February 28, 2022 by A.S. Van Dorston

Albums that just missed the top 28 include ones by The Clash, Simple Minds, Philip Glass, Brian Eno, Oingo Boingo and Rupert Hine.

Whew, I did it. I wrote entirely new reviews of nearly 28 albums from 1982 throughout the month, with the exception of just a few albums where I recycled scraps of what I’d written in the past. Most came fresh straight out of my decaying half century plus old brain. Inspired first by Richard Shaw’s #5albums82 Twitter poll, then Pete Pardo’s (Sea of Tranquility) Albums that are 40 Years Old in 2022 daily countdown on YouTube, it was cool the share the fun with others. I need a break though, so I’m scaling back the 1992 rundown to short posts on the socials, then compile them each weeek.

So what did I learn? In re-listening to the albums, having had up to 40 years to live with most of them, there was minimal shifting around in the order of my list. I did gain renewed appreciation for some that I hadn’t listened to as much in a while (Bad Brains, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Laurie Anderson). There were a few I heard in their entirety for the first time from Philip Glass’ Glassworks to Solid Space, Rational Youth, Antena, Deux Filles and Eyeless in Gaza. I’d already realized a few years ago that Neil Young’s synthpop album Trans is kind of cool. Thomas Dolby holds up pretty well, but there’s just a lot of great music that year. Velvet Underground’s influence was widespread between The Dream Syndicate and British post-punk, while John Cale and Lou Reed both had excellent solo albums.

Megasellers Michael Jackson, Prince and Springsteen were represented further down the list, but next to X, with Exene Cervenka’s soul-crushed ravaged poetry and Iron Maiden’s world-conquering awesomeness, it was no contest.

The Clash – Combat Rock

Many fans of punk would place The Clash’s Combat Rock in their top 5. Indeed, it was #6 in the #5albums82 poll, #4 in Slicing Up Eyeballs, and #22 on Acclaimed Music. But the band is clearly on a downward trend and falling apart. The album has driven me crazy since I’ve first heard it. Yes, it’s still The Clash, who are awesome, but I’d be happy never to hear “Rock the Casbah” ever again. It continues the experimentation on Sandinista with dub and funk, expanding to a more NYC oriented aesthetic, including early hip hop. But it’s a damn shame they didn’t stick to Mick Jones’ original vision. He created a brilliant, edgy 78 minute long album at NYC’s Electric Lady studios called Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg. The rest of the band and the label balked at releasing their third double/triple album in a row, and so Joe Strummer and Glyn Johns remixed and butchered it down to a more commercial, but also patchy single album. Hear the bootleg:

Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)

Winner of the #5albums82 poll, Simple Minds, merited a revisit. I played tracks on my post-punk show from their first four albums, and they always inhabited an interesting space between the Velvets/Bowie/Roxy influenced Ultravox, Japan, Tubeway Army, early post-punkers Magazine, and the psychedelic post-punk of Echo & the Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes and The Psychedelic Furs. I’d considered New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) the start of their stadium-oriented Big Music phase (the title itself seems to map out their ambitions), but there’s a legit argument that it’s their peak with glittering production, atmospherics, and accessible singles, even if I still prefer the Steve Hillage produced double album Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call (1981).

Philip Glass – Glassworks

Philip Glass’ Glassworks was an accessible crossover entry point into modern classical and minimalism along the lines of Laurie Anderson. I always mixed Glass up with John Cage in my mind, as I read more about them than listened. Most people know about Cage’s audacious piece “4’ 33” that was completely silent. However the difference is pretty vast when you compare it with Cage’s Roaratorio: An Irish Circus on Finnegan’s Wake. With it’s chaotic sound collage and application of “indeterminacy,” it’s arguably a more difficult listen than it is to read James Joyce’s most impenetrable work, though the background sounds themselves are kind of mesmerizing, including sounds from early video arcade games. In contrast, Glass’s album isn’t chaotic, nor is it a bloodless exercise in academic experimental minimalism. Check out the dense and intense “Floe” and “IV. Rubric” for example. It may be sophisticated, and the ensemble at times sounds almost like “normal” modern classical, but it’s just as accessible as Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells (1973).

Brian Eno – Ambient 4: On Land

I was a fan of Brian Eno’s work with Roxy Music, his early solo albums and production work with Devo and Talking Heads, but was skeptical of his ambient works for a long time. Ambient was too closely related to New Age, which made me squirm at the thought of Patchouli and aural wallpaper. While I owned most of his ambient projects along with his collaborations with Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and Kosmische pioneers Cluster, I didn’t really listen to them much until Hermi Flagglenack’s enthusiasm for it drew me in four years ago. Whether you’ve opened your mind to the almost psychedelic possibilities of ambient soundscapes or not, it’s impossible to deny Eno’s massive influence on the genres, along with Tangerine Dream. Now more than ever, ambient music seems to be an important part of the musical landscape. Just last week, Denver death metal band Blood Incantation released Timewave Zero, a completely ambient album. For a band of that genre to release it as a major work instead of a side project is audacious, but less unexpected now than it might have been five years ago.

Eno dabbled with ambient on the Fripp & Eno albums, on a couple tracks on his masterpiece Another Green World (1975) and in the modern classical/minimalism of Discreet Music (1975), but it was Ambient 1: Music for Airports (1978) that took the world by . . . subtle calm. Taking the concrete idea of relaxing anxious travelers, he executed it brilliantly. Avoiding the pitfalls of generic wallpaper music, every project had a purpose. Ambient 4: On Land aims to simply evoke places, both real and imagined. Like Fellini’s film Amarcord (I Remember), memories of childhood moments are unreliable and shifting, influenced by photographs, places and dreams. The imagery evoked by On Land will vary widely between individuals, just as it should. The album will arguably be Eno’s last big statement as a solo artiste. His collaborations with Daniel Lanois, his brother Roger and Harold Budd would result in the fine albums Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks (1983) and The Pearl (1984), but thereafter Eno would retreat into the background of his collaborations and productions like a bemused ghost.

Oingo Boingo – Nothing To Fear

I love how some bands organically reach new audiences in subsequent generations with a kind of crowdsourced critical re-evaluation. Not that Oingo Boingo were obscure — they were on A&M and sold well, making it onto several movie soundtracks. I had tapes of most of the early albums. I enjoyed their quirky humor, boingy guitars and jerky rhythms that reminded me of early XTC and Devo, traits that I suppose got them written off by some as disposable novelty music. The fact that bandleader Danny Elfman began a long an distinguished career as a soundtrack composer and hailed by many as a genius plays a significant factor in their critical rehabilitation. But also thanks to Terry Sharkie, a DJ for Portland’s KPSU, who hosted the Zany Zolo Musik Hour in the 90s, Nothing To Fear in particular has been regarded as one of the greatest zolo albums according to the RYM (Rate Your Music) community, who describe zolo in a nutshell as “Retrospective term grouping artists that fuse elements of New Wave and Progressive Rock with a flamboyant, quirky aesthetic and often the energy of Punk.” The community hosts a text that Sharkie wrote in 1997 that’s a surprisingly comprehensive rundown of every artist who influenced zolo, from Carl Stalling and Harry Partch to Frank Zappa, Gentle Giant and Sparks. Sharkie himself was dismissive of Oingo Boingo, saying their 1980 EP “is their best (only really good) release.” Sorry Sharkie, it’s out of your hands now.

Rupert Hine – Waving Not Drowning

As I kid I was attracted to a few albums based solely on their production sound — sort of a prog pop mixed with high production AOR and futuristic electronic synth sounds — Saga’s World’s Apart (1981), The Fixx, even a couple tunes by Chris DeBurgh. It turns out they had producer Rupert Hine in common. Years and years later I found the best example of his ideas are a trilogy of his own solo albums — Immunity (1981), Waving Not Drowning (1982) and The Wildest Wish to Fly (1983). He’s not gonna win any songwriting awards, but it’s pretty cool stuff that has some elements of late 70s Bowie, Ultravox and Gary Numan, his own productions of Camel, sounding partially of it’s time (a more techy Peter Gabriel) and ahead of it’s time (The The, Nine Inch Nails, Steven Wilson). His next trio of solo albums was a conceptual band, Thinkman, where he actually hired actors to portray the band in videos! The Formula (1986) is the one to get, but Life is a Full Time Occupation (1988) and Hard Hat Zone (1990) have interesting tracks too.

Rest of the Best

I had initially rated Love Joys much higher in my initial excitement of discovering the album five years ago, but since, I realized other reggae artists who recorded at Wackie’s had a bit stronger material. Roxy Music showed all the New Romantics who ripped them off how it was done, and Bauhaus was going strong, still keeping it weird. Reggae was still an irie force in 1982, with four albums in the countdown, and The Meditations and Steel Pulse in the top 40. Orange Juice’s second album, Swiss post-punkers Liliput’s only album, Dead Kennedys, the irrepressible Nina Hagen, Bruce Springsteen, Madness, The Blue Orchids and Prince filled out the top 50.

Pardo’s countdown presented a valuable viewpoint from those loyal to both big selling AOR (Asia, Toto, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Vandenberg) and the deep catalog choices of heavy metal, prog and hard rockers (Michael Schenker Group (his surprise #1 pick), Accept, Manowar, Jethro Tull, Uriah Heep, Gary Moore, Phil Lynott, Gillan, Y&T, Kiss) and more. Most of them have much to enjoy, even if none mentioned above except Accept cracked my top 100 (Manowar came closest). We do share other top picks Iron Maiden, along with Rush, Judas Priest and Scorpions, as expected. I’d love to see a list from Martin Popoff, knowing now how much post-punk he’s listened to.

According to the RIAA, just 2,630 albums were released in the US. That number would grow to over 30,000 in the late 90s, and then over 100,000 by 2018. Simpler times with less chaff to sort through, but also less variety to choose from. Nevertheless, there was a pretty big portion of golden nuggets, to the extent that I’d say 3/4 of the top 100 can be considered classics to varying degrees, lost or otherwise. After the top 100, there’s still great music to be found, like Big Black, Ultravox, Pentagram, Saxon, T.S.O.L., Pagan Altar, Michael Jackson, INXS, Motörhead, Queen, The English Beat, Marvin Gaye, Eddy Grant, Trouble Funk and much more.

Biggest disappointment for me was Van Halen’s Diver Down. Half of it are covers that are mostly terrible, and even the good songs don’t measure up to their standards. Queen’s Hot Space is way better. Two other albums I had, Asia’s debut and The Fixx, The Shuttered Room I still enjoy from time to time.

The Cure – Pornography (Elektra) | UK
Mission Of Burma – VS. (Ace Of Hearts) | USA | Bandcamp
Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast (Capitol) | UK
The Comsat Angels – Fiction (Polydor) | UK
The Sound – All Fall Down (Korova) | UK
Opposition – Intimacy (Charisma) | UK | Buy
The Dream Syndicate – Days of Wine and Roses (Big Time) | USA | Buy
The Birthday Party – Junkyard (Virgin) | Australia | Bandcamp
X – Under The Big Black Sun (Elektra) | USA | Bandcamp
XTC – English Settlement (Geffen) | UK
Siouxsie & The Banshees – A Kiss In The Dreamhouse (Polydor) | UK
The Gun Club – Miami (I.R.S.) | USA
The Monochrome Set – Eligible Bachelors (Virgin/Cherry Red) | UK
King Sunny Adé and His African Beats – Juju Music (Island) | Nigeria
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band – Ice Cream For Crow (Virgin) | USA
Rush – Signals (Polygram) | Canada
The Fall – Hex Enduction Hour (Kamerao) | UK
The Church – The Blurred Crusade (Arista) | Australia
The Psychedelic Furs – Forever Now (Columbia) | UK
Orange Juice – You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever (Polydor) | UK
The Passions – Sanctuary (Polydor) | UK
Bauhaus – The Sky’s Gone Out (Beggars Banquet) | UK
Horace Andy – Dance Hall Style (Wackie’s) | Jamaica
Bad Brains – Bad Brains (ROIR) | USA | Buy
Au Pairs – Sense And Sensuality (Kamera) | UK
LiLiPUT – Liliput (Rough Trade) | Switzerland | Bandcamp
Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (Virgin) | UK
The Passage – Degenerates (Cherry Red) | UK
The Damned – Strawberries (Bronze) | UK
Madness – The Rise And Fall (Virgin) | UK
Junior Delahaye – Showcase (Wackie’s) | Jamaica
The Jam – The Gift (Polydor) | UK
Wall Of Voodoo – Call Of The West (I.R.S. ) | USA
R.E.M. – Chronic Town EP (I.R.S.) | USA
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Imperial Bedroom (Columbia) | UK
Wayne Jarrett – Bubble Up (Showcase Vol. 1) (Wackie’s) | Jamaica
Kate Bush – The Dreaming (EMI) | UK
The Clash – Combat Rock (Epic) | UK
Sad Lovers and Giants – Epic Garden Music (Cherry Red) | UK
Virgin Prunes – If I Die, I Die (Rough Trade) | Ireland
Killing Joke – Revelations (EG) | UK
Modern English – After The Snow (Sire) | UK | Bandcamp
Orchestre Rouge – Yellow Laughter (RCA) | France
Music For Pleasure – Into the Rain (Polydor) | UK
The dB’s – Repercussion (EMI) | USA
The Names – Swimming (Factory) | Belgium
Roxy Music – Avalon (Atlantic) | UK
Prince – 1999 (WB) | USA
Scorpions – Blackout (RCA) | Germany
Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel 4 (Geffen) | UK | Bandcamp
Crass – Christ, The Album (Crass) | UK | Bandcamp
The Lords of the New Church – The Lords of the New Church (Illegal) | UK
The Wake – Harmony (Factory) | UK | Bandcamp
The Fixx – Shuttered Room (MCA) | UK
Dire Straits – Love Over Gold (Vertigo) | UK
Dead Kennedys – Plastic Surgery Disasters (Alternative Tentacles ) | USA
Laurie Anderson – Big Science (WB) | USA | Bandcamp
Rupert Hine – Waving Not Drowning (A&M) | UK
Orange Juice – Rip It Up (Polydor) | UK
Horace Andy – Exclusively (Wackie’s) | Jamaica | Buy
Thomas Dolby – The Golden Age Of Wireless (Capitol) | UK
Philip Glass – Glassworks (CBS) | USA | Bandcamp
Brian Eno – Ambient 4: On Land (EG/Virgin) | UK
The Associates – Sulk (V2) | UK
Oingo Boingo – Nothing To Fear (A&M) | USA
Fun Boy Three – Fun Boy Three (Chrysalis) | UK
The Meditations – I Love Jah (Wackie’s) | Jamaica
Steel Pulse – True Democracy (Elektra) | UK
Fear – The Record (Slash) | USA
Nina Hagen – Nunsexmonkrock (Columbia) | Germany
Descendents – Milo Goes To College (SST) | USA
King Sunny Adé and His African Beats – Ariya Special (Sunny Alade) | Nigeria
John Cale – Music For A New Society (Rhino) | UK
Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska (Columbia) | USA
The Blue Orchids – The Greatest Hit (Money Mountain) (Rough Trade) | UK
Scritti Politti – Songs To Remember (Virgin) | UK
The Clean – Compilation (Flying Nun) | New Zealand
Grace Jones – Living My Life (Island) | Jamaica
Tom Verlaine – Words From The Front (Virgin) | USA
Holly And The Italians – Holly Beth Vincent (Virgin/Wounded Bird) | USA
The Riptides – Tombs Of Gold (Riptides) | Australia
Translator – Heartbeats And Triggers (415/Wounded Bird) | USA
New Order – 1981-1982 EP (Factory) | UK
Sparks – Angst in My Pants (Atlantic) | USA
King Crimson – Beat (WB) | UK
Love Joys – Lovers Rock Reggae Style (Wackie’s) | UK
Gang of Four – Songs of the Free (WB) | UK
Peter Broggs – Rastafari Liveth (RAS) | Jamaica
Lou Reed – The Blue Mask (RCA) | USA
Joe Jackson – Night And Day (A&M) | UK
ABC – The Lexicon Of Love (Mercury) | UK
Scientist & Prince Jammy – Scientist & Jammy Strike Back (Trojan) | Jamaica
James Blood Ulmer – Black Rock (Columbia) | USA
The Bongos – Drums Along The Hudson (Cooking Vinyl) | USA
Orchestra Baobob – Pirates Choice (Nonesuch/World Circuit) | Senegal
The Room – Indoor Fireworks (Virgin) | UK
Chrome – 3rd from the Sun (Siren) | USA | Bandcamp
Lacksley Castell – Morning Glory (Negus Roots) | Jamaica
Monoton – Monotonprodukt 07 (Desire) | Germany
Lora Logic – Pedigree Charm (Rough Trade) | UK

Posted in: Features, Reissues, Reviews

Tagged: 1982, Best Albums of 1982, bestalbums1982, Brian Eno, Bubbling Under, Oingo Boingo, Philip Glass, Rupert Hine, Simple Minds, The Clash, Thinkman