Name: Lino
Email: lnatoli1@home.com
Location: Ontario, Canada
 
1. Searching For The Young Soul Rebels Dexy`s Midnight Runners
2. Sound Affects The Jam
3. Pretenders - Pretenders
4. More Specials Specials
5. Black Sea XTC
6. Boy U2


Comments:

1980 is a tough year as most would be, since that year had so many of my favourite bands at the start of or in a prolific era of their careers. Here they are in no particular order because i could not find a favourite one over another.

1. Dexy`s Midnight Runners - Searching For The Young Soul Rebels When I first heard those horns and that uptempo sound along with some great hooks and Kevin Rowland bringing it along with his voice I was in love with that LP for a whole year. After that most of the band left and while I liked Too Rye Ay it did not compare with Rebels. A great LP. Just listen to Geno or Burn It Down or any song on the LP.

2. The Jam - Sound Affects
Thats entertainment all right and my favourite jam song after Tube Station at Midnight. The whole album was a move to a poppier sound I found. with Start, Pretty Green and Man in the Corner Shop to name a few this would rival any Jam LP as their best and more often than not come out on top.

3.Pretenders - Pretenders
Could almost be a greatest hits on its own. I remember hearing Stop your Sobbing for the first time and melting, being a big Kinks fan. Then came Kid and Brass in Pocket and they could do no wrong. Hit after hit after hit as far as i was concerned and Chrissie Hynde's voice was honey.

4.Specials - More Specials
I loved the first LP but when they came in with that more laid back lounge sound I could not get enough. This LP, from Enjoy Yourself to International Jet Set, had absolutely no filler. It's all good.

5.XTC - Black Sea
After Drums and Wires I wondered how they were going to top Making Plans for Nigel and whether they could keep up the good fight. Well Black Sea came out and they went up a level as far as I was concerned. I thought they grew up when Black Sea came out. Generals and Majors, Sgt Rock, and Respectable Street amongst others made this a heavy rotation album.

6.U2 - Boy
The voice the guitars and the excitement even before this LP came out. We had the British singles coming over and I remember seeing them at the Maple Leaf Ballroom in Toronto, 3 weeks before this LP came out. Stands as one of the great shows. Me and about 1000 others watching them and dancing like crazy. The Diodes opened the show. I heard every song on this LP from I Will Follow on up and standing there about 10 feet from the edge all night right in front of those speakers says volumes - Ha ha. Great debut from a group that will go down as one of the greats. How could you not pick em?

Sound Affects The Jam (1980)

1. Burn It Down
2. Tell Me When My Light Turns to Green
3. The Teams That Meet in the Caffs
4. I'm Just Looking
5. Geno
6. Seven Days Too Long
7. I Couldn't Help It If I Tried
8. Thankfully Not Living in Yorkshire It Doesn't Apply
9. Keep It
10. Love Part One
11. There, There, My Dear

Pretenders - Pretenders (1980)

1. Precious
2. Phone Call
3. Up the Neck
4. Tattooed Love Boys
5. Space Invader
6. Wait
7. Stop Your Sobbing
8. Kid
9. Private Life
10. Brass in Pocket
11. Lovers of Today
12. Mystery Achievement