Center Of The Universe #19
Giant Sand, “Center Of The Universe”
New Order, “Your Silent Face”
Echo & The Bunnymen, “The Cutter”
Aztec Camera, “Oblivious”
Surprise! Another tribute to albums from the first half of 1983! Only this time we’re gonna keep things relatively classy. First up, a cool British rock block! We’ve got a deep cut from New Order’s Power, Corruption & Lies (well, deep compared to “Blue Monday”), and then Echo & The Bunnymen’s first UK Top 10 hit, from Porcupine. Finally, teenage Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera makes his UK chart breakthrough with “Oblivious.”
Mary Jane Girls, “Jealousy”
“Weird” Al Yankovic, “I Love Rocky Road”
Fun Boy Three, “The More I See (The Less I Believe)”
A Flock Of Seagulls, “Transfer Affection"
Let’s get this new wave wackier! First up is one from the first album by Mary Jane Girls, which was basically Joanne “Jojo" McDuffie singing lead, Rick James writing, producing and playing most instruments, and then whoever else Rick let in the studio. Then comes “Weird” Al Yankovic, deservedly the only person represented on last week’s quirkfest and this week’s coolness. Fun Boy Three’s sole flop single was perhaps a little too pointed for the kids, but sounds great now. And from Listen, one of the less appreciated Sad Sci-Fi Nerd songs by A Flock Of Seagulls.
Joan Armatrading, “Drop The Pilot”
Def Leppard, “Photograph”
Bryan Adams, “The Only One”
Men At Work, “Overkill”
Brits weren’t just good at new wave, you know! The most surprising bands were making next level AOR as well! Former & future folk-rocker Joan Armatrading had her biggest hit teaming up with the producer of “Bette Davis Eyes,” and Def Leppard took metal to shiny, seductive new places with this up-tempo yet tormented pop onslaught. A true before-and-after moment for hard rock bubblegum. Of course, the band had major assistance from Canadian producer “Mutt” Lange, who didn’t produce Bryan Adams’ Cuts Like A Knife (that was Bob Clearmountain) but was clearly on the same wavelength as Adams and songwriting partner Jim Vallance (Lane would finally work with his fellow CanCon soul brothers on Waking Up The Neighbors). Finally, we’re off to a land down under, with the only Men At Work hit that never annoys me.
David Bowie, “Modern Love”
Richard Thompson, “Tear-Stained Letter”
Violent Femmes, “Prove My Love”
Bananarama, “Shy Boy”
Was David Bowie new wave? Richard Thompson? Both certainly brought the up-tempo DOR fun on singles in 1983 (that’s “dance-oriented rock” if you don’t know your esoteric, antiquated radio terminology). Were the Violent Femmes? I’m never quite sure how big a deal their first album was out of the gate, even if the band was wholeheartedly accepted as college rock and alternative. After all, it didn’t go gold until 1987! Bananarama was probably new wave, back when they were wearing overalls and doing songs with Fun Boy Three. That sure changed by 1987, though.
R.E.M., “Perfect Circle”
ZZ Top, “Gimme All Your Lovin’”
Sonic Youth, “Brother James”
Sparks, “Cool Places (with Jane Wiedlin)”
Would you believe I haven’t played R.E.M. yet on Center Of The Universe? So they’re a perfect band to kick off a block of proud AMERICAN MUSIC from 1983, the year of MURMUR. “Perfect Circle” might be my favorite ballad of their entire discography, and I can only imagine how atypical a (dueling!) piano ballad like this felt in the college radio days. ZZ Top, another American band with a big 1983, burning through the streets, helping kind, goodhearted young men and shy, repressed ladies drop the chains of meager employment and get their fuck on. Sonic Youth may have thought Confusion Is Sex in 1983, a very un-ZZ Top sentiment (then again, they thought everything was sex), but SY were already blazing a turbo-charged path of their own. And while Sparks were a big deal in England long before America, the Mael brothers were LA boys teaming up with an LA girl when “Cool Places (with Jane Wiedlin)” nearly made the US Top 40.
Bad Brains, “At The Movies”
Patrick Simmons, “So Wrong”
The Fixx, “One Thing Leads To Another”
Randy Newman, “I Love L.A.”
More American music! More! The Bad Brains made their first album for the cassette label ROIR in 1982, but Rock For Light, produced by Ric Ocasek and featuring plenty of re-recorded versions of those tracks, was the band’s first full-length on vinyl. Making his full-length debut as a solo artist in 1983 was Doobie Brother Patrick Simmons, whose vicious DOR jam (I love DOR!) “So Wrong” arguably whomps the ass of every Michael McDonald single. That’s right, even “Yah Mo B There.” “Sweet Freedom.” It’s that good. The Fixx were British, but I can’t deny how great their biggest hit sounds coming after “So Wrong”. Such bitter boogie! Randy Newman’s wry blithe bombast is American as apple pie, though. Sixth street! We love it!
The Police, “Synchronicity II”
Minor Threat, “No Reason”
Ministry, “I Wanted To Tell Her”
Greg Kihn Band, “Jeopardy”
I played Every Breath You Take - The Singles a lot as a kid, which explains why I enjoy “Synchronicity II” a lot for its relative novelty. Then again, novelty sure hasn’t helped Synchronicity’s album tracks for me. Yikes. Minor Threat, sounding like they know all about humiliating kicks in the crotch on Out Of Step, their sole album (or second EP? 9 songs over 22 minutes?). I always assumed Ministry looked back on their remarkably poncy debut With Sympathy like a humiliating kick in the crotch; would you ever guess this album was recorded in Boston by industrial rock dudes from Chicago? And did the pummeling drummer from the Psychedelic Furs really help produce this synth percussion? Is it the same Vince Ely? But I saw the band’s Facebook page acknowledged the 40th anniversary of its release this month with magnanimity and enthusiasm, asking what people’s favorite track was. Mine’s “Revenge,” but I played that on COTU before. This one’s fun too, and an amusing segue into Greg Kihn’s “Jeopardy.” Dancing to handclaps was hot in 1983! And so we leave the Center Of The Universe for another week, and 1983 for…a long while. I swear. Thanks for your time!