eeP-- l arsanrPsa as · - , L JB I qe ·al_ aa - sll: TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 1984 The Tech PAGE11 M 1983: year on record I Y- _ L aC-Qkl - L ered anyway as most have received radio The readers I airplay of demo tapes. The Proletariat were most popular, partly because they Readers' played on campus last fall. The second- speak out e * 0 iiol"( place Boston band named, Mission of At long last, here it is - The Tech's rea- Burma, broke up last March but were ders' poll of the best records of 1983. Be- pop/rock/ new w liveIL counted anyway. Punk dominated the local cause not everyone is on campus during choices, but bands playing various forms Independent Activities Period, it is difficult 1. Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues 100.0 of pop were also listed by many. to solicit and compile everyone's choices 2. Police - Synchronicity 88.9 Overall, there were not many surprises. until after classes start in February. Oh, The most popular bands and records tend- 3. X - More Fun in the New World 78.5 ed to be the ones that sold well and be- well, better !ate than never. 4. Michael Jackson Over a hundred different bands or per- - Thriller 68.8 came mainstays of radio playlists, which is formers were mentioned by those who sent 5. U2- War/Under a Blood Red Sky 61.3 generally the case in any such survey - in their choices. Some of the records peo- 6. Prince - 1999 50.8 after all, consumer acceptance breeds pop- ularity which breeds more popularity, and ple listed were released late in 1982, but- 7. New Order- Power, Corruption, and Lies 42.9 were included if their impact was more the most widely heard music is often the strongly felt during the past year. 8. B-52's- Whammy 38.3 best remembered once the year is out. One of the more surprising aspects of 9. Devo - Oh No, It's Devo! 34.5 Few polls listed singles as opposed to al- bums, this survey was the blurring of lines sepa- so a meaningful list cannot be com- 10. REM - Murmur 33.5 piled. Four rating different musical genres. Many re- songs by Jackson and "Safety 11. Cure - Japanese Dance" by Men cords were listed in more than one cate- Whispers/The Walk 26.1 Without Hats were the only ones mentioned gory, and bands who play music which 12. David Bowie - Let's Dance 25.5 by more than one person. Nobody mentioned the once, was categorized as new wave are now Dream Syndicate - Days of Wine and Roses 25.5 tautologi- firmly entrenched in the mainstream. cal tedium that goes by the name Duran 14. Elvis Costello - Punch the Clock 23.9 Duran at all, which means As a result, the bands were reshuffled that no 14-year- old girls attend MIT, or if they do their into the following four categories: pop/ 15. Pretenders- Learning to Crawl 23.0 tastes are better than average for their age. rock/new wave, funk/r&b, punk, and lo- 16. Van Halen - Diver Down 22.0 Drew Blakeman cal. In each grouping, points were tabulat- 17. Culture Club -Colour by Numbers 19.2 ed for each performer and a weighted score was calculated, based on a score of 18. Bananarama - Deep Sea Skiving 18.2 100 for first-place. The number of per- 19. Styx' Kilroy Was Here 15.3 formers listed in each category was depen- 20. Ministry - With Sympathy 14.7 dent upon the total number of responses "BIBP- - ~r· I-·I-~-~~------~- c = - '=' la -p received - - - I - = - - I which listed choices in that cate- two records during the past year - War, a closest competition for first in any cate- gory. OK? studio album released toward the begin- gory. Ballots which named one tended to Some survey respondents ranked their ning of the year, and Under a Blood Red name the other. No one else came particu- choices, while others did not. Those who Sky, a live EP released at the end of the larly close, with third-place Grandmaster did not supply rankings had their choices year. The votes for both records were tab- Flash (rap singles "New York, New York" weighted equally; polls which did list re- ulated together; if counted separately, War and "White Lines") garnering some sup- cords in order had their higher choices would have placed about tenth and the live port. weighted proportionally more than their record about twentieth. Suicidal Tendencies' self-titled album lower picks. The more different records a The only bands mentioned which are was the most popular punk/hardcore al- person listed, the more the higher picks not primarily identified with new wave (a bum of the past year, with Proletariat's (and the less the lower) counted. term which has become largely meaning- Soma Holiday and Youth Brigade's Sound In pop/rock/new wave, the Talking less) were Van Halen, placing 16th with and Fury following. Again, several bands Heads' Speaking in Tongues was far and Diver Down, and Styx, whose Kilroy was released more than one record during the away the most popular album, being Here finished 19th. Styx, David Bowie (a past year. Only those records released on ------· ------named on well over half the ballots re- 12th-place tie for Let's Dance), and Mi- independent labels were considered in this ceived. The Police's Synchronicity finished chael Jackson (fourth place for Thriller) category; X and the Ramones, both re- a close second, with More Fun in the New are the only performers in the pop top-20 cording for major labels, were not count- World by X placing third. who predate the new wave era. ed. ReadersI The high fifth-place finish by the Irish Jackson and Prince (sixth place for Many of the local bands listed have yet band U2 was due to their having released 1999) topped the funk/r&b choices in the to release any vinyl, but they were consid- polls ... but I have the last word The ballots are in, and the readers have Monday" hits you over the head and Three brothers comprise this band. The re- funk/r&b spoken. But now it's my turn to list my fa- forces you to dance. cord, dedicated in memory of their father 1. Michael Jackson 100.0 vorite records and bands of 1983. My U2, War/Under a Blood Red Sky - (a nice change from stereotypical anti-par- 2. Prince 94.3 choices were not significantly different Two records in one year is fine with me, ent posturing) depends a little too heavily 3. Grandmaster Flash 46.3 from the compilation of picks on the sur- especially when they are this good. This is on chant-type singing. 4. S.O.S. Band 25.3 veys sent in to The Tech - I'll liberally music played with intense feeling, and it Black Flag, Everything Went Black -- 5. Nina Hagen 23.2 interpret the result to mean people at MIT shows. They lay low in 1983 due to court battles 6. Jenny Burton 21.1 share my good taste in music. My selec- XTC, Mummer - Out as an import with their former label, but did release this 6. Troublefunk 21.1 tions are in approximate order of prefer- long before its American release, this al- two-record set of demos. One side con- 8. Malcom McLaren 16.8 ence in each category, but don't hold me bum writes yet another chapter in the sto- tains several humorous radio commercials. 9. Rick James 14.1 to it forever. Here goes: ry of a band strong on integrating offbeat Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, Dirty Rotten EP 10. Herbie Hancock 10.5 Pop/rock/new wave rhythms into a pop format. XTC contin- - DRI put 22 songs on a seven-incher. X, More Fun in the ANew World - Su- ues to evolve as a cohesive musical unit. Eighteen minutes of the' fastest thrash I per album whose fine production qualities Punk/Hardcore have heard. You can't follow the words cannot mask this group's powerful perfor- Minutemen, What Makes a Man Start even with the lyric sheet. punk/hardcore mance. At last, a punk band garners mass Fires?/Buzz or Howl Under the Influence Local area appeal. of Heat - My favorite records of the Mission of Burma - They were the 1. Suicidal Tendencies 100.0 Michael Jackson, Thriller - Real meaty year. Their quirky jazzed-up punk and in- best, are still the best, and always will be 2. Proletariat 82.8 and funky, this album kept me hopping all novative guitar work keeps riding around the best. R. I. P. 3. Youth Brigade 79.3 year. I especially love "Billie Jean." Only my turntable and refuses to leave. Proletariat - Soma Holiday is a great 4. Minutemen 69.0 one bad song on the whole record, the Scream - Their self-titled debut album album, but the Proles have to be seen to 5. F.U.'s 55.2 duet with - what's his name? - is an amalgam of many different styles, be fully appreciated. 6. Husker Du 51.7 McArtry? You know, the ex-Beatle. and even includes an acoustic piece. This Freeze - A hot record, but their ab- 7. Government Issue 41.4 Police, Synchronicity - A little mel- band played only '60s covers at one show I sence from the stage hurts them. 8. Minor Threat 36.2 lower than their previous efforts, but ex- attended, and only reggae at another. Psycho - Not a thrash band at all, so 9. Meatmen 34.5 cellent songs nonetheless. The ethereal Hiisker DUi, Everything Falls Apart/ they tend to be overlooked. Big mistake. 10. Terveet Kadet 32.6 quality of "Every Breath You Take" still Metal Circus - Two releases which prove Their bassist is a virtuoso. 11. Black Flag 31.0 sends me. a band does not have to play lightning fast S. S. Decontrol - Perhaps overexpecta- Misfits 31.0 Prince, 1999 - This dude is unreal, but all the time to be powerful. As intense a tion on my part cost them points here, but Scream 31.0 his extended funk jams make club DJs band as there is. Get It Away is a good, if too-short, re- 14. Dickies 27.6 and dancers alike smile. Guaranteed to Suicidal Tendencies - Another self-ti- cord. 15. Freeze 25.9 make a dull party go. Scratch, scratch, tled debut, dealing with the trials and F. U.'s - Their virulently pro-American I'm delerious. tribulations of suburban teenage life. "ln- stance has gotten them into hot water with Talking Heads, Speaking in Tongues- stitutionalized" is a gem. some punks, but what of it? Appropriate local bands Not my favorite album by this group, with Government Issue, Boycott Stabb/Make cover of "We're an American Band" on its lengthy and somewhat pointless an Effort - Once Washington D. C.'s funk their album. 1. Proletariat 100.0 stylings, but still enjoyable. most disliked Overrated as a band, the Gl's have earned Cheapskates - Great ska/punk band, 2. Mission of Burma 88.5 dance record. respect for their neo-psychedelic approach really fun to dance to. Hopefully, a record 3. Jerry's Kids 53.8 to hardcore. Kinks, State of Confusion - I'm a is in the works. 4. F.U.'s 41.4 Kink Kultist from way back, and Bad Brains, Rock for Light - Even a while Limbo Race - One of the potential suc- 5. Freeze 39.8 these guys are starting too-slick production job by the Cars' Ric to get long in the cessors to the Mission of Burma legacy, 6. November Group 38.7 tooth, there's a Ocasek cannot destroy the intensity behind lot of life in them yet. Al- they are stylistically similar but lack that 7. Cheapskates 31.0 ways interesting music from the band this all-black punk band, which has who certain punch. Their record shows great 8. Turbines 29.4 invented the power branched out and now performs chord. primarily promise. 9. Berlin Airlift 28.8 reggae. David Bowie, Lert's Dance - His worst Jerry's Kids - Gone but not forgotten. 10. Psycho 28.3 Minor Threat, Out of Step - Even album in a long while is still one of the Maybe they'll come back. 11. S.S. Decontrol 26.5 though the group has called it quits, this year's best. Too much pandering to the Christmas - This trio has been bashing 12. Jon Butcher Axis 22.1 record is hardly a last disco crowd leaves this record a little flat. gasp by any means. it out for years, but can't seem to aget that Pat Metheney 22.1 The creators of the "straight New Order, Power, Corruption, and edge" philos- one big break. Their sound is reminiscent New Models 22.1 ophy. Lies - Compelling rhythms densely lay- of early Gang of Four. 15. Sex Execs 18.8 ered with synths and tape loops. "Blue Youth Brigade, Sound and Fury - Drew Blakemana
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