I see a lot of love for the music of the 1960s and 1970s. You can’t swing a cat around here without hitting a picture of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, or The Beatles. And the more recent decades are also fairly well represented too. What’s missing is the 1980’s! This troubles me because I’m an old coot who was alive during the great 1980’s and experienced these bands first hand. This was the decade when I became a music junkie (while going to college in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and buying tons of used vinyl at Wazoo records). So, to fix the problem, I’ve gone back into my music laboratory and cooked up one helluva mixed tape.
This two-volume mix focuses on guitar-oriented rock bands that emerged during the 1980’s. I’m leaving off some great music from 1970’s artists that continued on into the next decade (i.e., Tom Waits). I also didn’t get into all of the great old school rap that came out in the 1980’s, which really was the most important innovation of the decade. And, of course, I skipped U2 altogether. What’s left is jangle pop, paisley underground, college rock, cow punk, and a whole lot of fun!
Give it a listen. Hopefully you’ll agree with me that a lot of great music came out between London Calling and Nevermind.
Hold My Life: Passing the Time Between Punk and Grunge, Vol. I (1980-1985)
01. The Replacements – Hold My Life
02. Pylon – Feast On My Heart
03. The Clean – Tally Ho
04. The Gun Club – Sex Beat
05. The Dream Syndicate – Tell Me When It’s Over
06. The Fleshtones – I’ve Gotta Change My Life
07. The Bongos – In The Congo
08. Rank and File – Amanda Ruth
09. X – The Have Nots
10. The Violent Femmes – Add It Up
11. R.E.M. – Shaking Through
12. Let’s Active – Every Word Means No
13. The Plimsouls – A Million Miles Away
14. The Hoodoo Gurus – Dig It Up
15. Guadalcanal Diary – Pillow Talk
16. The dB’s – Amplifier
17. The Smiths – Girl Afraid
18. The Meat Puppets – Plateau
19. The Minutemen - #1 Hit Song
20. The Long Ryders – I Had A Dream
21. Los Lobos – Will The Wolf Survive?(Click image to download Volume I)
Go HERE for Volume II
