11. Violent Femmes: Violent Femmes

The self-titled debut album from the Violent Femmes in 1983 was one of the most memorable albums created. Ten pop songs (in the original release...12 later) about yearning for love, sex, and affection...performed in such a way that makes them impossible to forget, or mistake for anything else. The simple sounds of the three musicians (guitar, bass, and snare drum...with brushes) delivered in their signature aggressive, driving manner, and the magically quotable lyrics by Gordon Gano (most of which were written while he was still in high school) made the band 80s gods on college campuses throughout the U.S.

The Violent Femmes released eight studio albums during their time, but the most well-known songs were hatched here...Who do you know that couldn't recognize the opening intro to "Blister In The Sun"?...or the count-up in "Kiss Off" ("I take one, one, one cause you left me...")? Other distinctly memorable moments include Gordon's whiny begging (but in a good way) in "Please Do Not Go" and the slow, child-like, a cappella introduction to "Add It Up" ("Daaaaay after daaaaay, I will waaaaalk and I will plaaaay..." This was the song that had college kids wondering why they can't "get just one kiss" (among other forms of affection) at the top of their lungs. How about the xylophone from "Gone Daddy Gone"...the darkly menacing length of "Confessions"..."Prove My Love" ("...third verse, same as the first!"), "Promise", "To The Kill", and the sadly-sweet "Good Feeling" to close the door on this gem. There's your ten...every one of them perfect songs in their simplest forms combining to produce an outcome greater than the sum of its parts.

This album is grossly underrated...no accolades! No mention of the Violent Femmes on any music magazine's lists of the greatest whatever (probably "Best Bands from Milwaukee, Wisconsin" but I didn't really look). Well, I can say with confidence (and perhaps a bit of stubbornness) that they all missed the boat here. I can't understand how it was overlooked. The album has sold over 1,000,000 copies. It was another album that was near impossible to find in used record stores, meaning, if you bought it, you loved it, and you kept it. It was, in short, one of the great albums of the 80s.

The Violent Femmes were also tons of fun to see live. I saw them on six separate occasions (The last of which was in Portland. I went with my friend Ana, who eventually became Ana Matronic of the Scissor Sisters.). Every performance was excellent. But, alas, a huge rift regarding rights and royalties between Gano and bassist, Brian Ritchie has sealed the fate of the band, and the Violent Femmes are no more. Here, you have, not one, but three videos to enjoy! I could not choose between "Blister...", "Kiss Off", "and "Add It Up"...then remembered...Hey!  I'm the boss here. Who says it has to be only one? Happy Mothers' Day! Treat her right.

9. U2: War

Many of you felt I was a bit hard on U2 when referencing them in my post of R.E.M.'s Accelerate. I said 2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was not the "rock album" that U2 hyped it to be. That's still true...I still say I was disappointed (and Bono and I still aren't talking). However, I'll make it up to them in this post by floating back 28 years to their wonderful album, War...and a time when everything about U2 was different...musically and lyrically.

On War, the third studio album by U2, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr. were at their most politically charged...and they took a lacerating, energetic approach to getting their messages across.

Released in early 1983, after the adolescent innocence of Boy (1980) and the abstract spirituality of October (1981), U2 stormed the international charts with War. Three singles hit the airwaves starting with "New Year's Day" then followed by the club-worthy "Two Hearts Beat As One" along with one of the greatest protest songs of all time, "Sunday Bloody Sunday". Everything about this album stands apart from anything they had done before or have done since.

Musically, it was fierce. It was a response to those who felt they were too sincere and not "punk" enough. It is much harsher than any other U2 album. The Edge's guitar feels different...much more raw. Listening to it now, I can hear the same riffs that we hear on more recent works, but, on War, it sounds unpolished, more visceral. The closest album, musically speaking, seems to be 1991's Achtung Baby, but  Achtung Baby is missing the lyrical muscle that Bono provides throughout War. Without War's underlying messages and overall theme, the music would lose a valuable partner.

Larry Mullen, Jr. claims the drums were "real basic" and hoped to "make it more complicated on the next LP". But the drums drive so much of this album. Every U2 fan has struck some surface to the cadence of the military-like intro to "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (some of you may be doing it right now!). The hard-edged "Like A Song..." and "Two Hearts Beat As One" showcase his powerful drumming as well.

I was just learning to enjoy adolescence when I first heard War. My older brother had the vinyl and I played it and played it. The black and white cover concept...the stark contrast between the letters stamped in red, "U2/WAR", the missing lyrics (words to only six of the ten songs were provided), and the black and white photo of "the boy"...that boy...hands clasped behind his head, cut lip, piercing stare. We wondered who he was and wondered about his story (turns out he's Dublin photographer Peter Rowen). There was, in 1983, a sense of mystery about this band that exited for good four years later with the release of The Joshua Tree. I didn't know them during this time of War. I didn't have internet, I didn't have much information about them. I only knew...they were political, they seemed like they were on my side, and they were coming. They were going to be big...so like them now before everybody jumps on board.

Well, everyone jumped on board. Over the years, War has sold about 5,000,000 copies, and U2 continued to make great music...up until...well, there I go again...No! I'm staying positive! One of my favorite albums of all time, War is still magnificent. Listening to it today is a great reminder of when U2 first achieved greatness. Here is a video of U2 performing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from the War tour DVD U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky.

3. Talking Heads: Speaking In Tongues

So many bands are making comebacks these days...and I'm surprised all the time by bands performing near me that claim to have never broken up (although I hadn't heard a peep from them in twenty years). I've been excited to see a few, but I usually let them roll through town without opening my wallet or calling the babysitter. However...I've been wishing on stars and on birthday candles...snapping turkey bones, chucking pennies into fountains, waiting around until the digital clock displays 11:11, and pulling eyelashes out of my face...all in the name of a Talking Heads reunion.

Speaking In Tongues (1983) is the fifth album by Talking Heads. It followed a two year hiatus, during which, each of the band members successfully went their separate ways. Upon returning to the studio, they recorded a great album that became overshadowed about a year later when its more famous cousin, the live/greatest hits package that is Stop Making Sense hit the market. Speaking In Tongues is an extremely fun party album. I'll admit that the previous sentence is meant for the 40-something reader as many younger readers might not agree. It was "club worthy" at the time ("Back in myyy day!"). It's filled with infectious African beats and nonsensical lyrics. David Byrne admits that, in general, the music was written, and the lyrics were simply created to fit.

It's incredibly surprising to me that this album's lead song, "Burning Down The House", is the only American Top 10 hit for the band. It's followed by "Making Flippy Floppy"...a relatively unknown song so good, it's almost as if "Burning Down The House" is its intro, and the album...starts...now. "Making Flippy Floppy" anchors the danceability of Speaking In Tongues and, in 1983, helped it cross over into new territory.  The album peaked at number two on the dance charts for six weeks. "Girlfriend Is Better" and "Slippery People" follow for a near perfect side one (that's in vinyl-speak).

The album closes with "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)", one of the most enjoyable songs to grace your eardrums. Interesting sidenote...I saw David Byrne in Portland years ago and the setlist was nearly nine tenths Talking Heads (I think 18 of the 21 songs were from Talking Heads...so I guess I'd be ok if they never reunited).  He closed the show with "This Must Be The Place", talking over the melody for nearly ten minutes about...Baltimore, where he spent much of his childhood, before breaking into the actual lyrics. This beautiful song receives much, much play in our house as it's one of Chelo's favorites as well. Need proof of its hypnotic powers?...Here's the video. Enjoy.