1) "Don't You (Forget About Me)" - Simple Minds 2) "The Boys of Summer" - Don Henley 3) "Shout" - Tears for Fears 4) "How Soon is Now" - The Smiths 5) "Feeling Gravity's Pull" - REM 6) "If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free" - Sting 7) "Clap Hands" - Tom Waits 8) "Nirvana" - The Cult 9) "Heaven" - Bryan Adams 10) "Everything She Wants" - Wham!
Marvellous year: 1. Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush 2. Cloudbusting - Kate Bush 3. Walls Come Tumbling Down - The Style Council 4. West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys 5. Marlene on the Wall - Suzanne Vega 6. Raspberry Beret - Prince 7. Dirty Old Town - The Pogues 8. Shake the Disease - Depeche Mode 9. A New England - Kirsty MacColl 10. Be Near Me - ABC 11. And She Was - Talking Heads 12. Life in a Northern Town - The Dream Academy 13. Nelson Mandela - Youssou N’dour 14. Johnny Come Home - Fine Young Cannibals 15. Lost Weekend - Lloyd Cole & the Commotions 16. Downtown Train - Tom Waits 17. Coal Train (Stimela) - Hugh Masekela 18. Shakespeare’s Sister - The Smiths 19. Into the Groove - Madonna 20. Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears 21. Black Man Ray - China Crisis 22. Don’t You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds 23. Driver 8 - REM 24. In Between Days - The Cure 25. She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult 26. Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads 27. This Is Not America - David Bowie & the Pat Metheny Group 28. The Unforgettable Fire - U2 29. The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys 30. Appetite - Prefab Sprout 31. Sensi Crisis - Nerious Joseph 32. Just Like Honey - Jesus & Mary Chain 33. I’m on Fire - Bruce Springsteen 34. Here I Come - Barrington Levy 35. The Wind of Change - Robert Wyatt & the Swapo Singers 36. This Is What She’s Like - Dexys Midnight Runners 37. Perfect Kiss - New Order 38. Bring On The Dancing Horses - Echo & the Bunnymen 39. Sunspots - Julian Cope 40. Russians - Sting
You guys do a really good and extensive job at looking at songs, albums, years, and artists. I really enjoy your channel. In 1985 I was in college and the stuff that comes to mind immediately are Phil Collins ("Sussudio") and Dire Straits ("Money for Nothing") around that time. It's so different to have dealt with hearing this stuff over and over and over and over to the point that despite the merits of the song you hate it LOL and simply looking back at songs to listen to and then judging them. Although the way you do it takes the negative emotion out of the game. I had completely forgotten about "Tarzan Boy" and not until playing it did I remember - funny! I'm not sure what my favorites are, but Kate Bush is a very good pick of the many you mention; she is niche enough to have not gotten sick of. Prince and Bruce Springsteen were also too huge at this time to enjoy, though both are great artists (or, were in the case of the former).
Hello again dears! Can’t believe this is already my 6th Songs of the Year list! Dedicated and relentless… that’s what you all are. Has it gone by fast for everyone else who’s been doing this for weeks/months?! I’m convinced that this channel exists in a time warp. Feeling ageless & in awe, even in an uncertain world. Remember: Strangers are no longer strangers after sharing a song they love. Awwwww… A warm & fuzzy thought for a very chilly day 💙 Have a fine weekend everyone! 1985 … 1. Enigma Of The Absolute - Dead Can Dance … pure bubble bath bliss! A Cathedral Mass of sound in my lil ol’ bathroom. 2. Rock me Amadeus - Falco - This would be #1 if I let 8 year old me pick. Running down the hallway past my cousin’s room with the Van Halen poster to his sister’s room to wear this record out! 3. Xiola - Psi Com - this could be my favorite version of Perry Farrell, the Innovator. 4. The Perfect Kiss - New Order - I almost can’t believe this has a symphony of croaking frogs in it - that is one of the most soothing sounds of summer nights! Who does that? New Order, that’s who! 5. That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore - The Smiths 6. Highwayman - The Highwaymen 7. Marian - Sisters Of Mercy (Does anyone else hear the echoes of this in the opening of Lamb Of God’s Memento Mori?) 8. A Night Like This - The Cure 9. I Wanna Be A Cowboy - Boys Don’t Cry 10. She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
I've been playing along since the beginning and it has been going by fast and has become a fun hobby. It's going to be weird when we eventually reach the end and there are no more years. Hope you also have a great weekend!
What a great year for music!! 1985 was all over the place with Phil Collins, Madonna and more BUT my favs are a little different Til Tues- Coming Up Close I love the piano Belious Some- Some People It’s catchy, different..and it’s been a hidden gem of mine Level Fukin 42!!! -Something About You- up there is the Top 10 best of the 80’s The Sweetest Taboo-Sade had to put her in here..love her music although I enjoy Your Love is King even better King For A Day -thomphson twins My favorite of theirs..it may have not charted so maybe a deep cut? Worst Song- A View To A Kill Duran Duran I’ve always hated the clunky lyrics and Simon’s whispering annoys the hell out of me..”can we dance into the fire”? Awful!!! thanks fellas!! U guys 🪨
Great pick from Joe for Song of the Year. I wasn't born until the late-90s but that song I dunno how but it simultaneously feels timeless yet of it's time. It evokes this nostalgic feeling for the 80s yet works so well as a pop song. Of the Hot 100 songs, it's probably my favourite of '85.
Great to see Kram’s pick a Green on Red song. I saw them live in 1985, and did a cover of Neil Young’s “Down by the River,” so good call on referencing Young when discussing them. I was in college in ‘85, and the album I was most obsessed with all year was Husker Du’s “New Day Rising.” “Celebrated Summer” is the best followed by “I Apologize”, “Folklore”, and “Books About UFO’s.” End of my infomercial of this amazing album and batch of songs. Great job on this pick, Kram. A band I’ve seen live four times.
One of the fun things searching through the UK charts for my lists has been spotting various acts getting their first chart appearance. This week I discovered that Wendell Gee by REM, one of my favourite bands, got to number 91 in this year.
1) Close to Me - The Cure (WC). For a band with a reputation as moody goths, these guys sure could write a catchy pop tune. Also, this is the best song with handclaps. 2) Jockey Full of Bourbon - Tom Waits* (WC). The least '80s sounding song on any of my lists in the '80s. Marc Ribot's guitar playing on this song (and this whole album) is fantastic. Waits is at the top of his game here. 3) Just Like Honey - Jesus & Mary Chain (WC). Super ahead of its time. Excellent tune. 4) She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult (WC). Really foreshadows '90s alternative rock. Seamlessly blends hard rock and alternative music, yet it's all very catchy. 5) The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys (WC). Really cool song with moving lyrics. There's a lot of debate about who this song is about, but Mike Scott says it's a combination of a bunch of people. Fiona Apple does a great cover of this. 6) I'm Goin Down - Bruce Springsteen (9). Cool rockabilly influenced song from Born in the USA. 7) Raspberry Beret - Prince (2). Proof that Prince could do anything in the mid-80s. Here, he dabbles in Psychedelic Pop. 8) I'm on Fire - Bruce Springsteen (6). I'm not a huge Springsteen guy, but I tend to prefer his quieter, stripped down tracks. This sounds like it could've been off Nebraska. 9) Voices Carry - 'Til Tuesday (8). Cool Aimee Mann song. The verses sound a bit like Split Enz's "I Got You", but the chorus is really lush. 10) Life in a Northern Town - Dream Academy (7). Cool tune co-produced by David Gilmour. 1985 was maybe slightly worse than 83 and 84 in terms of the Hot 100, but it's still pretty strong. However, I think the wildcard choices really came alive this year. I really had to make some tough cuts there.
Rain Dogs was excellent! Agree about Ribot. I saw him in Toronto around this time and he played shred metal nothing like on Rain Dogs. It was so disappointing.
Clap Hands and Walking Spanish were on my wild card short list. My wild card list ended up being pretty conventional (college rock heavy, that is). Rain Dogs is decidedly unconventional. I think it's as avant garde as just about anything out there. Amazing how he can crank out such appealing music with all of those strange sounds.
Midge Ure's "If I Was". A solo UK No1. for the really talented scottish musician who (along with Bob Geldof) masterminded the Band Aid single and Live Aid Wembley concert.
Joe's delivery on the, "It also won the Cold War" line was perfect. I do love Husker Du quite a bit, but, Joe is right on with his take on 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World'. That song and Blondie's 'Heart of Glass' are two songs that I just never tire of, no matter how many times I've heard them. And they are also both songs that, even though they are each of their respective release time periods, I think could have been hits in pretty much any era. They're just perfect, well constructed pop songs.
Really enjoyed the Todd Rundgren song. Unique. Good choice, Jason. 'Rebels' is a great song too. I think the live version on Pack up the Plantation just pips the studio version.
My first year of really getting into music, I still have my handwritten list of all 50 songs on John Peel's Festive 50 and listen to lots of them. But, off the top of my head, here are my favourites: Divide and Conquer - Husker Du I am Damo Suzuki - The Fall How Soon Is Now? The Smiths A Pair Of Brown Eyes - The Pogues Push - The Cure (maybe my favourite Cure song) Raspberry Beret - Prince
A Brilliant Year! Too many to choose but these came immediately to mind Maps and Legends-REM (from greatly underrated album) Road to Nowhere-Talking Heads A Pair of Brown Eyes-The Pogues Dirty Old Town -The Pogues The Pan Within-The Waterboys (Could choose almost any track from This is the Sea- an all time classic) Primitive Painters-Felt She Sells Sanctuary-The Cult (Happy memories of numerous nights dancing to this) Perambulator-The Icicle Works In Between Days-The Cure Cities in Dust-Siouxsie and the Banshees Cloudbusting-Kate Bush Head Over Heels-Tears for Fears Shout-Tears for Fears Black Planet-Sisters of Mercy Love Like Blood-Killing Joke V2-That Petrol Emotion Bittersweet-The Hoodoogurus Shake the Disease-Depeche Mode Could go on and on…
Joe, I forgot how great the Rocky IV soundtrack was. I played it over and over as a teen. The montage songs are so uplifting! I bought the album for the Survivor and Robert Tepper songs and was totally surprised at how great the rest of it was! Great shout out! Jason gets some credit though too, I also like Broken Wings!
For my list: 1. Everybody wants to rule the world - Tears For Fears 2. Harvest for the world - The Power Station 3. Don’t stop the dance - Bryan Ferry 4. Spies like us - Paul McCartney 5. Goodbye Is Forever - Arcadia 6. Can’t ignore the train - 10,000 Maniacs 7. Fortress around your heart - Sting 8. West end girls - Pet Shop Boys 9. Ocean Blue - ABC 10. Angel - Madonna
☆Tonite She Comes☆The Cars ~love the joyride Easton takes you on this fab song!! She sells Sanctuary~The Cult Raspberry Beret~Prince Rebels~Petty&HB's Only the young ~Journey Marathon~RUSH Tonight's it's you~Cheap Trick Blind Curve~Marillion Don't you (forget about me)~Simple Minds Head over heels~T's for F's Going with Joe this week😁
Hats off for including Go West and Prefab Sprout. Broken Wings is good, but Kyrie is outstanding. And awesome call Jason on the Rundgren Pretending To Care. Stunning vocal! Look up the RUclips video of Todd singing it backed by a 4 piece string ensemble. It’ll give you chills.
Kram wins - Celebrated Summer is one of the best pop songs of all time, and possibly my favorite song ever. Literally yelled "YES!" out loud when he called it.
I'd call it rock rather than pop. The best part for me is in the last part when the guitar comes in overlapping and then the quiet end. The earlier parts I respect but they don't excite me.
Hey, yeah, Kramzer! You were right and your number one pick of Husker Du gets my vote. Although I do love the Tears for Fears track too. And, to be fair, I just listened to 'Pretending to Care' for the first time. Pretty cool. Put me in mind of when Bjork did her fully vocalised lp, Medulla (in 2004, I believe). But yeah, Husker Du for the win. Cheers guys x
Listography was such a great name. Great job guys. I always liked "Middletown Dreams" as my favorite deep cut from Power Windows. I think I like Jason's list the best, despite the "Broken Wings" debacle.
Great lists!! are you guys gonna do a Tears For Fears album ranking sometime soon, as they've got a new album coming out on 25th February?? love the channel btw, cheers :)
Shame that I couldn't get Green on Red on my wild card list. Just a really strong year. And since Gas Food Lodging is my favorite album of theirs, this year was their best shot.
My top 10 of 1985, regardless of charting: 10. Things Can Only Get Better - Howard Jones 9. Material Girl - Madonna 8. Don't You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds 7. Couldn’t Get ahead - The Fall 6. I’m On Fire - Bruce Springsteen 5. Just Like Honey - The Jesus and Mary Chain 4. Passing Complexion - Big Black 3. Raspberry Beret - Prince 2. Close to Me - The Cure 1. The Old Main Drag - The Pogues
10Ratt-Lay It Down 9Debarge-Who's Holding Donna Now 8Thompson Twins-Lay Your Hands(Extended) 7Hall & Oates-Method Of Modern Love 6A-HA-Take On Me 5Miami Sound Machine-Bad Boy 4John Parr-St Elmo's Fire(Man In Motion) 3Julian Lennon-Much Too Late For Goodbyes 2Philip Bailey & Phil Collins-Easy Lover 1Wham-Everything She Wants Deep Cut of The Year: Replacements-Here Comes A Regular
Wow, Joe... "Be Near Me" is a song I really like. Saw ABC "perform" it on American Bandstand and thought, "I really like that guy's shirt. And this is a good song."
Came in too late for the vote, unfortunately, but Kramzer gets a gigantic YES vote from me. Also, his Top 5 picks are clearly the best here IMO. Well done, Kramzer!
Great Year! HM: Your Love, Road To Nowhere, And She Was, Take On Me, Big Money, Kyrie, Dixie Fried, The Old Man Down the Road, Brothers in Arms, Goodbye, Sentimental Street 10. Walking on Sunshine - Katrina & the Waves 9. Emotionally Yours - Bob Dylan 8. Rock Me Amadeus - Falco 7. Vive Le Rock - Adam Ant 6. In My Dreams - Dokken 5. And We Danced - the Hooters 4. Look at Little Sister - Stevie Ray Vaughan 3. The Rose of England - Nick Lowe 2. Par Avion - Mike + the Mechanics Worst - We are the World 1. One More Minute - Weird Al Yankovic
I Thought Jason would have "The Cult" for sure! Oh well, here's my top five picks: 5. "Green Grow the Rushes" REM 4. "In Between Days" The Cure 3. "I'll Buy" The Replacements 2. "Rain" The Cult 1. "She Sells Sanctuary" The Cult 🏆(favorite song of the 80s)
I dig "She Sells Sanctuary" but it feels like an incomplete song. It only has a few different parts. But I will be thrilled when they do a Cult week. I was big into Love when it came out.
1. Sub-Culture - New Order (album version) 2. Bring On the Dancing Horses - Echo & the Bunnymen 3. In Between Days - The Cure 4. Green Grow The Rushes - R.E.M. 5. The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys 6. Never Understand - The Jesus & Mary Chain 7. Disenchanted - The Church 8. Scorpio Rising - 10,000 Maniacs 9. Road To Nowhere - Talking Heads 10. I'm Your Man - Wham! 11. Anything, Anything - Dramarama 12. Head Over Heels - Tears For Fears 13. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - The Smiths 14. Kiss The Dirt - INXS 15. Makes No Sense At All - Hüsker Dü 16. Voices Carry - Til Tuesday 17. Perfect Way - Scritti Politti 18. Lost Weekend - Lloyd Cole & The Commotions 19. So In Love - O.M.D. 20. Life In A Northern Town - The Dream Academy 21. And We Danced - The Hooters 22. Desire - Gene Loves Jezebel 23. Raspberry Beret - Prince 24. The Bottom Line - Big Audio Dynamite 25. She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult 26. Alive And Kicking - Simple Minds 27. Dress You Up - Madonna 28. Shake The Disease - Depeche Mode 29. Take Me Home - Phil Collins 30. Thursday Afternoon - Brian Eno... all 60 minutes of it..
For 1985 it was only ever going to be a track from “Hounds of Love” by Kate Bush. It’s been lauded so many times as her greatest achievement that I’ve noticed a little kick back lately. Not that anyone is dismissing an amazing piece of work, but more a re-evaluation of other albums in her discography, especially that of her previous release “The Dreaming” which I have seen rise to the top of many a “worst to best of” discography. (I believe this was Joes pick as his favourite, with Jason going for “The Sensual World” and only Kramzer, out of the three, going for “Hounds of Love”) The aforementioned “kick back” may be down to the familiarity and continuous airing of the classic three tracks, Cloudbusting, Running up that Hill and the title song itself. None of which, for me, lose any of their magic, no matter how many times I hear them. But as my choice for SOTY 1985, I have to go for “And Dream of Sheep” It may just be my favourite Kate Bush song of all. It hits me in a way that I can barely describe. It gives me a feeling in my stomach (in a good way) that no other song of hers does. She recorded another version some 30 years later with a video, that became part of her live show in 2014 and still after all that time her voice leaves me weak at the knees. I’m sorry how cheesy* that sounds (*insert other word here if preferred) but I can’t describe it in any other way. I have always been a little surprised that she doesn’t seem to be as lauded in the U.S. as she is over here in the U.K. You’ve taken many a British artist to your hearts, but, as biased as I am, I never understood how she never quite made it across the pond. However, it was great to see the sheer enjoyment and admiration (and love) of all things Kate Bush from Joe during the Listography album ranking but on the flip side I was a little surprised by Jason’s lukewarm feeling towards a female, singer songwriter (a genre he so obviously loves) who, for me, tops them all. There wasn’t, isn’t and will never be another artist like her. ❤️ PS apologies for the continued use of “Listography” I will get there with “Taste of Music” but us Brits do tend to struggle with change 😉
Doesn't matter which nominated song gets the most votes, "Running Up That Hill" is still the best song of the year, darn it! I played that whole album to death, man. I literally wore out the cassette. "Lionheart" never really hit me, but everything else from "The Kick Inside" to "The Red Shoes" was in constant rotation for me for years.
I went "The Ninth Wave" and called it Song Of The Year... as I looked at it as a single piece of music divided into parts. I think that's her best work, ever. But if I had to pick one album, I'd go "THE DREAMING." Cheers!
I was surprised that Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill was actually a hit in the US, as we all know the US market has always had a very low tolerance for anything fringe sounding ... and ALL of Kate Bush's songs are all very "weird" and "odd" sounding to the general audience in the US ... It seems the 80s was the last time the US had a taste for european non-mainstream songs, after that the doors were so firmly shut...
Top 5 :- 1. Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush 2 .Everyone Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears 3. Don't You(Forget About Me) - Simple Minds 4. Careless Whisper - Wham! and George Michael 5. Cloudbusting - Kate Bush(Hounds of Love is an amazing album) Wild cards :- 1. Into the Groove - Madonna 2. Don't Come Around Here No More - Tom Petty 3. Shout - Tears for Fears(along with Mad World - it's a very dark song, and I can't see it getting made nowadays) 4. Appetite - Prefab Sprout 5. How Soon is Now - The Smiths
In no specific order: - Dead Or Alive: You Spin Me Round - Commodores: Nightshift - Smiths: That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - Cure: Close To Me - Pet Shop Boys: West End Girls - Talking Heads: Road To Nowhere - Prince: Raspebby Beret I'd have also mentioned George Michael's Careless Whisper if I hadn't listened to it a fantazillion times in shopping malls and supermarkets.
I liked Nightshift, another good smooth soul in 85 was Cherish. But I didn't like You Spin Me or West End Girls at all. Careless Whisper was 84 really.
For no apparent reason The Rah Band’s Clouds Across The Moon popped up in my head last night at work, which was everywhere (in Holland) in the summer of 1985. I think it was more a European thing, though. Please Kramz, mention The Cure!! 😎 (Just saw the reaction to Broken Wings, hehe!)
10) “Big Train (from Memphis),” John Fogerty 9) “Windy and Warm,” Doc & Merle Watson 8) “From St. Kilda to Kings Cross,” Paul Kelly 7) “Wendell Gee,” REM 6) “Tore Down a la Rimbaud,” Van Morrison 5) “Running Up That Hill,” Kate Bush 4) “She Twists the Knife Again,” Richard Thompson 3) “Bring It on Home to Me,” Sam Cooke, from Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 2) “Perfect World,” Talking Heads 1) “Downtown Train,” Tom Waits
A website called “Slicing Up Eyeballs; the Legacy of 80’s College Rock” sporadically ran polls from 2015-21 asking people to vote for their favorite 25 songs of a particular year, obviously starting with 1980 and ending with 1989. I wish I would’ve posted what I voted for on the 80-84 videos, but oh, well. Here’s my 85 list in ABC order (voted on in April, 2019): 10,000 Maniacs - My Mother, the War Book of Love - I Touch Roses David Bowie & the Pat Metheny Group - This Is Not America Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill Camper Van Beethoven - Take the Skinheads Bowling Coil - Tainted Love The Cramps - Can Your Pussy Do the Dog? Dead Kennedys - MTV-Get Off the Air Don Dixon - Praying Mantis Echo & the Bunnymen - Bring On the Dancing Horses Bryan Ferry - Slave to Love Husker Du - New Day Rising The Jesus & Mary Chain - Just Like Honey Naked Raygun - I Don’t Know R.E.M. - Driver 8 The Replacements - Left of the Dial Shriekback - Nemesis Simple Minds - Don’t You (Forget About Me) Siouxsie & the Banshees - Cities in Dust The Sisters of Mercy - No Time to Cry Sonic Youth - Death Valley ‘69 Talking Heads - And She Was Suzanne Vega - Marlene on the Wall The Waterboys - The Whole of the Moon X - Burning House of Love
That Red and Green song is powerful, but I don't know how much of that comes from the amazing video; it has the feel of a Merle Haggard song to it; like timeless... Husker Du...never heard them before; you have to admire their frugality; you know, recording in someone's garage and unscrewing land-line phones to use the microphones for vocals; low overhead... I had "Around The World In A Day" in my cassette deck; but Pop Life has the snare drum so loud in the mix I could never *really* crank it without fearing for my speakers; the snare would distort before any other instrument; maybe his estate could remaster that tune... Lastly; having Madonna sing on your song makes it "worst list" proof -she can do no wrong, I checked out that Jellybean song and I couldn't stop listening all the way through...to Madonna's voice; one can't not listen to her voice imo; But, the "grain of salt" you can take that with is; I feel the same way about Sheena Easton...I listened to a 3 hour concert of hers from '83 because I couldn't stop; my clicking finger was paralyzed... In Closing: Todd Is quite possibly literally God...
This was the year when music videos really peaked. I have a hard time separating songs from videos, in particular "Material Girl," "Take On Me," "Sussudio," and "Raspberry Beret." Must have been a pretty good year, with no mention of songs from single-packed albums by Phil Collins (No Jacket Required), Whitney Houston (self-titled debut album), John Cougar Mellencamp (Scarecrow), and Aretha Franklin (Who's Zoomin' Who?). It was also the year of "We Are The World." I was sitting in a restaurant late one night in early 1985, and that song came on the jukebox. When Bob Dylan's part came up, several bus boys stopped working and sang along, Dylan-style, and cracked up laughing after they were done.
Hi everyone, My favorite songs of 1985: 1.Tango Till They're Sore. Tom Waits 2.A Pair of Brown Eyes. The Pogues 3.Inbetween Days. The Cure 4.Driver 8. R. E. M. 5.Running Up That Hill ( A Deal With God). Kate Bush 6.Don't Bang The Drum. The Waterboys 7.When Loves Breaks Down. Prefab Sprout 8.Just Like Honey. Jesus & Mary Chain 9.And She Was. Talking Heads 10.Barbarism Begins At Home. The Smiths 11.Swinging Party. The Replacements 12.Knight Moves. Suzanne Vega 13.Raspberry Beret. Prince 14.So Far Away. Dire Straits 15.Everyone A Puzzle Lover. 10,000 Maniacs 16.Lost Weekend. Lloyd Cole & The Commotions 17.Shout To The Top. The Style Council 18.Celebrated Summer. Hüsker & Dü 19.Into The Groove. Madonna 20.Westend Girls. Pet Shop Boys 21.Love Vigilantes. New Order 22.The Age Of Self. Robert Wyatt 23.Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Tears For Fears 24.Walking On Sunshine. Katrina and The Waves 25.There Must Be An Angel. Eurythmics
Hello Fran - I've been gone for a few weeks but I am back. Got my 1986 list ready to go. A fantastic 85 list you have there. A great year for Tom Waits. We talked about this before - Rain Dogs is such an amazing album. - I did not do a list for 85 because I wanted to catch up to the series- I'd probably have Driver 8 or Road to Nowhere in the top spot. (We'll see . .) I think Rain Dogs is one of those albums where about half the songs could contend for best of the year, especially if you are a fan of Tom Waits. Your choice was excellent. His greatest album, yeah? Pogues are great, too. Several of their songs will be "song of the year" contenders for the 1988-1990 era. What a pinacle for them!! Talk to you soon, my friend.
Hüsker Dü!!! Plus a Green On Red mention! 1985 was such a pivotal year for me, music wise. My top whatever in some sorta order, I guess. 1. Celebrated Summer-Hüsker Dü 2. A Few Hundred Thank You's-The Silos 3. Here Comes A Regular-The Replacements 4. A Pair Of Brown Eyes-The Pogues 5. Death Valley 69-Sonic Youth w/Lydia Lunch 6. Hard To Be Human- The Mekons. This is where they started the climb to being one of my top, still performing, bands. 7. Sun God-Squirrel Bait. 8. Price Of Paradise-The Minutemen 9. Cruisers Creek-The Fall 10. Driver 8-REM 11. Jak-Volcano Suns 12. Circumspect Penelope-Look Blue, Go Purple 13. Repulsion-Dinosaur Jr. 14. Broken Whiskey Glass-Jason and the Scorchers 15. Endicott-Kid Creole and the Coconuts 16. Brand New Friend-Lloyd Cole and the Commotions 17. Bittersweet-Hoodoo Gurus 18. My Love Explodes-Dukes Of The Stratosphere 19. Pages Turn-28th Day 20. Looking For Lewis and Clark-The Long Ryders 21. Jockey Full Of Bourbon-Tom Waits 22.Sixteen Ways-Green On Red 23. Makes No Sense At All-Hüsker Dü. Two albums, two songs. 24. Death Of The European-Three Johns 25. Hit The Headlines-The Ex
Great list. That Sonic Youth song was in the hunt for me, as were some Pogues, Green on Red, Tom Waits, the Fall, and Long Ryders tunes. I had White Lies by Jason and the Scorchers because it was the first tune I ever heard from them and in 1985 that song helped pry open a whole other world of music for me. But Broken Whiskey Glass is the gem on that album. The Silos will be in the mix for me in 1987. I love their Cuba album.
@@burmajones803 Thanks. A Few Hundred Thank You's was my Silos entry point. Saw then a few times; a different line-up each time, but always great. But the Cuba era was the best. Yeah, all those bands (that sometimes fall under the unfortunate "cowpunk" or "Y'alternative" monikers) seemed to happen within a few years of each other and that was where I lived for awhile. Another band from that scene, Giant Sand, will start showing up on my lists in the late 80's.
two thumbs up for Jason & The Scorchers. They own my favorite "it's only rock 'n roll" or "the show must go on" story. Saw them live at Barrymores in Ottawa in late 80's. A couple of songs into the show, Jason says "big shout out to Steve's Music for supplying us all this gear we are using. Everything we had was stolen between last night's show in Montreal and tonight's show". Somehow they gave an amazing performance.
My Top 10: 1. MIDNIGHT OIL ´´Hercules´´ 2. MARILLION ´´Kayleigh´´ 3. TINA TURNER ´´We Don´t Need Another Hero´´ 4. MR MISTER ´´Kyrie´´ 5. QUEEN ´´One Vision´´ 6. RADIO FUTURA ´´La Vida en la Frontera´´ 7. DAVID BOWIE & PAT METHENY GROUP ´´This is not America´´ 8. A-HA ´´The Sun Always Shines On Tv´´ 9. R.E.M. ´´Maps and Legends´´ 10. SIMPLE MINDS ´´Don´t You (Forget About Me) Greetings from Canary Islands
Looks this week like there is also a contest in the comments for the worst pick of the week between Jason's "Broken Wings" and Kramzer's "Tarzan". Voting for Kramzer in this one, but I'm also voting for him in the SOTY pick. My favorite songs from 1985: 1. The Jesus & Mary Chain - The Hardest Walk 2. Talk Talk - Life's what you make it 3. Prince - Pop Life 4. The Cure - In Between Days 5. Talking Heads - And She Was 6. The Mekons - Hard To Be Human Again 7. R.E.M. - Drive 8 8. Hüsker Dü - The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill 9. The Smiths - The Boy With The Thorn in His Side 10. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
Hello Rich: This is true. Innovators. The Once in a Lifetime video is one of the great pre-MTV music videos. (BTW, that's a topic which has always interested me.)
My Top 5 5. A View To A Kill - Duran Duran 4. Easy Lover - Phil Collins/ Phillip Bailey 3. Power of Love - Huey Lewis and the News 2. Everybody Wants To Rule The Workd - Tears For Fewrs 1. Don’t You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
1. Ride the Sky - Helloween 2. Up to the Limit - Accept 3. Rebels - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 4. Warriors - Savatage 5. Let the Music Do the Talking - Aerosmith 6. Rebel - Roger Daltrey 7. Nervous Man - Armored Saint 8. Scarlet Fever - Kix 9. Too High to Get it Right - Accept 10. Psychopath - Lizzy Borden
I remember liking it at the time but I haven't heard since it was out. When doing these lists I have found the odd occasional song that I quite liked at the time they were out that I have been disappointed by on a re-listen.
My favourites for 1985: 01) Don't Stop The Dance - Bryan Ferry 02) Boy Who Cried Wolf - The Style Council 03) Cry - Godley & Creme 04) Slave To The Rhythm - Grace Jones 05) Cloudbusting - Kate Bush 06) Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears 07) And Dream Of Sheep - Kate Bush 08) The Lodgers - The Style Council 09) Profoundly In Love With Pandora - Ian Dury 10) Appetite - Prefab Sprout
1. Downtown Train - Tom Waits 2. Dirty Old Town - The Pogues 3. When Love Breaks Down - Prefab Sprout 4. Tupelo - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 5. Time - Tom Waits 6. Mr Somewhere - The Apartments 7. Driver 8 - REM 8. Walls Come Tumbling Down! - The Style Council 9. In Between Days - The Cure 10. New Danville Girl - Bob Dylan (outtake of Empire Burlesque) 11. Appetite - Prefab Sprout 12. Bastards Of Young - Replacements 13. Marlene On The Wall - Suzanne Vega 14. From St Kilda To Kings Cross - Paul Kelly 15. Road To Nowhere - Talking Heads 16. When The Spell Is Broken - Richard Thompson 17. Sense Of Wonder - Van Morrison 18. Misfits - Neil Young 19. Gun Street Girl - Tom Waits 20. The Lady Don't Mind - Talking Heads
Top 5 Real Time Chart (17 year old me's faves) Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears Sussudio - Phil Collins I'm On Fire - Bruce Springsteen This Time - INXS Walk of Life - Dire Straits Top 5 Charts Remaster Pop Life - Prince (also my favorite Prince tune of all) A Love Bizarre - Sheila E. Will the Wolf Survive - Los Lobos You Spin Me Round - Dead of Alive In My House - Mary Jane Girls (produced by Rick James; barely beat out Oh Sheila and Meeting in the Ladies Room in yet another strong, strong year for R&B. So many great R&B tunes this year and this decade. Synth pop began to wane in 1985, but electro-funk is still killing it.) Top 5 Wild Cards Here Comes a Regular - the Replacements White Lies - Jason and the Scorchers - this song actually got airplay on the Milwaukee rock station in 1985. I heard it, bought the album, and my whole musical world began to shift. The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill - Husker Du - this band released TWO outstanding albums in 1985. I couldn't leave them out even though this was a strong, strong year for wild cards for me. Can't Get There from Here - R.E.M. - this is the other paradigm-shifting song that got rock radio airplay in 1985. Had never heard of R.E.M. before this song. Things Don't Change - Zeitgeist/The Reivers - They were Zeitgeist. They had to change their name a la Listography. Can't find this album (Translate Slowly) on streaming services, but it's on RUclips. Great male/female harmonies from this Austin, TX jangle pop band. Lead singer John Croslin went on to produce Spoon albums. This song is sublime - ruclips.net/video/hz24kuQETvU/видео.html SOTY - Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World Worst - As much as I want to give this award to David Lee Roth for his dumb cover of either California Girls or Just a Gigolo, I have to declare We Built This City by Starship to be the worst of 1985 and possibly the worst song of the decade. And it hit #1. Ugh.
@@bengalgangster Jason and the Scorchers EP Fervor and LP Lost and Found are two of the absolute best records in my collection. Joe might speak fondly of Lone Justice next week, but Jason and the Scorchers are the harder version of cowpunk. 1987's Still Standing album took a turn towards HUGE drums sounds and 80s metal guitars, which isn't to my taste as much. But it's still a great album. I'm not as familiar with their later albums though.
"You Spin Me Round" and "A Love Bizarre" both were in my top 10 for Hot 100 songs. "We Built This City" is pretty bad, but I'd still take it over "We Are the World".
@@edgustafson yeah, I can see WatW being pretty bad, but at least it was for charity. Starship actually got rich off that offense to human ears. And it's a worse song.
HM - Prince - Raspberry Beret, Smiths - How Soon is Now, Kirsty MacColl - New England (Written by Billy Bragg but forever associated with her.), Nick Cave - Tupelo, Cramps - Can Your Pussy Do the Dog 5. Roy Harper - Hope (Even without Jimmy Page on guitar this would have been a great song.) 4. Jennings/Cash/Nelson/Kristofferson - Highwayman (I just love how each of those 4 legends is able to make his point in a song that is just 3 minutes long without it appearing forced.) 3. Firm - Radioactive (For 2 1/2 minutes this "supergroup" were able to produce more than cooperate 80s rock. More than most other bands ever accomplish - but then most do not have such a line-up.) 2. Feargal Sharkey - You Little Thief (Written by Benmont Tench and produced by David A. Stewart, the solo efforts of the former Undertones singer are far from the band's punk/post-punk and more representing the style of his collaborators. It beats his synthpop #1 hit A Good Heart by a thousand miles...) 1. Ramones - My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg) (They still could create great songs even in their later years and they were not a political band, just expressing the frustration of youth in the Reagan era. The single was not released in the US but of course gained underground popularity quickly and was finally included on their 1986 album Animal Boy.)
Great to see somebody other than me picking a Roy Harper song. BTW, I don't think Page is on that song. The music and guitar riff was written by David Gilmour, I am not sure who plays the riff on Roy's version, but it's very unlikely to be Page. Cheers!
@@AnotherBadSpeech I have the complete album liner notes and it says that Harper himself does not play electric guitar here, Gilmour has co-written the music and it gives special credit to Roy's brother Nick Harper for "semi-acoustic guitar sequestering" whatever that means. Page gets a global credit for electric guitar on everything.
@@roxannewalsh Yes, I know that, but still... I just don't think that Page would play a guitar part that was written by Gilmour (but, yes, I can be wrong). Nick Harper's semi-acoustic is also quite enigmatic 🤔
@@AnotherBadSpeech It is quite possible that Gilmour himself played on the song - very often his famous friends were not credited or appeared under an alias. Somewhere I read that the main reason was Harper being on small labels and all the paperwork and lawyers involved in getting the required approval from their labels would have been more than the money they made with the records itself. For the musicians themselves it was a privilege to play with their idol.
My Top 10 Of 1985 - # 1 Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush , # 2 Falling - The Comsat Angels , # 3 Myrhh - The Church # 4 Cruisers Creek - The Fall , # 5 Voices Carry - Til Tuesday , # 6 Sinking - The Cure # 7- Raspberry Beret - Prince , # 8 Kings & Queens - Killing Joke , # 9 Song For The Dreamers - Danny & Dusty & # 10 The Pan Within - The Waterboys. My favorite album of 1985 was Night Time by Killing Joke & worst song was easily We Built This City by The Starship - It's a long way from Surrealistic Pillow ! A long way down 😆 ( Danny & Dusty were a " Supergroup comprised of members of Dream Syndicate, Green On Red & Long Ryders ) ✌
Yep, '85 was pretty fantastic, both in terms of Top 40 stuff and college rock gems. Top mainstream Billboard hits: 1. Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears 2. Take on Me - A-Ha 3. Life in a Northern Town - The Dream Academy 4. Fortress Around Your Heart - Sting 5. Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush 6. Smooth Operator - Sade 7. Pop Life - Prince & the Revolution 8. Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds 9. So in Love - OMD 10. A View to a Kill - Duran Duran 11. Election Day - Arcadia 12. Lay Your Hands on Me - Thompson Twins 13. The Boys of Summer - Don Henley 14. Broken Wings - Mr. Mister 15. Money for Nothing - Dire Straits 16. Head Over Heels - Tears for Fears 17. The Power of Love - Huey Lewis & the News 18. Voices Carry - Til Tuesday 19. Shout - Tears for Fears 20. Things Can Only Get Better - Howard Jones 21. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free - Sting 22. Sentimental Street - Night Ranger 23. Be Near Me - ABC 24. Cry - Godley & Creme 25. Perfect Way - Scritti Politti 26. One Lonely Night - REO Speedwagon 27. Material Girl - Madonna 28. Raspberry Beret - Prince & the Revolution 29. Don't Come Around Here No More - Tom Petty 30. Everything She Wants - Wham! Top college rock, deep cuts and underperforming singles: 1. She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult 2. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - The Smiths 3. Just Like Honey - The Jesus and Mary Chain 4. Driver 8 - R.E.M. 5. Bastards of Young - The Replacements 6. Dancin' - Chris Isaak 7. Paint Work - The Fall 8. Faron Young - Prefab Sprout 9. Close to Me - The Cure 10. Makes No Sense at All - Husker Du 11. Enigma of the Absolute - Dead Can Dance 12. The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys 13. Love Like Blood - Killing Joke 14. East of Eden - Lone Justice 15. Bigger the Punch I'm Feeling - China Crisis 16. Aikea-Guinea - Cocteau Twins 17. The Riddle - Nik Kershaw 18. Good Advices - R.E.M. 19. Swingin' Party - The Replacements 20. The Mole from the Ministry - The Dukes of Stratosphear 21. Like to Get to Know You Well - Howard Jones 22. Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads 23. Bring on the Dancing Horses - Echo and the Bunnymen 24. I Wonder If I Take You Home - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force 25. Last Time Forever - Squeeze 26. Singapore - Tom Waits 27. Stay - Oingo Boingo 27. Johnny Come Home - Fine Young Cannibals 28. Call Me - Go West 29. Duel - Propaganda 30. We Run - Strange Advance
My Favorite Singles, of 1985: “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” - Tears for Fears “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” - Simple Minds “Crazy for You” - Madonna “The Power of Love” - Huey Lewis & the News “Everytime You Go Away” - Paul Young Album Picks + (some singles/previously or in the future will be released): “Take on Me” - A-Ha “Hercules” - Midnight Oil “Head Over Heals” - Tears for Fears “Old Man Kensey” - R.E.M. “Don’t Come Around Here No More” - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Worst single: “Some Like It Hot” - Power Station
Some of my favourite songs are from this year, and the top 5 is 1) The Waterboys - This Is the Sea 2) The Jesus & Mary Chain - Just Like Honey 3) Felt - Primitive Painters 4) Kate Bush - And Dream of Sheep 5).R.E.M. - Driver 8
My top 5 "Hot 100" 1. "Head Over Heels" / Tears For Fears / Album: Songs From The Big Chair (1985) 2. "Perfect Way" / Scritti Politti / Album: Cupid & Psyche 85 (1985) 3. "Don't Lose My Number" / Collins, Phil / Album: No Jacket Required (1985) 4. "Everything She Wants" / Wham! / Album: Make It Big (1985) 5. "Never" / Heart / Album: Heart (1985) My top 5 "Deep cuts" 1. "Can't Get There From Here" / R.E.M. / Album: Fables Of The Reconstruction (1985) 2. "Axel F" / Faltermeyer, Harold / Album: Beverly Hills Cop (Soundtrack) (1985) 3. "Big Money, The" / Rush / Album: Power Windows (1985) 4. "Running Up That Hill" / Bush, Kate / Album: Hounds Of Love (1985) 5. “Wall Of God” / China Crisis / Album: Flaunt The Imperfection (1985) My "worst song" 1. "Oh Sheila" / Ready For The World / Album: Ready For The World (1985) Song of the year 1. "Fortress Around Your Heart" / Sting / Album: The Dream Of The Blue Turtles (1985)
Everything She Wants was in the running. It's a great song. I cannot disagree more with your worst song though. That track is a great example of mid-80s R&B and is tons of fun. Why do you hate fun?
@@burmajones803 I don't hate fun! That song has always struck me the wrong way. Maybe because I heard it so many times in 1985? I guess my idea of "fun" is different than yours.
First things first: a big hoorah for Kramzer's SOTY pick. I wasn't expecting this and you will surely get my vote. BTW, how about a Hüsker Dü listography? As much as I love the exploding creativity of the 60's and the big records of the first half of the 70's, the mid 80's start a long run of great years, the music I grew up with, that will last until the late 90's. #1 Life and How to Live It - R.E.M. #2 The Queen and The Soldier - Suzanne Vega #3 Green Eyes - Hüsker Dü #4 Downtown Train - Tom Waits #5 Celebrated Summer - Hüsker Dü And here are a few honourable mentions: She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult Primitive Painters - Felt That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - Smiths Good Advices - R.E.M. Bastards of Young - Replacements Ninety Forty Eightish - Roy Harper Nemesis - Shriekback ...the list could go on.
Jason I’m with you mate, nothing wrong with Broken Wings! And Joe how can you put Hearts on Fire ahead of No Easy Way Out..Fist pumping heaven! My no.1 for the year has to be Cloudbusting - Kate Bush.
I always learn so much from this excellent channel! I was still a teenager in this and hadn't heard most of the songs you guys picked. I also didn't know (I'm ashamed to say) that Raspberry Beret was by Prince. I'd only heard the Warren Zevon version and hated it. Thought it sucked and was a self indulgent and utterly pointless song (tho I usually like Zevon). But the original is absolutely brilliant, and the best song of the year by a long margin. The worst song of the year--- 'We Are the World' just beats 'One More Night', or anything else by Phil Collins from that year. Being forced to listen to that stuff because it's being played everywhere is quite different to just listening in on spotify out of for 30 seconds. Most annoying song, for the same reason would have to be 'Careless Whisper'. I've heard that sax solo so many times... and always wanted to re-record it played on a kazoo instead.
Correction. Having listened to the first 30 seconds of it, the worst song of the year is Tarzan Boy. Holy shit that song sucks. Apologies to at least one of the hosts, but holy shit.... Jesus....WTF????
My #1... Push - The Cure The worst... Broken Wings - Mr Mister Hot 100... (Pride) In The Name Of Love - U2, Take On Me - Aha, I'm On Fire - Bruce Springsteen, People Are People - Depeche Mode, Summer Of 69 - Bryan Adams, Wildcards... A Few Hours After This - The Cure, (My favourite Cure B-side) Perfect Blue - Lloyd Cole and The Commotions, (Was always my fave off the Commotions 2nd Album 'Easy Pieces') When Love Breaks Down - Prefab Sprout, Forbidden Fruit - Blow Monkeys, (From 'Animal Magic' 1986 but this was the first single released 1985 UK) JUST MISSED OUT... Lost Weekend - Lloyd Cole and The Commotions, Close To Me, In Between Days, Sinking, The Exploding Boy - The Cure, (HOTD is My 2nd favourite Cure album. I don't dislike any) Shakespeare's Sister - The Smiths, Bonny, Goodbye Lucille #1 (Johnny, Johnny), Faron Young - Prefab Sprout, (Paddy McAloon deserves more love) And She Was - Talking Heads, Dancin’, Funeral In The Rain - Chris Isaak, ( like a lot of Isaaks catalogue) Aikea Guinea - Coctau Twins, (As a 20 year old in 85 this would have been my SOTY) Jacobs Ladder - The Monochrome Set, (Should have been a hit, still got the 45) Slave To Love - Bryan Ferry, It Will Come - The Woodentops, (I never heard anything else by them but I but I loved this, still got the 45) A Good Heart , You Little Thief - Feargal Sharkey, (The Undertones were great & Feargal is such a good vocalist) Just Like Honey - The Jesus & Mary Chain, Do You Know What I Mean - Rick Nelson, (Rick wouldn't make it to 1986, due to a plane crash on New Years Eve) Hounds Of Love - Kate Bush' La Femme Accident - OMD
Howard Jones in '85 presumably about music: "Things Can Only Get Better". 1) Driver 8 -REM 2) Mystic Rhythms -Rush 3) The Phoenix -The Cult 4) Into The Groove -Madonna 5) Don't Stop The Dance -Bryan Ferry.
12. In Between Days, by The Cure 11. What You Need, by INXS 10. Shout, by Tears For Fears 9. Own The Night, by Chaka Khan 8. Dead Man's Party, by Oingo Boingo 7. Something About You, by Level 42 6. She Sells Sanctuary, by The Cult 5. Bastards Of Young, by The Replacements 4. Road To Nowhere, by Talking Heads 3. Desire, by Yello (same album that has OOOOOHHHHHH YEEAAAAHHH) 2. A Love Bizarre, by Sheila E. 1. Evan, by Jan Hammer I'll probably think of more tomorrow.
I do heave a sigh of relief on the odd occasion these days one of you picks something as your top choice somewhere in my top 30.... there's nothing wrong with obvious choices Joe if it's great...though I forgot to include Pop Life on my list!! (Would be about 10th or so in my albums column)
BILLBOARD 1. WINNER: *Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) by Kate Bush #30* (Tremendous, majestic art pop that I'm delighted saw some chart action. One of the all-time greats for me, honestly.) 2. *Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears #1* (One of the more enduring anthems of the year for good reason. Packed with strong hooks.) 3. *Crazy for You by Madonna #1* (This track isn't nearly as beloved as the others here, but for my money it's a middle school dance classic. Really like her voice in this more understated tone too.) 4. *And She Was by Talking Heads #54* (At their most straight-forward and accessible, in a good way. It's just great pop-rock.) 5. *Raspberry Beret by Prince and the Revolution #2* (Got that psychedelic touch, but still very much within his prime style.) WILDCARD 1. *Hounds of Love by Kate Bush* (Another sweeping epic. Some of my favorite use of strings in a song ever.) 2. *Just Like Honey by The Jesus and Mary Chain* (Really appreciate how this one manages to walk the line between the noise pop and ethereal. The Be My Baby drum beat usually never disappoints either.) 3. *Cloudbusting by Kate Bush* (Completes the trifecta of her big Hounds of Love singles. More incredible strings, and I think this one's secret lies just in how suspenseful it feels.) 4. *Into the Groove by Madonna* (Would have unquestionably been a smash hit on Billboard had it been an eligible single in North America. Just a fantastic uptempo number for the dancefloor.) 5. *Elegia by New Order* (Incredible atmospheric instrumental. Love when the synthesizer takes over.) Top 10 Wildcard HM: The Whole of the Moon by The Waterboys Close to Me by The Cure New wave is becoming decidedly less predominant by now. My pool of contenders is also starting to shrink a little in general as we move into the second half of this decade, but I'm very happy with the top tracks here. Worst TOP 40: Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody by David Lee Roth #12 (There's something about the combination of swing music with cheesy 80s production that sounds so lame.) Worst Runner Up: Separate Lives by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin #1
Best Songs Matches: *70 - Kram +3* *57 - Joe +2* *52 - Jason +1* Worst Songs Matches: 5 - Jason 2 - Joe 1 - Kram Top Song Votes: *12 - Joe* 12 - Jason 11 - Kram
Hi Guys! Happy New Year to you! Here are my choices for 1985 (from the UK charts though) My SOTY is: Last Time Forever - Squeeze (the most Un-Squeezy song ever!) Great fretless base and Jools is back on the ivories too (you can tell). I also have: How Soon is Now? - The Smiths Love Like Blood - Killing Joke She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult Unforgettable Fire - U2 H/m: Duel - Propaganda (nice bit of Europop) Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys Lost Weekend - Lloyd Cole & the Commotions Can't Get There From Here - R.E.M Cheers!
Louise, I love that Squeeze song! I almost included it on my list, I love Jools's piano playing on that song. I chose "Hits of the Year" instead. Also, good call on Lloyd Cole!
@@markgatica12 it’s not well remembered. My older brother had their comeback album “Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti” and he played it non stop. It’s grown on me more and more as I’ve got older 😊
Loved hearing Joe mention GO WEST. Some great songs from them. I'm still perplexed how bands like that can even be discovered by someone born in 1985. I don't know any songs from 1957 (unless someone told me and then I'd say oh, yeah I heard that). Props also to Jason for the Voices Carry song. Loved Til Tuesday.
1. Wendell Gee - REM 2. Bring on the Dancing Horses - Echo and the Bunnymen 3. Delerium Tremens - Christy Moore 4. Driver 8 - REM 5. No Rope as long as Time - Latin Quarter 6. Thinking of You - Colourfield 7. Stainsby Girls - Chris Rea 8. Move Closer - Phyllis Nelson 9. Can't help falling in love - Lick the Tins 10. Crazy - REM extras 'Inbetween Days' - Cure, 'Brand New Friend' -Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, The Captain of her Heart - Double, Kayleigh - Marillion
Here's my top ten for 1985. 1)Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush 2)Thinking Of You - The Colourfield 3)Getcha Back - Beach Boys 4)Marlene On The Wall - Suzanne Vega 5)20/20 - George Benson 6)Coconut Grove - David Lee Roth 7)The Best of Everything - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 8)Mary's New Car - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 9)Slave To The Rhythm - Grace Jones 10)Nothin' At All - Heart
Really fun show. I also love Mr Mister & the Rocky IV sound track but can’t stand Tarzan boys I’m afraid. My top 5 UK hits - Money for Nothing (Dire Straits), Take On Me (A-Ha), Summer of 69 ( Bryan Adam’s), Out in the fields (Gary Moore / Phil Lynott), & 19 (Paul Hardcastle). Wild Cards - Don’t Come round here no-more (Tom Petty), Rumbleseat (John Mellencamp), Power of Love (Huey Lewis), On a storey Tellers Night (Magnum). My favourite - I’d Die to be with you tonight (Jimmy Barnes). Least Favourite: I want to know what love is (Foreigner). How does a band that produces 4 great albums then release this?!
my top 10 of 85 in no particular order: The Smiths- The Headmaster Ritual The Pogues- A Pair of Brown Eyes Prince- Pop Life R.E.M.- Driver 8 The Velvet Underground- Foggy Notion Talking Heads- Road to Nowhere Prefab Sprout- Faron Young Miles Davis- You're Under Arrest Tom Waits- Jockey Full of Bourbon The Jesus and Mary Chain- You Trip Me Up
For me, this was a really strong year in the UK singles charts. Although that feeling may have been heightened by my research for this year being interspersed by that for 2021! My list of acts with more than 1 entry on my long list but none in my top 10 are David Bowie, Talking Heads, Latin Quarter, Philip Bailey, China Crisis*, Simple Minds and Marillion. Once again, I was surprised by some of the songs that missed out: Running up that Hill - Kate Bush Boys of Summer - Don Henley Love like Blood - Killing Joke Something about You - Level 42 Hanging on a String (Contemplating) - Loose Ends West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys Let's Go Crazy - Prince Duel - Propaganda Head Over Heels - Tears For fears The Unforgettable Fire - U2 *The first chart band I saw live!
Hanging on a String was a favourite of mine then, but never liked West End Girls. It's one of those songs that thinks it's got a great hook but doesn't, imo.
Simple Minds timeless classic "Don't You Forget About Me", never get tired of listening to it. You couldnt imagine The Breakfast Club movie without it (like The Power of Love and Back To The Future.) Ironically the band forgot about it after recording it, lol because it wasnt one of their original songs but it went on to top the U.S. charts and reached No 7 in the UK (staying charted for over a year).
Bonus Round: Top 10 songs from 1985's "Rain Dogs": 1. Time* 2. Downtown Train* 3. Jockey Full of Bourbon* 4. Singapore 5. Tango Til They're Sore 6. Blind Love 7. Hang Down Your Head 8. Clap Hands 9. Walking Spanish 10. Rain Dogs *(in my full top 10 of 1985)
I would say: 1. Jockey Full of Bourbon 2. Hang Down Your Head 3. Clap Hands 4. Anywhere I Lay My Head 5. Singapore 6. Union Square 7. Tango 'Til They're Sore 8. Time 9. Downtown Train 10. Big Black Mariah
One of the best years of all-time (especially since the early '70s) for albums; not as strong as '84 for songs. But there are some great ones. 10) The Cult - “She Sells Sanctuary” - So catchy as Billy Duffy holds forth on his chorus- and reverb-laden White Falcon in a masterpiece of post-punk cool. Why they decided they needed to be AC/DC after this I have no idea. Such a loss. 9) Katrina and the Waves - “Red Wine and Whiskey” - One of my favorite relatively-mainstream guitar rockers of the ‘80s. Such a sense of urban cool, with a fantastically catchy chorus. 8) R.E.M. - “Life and How to Live It” - Headlong guitar abandon. Great harmonies to boot. Their most unsung upbeat gem. 7) 10,000 Maniacs - “Back o’ the Moon” - I used to adore this band back in high school. While they have fallen precipitously in my estimation over the years, this organ-and-mandolin-fueled toe-tapper is so infectious, and the lyrics so wonderful, that I can forgive Natalie’s goose-honking (which had thankfully been largely addressed by time of the next album). Like the drum fill out of the bridge as well. 6) Kate Bush - “The Big Sky” - The Hounds of Love’s most urgent cut, an extravaganza of drama and passion. 5) Simple Minds - “Don’t You (Forget about Me)” - This is another cut that has fallen in my estimation over the years, but it’s still way up here. Definitely one of those “you had to be there” songs, as it was clearly a generational anthem for us kids back in the ‘80s. The “la-la-la’s” at the end take it over the top. A moment of silence for Derek Forbes, as this was his last cut with the band prior to far later reunions. 4) Cocteau Twins - “Aikea-Guinea” - Cocteau Twins leave their gothic era with an absolute pearl, a gorgeous confluence of crystalline guitar blooms from Guthrie and lovely glossolalia from Fraser in the chorus. The fulfillment of every promise they had made up to this point. 3) Kate Bush - “Cloudbusting” - Very likely my favorite Kate Bush track, with its passionately wistful optimism, those urgent cellos, and those soaring vocal cries at the end. 2) Suzanne Vega - “Some Journey” - Suzanne Vega slams her own debut for its “Windham Hill” arrangements, but history shows that it was by far the best framing for her songwriting. The album has a passion to its supposed dispassion that she has not really attempted to equal since. And by far its most perfect track is its most new-agey, with Mark Isham’s synths and Darol Anger’s electric violin taking this magical travelogue with its luminous lyrics into full-blown goosebumps territory. Love love love it. 1) R.E.M. - “Driver 8” - Perhaps their best guitar song. A perfect distillation of their southern character, coming off as something of a post-punk CCR. But I would far rather listen to Stipe around this era than John Fogarty. There’s just this sense of perfection to it, as if it wrote itself. The final cuts: 11) Simple Minds - “Alive and Kicking” - Cheesy and pretentious in its bombast, but also features beautiful synth work from Michael McNeill and that dramatic rushing buildup into the second chorus. 12) The Dream Academy - “The Edge of Forever” - Those synth pads are ludicrously cheap and cheesy, but this still soars with adolescent angst and heartbreak. 13) Sting - “Fortress around Your Heart” - It’s ridiculous, but it’s also majestic. A sonic cathedral with its dazzling modulations into the chorus and Branford’s perfect fills. 14) The Replacements - “Little Mascara” - Tim found The Replacements delving ever deeper into their poppy side. The vocal hooks in the extended coda of this might be the most emotionally poignant in the history of the band. 15) The Church - “Columbus” - The Church’s Heyday might just be their best album, with plenty of sonic invention, beautiful hooks, and urgency. “Myrrh,” which features their most enchanting guitarchitectural opening to a song, just missed my “just missed” list. This tune is the catchiest and most urgent on a fantastic album. 16) Kate Bush - “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” - Wherein she makes drum machines majestic. 17) Suzanne Vega - “Cracking” - Another of my favorites from her fantastic debut, with perfectly simple chords and those “ahhhhs” in the chorus. 18) Sting - “Shadows in the Rain” - A far superior remake of the Police song, with plenty of pseudo-jazziness from Branford Marsalis and Kenny Kirkland, but also celebratory enthusiasm from his highness. 19) Suzanne Vega - “Small Blue Thing” - Another gem from her debut, with gorgeous imagery and delicate delivery. 20) The Chameleons U.K. - “Singing Rule Britannia (As the Walls Close In)” - The Chameleons’ 1985 album What Does Everything Mean? Basically is a like a self-contained greatest hits, with a nice intro and coda bookending 8 fantastic tracks, but there are so many riches of reverb-laden guitarchitecture that it’s hard to pick just one. I decided to include this with its mood of claustrophobic menace that lives up to the title. Honorable mentions: The Church - “Myrrh,” The Replacements - “Kiss Me on the Bus (sleigh bells in a Replacements song? So underrated),” Cocteau Twins - “Kookaburra (a surprisingly simple pop-rocker that pointed exhilaratingly toward their next era)” The Chameleons U.K. - “One Flesh,” The Chameleons U.K. - “On the Beach,” and “Home is Where the Heart Is,” The Smiths - “Well I Wonder,” R.E.M. - “Feeling Gravity’s Pull,” Stevie Wonder - “Overjoyed,” New Order - “Elegia,” Kate Bush - “The Jig of Life” and “The Hounds of Love,” The Smiths - “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” and “The Headmaster Ritual,” The Dream Academy - “Life in a Northern Town,” Sting - “Children’s Crusade,” Kate Bush - “Hello Earth” and “The Morning Fog,” Cocteau Twins - “Pink Orange Red,” The Pogues - “A Pair of Brown Eyes,” Suzanne Vega - “The Queen and the Soldier,” Tom Waits - “Downtown Train,” Killing Joke - “The Eighties” and “A Love Like Blood,” New Order - “Sooner Than You Think,” Suzanne Vega - “Knight Moves” and “Freeze Tag,” R.E.M. - “Maps and Legends,” R.E.M. - “Can’t Get There from Here,” “Good Advices,” and “Wendell Gee,” Sting - “Moon over Bourbon Street” and “Consider Me Gone,” The Pogues - “The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn,” “Sally MacLannane,” “Dirty Old Town,” and “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda,” The Replacements - “Hold My Life” and “Here Comes a Regular,” The Church - “Tristesse” and “Roman,” 10,000 Maniacs - “Can’t Ignore the Train” and “My Mother the War,” The Dukes of Stratosphear - “Your Gold Dress,” Echo & the Bunnymen - “Bring on the Dancing Horses,” Prince - “Pop Life,” Husker Du - “Celebrated Summer,” “Makes No Sense at All,” and “Divide and Conquer,” The Cure - “In Between Days,” The Chameleons U.K. - “Perfumed Garden,” “Looking Inwardly,” and “Return of the Roughnecks,” Suzanne Vega - “Marlene on the Wall,” “Straight Lines,” and “Undertow,” Kate Bush - “Mother Stands for Comfort,” “Under Ice,” “And Dream of Sheep,” “Waking the Witch,” and “Watching You without Me,” Husker Du - “New Day Rising,” “I Apologize,” and “Games,” The Replacements - “Bastards of Young” and “Swinging Party,” Cocteau Twins - “Plain Tiger,” “Sultitan Itan,” “Melonella,” and “Pale Clouded White,” The Pogues - “The Old Main Drag,” Tom Waits - “Time” and “Blind Love,” The Church - “Night of Light,” 10,000 Maniacs - “Scorpio Rising,” The Dukes of Stratosphear - “My Love Explodes,” and The Smiths - “Barbarism Begins at Home”
@@Sir_Eyeball To each his own. I think it’s her best collection of songs, although Solitude Standing comes close. I haven’t heard her stuff from the past ten years, so I should check that out.
@@scottanthonyweidner8692 She had a great live album out relatively recently, first album that made me take stronger notice of her tbh. Your list reminded me again of a couple of songs I don't like - Walking on Sunshine and Life in a Northern Town. 85 had some great hits still, but some songs annoyed me too.
I was shocked for a minute because I have reserved all my praise for The Church for next year...they had a lot of bad luck with their American label and never got much attention there. One of those bands that kept a very high standard over a very long time and still never made a big break through.
Definite upvote for Mr mister and Go West - their first album has at least 5 singles of the year on it. Songs of the year One Vision - Queen, Sussudio - Phil Collins, Perfect Way - Scritti Politti, We Close Our Eyes - Go West, Raspberry Beret - Prince.
Any Prefab Sprout reference earns immediate cred. Hoping to see Jordan: The Comeback repped in 1990. Hi Joe.
1) "Don't You (Forget About Me)" - Simple Minds
2) "The Boys of Summer" - Don Henley
3) "Shout" - Tears for Fears
4) "How Soon is Now" - The Smiths
5) "Feeling Gravity's Pull" - REM
6) "If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free" - Sting
7) "Clap Hands" - Tom Waits
8) "Nirvana" - The Cult
9) "Heaven" - Bryan Adams
10) "Everything She Wants" - Wham!
#2 👍
#1, #2, #4, #5, #7...
I love number 5, I like the weird stuff too. R.E.M. at their finest. Not popular at all but a great one.
@@joedecker3900 Hah, thanks, it was my first REM record and that one just stuck in my brain.
@@ttmilbr I love Fables, dark record.
Hearts on Fire FTW! Great call Joe!
Great call Jason on Emotion Detector, we like a lot of the same stuff. Great call on Todd Rundgren too!
Marvellous year:
1. Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
2. Cloudbusting - Kate Bush
3. Walls Come Tumbling Down - The Style Council
4. West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
5. Marlene on the Wall - Suzanne Vega
6. Raspberry Beret - Prince
7. Dirty Old Town - The Pogues
8. Shake the Disease - Depeche Mode
9. A New England - Kirsty MacColl
10. Be Near Me - ABC
11. And She Was - Talking Heads
12. Life in a Northern Town - The Dream Academy
13. Nelson Mandela - Youssou N’dour
14. Johnny Come Home - Fine Young Cannibals
15. Lost Weekend - Lloyd Cole & the Commotions
16. Downtown Train - Tom Waits
17. Coal Train (Stimela) - Hugh Masekela
18. Shakespeare’s Sister - The Smiths
19. Into the Groove - Madonna
20. Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
21. Black Man Ray - China Crisis
22. Don’t You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds
23. Driver 8 - REM
24. In Between Days - The Cure
25. She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
26. Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
27. This Is Not America - David Bowie & the Pat Metheny Group
28. The Unforgettable Fire - U2
29. The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys
30. Appetite - Prefab Sprout
31. Sensi Crisis - Nerious Joseph
32. Just Like Honey - Jesus & Mary Chain
33. I’m on Fire - Bruce Springsteen
34. Here I Come - Barrington Levy
35. The Wind of Change - Robert Wyatt & the Swapo Singers
36. This Is What She’s Like - Dexys Midnight Runners
37. Perfect Kiss - New Order
38. Bring On The Dancing Horses - Echo & the Bunnymen
39. Sunspots - Julian Cope
40. Russians - Sting
“This Is What She’s Like” That’s one of my favorite songs of all time
been listening to you guys and different reviews all week while working. cool channel. subbed
Awesome, thank you!
Great pic with the Husker Du!! I like Flip Your Wig the best but love this track! Time to do the Husker Du discography
Seconded.
Thirded.
You guys do a really good and extensive job at looking at songs, albums, years, and artists. I really enjoy your channel. In 1985 I was in college and the stuff that comes to mind immediately are Phil Collins ("Sussudio") and Dire Straits ("Money for Nothing") around that time. It's so different to have dealt with hearing this stuff over and over and over and over to the point that despite the merits of the song you hate it LOL and simply looking back at songs to listen to and then judging them. Although the way you do it takes the negative emotion out of the game. I had completely forgotten about "Tarzan Boy" and not until playing it did I remember - funny! I'm not sure what my favorites are, but Kate Bush is a very good pick of the many you mention; she is niche enough to have not gotten sick of. Prince and Bruce Springsteen were also too huge at this time to enjoy, though both are great artists (or, were in the case of the former).
Way to go, Joe. Great minds think alike. I never tire of Everybody Wants To Rule The World or Head Over Heels!
Hello again dears! Can’t believe this is already my 6th Songs of the Year list! Dedicated and relentless… that’s what you all are. Has it gone by fast for everyone else who’s been doing this for weeks/months?! I’m convinced that this channel exists in a time warp. Feeling ageless & in awe, even in an uncertain world. Remember: Strangers are no longer strangers after sharing a song they love. Awwwww…
A warm & fuzzy thought for a very chilly day
💙 Have a fine weekend everyone!
1985 …
1. Enigma Of The Absolute - Dead Can Dance … pure bubble bath bliss! A Cathedral Mass of sound in my lil ol’ bathroom.
2. Rock me Amadeus - Falco - This would be #1 if I let 8 year old me pick. Running down the hallway past my cousin’s room with the Van Halen poster to his sister’s room to wear this record out!
3. Xiola - Psi Com - this could be my favorite version of Perry Farrell, the Innovator.
4. The Perfect Kiss - New Order - I almost can’t believe this has a symphony of croaking frogs in it - that is one of the most soothing sounds of summer nights! Who does that? New Order, that’s who!
5. That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore - The Smiths
6. Highwayman - The Highwaymen
7. Marian - Sisters Of Mercy (Does anyone else hear the echoes of this in the opening of Lamb Of God’s Memento Mori?)
8. A Night Like This - The Cure
9. I Wanna Be A Cowboy - Boys Don’t Cry
10. She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
I've been playing along since the beginning and it has been going by fast and has become a fun hobby. It's going to be weird when we eventually reach the end and there are no more years. Hope you also have a great weekend!
Sisters of Mercy, cool.
" Spleen And Ideal " is Awesome Album. 👏👏🎶🎶👍.
cheers michele ! Cold where i am also ! your #3 song , is that a reference to perrry farrell [ janes addiction] ? and if so what is xiola?
Someone else to pick Highwayma(e)n as well...now all you need to add is that your are usually no country fan.
What a great year for music!!
1985 was all over the place with Phil Collins, Madonna and more BUT my favs are a little different
Til Tues- Coming Up Close
I love the piano
Belious Some- Some People
It’s catchy, different..and it’s been a hidden gem of mine
Level Fukin 42!!! -Something About You- up there is the Top 10 best of the 80’s
The Sweetest Taboo-Sade
had to put her in here..love her music although I enjoy Your Love is King even better
King For A Day -thomphson twins
My favorite of theirs..it may have not charted so maybe a deep cut?
Worst Song- A View To A Kill
Duran Duran
I’ve always hated the clunky lyrics and Simon’s whispering annoys the hell out of me..”can we dance into the fire”? Awful!!!
thanks fellas!! U guys 🪨
A View To A Kill was one of the best James Bond songs ever ... and was one of their best songs too ...
This channel is so entertaining, so fun, that I can excuse the Sally Jesse Raphael theme music. Keep up the great work!
Sally takes me back to my childhood the same way Mr. Mister does. -Jason
@@TastesLikeMusic not sure that's a ringing endorsement for Mr. Mister. 🤣
Great pick from Joe for Song of the Year. I wasn't born until the late-90s but that song I dunno how but it simultaneously feels timeless yet of it's time. It evokes this nostalgic feeling for the 80s yet works so well as a pop song. Of the Hot 100 songs, it's probably my favourite of '85.
Good stuff lads. V enjoyable.
85 was a solid year, great lists guys!
Great to see Kram’s pick a Green on Red song. I saw them live in 1985, and did a cover of Neil Young’s “Down by the River,” so good call on referencing Young when discussing them. I was in college in ‘85, and the album I was most obsessed with all year was Husker Du’s “New Day Rising.” “Celebrated Summer” is the best followed by “I Apologize”, “Folklore”, and “Books About UFO’s.” End of my infomercial of this amazing album and batch of songs. Great job on this pick, Kram. A band I’ve seen live four times.
One of the fun things searching through the UK charts for my lists has been spotting various acts getting their first chart appearance. This week I discovered that Wendell Gee by REM, one of my favourite bands, got to number 91 in this year.
1) Close to Me - The Cure (WC). For a band with a reputation as moody goths, these guys sure could write a catchy pop tune. Also, this is the best song with handclaps.
2) Jockey Full of Bourbon - Tom Waits* (WC). The least '80s sounding song on any of my lists in the '80s. Marc Ribot's guitar playing on this song (and this whole album) is fantastic. Waits is at the top of his game here.
3) Just Like Honey - Jesus & Mary Chain (WC). Super ahead of its time. Excellent tune.
4) She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult (WC). Really foreshadows '90s alternative rock. Seamlessly blends hard rock and alternative music, yet it's all very catchy.
5) The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys (WC). Really cool song with moving lyrics. There's a lot of debate about who this song is about, but Mike Scott says it's a combination of a bunch of people. Fiona Apple does a great cover of this.
6) I'm Goin Down - Bruce Springsteen (9). Cool rockabilly influenced song from Born in the USA.
7) Raspberry Beret - Prince (2). Proof that Prince could do anything in the mid-80s. Here, he dabbles in Psychedelic Pop.
8) I'm on Fire - Bruce Springsteen (6). I'm not a huge Springsteen guy, but I tend to prefer his quieter, stripped down tracks. This sounds like it could've been off Nebraska.
9) Voices Carry - 'Til Tuesday (8). Cool Aimee Mann song. The verses sound a bit like Split Enz's "I Got You", but the chorus is really lush.
10) Life in a Northern Town - Dream Academy (7). Cool tune co-produced by David Gilmour.
1985 was maybe slightly worse than 83 and 84 in terms of the Hot 100, but it's still pretty strong. However, I think the wildcard choices really came alive this year. I really had to make some tough cuts there.
Rain Dogs was excellent! Agree about Ribot. I saw him in Toronto around this time and he played shred metal nothing like on Rain Dogs. It was so disappointing.
Good list. We overlap on three songs this year, but it could easily have been more.
Clap Hands and Walking Spanish were on my wild card short list. My wild card list ended up being pretty conventional (college rock heavy, that is). Rain Dogs is decidedly unconventional. I think it's as avant garde as just about anything out there. Amazing how he can crank out such appealing music with all of those strange sounds.
I'm On Fire is my fav Springsteen song.
@@179rich I agree Rich. Springsteen has a lot of great songs, but I'm on Fire or The River are his best.
Tom Wait’s Rain Dogs came out in 85’. That alone makes it a fantastic year.
Sorry, I don’t really get the “genius” of those 80s and 90s albums of his.
Midge Ure's "If I Was". A solo UK No1. for the really talented scottish musician who (along with Bob Geldof) masterminded the Band Aid single and Live Aid Wembley concert.
Joe's delivery on the, "It also won the Cold War" line was perfect. I do love Husker Du quite a bit, but, Joe is right on with his take on 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World'. That song and Blondie's 'Heart of Glass' are two songs that I just never tire of, no matter how many times I've heard them. And they are also both songs that, even though they are each of their respective release time periods, I think could have been hits in pretty much any era. They're just perfect, well constructed pop songs.
Really enjoyed the Todd Rundgren song. Unique. Good choice, Jason. 'Rebels' is a great song too. I think the live version on Pack up the Plantation just pips the studio version.
Hard to top TR, he’s Mr. Everything. He really is!
My first year of really getting into music, I still have my handwritten list of all 50 songs on John Peel's Festive 50 and listen to lots of them. But, off the top of my head, here are my favourites:
Divide and Conquer - Husker Du
I am Damo Suzuki - The Fall
How Soon Is Now? The Smiths
A Pair Of Brown Eyes - The Pogues
Push - The Cure (maybe my favourite Cure song)
Raspberry Beret - Prince
Be Near Me - so twinkly! I dig it.
I love the MV too. Certainly grown on me since 85. That was their later stand out though, most of their better songs are earlier for me.
A Brilliant Year! Too many to choose but these came immediately to mind
Maps and Legends-REM (from greatly underrated album)
Road to Nowhere-Talking Heads
A Pair of Brown Eyes-The Pogues
Dirty Old Town -The Pogues
The Pan Within-The Waterboys (Could choose almost any track from This is the Sea- an all time classic)
Primitive Painters-Felt
She Sells Sanctuary-The Cult (Happy memories of numerous nights dancing to this)
Perambulator-The Icicle Works
In Between Days-The Cure
Cities in Dust-Siouxsie and the Banshees
Cloudbusting-Kate Bush
Head Over Heels-Tears for Fears
Shout-Tears for Fears
Black Planet-Sisters of Mercy
Love Like Blood-Killing Joke
V2-That Petrol Emotion
Bittersweet-The Hoodoogurus
Shake the Disease-Depeche Mode
Could go on and on…
Joe, I forgot how great the Rocky IV soundtrack was. I played it over and over as a teen. The montage songs are so uplifting! I bought the album for the Survivor and Robert Tepper songs and was totally surprised at how great the rest of it was! Great shout out! Jason gets some credit though too, I also like Broken Wings!
For my list:
1. Everybody wants to rule the world - Tears For Fears
2. Harvest for the world - The Power Station
3. Don’t stop the dance - Bryan Ferry
4. Spies like us - Paul McCartney
5. Goodbye Is Forever - Arcadia
6. Can’t ignore the train - 10,000 Maniacs
7. Fortress around your heart - Sting
8. West end girls - Pet Shop Boys
9. Ocean Blue - ABC
10. Angel - Madonna
☆Tonite She Comes☆The Cars ~love the joyride Easton takes you on this fab song!!
She sells Sanctuary~The Cult
Raspberry Beret~Prince
Rebels~Petty&HB's
Only the young ~Journey
Marathon~RUSH
Tonight's it's you~Cheap Trick
Blind Curve~Marillion
Don't you (forget about me)~Simple Minds
Head over heels~T's for F's
Going with Joe this week😁
great call on blind curve , my#11 kayleigh my #4
Hats off for including Go West and Prefab Sprout. Broken Wings is good, but Kyrie is outstanding. And awesome call Jason on the Rundgren Pretending To Care. Stunning vocal! Look up the RUclips video of Todd singing it backed by a 4 piece string ensemble. It’ll give you chills.
Kram wins - Celebrated Summer is one of the best pop songs of all time, and possibly my favorite song ever. Literally yelled "YES!" out loud when he called it.
I'd call it rock rather than pop. The best part for me is in the last part when the guitar comes in overlapping and then the quiet end. The earlier parts I respect but they don't excite me.
It’s unlistenable garbage.
Hey, yeah, Kramzer! You were right and your number one pick of Husker Du gets my vote. Although I do love the Tears for Fears track too. And, to be fair, I just listened to 'Pretending to Care' for the first time. Pretty cool. Put me in mind of when Bjork did her fully vocalised lp, Medulla (in 2004, I believe). But yeah, Husker Du for the win. Cheers guys x
Listography was such a great name. Great job guys. I always liked "Middletown Dreams" as my favorite deep cut from Power Windows. I think I like Jason's list the best, despite the "Broken Wings" debacle.
Great lists!! are you guys gonna do a Tears For Fears album ranking sometime soon, as they've got a new album coming out on 25th February?? love the channel btw, cheers :)
Check back right around the release date of that new album. - Joe
Kramzer, you made up for Tarzan Boy by listing Green On Red, one of my favorite bands and one of the most underrated too.
Shame that I couldn't get Green on Red on my wild card list. Just a really strong year. And since Gas Food Lodging is my favorite album of theirs, this year was their best shot.
You both should check out Danny & Dusty from that year ! 👍
My top 10 of 1985, regardless of charting:
10. Things Can Only Get Better - Howard Jones
9. Material Girl - Madonna
8. Don't You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds
7. Couldn’t Get ahead - The Fall
6. I’m On Fire - Bruce Springsteen
5. Just Like Honey - The Jesus and Mary Chain
4. Passing Complexion - Big Black
3. Raspberry Beret - Prince
2. Close to Me - The Cure
1. The Old Main Drag - The Pogues
Surprised that none of them mentioned "Material Girl." That song made her a mega-star. Maybe you had to be young at the time to appreciate its impact.
@@bobsmith3217 And she was pretty friggin’ hot in that video to boot!
1. Perfect Kiss - New Order
2. Life & How To Live It - R.E.M.
3. Consider Me Gone - Sting
4. Sense of Purpose - Third World
5. 19 - Paul Hardcastle
1. _The Smiths - Well I Wonder_
2. _The Cure - Push_
3. _Sade - The Sweetest Taboo_
4. _Kate Bush - Hello Earth_
5. _Skeletal Family - Promised Land_
6. _Talking Heads - Television Man_
7. _Falco - Vienna Calling_
8. _Hüsker Dü - Games_
9. _a-ha - The Sun Always Shines On T.V._
10. _Hüsker Dü - New Day Rising_
10Ratt-Lay It Down
9Debarge-Who's Holding Donna Now
8Thompson Twins-Lay Your Hands(Extended)
7Hall & Oates-Method Of Modern Love
6A-HA-Take On Me
5Miami Sound Machine-Bad Boy
4John Parr-St Elmo's Fire(Man In Motion)
3Julian Lennon-Much Too Late For Goodbyes
2Philip Bailey & Phil Collins-Easy Lover
1Wham-Everything She Wants
Deep Cut of The Year:
Replacements-Here Comes A Regular
Wow, Joe... "Be Near Me" is a song I really like. Saw ABC "perform" it on American Bandstand and thought, "I really like that guy's shirt. And this is a good song."
Jason putting "Pretending to Care" up there... bravo!
Maybe I’m too hard on them - Joe
Came in too late for the vote, unfortunately, but Kramzer gets a gigantic YES vote from me. Also, his Top 5 picks are clearly the best here IMO. Well done, Kramzer!
aint too late. dont listen to joe's propaganda. - kram
Great Year! HM: Your Love, Road To Nowhere, And She Was, Take On Me, Big Money, Kyrie, Dixie Fried, The Old Man Down the Road, Brothers in Arms, Goodbye, Sentimental Street
10. Walking on Sunshine - Katrina & the Waves
9. Emotionally Yours - Bob Dylan
8. Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
7. Vive Le Rock - Adam Ant
6. In My Dreams - Dokken
5. And We Danced - the Hooters
4. Look at Little Sister - Stevie Ray Vaughan
3. The Rose of England - Nick Lowe
2. Par Avion - Mike + the Mechanics
Worst - We are the World
1. One More Minute - Weird Al Yankovic
Never thought I’d see the day where Bob Dylan, Dokken and the Hooters shared a top 10. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic Tried to make this one as diverse as possible.
I Thought Jason would have "The Cult" for sure! Oh well, here's my top five picks:
5. "Green Grow the Rushes" REM
4. "In Between Days" The Cure
3. "I'll Buy" The Replacements
2. "Rain" The Cult
1. "She Sells Sanctuary" The Cult 🏆(favorite song of the 80s)
I dig "She Sells Sanctuary" but it feels like an incomplete song. It only has a few different parts. But I will be thrilled when they do a Cult week. I was big into Love when it came out.
Right Green Grow the Rushes was this year too, great choice
1. Sub-Culture - New Order (album version)
2. Bring On the Dancing Horses - Echo & the Bunnymen
3. In Between Days - The Cure
4. Green Grow The Rushes - R.E.M.
5. The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys
6. Never Understand - The Jesus & Mary Chain
7. Disenchanted - The Church
8. Scorpio Rising - 10,000 Maniacs
9. Road To Nowhere - Talking Heads
10. I'm Your Man - Wham!
11. Anything, Anything - Dramarama
12. Head Over Heels - Tears For Fears
13. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - The Smiths
14. Kiss The Dirt - INXS
15. Makes No Sense At All - Hüsker Dü
16. Voices Carry - Til Tuesday
17. Perfect Way - Scritti Politti
18. Lost Weekend - Lloyd Cole & The Commotions
19. So In Love - O.M.D.
20. Life In A Northern Town - The Dream Academy
21. And We Danced - The Hooters
22. Desire - Gene Loves Jezebel
23. Raspberry Beret - Prince
24. The Bottom Line - Big Audio Dynamite
25. She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
26. Alive And Kicking - Simple Minds
27. Dress You Up - Madonna
28. Shake The Disease - Depeche Mode
29. Take Me Home - Phil Collins
30. Thursday Afternoon - Brian Eno... all 60 minutes of it..
Sub Culture is the bomb!
Isn’t thst scritti politi album a fun one?!?!?! 🎉
For 1985 it was only ever going to be a track from “Hounds of Love” by Kate Bush.
It’s been lauded so many times as her greatest achievement that I’ve noticed a little kick back lately. Not that anyone is dismissing an amazing piece of work, but more a re-evaluation of other albums in her discography, especially that of her previous release “The Dreaming” which I have seen rise to the top of many a “worst to best of” discography.
(I believe this was Joes pick as his favourite, with Jason going for “The Sensual World” and only Kramzer, out of the three, going for “Hounds of Love”)
The aforementioned “kick back” may be down to the familiarity and continuous airing of the classic three tracks, Cloudbusting, Running up that Hill and the title song itself. None of which, for me, lose any of their magic, no matter how many times I hear them.
But as my choice for SOTY 1985, I have to go for “And Dream of Sheep”
It may just be my favourite Kate Bush song of all. It hits me in a way that I can barely describe. It gives me a feeling in my stomach (in a good way) that no other song of hers does.
She recorded another version some 30 years later with a video, that became part of her live show in 2014 and still after all that time her voice leaves me weak at the knees. I’m sorry how cheesy* that sounds (*insert other word here if preferred) but I can’t describe it in any other way.
I have always been a little surprised that she doesn’t seem to be as lauded in the U.S. as she is over here in the U.K.
You’ve taken many a British artist to your hearts, but, as biased as I am, I never understood how she never quite made it across the pond.
However, it was great to see the sheer enjoyment and admiration (and love) of all things Kate Bush from Joe during the Listography album ranking but on the flip side I was a little surprised by Jason’s lukewarm feeling towards a female, singer songwriter (a genre he so obviously loves) who, for me, tops them all.
There wasn’t, isn’t and will never be another artist like her. ❤️
PS apologies for the continued use of “Listography” I will get there with “Taste of Music” but us Brits do tend to struggle with change 😉
Doesn't matter which nominated song gets the most votes, "Running Up That Hill" is still the best song of the year, darn it! I played that whole album to death, man. I literally wore out the cassette. "Lionheart" never really hit me, but everything else from "The Kick Inside" to "The Red Shoes" was in constant rotation for me for years.
I went "The Ninth Wave" and called it Song Of The Year... as I looked at it as a single piece of music divided into parts.
I think that's her best work, ever. But if I had to pick one album, I'd go "THE DREAMING." Cheers!
I was surprised that Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill was actually a hit in the US, as we all know the US market has always had a very low tolerance for anything fringe sounding ... and ALL of Kate Bush's songs are all very "weird" and "odd" sounding to the general audience in the US ... It seems the 80s was the last time the US had a taste for european non-mainstream songs, after that the doors were so firmly shut...
Top 5 :-
1. Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
2 .Everyone Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
3. Don't You(Forget About Me) - Simple Minds
4. Careless Whisper - Wham! and George Michael
5. Cloudbusting - Kate Bush(Hounds of Love is an amazing album)
Wild cards :-
1. Into the Groove - Madonna
2. Don't Come Around Here No More - Tom Petty
3. Shout - Tears for Fears(along with Mad World - it's a very dark song, and I can't see it getting made nowadays)
4. Appetite - Prefab Sprout
5. How Soon is Now - The Smiths
In no specific order:
- Dead Or Alive: You Spin Me Round
- Commodores: Nightshift
- Smiths: That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
- Cure: Close To Me
- Pet Shop Boys: West End Girls
- Talking Heads: Road To Nowhere
- Prince: Raspebby Beret
I'd have also mentioned George Michael's Careless Whisper if I hadn't listened to it a fantazillion times in shopping malls and supermarkets.
I liked Nightshift, another good smooth soul in 85 was Cherish. But I didn't like You Spin Me or West End Girls at all. Careless Whisper was 84 really.
Commodores Nightshift was so good they didn't even need Lionel Richie.
For no apparent reason The Rah Band’s Clouds Across The Moon popped up in my head last night at work, which was everywhere (in Holland) in the summer of 1985.
I think it was more a European thing, though.
Please Kramz, mention The Cure!! 😎
(Just saw the reaction to Broken Wings, hehe!)
10) “Big Train (from Memphis),” John Fogerty
9) “Windy and Warm,” Doc & Merle Watson
8) “From St. Kilda to Kings Cross,” Paul Kelly
7) “Wendell Gee,” REM
6) “Tore Down a la Rimbaud,” Van Morrison
5) “Running Up That Hill,” Kate Bush
4) “She Twists the Knife Again,” Richard Thompson
3) “Bring It on Home to Me,” Sam Cooke, from Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963
2) “Perfect World,” Talking Heads
1) “Downtown Train,” Tom Waits
A website called “Slicing Up Eyeballs; the Legacy of 80’s College Rock” sporadically ran polls from 2015-21 asking people to vote for their favorite 25 songs of a particular year, obviously starting with 1980 and ending with 1989. I wish I would’ve posted what I voted for on the 80-84 videos, but oh, well. Here’s my 85 list in ABC order (voted on in April, 2019):
10,000 Maniacs - My Mother, the War
Book of Love - I Touch Roses
David Bowie & the Pat Metheny Group - This Is Not America
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
Camper Van Beethoven - Take the Skinheads Bowling
Coil - Tainted Love
The Cramps - Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?
Dead Kennedys - MTV-Get Off the Air
Don Dixon - Praying Mantis
Echo & the Bunnymen - Bring On the Dancing Horses
Bryan Ferry - Slave to Love
Husker Du - New Day Rising
The Jesus & Mary Chain - Just Like Honey
Naked Raygun - I Don’t Know
R.E.M. - Driver 8
The Replacements - Left of the Dial
Shriekback - Nemesis
Simple Minds - Don’t You (Forget About Me)
Siouxsie & the Banshees - Cities in Dust
The Sisters of Mercy - No Time to Cry
Sonic Youth - Death Valley ‘69
Talking Heads - And She Was
Suzanne Vega - Marlene on the Wall
The Waterboys - The Whole of the Moon
X - Burning House of Love
I have to do more research; totally slept on a few of those. Love The Cramps and that Don Dixon tune was an earworm back then.
That Red and Green song is powerful, but I don't know how much of that comes from the amazing video; it has the feel of a Merle Haggard song to it; like timeless...
Husker Du...never heard them before; you have to admire their frugality; you know, recording in someone's garage and unscrewing land-line phones to use the microphones for vocals; low overhead...
I had "Around The World In A Day" in my cassette deck; but Pop Life has the snare drum so loud in the mix I could never *really* crank it without fearing for my speakers; the snare would distort before any other instrument; maybe his estate could remaster that tune...
Lastly; having Madonna sing on your song makes it "worst list" proof -she can do no wrong, I checked out that Jellybean song and I couldn't stop listening all the way through...to Madonna's voice; one can't not listen to her voice imo;
But, the "grain of salt" you can take that with is; I feel the same way about Sheena Easton...I listened to a 3 hour concert of hers from '83 because I couldn't stop; my clicking finger was paralyzed...
In Closing: Todd Is quite possibly literally God...
This was the year when music videos really peaked. I have a hard time separating songs from videos, in particular "Material Girl," "Take On Me," "Sussudio," and "Raspberry Beret."
Must have been a pretty good year, with no mention of songs from single-packed albums by Phil Collins (No Jacket Required), Whitney Houston (self-titled debut album), John Cougar Mellencamp (Scarecrow), and Aretha Franklin (Who's Zoomin' Who?).
It was also the year of "We Are The World." I was sitting in a restaurant late one night in early 1985, and that song came on the jukebox. When Bob Dylan's part came up, several bus boys stopped working and sang along, Dylan-style, and cracked up laughing after they were done.
I hate Take on Me, and….We Are The World is without a doubt the WORST song of 1985. It’s just total fucking excrement. 😂
Awesome reaction by you guys with “the Todd” reveal.
Hi everyone,
My favorite songs of 1985:
1.Tango Till They're Sore. Tom Waits
2.A Pair of Brown Eyes. The Pogues
3.Inbetween Days. The Cure
4.Driver 8. R. E. M.
5.Running Up That Hill ( A Deal With God). Kate Bush
6.Don't Bang The Drum. The Waterboys
7.When Loves Breaks Down. Prefab Sprout
8.Just Like Honey. Jesus & Mary Chain
9.And She Was. Talking Heads
10.Barbarism Begins At Home. The Smiths
11.Swinging Party. The Replacements
12.Knight Moves. Suzanne Vega
13.Raspberry Beret. Prince
14.So Far Away. Dire Straits
15.Everyone A Puzzle Lover. 10,000 Maniacs
16.Lost Weekend. Lloyd Cole & The Commotions
17.Shout To The Top. The Style Council
18.Celebrated Summer. Hüsker & Dü
19.Into The Groove. Madonna
20.Westend Girls. Pet Shop Boys
21.Love Vigilantes. New Order
22.The Age Of Self. Robert Wyatt
23.Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Tears For Fears
24.Walking On Sunshine. Katrina and The Waves
25.There Must Be An Angel. Eurythmics
Great 10KM choice
Always loved that song! Great to hear someone else does too
Amazing list
Hello Fran - I've been gone for a few weeks but I am back. Got my 1986 list ready to go. A fantastic 85 list you have there. A great year for Tom Waits. We talked about this before - Rain Dogs is such an amazing album. - I did not do a list for 85 because I wanted to catch up to the series- I'd probably have Driver 8 or Road to Nowhere in the top spot. (We'll see . .)
I think Rain Dogs is one of those albums where about half the songs could contend for best of the year, especially if you are a fan of Tom Waits. Your choice was excellent. His greatest album, yeah?
Pogues are great, too. Several of their songs will be "song of the year" contenders for the 1988-1990 era. What a pinacle for them!! Talk to you soon, my friend.
Hüsker Dü!!! Plus a Green On Red mention! 1985 was such a pivotal year for me, music wise. My top whatever in some sorta order, I guess. 1. Celebrated Summer-Hüsker Dü 2. A Few Hundred Thank You's-The Silos 3. Here Comes A Regular-The Replacements 4. A Pair Of Brown Eyes-The Pogues 5. Death Valley 69-Sonic Youth w/Lydia Lunch 6. Hard To Be Human- The Mekons. This is where they started the climb to being one of my top, still performing, bands. 7. Sun God-Squirrel Bait. 8. Price Of Paradise-The Minutemen 9. Cruisers Creek-The Fall 10. Driver 8-REM 11. Jak-Volcano Suns 12. Circumspect Penelope-Look Blue, Go Purple 13. Repulsion-Dinosaur Jr. 14. Broken Whiskey Glass-Jason and the Scorchers 15. Endicott-Kid Creole and the Coconuts 16. Brand New Friend-Lloyd Cole and the Commotions 17. Bittersweet-Hoodoo Gurus 18. My Love Explodes-Dukes Of The Stratosphere 19. Pages Turn-28th Day 20. Looking For Lewis and Clark-The Long Ryders 21. Jockey Full Of Bourbon-Tom Waits 22.Sixteen Ways-Green On Red 23. Makes No Sense At All-Hüsker Dü. Two albums, two songs.
24. Death Of The European-Three Johns 25. Hit The Headlines-The Ex
Great list. That Sonic Youth song was in the hunt for me, as were some Pogues, Green on Red, Tom Waits, the Fall, and Long Ryders tunes. I had White Lies by Jason and the Scorchers because it was the first tune I ever heard from them and in 1985 that song helped pry open a whole other world of music for me. But Broken Whiskey Glass is the gem on that album. The Silos will be in the mix for me in 1987. I love their Cuba album.
@@burmajones803 Thanks. A Few Hundred Thank You's was my Silos entry point. Saw then a few times; a different line-up each time, but always great. But the Cuba era was the best. Yeah, all those bands (that sometimes fall under the unfortunate "cowpunk" or "Y'alternative" monikers) seemed to happen within a few years of each other and that was where I lived for awhile. Another band from that scene, Giant Sand, will start showing up on my lists in the late 80's.
two thumbs up for Jason & The Scorchers. They own my favorite "it's only rock 'n roll" or "the show must go on" story. Saw them live at Barrymores in Ottawa in late 80's. A couple of songs into the show, Jason says "big shout out to Steve's Music for supplying us all this gear we are using. Everything we had was stolen between last night's show in Montreal and tonight's show". Somehow they gave an amazing performance.
Celebrated Summer is unlistenable trash. Bad, nursery-level lyrics with a music tone that splits your eardrums open.
@@curly_wyn Having my eardrums split open has never been a a deal-breaker for me. 🤩
My Top 10:
1. MIDNIGHT OIL ´´Hercules´´
2. MARILLION ´´Kayleigh´´
3. TINA TURNER ´´We Don´t Need Another Hero´´
4. MR MISTER ´´Kyrie´´
5. QUEEN ´´One Vision´´
6. RADIO FUTURA ´´La Vida en la Frontera´´
7. DAVID BOWIE & PAT METHENY GROUP ´´This is not America´´
8. A-HA ´´The Sun Always Shines On Tv´´
9. R.E.M. ´´Maps and Legends´´
10. SIMPLE MINDS ´´Don´t You (Forget About Me)
Greetings from Canary Islands
Looks this week like there is also a contest in the comments for the worst pick of the week between Jason's "Broken Wings" and Kramzer's "Tarzan". Voting for Kramzer in this one, but I'm also voting for him in the SOTY pick.
My favorite songs from 1985:
1. The Jesus & Mary Chain - The Hardest Walk
2. Talk Talk - Life's what you make it
3. Prince - Pop Life
4. The Cure - In Between Days
5. Talking Heads - And She Was
6. The Mekons - Hard To Be Human Again
7. R.E.M. - Drive 8
8. Hüsker Dü - The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill
9. The Smiths - The Boy With The Thorn in His Side
10. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
That's the Husker song I'dve picked.
Talking Heads made some of the most creative music videos ever.
Hello Rich: This is true. Innovators. The Once in a Lifetime video is one of the great pre-MTV music videos. (BTW, that's a topic which has always interested me.)
My Top 5
5. A View To A Kill - Duran Duran
4. Easy Lover - Phil Collins/ Phillip Bailey
3. Power of Love - Huey Lewis and the News
2. Everybody Wants To Rule The Workd - Tears For Fewrs
1. Don’t You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
1. Ride the Sky - Helloween
2. Up to the Limit - Accept
3. Rebels - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4. Warriors - Savatage
5. Let the Music Do the Talking - Aerosmith
6. Rebel - Roger Daltrey
7. Nervous Man - Armored Saint
8. Scarlet Fever - Kix
9. Too High to Get it Right - Accept
10. Psychopath - Lizzy Borden
Sidewalk talk is my jam. Kidding, I remember it as a “clear the floor” number at the clubs back in the day.
I remember liking it at the time but I haven't heard since it was out. When doing these lists I have found the odd occasional song that I quite liked at the time they were out that I have been disappointed by on a re-listen.
that's weird cause "sidewalk talk" went to #1 on the billboard hot dance club songs and was ranked #20 on the year-end chart....
Definitely did not expect to see Green on Red! Takes me way back.
Likewise. I had it in my collection, but I gave away my vinyl. Now I can't remember what it sounded like, just the cover.
Love Green on Red, but haven't listened to them in a long time. Somewhat hard to find these days.
Check out The Danny & Dusty album with members of Green On Red , Long Ryders & Dream Syndicate from 1985. It's Sneaky good.
@@davidellis5141 Not finding it on Apple Music. What’s the album title?
@@josejones The Lost Weekend
Love the face expressions of Cramz, wenn he doesn’t like the song..
My favourites for 1985:
01) Don't Stop The Dance - Bryan Ferry
02) Boy Who Cried Wolf - The Style Council
03) Cry - Godley & Creme
04) Slave To The Rhythm - Grace Jones
05) Cloudbusting - Kate Bush
06) Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears
07) And Dream Of Sheep - Kate Bush
08) The Lodgers - The Style Council
09) Profoundly In Love With Pandora - Ian Dury
10) Appetite - Prefab Sprout
1. Downtown Train - Tom Waits
2. Dirty Old Town - The Pogues
3. When Love Breaks Down - Prefab Sprout
4. Tupelo - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5. Time - Tom Waits
6. Mr Somewhere - The Apartments
7. Driver 8 - REM
8. Walls Come Tumbling Down! - The Style Council
9. In Between Days - The Cure
10. New Danville Girl - Bob Dylan (outtake of Empire Burlesque)
11. Appetite - Prefab Sprout
12. Bastards Of Young - Replacements
13. Marlene On The Wall - Suzanne Vega
14. From St Kilda To Kings Cross - Paul Kelly
15. Road To Nowhere - Talking Heads
16. When The Spell Is Broken - Richard Thompson
17. Sense Of Wonder - Van Morrison
18. Misfits - Neil Young
19. Gun Street Girl - Tom Waits
20. The Lady Don't Mind - Talking Heads
Massive respect for Kramzer he gets my vote, one of my top 5 songs from the Dü! Also love Everybody Wants to Rule the World though!
Top 5 Real Time Chart (17 year old me's faves)
Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
Sussudio - Phil Collins
I'm On Fire - Bruce Springsteen
This Time - INXS
Walk of Life - Dire Straits
Top 5 Charts Remaster
Pop Life - Prince (also my favorite Prince tune of all)
A Love Bizarre - Sheila E.
Will the Wolf Survive - Los Lobos
You Spin Me Round - Dead of Alive
In My House - Mary Jane Girls (produced by Rick James; barely beat out Oh Sheila and Meeting in the Ladies Room in yet another strong, strong year for R&B. So many great R&B tunes this year and this decade. Synth pop began to wane in 1985, but electro-funk is still killing it.)
Top 5 Wild Cards
Here Comes a Regular - the Replacements
White Lies - Jason and the Scorchers - this song actually got airplay on the Milwaukee rock station in 1985. I heard it, bought the album, and my whole musical world began to shift.
The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill - Husker Du - this band released TWO outstanding albums in 1985. I couldn't leave them out even though this was a strong, strong year for wild cards for me.
Can't Get There from Here - R.E.M. - this is the other paradigm-shifting song that got rock radio airplay in 1985. Had never heard of R.E.M. before this song.
Things Don't Change - Zeitgeist/The Reivers - They were Zeitgeist. They had to change their name a la Listography. Can't find this album (Translate Slowly) on streaming services, but it's on RUclips. Great male/female harmonies from this Austin, TX jangle pop band. Lead singer John Croslin went on to produce Spoon albums. This song is sublime - ruclips.net/video/hz24kuQETvU/видео.html
SOTY - Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Worst - As much as I want to give this award to David Lee Roth for his dumb cover of either California Girls or Just a Gigolo, I have to declare We Built This City by Starship to be the worst of 1985 and possibly the worst song of the decade. And it hit #1. Ugh.
at some point in the 90s spin magazine rated " we built this city " the worst song ever!
discovered jason and the scorchers recently and glad i did!
@@bengalgangster it felt like picking low-hanging fruit to name that song as the worst. I listened to it again just to confirm. My ears bled.
@@bengalgangster Jason and the Scorchers EP Fervor and LP Lost and Found are two of the absolute best records in my collection. Joe might speak fondly of Lone Justice next week, but Jason and the Scorchers are the harder version of cowpunk. 1987's Still Standing album took a turn towards HUGE drums sounds and 80s metal guitars, which isn't to my taste as much. But it's still a great album. I'm not as familiar with their later albums though.
"You Spin Me Round" and "A Love Bizarre" both were in my top 10 for Hot 100 songs. "We Built This City" is pretty bad, but I'd still take it over "We Are the World".
@@edgustafson yeah, I can see WatW being pretty bad, but at least it was for charity. Starship actually got rich off that offense to human ears. And it's a worse song.
Gave Something To Fall Back On a listen- reminds me of The Bears.
HM - Prince - Raspberry Beret, Smiths - How Soon is Now, Kirsty MacColl - New England (Written by Billy Bragg but forever associated with her.), Nick Cave - Tupelo, Cramps - Can Your Pussy Do the Dog
5. Roy Harper - Hope (Even without Jimmy Page on guitar this would have been a great song.)
4. Jennings/Cash/Nelson/Kristofferson - Highwayman (I just love how each of those 4 legends is able to make his point in a song that is just 3 minutes long without it appearing forced.)
3. Firm - Radioactive (For 2 1/2 minutes this "supergroup" were able to produce more than cooperate 80s rock. More than most other bands ever accomplish - but then most do not have such a line-up.)
2. Feargal Sharkey - You Little Thief (Written by Benmont Tench and produced by David A. Stewart, the solo efforts of the former Undertones singer are far from the band's punk/post-punk and more representing the style of his collaborators. It beats his synthpop #1 hit A Good Heart by a thousand miles...)
1. Ramones - My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg) (They still could create great songs even in their later years and they were not a political band, just expressing the frustration of youth in the Reagan era. The single was not released in the US but of course gained underground popularity quickly and was finally included on their 1986 album Animal Boy.)
Great to see somebody other than me picking a Roy Harper song. BTW, I don't think Page is on that song. The music and guitar riff was written by David Gilmour, I am not sure who plays the riff on Roy's version, but it's very unlikely to be Page. Cheers!
@@AnotherBadSpeech I have the complete album liner notes and it says that Harper himself does not play electric guitar here, Gilmour has co-written the music and it gives special credit to Roy's brother Nick Harper for "semi-acoustic guitar sequestering" whatever that means. Page gets a global credit for electric guitar on everything.
@@roxannewalsh Yes, I know that, but still... I just don't think that Page would play a guitar part that was written by Gilmour (but, yes, I can be wrong). Nick Harper's semi-acoustic is also quite enigmatic 🤔
Listen To Your Father wasn't that bad a hit for Sharkey in 84.
@@AnotherBadSpeech It is quite possible that Gilmour himself played on the song - very often his famous friends were not credited or appeared under an alias. Somewhere I read that the main reason was Harper being on small labels and all the paperwork and lawyers involved in getting the required approval from their labels would have been more than the money they made with the records itself. For the musicians themselves it was a privilege to play with their idol.
My Top 10 Of 1985 - # 1 Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush , # 2 Falling - The Comsat Angels , # 3 Myrhh - The Church # 4 Cruisers Creek - The Fall , # 5 Voices Carry - Til Tuesday , # 6 Sinking - The Cure # 7- Raspberry Beret - Prince , # 8 Kings & Queens - Killing Joke , # 9 Song For The Dreamers - Danny & Dusty & # 10 The Pan Within - The Waterboys. My favorite album of 1985 was Night Time by Killing Joke & worst song was easily We Built This City by The Starship - It's a long way from Surrealistic Pillow ! A long way down 😆 ( Danny & Dusty were a " Supergroup comprised of members of Dream Syndicate, Green On Red & Long Ryders ) ✌
Green on Red Whoa Kramzer. How about a review of albums for Chuck Prophet? It wouldn't be a chore as his recordings are really solid.
Phil Collins "Only You Know And I Know". Love the drumming on this one.
Yep, '85 was pretty fantastic, both in terms of Top 40 stuff and college rock gems.
Top mainstream Billboard hits:
1. Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
2. Take on Me - A-Ha
3. Life in a Northern Town - The Dream Academy
4. Fortress Around Your Heart - Sting
5. Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
6. Smooth Operator - Sade
7. Pop Life - Prince & the Revolution
8. Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
9. So in Love - OMD
10. A View to a Kill - Duran Duran
11. Election Day - Arcadia
12. Lay Your Hands on Me - Thompson Twins
13. The Boys of Summer - Don Henley
14. Broken Wings - Mr. Mister
15. Money for Nothing - Dire Straits
16. Head Over Heels - Tears for Fears
17. The Power of Love - Huey Lewis & the News
18. Voices Carry - Til Tuesday
19. Shout - Tears for Fears
20. Things Can Only Get Better - Howard Jones
21. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free - Sting
22. Sentimental Street - Night Ranger
23. Be Near Me - ABC
24. Cry - Godley & Creme
25. Perfect Way - Scritti Politti
26. One Lonely Night - REO Speedwagon
27. Material Girl - Madonna
28. Raspberry Beret - Prince & the Revolution
29. Don't Come Around Here No More - Tom Petty
30. Everything She Wants - Wham!
Top college rock, deep cuts and underperforming singles:
1. She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
2. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - The Smiths
3. Just Like Honey - The Jesus and Mary Chain
4. Driver 8 - R.E.M.
5. Bastards of Young - The Replacements
6. Dancin' - Chris Isaak
7. Paint Work - The Fall
8. Faron Young - Prefab Sprout
9. Close to Me - The Cure
10. Makes No Sense at All - Husker Du
11. Enigma of the Absolute - Dead Can Dance
12. The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys
13. Love Like Blood - Killing Joke
14. East of Eden - Lone Justice
15. Bigger the Punch I'm Feeling - China Crisis
16. Aikea-Guinea - Cocteau Twins
17. The Riddle - Nik Kershaw
18. Good Advices - R.E.M.
19. Swingin' Party - The Replacements
20. The Mole from the Ministry - The Dukes of Stratosphear
21. Like to Get to Know You Well - Howard Jones
22. Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
23. Bring on the Dancing Horses - Echo and the Bunnymen
24. I Wonder If I Take You Home - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force
25. Last Time Forever - Squeeze
26. Singapore - Tom Waits
27. Stay - Oingo Boingo
27. Johnny Come Home - Fine Young Cannibals
28. Call Me - Go West
29. Duel - Propaganda
30. We Run - Strange Advance
Oh good idea for video....top ten songs that usually bring you to tears!!😭😢😭😢😿....my no.1 has got me thinking....
Broken Wings is amazing and Voices Carry, my kind of 80’s. Those songs stick with me and just lure you in, for me anyway.
My Favorite Singles, of 1985:
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” - Tears for Fears
“Don’t You (Forget About Me)” - Simple Minds
“Crazy for You” - Madonna
“The Power of Love” - Huey Lewis & the News
“Everytime You Go Away” - Paul Young
Album Picks + (some singles/previously or in the future will be released):
“Take on Me” - A-Ha
“Hercules” - Midnight Oil
“Head Over Heals” - Tears for Fears
“Old Man Kensey” - R.E.M.
“Don’t Come Around Here No More” - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Worst single:
“Some Like It Hot” - Power Station
Some of my favourite songs are from this year, and the top 5 is
1) The Waterboys - This Is the Sea
2) The Jesus & Mary Chain - Just Like Honey
3) Felt - Primitive Painters
4) Kate Bush - And Dream of Sheep
5).R.E.M. - Driver 8
Waterboys and Felt 🔥
My top 5 "Hot 100"
1. "Head Over Heels" / Tears For Fears / Album: Songs From The Big Chair (1985)
2. "Perfect Way" / Scritti Politti / Album: Cupid & Psyche 85 (1985)
3. "Don't Lose My Number" / Collins, Phil / Album: No Jacket Required (1985)
4. "Everything She Wants" / Wham! / Album: Make It Big (1985)
5. "Never" / Heart / Album: Heart (1985)
My top 5 "Deep cuts"
1. "Can't Get There From Here" / R.E.M. / Album: Fables Of The Reconstruction (1985)
2. "Axel F" / Faltermeyer, Harold / Album: Beverly Hills Cop (Soundtrack) (1985)
3. "Big Money, The" / Rush / Album: Power Windows (1985)
4. "Running Up That Hill" / Bush, Kate / Album: Hounds Of Love (1985)
5. “Wall Of God” / China Crisis / Album: Flaunt The Imperfection (1985)
My "worst song"
1. "Oh Sheila" / Ready For The World / Album: Ready For The World (1985)
Song of the year
1. "Fortress Around Your Heart" / Sting / Album: The Dream Of The Blue Turtles (1985)
Everything She Wants was in the running. It's a great song. I cannot disagree more with your worst song though. That track is a great example of mid-80s R&B and is tons of fun. Why do you hate fun?
@@burmajones803 I don't hate fun! That song has always struck me the wrong way. Maybe because I heard it so many times in 1985? I guess my idea of "fun" is different than yours.
@@5150-for-music I was kinda being sarcastic with that hating fun comment. But only kinda. 🤣
First things first: a big hoorah for Kramzer's SOTY pick. I wasn't expecting this and you will surely get my vote.
BTW, how about a Hüsker Dü listography?
As much as I love the exploding creativity of the 60's and the big records of the first half of the 70's, the mid 80's start a long run of great years, the music I grew up with, that will last until the late 90's.
#1 Life and How to Live It - R.E.M.
#2 The Queen and The Soldier - Suzanne Vega
#3 Green Eyes - Hüsker Dü
#4 Downtown Train - Tom Waits
#5 Celebrated Summer - Hüsker Dü
And here are a few honourable mentions:
She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
Primitive Painters - Felt
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - Smiths
Good Advices - R.E.M.
Bastards of Young - Replacements
Ninety Forty Eightish - Roy Harper
Nemesis - Shriekback
...the list could go on.
I've been hoping for a Hüsker Dü listography for a bit. Hopefully someday. 🙂
good choices! Nemesis, forgot about that one!
emotion detector is great, many a teenage day i raced home from the bus stop to play along w power windows
Jason I’m with you mate, nothing wrong with Broken Wings! And Joe how can you put Hearts on Fire ahead of No Easy Way Out..Fist pumping heaven! My no.1 for the year has to be Cloudbusting - Kate Bush.
I always learn so much from this excellent channel!
I was still a teenager in this and hadn't heard most of the songs you guys picked. I also didn't know (I'm ashamed to say) that Raspberry Beret was by Prince. I'd only heard the Warren Zevon version and hated it. Thought it sucked and was a self indulgent and utterly pointless song (tho I usually like Zevon). But the original is absolutely brilliant, and the best song of the year by a long margin.
The worst song of the year--- 'We Are the World' just beats 'One More Night', or anything else by Phil Collins from that year. Being forced to listen to that stuff because it's being played everywhere is quite different to just listening in on spotify out of for 30 seconds. Most annoying song, for the same reason would have to be 'Careless Whisper'. I've heard that sax solo so many times... and always wanted to re-record it played on a kazoo instead.
Correction. Having listened to the first 30 seconds of it, the worst song of the year is Tarzan Boy. Holy shit that song sucks. Apologies to at least one of the hosts, but holy shit.... Jesus....WTF????
@@Yakaru1 We Are The World is worse. Tarzan Boy is let down in the chorus for me but the lead up is ok.
My #1... Push - The Cure
The worst... Broken Wings - Mr Mister
Hot 100...
(Pride) In The Name Of Love - U2,
Take On Me - Aha,
I'm On Fire - Bruce Springsteen,
People Are People - Depeche Mode,
Summer Of 69 - Bryan Adams,
Wildcards...
A Few Hours After This - The Cure, (My favourite Cure B-side)
Perfect Blue - Lloyd Cole and The Commotions, (Was always my fave off the Commotions 2nd Album 'Easy Pieces')
When Love Breaks Down - Prefab Sprout,
Forbidden Fruit - Blow Monkeys, (From 'Animal Magic' 1986 but this was the first single released 1985 UK)
JUST MISSED OUT...
Lost Weekend - Lloyd Cole and The Commotions,
Close To Me, In Between Days, Sinking, The Exploding Boy - The Cure, (HOTD is My 2nd favourite Cure album. I don't dislike any)
Shakespeare's Sister - The Smiths,
Bonny, Goodbye Lucille #1 (Johnny, Johnny), Faron Young - Prefab Sprout, (Paddy McAloon deserves more love)
And She Was - Talking Heads,
Dancin’, Funeral In The Rain - Chris Isaak, ( like a lot of Isaaks catalogue)
Aikea Guinea - Coctau Twins, (As a 20 year old in 85 this would have been my SOTY)
Jacobs Ladder - The Monochrome Set, (Should have been a hit, still got the 45)
Slave To Love - Bryan Ferry,
It Will Come - The Woodentops, (I never heard anything else by them but I but I loved this, still got the 45)
A Good Heart , You Little Thief - Feargal Sharkey, (The Undertones were great & Feargal is such a good vocalist)
Just Like Honey - The Jesus & Mary Chain,
Do You Know What I Mean - Rick Nelson, (Rick wouldn't make it to 1986, due to a plane crash on New Years Eve)
Hounds Of Love - Kate Bush'
La Femme Accident - OMD
Howard Jones in '85 presumably about music: "Things Can Only Get Better". 1) Driver 8 -REM 2) Mystic Rhythms -Rush 3) The Phoenix -The Cult 4) Into The Groove -Madonna 5) Don't Stop The Dance -Bryan Ferry.
12. In Between Days, by The Cure
11. What You Need, by INXS
10. Shout, by Tears For Fears
9. Own The Night, by Chaka Khan
8. Dead Man's Party, by Oingo Boingo
7. Something About You, by Level 42
6. She Sells Sanctuary, by The Cult
5. Bastards Of Young, by The Replacements
4. Road To Nowhere, by Talking Heads
3. Desire, by Yello (same album that has OOOOOHHHHHH YEEAAAAHHH)
2. A Love Bizarre, by Sheila E.
1. Evan, by Jan Hammer
I'll probably think of more tomorrow.
I do heave a sigh of relief on the odd occasion these days one of you picks something as your top choice somewhere in my top 30.... there's nothing wrong with obvious choices Joe if it's great...though I forgot to include Pop Life on my list!! (Would be about 10th or so in my albums column)
BILLBOARD
1. WINNER: *Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) by Kate Bush #30* (Tremendous, majestic art pop that I'm delighted saw some chart action. One of the all-time greats for me, honestly.)
2. *Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears #1* (One of the more enduring anthems of the year for good reason. Packed with strong hooks.)
3. *Crazy for You by Madonna #1* (This track isn't nearly as beloved as the others here, but for my money it's a middle school dance classic. Really like her voice in this more understated tone too.)
4. *And She Was by Talking Heads #54* (At their most straight-forward and accessible, in a good way. It's just great pop-rock.)
5. *Raspberry Beret by Prince and the Revolution #2* (Got that psychedelic touch, but still very much within his prime style.)
WILDCARD
1. *Hounds of Love by Kate Bush* (Another sweeping epic. Some of my favorite use of strings in a song ever.)
2. *Just Like Honey by The Jesus and Mary Chain* (Really appreciate how this one manages to walk the line between the noise pop and ethereal. The Be My Baby drum beat usually never disappoints either.)
3. *Cloudbusting by Kate Bush* (Completes the trifecta of her big Hounds of Love singles. More incredible strings, and I think this one's secret lies just in how suspenseful it feels.)
4. *Into the Groove by Madonna* (Would have unquestionably been a smash hit on Billboard had it been an eligible single in North America. Just a fantastic uptempo number for the dancefloor.)
5. *Elegia by New Order* (Incredible atmospheric instrumental. Love when the synthesizer takes over.)
Top 10 Wildcard HM:
The Whole of the Moon by The Waterboys
Close to Me by The Cure
New wave is becoming decidedly less predominant by now. My pool of contenders is also starting to shrink a little in general as we move into the second half of this decade, but I'm very happy with the top tracks here.
Worst TOP 40: Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody by David Lee Roth #12 (There's something about the combination of swing music with cheesy 80s production that sounds so lame.)
Worst Runner Up:
Separate Lives by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin #1
Best Songs Matches:
*70 - Kram +3*
*57 - Joe +2*
*52 - Jason +1*
Worst Songs Matches:
5 - Jason
2 - Joe
1 - Kram
Top Song Votes:
*12 - Joe*
12 - Jason
11 - Kram
"Crazy For You" might be my favorite Madonna song. Toss up between that and "Borderline". Both just missed my lists.
@@edgustafson I love Borderline as well, especially the Immaculate Collection mix.
Hi Guys! Happy New Year to you!
Here are my choices for 1985 (from the UK charts though)
My SOTY is:
Last Time Forever - Squeeze (the most Un-Squeezy song ever!) Great fretless base and Jools is back on the ivories too (you can tell).
I also have:
How Soon is Now? - The Smiths
Love Like Blood - Killing Joke
She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
Unforgettable Fire - U2
H/m:
Duel - Propaganda (nice bit of Europop)
Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Lost Weekend - Lloyd Cole & the Commotions
Can't Get There From Here - R.E.M
Cheers!
Good call on the Squeeze song. Not my winner, but a good choice nonetheless.
Love the Propaganda pick! I forgot about that one.
Louise, I love that Squeeze song! I almost included it on my list, I love Jools's piano playing on that song. I chose "Hits of the Year" instead. Also, good call on Lloyd Cole!
@@Sir_Eyeball That first track is awesome - Dream Within A Dreaam
@@markgatica12 it’s not well remembered. My older brother had their comeback album “Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti” and he played it non stop. It’s grown on me more and more as I’ve got older 😊
In Between Days (The Cure) is my fav of the year by far. Even in 2022, it sounds like a song from the future. Tarzan Boy rocks the damn house though!
If you can help me out with the tarzan boy love in the other comments I'll really appreciate it - kram
Loved hearing Joe mention GO WEST. Some great songs from them. I'm still perplexed how bands like that can even be discovered by someone born in 1985. I don't know any songs from 1957 (unless someone told me and then I'd say oh, yeah I heard that). Props also to Jason for the Voices Carry song. Loved Til Tuesday.
1. Wendell Gee - REM
2. Bring on the Dancing Horses - Echo and the Bunnymen
3. Delerium Tremens - Christy Moore
4. Driver 8 - REM
5. No Rope as long as Time - Latin Quarter
6. Thinking of You - Colourfield
7. Stainsby Girls - Chris Rea
8. Move Closer - Phyllis Nelson
9. Can't help falling in love - Lick the Tins
10. Crazy - REM
extras 'Inbetween Days' - Cure, 'Brand New Friend' -Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, The Captain of her Heart - Double, Kayleigh - Marillion
Here's my top ten for 1985.
1)Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
2)Thinking Of You - The Colourfield
3)Getcha Back - Beach Boys
4)Marlene On The Wall - Suzanne Vega
5)20/20 - George Benson
6)Coconut Grove - David Lee Roth
7)The Best of Everything - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
8)Mary's New Car - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
9)Slave To The Rhythm - Grace Jones
10)Nothin' At All - Heart
Really fun show. I also love Mr Mister & the Rocky IV sound track but can’t stand Tarzan boys I’m afraid. My top 5 UK hits - Money for Nothing (Dire Straits), Take On Me (A-Ha), Summer of 69 ( Bryan Adam’s), Out in the fields (Gary Moore / Phil Lynott), & 19 (Paul Hardcastle). Wild Cards - Don’t Come round here no-more (Tom Petty), Rumbleseat (John Mellencamp), Power of Love (Huey Lewis), On a storey Tellers Night (Magnum). My favourite - I’d Die to be with you tonight (Jimmy Barnes). Least Favourite: I want to know what love is (Foreigner). How does a band that produces 4 great albums then release this?!
"I Want to Know What Love Is" is in the running for the worst song of the decade. Or two.
my top 10 of 85 in no particular order:
The Smiths- The Headmaster Ritual
The Pogues- A Pair of Brown Eyes
Prince- Pop Life
R.E.M.- Driver 8
The Velvet Underground- Foggy Notion
Talking Heads- Road to Nowhere
Prefab Sprout- Faron Young
Miles Davis- You're Under Arrest
Tom Waits- Jockey Full of Bourbon
The Jesus and Mary Chain- You Trip Me Up
The Pogues had several songs in contention for me, A Pair of Brown Eyes among them. Such a fun album.
So the singer from Til Tuesday is the same person that made this cool Baroque Pop album in 2021? That's mindblowing. Need to get more into her stuff.
I haven't heard her latest yet. She did one called Mental Illness a few years ago that was interesting.
The first Til Tuesday album sounds very similar to Japanese Breakfast
For me, this was a really strong year in the UK singles charts. Although that feeling may have been heightened by my research for this year being interspersed by that for 2021! My list of acts with more than 1 entry on my long list but none in my top 10 are David Bowie, Talking Heads, Latin Quarter, Philip Bailey, China Crisis*, Simple Minds and Marillion. Once again, I was surprised by some of the songs that missed out:
Running up that Hill - Kate Bush
Boys of Summer - Don Henley
Love like Blood - Killing Joke
Something about You - Level 42
Hanging on a String (Contemplating) - Loose Ends
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Let's Go Crazy - Prince
Duel - Propaganda
Head Over Heels - Tears For fears
The Unforgettable Fire - U2
*The first chart band I saw live!
Hanging on a String was a favourite of mine then, but never liked West End Girls. It's one of those songs that thinks it's got a great hook but doesn't, imo.
Simple Minds timeless classic "Don't You Forget About Me", never get tired of listening to it. You couldnt imagine The Breakfast Club movie without it (like The Power of Love and Back To The Future.) Ironically the band forgot about it after recording it, lol because it wasnt one of their original songs but it went on to top the U.S. charts and reached No 7 in the UK (staying charted for over a year).
Bonus Round: Top 10 songs from 1985's "Rain Dogs":
1. Time*
2. Downtown Train*
3. Jockey Full of Bourbon*
4. Singapore
5. Tango Til They're Sore
6. Blind Love
7. Hang Down Your Head
8. Clap Hands
9. Walking Spanish
10. Rain Dogs
*(in my full top 10 of 1985)
This would be a pretty accurate top ten songs of 1985 in general.
I would say:
1. Jockey Full of Bourbon
2. Hang Down Your Head
3. Clap Hands
4. Anywhere I Lay My Head
5. Singapore
6. Union Square
7. Tango 'Til They're Sore
8. Time
9. Downtown Train
10. Big Black Mariah
Everybody Wants to Rule the World.. definitely. Great pick.
One of the best years of all-time (especially since the early '70s) for albums; not as strong as '84 for songs. But there are some great ones.
10) The Cult - “She Sells Sanctuary” - So catchy as Billy Duffy holds forth on his chorus- and reverb-laden White Falcon in a masterpiece of post-punk cool. Why they decided they needed to be AC/DC after this I have no idea. Such a loss.
9) Katrina and the Waves - “Red Wine and Whiskey” - One of my favorite relatively-mainstream guitar rockers of the ‘80s. Such a sense of urban cool, with a fantastically catchy chorus.
8) R.E.M. - “Life and How to Live It” - Headlong guitar abandon. Great harmonies to boot. Their most unsung upbeat gem.
7) 10,000 Maniacs - “Back o’ the Moon” - I used to adore this band back in high school. While they have fallen precipitously in my estimation over the years, this organ-and-mandolin-fueled toe-tapper is so infectious, and the lyrics so wonderful, that I can forgive Natalie’s goose-honking (which had thankfully been largely addressed by time of the next album). Like the drum fill out of the bridge as well.
6) Kate Bush - “The Big Sky” - The Hounds of Love’s most urgent cut, an extravaganza of drama and passion.
5) Simple Minds - “Don’t You (Forget about Me)” - This is another cut that has fallen in my estimation over the years, but it’s still way up here. Definitely one of those “you had to be there” songs, as it was clearly a generational anthem for us kids back in the ‘80s. The “la-la-la’s” at the end take it over the top. A moment of silence for Derek Forbes, as this was his last cut with the band prior to far later reunions.
4) Cocteau Twins - “Aikea-Guinea” - Cocteau Twins leave their gothic era with an absolute pearl, a gorgeous confluence of crystalline guitar blooms from Guthrie and lovely glossolalia from Fraser in the chorus. The fulfillment of every promise they had made up to this point.
3) Kate Bush - “Cloudbusting” - Very likely my favorite Kate Bush track, with its passionately wistful optimism, those urgent cellos, and those soaring vocal cries at the end.
2) Suzanne Vega - “Some Journey” - Suzanne Vega slams her own debut for its “Windham Hill” arrangements, but history shows that it was by far the best framing for her songwriting. The album has a passion to its supposed dispassion that she has not really attempted to equal since. And by far its most perfect track is its most new-agey, with Mark Isham’s synths and Darol Anger’s electric violin taking this magical travelogue with its luminous lyrics into full-blown goosebumps territory. Love love love it.
1) R.E.M. - “Driver 8” - Perhaps their best guitar song. A perfect distillation of their southern character, coming off as something of a post-punk CCR. But I would far rather listen to Stipe around this era than John Fogarty. There’s just this sense of perfection to it, as if it wrote itself.
The final cuts:
11) Simple Minds - “Alive and Kicking” - Cheesy and pretentious in its bombast, but also features beautiful synth work from Michael McNeill and that dramatic rushing buildup into the second chorus.
12) The Dream Academy - “The Edge of Forever” - Those synth pads are ludicrously cheap and cheesy, but this still soars with adolescent angst and heartbreak.
13) Sting - “Fortress around Your Heart” - It’s ridiculous, but it’s also majestic. A sonic cathedral with its dazzling modulations into the chorus and Branford’s perfect fills.
14) The Replacements - “Little Mascara” - Tim found The Replacements delving ever deeper into their poppy side. The vocal hooks in the extended coda of this might be the most emotionally poignant in the history of the band.
15) The Church - “Columbus” - The Church’s Heyday might just be their best album, with plenty of sonic invention, beautiful hooks, and urgency. “Myrrh,” which features their most enchanting guitarchitectural opening to a song, just missed my “just missed” list. This tune is the catchiest and most urgent on a fantastic album.
16) Kate Bush - “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” - Wherein she makes drum machines majestic.
17) Suzanne Vega - “Cracking” - Another of my favorites from her fantastic debut, with perfectly simple chords and those “ahhhhs” in the chorus.
18) Sting - “Shadows in the Rain” - A far superior remake of the Police song, with plenty of pseudo-jazziness from Branford Marsalis and Kenny Kirkland, but also celebratory enthusiasm from his highness.
19) Suzanne Vega - “Small Blue Thing” - Another gem from her debut, with gorgeous imagery and delicate delivery.
20) The Chameleons U.K. - “Singing Rule Britannia (As the Walls Close In)” - The Chameleons’ 1985 album What Does Everything Mean? Basically is a like a self-contained greatest hits, with a nice intro and coda bookending 8 fantastic tracks, but there are so many riches of reverb-laden guitarchitecture that it’s hard to pick just one. I decided to include this with its mood of claustrophobic menace that lives up to the title.
Honorable mentions: The Church - “Myrrh,” The Replacements - “Kiss Me on the Bus (sleigh bells in a Replacements song? So underrated),” Cocteau Twins - “Kookaburra (a surprisingly simple pop-rocker that pointed exhilaratingly toward their next era)” The Chameleons U.K. - “One Flesh,” The Chameleons U.K. - “On the Beach,” and “Home is Where the Heart Is,” The Smiths - “Well I Wonder,” R.E.M. - “Feeling Gravity’s Pull,” Stevie Wonder - “Overjoyed,” New Order - “Elegia,” Kate Bush - “The Jig of Life” and “The Hounds of Love,” The Smiths - “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” and “The Headmaster Ritual,” The Dream Academy - “Life in a Northern Town,” Sting - “Children’s Crusade,” Kate Bush - “Hello Earth” and “The Morning Fog,” Cocteau Twins - “Pink Orange Red,” The Pogues - “A Pair of Brown Eyes,” Suzanne Vega - “The Queen and the Soldier,” Tom Waits - “Downtown Train,” Killing Joke - “The Eighties” and “A Love Like Blood,” New Order - “Sooner Than You Think,” Suzanne Vega - “Knight Moves” and “Freeze Tag,” R.E.M. - “Maps and Legends,” R.E.M. - “Can’t Get There from Here,” “Good Advices,” and “Wendell Gee,” Sting - “Moon over Bourbon Street” and “Consider Me Gone,” The Pogues - “The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn,” “Sally MacLannane,” “Dirty Old Town,” and “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda,” The Replacements - “Hold My Life” and “Here Comes a Regular,” The Church - “Tristesse” and “Roman,” 10,000 Maniacs - “Can’t Ignore the Train” and “My Mother the War,” The Dukes of Stratosphear - “Your Gold Dress,” Echo & the Bunnymen - “Bring on the Dancing Horses,” Prince - “Pop Life,” Husker Du - “Celebrated Summer,” “Makes No Sense at All,” and “Divide and Conquer,” The Cure - “In Between Days,” The Chameleons U.K. - “Perfumed Garden,” “Looking Inwardly,” and “Return of the Roughnecks,” Suzanne Vega - “Marlene on the Wall,” “Straight Lines,” and “Undertow,” Kate Bush - “Mother Stands for Comfort,” “Under Ice,” “And Dream of Sheep,” “Waking the Witch,” and “Watching You without Me,” Husker Du - “New Day Rising,” “I Apologize,” and “Games,” The Replacements - “Bastards of Young” and “Swinging Party,” Cocteau Twins - “Plain Tiger,” “Sultitan Itan,” “Melonella,” and “Pale Clouded White,” The Pogues - “The Old Main Drag,” Tom Waits - “Time” and “Blind Love,” The Church - “Night of Light,” 10,000 Maniacs - “Scorpio Rising,” The Dukes of Stratosphear - “My Love Explodes,” and The Smiths - “Barbarism Begins at Home”
Good call on "She Sells Sanctuary". I'm surprised that wasn't on Jason's list since he's a Cult fan.
I love Suzanne Vega, but not her debut.
@@Sir_Eyeball To each his own. I think it’s her best collection of songs, although Solitude Standing comes close. I haven’t heard her stuff from the past ten years, so I should check that out.
@@scottanthonyweidner8692 She had a great live album out relatively recently, first album that made me take stronger notice of her tbh.
Your list reminded me again of a couple of songs I don't like - Walking on Sunshine and Life in a Northern Town. 85 had some great hits still, but some songs annoyed me too.
I was shocked for a minute because I have reserved all my praise for The Church for next year...they had a lot of bad luck with their American label and never got much attention there. One of those bands that kept a very high standard over a very long time and still never made a big break through.
Definite upvote for Mr mister and Go West - their first album has at least 5 singles of the year on it. Songs of the year One Vision - Queen, Sussudio - Phil Collins, Perfect Way - Scritti Politti, We Close Our Eyes - Go West, Raspberry Beret - Prince.