When I first heard REM's first album, Murmur particularly this song, I knew that this was a special band, Michael Stipe's singing and deep lyrics, Peter Buck's jangly guitar and Mike Mill's melodic bass and CELLOS, it sounded so great...
I preferred the more Punky Skids to the straight Celtic Rock of Big Country, but I liked this song a lot...
And a couple more Aussie Alternative bands, this one is The Triffids' debut album, Treeless Plains...
And I'm going to close the week with song(s) from my favourite band and will do the same for the next five weeks probably! This was one I missed from last week and it is a great single written by Bob Mould... And this one is from the Metal Circus EP which was released in '83... The Orwellian 1984 starts tomorrow...
1984 was a year for 3 weddings (my older brother's and two close friends) and no funeral (unless you count the great Marvin Gaye's, R.I.P. who was shockingly shot dead by his father). In the news, Maggie declared war on the working class during The Miner's Strike and very nearly lost her life after the bombing of The Grand Hotel in Brighton and Sir Bob Geldof dreamt up Band Aid after watching starving Africans on his TV. Saints very nearly did the double and had their highest ever English League Division One finish, finishing runners up to Liverpool (Premier League to anyone under 35!). I was still following my other passion of listening to and collecting recorded music (and watching some live too), here is some of it... This was the breakthrough year for The Smiths and they were so different to anything around at the time, this is my favourite from the Hatful of Hollow compilation...
And another unique and ethereal sounding Dream Pop band from Scotland released their classic third album, Treasure...