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.
Billy Joel’s compilation of live performances, Songs in the Attic, is my third favorite album released in 1981. It might have cracked the top two but I subtracted a few points because it’s a greatest hits collection of sorts.
Joel was riding a commercial high after the releases of The Stranger, 52nd Street and Glass Houses, and saw an opportunity to introduce his new fans to the music he had recorded prior to breaking into the mainstream. Rather than release the original recordings, which were performed with session musicians, he preferred to put them in new context with the backing of his talented touring band.
Before I begin, Happy 18th Birthday to my nephew Daniel! If you haven’t had a chance to listen to his recent EP, Daniel Gallup, you can do so through my blog right here.
My #4 album of 1981 is the only one on this list that I actually listened to in 1981. In fact, I’m pretty sure Journey’s Escape was the first album I ever owned. It was also the first (and last) album I ever experienced in the form of an arcade game.
Welcome to the latest edition of my Decades series, wherein I feature celebrated albums from a single year across several decades. So far I’ve covered 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 1972, 1982, 1992, 2002, and (most recently) 1971. That brings me to the year I’ll focus on over the new few weeks: 1981.
The first year of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. The year of the first test tube baby. The year Raiders of the Lost Ark came out. The year I turned nine. Of the five albums I’ll count down first — my personal favorites from 1981 — I listened to only one at the time. The rest I’ve discovered since.
Meet Me In Montauk 