– Jacob Nierenbergĭeeper Listening: Bob Marley and the Wailers – Uprising Ini Kamoze – Ini Kamoze It’s a crying shame that their moment didn’t last longer, but there’s no doubt that it came when it was needed the most. Within six years, however, Black Uhuru would lose two of the three vocalists who sang on Red-first Michael Rose to artistic disagreements, then Sandra “Puma” Jones to cancer-effectively ending the group’s moment at the vanguard of reggae. In addition to legendary rhythm section and production duo Sly & Robbie, Red features a cast of session musicians that were to Kingston what the Wrecking Crew was to Los Angeles, including pianist Keith Sterling, percussionist Uziah “Sticky” Thompson, and guitarists Bertram “Ranchie” McLean and Mikey Chung. With this in mind, Red’s critical success wasn’t just a triumph for Black Uhuru, but for several of reggae’s lesser-known, but no less important, figures. It had taken eight years (and multiple lineup changes) for the group to draw the attention of Island Records, and then the very month that Red was to hit shelves, Bob Marley died, leaving a musical movement without its prophet. – Paul Pearsonĭeeper Listening: Squeeze – Argybargy The Jam – Sound Affectsīlack Uhuru’s second major album arrived at a critical time not just for the band, but for reggae as a whole. Costello’s covers of Sam & Dave’s “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down” and the Merseybeats’ “I Stand Accused” are among his most joyous moments, and no piano or other keyboard has ever enjoyed a more committed, animated life partner than Steve Nieve. Quick snapshots like “Opportunity,” “Temptation,” “Possession” and “The Imposter” created compelling miniature worlds that broadened Costello’s reach, and dramatic works like “King Horse,” “New Amsterdam,” “Motel Matches” and “Riot Act” put vulnerability in his still-bristling quiver. But as sundry as Get Happy!! appears, Costello’s songwriting is sharp and forcibly concise. And it held back nothing: 20 songs on one platter like at K-Tel, steeped in the tradition of Motown and Stax R&B, borne from the frantic nature of the touring life, relentless and at times enervated. Whether it was really meant as the mea culpa for The Columbus Incident (Google it) or not, Costello’s fourth album was his first to display a sweeping stylistic change. Elvis Costello and the Attractions – Get Happy!! (1980) Plus, listen to our Best Albums of the 1980s playlist.Ĭolumbia 150. We did the best we could in capturing as much of the best music of the decade as possible, and as diverse a selection at that. We also included two “deeper listening” album suggestions, in essence expanding our list to 450. We made one exception, which will become obvious as you go deeper into the list, but simply put, no other artist had a decade quite like that. If we’re simply counting all of the new sounds that were born, the ’80s were simply overwhelming.Īs with other best-of-decade lists, our summary of the best albums of the 1980s is limited to two albums per artist. Hip-hop rose to prominence, about a half-dozen metal subgenres were born, and punk begat post-punk and so on. The top 40 was rife with heavy hitters-Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince and even ’70s rockers like Springsteen-while elsewhere, technological advancements were bringing about new evolutions in synth-pop, dance music and industrial.
If the ’70s was one of the most consequential decades for popular music, the ’80s is perhaps the only other decade that can give it a run for its money in terms of both innovation and pop cultural visibility. And today, we reach the main event: The Best Albums of the 1980s. All month we’ve been teasing on social media that it’s ’80s month, and we’ve been sharing articles that have either highlighted some of the best music of the ’80s, or even simply music that reminds us of the ’80s.
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