1981 was a very eventful year for me. It marked my turn around in many ways. As noted previously, I had met my wife-to-be late in 1980 and by April of 1981, we were engaged and had set a date for August. Even though we were both in school and wouldn't graduate for a couple of years, we plunged right in with no apparent means of support. I'm sure I couldn't have done anything like that by myself. I've asked my wife over the years if she was scared at all about making such a leap and she assures me that she was absolutely confident that she was making the right decision. That's what makes us work so well together - I never know if I've made the right decision and if she's sure of her direction, there's no turning back. I'm absolutely certain that I wouldn't be where I am today without her confidence in me. Because 1981 was such a whirlwind, I can' t say that I was into a lot of the music of that year but looking back at the list, I see some diamonds in the rough.

Top Songs

    The Specials
    Ghost Town
   
    Soft Cell
    Tainted Love
   
    R.E.M.
    Radio Free Europe
   
    Laurie Anderson
    O Superman

    Rick James
    Super Freak
   
    Queen & David Bowie
    Under Pressure
   
    Depeche Mode
    Just Can't Get Enough
   
    Phil Collins
    In the Air Tonight

    The Psychedelic Furs
    Pretty in Pink
   
    Squeeze
    Tempted
   
    Black Flag
    Rise Above

    Black Flag
    TV Party
   
    Rush
    Tom Sawyer
   
    ABC
    Tears Are Not Enough
   
    The Police
    Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
   
    Duran Duran
    Girls on Film
   
    The Cars
    Shake It Up
   
    Spandau Ballet
    Glow

    Was (Not Was)
    Out Come the Freaks

Top Albums

    Black Flag
    Damaged - American Punk at it's best. Henry Rollins really knows how to spew hate.
       
    Kraftwerk
    Computer Welt - primarily responsible for the techno movement
       
    Soft Cell
    Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret - I'm a sucker for great melody
               
    Squeeze
    East Side Story - "Tempted", need I say more
       
    Elvis Costello and The Attractions
    Trust
       
    Rickie Lee Jones
    Pirates
       
    Rush
    Moving Pictures - Their first widely commercial album, Alex Lifeson's guitar work on this is outstanding
       
    The Psychedelic Furs
    Talk Talk Talk - They kind of typified the 80's British new wave
   
    Echo and the Bunnymen
    Heaven Up Here

    The Police
    Ghost in the Machine - Their first record without some sort of weird title. This one is the prelude to their finest material. After this they got more serious as musicians and Sting's lyrics got more interesting
       
    The Neville Brothers
    Fiyo on the Bayou - I saw them in 1982 in a bar in Lafayette, LA. Great Fun!
   
    U2
    October -  You can see the direction the band is headed
       
    Depeche Mode
    Speak & Spell - Dark and Depeche-y
               
    Pretenders
    II - a formative record with "Talk of the Town" being the most memorable track

    Pat Metheny
    Offramp - I love anything Pat does. He bridges the gap between jazz and pop/rock with ease

    The Stray Cats
    The Stray Cats/Built for Speed - The attitude of Brian Setzer is what make this band work
   
    The J. Geils Band
    Freeze Frame - I had a friend who was a huge fan and it was the first time I had listened to their stuff.
       
    Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
    Hard Promises - I didn't really provide any "hits" but built on the previous three records
           
    Kid Creole and The Coconuts
    Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places - Big band fun!
       
    Duran Duran
    Duran Duran - I really think this band was underrated. Unfortunately, they got more attention for the way they looked rather than what they played. I think they had an edgy quality that a lot of the other bands of the same ilk didin't

 

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