Lately she’s taken to wearing my middle school windbreaker, my “Bay Jacket,” sporting team colors and those three huge letters on the back, B-A-Y. A blue, white and red blazon striding down the black and gold halls of Heights High. That’s some audacious bougie chic right there.
On the shoulder the number 86, that was the magic number for me (for her it is 21.) Agent 86. Eight-six the gumbo. During my childhood, 1986 was as far as my imagination could go into the future. All years that came after that just sounded weird.
Musicologists used science to determine that 1986 was the worst year in the history of popular music, or certainly the least interesting (what is the difference?) and I find that hard to argue with. The patina of sheer sameness washed over the airwaves.
“Sweet Freedom” by Michael McDonald. “Glory of Love” by Peter Cetera. “Two of Hearts” by Suzi Q. “Who’s Johnny” by El DeBarge. “Invisible Touch” by Genesis. "When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Get Going" by Billy Ocean. Thomas Dolby’s soundtrack to the motion picture “Howard the Duck.”
I was at a club in the Flats that summer and went up to the DJ to request some INXS and he said they don’t play punk music.
But there were several important records released that year. There always will be -- so much new music, every year. Some of it has to be good, right? I mean, nothing will beat 1989, but here’s a couple gems from the year I graduated high school.
Okay, this album isn’t actually good. The band had broken up but they owed their American label one more record. In Britain they got away with a greatest hits compilation (The Final) but we got this. Shitty, dated remixes of the previously released "I’m Your Man" and "Wham Rap," a live track from the China tour and an almost two year old Christmas single (yes, that one.)
But it does include the seriously dirty dance confection "The Edge of Heaven," George Michael’s second single "A Different Corner" and a beautiful cover version of the Was (Not Was) track "Where Did Your Heart" go, an indication of things to come for this, the greatest of white soul singers.
License To Ill - The Beastie Boys
There’s a lot of bad things you can say about this album, and to their credit they apologized for most of them by their fourth record. What happens when you pretend to be something horrible and then realize no one gets the joke, or worse, that you’ve actually become that thing? We knew it was high comedy, and possibly wrong, but that didn’t keep us from drinking too much beer and blasting the thing on the green, playing Frisbee and hanging brain.
A tale of two brothers, the young Neil Finn had assumed the lead from his older brother Tim for the final Split Enz album, turning what had been a schizophrenic lounge act into a seriously polished pop machine. The band broke up and from it he formed this outstanding trio.
Produced by the legendary Mitchell Froom, you cannot put this record on without listening to the entire thing. Overplayed to the point of absolute madness, I still cannot hear the opening chords of “Don’t Dream It’s Over” without losing my shit. I’m right there and I can never leave.
So - Peter Gabriel
Nineteen Eighty-Six is the year Peter Gabriel released So and your argument is invalid.
Especially For You - The Smithereens
Last week the family was celebrating Calvin’s Day, making dinner together and listening to music. The wife and I took turns choosing albums, and this was one I put on. She didn’t even know it -- she knew them, she knew the single, but she hadn’t listened to the entire record.
I knew the late lead singer Pat DiNinzio was an enormous Beatles fan (they recorded not one but two albums of Beatles covers) but having not listened to this, their debut, for the better part of twenty years, I never realized how much their style was entirely inspired by the Beatles first few albums.
The first albums, the rock and roll records. That's what was unique. Countless bands have based their entire careers stealing the Beatles later, lush, over-produced stuff -- E.L.O., XTC … hell, Oasis entire catalog is variations on "I Am the Walrus." But it takes some serious hero worship to impersonate the unique and particular guitar stylings of early Harrison, Lennon and McCartney.
And speaking of. Lush. Brainy. Philosophical college music to fuck to. Andy Partridge and Todd Rundgren fistfight in heaven and we were left with forty-seven minutes of infectious, open the windows and let florid springtime breeze blow over the naked skin of you and whoever you're with that afternoon.
I could go on. There was good music. We listened to it.
Ensemble Theatre presents the World Premiere of "The Way I Danced With You," through April 7, 2019.
Sources:
“Study of 17,000 hit pop songs identifies the years to remember – and the ones best forgotten” by Adam Sherman, The Independent 5/5/2015
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