80's albums that hold up on any level

[Mr. Adventure]

Andrew_Kearley wrote:

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The greatest soul band of all time? I should say so... Which song are you referring to?

I believe in the US they are only known for "Come On Eileen".

[Andrew_Kearley]

Mr. Adventure wrote:

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I believe in the US they are only known for "Come On Eileen".

Ah! Well, yes, that was a big hit here too, but it's not their best song by a long chalk. In fact, if I never heard it again, I wouldn't feel I'd lost anything. Not with the richness of the rest of their catalogue.

[Wereghost]

Brothers In Arms - Of its time, but nonetheless a timeless classic.

Various Positions by Leonard Cohen - initially didn't even get a release in North America despite boasting such luminaries as Dance Me To The End Of Love, If It Be Your Will and Hallelujah. The recording does have a kind of aloof and studio-bound feel to it, but this is the case with many an eighties album.

The Works by Queen - only nine songs if I recall, but when those songs include Radio Ga Ga, I Want To Break Free and Hammer To Fall, what's to complain about? Brian May in particular is on top form on this album. Freddie's voice tends to get the credit, but I always thought that this was the quintessential supergroup, with a certain je ne sais quoi at work between its disparate elements.

[1001001]

Wereghost wrote:

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Brothers In Arms - Of its time, but nonetheless a timeless classic.

I'd take Making Movies and Love Over Gold over that one any day of the week.



U2 had an incredible run in the 80's: War, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree.

And of course...everything Rush released in the 80's, starting with Permanent Waves (released 1/1/80).

[jayceee]

Going through my cd collection, found two more albums which I thought held up well.

- "Bella Donna" by Stevie Nicks
- "Appetite For Destruction" by Guns 'N Roses

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

1001001 wrote:

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I'd take Making Movies and Love Over Gold over that one any day of the week.



U2 had an incredible run in the 80's: War, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree.

And of course...everything Rush released in the 80's, starting with Permanent Waves (released 1/1/80).

I agree with this.. all the old u2 stuff was so powerful.

I posted about Moving Pictures above.

[Gov Kodos]

Bowie's 'Scary Monsters' is a favorite, but I have great fondness for 'Let's Dance' however much many Bowie fans may be scandalized by the album.

[JirinPanthosa]

Tom Waits - Rain Dogs -- Greatest album of all time

Other big ones:

The Smiths - Queen Is Dead
Michael Jackson - Thriller
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85
Mary Margaret O'Hara - MIss America
Pixies - Doolittle
Pixies - Surfer rosa
Arvo Part - Tabula Rasa
Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
Replacements - Let It Be
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

[The Mirrorball Man]

Paul Simon - Graceland

[Captaindemotion]

Any of Springsteen's output, ditto that of Metallica.

Guns 'n' Roses Appetite, Tesla's Mechanical Resonance, Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime, most of Van Halen's work (though Diver Down is a bit of a dog, IMHO) and DLR's solo albums.

Ozzy's albums with Randy Rhoads and Sabbath's Heaven and Hell. Stevie Ray Vaughn's catalogue.

Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms, for all that it may have come to symbolise the yuppie era (I don't know why, given Mark Knopfler's working-class Geordie roots).

[C.E. Evans]

I think "Sowing The Seeds of Love," by Tears For Fears holds up very well. It may have had the benefit of being released on the tail end of the '80s, but it sounds like something that could have just been released today, IMO.

I also think the early U2 albums kind of defy the '80s too.

[gblews]

the G-man wrote:

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There are certain 80s albums I still find enjoyable but which sound a bit dated because of certain "faddish" musical flourishes, most notably the synthesizer.

That snapping sound on the 1 and 3 beats where you used to get the sound of a snare drum and lots of echo, two 80's musical characteristics -- also, schmaltzy over dramatized lyrics. When I hear the aforementioned on a recording I immediately think, uh oh, the 80's. I may actually like the song, but to say it "holds up" when it sounds so dated seems like a contradiction to me.

For example: U2, REM and Springsteen all had huge albums in the 80s but I wouldn't consider any of their music dated.

I would agree. There are others too but I'm too lazy to give it enough thought to come up with some names. Not all great 80's music had the 80's cliches.

[1001001]

REM had some great stuff in the 80's.

Document and Green are two I still listen to today.

[Orac Zen]

Andrew_Kearley wrote:

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U2: War, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree

Agreed.

Wereghost wrote:

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Brothers In Arms - Of its time, but nonetheless a timeless classic.

Agreed again.

1001001 wrote:

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I'd take Making Movies and Love Over Gold over that one any day of the week.

I'm okay with all three, but to each their own.

[1001001]

I just thought Brothers in Arms was too mainstream, too "poppy". It relied a lot on synths, and didn't really have any killer Knopfler trademarks. The best guitarist in the world basically sat on his hands for that record.

So it's not that it didn't "hold up" in my opinion: I didn't think it wasn't all that good to begin with.

So Far Away is okay, and Money for Nothing and Walk of Life were definitely clever and catchy, but compare those songs to Romeo and Juliet, or Telegraph Road, or Skateaway, or Tunnel of Love....

JMHO, of course..