Records influence today's biggest stars

The 5 most important albums of the '80s

By: Colin McGuire

Posted: 10/22/04

In honor of SRU celebrating homecoming by giving love to the wonderful decade of the '80s, we here at The Rocket decided that instead of giving you a normal review of an album that probably wasn't really that good anyways, we would take you back to this decade. Some claim this was the worst decade of music, while others shout brilliance at anything that hit the airwaves during this period of time.

What you will read is a list, in no particular order, of the five most important albums of the decade that gave you tight pants, relevant music videos and the "not-so good" seasons of "Saved by the Bell."

Oh, and by the way, note to all '80s children: no, you will not find any of Poison's albums in this list because no, they were not a good band, nor were any of the other 3,490 glam acts that polluted what could have been the best decade of music this world will ever see. Read and learn.

The Police- Synchronicity

Why do the good have to die so young? On their last full length recording, released in June of 1983, Sting, Stewart Copland and Andy Summers finally perfected their sound, just as the horses were picking them up to ride into the sunset.

With singles like the infectious "Wrapped Around Your Finger," and the stalking classic, "Every Breath You Take," this British trio proves exactly why they were the greatest rock band in the world. This album included brilliant pop masterpieces glazed by infectious groves, beautiful musicianship, as well as a too good to be true tight, electric sound that had never been showcased prior to this release.

Influential to every relevant pop star or group that has ever laid ears on such harmonies, The Police saved the best for last, and in turn made an album that will take Sting to his death before it is forgotten, proving that John Mayer won't be the only one praying every night for that impossible reunion tour.

Michael Jackson-Thriller

Insert your own child molestation, "he is weird" joke here. It doesn't really matter. There is no denying the best selling album in the history of music. Forget the '80s; Thriller might just be the most important album of all time according to some so-called music "experts."

If there was any speculation about Mike not being able to break away from the stigma that The Jackson 5 once gave him, he completely crushed that with this perfect blend of pop and R&B. Accompanied by the No.1 video on every "all-time list" countdown imaginable, Thriller has sold over 45 million albums worldwide with virtually half of the album's nine songs being chart topping hits.

Anyone who has ever put a needle on a record or a compact disc into a player knows that "Billie Jean" could very well be the best song Jackson has ever recorded, and that says something considering his plethora of number one hits throughout the years. If that's not good enough, "Thriller," and "Beat It" made this album imperative to own by even your grandmother's mother, by being virtually inescapable.

Call him what you want, Michael Jackson was once the most talented man in all of show business.

The Cure - Disintegration

Attention all you emo punks out there. Without these guys, you might be listening to nothing but Nickelback and 3 Doors Down, and we all know you don't want that, now do you? Disintegration is quite possibly the best Cure album to date, unless you are any one of the characters on South Park, in which case, this would be the best album of all time.

Moody, depressing, atmospheric and dark, Robert Smith's bid at perfection felt exactly what he meant it to feel like - your girlfriend dumping you after a year and a half relationship on the same day your very close grandmother passed, and then to top it off, the Yankees beat the Red Sox in extra innings. And, oh by the way, you grew up in Bean town.

Everyone from pop-punk lollipops Good Charlotte, to emo lovers Thursday, to any one of your favorite "alternative rockers" today have all cited The Cure as major influences, not only in their music, but in their lives. Disintegration proves why with such classics as the uncharacteristically optimistic, "Love Song," the spooking Smith whispering flavor of "Lullaby," and the cover-happy treat, "Fascination Street."

Though their legacy may have been tarnished in recent years with sub-par releases, The Cure can at least be remembered for getting it right once on Disintegration. That's one more time than most of the bands they have influenced ever achieved.

N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton

Oftentimes, people wonder when good, fun-loving hip-hop turned into gangsta lovin', hard, "I am going to kill you" rap for good. The answer is simple - the very minute the first copy of N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton hit your local CD store's shelves.

A young Ice Cube, a friendly Easy E and Dr. Dre, and an underrated MC Ren didn't have a dream. They had a message, and they were determined to make sure you heard that message, regardless of if you wanted to or not on their 1988 release.

Influencing today's head playa Snoop Dogg, yesterday's most respected rapper Tupac, and tomorrow's most hated man 50 Cent, N.W.A. brought forth a completely different lifestyle, and coast for that matter, to mainstream's attention with Straight Outta Compton.

Songs like one of the most influential hip/hop records to date, "Straight Outta Compton," the politically charged "Express Yourself," and possibly the hardest track on the album, "Gangsta, Gangsta" are indicative of the lovably offensive reasons this album is so legendary.

Rumor has it that a reformed N.W.A., along with a new album, is in the works. I hope today's pistol waiving wannabes got the memo to take cover soon and fast.

Peter Gabriel - So

So you mean to tell me Peter Gabriel made one of the five most essential albums of the 1980's? Yep. With So's atmospheric climate combined with candy-like pop mixed in with the support of some of the most groundbreaking music videos of all time, this is the album you won't realize until 30 years after his death how important it truly was.

From the album's starting point, one of Gabriel's personal favorites, "Red Rain," to the experimental ending track, "This is the Picture," the former lead singer for Genesis proves he really can do it on his own.

"In Your Eyes" will more than likely be played at your wedding, not to mention that more than 10 years later it is still being talked about for being perfectly used in a certain movie you might have seen during the '80s. Without a doubt, one of the top ten love songs of all time, "In Your Eyes" puts the use of African-influenced vocal patterns on top of Gabriel's own distinct tear-jerking croons in a way that leaves you begging her to never leave.

The groundbreaking video for "Sledgehammer" only puts perfectly done over-the-top art with an already inescapable chorus making a track that could have been potentially overlooked nothing less than a classic.

On So, Gabriel blends British pop with the type of palpable love that your 13-year-old brother is just beginning to experience, perfectly processed beats that are way before their time and a voice one will never be able to duplicate successfully. It's a voice that will take longer than it should to be heard.