OG Post-Punk Countdown: 1977-1984 #1 - Joy Division - Transmission (1979) (Spotify playlist link in first post) (4 Viewers)

[scorchy]

#45 - Sonic Youth - The Burning Spear (1982)

Like I wrote earlier, I grew up in the sticks, so my exposure to new music was relatively restricted.  Whenever I went to the mall, I would always hit the B Dalton and spend part of my meager paycheck (whatever was left over after buying gas and records/CDs) on the latest issues of Rolling Stone and Spin.  In late 1988, both magazines listed Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation" in their annual top 5, sending me on a mission to find a record from a band that I had never even heard of.  I had no luck in my hometown, but on a school field trip to Annapolis that January, I dipped into a record store and bingo.  The whole two-hour bus ride home, I was almost bursting with anticipation, and then... I freaking hated it.  Just did not get it at all.  And I loved noisy stuff like JaMC and the first Pixies record, but this was just... screechy and atonal and awful.

Several years later, I heard a song I thought I recognized playing at the Schoolkids Records in Gainesville.  This was long before the Shazam app, so I had to sheepishly walk up to the counter dude and ask what it was, only to get a condescending "It's 'Teenage Riot' by Sonic Youth."  And I really liked it, but had long ago traded in my first copy of "Daydream Nation," so ended up needing to buy it again.

Since then SY has been one of my favorite bands, but only in doses.  I can sit and happily listen to hours of The Smiths or GnR or Drive-By Truckers, but Sonic Youth are always one album and done for me.  I love it when it's playing but almost feel exhausted -in a good way - afterwards.

Anyway, that was a ridiculously wordy intro to #45, the lead single off of Sonic Youth's 1982 debut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQQ-D7yrej8

 

[Northern Voice]

#50 - Young Marble Giants - Credit in the Straight World (1980)

The only Welsh band (I think) in the countdown, Young Marble Giants formed in Cardiff in 1978.  YMG's demo tape got them signed to Rough Trade Records, where they produced two EPs and one full-length before disbanding in early 1981.  According to his diaries, YMG were Kurt Cobain's favorite band (along with The Vaselines) and their songs have been officially covered by Hole, Belle & Sebastian, Magnetic Fields, and Galaxie 500.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blNCvZG_LT4

This sent me to listen to Colossal Youth last night, what an album. 

 

[scorchy]

Ask and ye shall receive.  Bit of warning thought that my top 20 is heavily skewed toward the turn of the century "revival" scene.  I've just not been as tuned in to newer music over the last 4 or 5 years, so my exposure is limited.

Anyway, back in the day, I managed to score the occasional fill-in DJ gig at a couple of great punk/glam/indie nights.  It was right at the time the post-punk revival scene was breaking and made for a heck of lot of good times and great music.  I've tried to steer clear of the pure dance-punk stuff (The Faint, LCD Soundsystem) and garage/newer-wave/indie (Libertines/Killers/Strokes) and threw in a few songs I like from the last few years too.  Starting with #s 20 to 16 and will fill in more at the next break.

#20 - Art Brut - Alcoholics Unanimous - 2009  (so very British.  Produced by Frank Black.)

#19 - Sleaford Mods - Kebab Spiders - 2019 (even more British.  My 16-year old hates this band more than anything else I play.)

#18 - Editors - Munich - 2005 (This one just soars.)

#17 - The Murder Capital - Don't Cling to Life - 2019 (Score one for Ireland.)

#16 - The Rakes - Retreat - 2005 (What do you mean, this doesn't sound like Gang of Four at all.)

Time for another round of post-punk revival:

#15 - Squid - Houseplants - 2019 (like a yelpier, more British Parquet Courts, maybe?)

#14 - She Wants Revenge - Tear You Apart - 2006 (my lord did this fill up the dance floor with all the aging goths in 2006)

#13 - Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls - 2009 (FF were at the forefront of the revival, but I dig their later stuff like this too)

#12 - Crocodiles - Stoned to Death -2010 - (I love everything Crocodiles have ever put out.  Like a SoCal JaMC.)

#11 - Fontaines DC - Big - 2019 (Look at us, we're Irish!)

 

[Leroy Hoard]

#45 - Sonic Youth - The Burning Spear (1982)

Like I wrote earlier, I grew up in the sticks, so my exposure to new music was relatively restricted.  Whenever I went to the mall, I would always hit the B Dalton and spend part of my meager paycheck (whatever was left over after buying gas and records/CDs) on the latest issues of Rolling Stone and Spin.  In late 1988, both magazines listed Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation" in their annual top 5, sending me on a mission to find a record from a band that I had never even heard of.  I had no luck in my hometown, but on a school field trip to Annapolis that January, I dipped into a record store and bingo.  The whole two-hour bus ride home, I was almost bursting with anticipation, and then... I freaking hated it.  Just did not get it at all.  And I loved noisy stuff like JaMC and the first Pixies record, but this was just... screechy and atonal and awful.

Several years later, I heard a song I thought I recognized playing at the Schoolkids Records in Gainesville.  This was long before the Shazam app, so I had to sheepishly walk up to the counter dude and ask what it was, only to get a condescending "It's 'Teenage Riot' by Sonic Youth."  And I really liked it, but had long ago traded in my first copy of "Daydream Nation," so ended up needing to buy it again.

Since then SY has been one of my favorite bands, but only in doses.  I can sit and happily listen to hours of The Smiths or GnR or Drive-By Truckers, but Sonic Youth are always one album and done for me.  I love it when it's playing but almost feel exhausted -in a good way - afterwards.

Anyway, that was a ridiculously wordy intro to #45, the lead single off of Sonic Youth's 1982 debut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQQ-D7yrej8

For a time I was a huge fan and still are to a point. SYs take on off tuned guitars mixed with the big hook was something I had never heard before. But as you said,  best taken in small doses.

 

[El Floppo]

Time for another round of post-punk revival:

#15 - Squid - Houseplants - 2019 (like a yelpier, more British Parquet Courts, maybe?)

#14 - She Wants Revenge - Tear You Apart - 2006 (my lord did this fill up the dance floor with all the aging goths in 2006)

#13 - Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls - 2009 (FF were at the forefront of the revival, but I dig their later stuff like this too)

#12 - Crocodiles - Stoned to Death -2010 - (I love everything Crocodiles have ever put out.  Like a SoCal JaMC.)

#11 - Fontaines DC - Big - 2019 (Look at us, we're Irish!)

Squid and Fontaines DC were and are in hot rotation for me...big fan of both. FF not as much, although I like just fine. The other two, don't ring bells- looking forward to giving each a whirl.

I'll have to throw a list out there for s&gs, although I'm hoping to see some faves show up.

 

[scorchy]

I'll have to throw a list out there for s&gs, although I'm hoping to see some faves show up.

Unfortunately, I live to disappoint.  Always excited to hear new stuff though.

 

[El Floppo]

Unfortunately, I live to disappoint.  Always excited to hear new stuff though.

You've been crushing this. Love seeing all this new (to me) stuff...

 

[scorchy]

#44 - The Chameleons - Up the Down Escalator (1983)

How is Manchester responsible for so many amazing bands?  The Chameleons formed in 1981, released a top-notch debut single in 1982, toured the UK relentlessly, and finally issued their debut album "Script of the Bridge" in 1983.  It was an instant classic, not just for post-punk, but for "alternative" music as a whole.  Two more excellent albums followed before the band broke up in 1986.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fZPRZm7yUQ

 

[Osaurus]

#44 - The Chameleons - Up the Down Escalator (1983)

How is Manchester responsible for so many amazing bands?  The Chameleons formed in 1981, released a top-notch debut single in 1982, toured the UK relentlessly, and finally issued their debut album "Script of the Bridge" in 1983.  It was an instant classic, not just for post-punk, but for "alternative" music as a whole.  Two more excellent albums followed before the band broke up in 1986.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fZPRZm7yUQ

So good. 

 

[El Floppo]

#44 - The Chameleons - Up the Down Escalator (1983)

How is Manchester responsible for so many amazing bands?  The Chameleons formed in 1981, released a top-notch debut single in 1982, toured the UK relentlessly, and finally issued their debut album "Script of the Bridge" in 1983.  It was an instant classic, not just for post-punk, but for "alternative" music as a whole.  Two more excellent albums followed before the band broke up in 1986.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fZPRZm7yUQ

Hell yes

 

[Northern Voice]

Squid and Fontaines DC were and are in hot rotation for me...big fan of both. FF not as much, although I like just fine. The other two, don't ring bells- looking forward to giving each a whirl.

I'll have to throw a list out there for s&gs, although I'm hoping to see some faves show up.

scorchy already posted every She Wants Revenge song worth listening to.

 

[scorchy]

scorchy already posted every She Wants Revenge song worth listening to.

Sad but true

 

[scorchy]

#43 - The Birthday Party - Mr. Clarinet (1980)

We've already had one appearance from Nick Cave on this list (with the Bad Seeds); the second is with his original band, the Birthday Party.  Technically, when their first album was released in 1980, they were actually called The Boys Next Door, but the band changed it's name when they moved from Australia to London that same year.  That organ in this first track off of their debut is somehow dark, zany, and joyous all at once.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTKAZ2CjnsE

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

#44 - The Chameleons - Up the Down Escalator (1983)

How is Manchester responsible for so many amazing bands?  The Chameleons formed in 1981, released a top-notch debut single in 1982, toured the UK relentlessly, and finally issued their debut album "Script of the Bridge" in 1983.  It was an instant classic, not just for post-punk, but for "alternative" music as a whole.  Two more excellent albums followed before the band broke up in 1986.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fZPRZm7yUQ

I’ve been waiting for these guys to show up. One of my favorites. 
 

I like Strange Times (from ‘86) a little more than SotB but both are great. 

 

[scorchy]

#42 - Cocteau Twins - Wax and Wane

Another 4AD band, the ethereal sounds of Cocteau Twins (along with Dead Can Dance) seemed to define the label more than that of their predecessors like The Birthday Party or early Bauhaus.  Cocteau Twins' first release, 1982's "Garland," was a more straightforward post-punk affair - Elisabeth Fraser sounded very Siouxsie-esque and at this point she still sang actual words.  Later records, like 1984's "Treasure" and 1990's "Heaven or Las Vegas" are considered stronger and more representative, but neither of them pound like their debut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGPIFCTAugk

 

[Gr00vus]

I’ve been waiting for these guys to show up. One of my favorites. 
 

I like Strange Times (from ‘86) a little more than SotB but both are great. 

My favorite Chameleons track is In Shreds.

 

[El Floppo]

#42 - Cocteau Twins - Wax and Wane

Another 4AD band, the ethereal sounds of Cocteau Twins (along with Dead Can Dance) seemed to define the label more than that of their predecessors like The Birthday Party or early Bauhaus.  Cocteau Twins' first release, 1982's "Garland," was a more straightforward post-punk affair - Elisabeth Fraser sounded very Siouxsie-esque and at this point she still sang actual words.  Later records, like 1984's "Treasure" and 1990's "Heaven or Las Vegas" are considered stronger and more representative, but neither of them pound like their debut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGPIFCTAugk

Would never think of them for the genre...big fan though.

 

[Osaurus]

Would never think of them for the genre...big fan though.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

#42 - Cocteau Twins - Wax and Wane

Another 4AD band, the ethereal sounds of Cocteau Twins (along with Dead Can Dance) seemed to define the label more than that of their predecessors like The Birthday Party or early Bauhaus.  Cocteau Twins' first release, 1982's "Garland," was a more straightforward post-punk affair - Elisabeth Fraser sounded very Siouxsie-esque and at this point she still sang actual words.  Later records, like 1984's "Treasure" and 1990's "Heaven or Las Vegas" are considered stronger and more representative, but neither of them pound like their debut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGPIFCTAugk

Another band maybe best in small doses. But one of my favorites at the time.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pX2dSpZo8uk

 

[scorchy]

Would never think of them for the genre...big fan though.

Yeah, I think I wasn't particularly clear in my description - their later sound defines the 4AD label not the post-punk label.  There's pretty much nothing about "Heaven or Las Vegas" that's punk.

 

[scorchy]

Another band maybe best in small doses. But one of my favorites at the time.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pX2dSpZo8uk

Great song.  And my "small doses" of Cocteau Twins was almost exclusively limited to when I somehow convinced the hot goth girl to come back to my apartment.

 

[El Floppo]

Yeah, I think I wasn't particularly clear in my description - their later sound defines the 4AD label not the post-punk label.  There's pretty much nothing about "Heaven or Las Vegas" that's punk.

yeah- I got that. I'm not a really good gauge for genre-defining...just never put them in that sound with the more shimmery rather than plunky guitar work. will have to listen to them again with post in mind.

Eta...but if you put Dead Can Dance in here, that's it.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Whatever the genre, some really good stuff in here.

 

[scorchy]

yeah- I got that. I'm not a really good gauge for genre-defining...

I love discussing/arguing genres.  You haven't lived until you've spent an evening listening to @JZillalovingly detail which 80s/90s bands have been erroneously classified as metal.

A few months ago, Mrs. Scorchy and I went on a kick of watching 90s indie films on Friday nights - Walking & Talking, Kicking & Screaming, Sleep with Me, etc.  She pointed out that the reason those movies spoke to us Gen-Xers (but my teenager found them ridiculous) is that all the talking about pop culture and angst seemed so realistic, because back then we couldn't just google "Is so-and-so a punk band?" or "Who are the best 10 American bands of all time?", so we just sat around and talked #### with our friends.  Not an original thought I know, but it did make me wonder if someday my son will nostalgically watch movies about teenagers watching other teenagers play video games.

Oh, and Parker Posey was my manic pixie dreamgirl before I even knew such a term existed.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

She pointed out that the reason those movies spoke to us Gen-Xers (but my teenager found them ridiculous) is that all the talking about pop culture and angst seemed so realistic, because back then we couldn't just google "Is so-and-so a punk band?" or "Who are the best 10 American bands of all time?", so we just sat around and talked #### with our friends. 

This was pretty much my life between ages 14 and 35. 

 

[urbanhack]

Friday Night Dance Party:

https://www.twitch.tv/djjeffmoyer

>pardon this interruption<

 

[El Floppo]

I love discussing/arguing genres.  You haven't lived until you've spent an evening listening to @JZillalovingly detail which 80s/90s bands have been erroneously classified as metal.

A few months ago, Mrs. Scorchy and I went on a kick of watching 90s indie films on Friday nights - Walking & Talking, Kicking & Screaming, Sleep with Me, etc.  She pointed out that the reason those movies spoke to us Gen-Xers (but my teenager found them ridiculous) is that all the talking about pop culture and angst seemed so realistic, because back then we couldn't just google "Is so-and-so a punk band?" or "Who are the best 10 American bands of all time?", so we just sat around and talked #### with our friends.  Not an original thought I know, but it did make me wonder if someday my son will nostalgically watch movies about teenagers watching other teenagers play video games.

Oh, and Parker Posey was my manic pixie dreamgirl before I even knew such a term existed.

Oh damn yes. To all of that.

I mention Kicking & Screaming and people usually think of the Will Ferrel soccer movie. Those flashback scenes with the freezing action...wub. loved that movie, and even his follow-up Mr Jealousy with much of the same crew.

Ooooh paerker posey. Yes.

 

[scorchy]

I mention Kicking & Screaming and people usually think of the Will Ferrel soccer movie. Those flashback scenes with the freezing action...wub. loved that movie, and even his follow-up Mr Jealousy with much of the same crew.

"I'm nostalgic for conversations I had yesterday."  Love it.

 

[El Floppo]

"I'm nostalgic for conversations I had yesterday."  Love it.

I’ve begun reminiscing events before they even occur. I’m reminiscing this right now. I can’t go to the bar because I’ve already looked back on it in my memory… and I didn’t have a good time.

Prague... you'll come back a bug

 

[Osaurus]

Moar 4AD!! 

 

[scorchy]

#41 - The Mekons - I'm So Happy (1980)

The Mekons are the hardest to pin down of any band here.  Coming from the same Leeds art school scene as Go4, their first single - 1978's "Never Been in a Riot" - cheekily took down what they saw as the working class tourism of The Clash.  Twenty albums have followed, with the band genre-hopping from post-punk to country to electronic to folk.  I can't include anything from my two favorite Mekons records in the countdown (1985's "Fear and Whiskey" and "1989's "The Mekons Rock and Roll) but there's still lots of good stuff in their shambolic early material, like this track from 1980's "Devils, Rats, and Piggies: A Special Message from Godzilla."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0H8U16VEyM

Ah, screw it.  I just have to include this video even if it's from 1989.  It just makes me so cheerful, even if I can't tell whether they're taking the piss re: Happy Mondays/Madchester or are dead serious.

Memphis Egypt

 

[scorchy]

#40 - Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone (1983)

I kept debating whether I absolutely had to include something from the first Violent Femmes record.  Talk about overplayed.  I'm guessing that for a lot of people my age that grew up far from college radio, it was our first exposure to "alternative" music - seems like lots of 11 or 12 year-olds dubbed a copy from their cool older sister (or in my case, neighbor kid's older sister) just to repeatedly listen and giggle to "Add It Up."  I've just heard the big three from this record too many times over the last 4 decades (yikes!) so decided to go with "Gone Daddy Gone" instead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekL7o8BQkZM

 

[Pip's Invitation]

#40 - Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone (1983)

I kept debating whether I absolutely had to include something from the first Violent Femmes record.  Talk about overplayed.  I'm guessing that for a lot of people my age that grew up far from college radio, it was our first exposure to "alternative" music - seems like lots of 11 or 12 year-olds dubbed a copy from their cool older sister (or in my case, neighbor kid's older sister) just to repeatedly listen and giggle to "Add It Up."  I've just heard the big three from this record too many times over the last 4 decades (yikes!) so decided to go with "Gone Daddy Gone" instead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekL7o8BQkZM

Funny thing is, Gone Daddy Gone was the one I remember being played on MTV. The Big Three were more a college radio thing that would occasionally creep into mainstream radio. Once "modern rock radio" stations became a thing in the '90s, they were all over those. 

My (younger) sister had this album. 

 

[rockaction]

#40 - Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone (1983)

Probably the most left field pop band going and covering this song from out of left field. That'll make this song clearly outlive its usefulness.

Gnarls Barkley sanctified this on St. Elsewhere, ripping it out of context and placing it firmly in the realm of the insane. 

This is an opinion brought to you by rockaction. Yes, that guy.

 

[Osaurus]

After spending time in WI for high school/college, I was exposed to a ridiculous amount of the Femmes and to this day when I hear them on the radio, I turn it off. They’re certainly eclectic, but not my cup of tea.

 

[scorchy]

After spending time in WI for high school/college, I was exposed to a ridiculous amount of the Femmes and to this day when I hear them on the radio, I turn it off. They’re certainly eclectic, but not my cup of tea.

Same here, except for the Wisconsin part.

 

[Osaurus]

Same here, except for the Wisconsin part.

I didn’t mention how bitter I am about them headlining when I saw the Sugarcubes, PIL, and New Order. I mean seriously, WTF?

 

[scorchy]

I didn’t mention how bitter I am about them headlining when I saw the Sugarcubes, PIL, and New Order. I mean seriously, WTF?

Oof. Only in America.

 

[scorchy]

#39 - The Raincoats - Fairytale in the Supermarket (1979)

Another art school band - this time from London and all-female.  The Raincoats formed in late 1977 after seeing the Slits perform and deciding that not really knowing how to play definitely isn't a deterrent for being a punk band.  In early 1979, the Raincoats signed to Rough Trade and quickly released their first single, "Fairytale in the Supermarket," with a self-titled debut album soon following.  The latter contains a cover of "Lola" that still makes me cringe whenever I hear it, but that may be a minority opinion.  "Fairytale..." is great, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDrUZOZnFNE

 

[scorchy]

#38 - The Fall - How I Wrote Elastic Man (1980)

I honestly have no idea how to talk about the Fall in just a few sentences.  Mark E. Smith was like a Mancunian Ryan Adams - just older and even saltier.  Stay with me here... Both seem to have never written a song that they didn't end up recording, for better or for worse.  Not sure if I've got it right, but over 40 years, the Fall put out 37 studio records, 12 EPs, and 50 singles (not even counting the more than 100 live records and compilations).  And pretty much every one sounded different - if you've heard one Fall album, well you've heard one Fall album.  Picking out one or two songs, even from only the few years covered by this countdown, seems like a fool's errand.  So I'll start with one that was name-checked by a band that made no bones about his influence (Elastica - though I wonder if Smith would have felt differently if they ripped him off as blatantly as they did Wire).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7mp9elK49I

 

[FairWarning]

Time for another round of post-punk revival:

#15 - Squid - Houseplants - 2019 (like a yelpier, more British Parquet Courts, maybe?)

#14 - She Wants Revenge - Tear You Apart - 2006 (my lord did this fill up the dance floor with all the aging goths in 2006)

#13 - Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls - 2009 (FF were at the forefront of the revival, but I dig their later stuff like this too)

#12 - Crocodiles - Stoned to Death -2010 - (I love everything Crocodiles have ever put out.  Like a SoCal JaMC.)

#11 - Fontaines DC - Big - 2019 (Look at us, we're Irish!)

There has been some stuff I haven't heard in a very long time in this thread, then there is the Crocodiles song.  I don't know what to make of them outside of its awesome.  It sounds like some sort of trippy mid-60's stuff, like a distant relative of 99 Tears, and the Doors Strange Days.

 

[scorchy]

There has been some stuff I haven't heard in a very long time in this thread, then there is the Crocodiles song.  I don't know what to make of them outside of its awesome.  It sounds like some sort of trippy mid-60's stuff, like a distant relative of 99 Tears, and the Doors Strange Days.

Sweet - glad you dig it.  I wore their debut album out way back in 2009.  My favorite track from that record is still a little trippy, but definitely more Jesus and Mary Chain than later stuff:  I Wanna Kill

 

[scorchy]

#37 - Talking Heads - Life During Wartime (1979)

Nothing to add about Talking Heads that hasn't already been said a zillion times.  Both songs I included in the countdown may be kind of obvious, but hey, it's my list.  Went with the live Stop Making Sense video b/c I felt like aerobicising.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVHNwBbkSj4

 

[El Floppo]

#37 - Talking Heads - Life During Wartime (1979)

Nothing to add about Talking Heads that hasn't already been said a zillion times.  Both songs I included in the countdown may be kind of obvious, but hey, it's my list.  Went with the live Stop Making Sense video b/c I felt like aerobicising.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVHNwBbkSj4

First of many....?

 

[scorchy]

#36 - Echo & The Bunnymen - The Cutter (1983)

Like a less successful U2 or a much better Simple Minds (sorry @El Floppo), Echo & The Bunnymen had aspirations far beyond post-punk.  Their first three records though are classics of the genre.  1983's aptly name "Porcupine" is the darkest of the bunch, and leadoff track "The Cutter" shows Will Sergeant can do angular just as well as he can do psychedelic.  The bridge of this song positively soars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMplIrSlg8E

 

[El Floppo]

#36 - Echo & The Bunnymen - The Cutter (1983)

Like a less successful U2 or a much better Simple Minds (sorry @El Floppo), Echo & The Bunnymen had aspirations far beyond post-punk.  Their first three records though are classics of the genre.  1983's aptly name "Porcupine" is the darkest of the bunch, and leadoff track "The Cutter" shows Will Sergeant's can do angular just as well as he can do psychedelic.  The bridge of this song positively soars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMplIrSlg8E

Big fan. So consistently good...weirdly underappreciated at a time when their music sounds like it's being made right now. Even with McCulloughs seeming disinterest while performing, they were a great live band too...and crazy loud. I love Simple Minds two albums as new wave classics, but they don't come close to these guys with the guitars.

 

[scorchy]

#35 - Devo - Freedom of Choice (1980)

Until maybe 10 years ago, I pretty much refused to listen to Devo because I hated "Whip It" so much.  I think this deep-seated aversion had something to do with 2nd grade me seeing them perform on Solid Gold (maybe?) in their red cone hats while cracking whips.  I was terrified.  I'm not afraid of Devo anymore, but I can't hear "Whip It" without channeling Beavis talking about the hats:  "You can stack one inside the other...You can have 'em in all different colors...Wear one one day and another another day... and they can protect you from harmful rays."

Anyway, happy that I finally broke down and checked out their other stuff.  Only downside to vinyl is that it's a lot harder to skip "Whip It."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVGINIsLnqU

 

[El Floppo]

#35 - Devo - Freedom of Choice (1980)

Until maybe 10 years ago, I pretty much refused to listen to Devo because I hated "Whip It" so much.  I think this deep-seated aversion had something to do with 2nd grade me seeing them perform on Solid Gold or something in their red cone hats while cracking whips.  I was terrified.  I'm not afraid of Devo anymore, but I can't hear "Whip It" without channeling Beavis talking about the hats:  "You can stack one inside the other...You can have 'em in all different colors...Wear one one day and another another day... and they can protect you from harmful rays."

Anyway, happy that I finally broke down and checked out their other stuff.  Only downside to vinyl is that it's a lot harder to skip "Whip It."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVGINIsLnqU

Crazy how written off they became because of that one song.

First two albums are fantastic- Duty Now is an all-timer for me (Blockhead, my favorite) Gates of Steel is the pick off Freedom of Choice, imo. Uncontrollable Urge also a classic from first one, but Gut Feeling/Slap your mammy may feel the most current- my favorite tune of theirs lately.

 

[JZilla]

When’s Zilla giving us his countdown of the top 100 Clutch songs?

I love discussing/arguing genres.  You haven't lived until you've spent an evening listening to @JZillalovingly detail which 80s/90s bands have been erroneously classified as metal.

Since this is such a hot trend nowadays I considered trying to do up a thread of my top glam metal tracks

Seeing as how everyone knows I'm the high authority on such things

But sadly, having a real job and being a kept man, I don't much have the time, and lets face it, who here would give a damn about that anyway

This one rocks however, and if anybody cares I do have an ongoing playlist of it on tim apple music incorporated

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Since this is such a hot trend nowadays I considered trying to do up a thread of my top glam metal tracks

Seeing as how everyone knows I'm the high authority on such things

But sadly, having a real job and being a kept man, I don't much have the time, and lets face it, who here would give a damn about that anyway

This one rocks however, and if anybody cares I do have an ongoing playlist of it on tim apple music incorporated

I’d settle for the Top 30 songs that prove The Cars were better than The Talking Heads.