1999 (Prince)

1999
Prince (1982)

Top Tracks: “1999”, “Little Red Corvette”, “Automatic”

If I could go back in time, I’d do many things. One of them would be to be a little more open about how much I enjoyed Prince during the 1999 era. My friends and I were little rocker kids, and Prince was just too pop to be cool among my immediate peers. I’d been spending most of my time listening to Van Halen and AC/DC and the like, and now here was this incredibly groovy funk/R&B/rock stuff that I loved at the time, and love much more openly now. Prince was a genius and he stayed that way throughout his life. Special memory: playing as the band for our high school’s Jazz Chorale and doing “Little Red Corvette” on synth and vocals with Mike Burns on a very out-of-tune guitar. Good times (May 2020).

All The Best Cowboys have Chinese Eyes (Pete Townshend)

All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
Pete Townshend (1982)

Top Tracks: “Slit Skirts”, “The Sea Refuses No River”, “Face Dances, Pt. 2”

I was, and remain, a huge Who fan, and I was deeply into this Townshend solo album when it was released just as I was going into high school. He was always a massive influence on me musically; definitely one of the musicians who made me want to push my own music into further levels of complexity than typical rock and pop would have permitted (May 2020).

Business as Usual (Men at Work)

Business as Usual
Men at Work (1982)

Top Tracks: “Who Can It Be Now?”, “Be Good Johnny”, “Helpless Automaton”

Again, due to the year of release, this album is probably more special to me than it would be otherwise. I was a freshman in high school and I truly loved the tight sound of this band. Noter that their hit “Down Under” isn’t one of my standout track; I found it kinda gimmicky and cheeseball. But the rest of the album was excellent pop and had a great sound (June 2020).

Combat Rock (The Clash)

Combat Rock
The Clash (1982)

Top Tracks: “Rock the Casbah”, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?”, “Straight to Hell”

To this day, I turn up the radio (or my computer or whatever) when I run across any track from Combat Rock. First of all, nothing can replicate the vibe of Joe Strummer’s voice. Second, I’m still in awe of how an edgy punk band like the Clash could have made such a radio-friendly, danceable album as this and still remained true to their art and their original fan base. This album was huge when I was a freshman in high school and I loved it. Still do (June 2020).