As usual, I'm turning my thoughts--and not my ears--to the 80s. I was actually listening to Radiohead when I started writing this.
I just think about 80s music a lot. I rarely actually revisit any of it. Because no matter how much music I try out from this decade, I'll never totally understand it. Outside of a few albums, I'm unable to love it as much as music from its surrounding decades. But tonight, I try to trickle down the subjectively and objectively great music from this era onto 1 list. Some albums ranked by how often I listen to them. And some inclusions by how much I simply think about them.
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| #100-81 |
100 -- Danzig -- Danzig
It's funny that I tend to prefer this rock album over undeniable classics like Back in Black or Appetite for Destruction. Unlike those two albums, this is true to its purpose without coming off super douchey. But it's funny, because the actual person Glenn Danzig is super douchey.
99 -- Janet Jackson -- Rhythm Nation 1814
80s Michael Jackson is basically its own genre, but after Janet released this in 1989, Michael spent much of his next album trying to sound like this.
98 -- Bad Brains -- Bad Brains
Yeah, so there are a few classic punk albums on here. This is the only one that was released with liner notes from Ira Kaplan.
97 -- The Fall -- This Nation's Saving Grace
In line with my intro about how I think about 80s music more often than I actually listen to it, The Fall are the ultimate example of this issue.
96 -- Bauhaus -- In the Flat Field
This slot could have easily been taken by an early Siouxsie and the Banshees album, but it's worth noting that I actually went through a little Bauhaus phase when I was in college because I was into Iceage.
95 -- Paul McCartney -- McCartney II
I initially had Kraftwerk's Computer World in this slot, but I think this album is equally weird and relatively unknown. Aside from the fact that it's by one of the most famous artists of all time.
94 -- Young Marble Giants -- Colossal Youth
Just now realizing this band sounds a lot like The xx. Minus the "cutesy/sexy" corniness.
93 -- King Crimson -- Discipline
The definitive "heady" prog rock back tried making a fun new wave album and it's a lovable parcel of music history.
92 -- Nine Inch Nails -- Pretty Hate Machine
I think there's an alternate universe where Nine Inch Nails don't make any good music in the 90s, and the classic status of this album gets an upward bump. Crazy how a perfectionist undertaking like this somehow became overshadowed.
91 -- Wipers -- Youth of America
Most of the 90s Pacific Northwest indie rock acts would go on to sound nothing like this, although I can hear some future Unwound influence in here.
90 -- Cocteau Twins -- Treasure
Robert Smith has supposedly described this albums as "The most romantic sound I've ever heard." Knowing who Robert Smith is, that clears.
89 -- Slayer -- Reign in Blood
This is possibly the best metal album of the 80s. I just think it's cool that there are a lot of low-budget sound qualities and grandiose musical elements mushed together. They were trying to create an epic trip through Hell from Rick Rubin's garage.
88 -- Steve Reich -- "Different Trains" / "Electric Counterpoint"
I always get the part where this one man says "1939" stuck in my head.
87 -- Manuel Gottsching -- E2-E4
This whole piece was recorded in 1 take using a sequencer from the early 80s. Gotta love these experiments that sound just as primitive as they do futuristic.
86 -- EPMD -- Strictly Business
Aside from Erick Sermon having one of my favorite voices is rap, I love the whole attitude of this album. It's chill, it's energetic, it's dangerous, and it's all business.
85 -- Slick Rick -- The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
This slot could have easily been taken by some Big Daddy Kane. But this is definitely one of the most impressionable rap albums you'll ever hear. Man with a Jamaican-British upbringing and has a eyeball injury that requires him to wear an eyepatch tells cartoonish stories of New York with the zaniest, nasty sense of humor imaginable.
84 -- Jane's Addiction -- Nothing's Shocking
Jane's Addiction have a misunderstood reputation. Mostly due to their terrible band name. But they were a perfect rock band for 2 albums. I'll live and die on that hill.
83 -- Television Personalities -- ...And Don't the Kids Just Love It
A delightfully small-scale post-punk album that manages to touch on a bunch of different subgenres from the young alt-rock scene. I considered putting The Soft Boys here.
82 -- Richard & Linda Thompson -- Shoot Out the Lights
"Wall of Death" is one of the greatest closers of all time and might be good enough in its own right to call this album a classic. But outside of that, yes, getting divorced sounds heartbreaking.
81 -- R.E.M. -- Document
So R.E.M. is actually on my Mt Rushmore for personal favorite bands, and I have a love/hate relationship with this album. Still on an independent label, they discovered this studio shine that made them sound as big as any arena rock band. This is cool. It's just that so much of this album is taken up by "kinda-sorta experimental" little songs. They'd learn to swing bigger with that on future albums.
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| #80-61 |
80 -- The Cure -- Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
From 1987-1992, The Cure released 3 albums that totaled in 211 minutes of music. It was like a shared realization that they were the living gods of alt-rock. Out of these 3 projects, I find this release to be artistically messy. But I wouldn't want it any other way.
79 -- Steely Dan -- Gaucho
I've heard a theory that a decade shouldn't be measured like '00-'09, but '01-'10. By that logic, I can see Gaucho as the official end of the 70s.
78 -- Talking Heads -- Speaking in Tongues
Get a load of this crap. Pop hits. Love songs. Having fun and stuff. What a bunch of sellouts.
77 -- Prince -- Dirty Mind
Huh. There are 4 Prince albums on here. Bruce came pretty close, but I left out Tunnel of Love.
76 -- The Pogues -- Rum Sodomy & the Lash
Always have to listen to this album with the Wikipedia credits open on another tab. I can never tell which songs are Irish traditionals and which were written by Steve MacGowan in the 80s. Always impressed by their balancing between folklore and folk punk.
75 -- Godflesh -- Streetcleaner
I'll never consider myself a true fan of metal. All my favorite "metal" albums are a successful blend of metal with a different genre. So this scratches my itch on multiple levels.
74 -- Fugazi -- 13 Songs
I find it unfortunate that the backstory and ethics of Fugazi tend to overshadow the fact that they just always fucking rock.
73 -- Arthur Russell -- World of Echo
The Arthur Russell rabbit hole goes deep. Down this burrow, we find some meditative sounds and sideways songs, all pieced together by a cello drenched in watery effects. We can save his avant-garde disco and orchestral minimalism and bedroom pop for another day.
72 -- The Sisters of Mercy -- Floodland
Every time I've ever googled "greatest goth albums of all time," google always has this at #1. For those who haven't heard it: This album is ridiculous. In the same way how watching Magic Johnson highlights is ridiculous, but also like how Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is ridiculous.
71 -- Descendants -- Milo Goes to College
This is some of the funniest stuff I've ever heard. I love the commentary on the little societal plights of young adult life. Growing up sucks.
70 -- Tracy Chapman -- Tracy Chapman
Tracy is one of the purest characters I've had the pleasure to listen to. Behind all the innocence, there's this blurred line between what's personal and what's political. This is a portrait of real life.
69 -- The Smiths -- The Smiths
The Smiths were pretty darn good. It's hard to call their debut "the one that started it all" considering they were always churning out singles in the meantime. But I do just appreciate how this band managed to sound so youthful and so immediately identifiable at the same time.
68 -- The Feelies -- Crazy Rhythms
This post-punk classic tends to get lost in the heap. I never thought there was a line to be drawn between Unknown Pleasures and Vampire Weekend, but this would be it.
67 -- Beat Happening -- Beat Happening
A very small band on a very small budget making very small songs. The band would later dabble into loud+weird territory, but this is my favorite version of them.
66 -- Beastie Boys -- Licensed to Ill
The discourse around Beastie Boys changes every few years. I don't think it's cool to like them right now. This album alone presents a lot of reasons to love them or hate them. The guys who claimed "We do not play sucka music" accidentally invented frat rap.
65 -- Talk Talk -- Spirit of Eden
I think the majority of teenage boys all want the same kind of girl. They want someone cute and sweet and quiet. Chances are, they'll meet a lot of girls with this demeanor. The moment they realize these girls actually have their own personalities, the insecurity sets in. Someone so uniquely fair and faithful isn't supposed to be so challenging. I forgot where the heck I was going with this... I don't think Talk Talk are intentionally weird. They're just naturally challenging.
64 -- Roxy Music -- Avalon
Over the years, Roxy Music has somehow become underrated. The gods of art rock capped off their career by essentially inventing sophisti-pop. Can't top that.
63 -- Motorhead -- Ace of Spades
Lemmy pines for a simpler time when everyone carried a pistol and there was still cocaine in Coca-Cola.
62 -- Phillip Glass -- Glassworks
At this point in his career, this was actually Phillip Glass at his most accessible. I appreciate him dumbing things down for "real art" posers like me.
61 -- Sonic Youth -- EVOL
I originally had this album ranked at like 90-something, but realized that I've listened to this album A LOT and just don't have much commentary on it today.
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| #60-41 |
60 -- David Bowie -- Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
I think every list of best 80s albums that I've seen has Scary Monsters at #60. It's an interesting part of Bowie's career to me. Placed between his experimental Berlin Trilogy and his grocery store-friendly 80s run, this is his only album I'd blanket under "new wave."
59 -- Sade -- Diamond Life
You already know Sade is the most beautiful woman who's ever lived before you even see her.
58 -- Peter Gabriel -- So
I wish I could say I prefer Peter Gabriel's weirdo stuff over this crossover into the mainstream. But I admire the consistency. All his usual calling cards are here. Some afrobeat, some unnerving synths, dark lyrical themes. I'm pretty impressed with his ability to turn that formula into hits.
57 -- Laurie Anderson -- Big Science
I feel like "Big Science" is a term that libertarians often use amongst each other.
56 -- Pretenders -- Pretenders
Chrissie Hynde is one of my favorite lead singers of all time. And this is one of the greatest debuts of all time. A group of gifted songwriters dish out hit after hit, covering new wave from every angle. They're pop, they're punk, they can rock, they get sensitive. This band is something to aspire to.
55 -- Dead Kennedys -- Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
I grew up in California's Central Valley, and I used to love visiting San Francisco. Doing all the touristy stuff. It always had a cool atmosphere. I didn't even know anything about its political identity. I wouldn't say Dead Kennedys represent SanFran like that... Exaggerated violent language rules over any façade of dignity in this world.
54 -- Run-D.M.C. -- Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C. has become a forgotten cultural giant over time. Rolling Stone ranked them among the top 50 greatest artists of all time. Yet nobody talks about them that way. I guess I wouldn't rate them that high, but I think the kids need to listen to Raising Hell. Because forget cultural significance. These are just damn good songs.
53 -- My Bloody Valentine -- Isn't Anything
For what it's worth, I'm more likely to turn to MBV's 1987 You Made Me Realise EP. But I appreciate that they chose to go more obscure with their follow-up LP. Each song seems to go back-and-forth from blissful to blistering.
52 -- Prince -- 1999
I'm in awe of this album's very existence. This is the reason why Prince blew up. One of the few artists to advance in artistic ambition and pop appeal at the same time.
51 -- Boogie Down Productions -- Criminal Minded / By All Means Necessary
After the tragic murder of his friend and DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One achieved a level of conscious hip-hop that set the bars for both how preachy you're allowed to be and how good this type of rap can sound. A drastic change of pace from dedicating a whole song to how his DJ is so cool that he doesn't need to use a condom during sex.
50 -- Metallica -- Master of Puppets
It's crazy to imagine a world before this album existed. It's like, just a few years before I was born, human beings heard this for the first time, and it was universally decided: "This is metal now."
49 -- Brian Eno & David Byrne -- My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
Ya know... It really is that hard not to always bring up the same handful of lauded artists all the time. There's a Brian Eno & David Byne album on this list, because of course the hell there is.
48 -- Public Image Ltd. -- Second Edition
I always feel a little less genuine when trying to praise the post-punk standards. I kinda just feel like I'm using different words to say "THIS IS WEIRD." With Second Edition, I can honestly say that everything sounds "big" here. Every niche genre needs its own maximalist album like this. Something that represents it and celebrates it.
47 -- Eric B. & Rakim -- Paid in Full
I think Rakim should be top 10 on every list of greatest rappers ever. One of the few rappers where there are 2 separate eras that exist, before him and after him. Just wish this 10-song album had more than 7 songs with him rapping on it.
46 -- N.W.A. -- Straight Outta Compton
The attitude of N.W.A. earned them the title of "The Most Dangerous Group in the World." But the world doesn't know you (or fear you) if you don't sound able to conquer it. The production on this album gives us a glimpse into the future, which would proceed to be reigned by Dr. Dre. Just thinking about this album makes me feel like it's 110 degrees.
45 -- The Blue Nile -- Hats
I'm a sucker for singers who sound like tired old men. I mean, this guy's passionate, for sure. But very much old and tired. The perfect narrator for such a night. Loosen up your tie, pour yourself some scotch, and watch the blue-tinted rainfall from your 5th story penthouse.
44 -- Glenn Branca -- The Ascension
I don't like it when people talk about things they don't really know that much about. This is a "no wave" album. A genre I know so little about, I have to put it in quotation marks. But it's a "no wave" album I heard when I was 25. So I'm probably gonna remember it forever.
43 -- Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds -- Your Funeral... My Trial
This has to be my favorite version of Nick Cave. A no-nonsense tracklist that highlights both his penmanship and ability to create a dark atmosphere.
42 -- Violent Femmes -- Violent Femmes
"Idle hands are the devil's workshop." I guess there's no shame in being bored or lonesome. It's just frustrating. Sometimes frustration is societal. Sometimes it's sexual. Idleness seems purposeful if you can write clever songs about it. Otherwise: Maybe just pick up a hobby or something.
41 -- Bruce Springsteen -- Born in the U.S.A.
You wanna talk about how much I've always hated the 80s? My oldest brother had a copy of this CD when I was a kid, but I never listened to it. I already knew plenty of the singles from the radio, and I didn't really like them. All those obnoxious 80s synthesizers. Give me a break. I'd rather listen to Coldplay.
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| #40-21 |
40 -- Brian Eno with Daniel Lanois & Roger Eno -- Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks
This is definitely the Brian Eno ambient album I revisit the most. This doesn't sound dated at all. Love the guitars on here. The moon is the only acceptable lighting when listening, if any light at all.
39 -- This Heat -- Deceit
There's part of me that wants to classify this album as "end of the world good." Something where you feel so exhausted after a full listen, that you don't know what to with your life afterwards. But to be fair, when the band made this, they truly believed the world was doomed to soon end under worldwide nuclear warfare. This didn't happen, but that anxiety lives on forever.
38 -- Minutemen -- Double Nickels on the Dime
Stole this from a tweet: "You're stuck in an elevator with three adult men, but you feel completely safe. Name the three adult men." You already know...
37 -- Tom Waits -- Swordfishtrombones
There's a 1983 interview with Tom where says he wanted to experiment with instruments that could sound "nightmarish or dreamlike." He adds: "Frank is the central protagonist. The guy came to me in a dream and he spoke to me of many things." Oddly enough, this explains a lot.
36 -- The Police -- Synchronicity
My dad got me this CD for Christmas when I was 15. I didn't get it AT ALL. It made more sense when I reached the same age as the artists who were making this album. I find both the music itself and the process by which it came about to be hilarious and depressing.
35 -- The Jesus and Mary Chain -- Psychocandy
I've never been in love before. I spent my young adult life diving headfirst into the cliched social structures of Mormonism. I don't think the values of love and pain were ever served to me as necessarily direct as listening to Psychocandy on a miserable, hot afternoon.
34 -- Elvis Costello & The Attractions -- Get Happy!!
I'll always think it's cool that Elvis made an album in 1980 that tries to sound like R&B music from 1960. It's normal these days for artists to try to capture the sound of an older time. But Elvis was aesthetically obsessed with the bit. He delivers one punchy song after another. A lyrical masterclass, as always. I'd love to hear this on an old record player.
33 -- De La Soul -- 3 Feet High and Rising
This album sounds like what the album cover looks like. Sticking the landing on a distinguishable sound like this on an 80s hip-hop album is a futuristic feat in its own right. And the sampling chops are just off the charts. This is a burst of sunshine. Something the rap world never knew it needed.
32 -- Black Flag -- Damaged
These next few albums are all from SST records. As if that's necessary knowledge... This is a hardcore punk album full of songs about depression, and I'm all ears. I want that downward spiral. I want that ferocity. I want that DIY sound. Darkness is cheap, and I like it.
31 -- Husker Du -- Zen Arcade
A standout album in the Husker Du story. Starting their career as a modest hardcore band and ending as power pop giants, this album in the middle was basically the post-punk version of Tommy. It's a journey for sure. Covers a lot of musical and conceptual ground. I'd say just as emotionally-gripping as it is fun.
30 -- Dinosaur Jr. -- You're Living All Over Me
I always have to call Dinosaur Jr. one of my personal favorite bands of all time. I very much remember my first time listening to them. The sound in itself had an impact on how I think of indie rock. As for this album? You can make the case for this being the most groundbreaking album on this whole list. Each bleeding guitar tone is like a new discovery. And J just shreds over everything.
29 -- Sonic Youth -- Sister
It's somehow understated that this album is really freaking artsy. All the band's trademarks come together here, in their original lo-fi form. All the angsty energy. The casual "Lou Reed in sunglasses" swagger. The psychedelic dirges. But have you ever tried playing these songs on guitar? It's a pain in the ass.
28 -- Joy Division -- Closer
It's hard enough to describe this album's sound to those who haven't heard. All the harder to describe it to the people who only know that 1 Joy Division song. It's somewhat of a primitive-sounding goth album. But you can't deny the back half is just gushing with melancholic bile.
27 -- New Order -- Power, Corruption & Lies
I hear the opening notes, and I'm sold. I suppose the rest of the album delves into darker, electronic territory. But it's stuff that's just always gonna sound cool. Hard pressed to find a band across any genre with more heart than New Order.
26 -- Pixies -- Surfer Rosa
This is the only Steve Albini production on this list. No Big Black albums. But I have to admit, I'm a Pixies guy. This is their only album where they don't sound like some big band. Just a feral sound behind all these sinister little rock songs. Some surprises in store for the "Where Is My Mind?" flock.
25 -- Beastie Boys -- Paul's Boutique
This album is like a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. Because there's a song where they rap about Fred Flintstone. And it sounds colorful. And it all feels like a milky sugar rush. God, this analogy sucks... Anyways. "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" is the dopest beat of all time.
24 -- Public Enemy -- It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
It's always interesting to me when someone likes rap, and they try to make a case for the genre having no associated politics. It's an interesting take, because that shit was never true.
23 -- Michael Jackson -- Thriller
Elsewhere on the internet, I have a much more objective-minded list of the best albums of the 80s. Over there, this is #5. But Thriller works as a turning point on this list. Everything higher than this has been solidified in my rotation for years. Albums that don't make me think of the 80s, but just songs I keep coming back to naturally. I still feel like a visitor or an outsider when I listen to Thriller. Like showing up awkwardly to an 80s party with a Rubik's Cube t-shirt like: "Hey folks. I'm not much of an 80s guy, but I heard Michael Jackson was here, and he's pretty cool."
22 -- Kate Bush -- Hounds of Love
Hoo, yeah, let's talk about Kate Bush. Building an identity out of the weird and whimsical, she suddenly sounded like a commanding force on a big fat art-pop album that people would try to emulate for years to follow. Probably the only album on here where the synth sounds have never bothered me.
21 -- Bruce Springsteen -- The River
I've wasted too much of my post-college years aimlessly driving around. But The River? I believe everyone should reserve a summer evening to drive 90 minutes down a country highway as The River blasts through the car speakers. It's the only worthy listening experience.
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| #20-1 |
20 -- R.E.M. -- Reckoning
My senior year of high school, I got an 80s R.E.M. greatest hits comp (to accompany my 90s R.E.M. greatest hits comp). There were a few songs from Reckoning on there, for sure. But I think this whole album perfectly defines their 80s sound.
19 -- The Replacements -- Pleased to Meet Me
Spoiler: Somebody has a favorite band. I actually own a vinyl copy of this one. "Can't Hardly Wait" is a contender for my favorite song of all time. As for the rest of the album, this is like 2022 Steph. The established best in the game making their craft look easy.
18 -- Leonard Cohen -- I'm Your Man
There will always be a worthy debate as to if the synthesizers on this album sound good at all. To me, it's the fact that they sound so... um, "off"... that makes this album live in its own time outside this decade. Once I hear that opening saxophone on "Ain't No Cure for Love," I'm sucked in. See The Future for more.
17 -- XTC -- Skylarking
Some of this album contains the most futuristic studio trickery I've ever heard. But I'm mostly captured by the euphoric energy of these songs. Straight out the gate. The snarkiest band in new wave figured out how to do the Sgt. Pepper thing. A total standout among all the populist 80s trends.
16 -- Daniel Johnston -- Hi, How Are You
I still remember my first time listening to Daniel Johnston. I couldn't stop after 1 song. I ended up spending the whole day learning all I could about this man and his music. I recall a night hike with friends later that week, and I just looked up at the Milky Way thinking: "There's a heaven and there's a star for you."
15 -- Galaxie 500 -- On Fire
Timing is everything when it comes to what albums stick around with you. I first heard this album as a Pitchfork fanatic in the early 2010s. Most of the music I was eating up at this time was perhaps just glorified indie pop bands soaking trite songs in a pool of reverb. Galaxie 500 sounded heavenly to me. As though they were naturally looking down at these kids, from heaven.
14 -- Prince -- Sign o' the Times
The last time I listened to this album, there was a lot going on. I was driving around town on a summer night. I saw an idling ambulance pulled over by a mountainside, a topless chick, and some cops trying to grab hold of a teenager having a mental breakdown. For an album that mostly just talks about love and sex, I think it says a lot about life and death.
13 -- Pixies -- Doolittle
One of the most impactful "albums" I ever had was a Pixies greatest hits comp that I ripped from a buddy of mine in high school. I was 17, I was into alt-rock, and their sound hit me immediately. By the time I got around to hearing Doolittle, it felt as though I'd already heard all these songs.
12 -- Bruce Springsteen -- Nebraska
While this is unmistakably a folk album, I don't compartmentalize it with the rest of my favorite folk music. These songs don't sound good on playlists. I just like to press play and enter the fever dream. I like to imagine what historic era each song takes place in. Maybe one's from the Great Depression, maybe the next is from 1982. To Bruce, I don't think there was any difference.
11 -- U2 -- The Joshua Tree
It's crazy to imagine a world before this album existed. It's like, just a few years before I was born, human beings heard this for the first time, and it was universally realized: "This is what music was supposed to sound like."
10 -- Tom Waits -- Rain Dogs
Tom Waits is a character who kinda just lives in your heart forever.
9 -- The Cure -- Disintegration
I earlier used the term "end of the world good." That's what this is.
8 -- Sonic Youth -- Daydream Nation
I'll expound a bit on the "end of the world good" thing. Disintegration is a goth-kid's descent into the muck, featuring broken mirrors and broken relationships. Daydream Nation is a mountain. You try to accelerate to the top, but get lost wandering into the fog toward all these death-defying ledges. Sick guitars included.
7 -- R.E.M. -- Murmur
I bought this in the summer when I was 17 years old. This 1983 album sounded fresh in 2008, and it still sounds fresh in 2025. Just a 4-piece alt-rock band who wanted each instrument recorded with care. My favorite drum fills and basslines. Songs I've learned on guitar. And to this day, I can't comprehend anything Michael Stipe sings on here. But that's all part of the magic.
6 -- The Replacements -- Tim
I have moments when I listen to The Replacements where I'm convinced that this is the greatest band of all time. Perhaps the band that reminds me the most of myself. Tim is the album with all the hits. The band in peak form. Paul Westerberg couldn't stop writing anthemic tunes packed with perfect one-liners. Funny how this album has attained classic status, despite all the band's immediate attempts to sabotage their major label career. SNL and MTV are for posers anyways.
5 -- The Replacements -- Let It Be
This is one of those albums I accidentally listen to like 20 times a year. Never thought I'd be so drawn to an album with song titles like "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out" and "Gary's Got a Boner" on it. This was released on a short-lived local independent label, and it definitely sounds like it. This band that very much began as a punk outfit gave us a pinch of their sensitive side, and it cuts all the deeper. This album is the band's definitive personality. Just a drunk mess from the garage party down the street with a depression that can be mistaken for charm.
4 -- Paul Simon -- Graceland
This should probably be #1. This is the only album on the entire list that has memories tied to the romantic months surrounding my high school graduation. Respectively, Graceland doesn't get a lot of spins in autumn or winter. But it perfectly captures the strong, warm light after a period of heartbreak. I'm already planning my musical expedition through Africa for when I inevitably reach my midlife crisis.
3 -- The Smiths -- The Queen Is Dead
This album didn't click with me until I started taking antipsychotics a few years back. And it's just such an obvious keeper. It works as either emotional heavy lifting or casual background music. It's the closest indie ever got to Rumours. An endlessly quotable, heart-piercing, bit-sized greatest hits.
2 -- Prince -- Purple Rain
The path to being a Prince fan isn't as easy as one might think. He has a bunch of hits; they're easy to like. That's more of a distraction than a lure, though. All 80s hits sound exactly the same when they're lumped together. You gotta wait until sunset. Turn on Purple Rain. Play it loud. Listen to the whole thing. No stops. This is the electrified 80s people tried to sell me.
1 -- Talking Heads -- Remain in Light
So aside from the fact that I consider this to be one of the greatest albums of all time, I do wish I had better memories attached to it. These days, I play it to get my mind blown (with 100% success rate). But I bought this my first week of junior college. I looked forward to a forthcoming few years as a collegiate student of the arts, and I'd be surrounded by peers who'd get me into a more cultured world than whatever I could find online. This never happened. But I bought a Talking Heads CD.
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