As I look at ten celebrated albums of 1981, I’ll highlight some I don’t know at all and some with which I have passing familiarity.
The Rolling Stones’ Tattoo You falls into the second category. I’ve done my share of dipping into The Stones’ catalog, with most of my focus on the remarkable period between 1966 and 1972 (regardless of your opinion of the band, it’s hard to deny the sustained creative excellence of that stretch). The latest Stones album I know well is 1978’s Some Girls.
Sometimes the Random iTunes Fairy reminds me of an artist who had completely slipped my mind. Such is the case with Margo Price, who released an excellent debut album — Midwest Farmer’s Daughter — in 2016.
I played the album a few times and really enjoyed it but then it just fell out of my rotation and I frankly forgot she even existed until today’s random SOTD popped up. This was the first single from the album, and one she played on Saturday Night Live as one of the show’s few country musical guests.
Most of the early discussion about the Coen Brothers’ new film, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, has centered not on its content but its distribution. Produced by NetFlix, and originally rumored to be a limited series rather than a full-length feature, the film is the first in a series of releases by the streaming platform of films by high-profile directors.
Next up is Alfonso Cuaron’s lavishly received Roma, with Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman due in early 2019. Each of these films will get a very limited theatrical release to secure award season eligibility but for the vast majority of viewers, it will be found only on their TV, or God forbid, their iPhone.
Elvis Costello produced my second-favorite album of 1981, and just a few months earlier, he released my favorite.
Costello’s fifth album, Trust, is similar to Squeeze’s East Side Story in that it’s a New Wave record dabbling in a host of other genres. Squeeze lead singer Glenn Tilbrook even duets with Costello on the fun track ‘From a Whisper to a Scream.’
Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers! Now, here’s a song by a thoroughly British band.
My second favorite 1981 album is East Side Story, the fourth (and best) album by the UK band Squeeze. Produced almost entirely by Elvis Costello, this ia a New Wave classic that weaves in elements of country, rockabilly and psychedelia. Best known for the single ‘Tempted,’ East Side Story is stellar from start to finish.
Meet Me In Montauk 