Joplin, Janis - 1980 - Anthology (2CD)

Anthology is an adequate double-disc retrospective of Janis Joplin's years with Big Brother & the Holding Company and her solo career, containing most of her best-known songs and a selection of forgotten gems. It's a fine set, but the single-disc Greatest Hits is better suited for casual fans, and the box set Janis serves the needs of collectors much better than this, so the 1997 reissue of this double album is a little puzzling and unnecessary, even if it is an enjoyable listen.

		1		Piece of My Heart	Berns, Ragovoy	4:17
		2		Summertime	Gershwin, Heyward	4:01
		3		Maybe	Barrett	3:43
		4		Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)	Ragovoy, Taylor	4:01
		5		To Love Somebody	Gibb, Gibb	5:22
		6		Kozmic Blues	Joplin	4:22
		7		Turtle Blues	Joplin	4:25
		8		Oh, Sweet Mary	Joplin	4:19
		9		Little Girl Blue	Hart, Rodgers	3:51
		10		Trust Me	Womack	3:07
		11		Move Over	Joplin	3:43
		12		Half Moon	Hall	3:55
		13		Cry Baby	Berns, Ragovoy	4:00
		14		Me and Bobby McGee	Foster, Kristofferson	4:35
		15		Mercedes Benz	Joplin, McClure	1:49
		16		Down on Me		3:02
		17		Bye Bye Baby	St.John	3:47
		18		Get It While You Can	Ragovoy, Shuman	7:15
		19		Ball and Chain	Thornton	8:00

¡Aquí!

Onuki, Taeko - 1980 - Romantique

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Yepes, Narciso & Monden, Godelieve - 1980 - Rodrigo-Bacarisse

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Soft Boys - 1980 - Underwater Moonlight

After recording the material that would later comprise the bulk of Invisible Hits, the Soft Boys recorded their masterpiece, the shimmering neo-psychedelic Underwater Moonlight. Essentially, the band didn't change their style for the record -- they merely perfected it. The Soft Boys don't hide their influences -- whether its the ringing guitars of the Beatles and Byrds or the surreal humor of John Lennon and Syd Barrett -- but they assimilate them, resulting in a fresh, edgy take on '60s guitar pop. Robyn Hitchcock's subject matter tends to be more explicitly weird and absurdist than his influences, as titles like "I Wanna Destroy You," "Old Pervert," and "Queen of Eyes" indicate -- even "Kingdom of Love" equates romance to bugs crawling under your skin. But the lyrics aren't the only thing that are edgy -- the music is too. The Soft Boys play pop hooks as if they were punk rock. "I Wanna Destroy You" isn't overtly threatening like their post-punk contemporaries, but with its layered guitar hooks and dissonant harmonies, it is equally menacing. Furthermore, the group can twist its songs inside out and then revert them to their original form, as evidenced by "Insanely Jealous." Although the neo-psychedelic flourishes are fascinating, the key to record's success is how each song is constructed around rock-solid hooks and melodies that instantly work their way into the subconscious. In fact, that's the most notable thing about Underwater Moonlight -- it updates jangling, melodic guitar pop for the post-punk world, which made it a touchstone for much of the underground pop of the mid-'80s, particularly R.E.M.

		1		I Wanna Destroy You	Hitchcock	2:52
		2		Kingdom of Love	Hitchcock	4:11
		3		Positive Vibrations	Hitchcock	3:10
		4		I Got the Hots	Hitchcock	4:43
		5		Insanely Jealous	Hitchcock	4:12
		6		Tonight	Hitchcock	3:44
		7		You'll Have to Go Sideways	Hitchcock	2:57
		8		Old Pervert	Hitchcock, Rew, Seligman ...	3:52
Composed by: Hitchcock, Rew, Seligman, Windsor
		9		Queen of Eyes	Hitchcock	1:58
		10		Underwater Moonlight	Hitchcock	4:17
		11		Vegetable Man [*]	Barrett	2:59
		12		Strange [*]	Hitchcock	2:59
		13		Only the Stones Remain [*]	Hitchcock	2:50
		14		Where Are the Prawns? [*]	Hitchcock	6:04
		15		Dreams [*]	Hitchcock	4:37
		16		Black Snake Diamond Rock [*]	Hitchcock	4:24
		17		There's Nobody Like You [*]	Hitchcock	3:11
		18		Song No. 4 [*]	Hitchcock	4:35

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Killing Joke - 1980 - Killing Joke

Since 1980, there have been a hundred bands who sound like this; but before Steve Albini and Al Jourgensen made it hip, the cold metallic throb of Killing Joke was exciting and fresh. The harshly sung vocals riding over the pulsating synth lines of the opener "Requiem" have a vigor and passion that few imitators have managed to match. The precise riffs and tight rhythms found in songs like "Wardance" would influence a generation of hardcore musicians; yet "The Wait," with its thrashing guitars and angry vocals, would find itself covered on a Metallica album only six years later. That such a bleak and furious album could have such a widespread influence is a testament to its importance. Certain parts of the album have not dated well; the vocals and drums are mixed in such a way that they lose some of their effectiveness, and the fact that so many other bands have used this same formula does take some of the visceral feeling away. But this is an underground classic and deserves better than its relative unknown status. Fans of most kinds of heavy music will probably find something they like about this band, and this is a good a place as any to start the collection.

		1		Requiem	Coleman, Ferguson, Walker ...	3:44
Composed by: Coleman, Ferguson, Walker, Youth
		2		Wardance	Coleman, Ferguson, Walker ...	3:47
Composed by: Coleman, Ferguson, Walker, Youth
		3		Tomorrow's World	Killing Joke	5:29
		4		Bloodsport	Coleman, Ferguson, Walker ...	4:46
Composed by: Coleman, Ferguson, Walker, Youth
		5		The Wait	Killing Joke	3:42
		6		Complications	Coleman, Ferguson, Walker ...	3:08
Composed by: Coleman, Ferguson, Walker, Youth
		7		Change	Coleman, Ferguson, Walker ...	4:00
Composed by: Coleman, Ferguson, Walker, Youth
		8		S.O. 36	Killing Joke	6:52
		9		Primitive	Killing Joke	3:36

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