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The 100 Greatest Songs of 1981 #1 Super Freak (1 Viewer)

timschochet said:
99. Stiff Little Fingers “Just Fade Away” (from Go For It) 

https://youtu.be/NhzNPt6U9zQ

Forgotten Irish punk band here (though I think they’re still around.) This was one of the best efforts, a song that still sounds fresh 40 years later. 
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Inflammable Material might be my favorite punk album of all time , definitely top 3-5. This was from  SLFs 3rd album after 2 stellar releases and was a dud.  Just Fade Away might be one of the better songs on the album but there is no way he’ll this is considered anywhere near any song from Inflammable Material. C’mon man! This is serious business here

 
FairWarning said:
I second this.  Never heard of them either.  

81-82 was my senior year in HS, will follow closely.  
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#funfact - If you know Paul Weller’s 1st band , The Jam, the bassist Bruce Foxton joined SLF for a 15 year run 

 
zamboni said:
Good start 👍

ETA: the things you learn. Song was co-written by Steve Lukather of Toto, who also performs the guitar solo.
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 Building on this theme, the album was produced by David Foster and he also co-wrote this song. I had no idea he could produce something like this based on the crap he is responsible for later in his career.

ETA- Loved the song and album, had no idea Foster was involved in it.

The Tubes had an epic appearance on SCTV.

 
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Andy Dufresne said:
While I would argue that '82 was the beginning of "80's music", at least '81 was the death knell for disco.

We haven't done '82 right? I might like to tackle that year...

Talk To Ya Later is a great kickoff to this list.
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Some Punk was also morphing into New Wave and we had the start of hair metal music.

 
FairWarning said:
I didn't know anyone in HS that listened to The Jam, probably why I didn't recognize any of the members.  
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My first introduction to The Jam was as a freshman in college. "In The City" was on a punk rock compilation I had of UK acts. I never really got into them until a member of this board (who has impeccably good sensibilities) said I should give them another try. They're fantastic. The first album is aces.

 
rockaction said:
My first introduction to The Jam was as a freshman in college. "In The City" was on a punk rock compilation I had of UK acts. I never really got into them until a member of this board (who has impeccably good sensibilities) said I should give them another try. They're fantastic. The first album is aces.
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I know Town Called Malice, but it was years later.  I'm sure I have seen some on early MTV, they just didn't resinate with me.

 
rockaction said:
My first introduction to The Jam was as a freshman in college. "In The City" was on a punk rock compilation I had of UK acts. I never really got into them until a member of this board (who has impeccably good sensibilities) said I should give them another try. They're fantastic. The first album is aces.
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I was familiar with The Jam, but didn't really appreciate them until I became a big fan of The Style Council and went back and revisited Weller's earlier stuff.

 
northern exposure said:
I was familiar with The Jam, but didn't really appreciate them until I became a big fan of The Style Council and went back and revisited Weller's earlier stuff.
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I'm still not someone to wax eloquently about The Jam's or Weller's output seeing as how I only have the first album, but it was a lot more complex and Who-ish than the punk rock that was being played at the time. I especially like "Away From The Numbers" which sounds like a punked-up version of Pete Townsend. Gripping stuff.

 
timschochet said:
96. The Cars “Since You’re Gone” (from Shake It Up) 

https://youtu.be/1JnQfKIFERU

Certainly deserves to be in any collection of Cars’ greatest hits, but also towards the lower half of that collection. A nice, serviceable pop tune sung in Ocasik’s memorable style. 
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I'm not a huge Cars fan, but this is one of my favorite tunes by them. It could be because I haven't been bombarded with it like some of their other songs.

 
95. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “Letting You Go” (from Hard Promises) 

https://youtu.be/UzIG1KYBTDs

Hard Promises, the band’s 4th album, was the follow up to Damn the Torpedoes and IMO just about as good, filled with great rock songs of which this Byrds’ inspired tune is one of them. Mike Campbell’s guitar work is so solid. 

 
timschochet said:
95. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “Letting You Go” (from Hard Promises) 

https://youtu.be/UzIG1KYBTDs

Hard Promises, the band’s 4th album, was the follow up to Damn the Torpedoes and IMO just about as good, filled with great rock songs of which this Byrds’ inspired tune is one of them. Mike Campbell’s guitar work is so solid. 
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Very nice.  I can listen to the Heartbreakers all day, don't care if I ever hear any more of his solo stuff.  

 
94. Journey “Who’s Crying Now” (from Escape) 

https://youtu.be/9meo3vazXcw

This is one of those songs that was everywhere in 1981. I always associated it with skating rinks, arcades, and bowling alleys, because whenever I was in one of those places this tune was playing. I’m going to be honest: I hated this song in 1981. I found it totally annoying and I’ve pretty much managed to avoid listening to it since that time. I STILL find it annoying but now I have to admit that Steve Perry is just an unbelievable vocalist. So that puts it on the list. 

 
rockaction said:
I'm still not someone to wax eloquently about The Jam's or Weller's output seeing as how I only have the first album, but it was a lot more complex and Who-ish than the punk rock that was being played at the time. I especially like "Away From The Numbers" which sounds like a punked-up version of Pete Townsend. Gripping stuff.
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Weller is in the "guy who can do almost no wrong" category for me along with Neil Young, Todd Rundgren and Bob Mould. 

All the Jam albums are aces save the second one (This Is the Modern World, which basically just copies In the City without many memorable songs aside from the title track). Each successive album after that showed great sonic and creative growth. And many of their best songs were non-album singles and B-sides. 

 
timschochet said:
94. Journey “Who’s Crying Now” (from Escape) 

https://youtu.be/9meo3vazXcw

This is one of those songs that was everywhere in 1981. I always associated it with skating rinks, arcades, and bowling alleys, because whenever I was in one of those places this tune was playing. I’m going to be honest: I hated this song in 1981. I found it totally annoying and I’ve pretty much managed to avoid listening to it since that time. I STILL find it annoying but now I have to admit that Steve Perry is just an unbelievable vocalist. So that puts it on the list.
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Often, tim, I'd tell people to trust their first instinct. Imagine tim in 1981, hating this song and voting for Reagan. That's an instinct. Now imagine tim in 2021, forty years later, a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat wondering plaintively "Who's Crying Now?" Who's to say that's not your better angels talking, from Steve Perry's lips to God's ears?

That really wasn't a political endorsement/non-endorsement as even I don't know what to do with it, it's just a sociopolitical backdrop for all y'all.

 
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timschochet said:
95. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “Letting You Go” (from Hard Promises) 

https://youtu.be/UzIG1KYBTDs

Hard Promises, the band’s 4th album, was the follow up to Damn the Torpedoes and IMO just about as good, filled with great rock songs of which this Byrds’ inspired tune is one of them. Mike Campbell’s guitar work is so solid. 
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 It's not, but that says more about Damn the Torpedoes than Hard Promises. 

 
timschochet said:
94. Journey “Who’s Crying Now” (from Escape) 

https://youtu.be/9meo3vazXcw

This is one of those songs that was everywhere in 1981. I always associated it with skating rinks, arcades, and bowling alleys, because whenever I was in one of those places this tune was playing. I’m going to be honest: I hated this song in 1981. I found it totally annoying and I’ve pretty much managed to avoid listening to it since that time. I STILL find it annoying but now I have to admit that Steve Perry is just an unbelievable vocalist. So that puts it on the list. 
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THAT song is gonna be #1, isn't it?

 
rockaction said:
Often, tim, I'd tell people to trust their first instinct. Imagine tim in 1981, hating this song and voting for Reagan. That's an instinct. Now imagine tim in 2021, forty years later, a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat wondering plaintively "Who's Crying Now?" Who's to say that's not your better angels talking, from Steve Perry's lips to God's ears?

That really wasn't a political endorsement/non-endorsement as even I don't know what to do with it, it's just a sociopolitical backdrop for all y'all.
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I wasn’t able to vote until 1984, but I did indeed vote for Mr. Reagan. 

 
Pip's Invitation said:
timschochet said:
94. Journey “Who’s Crying Now” (from Escape) 

https://youtu.be/9meo3vazXcw

This is one of those songs that was everywhere in 1981. I always associated it with skating rinks, arcades, and bowling alleys, because whenever I was in one of those places this tune was playing. I’m going to be honest: I hated this song in 1981. I found it totally annoying and I’ve pretty much managed to avoid listening to it since that time. I STILL find it annoying but now I have to admit that Steve Perry is just an unbelievable vocalist. So that puts it on the list. 
Expand  
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THAT song is gonna be #1, isn't it?
Click to expand...
reaction

 
timschochet said:
94. Journey “Who’s Crying Now” (from Escape) 

https://youtu.be/9meo3vazXcw

This is one of those songs that was everywhere in 1981. I always associated it with skating rinks, arcades, and bowling alleys, because whenever I was in one of those places this tune was playing. I’m going to be honest: I hated this song in 1981. I found it totally annoying and I’ve pretty much managed to avoid listening to it since that time. I STILL find it annoying but now I have to admit that Steve Perry is just an unbelievable vocalist. So that puts it on the list. 
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1981 y’all

 
Ghost Rider said:
Who's Crying Now is a great song.  It being 94 here is hilarious. but this is Tim being Tim. :lol:  
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During those Escape sessions, awesome solos were just dripping off of Neal Schon’s fingers. Steve Perry’s vocals cast a long shadow, but Schon matched him song for song ... “Who's Crying Now” being no exception.

 
Doug B said:
During those Escape sessions, awesome solos were just dripping off of Neal Schon’s fingers. Steve Perry’s vocals cast a long shadow, but Schon matched him song for song ... “Who's Crying Now” being no exception.
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Hell yeah. That little guitar thing he does in between the breaks, like after every time the title is sang, is so melodic and so simple and so lovely.  It has this resonance that elevates in a big, big way. 

 
Ghost Rider said:
Hell yeah. That little guitar thing he does in between the breaks, like after every time the title is sang, is so melodic and so simple and so lovely.  It has this resonance that elevates in a big, big way. 
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In Journey, Schon wasn’t throwing a jillion notes at listeners. He was trading in amazing tone with his guitar work, more akin to players like Duane Allman or David Guilmour than to the contemporary metal shredders to whom he was inexplicably compared.

 
Doug B said:
In Journey, Schon wasn’t throwing a jillion notes at listeners. He was trading in amazing tone with his guitar work, more akin to players like Duane Allman or David Guilmour than to the contemporary metal shredders to whom he was inexplicably compared.
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Although Schon could indeed roll with the metal shredders.

https://youtu.be/xrj5CET4ehE

 
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FairWarning said:
Pretty solid here also, 2:40 on.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1pUyLrZWcg

The best supergroup IMO, even if it was for 2 shows.  The entire concert is on YouTube now.   Journey really neutered Schon's talent.  
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Yeah, that was a great ensemble. That one album they did is still in my regular rotation. Love their cover of A Whiter Shade of Pale.

ETA: as for neutering his talent, seems like Neal is trying to make up for lost time. Saw them in concert a few years ago and the show was chock full of extended leads. Don’t think that was the case back in their prime when Perry was still there.

 
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Ghost Rider said:
Who's Crying Now is a great song.  It being 94 here is hilarious. but this is Tim being Tim. :lol:  
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This is a really great song from an outstanding album.   Has a 70s sound with just enough of Schon’s lovely guitar playing and sound to make it sound fresh.   

 
zamboni said:
1981 y’all
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i'd like to make a movie that starts w the freeze @ the end of that clip and weaves a "how they got there, where they went" story for comic effect. Kind of a Waiting For Guffman meets Bridesmaids kinda thing called Stinky Dreams. everything from their cornfed, starry eyes to teen runaway to stagemommed Valley girl on the way up to softcore sets taking showers with Dana Plato, choreographer moms, crack motels and becoming Supreme Court Justice or sumn on the other side. 

 
timschochet said:
94. Journey “Who’s Crying Now” (from Escape) 

https://youtu.be/9meo3vazXcw

This is one of those songs that was everywhere in 1981. I always associated it with skating rinks, arcades, and bowling alleys, because whenever I was in one of those places this tune was playing. I’m going to be honest: I hated this song in 1981. I found it totally annoying and I’ve pretty much managed to avoid listening to it since that time. I STILL find it annoying but now I have to admit that Steve Perry is just an unbelievable vocalist. So that puts it on the list. 
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How can a song you think is annoying rank in your top 100 when you point out how this list is subjective?

 
Long way to go, but this is one of my favorite music years - unless anyone else is chomping at the bit to do a next 100, I might take a stab at it.

Just not sure yet if I’ll have the time to put it together, not to mention doing the eloquent write ups that Tim, Pip, Bracie, et. al. have done to date.

 
93. Rush “YYZ” (from Moving Pictures) 

https://youtu.be/LdpMpfp-J_I

Years ago I started a thread called “My brother thinks Neal Peart is the greatest drummer ever”. It led to a pretty fun discussion, some of it centered around this song. My late brother used to play the Exit...Stage Left version back in the day as proof of his theory. 
Of course, even without the drum solo it’s a great rock instrumental. As all good Rush fans no doubt know already, YYZ is short for Toronto Airport. (IATA code.) 

 
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timschochet said:
93. Rush “YYZ” (from Moving Pictures) 

https://youtu.be/LdpMpfp-J_I

Years ago I started a thread called “My brother thinks Neal Peart is the greatest drummer ever”. It led to a pretty fun discussion, some of it centered around this song. My late brother used to play the Exit...Stage Left version back in the day as proof of his theory. 
Of course, even without the drum solo it’s a great rock instrumental. As all good Rush fans no doubt no already, YYZ is short for Toronto Airport. (IATA code.) 
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Fully expect to hear more from this album as we go along.

 
rockaction said:
My first introduction to The Jam was as a freshman in college. "In The City" was on a punk rock compilation I had of UK acts. I never really got into them until a member of this board (who has impeccably good sensibilities) said I should give them another try. They're fantastic. The first album is aces.
Click to expand...
The Jam put out In the City and Modern World when Weller was 19 . Then the next 3 albums All Mod Ons , Setting Sons and Sound Affects in the next 3 years. The leap from Modern World to All Mod Cons was gigantic. As a 20 year old to write To Be Someone blows my mind. None of The Jams peers from that era put together a 3 album run like that. Just my 2 cents

 
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