Tag Archives: Decades

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Song of the Day #3,799: ‘We Got the Beat’ – The Go-Go’s

Miles Copeland, brother of Police drummer Stewart Copeland, co-founded the indie rock label I.R.S. and in early 1981 signed a Los Angeles-based, all-female New Wave quintet called The Go-Go’s.

The band landed a gig opening for The Police thanks to that connection and within a year their debut album, Beauty and the Beat, topped Billboard’s albums chart, spending a month and a half at #1. It was the first time in the chart’s history that an all-female group who wrote their own music hit the top spot.

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Song of the Day 3,798: ‘Every Little Thing She Does is Magic’ – The Police

From the late 70s to the early 80s, The Police released five albums, every one of which went platinum in multiple countries. When all was said and done, they sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

I’ve always known 1983’s Synchronicity was a monster hit — it went eight times platinum in the U.S. alone and spent 17 weeks at #1 on the Billboard chart. But I underestimated how success of the band’s earlier efforts.

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Song of the Day #3,797: ‘Waiting On a Friend’ – The Rolling Stones

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.

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Song of the Day #3,794: ‘Watch Your Step’ – Elvis Costello

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.’

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Song of the Day #3,793: ‘Woman’s World’ – Squeeze

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.

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