Can you remember what your album collection looked like 30 years ago? I was looking through CDs at the used music store last weekend and happened across a CD that had been released thirty years ago in 1979. That was the year I began collecting albums by the truckload – not literally of course, but damn close. As my reflections went further back, I found that I had to really scratch my head and dust the corners of my memory banks to come up with a list of my favorites from that year. I then dutifully went to allmusic.com to confirm the year of release for each of them. I had to eliminate a few because I had the year wrong and I discovered a few others that I had forgotten. Here’s my list…in no particular order save for number one which was far and away my favorite in ‘79:
1. London Calling - The Clash
2. Unknown Pleasures – Joy Division
3. The B-52s – (self-titled)
4. The Wall – Pink Floyd
5. Armed Forces – Elvis Costello
6. Rust Never Sleeps – Neil Young
7. Look Sharp! – Joe Jackson
8. Fear Of Music - Talking Heads
9. Labour Of Lust – Nick Lowe
10. Regatta De Blanc – The Police
Honorable Mention: One album I didn’t list here but got plenty of play on my turntable back then is the Kinks’ Low Budget. Many people I knew at that time didn’t care for it because of the inclusion of the disco hit ‘(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman’, but I’ve never been bothered by that – either then or now.
Now, on the surface my list has all the appearance of a very standard normal collection that any average 20-yr. old white guy would own. But what I’m completely camouflaging from you is that fact that I was one of the idiots that purchased a copy of the breakthrough album of that year by a then unknown musician – the self-titled release by Christopher Cross. I couldn’t possibly stomach a listening of that album now even after all these years. And actually that strikes me as a good name for the album, Hard To Stomach. Anyway, the ladies liked it – a lot – and it was in your best interest to have a copy available in your collection.
I’d like to hear any thoughts from others on what your tastes were like back then. Please leave your comments.
Filed under: Uncategorized
