Urban75 Album of the Year 1983

[Knotted]

Belboid scoring would have

1 Tom Waits - StrawberrySwords
2 New Order - Power ,Corruption and Lies
3 Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
4 The Fall - Perverted by Language
5 The The - Soul Mining
6 Cocteau Twins - Head over Heals
7 Brian Eno - Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks
7= Subhumans - The Day the Country Died
9= Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
9= Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi
11= REM - Murmur
11= Sonic Youthv - Confusion is Sex
13 ESG - Come Away with ESG
14 U2 - War
15 Mad Professor - Dub Me Crazy 3: The African Connection
16 King Sunny Adé - Synchro System
17 Herbie Hancock - Future Shock
18 ZZ Top - Elminator
19 Cabaret Voltaire - The Crackdown
20= Womack and Womack - Love Wars
20= Yello - Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess

By number of votes

9 votes

1 Tom Waits - Fishytrumpet

7 votes

2 Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues

6 votes

3 New Order - Power ,Corruption and Lies

5 votes

4= The The - Soul Mining
4= Cocteau Twins - Head over Heals
4= Brian Eno - Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks
4= Subhumans - The Day the Country Died

4 votes

8= The Fall - Perverted by Language
8= Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
8= Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi
8= REM - Murmur
8= ESG - Come Away with ESG
8= King Sunny Adé - Synchro System
8= Herbie Hancock - Future Shock
8= ZZ Top - Elminator

3 votes

16= Sonic Youth - Confusion is Sex
16= U2 - War
16= Mad Professor - Dub Me Crazy 3: The African Connection
16= Cabaret Voltaire - The Crackdown
16= Womack and Womack - Love Wars
16= Yello - Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess
16= Black Uhuru - Dub Factor
16= Aztec Camera - High Land Hard Rain
16= Tears for Fears - The Hurting
16= Madonna - Madonna

By number of no.1's

1 Tom Waits - pufferfishblues (4 no.1's)
2= The Fall - Perverted by Language (1 no.1)
2= REM - Murmur (1 no.1)
2=Minor Threat - Out of Step (1 no.1)
2=Black Uhuru - Dub Factor (1 no.1)
2=Brian Eno - Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks (1 no.1)
2=Rudimentary Peni - Death Church (1 no.1)
2=Mad Professor – Dub Me Crazy 3: The African Connection (1 no.1)
2=Chameleons - Script of the Bridge (1 no.1)
2=The The - Soul Mining (1 no.1)
2=Van Morrison - Inarticulate Speech of the Heart (1 no.1)
2=Eleni Vitali - Vara Mou To Defi (1 no.1)
2=ESG - Come Away With ESG (1 no.1)
2=Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi (1 no.1)
2=Sonic Youth - Confusion Is Sex (1 no.1)

And the four I've highlighted were singletons with no other votes at all sadly.


In other words Tom Waits absolutely slaughtered the rest this year.

 

[Knotted]

Other than my list I don't think there was any jazz at all on anybody's lists (Herbie Hancock - great but doesn't count). You've all gone electro/jangle rock on me.

The Fall - Perverted by Language
Călin Ioachimescu / Şerban Nichifor - Oratio II / Magic Spell / Miss Christina
Henry Threadgill Sextet - Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket
Nagy Feró és a Bikini - Hova Lett…
Mariah - Utakatta no Hibi
Annette Peacock - Been in the Streets Too Long
Sun Ra - Fireside Chat with Lucifer
Takeo Moriyama - East Plants
Anthony Davis - Variations in Dream-Time
Octavian Nemescu - Gradeatia / Natural
Albert Marcœur - Celui où y'a Joseph
Grupo Um - A flor de Plástico Incinerada
Baccamarte - Depois do fim
King Sunny Adé - Synchro System
The Ex - Tumult
Marcos Valle - Marcos Valle
Brian Eno - Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks
Tom Waits - Strawberries
Lindsay Cooper - Golddiggers
Catherine Jauniaux with Tim Hodgkinson - Fluvial
Tears for Fears - The Hurting

 

[ska invita]

Black Uhuru - Dub Factor
Subhumans - The Day The Country Died
The P-Funk All Stars - Urban Dancefloor Guerillas
Jah Shaka - Revelation Songs
Playgroup – Epic Sound Battles Chapter Two
Djeli Moussa Diawara - Djeli Moussa Diawara

Dennis Brown – Satisfaction Feeling
Love Joys - Lovers Rock Reggae Style
Mad Professor - Dub Me Crazy 3: The African Connection
King Sunny Adé – Synchro System
Fela Kuti - Perambulator

 

[Idris2002]

A respectable outcome, given how little there was to work with this year.

 

[Indeliblelink]

Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi
VA - Wild Style OST
Virginia Astley - From Gardens Where We Feel Secure
Jonzun Crew - Lost in Space
Philip Glass - The Photographer
Lime - Lime 3
Civil Attack - Civil Attack
Alan Vega - Saturn Strip
Herbie Hancock - Future Shock
Cybotron - Enter
Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
The The - Soul Mining
Zazou / Bikaye / CY1 - Noir et blanc
Yazoo - You and Me Both
Eurythmics - Touch
Wham! - Fantastic
Brian Eno with Daniel Lanois & Roger Eno - Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks
Malcolm McLaren - Duck Rock
China Crisis - Working With Fire and Steel: Possible Pop Songs Volume Two

International Music System - International Music System
New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies
The Pointer Sisters - Break Out
Kano - Another Life
Will Powers - Dancing for Mental Health
Hiroshi Yoshimura - Pier & Loft
Odion Iruoje - Down to Earth
Clara Mondshine - Memorymetropolis
Swans - Filth

 

[chilango]

1. Out of Step - Minor Threat
2. Head Over Heals - Cocteau Twins
3. Confusion is Sex - Sonic Youth
4. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
5. Power, Corruption & Lies - New Order
6. Nena - Nena
7. Yes Sir, I will - Crass
8. Murmur - REM
9. The Day the Country Died - Subhumans
10. Metal Circus - Husker Du

 

[Knotted]

Oh shit forgot Swans.

Also that Djeli Moussa Diawara album is fantastic ska invita

 

[ska invita]

Oh shit forgot Swans.

Also that Djeli Moussa Diawara album is fantastic ska invita

lots of new finds for me this year...some years its old favourites but 80s especially its found through digging - that was one
Supposedly considered one of the all time Malian kora great records - can hear why

 

[The39thStep]

My lonely No1 ☹

1. Chameleons- Script of the Bridge
2. Eno- Apollo
3. Virginia Astley - From Gardens
4. OMD= Dazzleships
5. Weekend- Live at Ronnie Scotts
6. Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
7. TheThe- Soul Mining
8. New Order -Power Corruption and Lies
9. Depeche Mode- Construction Time
10. Durutti Column - Amigos
11. ESG- Come away with ESG
12. Cocteau Twins- Head over Heels
13. Philip Glass- Koyaanisqatsi
14. Sakamoto- Merry Xmas Mr Lawrence
15. Talking Heads -Speaking in Tongues
16. Aztec Camera - High Land Hard Rain
17. B52s- Whammy
18. Womack and Womack- Love Wars
19. REM -Rumours
20. The Go-Betweens, Before Hollywood

 

[Serge Forward]

Other than my list I don't think there was any jazz at all on anybody's lists (Herbie Hancock - great but doesn't count). You've all gone electro/jangle rock on me.

The Fall - Perverted by Language
Călin Ioachimescu / Şerban Nichifor - Oratio II / Magic Spell / Miss Christina
Henry Threadgill Sextet - Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket
Nagy Feró és a Bikini - Hova Lett…
Mariah - Utakatta no Hibi
Annette Peacock - Been in the Streets Too Long
Sun Ra - Fireside Chat with Lucifer
Takeo Moriyama - East Plants
Anthony Davis - Variations in Dream-Time
Octavian Nemescu - Gradeatia / Natural
Albert Marcœur - Celui où y'a Joseph
Grupo Um - A flor de Plástico Incinerada
Baccamarte - Depois do fim
King Sunny Adé - Synchro System
The Ex - Tumult
Marcos Valle - Marcos Valle
Brian Eno - Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks
Tom Waits - Strawberries
Lindsay Cooper - Golddiggers
Catherine Jauniaux with Tim Hodgkinson - Fluvial
Tears for Fears - The Hurting

Jazz... I contributed Emily Remler's album

 

[Spandex]

I went with...

Mad Professor – Dub Me Crazy 3: The African Connection
Singers & Players - Staggering Heights
Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Cabaret Voltaire - The Crackdown
New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies
Yello - Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess
Metallica - Kill 'Em All
King Sunny Adé and His African Beats - Synchro System
Mariah - うたかたの日々
Mad Professor – Dub Me Crazy Part 4 (Escape To The Asylum Of Dub)
Subhumans – The Day The Country Died
ESG - Come Away with ESG
Dio - Holy Diver
Cocteau Twins - Head Over Heels
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
Bauhaus - Burning from the Inside
Black Uhuru – The Dub Factor
ZZ Top - Eliminator
Herbie Hancock – Future Shock
Madonna - Madonna

Thanks Knotted

 

[ska invita]

Heres an interesting tune i found the other day that ties together a couple of things....Paul Groucho Smykle was the total genius engineer who dubbed the 83 Black Uhuru album Dub Factor...he was working for Island in that era...

King Sunny Ade 82 album Ju Ju Music (did well in our poll IIRC) also came out on Island and Groucho did a dub of one of the tracks which I've seen it claimed was the first time an African record was given the proper dub treatment...and its pretty great... Sunny Ade was already pretty spacey so its a perfect fit

King Sunny Ade - Ja Funmi (Waka Version)


(Supposedly the other track on the 12 - just called Remix - also by Groucho - is done in a washington dc Go-Go style, which sounds like it'll be pretty unique, but i cant find the audio for that)

 

[Dr. Furface]

Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
REM - Murmur
New Order - PCL
Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
Womack and Womack - Love Wars
Pat Metheny - Travels
Billy Bragg - Life's A Riot
Phillip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi
Rickie Lee Jones - Girl At Her Volcano
King Sunny Ade - Synchro System
ESG - Come Away With
ZZ Top - Eliminator

 

[Serge Forward]

Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
REM - Murmur
New Order - PCL
Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
Womack and Womack - Love Wars
Pat Metheny - Travels
Billy Bragg - Life's A Riot
Phillip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi
Rickie Lee Jones - Girl At Her Volcano
King Sunny Ade - Synchro System
ESG - Come Away With
ZZ Top - Eliminator

Ooh... I forgot about Rickie Lee Jones.

 

[krtek a houby]

This was mine. I regret nothing!

10 Def Leopard . Pyromania
9 Mike Oldfield . Crises
8 Cyndi Lauper . She's So Unusual
7 Madonna . Madonna
6 Brian Eno . Apollo - Atmospheres and Soundtracks
5 U2 . War
4 The The . Soul Mining
3 The Police . Synchronicity
2 Herbie Hancock . Future Shock
1 Tom Waits . Swordfishtrombones

 

[Knotted]

lots of new finds for me this year...some years its old favourites but 80s especially its found through digging - that was one
Supposedly considered one of the all time Malian kora great records - can hear why

There's a lot of interesting jazz from this time that's not much talked about.

 

[Knotted]

Jazz... I contributed Emily Remler's album

And there's a Pat Methley vote as well.

 

[AverageJoe]

Ah man. I've been so tied up recently that I missed this.

Obvs Slayer would have been #1 and '' Tallica #2.

But my number three seems to have got no votes at all.

Randy Newman - Lonely At The Top. It's the one with "I Love LA" on it.

 

[Fez909]

My list - didn't get a like so not sure it counted Knotted?

ESG - Come Away With ESG
Aretha Franklin - Get It Right
Rah Band - Going Up
Livy Ekemezie - Friday Night
Roy Ayers - Silver Vibrations
Marcos Valle - Marcos Valle
Letta Mbulu - In the Music The Village Never Ends
Cybotron - Enter
Yello - You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess
William Onyeabor - Good Name
Sexual Harrassment - I Need a Freak
Freeez - Gonna Get You
Imagination - Night Dubbing
NYC Peech Boys - Life Is Something Special
Kano - Another Life

 

[Dr. Furface]

And there's a Pat Methley vote as well.

Pat Metheny too!

 

[Indeliblelink]

Interesting to see that Pulp had an album out in 1983, didn't realise they went that far back, it's not very good though. There's also an Underworld album under their previous, more synth pop sounding, guise as Freur.

 

[Serge Forward]

My list:

1. Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombone
2. Dionysis Savvopoulos - Trapezakia Exo
3. Christy Moore - The Time Has Come
4. John McGlaughlin, Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucia - Passion, Grace and Fire
5. Emily Remler - Transitions
6. P-Funk All Stars - Urban Dancefloor Guerillas
7. Fela Kuti - Perambulator
8. Aretha Franklin - Get it Right
9. Dick Gaughan - A different kind of love song
10. Livy Ekemezie - Friday Night
11. Abdullah Ibrahim - Ekaya (Home)
12. Elvis Costello - Punch the Clock
13. David Bowie - Let's Dance
14. Herbie Hancock - Future Shock

 

[Knotted]

My list - didn't get a like so not sure it counted Knotted?

ESG - Come Away With ESG
Aretha Franklin - Get It Right
Rah Band - Going Up
Livy Ekemezie - Friday Night
Roy Ayers - Silver Vibrations
Marcos Valle - Marcos Valle
Letta Mbulu - In the Music The Village Never Ends
Cybotron - Enter
Yello - You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess
William Onyeabor - Good Name
Sexual Harrassment - I Need a Freak
Freeez - Gonna Get You
Imagination - Night Dubbing
NYC Peech Boys - Life Is Something Special
Kano - Another Life

It was included.

 

[hitmouse]

WOT NO PENI? Bunch of philistines. My list was:

Rudimentary Peni - Death Church
Violent Femmes - S/T
DRI - Dirty Rotten LP
Misfits - Earth AD
Sonic Youth - Confusion is Sex
Marine Girls - Lazy Ways
Subhumans - The Day The Country Died
The Fall - Perverted by Language
Proletariat - Soma Holiday
Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
Cocteau Twins - Head Over Heels
Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
Crucifix - Dehumanization
Subhumans - From the Cradle to the Grave
Conflict - It’s Time to See Who’s Who Now
Heaven 17 - The Luxury Gap
Flux of Pink Indians - The Fucking Cunts Treat Us Like Pricks

Had completely forgotten about Out of Step, other than that I suppose my list is fairly in line with the official urban 83 canon except for how you all absent-mindedly forgot to vote fro Death Church. Just seen that I think Knotted may have disqualified Cradle to Grave on release date grounds.

 

[hitmouse]

I don't know. First side is better than Hex, second side is worse than Hex IMO.

I think I would list my ten favourite Fall albums in this order:

Dragnet
Slates
Perverted By Language
Room to Live
Hex Enduction Hour
Live at the Witch Trials
Bend Sinister
Totale's Turns
Grotesque: After the Gramme
This Nation's Saving Grace

Speaking of disqualifications, forgot to reply to this at the time, but isn't Slates an EP?

 

[ska invita]

am getting anarcho punk in my youtube feed now...
this is good from 1983


"The words legendary, seminal, and classic get thrown around at will these days, but Rudimentary Peni’s debut album is all of them. Recorded over two days at Southern Studios by John Loder and originally released in 1983 by Crass off-shoot label Corpus Christi, Death Church showed a band moving away from the urgency of their two early 7”s and into their own realm. Creating a template that bands have been trying to replicate ever since, while ticking all the boxes to become a genre-defining album. Iconic artwork, a unique sound and their own lyrical universe. All merging seamlessly.

Sonically the album is full of Nick Blinko’s extraordinary vocals and equally remarkable guitar, Grant Matthews’ big meandering driving basslines and Jon Greville's tight and relentless drum work which together made something intricate and hard hitting, with a sequence that makes the 21 songs on the album flow perfectly. Visually, the album is every outsider art lover’s wet dream. A six-panel poster sleeve with every inch covered in Nick Blinko’s claustrophobic black and white line drawings, while lyrically the songs deal with madness, religion, death, and questioning humankind from a dark poetic place rarely found in any art form."

 

[hitmouse]

am getting anarcho punk in my youtube feed now...
this is good from 1983


"The words legendary, seminal, and classic get thrown around at will these days, but Rudimentary Peni’s debut album is all of them. Recorded over two days at Southern Studios by John Loder and originally released in 1983 by Crass off-shoot label Corpus Christi, Death Church showed a band moving away from the urgency of their two early 7”s and into their own realm. Creating a template that bands have been trying to replicate ever since, while ticking all the boxes to become a genre-defining album. Iconic artwork, a unique sound and their own lyrical universe. All merging seamlessly.

Sonically the album is full of Nick Blinko’s extraordinary vocals and equally remarkable guitar, Grant Matthews’ big meandering driving basslines and Jon Greville's tight and relentless drum work which together made something intricate and hard hitting, with a sequence that makes the 21 songs on the album flow perfectly. Visually, the album is every outsider art lover’s wet dream. A six-panel poster sleeve with every inch covered in Nick Blinko’s claustrophobic black and white line drawings, while lyrically the songs deal with madness, religion, death, and questioning humankind from a dark poetic place rarely found in any art form."

Think that was my lonely number 1! eta: yes it was, see a few posts above.

 

[OxfordPop]

Not yet put a list together for 1983, but just wanted to say that yesterday was the fortieth anniversary of the release of Working With Fire and Steel by China Crisis, first released on 31st October 1983...