post. It’s the grand total of 25 albums this time. So here’s what letters or keys I press to make some words to some up the music this book tell me I’ve got to listen. It’s been a few weeks or more now since the last post about this so I’m not being as quick as I was saying last time I wanted to be. Anyway that’s intro over!

Among The Living by Anthrax: I do like a bit of metal but I never liked this band ever maybe only when they did the song with PE but all my metalhead friends at the time hated that song. Listening again I still don’t like them, I think it’s the singer vocals now that I really don’t like.

You’re Living All Over Me by Dinosaur Jr.: I always like the later 90’s Dino Jr. better than the early albums for 80’s which I know is not the done thing to say but it’s truth. I’ve also got to say my fave track here is The Cure cover, Just Like Heaven BTW did come out the very same year but the book don’t want you to listen to that Cure album before you die.

Trio by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris: The 80’s were not kind to C&W in my opinion. Coming from a small country town you couldn’t not listen to this style of music, with metal it was the most listened there if you wanna know? I’ve highlighted some of my fave C&W here on blog before. I think I could name better stuff all three did than this one album together. Harris got two other albums in this book, Parton only one other and unfair Ronstadt get’s zero.

Hysteria by Def Leppard: This album was so very huge at the time and I don’t think I’ve heard it since sometime in the late 80’s or something. Listening right now to me it all sound so very dated in the very over worked and produced 80’s rock way. Five songs in I gave up and don’t care if I die never hearing it again, that all I want say about it.

Document by R.E.M.: WOW! They sound like breathing in fresh air after smelling two very over cooked albums. This is the way a rock n roll album should sound like. I don’t have the whole album himself so it was great hearing some of the lesser well known tracks but off course it’s got the three killer singles as Finest Worksong, The One I Love and The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine). 

Sign ‘O’ The Times by Prince: First album own and totally love from the beginning to the very end and like normally when I listen to it I’ve got to listen to it back to back, twice in a row and it’s a double album too! Some say it’s too long and it’s got crap songs on it but I’ve got nothing bad to say about it at all. Most likely I’ll picked it as the best album of all these ones the book tells me to listen before kicking the bucket.

Electric by The Cult: I loved this band when I was younger but haven’t listen to them for years now and I can tell why straight away why, it’s not my thing is the quick way to some it up. Love Removal Machine jumps out as the best track now, I’m not putting up the video because they just look like dickheads in it!

Music For The Masses by Depeche Mode: I’ve got to get me some DM, should how I don’t have any left and I don’t know where it’s gone? I have a real big soft spot for them, after Metallica/Kyuss and my first Big Day Out fest this was the third really big show I when I was a teenage and I copped so much shit for it from my so called mates in the tiny little country town I live, they were not in the cool list there but I love them. It’s great to see them back at it with a new album and if they tour Oz again sometime soon I’m going again too. Third album to make my own little reco list here.

Floodland by The Sisters Of Mercy: Yet another fave from my younger days but once again it’s all a bit dated now really or I’m maybe not as a big gothic rock fan as I once was or should I say it’s not my thing anymore? Anyway the song that jumps out and got to be the nine mins. long track at the halfway point with This Corrosion.

Faith by George Michael: Should this album just be called Faith & ten other songs that are not as catchy as that one? I did write two posts about Michael when he passed away at Christmas time last year with my faves of his here and here.  None of those songs are on this album but the song Faith is so great.

Warehouse by Hüsker Dü: Does anyone else out there fall on the Sugar side rather than HD? Zero solo Bob Mould or off course Grant Hart in this book but Sugar does make one spot but this album it for Hüsker Dü which is a surprise because most fans would rate other album/s higher. This album is the final one for them and with 20 tracks long, I’m guessing some listening to this book would get a bit bored by the length of this if it’s not there thing. I do love indie rock so because I haven’t listened for years I was pretty keen hearing again, I my highlight would be Could You Be The One?

Locust Abortion Technician by Butthole Surfers: No questions this is the fourth album to make my cut to be included in my little reco list from this book. 32 mins. of pure music genius and most likely the most mad album in this whole book but kudos for including it and if you’ve not heard it, listen to it right now!

The New Tango by Astor Piazzolla & Gary Burton: Nice! So now we get a live jazz album with an Argentina and North American at the Montreux fest in Switzerland and after the Butthole Surfers it’s all a bit boring, sorry to say guys. I did listen to all of it this time so it’s better than some in this list but nothing jumps out at me at all.

 Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths: This album could have my all-time fave Smiths songs ever, coming after Queen Is Dead album and just before the big brake up and fall out, maybe should be included in my little reco list but it’s not. It’s down to just the track Girlfriend In A Coma plus I’m been really harsh if you haven’t notices by now too!

Appetite for Destruction by Guns N’ Roses: Millions of people love this band but I not one, well it more like sometimes I dig them but I’m gone off them totally since that reunion. Which didn’t have my fave gunner Izzy Stradlin and when someone asked him about it he said it wasn’t even close to a fair cut of the cash cow for him to do something like that. Because they pass over Izzy for that or didn’t want to pay him or whatever, I did listen to almost all of it but I’m passing over this album here and I’m not even going to name one song today.

Darklands by The Jesus And Mary Chain: Yet another band I love, I’ve got the greatest hits comp album, I think that’s is just called 21 Singles or something? One of two albums by this band here in the book. Zero: The Jesus Lizard, if you wanna know? Or any Jesus bands, well that’s bands with Jesus in the title of the band. I’m really getting off point, going to included as the next fave album of this year in my reco list too.

Shaka Zulu by Ladysmith Black Mambazo: In the context of the rest of these, this one stands heads and shoulders above almost all other albums of 86. It’s a South African group doing 10 tracks in a cappella, living then under apartheid but producer by Paul Simon after his own album Graceland success which I never really digged myself but it’s so great he did this at the same time. Just listen to this, it’s so amazing and beautiful!

Opus Dei by Laibach: Crazy Gothic Euro-pop or something and this could, NO it is the most dated album on this list today. Some albums here sounds fresh they could really have been recorded yesterday or some do sound of the 80’s but not is a bad way but this so very dated and can’t say I dig it much too, sorry dudes.

Scum by Napalm Death: One of the greatest metal album ever! I’ve got to write more about this but a lot metalheads hated it I knew because it was too punk, really if you want to file and label it? It’s something called grindcore and invented a whole sub-type that hundreds or even thousands bands/album followed copying this one album. Personal note now: I’ve got to write one of my classic album posts about it because I love it so much!

Sister by Sonic Youth: Already the second time I’ve come across Sonic Youth but where is say just to name two bands: The Dead C, Swans in this book? We get five albums of SY here but almost none that influences them. Anyway I love them but I’m not naming all five as totally great, cutting this one too. the opening Schizophrenia track is the greatest by far on this album plus you can hear they’re working up a to a great album from start to finish but it’s not this one.

Calenture by The Triffids: The next one is the only Aussie band for the year plus the one and only Perth W.A. act in this whole book, I guess one out of a thousand is not bad. I love this band so much but I really want know why they picked this album? It could be the worst one they recorded ever, it pretty much broke the band but they did go on to do one more album and that was it for them. My fave album would be In The Pines but the Born Sandy Devotional album is universally named by almost everyone else who knows something about the band as the best by them. Calenture is just so over produced in that sometimes horrible 80’s way, I’ve got the demos recording and all the songs plus ones that didn’t make the cut and they’re so full of life but on this album it’s almost like they have brutally murder all the tracks to death. Anyway after my little rant here’s the video clip to A Trick Of The Light. Please check this band out if you are reading this but just not this one.

 Bad by Michael Jackson: Did Prince really say? “It’s called Bad because they couldn’t fit Pathetic on the cover.” I don’t wanna to fall into the wormhole that is all that so I’ll keep it short but he could write good song sometimes so my fave here would be The Way You Make Me Feel.

Actually by Pet Shop Boys: This is a good album or even great but I just wanted to play the song It’s A Sin over and over and over over and over and over etc. so I just did that! I think I might be a little bored by writing something about each and every album, is anyone reading all this anyway? If I just say these two squirrels play their nuts amazingly with anyone notices that?

The Joshua Tree by U2: I found my old cassette tape of this album a while back, well it was my dad’s, I borrowed it once and never gave it back to him. It’s called the greatest moment by Bono and his now bleached blonde hair, oh I mean Larry, Adam and Edge by everyone with a brain in their head but it’s not my personal fave U2 album, can anyone guess what that is? My fave track above everything else here on this album is Bullet The Blue Sky.

Introducing the Hardline According to… by Terence Trent D’Arby: My sister loved this album so much when we were younger so I know this album really well but not listened for a very, very longtime, Wishing Well is still a killer song.

OK, what does anyone, everyone think about my ramblings about these albums from this year in this book? Well, I’ve just cut 25 down to only seven albums, please don’t get pissed of at me if I didn’t pick your fave album out because I did just rip the shit out of one of my most fave bands from my home town too, you know? About half the rest do have a totally great tracks and who know’s, maybe I’m being way to harsh now!

So do you dear readers, if you want to tell want your fave album/s from 1987 is? Was it above or was it totally missing in this book?

BTW wordpress told me yesterday: Happy Anniversary, it’s 2 years to the day of blogging! Bloody amazing is all I can say about that! So as something special today, does anyone out there wanna to pick the next year of albums I’ve got to listen too before I die?

Prince’s double album genius is my pick of the albums of the year from this book!

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