If I'm a really big Cracker fan, would I be "crazy about" or "disapointed by" Camper Van Beethoven? I like the Alt-Country Rock of Cracker, and then careless redneck flavor.

Heck Yes. I think I'm gonna track down a download or CD copy of that album cos my vinyl copy skips on "One of these Days"... my favorite

It's just my opinion, but I think Cracker is a little more "pure" alt-country (my favorite genre). CVB is in a lot of ways non-genre defined, and a bit quirky. I like them a lot, but it is definitely not for everyone. If you like Cracker and that genre, my favorites are:

Drive By Truckers
Buffalo Nickel
Drag The River
Magnolia Electric. Co
Dexateens
Uncle Tupelo
Jesse Dayton
The Road Kings
The Bottle Rockets (24 Hours a Day and The Brooklyn Side albums, the others are a bit shaky)
Old 97's
Rhett Miller

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:
If I'm a really big Cracker fan, would I be "crazy about" or "disapointed by" Camper Van Beethoven? I like the Alt-Country Rock of Cracker, and then careless redneck flavor.

I don't know Cracker so well, but CVB isn't exactly the normal fare for alt-country - they're just as influenced by european (sounding? not sure how "authentic" they are, but nvm) folk as country.

That's not to say I think you wouldn't enjoy Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart. In fact I might be inclined to think there was something wrong with you if you didn't like it!

I love OBRS, but Telephone Free Landslide Victory is my fave CVB album.

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:
If I'm a really big Cracker fan, would I be "crazy about" or "disapointed by" Camper Van Beethoven? I like the Alt-Country Rock of Cracker, and then careless redneck flavor.

I think you'd like CVB as a Cracker fan. I think both bands explored similar territory - sort of quirky Americana.

I also think Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart is CVB's best album, although Telephone Free Landslide Victory and Key Lime Pie both have some really great moments.

There is no way in Hell I will pick a best CVB album. They are all equally brilliant, including the last one. Since Cracker and CVB generally tour together now and 3/5 of them are the same band, that's the best way to get your Crackered CVB Mojo on nowadays!

quote:

Originally posted by EricG75:
I think you'd like CVB as a Cracker fan.

I don't know, I loved CVB but was never wild about Cracker. I could see it going the other way too.

I apologize for making this post long, but these are my favorite several dozen records from the '80's, (undoubtedly with some omissions) in no particular order:

The Jam, The Gift
The Style Council, The Sound of the Style Council
Afrika Bambaataa, Planet Rock
Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Sessions
Tears for Fears, The Hurting
K.T. Oslin, '80's Ladies
K.T. Oslin, This Woman
Billy Idol, Rebel Yell
Roxy Music, Avalon
Sade, Diamond Life
Eurythmics, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Eurythmics, Be Yourself Tonight
George Strait, Strait Country
George Strait, Right of Wrong
George Strait, Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind
George Strait, Beyond the Blue Neon
The Smiths, The Smiths
The Smiths, The Queen is Dead
Fun Boy Three, Fun Boy Three
Fun Boy Three, Waiting
'Til Tuesday, Voices Carry
The Church, Starfish
Michelle Shocked, Captain Swing
Basia, Time and Tide
Clint Black, Killin' Time
Talk Talk, It's My Life
INXS, Shabooh Shabooh
R.E.M., Murmur
R.E.M., Document
Aztec Camera, High Land, Hard Rain
Gary Numan, Telekon
Bow Wow Wow, I Want Candy
The Clash, Sandinista
The Clash, Combat Rock
Joachim Witt, Silberblick
.38 Special, Special Forces
Culture Club, Kissing to Be Clever
Culture Club, Colour by Numbers
The Fixx, Reach the Beach
Depeche Mode, Some Great Reward
The Cure, Seventeen Seconds
The Cure, Faith
The Cure, Pornography
The Cure, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
Husker Du, Zen Arcade
Husker Du, New Day Rising
Whodini, Escape
Steve Wariner, Steve Wariner
Dexy's Midnight Runners, Too-Rye-Ay
English Beat, Special Beat Service
Donald Fagen, The Nightfly
Roseanne Cash, Seven Year Ache
Joy Division, Closer
New Order, Power, Corruption and Lies
Laurie Anderson, Big Science
Laurie Anderson, Mister Heartbreak
Laurie Anderson, United States Live
Monsoon, Monsoon
ABC, The Lexicon of Love
Salt N Pepa, Hot, Cool and Vicious
The Jesus and Mary Chain, Psychocandy
The Jesus and Mary Chain, Darklands
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, Rattlesnakes
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, Easy Pieces
Expose, Exposure
The Human League, Dare
Thompson Twins, Side Kicks
The Alarm, Declaration
Joe "King" Carrasco and the Crowns, Synapse Gap
Joe "King" Carrasco and the Crowns, Party Weekend
Technotronic, Pump Up the Jam
Madness, Absolutely
Madness, House of Fun
Fishbone, Truth and Soul
Ralphi Rosario feat. Xaviera Gold, You Used to Hold Me (single)
Two Puerto Ricans, A Black Man and a Dominican, Do It Properly (single)
Raze, Break 4 Love (single)
Toto Coelho, I Eat Cannibals (single)
Young MC, Stone Cold Rhymin'
Art of Noise, Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy
Yoko Ono, Season of Glass
Kraftwerk, Computer World
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Organisation
Orchestral Maoeuvres in the Dark, Architecture and Morality
Prince, Dirty Mind
Prince, Controversy
Prince, 1999
Prince, Purple Rain
Motels, All 4 One
Men at Work, Business As Usual
Missing Persons, Spring Session M
Berlin, Pleasure Victim
Strawberry Switchblade, Strawberry Switchblade
They Might Be Giants, They Might Be Giants
The B-52's, Wild Planet
The B-52's, Whammy!
The B-52's, Wild Planet
Kate Bush, Hounds of Love
Peter Gabriel, untitled 1980
Peter Gabriel, Security
Peter Gabriel, So
Fine Young Cannibals, The Raw and the Cooked
Shannon, Let the Music Play
Leonard Cohen, I'm Your Man
Marshall Crenshaw, Marshall Crenshaw
The Plimsouls, The Plimsouls
Book of Love, Book of Love
The Housemartins, London 0 Hull 4
The Housemartins, The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death
Mental As Anything, If You Leave Me, Can I Come, Too?
Pete Shelley, Homosapien
Talking Heads, Remain in Light
Talking Heads, Speaking in Tongues
Talking Heads, Little Creatures
Tom Tom Club, Tom Tom Club

Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Sonic Youth - Sister
Prince - Sign O The Times
The Clash - London Calling
Pixies - Doolittle
-
-
-
-
Talking Heads - Remain In Light
Gang of Four - Entertainment
X - Los Angeles
Replacements - Let It Be

quote:

Originally posted by JeffinNYC:
I apologize for making this post long, but these are my favorite several dozen records from the '80's

No need to apologize, the longer the better! There are a few on there that I've either not or heard or forgotten about completely. Nice list.

Near two-month bump...

I'm still a little hazy on a great deal of 80s stuff, but I'd have to put Rain Dogs, The Queen is Dead, Strangeways Here We Come, Doolittle, and If I Should Fall from Grace With God on my list. I'm also seeing Imperial Ballroom pop up a lot on here - I've only been through the album once but it sounded really good. Might be Costello's hidden treasure.

Thanks for the bump, Chamberk.

quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Jack:
I'm reviving this thread because I am in the midst of loading up my iTunes with classic 80s tunes for one heckuva a neon decade playlist (currently it's at 609 songs). I would like for all of you to submit your very favorite songs, bands and albums, please. These can be mainstream or underground and any and all genres are welcome! I'm just trying to shake some cobwebs from my brain. Thanks in advance!

I just wanted to take Chamberk's lead and update. Since mid-November when I made the above post, I have been in a serious 80's funk. My Eighties' Playlist is now up to 3604 songs. I lived through the damn decade, but there is still soooo much I haven't heard. Websites like Little Hits have really opened my ears to a ton of great music I missed. Some observations I've made over the last couple of months:

The The was a band I did not give enough credit to. I always loved Soul Mining but Infected and Mind Bomb are terrific records in their own right.

I think I mentioned this in the Canadian thread, but Soul Junk by The Pursuit of Happiness is an oft neglected classic.

Romeo Void is another band that doesn't get enough credit. I blame MTV.

Although they are not often associated with the Neon decade, The Screaming Trees put out a formidable body of work prior to their coming out party: the Singles Soundtrack.

There was a helluva lot more going on in New Zealand and Australia than most people give them credit for.

While there are literally dozens of albums from Down Under I failed to appreciate back in the day, I'll mention just one: Temple of Low Men by Crowded House.

Those mid-period Cult albums still hold up.

The Mighty Lemondrops were more than just Echo and the Bunnymen copyists.

"Anything, Anything" by Dramarama is still one of the greatest songs ever.

fIREHOSE should have been bigger.

Why doesn't everyone love TWEE as much as I do?

The Mekons for their contributions to both Post-Punk and Alt-Country, might be the most important group of the decade.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some . . .

Listening to my SqueezeBox on random play tonight, and "Take on Me" by A-Ha came on. So, I thought about starting a nostalgia thread on favorite 80's pop songs, but this one seemed close enough. So, here are some songs that always make me happy (and no decade can make you happy like the 80's, after all). Here goes:

"Take on Me" - A-Ha
"Take My Breath Away" - Berlin
"Come on Eileen" - Dexie's Midnight Runners
"Steppin' Out" - Joe Jackson
"Africa" - Toto
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Bonnie Tyler
"Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads
"Down Under" - Men at Work

quote:

Originally posted by ezatldude:
So, here are some songs that always make me happy. Here goes:

"Take on Me" - A-Ha
"Take My Breath Away" - Berlin
"Come on Eileen" - Dexie's Midnight Runners
"Steppin' Out" - Joe Jackson
"Africa" - Toto
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Bonnie Tyler
"Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads
"Down Under" - Men at Work

I concur with every selection. Plus The Reels' "Quasimodo's Dream"

Of the ones you listed EZ, I only still love "Take on Me", "Steppin' Out" and "Once in a Lifetime". The others . . . well, I just heard them too many times back in the day.

quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Jack:
Of the ones you listed EZ, I only still love "Take on Me", "Steppin' Out" and "Once in a Lifetime". The others . . . well, I just heard them too many times back in the day.

Funny enough, those would probably be my Top 3 for the ones I listed.

Already posted my list, but...

Straight Outta Compton

Nothing better than N.W.A. to make an upper-class ivy-league-prospective-suburban-kid feel like a badass.

quote:

"Africa" - Toto

This song was #1 the week I was born

The 80's are quickly becomming my favorite time for music. The more I hear, the more I want to hear. The The, Echo and the Bunnymen, Talk Talk, Camper van Bethooven and The Stone Roses are all bands that I've recently gotten into and now have a huge appreciation for.

Man, I LOVE "Africa." What a great song - my old roommates and I always ended up listening to it when we got drunk and singing along at the top of our lungs. "Hold the Line" and "Rosanna" were awesome for that, too.