Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1985…
#5 – Meat is Murder – The Smiths
The Smiths released just four studio albums in their five-year existence, a remarkably small footprint for a band with such a huge and passionate fan base.
Meat is Murder was the band’s sophomore release and the one I rank lowest of the four. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t great enough to be #5 on my list of 1985 albums.
The week of November 17, 1973, saw former Temptations member Eddie Kendricks in his second week at #1 with ‘Keep On Truckin’ (Part 1),’ an abbreviated version of an 8-minute album track.
Kendricks had left The Temptations on bad terms two years earlier, and received some musical shade from his former band through a song called ‘Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are).’ This song, his only solo #1, gave him some measure of revenge. Kendricks even name-drops his former band during the song’s final verses.
Throwing back to the week of November 16, 1963, we find Nino Temple and April Stevens atop the Billboard Hot 100 with their recording of ‘Deep Purple.’
The original version of this song was composed by pianist Peter DeRose in the 1920s. It was recorded as an instrumental by many artists in subsequent decades (here’s a version with DeRose himself on piano). In 1938, lyricist Mitchell Parish added words to the composition, and it was reimagined as a doo-wop track.
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1985…
#6 – The Dream of the Blue Turtles – Sting
Now I’m getting to the 1985 albums I know by heart, starting with Sting’s debut solo record.
Released two years after the blockbuster success of The Police’s Synchronicity, and the band’s subsequent breakup, this album proved that their former frontman could be a major star on his own.
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1985…
#7 – No Jacket Required – Phil Collins
The albums I’ve featured this week aren’t records I know by heart. I don’t have a deep enough stable of 1985 releases among my personal favorites.
But each of them has an overall sound and perspective that speaks to me, and three or four songs I really love. Today’s selection is a another great example.
Meet Me In Montauk 