The Ultimate 80's Music List - Songs 5 - 1

WE ARE GO FOR LAUNCH ...

Well, it's the 13th post ... Now that this is my final post, of the Ultimate 80's Music List, I feel sad that it's over. It's been a lot of fun. It's hard to know if anyone is reading this. I guess at the end of the day, writing any blog, is like putting a message in a bottle and casting it adrift on the ocean. I may never know if I'm the only one to visit these pages. Although I hope it's not the case, I accept that this list was something I challenged myself to complete. I'm glad to say that I think I've lived up to that challenge to myself. Thank you for visiting the blog, I hope this has reminded you of some songs you forgot about; or at least introduced you to some you may have never heard.

What follows in this final group are the 5 main songs I'd take with me to a desert island, to the moon, or on a voyage to a different galaxy. All 101 songs on this list truly defined my 80's musical journey. As mentioned in previous posts, you may not agree with these final choices leading to and including number 1, but that's why I've turned off any need to sign up to make comments. Please do, please let me know what your choices are ... Or just let me know you received my message in a bottle. Either would be greatly appreciated. Well ... Let's not waste any more time because you've got a lot to read.

In the immortal words of boxing announcer Michael Buffer ... "Ladies and Gentlemen, from the deep and dusty recesses of the 1980's ....... LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!!".

Well it is time to finish this. Here's ...

From ...

One final drum roll for posterity please ...

The Ultimate 80's Music List - Songs 5 - 1

5 - The Killing Moon by Echo & The Bunnymen

If you've read all of my previous posts on this list, then it's time to break out the joke again. Guess what the lead singer's first name is? It's Ian! That's right another Ian. In fact his full name is Ian McCulloch. Echo & The Bunnymen is a band formed in Liverpool back in 1978. After numerous shake ups, including Ian's departure and subsequent return, they are still performing today. In fact tonight (8-6-2014 at 11:45 PM CST) they are performing live on the Live Nation Channel on Yahoo Screen (Yahoo plans to offer free concerts year round, so check their schedule). Chances are you are probably reading this after that date, so do an online search to find it or I might just update this post with the link to the recorded concert once it is posted. Here's the link should you be reading this on 8-6-2014 and you want to watch Echo & The Bunnymen live tonight ... CLICK HERE. (UPDATE: The original link takes you to the recorded concert)

Now back to the band and the song. One thing is for sure, McCulloch has a voice that just doesn't fit his look. That's not a put down. That deep singing voice of his, just doesn't seem right coming out of his mouth. But boy can this guy really sing. Check out Bring on the Dancing Horses or Lips Like Sugar for great proof of this. One thing those songs, and the rest of their songs have in common is the fantastic lyrics. That's another reason why I liked them, and why The Killing Moon is my favorite from this band.

Like many performers, Ian McCulloch marches to the beat of his own drum. He's not afraid to tell the world that the music he's crafted is the very best of all time. I chalk it up to him being eccentric, and like many eccentric folks, he can often be a total jerk. But I've read some of the things he's said over the years, and if you want to be entertained go in search of his interviews. He even called Police drummer Stuart Copeland a total d--khead. In his defense, I've often heard that can be true about Stuart. But then again, like I said, many performers march to the beat of their own drum. That includes drummers too.

I often use the term haunting on many songs, and I mean it when I say it. That's what The Killing Moon is ... It's incredibly haunting. The music almost seems like it's purposely a beat behind. That small staggering is reminiscent of how Willie Nelson has always sang his songs. It gives them a unique quality. Echo & The Bunnymen pulled this off and produced one of the most memorable and best songs ever recorded. To me, it's just that good. As for its lyrical content. "Under blue moon I saw you, so soon you'll take me. Up in your arms too late to beg you or cancel it though I know it must be ... The killing time ... Unwillingly mine. Fate, up against your will, through the thick and thin. He will wait until, you give yourself to him." I'm completely in awe every time I hear it. At number 5, I give you The Killing Moon.

4 - Back in Black by AC/DC

On Tuesday February 19, 1980 AC/DC frontman Bon Scott was pronounced dead from acute alcohol poisoning. At that very moment, the band ... as both members and fans knew ... Was over. How could a band survive losing its lead singer? It's something no band could ever dream of accomplishing. But the truth is, none of AC/DC's members wanted to continue. But their source of strength for moving forward was Scott's family as they all dealt with this heartbreaking moment. During the days surrounding his funeral, the family encouraged the Young brothers to keep Scott's memory alive by not allowing the band to perish along with their son.

On April 19, 1980 Brian Johnson was offered the lead singer position with AC/DC after he blew the group away with his audition a few days earlier. This was exactly 2 months after Scott's death. Angus and Malcolm immediately went back to writing and along with new frontman Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd, Cliff Williams, and famed producer Mutt Lange ... They recorded the album "Back in Black" and released it on July 21, 1980 ... A mere 153 days after that tragic February day. One thing is clear ... When this band made the decision to rise from the ashes, they did so in meteoric fashion. The album's title, and title track, are a tribute to Bon Scott. When asked by the band to write something to honor Bon, Brian Johnson nailed it perfectly when he wrote the lyric "I got nine lives. Cats eyes. Abusing every one of them and running wild." To this date the album Back in Black has sold over 50 million copies worldwide.

The song Back in Black is nothing short of a full 4 minute and 14 second explosion. From the very first moment you hear the first 8 drum taps leading into Angus and Malcolm's blistering guitar work you know it's special. I won't spend long on this, but Angus Young is still one of the best guitarists to ever walk this planet. From the second Brian Johnson said those first 3 words of the song (Back in Black) you knew that AC/DC was going to survive. What I have always appreciated about this band is this ... Although they've been together 34 years since Bon passed, they never fail to praise him and honor him for the 6 years he was part of the group. Brian Johnson, is the first in line to always do so.

Number 4 serves as undeniable proof that ... When things are at their darkest ... When it looks like you can't go on ... When your back is up against the proverbial wall .. When it looks like all is lost and hope has abandoned you ... That anything is possible if you just believe. Let me tell you something ... I BELIEVE IN AC/DC, and I also believe in Back in Black.

3 - Sowing the Seeds of Love by Tears For Fears 

My 4 favorites bands of all time are rock band Rush, Alternative band Foo Fighters, the Synthpop band at number 2, and my other favorite is the New Wave/Post Modern band at number 3 ... Tears For Fears. I have loved this band since the release of their first album The Hurting back at the dawn of the 80's. Tears For Fears is made up of co-founders Roland Orzabel and Curt Smith. They were formed in Bath, England in 1981 after they left the band Neon. What's really interesting about the band Neon is the other members left to form the band occupying my number 34 spot on this count down ... Naked Eyes. Who knows what they would have produced had they all stayed together. I've been fortunate enough to see TFF live a few times and I'm not ashamed to say that I actually touched Roland Orzabel's boot. That's right people! I did it and I'm not ashamed. Hey, I was dared to do it by my brother-in-law because we were standing right at the front of the stage. What would you do?

A quick side note. I just recently picked up 1 out of only 3000 10" White Vinyl Records that Tears For Fears created especially for Record Store Day which occurs yearly in April to promote awareness of local record shops that are still in business. I got it in July of 2014 and it's titled Ready Boys & Girls. The album contains 3 covers they did of My Girls (Animal Collective cover), Ready to Start (Arcade Fire cover), and Boy From School (Hot Chip cover). If you are interested you can listen to the songs on www.tearsforfears.com. At this point I've been too nervous to open it, since there are only 3000 of them in existence. Who knows, maybe one day I will. By the way ... If you want to hear an amazing song they did in the 80's then listen to their cover of Ashes to Ashes by David Bowie.

It was very hard to pick a song from this great band's discography. Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Mother's Talk, Head Over Heels, The Hurting, Ideas As Opiates, Memories Fade, Pale Shelter, Mad World, Woman in Chains, Change, Watch Me Bleed, Advice for the Young at Heart, Laid so Low, Closest Thing to Heaven, and that's not all of them. My Number 3 choice is a song of hope, and peace. It's a lot like my Smithereens choice, that it has this 60's feel to it. Sowing the Seeds of Love is the one song that I come back to each time I think about their best work. I think part of it is the amazing singing that occurs by both Orzabel and Smith on this tune. "It's high time we made a stand, and shook up the views of the common man and the love train rides from coast to coast. The DJ's the man we love the most."

When Tears For Fears broke up in 1991 I wasn't too happy, but understood that sometimes bands can't make it. When they reformed in the 2000's I was pretty overjoyed. I love the fact that they named their first album "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending." It was a nice little tongue in cheek moment. They are currently at work on another album, and it will be a day one purchase for me. I guess you can tell I could write 100 paragraphs about this band. I could argue why they deserve much praise for their accomplishments. I could just ramble on and on ... Sort of like I'm doing now. But I think I will just let the song below speak for itself. This band was a big part of my 1980's and they still give me so much joy to listen to today. Please join me in listening once again to their best song of the decade. A round of applause for Roland Orzabel (and the boot I touched) and Curt Smith, otherwise known as Tears For Fears.

2 - Stories of Old by Depeche Mode

At number 2 is my favorite Synthpop band of all time ... Depeche Mode. For a band that no one thought would last, they have proven their naysayers 100 percent wrong. Even when lead singer Dave Gahan was doing his best to try to kill himself with alcohol and drugs in the 90's nothing could keep Depeche Mode down. The anchor of this band, hands down, is Martin Gore. The band isn't the same without Dave, but the band has no heart without Martin. When I see just how big they are today I can still remember when they were a group of snot nosed musicians doing thinly produced great synth songs like Just Can't Get Enough.

This selection comes off yet another one of my favorite albums of all time ... Some Great Reward. It's the same album that produced the 80's mainstay People Are People. But the album also has Master and Servant, Lie to Me, Something to Do, Blasphemous Rumours, Somebody, It Doesn't Matter, and If You Want. It's important to note that Martin also sings; and he does a darn good job of it too. If you want to hear 2 of the most subversive songs of the decade listen to Blasphemous Rumours and Masters and Servants. The first will shock you completely. "Girl of 18, whole life ahead of her. Slashed her wrists ... Bored with life." The second pulls no punches when it talks about sex. "There's a new a game we like play you see. A game with added reality. You treat me like a dog get me down on my knees. We call it Master and Servant." Say what you want about them, but I love these songs.

Before we move along I want to recount what a close friend who wasn't a fan of the band would call them. He'd call them Detach Mode. By itself it really wasn't all that comical. But the way he'd always work it into conversation was what made it so funny. But it's time to talk about Stories of Old. This is Depeche Mode's masterpiece. There were many songs before this one, and there have been countless that came after it. But the music, the lyrics, and Dave's delivery were all so amazing. I would sit in my vehicle just so I could play this song over and over. It's a song I will still sing in the shower today. Trying desperately to pull off that deep sounding voice of his.

With lyrics like "Take a look at unselected cases, you'll find love has been wrecked. By both sides compromising, amounting to a disastrous effect." Then there's my favorite line from the song. "I'll probably burn in hell, for saying this. But I'm really in heaven whenever we kiss. But oh no, you won't change me. You can try for an eternity. I wouldn't sacrifice anything at all to love." It's pure poetry. It may not be about puppies and kittens, but it doesn't make it any less beautiful. Dave Gahan's deep voice and the cool halting he does at certain points, along with some truly great music, sends this song over the top and into orbit. I will always be in awe of what comes out of his mouth when he opens it to sing.

Depeche Mode is a true success story in music. At the end of the day I'm so happy I chose to believe in these guys. As a fan of music they have brought me so much joy and isn't that what music is supposed to do? Speak to you. Tell the story of your journey. Pick you up when you are at your lowest. I may seem to be making more out of this, but I think it's important for everyone to know. That even when you are at your loneliest, when you feel so alone ... Music is one of those things that makes you feel connected. Depeche Mode made me feel connected and Stories of Old simply spoke to me on a different level. Here's the number 2 song of the 1980's ... I hope you enjoy it.

1 - This Corrosion by The Sisters of Mercy

I'll be completely honest. I toyed with the idea of not revealing my number 1 choice ... At least not for a while. But as we plugged along to number one I realized that this list had grown personal. Even more personal than I originally thought it to be. But sharing these songs with the world, my song choices, became more about sharing my love of music. That's when I decided it would be a cruel joke not to include it immediately. I wouldn't want to do that. For anyone out there, if you've followed these posts I greatly appreciate it. I especially appreciate your willingness to plow through my commentary on all of these tunes. Maybe you've read what I've said, or maybe you just looked at the choice. Either way I'm just glad you stopped by.

What follows is the song that is most personal for me. It's that one song of the 1980's that stands tall on the tip of the mountain. This Corrosion is nothing short of epic in its sound, and its length. To everyone else it may not have the social importance of the lengthy and fantastic songs American Pie, Freebird, or even Stairway to Heaven. But for me ... It does. The original album cut of this song is a staggering and blistering 10 minutes and 55 seconds long. They did this in the time of quick throw away 3 to 4 minute 80's songs. The Sisters of Mercy's lead singer and founder, Andrew Eldritch, simply flipped his middle finger at the musical establishment and did what 70's singer/songwriters did ... He produced the song that he wanted to make, and said to hell with radio needing this to be shorter. I love him and the band for doing that.

The Sisters of Mercy were a Goth band, similar to the likes of Bauhaus. But the difference is that The Sisters of Mercy made Bauhaus look like The Carpenters. That's not a put down of one of my favorite bands (Bauhaus). It's just a statement of fact based on the heavier sounding Goth music they were performing. To me ... Their music was like a cross of Goth and Heavy Metal. Let me tell you something about Andrew Eldritch and this is only my opinion ... I have always felt he was hands down the coolest performer to come out of the 1980's. He commanded each stage show and video with his presence. That's exactly what I'd want in a number one choice on any list.

The 2 videos I've included below will demonstrate exactly what I just mentioned. Did you just hear me say 2 videos? Yes you did. The first video is the song in its epic 10 plus minutes of glory. It's a fan made video of the full song, and the person did an awesome job using footage from the video and live shows. This was done because there never was a video released of the full song. The second is the video produced by record company weasels who trimmed the song down to an MTV friendlier 4 minutes. I'm a fan of both versions because of the band and the song. But I totally and completely prefer the lengthy first video because it contains the whole song.

This Corrosion starts with a choir singing the first 30 seconds and then the real music starts. When you finally see Andrew and he opens his mouth for the first time, what comes out is this amazing deep growl of lyrics. He moves around like he's the offspring of Steven Tyler and David Bowie. "Gimme the ring ... Kissed and told, gimme something that I missed (Gimme the ring). A hand to hold, wild and what it seems (Gimme the ring). Kill the king when love is the law and the wheel turnin' round (Gimme the ring). Forgive me dream child and do you hear me call? (Gimme the ring). On the loan and on the level ... And still on the floor (Gimme the ring). Sing dream child and do you hear at all?" That's just the opening. The song builds and builds, and that's why I love it so much.

As mentioned before, this list consists of the songs that spoke to me. It would have been so easy to just pick Michael Jackson's Thriller or Madonna's Like a Virgin or even The Police's Every Breath You Take. I could have done that, and it may have pleased some people. I love those songs, I'm not against them in any way. But I've always felt the only difference between those songs and this song is the amount of airplay they received. Do I think This Corrosion would have been as popular? Of course not. Do I think it would have reached more people and created countless new fans had it been a radio mainstay? I unequivocally say YES. To me, it's just that good of a song. From the lyrics, to their delivery, and some pretty amazing music.

Music is art. Often it's poetry. It hurts us, it calms us, it speaks to us. Once in a blue moon it transcends just being a song on the radio or a video on TV and it connects with us. I know this song wasn't meant just for me, I'm not that delusional. But a great song, one that is worthy of a top spot on any list, has to have the power to speak to you on a different level. It has to have the power to almost make you cry simply because it has hit a nerve deep inside you. Somewhere out there is that one song that does the same for you. At times it's a song you want to share with the world, but then other times you want to keep it private and hold it close to your heart ... Because it's just that dear to you. That's exactly what the song This Corrosion does for me. At one time I held it close, today I'm letting it go free in the hopes that you say ... He got it right, it is an amazing song.

In closing I wish to sincerely say ... Thank you again for visiting this blog and joining me on this personal journey. The 80's, especially the latter part, where a very painful time for me in regards to my recovery from the near fatal car accident I was in. It was music that kept me sane during those 6 years of surgery and uncertainty. It was a lifeline, a life preserver of sorts that was cast out to me in those choppy waters. It was my friend in those early mornings when I sat alone, ready to face another day of pain and sometimes fear. I believe I'm here today in part due to my connection to music. I close out the list with my choice for the very best song of the 1980's. Ladies and Gentlemen, one last time, put your hands together for This Corrosion by The Sisters of Mercy. 

Video one ... Full length song:



Video two ... Radio Edit:

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to check out the list. Stay tuned, I may post more 80's related lists after I've had some time to think about it more ..... Take care!!!