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Song of the Day #1,385: ‘She’s Got Her Ticket’ – Tracy Chapman

Best Albums of the 80s – #16
Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman (1988)

I might have neglected to list this album had I not been reminded of it by a random selection this past weekend. But revisiting it for that post, I once again succumbed to its earnest folk charm.

This album is half protest record and half romance. But, as the AllMusic review points out, even the love songs are laced with the sorrows of the lower class. Nearly 25 years ago, Chapman’s debut was the soundtrack of the 99%.

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Song of the Day #1,384: ‘Southern Accents’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Best Albums of the 80s – #17
Southern Accents – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1985)

Tom Petty is an artist who could have albums on best-of-decade lists from the 70s, 80s and 90s. And he kicked off the 10’s in excellent fashion with Mojo, so the man is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

I don’t know that he receives enough credit for the amazing career he’s forged — he’s too often described as a follower of the great artists he counts among his peers rather than a fellow trailblazer. But you can stack his output against pretty much anybody’s.

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Song of the Day #1,383: ‘Money For Nothing’ – Dire Straits

Best Albums of the 80s – #18
Brothers in Arms – Dire Straits (1985)

Almost all of the albums on this list belong to artists whose careers I’ve followed obsessively. Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms is the first exception.

It’s not that I’m not a fan of the Knopfler brothers’ British rock band — on the contrary, I’ve liked pretty much everything of theirs I’ve heard. But they just never made their way onto my radar in a way that would line their six albums up on my shelf.

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Song of the Day #1,382: ‘Half Harvest’ – Michael Penn

Best Albums of the 80s – #19
March – Michael Penn (1989)

I ranked Michael Penn’s second album, Free-For-All, higher on my list of 90s albums than his debut album sits here, but I consider them essentially equals.

Free-For-All owes its placement to a weaker field overall as well as my personal associations (it belongs to that fabled class of ’92, after all).

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Song of the Day #1,381: ‘Mumbo Jumbo’ – Squeeze

Best Albums of the 80s – #20
East Side Story – Squeeze (1981)

By now you know that I can’t resist a list. So after spending a month counting down my favorite 90s albums, I’m turning my attention to the preceding decade.

First, a disclaimer: My record collection narrows as I go back in time. The 80s spanned my life from age 8 to 18, not exactly prime territory as far as disposable income goes. So I don’t have the breadth of material to choose from that I do for the 90s and beyond. Many of my 80s albums were bought much later, as I sought to fill in the catalogs of artists I discovered mid-career.

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