Top 5 of the Eighties

This started out as a twitter poll this morning:

Twitterpoll – best albums of the 1980s. Let’s limit it to no more than 3 choices just to make it challenging.

I got some good replies, but I had trouble with 3. After I tweeted my top 3 (Joshua Tree – U2, Back in Black – AC/DC, Up to Here – Tragically Hip), I kept thinking of others that should be up there too. No doubt about it – 3 albums is not enough. Obviously this needed to be a blog meme, and ssandifer came up with some good parameters – how about Top 5 albums and WHY? I like those terms, so here’s my list:

Joshua Tree – U2

IMHO, the best album of the 80s. U2s best album. This is the only album in my life that I had to get the day it was released, and I was not disappointed. One of my last albums on vinyl, I think I played this until the needle wore through the vinyl.

Back in Black – AC/DC

I think this one is self evident, but here’s my thinking as to why this album must be on the list. Every hard-rock/heavy metal hair band that came along during the 80s owes their existence to this album. But please don’t hold that against the album or the band. This is the seminal heavy rock album and most other heavy rock bands and albums pale in comparison.

Up to Here – Tragically Hip

For about a year, it was not out of my walkman for more than a week.

Synchronicity – The Police

Here’s the big problem – how can you narrow it down to just one Police album. Every album seemed to get better so their last album is the obvious choice.

Lifes Rich Pageant – R.E.M.

The list had to have an R.E.M. album in it to be authentic. They were the archetype of the alternative/indie rock band throughout the 80s, finding their greatest success on college radio stations. I like all their recordings from the decade, but this is a favourite from start to finish.

So there’s the list. I’ve probably left off other albums that should make the top 5 although I’m not sure which albums would get bumped. My choices are partially based on how the music connected with my life at the time (and still does). That’s what good music is all about though – it connects us to a time and place, or maybe to a person or experience, but is also timeless. Just thinking about these albums brings back a lot of memories. For these specific choices, I tried to limit myself to albums that are greater than the sum of the songs on them so there are many good albums that have many good songs but don’t have that synergistic power. I’ve also decided that I’m not going to cheat at the end by having a list of all the “albums that were really good but didn’t make the list”.

So – there are the rules. Pick 5 of the best albums released during the 1980s, explain why you picked those 5 then tag about 5 others to do the same. And no sneaky add-ons to the list by mentioning the albums you didn’t choose!

I’m tagging:

• Alec Couros
• Heather Ross
• D’Arcy Norman
• Jennifer Jones
• MtnLaurel (real name unknown)
• Stephanie Sandifer (because she came up with the meme theme
• Darren Draper (Journey?!? You must justify that one)