advertisement


BBC best albums of the 80's poll results

Get the personal stuff out of the way...him being a smarmy, smug tory twat etc, and I don't get the downer on Collins that so many have if we take just his actual work as a musician I must say!
Face value has great songs, a studio band tighter than a ducks arse, The Phoenix Horns, experimental new techniques such as gated drums and use of Fairlight CMI, it's varied with instrumentals like "Droned"...

Yep, definitely had a killer band behind him and agree he produced some good songs. Liked his cover of "You Can't Hurry Love" as well.
 
Get the personal stuff out of the way...him being a smarmy, smug tory twat etc, and I don't get the downer on Collins that so many have if we take just his actual work as a musician I must say!
Face value has great songs, a studio band tighter than a ducks arse, The Phoenix Horns, experimental new techniques such as gated drums and use of Fairlight CMI, it's varied with instrumentals like "Droned"...

Yep, definitely had a killer band behind him and agree he produced some good songs. Liked his cover of "You Can't Hurry Love" as well.

For me the problem is I can't help but compare him to Peter Gabriel and the latter is such a talented, multi-layered and deep thinking artist with a genuine altruistic attitude around helping world music artists get recognised and a host of other worthy aims that he makes Collins seem even more one dimensional and lightweight than he is. In comparison I just find Collins music utterly lightweight and 'safe' and his politics are deplorable.... that said I realise an awful lot of people like his music so fair play to him I guess. It's all just opinion at the end of the day.
 
The 1980s wasn’t a complete write off for jazz. There were lots of great releases on the ECM label.
 
Nobody like Eastside Story either?

East_side_story_album.jpg
 
The 1980s wasn’t a complete write off for jazz. There were lots of great releases on the ECM label.

Agreed, I think I did mention ECM upthread. It was however a period where jazz shifted from a cutting-edge young music to something rather more aged and academic. A trajectory that would remain until very recently when it thankfully moved back to the young via the streets and clubs both in America and here and has become a driving political and cultural protest music once again.
 
ECM in the 80s was where artists weren't afraid to use electronics. Not so much now - it's all gone a bit traditional. :(
 
For me the problem is I can't help but compare him to Peter Gabriel and the latter is such a talented, multi-layered and deep thinking artist with a genuine altruistic attitude around helping world music artists get recognised and a host of other worthy aims that he makes Collins seem even more one dimensional and lightweight than he is. In comparison I just find Collins music utterly lightweight and 'safe' and his politics are deplorable.... that said I realise an awful lot of people like his music so fair play to him I guess. It's all just opinion at the end of the day.

I really don't rate Gabriel. Vastly less melodic than Collins. I did like Salisbury Hill album and "Games Without Frontiers", "Sledgehammer" was OK and the duet with Kate Bush good but I don't like much of his solo stuff after that, defo not the "world music" stuff. Whether they have "worthy aims" or are "altruistic" most not get in the way of a purely musical critique I believe... (says the guy who disposed of Morrisey's latest effort after he opened his gob again!)
 
I really don't rate Gabriel. Vastly less melodic than Collins. I did like Salisbury Hill album and "Games Without Frontiers", "Sledgehammer" was OK and the duet with Kate Bush good but I don't like much of his solo stuff after that, defo not the "world music" stuff. Whether they have "worthy aims" or are "altruistic" most not get in the way of a purely musical critique I believe... (says the guy who disposed of Morrisey's latest effort after he opened his gob again!)

Jeez man, Gabriel's a frigging musical genius. He's made at least 8 excellent solo albums, three of which are nailed on greats and his movie soundtrack work is equally as beguiling. Less melodic than Collins??? Less commercial than Collins yes and he has more than 3 melodies in his repertoire. They're not comparable, Gabriel is 10 times the musician and person that Collins is. All IMO of course. :D
 
Jeez man, Gabriel's a frigging musical genius. He's made at least 8 excellent solo albums, three of which are nailed on greats and his movie soundtrack work is equally as beguiling. Less melodic than Collins??? Less commercial than Collins yes and he has more than 3 melodies in his repertoire. They're not comparable, Gabriel is 10 times the musician and person that Collins is. All IMO of course. :D

Well there ya go... I reckon Collins is ten times the musician which Gabriel is. I dislike the majority of his solo work. I also preferred Genesis with Collins at the helm.
 
Jeez man, Gabriel's a frigging musical genius. He's made at least 8 excellent solo albums, three of which are nailed on greats and his movie soundtrack work is equally as beguiling. Less melodic than Collins??? Less commercial than Collins yes and he has more than 3 melodies in his repertoire. They're not comparable, Gabriel is 10 times the musician and person that Collins is. All IMO of course. :D
I love them both and listen for different reasons. I don't listen to Collins for depth and introspection, I listen because the brass hook on Sussudio is infectious or the groove on 'I cannot believe it's true' makes me dance. Gabriel grooves in a much different way and it's not something I generally want to dance to with my lady but it still makes me move.
 
1. U2 - The Joshua Tree - Got this. It's a great album.
2. Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms - A weak effort compared to their earlier albums.
3. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses - Pretty influential record, though not my thing.
4. Michael Jackson - Thriller - One of the biggest albums of all time -had to be on the list.
5. Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction - Rescued hard rock from hair metal.
6. The Human League - Dare - not familiar with this - does it have "Don't you want me" ?
7. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead - I suppose A smiths album had to be somewhere
8. Paul Simon - Graceland - not my cup of tea
9. ABC - The Lexicon Of Love - not familiar
10. Prince - Purple Rain - not my cup of tea, but was pretty big at the time.
11. Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love - awful dross IMO - stopped after her first two albums (which are great)
12. Duran Duran – Rio - who the ^%$%^ voted for this ?
13. Tears for Fears - Songs From The Big Chair - some tremendous songs, even if the genre isn't your thing.
14. Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA - worst of his albums
15. AC/DC - Back In Black - I prefer their earlier work but a solid reprise album
16. Deacon Blue - Raintown - who ?
17. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasuredome - really ? Two hit wonders.
18. INXS - Kick - decent enough album
19. George Michael - Faith - Not really my thing, but no denying his talent
20. Pet Shop Boys - Actually - Never liked them.

The one album I would have liked to see on the list is Depeche Mode's Violator. you can't have an 80s list without some synth pop, and I think this was the best (though some good stuff from Yazoo, Erasure, Bronski Beat, Talk Talk etc).
 
1. U2 - The Joshua Tree - Got this. It's a great album.
2. Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms - A weak effort compared to their earlier albums.
3. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses - Pretty influential record, though not my thing.
4. Michael Jackson - Thriller - One of the biggest albums of all time -had to be on the list.
5. Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction - Rescued hard rock from hair metal.
6. The Human League - Dare - not familiar with this - does it have "Don't you want me" ?
7. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead - I suppose A smiths album had to be somewhere
8. Paul Simon - Graceland - not my cup of tea
9. ABC - The Lexicon Of Love - not familiar
10. Prince - Purple Rain - not my cup of tea, but was pretty big at the time.
11. Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love - awful dross IMO - stopped after her first two albums (which are great)
12. Duran Duran – Rio - who the ^%$%^ voted for this ?
13. Tears for Fears - Songs From The Big Chair - some tremendous songs, even if the genre isn't your thing.
14. Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA - worst of his albums
15. AC/DC - Back In Black - I prefer their earlier work but a solid reprise album
16. Deacon Blue - Raintown - who ?
17. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasuredome - really ? Two hit wonders.
18. INXS - Kick - decent enough album
19. George Michael - Faith - Not really my thing, but no denying his talent
20. Pet Shop Boys - Actually - Never liked them.

The one album I would have liked to see on the list is Depeche Mode's Violator. you can't have an 80s list without some synth pop, and I think this was the best (though some good stuff from Yazoo, Erasure, Bronski Beat, Talk Talk etc).

I'm liking your comments with each album :)

I reckon Dare would count as "Synth Pop" though?
 
I'm liking your comments with each album :)

I reckon Dare would count as "Synth Pop" though?

Yes - you're right. I'd still have Violator on the list - synth pop that somehow manages not to sound / feel like synth pop.
 
No mention of "Disintegration" by the Cure. In fact no albums on that list of one of the biggest bands on the planet in the latter part of the 80s.
 
Jeez man, Gabriel's a frigging musical genius. He's made at least 8 excellent solo albums, three of which are nailed on greats and his movie soundtrack work is equally as beguiling. Less melodic than Collins??? Less commercial than Collins yes and he has more than 3 melodies in his repertoire. They're not comparable, Gabriel is 10 times the musician and person that Collins is. All IMO of course. :D
I am not a fan of Collins but he is a really great musician, not sure Gabriel is but he’s definitely had the more interesting solo output. The best thing Collins ever did was help John Martyn make ‘Grace & Danger’.
 
Yes - you're right. I'd still have Violator on the list - synth pop that somehow manages not to sound / feel like synth pop.

There's a reason that 'Violator' won't be on lists of the best albums of the 80s. It's because it was released in 1990.

Apart from that, IMO it's their best album. A stone cold classic.
 
There's a reason that 'Violator' won't be on lists of the best albums of the 80s. It's because it was released in 1990.

Apart from that, IMO it's their best album. A stone cold classic.

There's always one pedant ;) I just checked the sleeve - has 1989 and 1990 on - I expect recorded in 89 and released in 90 - for some reason I've always thought of it as a late 80s album, but you are absolutely right.
 


advertisement


Back
Top