Beware the Savage Jaw of 1984!

A few years ago, I put together a 15-Disc CDR compilation of the 80's. It was a massive and time consuming process, but I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. I had originally intended to post those comps here at Burn and Shine eventually. As you can surmise, I've decided against it-- at least for the time being. Instead, I have decided to start tackling individual years. I'm starting with 1984 for a few reasons.

First, it was the year that I discovered "College" music. I was in tenth grade, and was still very much into heavy metal and it's slightly uglier sister, hair metal. My brother gave me a tape with R.E.M's Murmur on one side and Reckoning on the other. Needless to say, my musical listening habits changed quite drastically. While I can't claim to have heard all of the artists on this compilation as early as 1984 (some of them I didn't hear till much later), I can safely say that tape my brother made, put me on a collision course with most of the artists I've used to represent the year.

Second, 1984 is generally considered a great year among Rock & Roll Historians. As I alluded, College music was in it's heyday. No less than three consensus, classic albums were released on independent labels (I'm thinking of Zen Arcade, Double Nickels and Let it Be and the case could be made for a few others . . .). The mainstream also produced some timeless gems (Purple Rain, 1984, Born in the USA and The Unforgettable Fire spring to mind). While nothing on my compilation could be classified as obscure, I have stayed away from the artists generally considered as mainstream-- though some of the artists did find huge mainstream success later.

Finally, it's been 25 years since these records came out. I might make this an annual tradition in November, as it seems to be a month with few options for themes (you don't really think of music when you think Thanksgiving do you?)-- with apologies to the years 1980-83.

Happy Listening!

1984: We're Behind Schedule

01. Guadalcanal Diary, "Watusi Rodeo" [2:45]
02. The dB's, "Amplifier" [3:11]
03. The Bangles, "Live" [2:36]
04. The Go-Betweens, "Unkind & Unwise" [3:06]
05. The Replacements, "Favorite Thing" [2:20]
06. Lloyd Cole, "Perfect Skin" [3:19]
07. Nick Lowe & His Cowboy Outfit, ""Half a Boy and Half a Man" [2:57]
08. Meat Puppets, "Plateau" [2:22]
09. The Pandoras, "It's About Time" [2:22]
10. The Smiths, "Hand in Glove" [3:23]
11. Talk Talk, "It's My Life" [3:54]
12. Let's Active, "Easy Does" [3:25]
13. The Waterboys, "Somebody Might Wave Back" [2:43]
14. The Cure, "The Empty World" [2:37]
15. Minutemen, "History Lesson Part II" [2:12]
16. Echo & the Bunnymen, "Crystal Days" [2:25]
17. Depeche Mode, "People Are People" [3:46]
18. Hüsker Dü, "Something I Learned Today" [2:03]
19. The Fall, "2 X 4" [3:38]
20. The Church, "Constant in Opal" [3:31]
21. Los Lobos, "Will the Wolf Survive" [3:44]
22. Dumptruck, "How Come?" [4:08]
23. Game Theory, "Nine Lives To Rigel Five" [2:49]
24. The Psychedelic Furs, "Heaven" [3:27]
25. R.E.M., "Letter Never Sent" [3:03]

Total Time: 1:15:31

Download it Here: 1984: We're Behind Schedule