Urban75 Album of the Year 1984

[Knotted]

19 - Ricky Lee Jones - Magazine



Someone I'm completely unaware of. Singer songwriter who at first listen sounds very singer songwritery.

 

[Knotted]

All very, very close this year except no.1 btw.

 

[Knotted]

18 - Scraping the Foetus off the Wheel - Hole



Jim Thirlwell's first really good one and pretty much defining industrial going forward.

 

[Knotted]

17 - The Cure - The Top



Rubbish or strangely inspired? Sort of both. Sort of neither. I don't know how to assess it. It made the top 20 anyway.

 

[Knotted]

16 - Nick Cave and the Badseeds - From Her to Eternity



I guess this is the first he did after the Birthday Party. Imagine if Jim Morrison had a solo album with his own band after leaving The Doors and channelled William Shatner's dramatic acting music and also imagine if it turned out to be not completely dreadful.

 

[Knotted]

15 - The Fall - The Wonderful and Fightening World of...



I hate this album. Not because it's bad but because they released this piffle after Perverted By Language. Like an entire album of the Voxish grind.

 

[Knotted]

14 - Prefab Sprout - Swoon



Prefab Sprout? Well I've heard people say "Prefab Sprout" throughout my life, no idea what they sound like though. Probably some sort of alt pop thing. Listening to it now they're very alt in their pop indeed. Thanks I hate it.

 

[Knotted]

13 - Jah Shaka Meets Mad Professor At Ariwa Studios



Can you imagine Jah Shaka and Mad Professor meeting at Ariwa Studios and saying, "well lets NOT do some spacey space dub reggae, lets just have a nice cup of tea."? Can you? No you can't. And that's what happened, the spacey spacey dub reggae that is. And yes it's spacier than most anything.

 

[Knotted]

12 - Metallica - Ride the Lightening



This won me over with its thrashy decisiveness. Probably mind blowing if you were into that sort of thing at the time.

 

[Knotted]

11 - Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain



Sort of been on my to listen to list for 3 decades. OK really interesting/unique textures.

Edit: This is goes kinda Jim Morrisonny as well!

 

[Knotted]

The rest tomorrow. I would never have guessed at most of the top 10 or the no.1 in particular. So you have that to look forward to.

 

[The39thStep]

19 - Ricky Lee Jones - Magazine

View attachment 441338

Someone I'm completely unaware of. Singer songwriter who at first listen sounds very singer songwritery.

Album before is a belter

 

[Knotted]

=35 Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA



Mentioned just because me old mam was dancing in the kitchen to it last Sunday. Arthritis and all. Probably the only album of that year I knew in that year. She used to play it constantly.

 

[DaveCinzano]

The rest tomorrow. I would never have guessed at most of the top 10 or the no.1 in particular.

Okay own up who mickeyed The Knottmeister with a fat dose of liquid clickbait?

 

[hitmouse]

The rest tomorrow. I would never have guessed at most of the top 10 or the no.1 in particular. So you have that to look forward to.

Congratulations to GISM on their sweeping victory!

 

[AverageJoe]

I'm still holding on for Dio - Last In Line to be number 1.

But bearing in mind only 2 of my 20 have featured so far...

 

[Knotted]

10 - Harold Budd/Brian Eno - The Pearl



Well this balances out the list nicely. This would scream AMBIENT at the top of its lungs if it could. But it can't because it's ambient.

 

[Knotted]

9 - Iron Maiden - Powerslave



You think it's a classic metal album but then Rime of the Ancient Mariner does this massive swerve into prog rock. Yes that's what this is progity, progity prog rock. And what's more I like it.

 

[Knotted]

8 - Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade



Well this is lovely. But why did you vote for this over From the Cradle to the Grave?? Hardcore punk rockers vote in mysterious ways.

 

[AverageJoe]

Still hanging out for Dio for number 1. Or Howard Jones or Nik Kershaw.


Or the Thomson Twins.

 

[Knotted]

7 - Julian Cope - Fried



Well belboid will be please with this placing. Highest ever for Julian Cope? It's like one big stream of thefts from things that I like but can't quite place. How annoying!!

 

[Knotted]

6 - This Mortal Coil - It'll End in Tears



Well I was under the impression This Mortal Coil were a hardcore punk band, so that was a surprise. Like being encased in a lovely emersion tank of goth tears. Simultaneously truly amazing and deathly boring. Where's the dopamine at?

 

[Knotted]

5 - The Pogues - Red Roses for Me



I'm aware of The Pogues of course but I've never sat down to listen to an entire album before. This is definitely folk with a drop of punk not punk with drop of folk. Yep I like what you're doing. It sounds like a live show, a real proper knees up. Yep I like what you're doing. Very belated Pogues fan here.

 

[Knotted]

4 - Prince - Purple Rain



I can't get into this for what its worth but lots of people love it. Including even some of you.

 

[Knotted]

Guess at the top three. Have fun. There's about 50 albums with respectable votes this year, could be any three of them.

 

[maomao]

Both Smiths albums and Banarama.

 

[Knotted]

3 - Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense



Live albums rarely make the top three so Talking Heads are really slaying it here.

 

[hitmouse]

Cocteau Twins have got to be up there? Especially if TMC did that well.

 

[Knotted]

2 - Manuel Göttsching - E2-E4



This is the album for people who know and if you know you know. The rest of you should know.

 

[hitmouse]

Lloyd Cole's either done really well or really badly?