I will admit that much of the College Rock music from the 1980s was initially a tough listen. These artists were taking much of the punk and new wave lessons and began to darken the music. For the most part, MTV stayed away from these artists during the day and prime time. But, the leaders at the cable network were intelligent enough to take the two budding genres of the day, college rock and rap musics, and make shows out of them. College Rock Music was played during a two-hour time slot late at night during a program called 120 Minutes, and everyone remembers that the rap music of the day was on a show called Yo! MTV Raps. Both show were terrific ways to see the videos for those genres that would eventually become the mainstream music in the Nineties.
In the late-80s, I worked mainly second shift at the first two hospital labs in which I worked. After work, I would get home in time to watch Late Night with David Letterman, followed by a couple hours of 120 Minutes. So, between 120 Minutes and 97X, I was immersed in College Rock. All of a sudden, Culture Club was left behind for The Cult and The Cure, and The Human League gave way to Depeche Mode. As more and more pockets of the US and UK were dying due to the conservative policies of the day, college rock artists began speaking to the kids not being economically washed by the trickle-down policies of the day. All of a sudden, “Talk Dirty to Me” was not speaking to me, but R.E.M.’s “Exhuming McCarthy” made sense. Then, I got past the initial shock of the vocalists of Dead Kennedys or Black Flag and heard the pop melodies and insightful political lyrics of their great music. A group like Minutemen interwove jazz musical leanings with punk and funk to create a very unique, update on Frank Zappa’s or Captain Beefheart’s music. And, their lyrics were just what I was looking for at the moment: from the heart and angry.
Therefore, today, I continue on with my countdown of My 200 Favorite ’80s College Rock Songs with numbers 61 through 95.
61. INXS – “The Original Sin” (1984)
62. Cocteau Twins – “Lorelei” (1984)
63. Iggy Pop – “Real Wild Child” (1986)
64. Morrissey – “Suedehead” (1988)
65. Peter Gabriel – “Shock the Monkey” (1982)
66. The Police – “King of Pain” (1983)
67. General Public – “Tenderness” (1985)
68. Marshall Crenshaw – “Cynical Girl” (1982)
69. Siouxsie & the Banshees – “Peek-A-Boo” (1988)
70. Artists United Against Apartheid – “Sun City” (1984)
71. Gang of Four – “To Hell with Poverty” (1982)
72. Duran Duran – “Say a Prayer” (1982)
73. Jerry Harrison – “Rev It Up” (1987)
74. 10,000 Maniacs – “What’s the Matter Here?” (1987)
75. Billy Bragg – “Levi Stubb’s Tears” (1986)
76. Bauhaus – “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” (1982)
77. Minutemen – “Corona” (1984)
78. Killing Joke – “Eighties” (1985)
79. The Jesus & Mary Chain – “Just Like Honey” (1985)
80. The Smiths – “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” (1986)
81. R.E.M. – “So. Central Rain” (1984)
82. Depeche Mode – “Strangelove” (1987)
83. David Bowie/Pat Matheny Group – “This Is Not America” (1985)
84. X – “The Hungry Wolf” (1982)
85. New Order – “True Faith” (1987)
86. Black Flag – “Rise Above” (1981)
87. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – “From Her to Eternity” (1984)
88. Echo & the Bunnymen – “The Killing Moon” (1984)
89. Modern English – “I Melt with You” (1982)
90. Nirvana – “About a Girl” (1989)
91. R.E.M. – “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville” (1984)
92. Ramones – “My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)” (1986)
93.Tears for Fears – “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (1985)
94. The Cult – “She Sells Sanctuary” (1985)
95. Public Image Ltd. – “Rise” (1986)
That makes 140 songs down and 60 to go! Next week, I will get back to making commentaries on song of my favorite songs. Peace!
If My Records Could Talk 