1980 Pazz & Jop

Wondered how the first decade of the '80s held up now, as we finished the first decade of the aughties...

Albums	
 1 The Clash: London Calling (Epic)
 2 Bruce Springsteen: The River (Columbia)
 3 Talking Heads: Remain in Light (Sire)
 4 Pretenders: Pretenders (Sire)
 5 Public Image Ltd.: Second Edition (Island)
 6 Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band: Doc at the Radar Station (Virgin)
 7 Elvis Costello & the Attractions: Get Happy!! (Columbia)
 8 Stevie Wonder: Hotter Than July (Tamla)
 9 Prince: Dirty Mind (Warner Bros.)
10 Gang Of Four: Entertainment! (Warner Bros.)
11 Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel (Mercury)
12 Steely Dan: Gaucho (MCA)
13 Michael Jackson: Off the Wall (Epic)
14 Peter Townshend: Empty Glass (Atco)
15 Rockpile: Seconds Of Pleasure (Columbia)
16 X: Los Angeles (Slash)
17 The Feelies: Crazy Rhythms (Stiff)
18 Dire Straits: Making Movies (Warner Bros.)
19 David Bowie: Scary Monsters (RCA Victor)
20 The Rolling Stones: Emotional Rescue (Rolling Stones)
21 The English Beat: I Just Can't Stop It (Sire)
22 Joy Division: Closer (Factory import)
23 Smokey Robinson: Warm Thoughts (Tamla)
24 Squeeze: Argybargy (A&M)
25 Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth (Rough Trade import)
26 T-Bone Burnett: Truth Decay (Takoma)
27 Van Morrison: Common One (Warner Bros.)
28 The Police: Zenyatta Mondatta (A&M)
29 Lydia Lunch: Queen of Siam (ZE)
30 Iron City Houserockers: Have a Good Time (But Get Out Alive) (MCA)
31 Professor Longhair: Crawfish Fiesta (Alligator)
32 The Specials: The Specials (Chrysalis)
   Neil Young: Hawks and Doves (Reprise)
34 Arthur Blythe: Illusions (Columbia)
35 Carlene Carter: Musical Shapes (Warner Bros.)
36 Graham Parker: The Up Escalator (Arista)
37 John Lennon/Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy (Geffen)
38 Joan Armatrading: Me Myself I (A&M)
39 Diana Ross: Diana (Motown)
40 Pink Floyd: The Wall (Columbia)
	
Singles	
	
 1 Kurtis Blow: "The Breaks" (Mercury)
 2 Joy Division: "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (Factory import)
 3 Blondie: "Call Me" (Chrysalis)
 4 The Clash: "Train in Vain"/"London Calling" (Epic)
   Pretenders: "Brass in Pocket" (Sire)
 6 Stevie Wonder: "Master Blaster (Jammin')" (Tamla)
 7 John Lennon/Yoko Ono: "Just Like Starting Over"/"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Geffen)
 8 The Vapors: "Turning Japanese" (United Artists)
 9 Lipps Inc.: "Funkytown" (Casablanca)
10 Diana Ross: "Upside Down" (Motown)
   Bruce Springsteen: "Hungry Heart" (Columbia)
12 Devo: "Whip It" (Warner Bros.)
13 Pretenders: "Talk Of the Town"/"Cuban Slide" (Real import)
14 Martha & the Muffins: "Echo Beach" (Virgin)
   Rolling Stones: "Emotional Rescue" (Rolling Stones)
16 Jermaine Jackson: "Let's Get Serious" (Motown)
   The Pointer Sisters: "He's So Shy" (Planet)
18 Bush Tetras: "Too Many Creeps"/"Snakes Crawl"/"You Taste Like the Tropics" (99)
   The Jam: "Going Underground" (Polydor import)
   Joy Division: "Atmosphere"/"She's Lost Control" (Factory 12-inch)
21 Paul Simon: "Late in the Evening" (Warner Bros.)
   Donna Summer: "The Wanderer" (Geffen)
23 Jim Carroll Band: "People Who Died" (Atcol)
   Dead Kennedys: "Holiday in Cambodia" (Optional)
   Pylon: "Cool"/"Dub" (Caution)
   Split Enz: "I Got You" (A&M)

http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres80.php

I turned 11 in 1980 so my memories of the time at the time are pretty limited. I think they did a good job on the list though, all things considered. Joy Division probably shoulda been a little higher... Kurtis Blow put rap on the critical map (beating Blondie, which I guess was an upset at the time)...

Any more thoughts? Anyone vote in it?

lol @ elvis costello ahead of off the wall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNQRfBAzSzo

^^^blacklisted^^^

Gaucho beating Off the Wall by just one place is kind of awesome!

Scary Monsters beat Emotional Rescue also just by one.

1 The Clash: London Calling (Epic)
2 Bruce Springsteen: The River (Columbia)
3 Talking Heads: Remain in Light (Sire)
4 Pretenders: Pretenders (Sire)
5 Public Image Ltd.: Second Edition (Island)
6 Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band: Doc at the Radar Station (Virgin)
7 Elvis Costello & the Attractions: Get Happy!! (Columbia)
8 Stevie Wonder: Hotter Than July (Tamla)
9 Prince: Dirty Mind (Warner Bros.)
10 Gang Of Four: Entertainment! (Warner Bros.)

album list skews heavily in favor of white post punk, arty pop and singer-songwriter stuff, no surprise. singles list is much more appealing & unpredictable.

Great, great year -- one of the best ever. Album and singles lists both make 1990, 2000, and 2010 seem completely anemic and depressing by comparison. (I didn't start voting until a year later, though, I think.)

Fwiw, since a couple people mentioned it above, Off The Wall was actually a 1979 album that had finished #18 in 1979, and in 1980 carried over its votes from the previous year.

Do think Get Happy is easily the worst album in that top 10, though.

Album and singles lists both make 1990, 2000, and 2010 seem completely anemic and depressing by comparison.

how so? the 1990 and 2000 lists NYCN posted both look pretty good to me. less open to rock, punk and energetic altmusic, but that's to be expected.

Go4 >>> Clash imo

Pretty nice showing for YMG, considering

how so?

xp Way way way more great albums and singles, way way way fewer boring ones. (Or maybe I just like new wave!)

Still holding up pretty great. Every single year from 1980 through 1984 was an absolutely ace year for music!

album list skews heavily in favor of white post punk, arty pop and singer-songwriter stuff, no surprise. singles list is much more appealing & unpredictable.

While I love 1980, the new new romantic/synth style was only just starting to happen and it wasn't until 1981 that archetypical early 80s music really started to dominate. I suspect even Crisgau wasn't quite ready to accept synthpop as great music at the time though - few critics were.

23 Smokey Robinson: Warm Thoughts (Tamla)

Is this any good, or is it there out of reverence for glories past?

It's good! I love most of his singles from this period (i.e. "Let Me Be The Clock").

but, yes, in a sense it's playing catchup after the unexpected success of "Cruisin'."

Also, 1990 and 2000 and 2010 didnt have anything remotely like what hearing "The Breaks" must have been like in 1980

Most of Smokey Robinson's solo albums have been out of print for ages (not sure if they have ever been released on CD). So, in my case, I actually haven't heard it. A pity, because he has made some great singles, and I am sure there may be good stuff hidden away on his albums as well.

Hopefully they may reappear now that BBR will apparently be reissuing a lot of lost Motown albums from the 70s and 80s.

xpost except if you're in england and hear "Night Slugs"

Also, 1990 and 2000 and 2010 didnt have anything remotely like what hearing "The Breaks" must have been like in 1980

In 2040, when Witch House is the dominant commercial genre, this comment will seem silly.