Okay, people. Here we go again. Or should that be "Here I go again"? (To quote David Coverdale.) I finally got this chart pared down to 25 songs. It was almost another Top 30 list. I'm not ready to do that much writing.

So, pull up a chair, grab a drink and something to snack on. Here are my Top 25 Songs of 1980:

1. "Turning Japanese" - The Vapors

Because they wore skinny ties, these One-Hit Wonders were considered New Wave. This song rocks more than the average New Wave tune did. A pulsating bassline, sharp, clear guitars (look Ma! No synthesizers!) form the foundation for this killer cut. The guitar solo is great. Every time I listen to this song and gets to that point, I keep wanting to yell, "Banzai!" And I don't care how much the band wanted to protest it, this song is about masturbation. What else is this guy doing with those pictures?

2. "Clones (We're All)" - Alice Cooper

The first of the Seventies standard bearers on this list to go New Wave. Coop was better when he was trying to be Bread, but this little number from Flush the Fashion was top notch, nonetheless. Musically, Vincent Furnier gets the robotic sounds of New Wave down perfectly. But his vocals contain a passion that's rare for the genre. The lyrics remind me of the old Sixties TV series, The Prisoner. ("Six is having problems/Adjusting to his cloned status/Have to put him on a shelf/All day long we hear him crying so loud/'I just wanna be myself/Be myself/Be myself/Be myself.'") Before the middle of the decade, Coop would return to the heavy metal he was most famous for. Til then, this was the best song Alice Cooper fans were going to get from him.

3. "Ashes to Ashes" - David Bowie

And now Ziggy Stardust tries his hand at New Wave. This song is pretty much the sequel to "Space Oddity". In it we learn the awful truth about Major Tom: he's a junkie. Does that mean that "Space Oddity" was about herion addiction? The synth and bass of this song work in perfect collaboration on this one. The lyrics are bit dense, but who cares? This was the first great song of the decade The Thin White Duke would record.

4. "Cars" - Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army

This is real New Wave. The song is all synthesizers, and that probably include Numan's vocals. Still, this is a very, very catchy song about paranoia. The fade out with the synths atmospherically recreating the sounds of traffic on the highway and those slashing thunderbooms from the drum synthesizer help provide the hook for this cut.

5. "Funky Town" - Lipps, Inc.

Covered by Pseudo Echo a few years later, this was Disco's last stand and last great song. Calling the lyrics simple and minimalistic is being a little too charitable. But then, this is a disco song and lyrics were never that important to a dance tune.

6. "Misunderstanding" - Genesis

All Genesis fans will want to kill me when I say this is, IMHO, the best thing Phil Collins and the band ever recorded. I know it's heresy, but hey! As I've already proven, I'm a Philestine when it comes to these things. But the bouncy, back and forth bass of this song about being stood up is what wins me over. Over the course of the next several years Genesis (and Phil Collins) would step increasingly closer to a being another annoying pop band. This was the start of it all. But the rot hadn't set in yet.

7. "Hell Is For Children" - Pat Benatar

From her second album, Crimes of Passion, this song decrying child abuse is Benatar at her hardest. Pat, who was trained for a career as an Opera singer, doesn't just sing the words of "Hell", she spits them out with a frightening fury. Her anger is palpable. Neil "Spider" Geraldo, Pat's husband, lays out some biting guitar licks. This is easily one of Pat's best efforts.

8. "Holiday" - Nazareth

When I saw Nazareth a few years back, this was the highlight of the show for me. I was pogoing madly in the audience, screaming the lyrics at the top of my voice. This is far and away my favorite song by this Scottish band. In the year of New Wave, this was a defiantly heavy song. Power chords abound throughout the song. Forget "Love Hurts" and "Hair of the Dog", far as I'm concerned, for Nazareth, this song was da bomb!

9. "Hungry Boys" - Blue Öyster Cult

B.Ö.C.'s best song about drugs and the most blatant. Albert Bouchard, who I believe sings lead on this one, uses some synth drumming on it, but that doesn't hurt the song none. Buck lays down some stuttering guitar licks and has a decent solo (not one of his best, though). The song is kinda punky, but in a catchy way.

10. "Into the Night" - Benny Mardones

Sigh. Okay, for the third time, I'm listing a song that deals with the subject of jailbait. What is wrong with me? Of course, at the time the song came out, I was only 17 years old...So maybe I can be excused. Sparkling piano and operatic vocals are the highlights of this tune.

11. "A Day Without Me" - U2

From their debut album, Boy, this song is about the suicide of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. (Joy Division would regroup and call themselves New Order shortly after.) The Edge throws his chords out, like bullets from a gun. Bono turns in some rather haunted vocals. No, the U2 sound wasn't quite there. But this is a promising beginning for the band from Dublin.

12. "Ah! Leah!" - Donnie Iris

Iris was the lead singer for the Jaggerz ("The Rapper") and later toured with Wild Cherry ("Play That Funky Music"). This was his first solo hit. And it's a monster. Hard, slashing guitars, burping bass. It's a great one to listen to over the headphones, too. Iris would have a few more hits after this ("Love Is Like a Rock" and "My Girl"), but none were as good and well crafted as this one.

13. "Games Without Frontiers" - Peter Gabriel

Maybe this isn't the best cut off his third self-titled solo album. (Three albums called Peter Gabriel!?! Now that's egotism!) But it's still a powerful tune. The song, inspired by a British game show, has some lyrics that are almost always misheard. I thought Gabriel was singing "She's so popular." According to one source I know, some have thought it was "She's so f... me now." What he really sings is, "Jeux sans frontieres."

14. "White Powder, White Lady" - Elton John

Elton's most blatant song about drugs. The arrangement is simple: guitars, drums and Elton's sprightly piano. Yet, the lyrics, metaphorically comparing love with addiction, are somewhat darker than what was normal for Reg. Blame it on Elton's new collaborator, Gary Osbourne.

15. "Suzy and Jeffrey" - Blondie

For years this was only available as the B-side to the hit, "The Tide Is High". It can now be found on a couple of compilations. At a time when Debbie Harry and the boys were flirting with rap and reggae, it's nice to hear them pull off this straight forward pop song.

16. "Refugee" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Uh, was Petty trying to create Southern Metal with this song? Benmont Tench's keyboards and Mike Campbell's guitar work in tandem to shove this song through the speakers. More than "Breakdown" or "American Girl" before it, this song announced TP and his band's presence to the music world at large.

17. "Watching the Wheels" - John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Nope, sorry. I'm not listing "(Just Like) Starting Over" or "Woman". They're great songs, don't get me wrong. But this gentle, meditative song on Lennon's desire to escape his Celebrity was, for me, the best song off John's comeback album, Double Fantasy. But more importantly, the night I heard Lennon had died, I had just finished watching an episode of M*A*S*H ("Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?"). I was getting ready to take a shower and had just turned on my radio. The dj said, "This just in, in case you haven't heard it: Former Beatle, John Lennon was shot and killed outside his Dakota apartment a few hours ago." The dj then began to play a block of Lennon songs. Among them was "Watching the Wheels". The line "I just had to let it go" made me think Lennon was talking about his life. I cried. I still think of that whenever I hear that line, too.

18. "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' to Glide" - the Kings

Like Queen's "We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You", it's not only hard, it's almost impossible to listen to these two cuts independently of one from the other. They just don't work that well separately. Great crunching guitars. This is one of the great party songs of the decade. And I love "Switchin' to Glide"'s opening couplet: "Nothing matters but the weekend/From a Tuesday point of view."

19. "Girls Talk" - Linda Rondstadt

Linda has made a career out of covering other people's material. This time, she went New Wave. (She's the third Seventies artist on my list to attempt the style.) Written and recorded by Elvis Costello ("The Other Elvis", as I call him), this song was also covered by Dave Edmunds. But Linda switched the gender of some of the lyrics and did a mighty fine job of it.

20. "Sartorial Eloquence (Don't You Wanna Play)" - Elton John

Biting and an even simpler arrangement than what "White Powder, White Lady" had. The song is kind of a throwback to "Someone Saved My Life". Just not as catchy. Still, it has a nice flow to it.

21. "Fire Lake" - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band

Could've listed "Against the Wind" or "Her Strut", but I like this one better. The song has a great, gentle countryesque feel to it. ("Countryesque"?!) Seger's vocals are very authoritive and powerful. A wonderful country rock song.

22. "Unknown Tongue" - Blue Öyster Cult

A spooky tune by the Öyster boys about sexual awakening, Catholism and vampirism. What a mix! This is definitely one of the songs on which it sounds like lead singer Eric Bloom is reading cue cards. Not that it matters. That dispassionate reading helps fuel the nightmarish quality of the final cut on Cultosaurus Erectus. Eric's frantic "Reveal to me" at the end of the tune just adds to the song's effectiveness.

23. "Police On My Back" - the Clash

I know. The Sandanista! l.p. is a train wreck of an album. But hey, I like it! This is my favorite cut off the triple record set. (Double disc, these days. My how times have changed.) The music and singing are appropriately frantic. And that countdown, "I've been running/Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday" is excellent. Not the Clash's best song, but it's not their best l.p. either.

24. "Him" - Rupert Holmes

This almost makes me forgive Rupert for foisting that gawdawful "Pina Colada" song on the public. It has a great driving bass line and Rupert singing is much better than on "Escape". All is not forgiven, though. Holmes would falter again on his next hit, "Answering Machine".

25. "Good Morning Girl/Stay Awhile" - Journey

"Anyway You Want It" and "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" were the big hits from Departure, but these two songs that close out the album - and must be heard together to be truly effective - are by far superior to those other two tracks. Quiet, almost pastoral in tone, the two cuts features some of Steve Perry's best vocals. Absolutely lovely.

np - Decade - Neil Young

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Wow! I was amazed at how many songs on Benn's list I've never even heard of! In fact, I can only say with certainty that I have heard 11 of the songs on this list. I can't wait to see Todd's 1980 list to see if there are similar results. It's no coincidence that 1979/80 is when my alcoholism began to take over my life, and consequently I began listening mostly to heavy metal music. Anything new that wasn't HM or by an established artist did not register with me.

Anyway, here are a few 1980 songs that come to mind for me:

Back in Black - AC/DC
Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
Heaven and Hell - Black Sabbath
Rough Boys - Pete Townsend
Spirit of Radio - Rush
Last of the New Wave Riders - Utopia
Dragon Attack - Queen

I'm not sure Todd's going to be participating in this. I don't think he's said he was. I kinda hope so. I'm interested in seeing his list.

As for not knowing many of my choices, I suspect it'll get worse. I've got a stack of CDs I'm going to be pouring over to find cuts, as well as a website I've been using as a guide for all these lists.

Of your choices, Caz, I did consider "Rough Boys" and some AC/DC songs. Namely "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" or "Have a Drink On Me". Unfortunately, none of them made the cut.

np - Decade - Neil Young

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Benn- I can't match your dedication on the topic, though I can offer up a supplemental list of my personal faves. I'll provide links for the Important Songs_TM that you may have glossed over, or to turn you on to something you may have missed.

Crosseyed and Painless- Talking Heads
I Wanna Destroy You- Soft Boys
Double Dare- Bauhaus
Rock and Roll High School- Ramones
Sister Europe- Psychedelic Furs
Marie Marie- Blasters
Strychnine- The Cramps
Respectable Street- XTC
Me and the Boys- NRBQ

I used to own the album, Remain In Light. I only have three Talking Heads albums right now. I want the others. I did consider listing "Once In a Lifetime", though. I do regret that I did not give "Life During Wartime" a ranking for 1979. I may need to look that list again and see if I can squeeze "This ain't no party/This ain't no disco" in.

Of the remaining songs, I didn't realize that the Ramones' "Rock and Roll High School" was from 1980. It's a good song, but it isn't, however, one of my favorites by them.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Some comments on Benn's number two, Alice Cooper's "(We're All) Clones".

Cooper's Flush The Fashion album, a semi-satarical take on the punk/new wave movement, is actually one of his most clever and bitingly ironic from a lyrical standpoint. In "Clones", he may been making a statement on punk itself, which for all of its lip service to individuality and rebellion was actually one of the most fascistly conformist movements in pop culture history.

Yeah, I'll probably be posting my own lists for 1980 and for whatever other years you guys want to continue with. I did give birth to this monster after all, so I feel obligated to follow it through to the end. Maybe top five albums and top ten songs from each year. My comments, if any, will however be brief, since I'm getting tired of writing these great treatises on all these individual songs But if I have any special comments or explanations to give, I'll offer them. I'll have to do some research first.

"Let My Love Open The Door" - Pete Townshend
With the mention of "Rough Boys", I can't believe that this one was overlooked.

"Don't Give It Up Now" - The Lyres
15 years after the Garage band explosion, 20 years before it's current revival, this is one out of time song. It still rocks, though.

"Whip It" - Devo
Come on, guys!

I briefly considered Towser's "Let My Love Open the Door", but I much prefer "Rough Boys"

"'Whip It' - Devo
Come on, guys!" - Blitz

If I'd've gone with a Top 40 list, it would have been on it. It's one of four songs that narrowly missed being listed. The other three were "Too Hot" by Kool and the Gang, "Love in Love" by Air(head) Supply and "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. Not necessarily in that order. And for quite awhile there, "Too Hot" was in the Top 30. Hm. Come to think of it, the fifth one (completely the Top 40) would have been Tommy James' "Three Times In Love". There really was a huge master list for 1980. Surprisingly bigger than '79's I think.

np - Back In Black - AC/DC

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Of the remaining songs, I didn't realize that the Ramones' "Rock and Roll High School" was from 1980. It's a good song, but it isn't, however, one of my favorites by them.

You may be right, Benn. I always associate it with End of the Century, though the soundtrack (which I don't have) may have come out the year before. I always appreciated their bubblegum side, I guess (fun, fun...)

I just checked the Ramones in doing research for 1981. End of the Century, the l.p. from which "Rock and Roll High School" originated, was released in January of 1980. However, the soundtrack to the movie, Rock and Roll High School was released in '81. I suppose, if I was of a mind to, I could list the song in 1981. But my list of songs is already pretty massive as is. And that's just going through my CD and tape collections.

And yeah, I do like their bubblegum side, too. It's just that I prefer songs like "Pinhead", "Blitzhead Bop", "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "Beat On the Brat".

np - Cultosaurus Erectus - Blue Öyster Cult

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Okay, I managed to come up with fifteen songs from 1980. I have to warn everyone that from here on in my picks are going to be pretty dinasour-oriented. And more homogenous (i.e. more songs from the same album), as the pickings grow slimmer for me.

1. "Independence Day", BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - One of the Boss's best numbers about his releationship with his father and his home town. The River was easily the best album of 1980.

2. "Freewill", RUSH - Perhaps Rush's hardest-rocking track ever points out the follies of organized religion yet also reminds agnostics that they also have made their choice.

3. "She's So Cold", THE ROLLING STONES - Neat little rocker with some funny lyrical moments.

4. "Metal Gods", JUDAS PRIEST
I probably should have been expected to pick "Living After Midnight", an indisputable classic metal anthem and Priest signature song. But I happen to think this song is way cooler.

5. "You're Alone", NEKTAR
Emotionally stunning power ballad with a moving vocal performance by Roye Albrighton. Lyrics about what it really feels like to be sixteen and home alone on a Saturday night while everyone else is out having fun. From the Man In The Moon Album, where the band traded in their Pink Floyd-esque art rock sound for a Journey-esque FM-pop sound, but as Journey FM-pop albums go, this one is great.

6. "You Shook Me All Night Long", AC/DC
Has anybody ever been to a dance where this WASN'T played? Maybe getting close to "Stairway To Heaven", in terms of overkill.

7. "Indian Girl", THE ROLLING STONES
A really nice Stones ballad, reminiscent in pace of "Angie", with politically relevant lyrics.

8. "Cadilac Ranch", BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
One of Bruce's greatest stompers.

9. "Heaven And Hell", BLACK SABBATH
The riff should have become as popular as "Smoke On The Water".

10. "Black Blade", BLUE OYSTER CULT
Elric, the doomed albino warrior king of Michael Moorcock's classic fanstasy epic, comes to vinyl in this hard-rock. Actually I think Erectus might be the scariest of all BOC albums. There is an air of positive MENACE behind nearly all the songs, and Eric Bloom has never sounded so intimidating. BTW, how come no one has ever tried to make an Elric movie? Now that would kick the Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter's butt!

11. "Won't Have To Wait Too Long", URIAH HEEP
Like the entire Conquest album, VERY atypical, almost glam-pop, sound for this band. But this number's got a really good groove which is highly danceable, and very cool lyrics.

12. "Indian Summer", LUCIFER'S FRIEND
From the only Lucifer's Friend album I own, and its not even a Lawton album! The song just rocks, fantastically.

13. "Living After Midnight", JUDAS PRIEST
Okay, since I snubbed it before, I'll put it here.

14. "Man In The Moon", NEKTAR
The onimous, Blue-Oyster-Cult-esque title-track finale from MITM. This was just awesome when I saw them perform it live last year.

15. "Someday Soon", JOURNEY
Journey begins to develop the atmospheric sound that will catapult them to fame in the decade. This one kind of gets into your head.

"Centerfield", JOHN FOGARTY.

If you haven't figured out why this one's on my list, you obviously haven't read many of my (non-nitpicking) postings!

Fogarty manages to bring out the sheer joy of the game in this song.

Amen, Scott.

More that I remembered:

"When Doves Cry": Prince
"1999": Prince
"Eyes Without A Face": Billy Idol
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go": Wham!
"Heart of Rock & Roll": Huey Lewis & the News
"This Is It": Huey Lewis & the News
"True Colors": Cyndi Lauper
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun": Cyndi Lauper
"She-Bop": Cyndi Lauper

(Please bear in mind, I listing my faves at random, not by the year or decade in which they came out)

Pure bubble gum and a guilty pleasure: "We Got the Beat", THE GO-GOS

Forgot one: "Every Breath You Take": Sting

(Maybe more later. Accessing brain file # 15....)

Um, That was a Police song.

Benn: "Ah, Leah" is one of my favorites; just a good rock tune that still had the late 1970's feel to it (A lot of my favorite rock is from the late 70's & early 80's). And who, at some point in their lives, doesn't live out the line "Our minds said 'no,' but our hearts were talking faster."?

John: I'd mercifully forgotten that bippy Wham! tune. The best use I'd seen of it was in a 3rd Rock from the Sun episode, where the female alien takes that cd and breaks it in half.
On the other hand, I think Cyndi Lauper is actually underrated; her early hits are not indicative of her range.

Oh Yeah..."The Police",D'oh! on me!

Hmmmm- I can actually participate now.

The following are songs that influenced me growing up. i realise that they may not be as "artsy" or "mature" as some mentioned here, but remember in 1980 I was all of 6....

"Land Of Make Believe" Bucks Fizz
In my opinion, much better than their Eurovision winning "Making Your Mind Up". It truly captures the imagination.

"Glory Of Love" Peter Cetera
Oh MAN did I play this song to death when it came out. "Karate Kid II" was an ordinary film, but this song was brilliant, actually still is a pretty good song

"Shout" Tears For fears
The full length version of this song is phenomenal. It just goes on and on and on and on... but that chorus just stays in your head for ages.

"All You Zombies" The Hooters
This was late 80's stuff, but it impressed me because kids who normally couldn't care less about bible stories started taking an interest after this song burst on the airwaves.

"The Heat Is On" Glenn Frey
Hmmm...sensing a pattern here...washed up 70's icons have one hit linked to a movie.. and BTW, don't ask what a 10YO was doing watching "Beverly Hills Cop"

"Crazy" Icehouse
Their "Man Of Colours" album is an Australian classic as it contains the massive hit "Electric Blue". But for me it's the opening track (and second single) that set the standard. If you can track this album down, buy it. You won't be disappointed. Americans might get more of a thrill from a mid 90's album called "Berlin" where they cover a lot of classic American songs (everything from Sinatra through to XTC).

"Crazy Crazy Nights" Kiss
Who said Kiss never wrote good stuff in the 80's?? This song was a big hit for the band down here, and makes their unexplained absence even more puzzling once touring for that album had started. I actually think Kiss wrote some good stuff in the 80's once the makeoff went off, granted they didn't do another "Destroyer" or "Love Gun", but they did some good singles.

I'm sure there are more, and I will post when I have a few more.

Before I go I have to make mention of some highly influential albums on me-
"Time" ELO.
To this day I still believe this album to be one of the finest albums I have ever heard. I never get tired of listening to it, the songs are brilliant, the production is outstanding.

"The Works" and "A Kind Of Magic" Queen
Their finest albums- period. Yes the seventies had "Bohemian Rhapsody" but these two albums showcased 4 artists at their very peak as songwriters and performers.

"Thriller" Michael Jackson
Aaaah yes, back when he was black.... I actually still like this album a lot. I am with a lot of people who believe Jackson never quite matched his creative output since, but this album truly settled him as a master songwriter of the time.

I'm sure I'll think of some more later as well.

Here we go with the Class of 1981's Top 25 songs:

1. "Burnin' For You" - Blue Öyster Cult

The first verse -

"Home in the valley,
Home in the city,
Home isn't pretty,
Ain't no home to me.
Home in the darkness,
Home on the highway,
Home isn't my way,
Home I never be"

seems to be based on a song mentioned in Chapter 2, Part 4 of Jack Kerouac's novel, On the Road:

"Home in Missoula,
Home in Truckee,
Home in Opelousas,
Ain't no home to me.
Home in old Medora,
Home in Wounded Knee,
Home in Ogallala,
Home I'll never be."

Not that it matters, Buck Dharma, who wrote and sings lead on the song, has admitted the lyrics are meaningless. Still, increasingly, I find myself thinking of this tune, the third of B.Ö.C.'s "Big Three" hits, as the best thing they ever recorded. It's powerful. Buck plays not only some of his finest guitar work in the B.Ö.C. catalogue, but it contains one of his best solos. It may not be my favorite B.Ö.C. song, but I'm starting to think it's their best. I really am.

2. "Edge of Seventeen" - Stevie Nicks

The best song of Stephanie Nicks' solo career. It features some truly enticing guitar playing by session guitar player, Waddie Wachtel. Waddie's one of those musicians who never gets the credit he deserves. Which is a d4mn shame. Songs like this are a showcase for his fretwork. And let's not forget how Stevie's voice - and the voices of her backup singers: Lori Perry and Sharon Celani - wrap around the almost elegantly poetic lyrics of the song. Superb and nothing less.

3. "Tempted" - Squeeze

Allegedly Squeeze was New Wave. But on the album from which this classic hails, they had one helluva Beatles mojo working. The lyrics are wonderfully clever and articulate. A bass guitar backs the keyboards that washes throughout this pop tune. One of the most unforgettable tunes of the Eighties.

4. "Nicole" - Point Blank

A fantastic Southern Rock song by a band from Dallas, Texas. The lead guitar and bass guitar blend into one to drive this one home. It also has another solo I love to listen to. It's such a shame this song is no longer commercially available. So many great songs are lost any more, it seems. This is one of them.

5. "The Break Up Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" - the Greg Kihn Band

Greg Kihn was more famous for his hit "Jeopardy" . Yeah, well, this little throwback to the Seventies (already?!) is better. Jangling guitars, pulsating drumming are the hallmarks of this bar rocker. A guy's in a bar thinking about the girl he just broke up with and regrets that no one writes any more great break up songs. This one does just fine.

6. "Magic Power" - Triumph

This was voted my High School class song in '82. Wistful, gentle, it works itself up into a bit of a frenzy as it celebrates the power of youth and the power of music to get you through the day. Here! Here!

7. "Seven Year Ache" - Rosanne Cash

Johnny Cash's daughter was married to country star, Rodney Crowell when she wrote this song. He was a bit on the unfaithful side - to put it mildly. This song is in response to his infidelity. The music seems to be doing the two-step as it leads to a killer lap steel guitar solo. It's easily one of the two truly great country songs of the last 25 years that I've heard.

8. "Sausalito Summernite" - Diesel

So, these friends decide to drive to San Francisco, instead of flying. They use a Rambler for the trip. Their thinking is they'll save money this way. How wrong they were. This song, about that road trip, is quite sardonic and pretty funny, actually. I much prefer the 45 version to the full length album version, believe it or not. At any rate, this was one fine song. Great guitars abound in it.

9. "Vengeance (The Pact)" - Blue Öyster Cult

The song was written for the film, Heavy Metal. Specifically, the Taarna segment (the albino woman with the pteradactyl). It, along with a couple of songs that were submitted for the movie, was rejected for the tune, "Veterans of the Psychic Wars", co-written by Michael Moorcock. Not that it matters. "Vengeance" found a welcome spot as the opening cut on side 1 of Fire of Unknown Origin. Bassist, Joe Bouchard, who co-wrote the song with his brother, B.Ö.C. drummer, Albert Bouchard, is the lead singer of this song. The song is appropriately epic in tone and feel. And Buck once again, gives another fine solo. The lyrics, incidentally, do follow the story in the movie to the letter.

10. "Stone In Love" - Journey

Neal Schon's buzzsaw guitars cut through the air, opening up this song. The song about a summer romance from long ago, was one of Journey's hardest rocking songs at a time when the band was working hard to be mellow. By far, IMHO, the best song on Escape.

11. "Under Pressure" - David Bowie and Queen

Or is that Queen and David Bowie? Doesn't matter. The song's riff was stolen by Robbie Van Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice, for his rap hit, "Ice Ice Baby". Brian May denies the riffs are the same. I don't blame him. I'd hate think of one of my songs being corrupted that way. At any rate, Freddie Mercury and David Bowie's voices complement each in a surprisingly wonderful manner. The duet pays off better than it probably should. So just forget Vanilla Ice and sit back, and listen to the real thing.

12. "Our Lips Are Sealed" - the Go Gos

One of the finest bubblegum rock songs of the decade, I like it better than "We Got the Beat". Somehow, this tune seems subtler. Both Belinda Carlisle and Jane Weidlin gets a shot at handling lead vocals. Sort of the way Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend shared vocals on the Who's "Baba O'Riley". Allegedly, the Go Gos were Punk. You wouldn't know it from this song. Heck, they don't even sound like New Wave. Who cares?

13. "Life of Illusion" - Joe Walsh

With the demise of the Eagles, Walsh returns to his solo career. Of course, I suppose you could say his contribution to the soundtrack for the movie, The Warriors ("In the City"), was when he revived his solo career. Doesn't matter. This almost tongue in cheek meditation on the problems of life is one of Joe Walsh's best solo songs.

14. "Destroyer" - the Kinks

A sequel to "Lola", sort of. ("Met a girl called Lola and took her back to my place.") The casual listener might know this one as "Paranoia/Will destroy ya." It's a great aggressive rocker from the brothers Davies. It proved that they still had some life left in them.

15. "Icehouse" - Icehouse

Rodney mentioned this Autralian band in his most recent post. This was one of the first two songs I heard by them. (The other was "Sister", also from the self-titled Icehouse album.) Gothic, dirge like, the song's melancholy lyrics deal with someone who has been hurt by love and has cut themselves off from the rest of the world. ("Now it's colder everyday.")

16. "Super Freak" - Rick James

"She's a very kinky girl," James leers on this classic Glam Funk song. The Bar-Kays would more or less steal this music of this song for their minor (very minor) hit, "Freaky Behaviour". Still, with a down and dirty bass and sprightly keyboard and hot sax, this is one of the best dance songs of '81. "Super freak! Super freak! She's super freaky/Yeah!"

17. "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll" - Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy answers his critics. His vocals may be on the whiny side on this tune, but it's Randy Rhodes' axe grinding guitar that saves the day. The song continuously seems to want to meander, but Rhodes whips it into shape, forcing every note to stay in line. Maybe songs like "Mr. Crowley", "Crazy Train" or "Flying High Again" are more famous, but you can't help but suspect the lyrics of this songs were a little closer to Osbourne's heart than some of his other tunes.

18. "Joan Crawford" - Blue Öyster Cult

A spooky tune that had a video that was banned by MTV. The song about Catholic school girls, big Mack trucks and Joan Crawford was one of Cult's most oblique songs. The instruments are played with rapid fire precision, almost as if the band members' lives were at stake. Then there's the weird sound effects during the instrumental break. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it still seems to work just fine.

19. "I'm Leaving" - Taxxi

Did they have any other hits? This thumping bass-driven song about someone needing to break up with their girlfriend, but doesn't know how, is to me, a kind of lost classic. I'm not sure if it's commercially available or not. I would hope so.

20. "You Are What You Is" - Frank Zappa

Wickedly funny. And frankly, politically incorrect, too. But that's a large part of the charm of this song. The music is frenetic and the lyrics are about Blacks who want to be White and Whites (Whiggers) who want to be Black. But as Zappa tells them, "You are what you is/You is what you am/A cow don't make ham." Don't ask. Just go with the flow.

21. "If It's the Last Night" - Toto

The closing cut, IIRC, from Toto's third album, Turn Back. This is an incredibly haunting, melancholy tune. It's also very beautiful, I think.

22. "Rivers (Of the Hidden Funk)" - Joe Walsh

Another great song from Walsh's There Goes the Neighborhood album. Some fairly decent wah-wah guitar effects in it.

23. "Gemini Dream" - the Moody Blues

The best ELO song of 1981. Sorry. But this one time eclectic art rock band sold out big time on their Long Distance Voyager l.p. And they scored a couple of huge hits off it, too. And this catchy little ditty was the best one.

24. "Trouble" - Lyndsay Buckingham

Buckingham's vocals and his guitar licks that sound like a cascade of rain is what I find enchanting about this song. Unlike his one time paramour, Stevie Nicks, this was just about the only hit Lyndsay had as a solo artist.

25. "Stars On 45 Medley" - Stars On

A guilty pleasure. I definitely prefer the full album version - all 16:13 of it. This helped to more or less spawn a genre - the medley. I mean, in '81 there was also a Beach Boys medley out. Then later, there'd be a Beatles movies medley. And let's not forget all the Hooked On Classics series. But this, with its canny impersonations of the Fab Four, was probably the best of the lot. Like that's really saying anything. Shrug. Hey, I like it.

np - Summerdaze - various artists

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Actually Benn, the album is called "Flowers", or is it "Icehouse"? The band was originally called Flowers and I am pretty certain their first album was called "Icehouse". I guess they liked the name of the album so much, they changed the band's name.
I am unsure whether this was marketed differently in the States. It may be that when they launched the album in over there they had already changed the named and decided to make it a self-titled album.
I am certainly open to clarification.

You've got it.

I've owned - at various points in my life - this album in vinyl, cassette tape and (currently) in CD form in the course of my life. It has always been Icehouse by Icehouse. I've never known, until now, that it was ever any different. Here's what I found from allmusic.com:

"Though it has had varying personnel, Icehouse is essentially a vehicle for the work of Australian Iva Davies (b.May 22, 1955). Davies formed the first version of the band under the name Flowers in 1980 and began scoring hits in Australia with the group's first single, 'Can't Help Myself.' Icehouse was the name of Flowers' first album, but the group changed its name as it went international, to avoid conflicts with another band. They first reached the U.S. charts in 1981 with 'We Can Get Together' but did not score a substantial hit until 1988, with 'Crazy.' This was followed by the Top Ten hit 'Electric Blue,' which was written by John Oates."

Incidentally, on the radio I did hear the songs "Icehouse" and "Sister", but not "We Can Get Together" and "I Can't Help Myself". I've never liked those latter two songs as well as I do the former ones. And, yeah, I agree, "Crazy" is a great song, too.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Okay, here's some of mine from '81.

1. "Burnin' For You", BLUE OYSTER CULT
Benn pretty much said it all about this one, and he reminded me about the On The Road connection, I always wondered about the similarity myself.

2. "Who's Cryin' Now", JOURNEY
Journey had finished the refinement of their arena-pop formula to produce the evocative yet catchy sound this number encapsulates.

3. "Waiting On A Friend", THE ROLLING STONES - Pleasantly lazy acoustic balladwith Mick playing the sensetive guy again. This tune would become the subject of controversy - it was originally demoed during the Goat's Head Soup album sessions, and Mick Taylor sought his share of the royalties when it became a hit in '81. However, the basic track was extensively re-recorded with Ron Wood's guitar.

4. "Open Arms", JOURNEY
Ultimate prom ballad. Journey strikes a note again.

5. "Twenty-First Century Man", ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA
And the protoganist of this song is even more "schizoid" than that of King Crimson's "Twenty First Century Man". One of Jeff Lynne's nicest little ballads.

6. "Teenage Anxiety", HUMBLE PIE
Steve Marriot's touching tribute to John Lennon and his reaction to his death. From the well-muscled Go For The Throat, which would be Humble Pie's final studio album (that is at least until 2002!)

7. "Waiting For A Girl Like You", FOREIGNER
Another one of those ballads that define an era. "Girl On The Moon" from 4 is another good ballad.

8. "Talking Out Of Turn", THE MOODY BLUES
The Moodies did indeed subscribe to a more artificial sound on Long Distance Voyager. But it works okay on here, and contains some great gentle vocals as well. Superb arrangement.

9. "Stuck In The Middle", GRAND FUNK RAILROAD
A gentle doo-wop number with a fantastic synth solo that really makes the piece. Some of Farner's best singing as well.

10. "Tom Sawyer", RUSH
A seamless fusion of authentic and manufactured sound creates an arena rock classic. I've never quite understood the lyrics, Geddy Lee seems to be bemoaning the fact that kids these days spend too much time in video game arcades when they should be playing outdoors.

11. "Love Is Pain", JOAN JETT
The best song from I Love Rock And Roll, one of the first rock albums I ever owned. This one sizzles.

12. "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars", BLUE OYSTER CULT
One of the Cult's most atmospheric songs, and a good example of the use of fantasy trappings to convey real raw emotion. Some of the band's best lyrics.

13. "Desert Plains", JUDAS PRIEST
Atypical low-key work for the metalheads. Point Of Entry may have been a weak Priest album, but it did help demonstrate what talented guitarists K.K. Downing and Glen Tipton were.

14. "Crimson And Clover", JOAN JETT
Another one of those re-defining cover version classics.

15. "The Way Life's Meant To Be", ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Another great tune from Time. The melody and arrangement of this one remind me a lot of "Across The Border" from Out Of The Blue.

BTW, I remember the "Stars on 45" medley records. I had the Rolling Stones one, which crammed 25 Stones classics into about seven or eight minutes. Surprisingly, the record contained the uncensored lyrics for "Star Star".

Whoa! We agree on a year's Top Song! It's a miracle!

Of the songs you listed Todd, I did consider the Stones' "Waiting On a Friend" (as well as "Little T & A"), Rush's "Tom Sawyer" and "Talkin' Out of Turn" by the Moodies. But in the end, I, of course, prefer the songs listed.

The only other tunes I considered from Journey's Escape album were "Still They Ride" and "Don't Stop Believing". From ELO's Time, I thought of "Here Is the News". From Joan Jett's I Love Rock and Roll, I thought about ranking "Victim of Circumstance".

I have "Stars On 45" on a CD. It includes the ABBA and Rolling Stones medleys.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Good lists for '81, buys, but you both made one glaring omission:

"867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone
Not exactly deep, but catchy as all get out

No omission on my part, Blitz. It did not show up on any of the websites I've checked for '81 songs. It does, however, show up as a 1982 song, peaking at #4 in May of '82 on the Billboard misuc charts. http://80sxchange.com/80s_charts/1982.htm

It is a great song, btw. But where, if at all, will it place on chart? Only time will tell.

np - Shade Tree Blues - Billie Lee Riley

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Ooo, the suspense!
Actually, I'm looking forward to the continuing entries; I wish I had more time to make a few of my own, other than the occassional comment here & there.

Ahhh, the never ending issue of dating songs... "867-5309/Jenny" was releases in '81 (as was its parent album Tommy Tutone 2), but it didn't hit the peak chart position of no. 4 until '82.

I love "Bad Girls" by Donna Summers. A sweet little number about ladies of the night...

and I love "Naughty Girls Need Love Too" by Samantha Fox. It shows that even ho's need love too.
Very touching.

"Sugar Walls" and "Little Red Corvette" make a nice couple of Prince songs.

More 80's:

The Warrior - Scandal / Patti Smyth

Take On Me - Ah-Ha

Betty Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes

Waiting For A Girl Like You - Foreigner

Eye of the Tiger - Survivor

Maniac - Michael Sembello

Axel F -Harold Faltermeyer

Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds