No over-thinking, no spreadsheets, no calculations, just hit me with a top 3 for each topic on instinct alone.
Strangeways Here We Come - The Smiths
Rum, Sodomy & The Lash - The Pogues
The Specials - The Specials
Honourable mentions:
Crazy Rhythms - The Feelies
Born In The USA/The River/Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen
Document - R.E.M.
The other Smiths records
Yes of course
Pet Shop Boys - Actually
Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
Talk Talk - Spirit Of Eden
Tears for fears - Songs from the big chair
Siouxsie & the Banshees - Juju
Prince - Sign O the times
Purple Rain
Sign O The Times
1999
Joy Division - Closer
The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow
Prince - Sign ‘O’ The Times
Done quickly as per instructions but already slightly second guessing it. Must be room for Rain Dogs and Hats and a hundred others.
Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique
Stone Roses - Stone Roses
Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
Metallica – Ride The Lightning
Big Audio Dynamite – This Is Big Audio Dynamite
Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
Prince - Purple Rain
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
Near Misses
Replacements - Let It Be
R.E.M. - Life’s Rich Pageant
Husker Du - Zen Arcade
Metallica - And Justice for All
Melt - Peter Gabriel (edit but it needs to be on here)
Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks soundtrack would be in the top three but turns out Peaks didn’t air until 1990. Definitely spiritually 80s.
Big Dipper - Heavens
Yo La Tengo - Ride the Tiger
American Music Club - California
And honorable mentions to virtually every other band on SST, Dischord, Homestead and Flying Nun.
The Cure - Disintegration
Talking Heads - Remain in Light
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
worst decade for music
de la soul - 3 feet high and rising
dinosaur jr - bug
cure - disintegration
close calls - wedding present / fugazi / jungle brothers /
Ride The Lightning - Metallica
Walk Among Us - Misfits
Doolittle - Pixies
Black Flag - My War
Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium
The Boss - Tunnel of Love
shit, I should sub Talking Heads for You’re Living All Over Me
Hounds Of Love - Kate Bush
Murmur - R.E.M
A Walk Across The Rooftops - The Blue Nile
SO glad I double checked Laughing Stocks release date, phew
glad someone chose the right REM album
Springsteen - BITUSA
Pet Shop Boys - Introspective
R.E.M. - Document
I want to like this for the picks but can’t endorse the blurred text, sorry
Doolittle
Paul’s Boutique
Like A Prayer