80's album of the day:

Reunion Wilderness
by The Railway Children

80's Brit-pop that never really made it commercially.  The Railway Children is another band that found success in the UK but could never cross the ocean to the US.  Reunion Wilderness is their first release and this one is a gem.  "Native Places" has the more well known Railway Children songs, but the beginnings of this band is where one should start.  Their poppy tunes catch the listener's ear.

80's album of the day:

Information Society
by Information Society

I remember hearing Pure Energy for the first time.  I couldn't stop listening to that song.  At 12 years old, that was my anthem.  There was no 7th grader on the planet who rocked this song harder.  Yes, it's the song with Dr. Spock saying "pure energy" over and over.  I loved it so much that I bought the tape and made mixes for my friends.  It's sad to say that I never followed them after this album.

80's album of the day:

Sonic Temple
by The Cult

What a way to end the 80's heading into the 90's.  The Cult's 4th album Sonic Temple was also their greatest commercially and this band is still going strong.  Their native american influences sprinkled throughout their heavy metal core makes the Cult one of the more eclectic bands to come out of the 80s.

Let's get back into the flow...

80's album of the day:

A Walk Across the Rooftops
by The Blue Nile

My new wave expert friend and overall 80's expert friend Dave introduced me to the Blue Nile.  I was blown away by the vocals of Paul Buchanan and the qualities of his singing reminds me of how Sinatra would have approached this band.  They hail from Scotland where the trio first formed and produced this debut album.  It wasn't a commercial success but gave the band a following that lead to a more critically acclaimed second album "Hats".  Some of my favorite tunes off this album include "Stay" and "Heatwave".  I was also able to find some bootlegs of this band singing some of these songs and they are great live as well.  Not many people know of The Blue Nile, I hope this review gets you listening.

Here they are on Later with Jools Holland playing their single "Tinseltown in the Rain".  Great song!

80's album of the day:

Steve McQueen
by Prefab Sprout

Steve McQueen didn't like the album name, so you might know this record by it's other title Two Wheels Good.  This is my favorite of all PFS albums and it's easy to see why.  These guys take lush sounding 80's pop to another level with the musicianship and production.  They were different than other 80's bands, often softer in approach to their sensational pop.  This band definitely shapes it's sound into something with less edge and softer melodies.  Paddy McAloon sings beautifully.  Here is a clip of my favorite song off the album.

80's album of the day:

Diesel and Dust
by Midnight Oil

Seriously underrated Aussie band Midnight Oil released many albums before this one, but I believe that this album put them on the map as one of the better 80's bands.  Peter Garrett's vocals are haunting and the lyrics to all these songs have political views written all over them.  "Beds are Burning" kick starts this album off with a song about rights of indigenious Australians to get the land that was taken from them back.  Another favorite of mine is "Dreamworld" and from a musicians perspective, this song is awesome.  The Oils are also one of the tightest live bands.

80's album of the day:

Murmur
by R.E.M.

The first and greatest REM album.  Their sound will never be forgotten, and this group who formed in Athens Georgia is still a major player in the world of pop music.  What a great way to start a bands career by putting out an album that is a mixture of throwback jangly tones and modern quirkiness.  Stipes voice lays low and melancholy while Peter Buck's intricate guitar work layers ontop of one of the most underappreciated rhythm sections ever.  Murmur is by far my most favorite REM album because of the way the music draws me in.  Everything about this album is magic from the catchy single "Radio Free Europe" to the more aggressive "9 - 9".  Everything in between and all around blends the jangly tones of Buck's Rickenbacker with awesome songwriting and musicianship.  I could play this album front to back for hours.  Trust me, I've done it.