In the last thread in this series, 2015 ended up 25th on the table, and thanks to a democratic selection (from a limited ballot) we are now turning our rose-tinted attention to the music of 1983.
A reminder of the premise of the thread
After a number of days of posting and reminiscing, we’ll be rating the music of the year out of ten, based on the albums, singles, gigs, whatever that stand out for you that year, and voting for our favourite nominated albums and songs.
Everyone can nominate one album and one song from the year which will then be collated into side-polls two days before the thread closes - please make it clear when you post a nomination for the poll (as opposed to just posting clips or lists of songs and albums you like, which are very welcome).
Leaderboard
Rank | Year | Rating | Top Album | Top Song |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1991 | 8.98 | Slint - Spiderland | Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy |
2 | 1988 | 8.93 | Pixies - Surfer Rosa | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Mercy Street |
3 | 1997 | 8.6 | Radiohead - OK Computer | The Beta Band - Dry The Rain |
4 | 1967 | 8.48 | Love - Forever Changes | Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Some Velvet Morning |
5 | 1995 | 8.45 | Radiohead - The Bends | The Smashing Pumpkins - 1975 |
6 | 1977 | 8.41 | Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express | Donna Summer - I Feel Love |
7 | 1969 | 8.35 | The Velvet Underground | The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog |
8 | 2013 | 8.29 | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street |
8 | 1992 | 8.29 | Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted | Pulp - Babies |
10 | 2019 | 8.14 | Self Esteem - Compliments Please | Big Thief - Not |
11 | 2007 | 8.13 | LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver / Radiohead - In Rainbows | LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends / M.I.A. - Paper Planes |
11 | 1975 | 8.13 | Neil Young - Tonight’s the Night / Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks | Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Cortez the Killer |
13 | 2004 | 8.1 | Madvillain - Madvillainy / Arcade Fire - Funeral | The Walkmen - The Rat |
13 | 2001 | 8.1 | The Strokes - Is This It | Roots Manuva - Witness (1 Hope) / Mogwai - My Father My King |
15 | 2002 | 8.06 | Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights | LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge |
15 | 1981 | 8.06 | The Cure - Faith | New Order - Ceremony |
17 | 1979 | 7.96 | Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures | Joy Division - Transmission |
18 | 1982 | 7.76 | The Cure - Pornography / Kate Bush - The Dreaming | Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding / The Associates - Party Fears Two |
19 | 2014 | 7.69 | FKA Twigs - LP1 | FKA Twigs - Two Weeks |
20 | 2010 | 7.66 | Kanye West - MBDTF / Joanna Newsom - Have One One Me / Beach House - Teen Dream | Robyn - Dancing On My Own |
21 | 1970 | 7.61 | Neil Young - After the Goldrush | Curtis Mayfield - Move on Up |
22 | 1972 | 7.53 | Can - Ebe Gamyasi | Stevie Wonder - Superstition |
23 | 1976 | 7.47 | David Bowie - Station to Station | Bob Dylan - Hurricane |
23 | 1990 | 7.47 | Sonic Youth - Goo | The Cure - Pictures of You |
** | 25 | 2015 | 7.44 | Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell |
26 | 1986 | 7.42 | Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring | New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle |
27 | 2005 | 7.39 | Sufjan Stevens - Illinois | Amerie - 1 Thing |
28 | 1965 | 7.38 | The Beatles - Rubber Soul | Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) |
29 | 2017 | 7.36 | Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent | Kendrick Lamar - Humble |
30 | 1987 | 7.32 | Sonic Youth - Sister | The Cure - Just Like Heaven |
31 | 1999 | 7.3 | Mogwai - Come On Die Young | Björk - All Is Full Of Love |
32 | 2006 | 7.28 | J Dilla - Donuts | TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me |
33 | 2009 | 7.1 | Fever Ray - Fever Ray | Animal Collective - My Girls |
34 | 1974 | 6.95 | Neil Young - On The Beach | Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - The Bottle |
35 | 1963 | 6.57 | Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan | The Ronettes -Be My Baby |
36 | 1985 | 6.53 | Tom Waits - Rain Dogs | Prince and the Revolution - Raspberry Beret |
37 | 1962 | 6 | Howlin’ Wolf - Howlin’ Wolf | Dick Dale - Misirlou |
38 | 1961 | 5.16 | John Coltrane - My Favourite Things | Roy Orbison - Crying |
1983 was the year the US invaded Grenada after Cuban military group overthrew the government, Ronald Reagan proposed the Strategic Defensive Initiative (SDI) missile defense system dubbed the “Star Wars” initiative, the Mario Bros game debuted in Japanese arcades, Space Shuttle Challenger launched it’s maiden flight, 38 Provisional IRA prisoners escaped from Maze Prison in Northern Ireland in the largest prison escape in UK history and the first version of Microsoft Word was released.
We said goodbye to Karen Carpenter, Muddy Waters, Dennis Wilson, Tennessee Williams, David Niven, Joan Miró and Garrincha, and hello to Amy Winehouse, Adam Driver, Chris Hemsworth, Emily Blunt, Lupita Nyong’o, Donald Glover, Mo Farah, Robin van Persie and Greta Gerwig.
But how good was the music?
You have roughly one week to nominate one album and/or one song which will then go into polls along with a number rating poll for year overall out of 10, which will close a few days later. Please state when something you share is a nomination so I can catch it for the poll, but feel free to share as much as you wish during the thread!
Some lists for inspiration:
Best Albums of 1983 : Best Ever Albums
https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/1983/
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/ratings/6-highest-rated/1983/1
1983 Best Albums And Tracks Of The Year - NME
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-1983-1234681014/
https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/bg_hits/bg_hits_1983.html
Nominations will be tallied here as the week goes on:
Album Nominations
Song Nominations