1986
Well, it's my birthday today, and I only wish I had started this blog earlier to coincide with the year I was born. Oh well, I guess I'll have to settle for this.
I know it's difficult for some people to stand, but metal had a huge year in 1986, with Slayer and Metallica arguably releasing their best records. I started and ended this mix with a track from each, both to emphasize their importance and to give people to chance to use their skip button conveniently.
Other than that, 1986 was a step up from 87, though we're still in the dog days of the 80s. "Kiss" is a great Prince song, and "Don't Dream It's Over" is quickly becoming my favorite easy listening pop song. But mostly, the year was filled with soulless rock. I chose "My Adidas" over "Walk This Way," not just because I hate the latter, but because the former was the first real commercial tie in in hip hop.
A good New Order song and a good Pet Shop Boys song represent the dance music of the time (with a cheesy showing by Yello that most people will remember from the greatest movie of the 80s, Ferris Beuller's Day Off). Then there's Paul Simon, whose Graceland was, despite my joke that every song sounds the same, a major work of art and an important political development.
That's about it for this one, I hope you enjoy.
Download the mix here.
EDIT:Here is the new link.
Also, from now on I will not be re-upping mixes in later weeks, though I will continue to put them up like this if they max out before the Friday of the week they go up. So get 'em while they're hot, folks. And thanks for letting me know, Claire.
1. Angel of Death - Slayer - 4:51
2. Fight For Your Right - The Beastie Boys - 3:27
3. My Adidas - Run-D.M.C. - 2:47
4. Nasty Boys - Janet Jackson - 4:03
5. Kiss - Prince - 3:46
6. Walk Like an Egyptian - The Bangles - 3:24
7. Cities In Dust - Siouxsie & the Banshees - 4:07
8. Living on a Prayer - Jon Bon Jovi - 4:10
9. Oh Yeah - Yello - 3:02
10. West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys - 3:57
11. Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel - 4:55
12. Graceland - Paul Simon - 4:51
13. Don't Dream Its Over - Crowded House - 4:00
14. Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Smiths - 3:14
15. Dear God - XTC - 3:37
16. Bizzare Love Triangle - New Order - 6:42
17. Rise - Public Image Limited - 6:16
18. Master of Puppets - Metallica - 8:37
posted by bza @ 1/30/2006
7 Comments:
Birthday or no, you're a meanie: "Other than that (metal), 1986 was a step up from 87." It's perhaps inevitable that as pop music turned turned crappy and synthetic, its polar opposite would rise from the underground. And then, also inevitably, turn into crappy, synthetic pop music not long after.
Slayer and Metallica's impact on their genre remains gigantic even 20 years down the line, and with the possible exception of the Beasties and the Smiths, none of the other artists on this mix could claim the same. And of course that doesn't mean that anyone has to like them at all, just that I urge everyone to try and recognize how brilliant these songs are despite the fact that they're metal.
Of course I love seeing XTC in there...I think you said there's gonna be more of their stuff later on, and it's a good thing too, 'cuz "Dear God" isn't representative at all, merely their most controversial and publicized tune. I think it's hilarious that the song wasn't included on the original version of Skylarking (perhaps Geffen was a mite wary?), and then they put it in place of "Mermaid Smiles" for subsequent releases after it became an unexpected hit.
Happy B-day & thank you for posting these...
Every week is like a B0day for my itunes!
Thanks & hope you have a good day!
Woah - I am 2 days late checking gentleindifference and the link is already maxed out.
Yowza, this project is getting incredibly popular. I'm going to have to immediately dye my hair so that my roots can differentiate me from those who dye their hair 3 months from know and claim they've always been bza fans.
That was a really lame High Fidelity reference, and I apologize.
Ok - please repost!
gee, two nice posts in a row. thanks for the complement, er, anonymous.
Sorry I got your hopes up claire, but don't worry. I will always know you were my biggest supporter from the beginning.
i realized while listening to this mix that 1986 must be one of the first years i can remember well. i, like many of our generation,have graceland deeply imprinted in our brains because it was literally on repeat for 2 years of my childhood. and sledgehammer is one of the first songs i remember liking, as well as the second music video i remember watching (the first was peter cetera's glory of love, and i saw it on network tv, back when they used to play videos between shows sometimes. I swear they did this).
cities in dust is one of those songs i always knew but now can name and stuff, which is cool. i join bza in appreaciating that crowded house tune, even if the lyrics totally ape 'across the universe'. you could rip off much worse stuff.
now, if 1985 gets into the bryan ferry, which i doubt it will, then we will have to dig up the memory of my parents putting his album on and then disapearring and locking the door. now excuse me while i curl up and cry.
No more re-ups? :-( I'm sure lots of people have missed previous mixes though
Anyway great mix as usual, thanks for putting it up even though it was your birthday
sorry, i just want to streamline a little and not make as much work for me. people are, of course, welcome to up mixes for other people who request them in the comments section.
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