1. Bruce Springsteen - The River
2. AC/DC - Back In Black
3. Joy Division - Closer
4. The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms
5. Talking Heads - Remain In Light
6. The Jam - Sound Affects
7. Echo & The Bunnymen - Crocodiles
8. Prince - Dirty Mind
9. Dexys Midnight Runners - Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
10. Elvis Costello - Get Happy!!

An amazing year ! I discovered a lot of new albums.
The British scene of this era is awesome
No excellent albums though, none in my top 100, only B's (down to Marley) and C's.


Albums

1. The Specials - More Specials (all time # 107)
2. Bruce Springsteen - The River (108 !!!!)
3. Linton Kwesi Johnson - Bass Culture
4. AC/DC - Back In Black
5. Prince - Dirty mind
6. Dexys Midnight Runners - Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
7. Bob Marley - Uprising
8. The Blues Brothers - The Blues Brothers
9. Telephone - Au cœur de la nuit
10. Tom Waits - Heartattack & Vine
11. Elvis Costello - Get Happy !
12. Talking Heads - Remain In Light
13. Joy Division - Closer
14. David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
15. The Jam – Sound Affects
16. Eddy Clearwater - The Chief
17. The Pretenders - Pretenders
18. Renaud - Marche à l'ombre
19. Bernard Lavilliers - O Gringo
20. The Blasters - American Music

Songs

1. Bruce Springsteen - The River
2. Bob Marley - Could you be loved
3. The Blues Brothers & Aretha Franklin - Think
4. Bruce Springsteen - Point Blank
5. Moraes Moreira - Lenda do Pegaso
6. AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long
7. David Bowie - Ashes to ashes
8. Telephone - Au cœur de la nuit
9. Bob Marley - Redemption Song
10. Bruce Springsteen - The Ties That Bind
11. Tom Waits - Ruby's Arms
12. The Cure - A Forest
13. The Specials - Stereotype / Stereotypes pt.2
14. Renaud - Marche à l'ombre
15. Prince - When You Were Mine
16. Taxi Girl - Cherchez le garçon
17. The Specials - Do Nothing
18. Linton Kwesi Johnson - Di Black Petty Booshwah
19. The Jam - That's Entertainment
20. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno

Bubbling under : Alain Bashung - Gaby Oh Gaby
Bob Seger - Against The Wind
Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia

So we have a rendle AND a rendler?

yes, I noticed that before
they are 2 different persons

Quite a good year, it turns out. I've had a lot of trouble deciding how to rank numbers 2-5; they're essentially tied. I was surprised after listening to the Pretenders debut for the first time in a very, very long time just how great it is. And each time I relistened to check my reaction, it rose in my estimation. I now think it's one of the most underrated albums ever. As for Sandanista!, if the Clash had only put out 5 sides instead of 6, it might have been vying for first; as it is, it has to settle for third (even though The River might have been better had Bruce stopped at 3-and-a-half sides). If I'd had another week of intense relistening, Remain in Light might have moved up. Notable absence: Closer. There are plenty of people whose taste I respect who say it's a masterpiece, so I know I must be missing something, but every time I listen I just shake my head and shrug my shoulders. Odd inclusions: I have to throw in some jazz and country, even if nobody else will; the Murray, Pepper, and Jones are some fine albums. Finally, my hats off to people who can rank songs for the year-- it makes my head spin just ranking the albums; how can you do it for songs, too?!

1. Pretenders - Pretenders
2. Bruce Springsteen - The River
3. The Clash - Sandanista!
4. Talking Heads - Remain in Light
5. Elvis Costello - Get Happy!!
6. The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms
7. David Murray - Ming
8. Dexys Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
9. Prince - Dirty Mind
10. Stevie Wonder - Hotter than July
11. Steely Dan - Gaucho
12. John Lennon/Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy
13. Art Pepper - Winter Moon
14. George Jones - I Am What I Am
15. X - Los Angeles
16. Pete Townshend - Empty Glass

Movies: There are a few I can't believe have not been mentioned. There really wasn't much for non-blockbuser fare in 1980...

1. Caddyshack
2. Empire Strikes Back
3. The Elephant Man
4. Private Benjamin
5. Superman II
6. The Shining
7. Where the Buffalo Roam

8 hours remaining. I'll post the winners in the morning. (my morning, that is)

And the winners are..

Albums
1) Talking Heads - Remain In Light
2) Joy Division - Closer
3) Bruce Springsteen - The River
4) Pretenders - Pretenders
5) X - Los Angeles
6) Prince - Dirty Mind
7) AC/DC - Back In Black
David Bowie - Scary Monsters
9) The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
10) The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms

Songs
1) Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
2) Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
3) David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes
4) Bruce Springsteen - The River
5) The Cure - A Forest
6) The Jam - That's Entertainment
7) Bob Marley & The Wailers - Redemption Song
The Jam - Going Underground
9) Joy Division - Atmosphere
10) AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long

The complete list can be found here:


So more people can participate in the final round, for your convenience and my compiling-pleasure, here are all the albums and songs on songza.com. There'll probably be multiple results, usually the first one listed with the exact name is the album version.

Albums

1) Talking Heads - Remain In Light
Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)
Crosseyed and Painless
The Great Curve
Once In A Lifetime
Houses in Motion
Seen and Not Seen
Listening Wind
The Overload

2) Joy Division - Closer
Atrocity Exhibition
Isolation
Passover
Colony
A Means To An End
Heart and Soul
Twenty Four Hours
The Eternal
Decades

3) Bruce Springsteen - The River (Unfortunately not every song on this album is available, sometimes there's a live version but a few songs are not available at all)
The Ties That Bind
Sherry Darling
Jackson Cage
Two Hearts
Independence Day
Hungry Heart
Out In The Street
Crush On You
You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
I Wanna Marry You
The River
Point Blank
Cadillac Ranch
I'm A Rocker
Fade Away
Stolen Car
Ramrod
The Price You Pay
Drive All Night
Wreck On The Highway

4) Pretenders - Pretenders
Precious
The Phone Call
Up The Neck
Tattooed Love Boys
Space Invader
The Wait
Stop Your Sobbing
Kid
Private Life
Brass In Pocket (I'm Special)
Lovers Of Today
Lovers Of Today

5) X - Los Angeles
Your Phone's Off The Hook, But You're Not
Johnny Hit And Run Pauline
Soul Kitchen
Nausea
Sugarlight
Los Angeles
Sex And Dying In High Society
Unheard Music
The World's A Mess, It's In My Kiss

6) Prince - Dirty Mind (Even fewer songs are available for Prince, sorry)
Dirty Mind
When You Were Mine
Do It All Night
Gotta Broken Heart Again
Uptown
Head
Sister
Partyup

7) AC/DC - Back In Black
Hells Bells
Shoot To Thrill
What Do You Do For Money
Givin' the Dog A Bone
Let Me Put My Love Into You
Back In Black
You Shook Me All Night Long
Have A Drink On Me
Shake A Leg
Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution

David Bowie - Scary Monsters
It's No Game (No. 1)
Up The Hill Backwards
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
Ashes To Ashes
Fashion
Teenage Wildlife
Scream Like A Baby
Kingdom Come
Because You're Young
It's No Game (No. 2)

9) The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
A Reflection (Ignore Jah Cure)
Play For Today
Secrets
In Your House
Three
The Final Sound
A Forest
M
At Night
Seventeen Seconds

10) The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms
The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness
Fa Cé-La
Loveless Love
Forces At Work
Original Love
Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except Me And My Monkey)
Moscow Nights
Raised Eyebrows
Crazy Rhythms


Songs

1) Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
2) Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
3) David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes
4) The River
5) The Cure - A Forest
6) The Jam - That's Entertainment
7) Bob Marley - Redemption Song
The Jam - Going Underground
9) Joy Division - Atmosphere
10) AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long

Aw crap. I pressed disable smilies before the preview, but not afterwards. Oh well, you all know by now that that signifies the 8th place.

Amazing work, Stephan! Excellent idea to post all those songza links! Thanks!

How did the Dead Kennedys not make either list?

I would think by not getting enough support.

Stephan, I think you may have neglected to tabulate one of my choices - I had GET HAPPY!! at #3 on my list, but in the table the cell for that album is blank in my column.

Dammit ! No Ace of Spades for only 2 points!

Wow. Nine out of ten albums I own, and one I've heard many songs from and dislike! I can't believe Dead Kennedys didn't make it.

Time to start rating 1981. I need to see which albums I need to buy before I make my list.

Damn it, you're right Harold, sorry. And it brings Elvis Costello into the top 10 too. That makes the album list:

1) Talking Heads - Remain In Light
2) Joy Division - Closer
3) Bruce Springsteen - The River
4) Pretenders - Pretenders
5) X - Los Angeles
6) Prince - Dirty Mind
7) AC/DC - Back In Black
8) David Bowie - Scary Monsters
9) The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
10) Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Get Happy!!

And the links for Get Happy!!:
Love For Tender
Opportunity
The Imposter
Secondary Modern
King Horse
Possession
Men Called Uncle
Clowntime Is Over
New Amsterdam
High Fidelity

I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
Black & White World
5ive Gears In Reverse
B Movie
Motel Matches
Human Touch
Beaten To The Punch
Temptation
I Stand Accused
Riot Act

Sorry about that folks, I knew I was gonna screw up somewhere but I'd hoped it'd be somewhere no one would notice.

Damn, that knocks out the Feelies. What a rip off!

Well, I'm glad Elvis made it into the top 10, but I'm sad that the Feelies didn't. Could we knock something else out of the top ten--i.e., something that wasn't on my list--to fit them in there?

If it's any consolation, I feel kinda bad that the correction knocked out CRAZY RHYTHMS, too, and I didn't even put it in my top ten. Too bad some of these albums didn't come out in 1981 - making that list is going to be tougher, especially since SANDINISTA! isn't eligible.

We could have some kind of voting on the years I suppose, which would give the lowest ranked year less entries to the final 100 than the higher ranked ones.. but not everyone might agree with that.

excellent idea Stephan !
I'm in

Awesome job, Stephan! I have 7 of the albums and enjoy them all. I'm bummed that AC/DC made it, but I suppose it was inevitable!

Let me be the first to say that I am not in favor of changing up the 10 songs/albums per year format.

I'm for keeping the format the way it is. Changing it would just lead to too much discussion and disagreement.

Keep the 10 per year.

I must say I agree with keeping it to 10 from each year. That's the very nature of the game - otherwise, we could just have one big poll for our top 100 of the decade. The 90s weren't even either, but that worked fine. Wait til we get to the 60s...

One more vote for keeping the format the way it is - 10 albums and 10 songs per year, no exceptions. Not even for 1985.

(Hey, could we bend the rules a bit and make McCartney's "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" eligible for the '85 song list?)

I must say I'm a little disappointed that there were only two mentions for Blondie's brilliant song "Rapture". That song crossed over so many genres and was quite influential and revolutionary in its day. It also was the first rap song to go number 1!