1001 Albums Book: 1979

Just before the end of this month, I’ve got all this done! It’s twenty-something albums from that year as named in this book. What I’ve done to pick the next year for myself to listen too in this book/list: is put the 6 upside down to make 9 and swap/moved the 7 forward one and put the now number 9 last. BTW after all my hippies name-calling from the last 1001 post and everyone else for that matter can, today you can call me a bloody dirty old any swear-words punk! Because that’s me, I guess? I was only born around this time but it’s easy become my fave style of music of all-time! So it’s your turn, if you like? Intro over and done!

Please note: once again, I’m using my own 79 playlist as a bit of a start point, mainly it’s all Aussie punks and a few other things so I’ll be adding a lot today. Only one Aussie band is in the 1001 list/book of albums from 1979 and it’s not punk but I’ve got them already anyway. Newly added songs starts at track number 42 because I have only one album/song from this book already on it which is that Aussie act, guess who?

I’ll go in the right order this time, below is how 1001 book list the albums of 1979 you must hear before you die. I think, I’ve almost heard them all before sometime in my little life but haven’t blog them like this! Here they’re with my two cents comment about each again:

Highway To Hell by AC/DC off course are that non-punk Aussie band, the last Bon Scott album and end of an era. Once a longtime ago I wrote a blog post about where it is the title track, linked here. Yeah, it’s a real place where Scott grew-up in Perth, W.A. Acca-dacca aren’t very big fans of YouTube so I will not bother to add another clip/song but track number 17 on the playlist is from this album, you know?

We Are Family by Sister Sledge were unknowns until major label Atlantic records matched them with disco songwriter teams of Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards of the band Chic, they’re also on this list a few albums down too. Sometimes those two acts are too close together, another book I was reading a couple of months ago named the track Lost In Music to Chic NOT Sister Sledge. I’m adding that cut to my playlist now!

Street Life by Crusaders aka The Jazz Crusaders is one of a couple of the albums, I’ve yet too listen to which that’s now changed. Today I’m picking the song Carnival Of The Night, adding to my playlist because I don’t know why reason? Do I need a reason? What in god’s name do I say/type about jazz fusion too?

(GI) by The Germs today’s fun fact is: Darby Crashlead lead singer of The Germs committed suicide by way of an intentional heroin overdose on December 7th 1980 in Los Angeles but the very next day John Lennon is killed in New York City. Only three years is their timeline and this album is the one and only by them but it’s one of the earliest hardcore punk records. The song Communist Eyes has been add to that playlist.

Self-titled by The B-52’s has a very hard act follow and it’s their debut album too but after the last album they sound a little too tame and off course so very silly but by the time There’s A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon) song I’m into it so let’s add that to my playlist.

Movies by Holger Czukay is one members of the German band called CAN going out on his own for his debut solo album and for the second time this album, I’ve not heard yet. Other than the Japanese-born Damo Suzuki, I don’t think I’ve heard any others of their solo careers at all. I’m adding Persian Love track to the playlist.

Reggatta De Blanc by The Police is the second studio album by them and translation of that title into English is “white reggae”. I’m being boring and picking one of the hit singles Walking on the Moon to add to my playlist. It’s OK album but I just wanna get to the next one on the list the whole time while listening to this, you know?

Live At The Witch Trails by The Fall now I get to the great stuff! I’ve already got one song, an early 7″ single Rowche Rumble but I whole heart love The Fall so they now get double with Industrial Estate as now the second last on this playlist. This was their debut studio album which legend has it, was recorded and mixed in two days flat!

 Fear Of Music by Talking Heads is the third studio album and I think, I’m calling it their best album today. Maybe, it’s because it’s before the 80’s happen and Eno production is totally great here but he kind-of taken over a bit later. I’m adding closing and longest track Drugs to the playlist.

Unknown Pleasures by Joy Divison I’m adding Interzone which is the second last song on it to my playlist. I think, the album cover art was even used as the front cover of this book for one of it’s editions too? I’ll say now this album is one of the most well known album in this list today but telling nothing new by say that.

Risque by Chic back to disco again but I’ll throw on the song My Feet Keep Dancing to that playlist, I’ll put Sister Sledge and Chic back to back because it make the most sense. I was thinking there would be more disco in this book but that’s it for 79.

Self-Titled by The Undertones Irish punks debut album which most famous for the song Teenage Kicks of 1978 which English DJ John Peel named as his all-time fave song. Some versions does have it as a bonus extra track but that’s on my 78 playlist so choosing from the album songs I’m picking Male Model to add to playlist.

London Calling by The Clash I think, maybe this one and three up is most likely the most well-known albums of 79 until we get to one a few more down. I’m picking Wrong ‘Em Boyo because in part it’s yet another version of the very old Stagger Lee song. Do I need to say anymore about The Clash?

Quite Life by Japan another OK album but nothing really ground breaking by yet another English band in this list/book but I’ll add Lou Reed/The Velvet Underground’s All Tomorrow’s Parties cover to the playlist.

Broken English by Marianne Faithfull is the one and only Marianne album in the book which is a crying shame because I think she did make better albums but I guess, it’s the most famous for all her swear words on the closing track but I’m adding her John Lennon cover of Working Class Hero.

Cut by The Slits it’s gonna be the single/video to Typical Girls to be added but I would highly reco this album, if you’ve not heard it before? They’re English female punks but it’s just way more reggae than anything and it’s so much better than Sting and Police, you know?

Armed Forces by Elvis Costello added the opening song and video clip Accidents Will Happen. It’s his third album by another Englishman and his band and it’s another OK album but I never seen the big deal about Costello so maybe ask someone else who does?

Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young added closing track Hey Hey My My (Out Of The Black. Horror author Steven King is a fan of this song because he has it in IT novel I’m reading as I blog about just last week, maybe should blog all the songs in the novel because they’re all different from that movie? Anyway bloody great album and highly reco too!

Entertainment! by Gang Of Four if somehow you still don’t know this album please stop whatever you doing and listen to it right now, OK? I’m naming it as my all-time fave album of 1979 in this book so it’s getting the feature image today and adding album’s second song Natural’s Not in It. Off course, that means it’s another highly reco album for you to check out if you haven’t yet? Briefly it’s yet another English band with yet another debut but I do love it so much and want another things can I say? Just listen to it, right now!

Live At Budokan by Cheap Trick overblown stadium rock, not sorry to fans of this band but I’ve always never like them and live album is not going to convinced me any difference. It’s done their case more harm because I’m labeling it the worst album of this book of this year!

Tusk by Fleetwood Mac I guess, it’s yet another overblown stadium rock but it’s a bit better than the last one just above. Added the title track to my playlist but after over seventy minutes it’s really getting a bit much but it’s not as long as the next one.

The Wall by Pink Floyd would be the most well-known album on this list today. I loved this album when I was sixteen but haven’t listen to it in years and if the last one was a little bit too much, this was way fuckin’ tooo much. I did add shorter song Nobody Home which Mark Lanegan covered that song last year, I’ll linked that here.

Metal Box by Public Image Ltd. I will call this one my runner-up or second placed album of this year from the book/list. It’s the second of three Johnny Lydon albums in the book/list and yeah, I think it’s the best one of these three: Sex Pistols’ Nevermind and 80’s Pil cleaver album titled Album is his third but Romance Of Flowers is missing which is my all-time fave of all Lydon’s stuff, if you wanna know? Added opening and very long song entitled Albatross to playlist and highly reco listening!

Off The Wall by Michael Jackson well he’s dead and I’m also glad…

Mark Kozelek wrote that track in 2016 and released it on Jesu/Sun Kil Moon’s 2017 album entitled 30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth. Thanks to a doco earlier this year some people have stop playing his music and I say, it’s really about time! Some people are still defending MJ saying stupid things like some singers/artists are not very nice people but I would say to that: MJ got a free pass in his own lifetime because of various reasons so it’s beyond time every living human being on the face of the earth need to admit MJ was total pure evil when it came to children and we are all to blame for letting him doing everything he did in his lifetime, we do need to learn and NOT let it happen again in anyway again!

Machine Gun Etiquette by The Damned added song Smash It Up to playlist.

The Pleasure Principle by Gary Numan adding Cars hit single as now the final 1001 album book song on playlist plus Numan did have two albums out that year so already on the playlist is Down In The Park.

Self-titled by The Specials added track Concrete Jungle to playlist.

OK, as you might have noticed? If you’ve pressed play on the playlist above! It’s now 90 songs long and these 1001 songs ended at track number 65 but why stop there? I just added a pile of tracks I didn’t the first time around! I might or not call that playlist done, unless I did miss something? Tell me, if you think I need toooo add one, couple, a dozen I’ve missed? Anyway I hope enjoy all of them and this?

I’m picking Gang Of Four as my fave of these albums of 1979!

Bloody hell, that’s really very long post! I guess, I’ll do a ten year jumping, time traveling so it’s 1989 up next! Let’s see if I can get another set of albums as selected by this book sooner than later? Maybe even, I might be making it a bit of a monthly blog post tag/set or something! What’s your fave record/s from 1979? Or what say/share something about 1979 with me?

Cheers 🙂