Best Singles/Albums of 1985
Years are stupid things. I initially had Exposé's "Point Of No Return" in the #5 spot. But Chuck Eddy reminded me that the song was originally released under the name X-Posed in 1983 on the Pantera (!) label. Discogs concurs noting, "released in November 1983, despite labels stating "℗ 1984."" But the Wiki entry for Exposé says the group wasn't formed until 1984. So which date is correct? (Also, check out how much the X-Posed font looks like the one for X-Ray Spex.) To appease the Latin freestyle gods (Lewis A. Martineé, we invoke thee), I replaced "Point Of No Return" with "Exposed to Love" which I may prefer nowadays anyway for how much it reminds me of my favorite bubble bath, Black Orchid.
Until last week, I thought Magazine 60's "Don Quichotte," Roxanne Shanté's "Roxanne's Revenge," and Roky Erickson's "Don't Slander Me" were 1985 releases. But all signs point to 1984. And I prefer the faster album version of "Don't Slander Me" from 1986 which I believe was never released as a single. So I might be lying by leaving it on my decade list (although I love the December 11, 1984 original too so it stays). Wiki says authoritatively that "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" was released on May 27, 1986. But Discogs shows the Arista label clearly reading "1985." The Indestructible Beat of Soweto and Psychocandy were released in 1985 in the UK but were they released in 1986 in the States? And "The Payoff Mix" EP was never officially released at all, at least not until the 2008 Steinski compilation What Does It All Mean?: 1983-2006 Retrospective on the Illegal Arts label. But you currently cannot purchase the latter on Amazon even though Discogs allows its sale.
Then there's the matter of release date vs. year of impact. Whatever the specific date they hit the racks, The Indestructible Beat of Soweto and Psychocandy signify as 1986 albums in the States. VU was recorded in the late 1960s but most of the planet didn't hear these songs in VU (as opposed to Lou Reed) form until 1985. Exposé's romp through the Billboard Hot 100 wouldn't come until 1987. And if all of the titles below had to impact me in 1985, then I couldn't play this game at all. I owned Psychocandy and Cupid & Psyche 85 on vinyl and taped Big Lizard in My Backyard from a friend. But most of the rest I didn't hear until after 1990. To the best of my recollection, I have never held a copy of the original Sin version of Fear and Whiskey despite 20 years of crate digging. Like many, I assume, I heard it on the 1989 Twin/Tone compilation Original Sin which itself was already difficult to find on CD by 1990.
And finally, there's the matter of format. As far as I can determine, "Mario" was never released as a single, in Europe, Africa, or the US. But I doubt that many Franco releases were perceived as albums anyway; they feel like 12" singles. "Mario," for instance, takes up all 14:19 of the A side of the Mario album with only two other songs on the B. (See also Fela.) I didn't hear it until 2001 when it was plucked all single-like by World Music Network for The Rough Guide To Franco: Africa's Legendary Guitar Maestro. Think you know what VU is? Think again, avers Wiki: "Sources disagree on whether VU should be classified as a compilation album, archival collection of outtakes, or a long-delayed studio album, though others avoid categorizing the album entirely." Avoiding categorization - how punk. I doubt Steinski himself knows (or cares) if "The Payoff Mix" is an EP or a 12" single (but note that Discogs sanely, if not correctly, sidesteps the issue with one category labeled "Singles & EPs"). And Luen calls "Round 1" "an EP title track" while Eddy on Facebook says Round 1 (guess I have to italicize it here) is an album (and so does Discogs!). But quickly thereafter (he has an infuriating tendency to edit after he first posts which, little known fact, was the impetus for Ozzy writing "Am I Going Insane"), he said it's barely an album if you "take away" the uncensored version of "Round 1," running barely over 25 minutes and 25 minutes "was the old Pazz & Jop cutoff for EPs." But, um, you can't take away a track from an album, at least not on physical releases (I suppose you could scratch out the track in question on your vinyl version or record over it on cassette). I first heard it in 1998 on Rhino's Fat Beats & Brastraps: Battle Rhymes & Posse Cuts, the best volume of the series due in no small amount to the inclusion of "Round 1." That's single enough for me and, in any case, Luen accepted it so it stays (and had he not, I'd just hit him with "You's the only crab lowlife bitch who's a bum!").
Who cares, right? If Luen does a 1986 poll (which he totally said he would!), then I won't be wringing my hands thusly. This is all just a reminder not to take unnatural measurements of time too seriously and not to fret that "Bon Bon Vie," "That's the Joint," and "Eisiger Wind" are 1980 releases. I so wanted them to be of 1981 provenance since I've long opined that 1981 was the best singles year in popular music history. They're spiritually 1981 singles, though, and, surprise!, I didn't hear a single damn one of them until the 1990s.
What about the music, man? I've always gotten the impression that the zeitgeist finds years on the five lacking; something to do with mid-decade dashed hopes perhaps. But people bitch about (and hype) every year. And while 1985 wasn't stellar for singles, I was stunned to conclude that I would award an A+ to the first six items on my albums list. That said, I'm sick of hyping faves. Low-Life has long been my favorite album of all time. But I need a new one (maybe something by Beauty Pill?). Nowadays, I'm sweeping in corners for music that has totally escaped my attention, especially non-English music; "Mario" is my sad attempt to redress this shortcoming. To that end, below my ballot, I submit my favorite ballot from the poll. Most of Dave Moore's list is non-English and even his Malcolm McLaren choice is perverse. I bet he's done time with Chee Shimizu's Obscure Sound book (great ILM thread about it here) since that's where I first heard (of) the Rare Silk album at #14. I thank him for guiding me away from the English-singing canon.
ALBUMS
1. Malcolm McLaren: Swamp Thing 20 pts
2. Manu Dibango: Electric Africa 20 pts
3. Jasper van’t Hoffs Pili Pili: Hoomba-Hoomba 20 pts
4. Ichiko Hashimoto: Beauty 20 pts
5. Lena Platonos: Galop 15 pts
6. May East: Remota Batucada 15 pts
7. Taeko Onuki: Copine 15 pts
8. Hailu Mergia and His Classical Instrument: Shemonmuanaye 10 pts
9. Ut: Conviction 10 pts
10. Winston Tong: Theoretically Chinese 5 pts
11. Vinod Pandit: Jhoomo Re Jhoomo 5 pts
12. Junko Yagami: Communication 5 pts
13. Kate Bush: Hounds of Love 5 pts
14. Rare Silk: American Eyes 5 pts
15. Diana Ross: Eaten Alive 5 pts
16. Miami Sound Machine: Primitive Love 5 pts
17. Grupul Stereo: s/t 5 pts
18. Plastic Mode: s/t 5 pts
19. Kassav’: En Balaté 5 pts
20. Boney M: Eye Dance 5 pts
SINGLES
1. Madonna: Into the Groove
2. Mariya Takeuchi: Plastic Love
3. Kate Bush: Running Up that Hill
4. Siouxsie and the Banshees: Cities in Dust
5. Mr. Fingers: Mystery of Love
6. Amina: Shehérazade
7. A-ha: Take On Me
8. Pet Shop Boys: West End Girls
9. Prince: Raspberry Beret
10. Bellamy Brothers: Old Hippie
11. Sheila Chandra: Strange Minaret
12. Mai Tai: History
13. Melanie: Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed
14. Segun Adewale: Atewo-Lara Ka Tepa Mo ‘Se
15. Suzanne Vega: Marlene on the Wall
16. Fun Fun: Living in Japan
17. Cafe Turk: Haydi Yallah
18. Magika: I Know Magika
19. Princess: Say I'm Your Number One
20. Lee Sun Hee: Ah! It Is Ancient Times [Ah! The Good Old Days]
posted by Kevin John at 2:19 PM
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