Super Secret, Secret History:
Despite the awful events of the prior year, this may be my personal favorite musical year. (Okay, maybe 1967 was better.) It was when I met Mrs. Jaybee, so there was a kind of magic in the air.
And the music was good, too. Maybe even better, because of that magic.
So I'll depart momentarily from my usual method of just listing music released in 1981 to convey what else was in the air.
Always trying to impress people with music, I wanted to play stuff the future Mrs. Jaybee would like.
And of course, I'd take to real romantic places like J&R Music World.
Probably the first song I ever played for her was “I Love You” (talk about moving fast!) by the Steve Miller Band. I'd had Anthology for several years already but every few months I'd have the urge to put it on. And there was really no better time than now.
Then I calmed down and played the avalanche of music that I'd acquired recently:
- Elvis Costello: Trust, Get Happy, Taking Liberties
- Eno - Another Green World, Before and After Science
- David Bowie - Low and Heroes
- And many, many others
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But all that came later. Now I'll get back to my usual method. I'd be lying if I pretended my take on the music wasn't colored by the magic of that year.
With its effortless tunes, most varied arrangements, and great production, this may be his best record.
And this after the previous year's Get Happy (20 songs) and Taking Liberties (20 songs)! The man is a machine!
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The Psychedelic Furs Talk Talk Talk
Their second, and even better than their first.
This is my idea of great hard rock, with the original and far more powerful "Pretty in Pink". And lots more where that came from.
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Don't let the cramped sound get you down. This is one of the all-time great punk rock records. And an American one at that. Quite the relief after all those Brits.
Led by then couple John Doe (vocals and bass) and Exene Cervenka (vocals) who, in a very strange way, remind me of Paul Kantner and Grace Slick on the Airplane's live stuff.
And they are TIGHT. With actual musical ability, Billy Zoom (guitar, of course!) and DJ Bonebrake (whaddaya think?) make it go, and it GOES!
Discovered and produced by Ray Manzarek (whose organ sorta marred their first record) they avoid that mistake but nonetheless end with the words:
We're waiting for the sun,
For any sun to come.
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The English Beat’s - Wha'ppen?
Not as catchy as the relentless I Just Can’t Stop It, but it’s a real grower. It trades forward motion in for texture, as though it's intending to give you time to think after you've done all that dancing.
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David Byrne: The Catherine Wheel
Before Twyla Tharp choreographed Billy Joel, she collaborated with David Byrne, who wrote and performed all new songs and instrumentals, with contributions from Brian Eno, Bernie Worrell, and others.
Never one for/to dance, I didn't see the show and don't care. It’s not as bracing as Talking Heads and not quite as heady as great Eno, but it’s the sweet spot between them.
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"Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open)"
The former guiding light of Television, Verlaine makes another album filled with furious but beautiful guitar sounds. He'd done it with his first solo record, but now erases any remaining doubts by singing - never his strong suit - less.
Yoko Ono’s Season of Glass
Yep, her.
The Beatle-killer's been making music for a long time – longer than the Beatles, actually. The early stuff was - as you’d expect - "experimental". But she got more pop as she went along.
I was torn about including this because I still don't know what to make of her as a human. There are just too many... stories.
But there are some excellent songs here, and I will pay this possible devil her due.
