Blondie – Parallel Lines (1978)
Blondie – Parallel Lines (1978) While released in the late ’70s, its influence permeated the ’80s new wave scene. Featuring hits like “Heart of Glass” and “One Way or Another,” Blondie seamlessly blended punk, disco, and pop, setting a precedent for genre-crossing in new wave music. https://www.blondie.net
R.E.M. – How Debut Album ‘Murmur’ Spread The Word About R.E.M.
R.E.M. – The record R.E.M. emerged with remains one of the most compelling and otherworldly debut albums in rock history. Filler-free and the passing of time have merely added to the record’s timeless allure. In December 1987, North America’s most prestigious rock publication, Rolling Stone, granted R.E.M. the front cover and proclaimed them to be “America’s Best Rock […]
Rio – Duran Duran
Rio – Duran Duran’s Breakthrough New Wave Masterpiece Released on May 10, 1982, Rio is the second studio album by English new wave icons Duran Duran. Written and demoed before entering AIR Studios in London, the band spent early 1982 crafting a record that pushed their sound further than their debut. With producer Colin Thurston […]
New Order Power, Corruption & Lies
New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies A Landmark Album That Redefined Electronic Rock Released on May 2, 1983, Power, Corruption & Lies is the second studio album by English rock band New Order, issued through the influential independent label Factory Records. The album marked a major turning point for the band, showcasing a bold […]
Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair
Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Phonogram Records. The album peaked at number two in the UK and at number one in the US, becoming a multi-platinum seller and the band’s most successful studio album to date. Songs from the Big Chair spawned the commercially successful singles “Mothers Talk”, “Shout”, “Everybody Wants […]
The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead (1986)
The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead (1986) If “How Soon Is Now” off The Smiths’ previous album was the starting-pistol shot announcing their intentions to delve into darker territories, then the title track off The Queen Is Dead was rhythmic strafing to the same effect. But the devastating melancholia quickly morphs into the sardonic lyrical meglomania that made […]
Talking Heads: Remain in Light (1980)
Talking Heads: Remain in Light (1980) For their fourth and finest record, the Talking Heads (along with producer/collaborator/all-around musical badass Brian Eno) trotted out their African influences in full force. Polyrhythmic, lyrically cryptic and featuring one of the most awesomely weird guitar solos of all time (Adrien Belew’s blippy genius on “Born Under Punches”), Remain in […]
Elvis Costello: My Aim is True (1977)
Elvis Costello: My Aim is True (1977) Costello’s debut album bridged the gap between the roiling punk energy of the mid-70s and the staid tradition of literate, intimate, popular songwriting that traces from the Gershwins, Berlin and Porter to Buddy Holly and Lennon/McCartney. The record (with the country-tinged ballad, “Alison,” the straight-up rockers “Mystery Dance” and […]
