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Top 20 Side 1/Track 1’s 1980 (pt. 1)
That’s right, I’ve decided that I like 1980 so much that I’ve got to stretch it out over two weeks. What’s so great about this year, in my opinion? Mainly that it highlights everything that was great about the early years of the “punk” ethos, not to be confused with what would now be called the punk sound, but also provides a window into where punk could lead.
There were still bands making punk rock that resembled first-wave work by the Ramones, Sex Pistols, Saints, and others. But 1980 also saw bands like Cabaret Voltaire, Killing Joke, The Sound, Comsat Angels, and so many more embracing the empowerment that punk embodied – the freedom and willingness to take chances, to challenge listeners and conventions, and to take influences from all over the musical spectrum.
Its very interesting to hear where music can take you when it is free from the prescribed constrictions of so many genres, sub-genres, etc. And I think 1980 shines light on this as well, or better, than any other year. 11-20 next week, but feel free to opine on this list right now!
Comsat Angels – “Missing In Action”
from Waiting For A Miracle.
Killing Joke – “Requiem”
from Killing Joke.
Wipers – “Return of the Rat”
from Is This Real?.
The Damned – “Wait For The Blackout”
from The Black Album.
The Sound – “I Can’t Escape Myself”
from Jeopardy.
The Soft Boys – “I Wanna Destroy You”
from Underwater Moonlight.
Dead Kennedys – “Kill The Poor”
from Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables.
The Fall – “How I Wrote Elastic Man”
from Grotesque.
UB40 – “Tyler”
from Signing Off.
Public Image Ltd – “Albatross”
from Second Edition.
