Musicwhore.org Music and memory

A decade ago, I wrote a series of entries ranking my favorite albums from 1985 to 2004. My collection has expanded greatly since then, particularly in the last five years. So I wanted to see what has changed in 10 years.

The 1983 Favorite Edition list is not terribly cosmopolitan. And why should it? I would have been 11 years old at the time, and pre-teens, even precocious ones, aren’t renowned for sophistication.

1. Eurythmics, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
2. Clannad, Magical Ring
3. U2, Live Under a Blood Red Sky
4. David Bowie, Let’s Dance
5. Duran Duran, Seven and the Ragged Tiger
6. R.E.M., Murmur
7. Huey Lewis and the News, Sports
8. The Police, Synchronicity
9. 10,000 Maniacs, Secrets of the I Ching
10. The Waitresses, Bruiseology

Other favorites from the year:

• Toto, IV
• Culture Club, Colour By Numbers
• Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes
• Cyndi Lauper, She’s So Unusual
• The Pointer Sisters, Break Out

MTV was the big driver of music in this era, but I wouldn’t have known it because my parents refused to subscribe to cable. The household wouldn’t welcome cable TV till well after I had moved out after college … in 1997.

So my exposure to music in 1983 was limited to American Bandstand and Solid Gold. For a short while, a syndicated TV show called Prime Time Videos aired on broadcast affiliates, but it would not last.

I was still heavily into Pac-Man, even though my parents refused to welcome a game console or computer into the house. It’s a wonder how I’ve made computer programming my career.

So if this list seems particularly safe, it’s a reflection of the limited avenues of consumption. It’s probably why I have such a voracious appetite now.

Tags: 10000 maniacs, clannad, culture club, cyndi lauper, david bowie, duran duran, eurythmics, favorite edition, huey lewis, r.e.m., rewind, the pointer sisters, the police, the waitresses, toto, u2, violent femmes