10. David Sylvian - Secrets of the BeehiveDavid Sylvian was completely unknown to me just a couple of weeks before. He used to be the lead singer of Japan, but his solo career is very different. His album Secrets of the Beehive caught my attention and I'm glad it did. This is a great album. I guess you might call it dream-pop, even though this is actually quite far from pop as I'm used to understand the word. Sylvian's music is mellow and slow, beautiful and relaxing. This is a perfect album for those lazy Sunday afternoons, when it's raining outside and you don't want to leave the house. At the forefront of the music is Sylvian's skilfully played piano and his etherical baritone. There are other instruments there as well, but they are just there to support the solo performance and do not take the main stage. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Echo & the Bunnymen are one of the coolest bands of the 80's. Their indie-hairdos resemble those that became again fashionable at the beginning of 2000's with the Strokes. Their self-titled album is not among their best albums. The music is happy and, well, just really 80's. The melancholy on the earlier albums is gone. I can't, however, deny that these songs are pure hit material. Echo & the Bunnymen have undoubtedly influenced many 90's brit-pop bands. The band is often categorised as post-punk and I might agree, when it comes to their earlier albums. This album is more in the general guitar-pop genre. If you like generic pop melodies, this is definitely to your liking. It's nothing special though and that's why it's only on the ninth place. Listen to the album on Spotify.
The Cure appears on almost all of my 80's lists. They were one of the defining bands of the 1980's. Their scary post-punk was out of tune and far away from commercial pop. Still they managed to find their place on the charts and actually became one of the biggest bands in the world. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is not by far the best album from the band, but it has some really good individual songs. The best example is a perfect indie-disco hit song Why Can't I Be You? The sounds are extremely 80's oriented, but something in this synthesiser filled sound world works. Another good example of a great song is Just Like Heaven. These kinds of hit songs make The Cure one of my favourite 80's bands. unfortunately the whole album is not full of songs like these. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Here they are again. The Finnish nutty rockers from the small town of Utajärvi. The Kings of Hong Kong was their first album in English. It's basically really straight forward rock n' roll, but there is something in their weird and crazy energy that makes this album one of the best ones in 1987. The sounds are sort of crappy, but they work beautifully considering the type of music they're playing. The rock organ is beautiful. The whole album is just one explosion from the beginning to the end, but there are some musical tricks that you really wouldn't expect and that's what makes their music really interesting. I'm a bit disappointed that this band has not become more successful outside of Finland, but at least they have a huge cult following in Denmark, Japan and Germany. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Music for the Masses doesn't contain the most well-known hits from Depeche Mode, but it's in my opinion one of their best albums. industrial electro sounds and dark and melancholic melodies make me realise, why this was one of the biggest bands in the 80's. There's dark beauty in the industrial pounding mixing together with sad melodies and soaring organ sounds. The megaphones in the album cover blast out the music for the masses bringing to mind Orwell's 1984. But if this is the kind of music they blast out, I don't know if I protest. Whenever I listen to Depeche Mode I'm reminded of the Depeche Mode bar in Tallinn. If you're ever in the city, find the place. It's a beautiful cavern dedicated solely for the band. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Miracle Legion is one of my latest finds. I had not even heard about this band few months ago. Then I was kindly introduced to singer-songwriter Mark Mulcahy. Mulcahy was playing a show in London and I kindly got tickets from the introducer of the artist. The show was great! Afterwards I did background research and found out that Mulcahy used to play in a band called Miracle Legion in the 80's. Miracle Legion has been an inspiration for a wide range of musicians I listen to a lot. Miracle Legion proofed to be a great pop-rock band in the lines of R.E.M. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise is full of catchy melodies and classy sounds. I also encourage everyone to listen to Mark Mulcahy's solo albums made in the 2000's. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band. In my opinion they are one of the most interesting bands in the 80's and Darklands is their best album. Songs on the album have huge hit potential, but the sounds are much classier than on most albums at the same period. Some of the slower songs have shamanistic qualities. Calm tambourine accompanies low baritone singing and clean electric guitars play simple but beautiful melodies. Happy When It Rains is probably my favourite song. Its hit material at its best and would work perfectly in indie clubs. The blurry album cover is great illustration of this album, which is perfect for drunken evenings and nights out. This band is an inspiration to large number of later bands. Listen to the album on Spotify.
R.E.M. has made many great albums, but in my opinion Document is the best one of them all. The two hits on this album, The One I Love and It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine), are among the best songs of the whole 80's. The rest of the album is really good as well. Upbeat melodies and quality production seal the deal for one of the best albums for this year. Even if you think the 90's well-known R.E.M. hits were not that good, you might want to give a chance for this album, since it's got more attitude, it's got better songs and it's not yet over produced by major labels. I'm a bit disappointed that I could not rate this album the best album of the year, but that just means that there are two even better albums released this year. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Appetite for Destruction is one of the most well-known albums in the world. This is extremely good for a hard rock album. Image of the bad was carefully selected and the fame as a dangerous band, without doubt, brought the band listeners and fans. But above all, Guns n' Roses make exceptionally great music. Slash had played guitar less than eight years, when this album was released, but already one can call him one of the best guitar players ever. I especially enjoy some of the songs that are not among the biggest hits, such as Mr. Brownstone, Think About You and Rocket Queen. Guns n' Roses was the most important band of my early teen years and it remains one of the bands I have nothing but admiration for. Listen to the album on Spotify.
For me, there is no doubt that the best band of the 1980's is The Smiths. Stephen Morrissey's lyrics and Johnny Marr's guitars have become very dear to me. It wasn't always like that though. When I first heard the band, I didn't like the sound, since it was in my ears too 80's. After a lot of exposure to the music because of my friends, I started to see the brilliance of The Smiths and they've never been the same since. Strangeways was their last album and I think it may even be the best one of them. It's full of misery and sadness, but also dry British humour and political messages. If I must pick one song from the album, which is my favourite, I have to choose Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me. It's beauty cannot be beaten. The whole album is mere brilliance. Listen to the album on Spotify.
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