Tag Archives: Decades

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Song of the Day #2,942: ‘Once in a Lifetime (Single Edit)’ – Talking Heads

remain_in_lightI may only own five albums from 1980, but fortunately they’re very good ones. In fact, in my #3 slot is an album that shows up on just about every list of the best albums of the entire decade.

Remain in Light is Talking Heads’ fourth album, and their first to embrace the African rhythms that would become a hallmark of their future work. Unlike their previous efforts, David Byrne didn’t deliver these songs to the band intact. They were conceived during jam sessions driven by the Heads’ excellent rhythm section of Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz.

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Song of the Day #2,941: ‘Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)’ – David Bowie

david_bowie_scary_monstersMy 4th favorite album of 1980 is one I didn’t hear until 36 years later — just a few months ago, in fact.

As I wrote in June while marching my way through half of Bowie’s catalog, Scary Monsters is widely considered the last great album he ever made. It capped off a remarkable run that spanned more than a dozen ground-breaking records in just over 10 years.

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Song of the Day #2,940: ‘Tunnel of Love’ – Dire Straits

makingmoviesGet out your parachute pants, Members Only jackets and shoulder pads, because we’re heading to the 80s. Specifically, 1980, as I offer up another installment of my Decades series.

Last year I featured the albums of 1972, ’82, ’92 and 2002 (starting with ’72 because it’s my birth year) and earlier this year I rewound to look at the music of 1970. My plan is to cover 1980, 1990 and 2000 before the year is through.

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Song of the Day #2,839: ‘Dayton Ohio 1903’ – Harry Nilsson

nilsson_sings_newmanMy final album of 1970 (which on the whole was an excellent year for music, I’ve discovered) is Harry Nilsson’s Nilsson Sings Newman. This record is a collaboration between Nilsson and one of my favorite songwriters and performers of all time, Randy Newman.

Newman didn’t just write the ten tracks on this album but played piano on them as well. And while I can’t imagine anybody topping Newman’s readings of his own songs, Nilsson’s sweet vocals are a nice match for the masterfully simple tunes on this album. I think I need to buy this thing pronto.

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Song of the Day #2,838: ‘Oye Como Va’ – Santana

santana_abraxasOur next 1970 album is Abraxas, the sophomore effort by Santana. Barring catastrophe, next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the group fronted by Carlos Santana, and the band has had about that many members over that span.

My only association with Abraxas comes form the Coen Brothers movie A Serious Man, in which the beleaguered main character, Larry Gopnik, hears from the Columbia Record Club that — by doing nothing — he has purchased Santana Abraxas.

“I didn’t ask for Santana Abraxas, I didn’t listen to Santana Abraxas, I didn’t do anything!” Larry exclaims, exasperated.

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