The 1985 Listening Post - White Lion - Fight to Survive

White Lion - Fight to Survive

#447/1082

November 9 1985

White Lion

Fight to Survive

Genre: Rock

2.5 out of 5

Highlights:

Cherokee

All the Fallen Men

How many times did White Lion get confused with Great White? 

Like, all the times, right?

Great White is better. 

In the 80s you either tried to be Van Halen, Ronnie James Dio/Ozzy, ACDC or Ratt (or variations of them, and I know I’m missing some), it seems that White Lion wants to follow in the Rattegory. Which is all pretty dull to begin with. 

The pieces are all there. And the sum of those parts is…exactly what one would expect. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/fight-to-survive/341112932

The 1985 Listening Post - Y&T - Down for the Count

Y&T - Down for the Count

#446/1081

November 9 1985

Y&T

Down for the Count

Genre: Rock

2.75 out of 5

Highlights:

Anytime At All

You know what killed Rock? People singing about how they have to Rock. 

Born to, in the name of, live for, etc. 

That said, this is the most energetic and fun Y&T offering. But it’s also a desperate attempt to mine the AC/DC vein. 

Like they really wanna play to a stadium filled with fist pumpers. So, what does it mean when your biggest sellout is also your most fun and accessible?

I don’t know. I know that I could cruise the California freeways with the top down in 1985, playing this on blast and feel like I owned the world. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/down-for-the-count/670908521

The 1985 Listening Post - Armored Saint - Delirious Nomad

Armored Saint - Delirious Nomad

#445/1080

November 9 1985

Armored Saint

Delirious Nomad

Genre: Metal

4.25 out of 5

Highlights:

Long Before I Die

The Conqueror

For the Sake of Heaviness

Released

Last year’s offering from this group was not my cuppa, even though I like this kind of sound. 

Like any of this stuff, unless it’s magical, it can get a bit repetitive but the side one closer, “The Conqueror” is actually kind of great and the swirling metal of the Side Two opener “For the Sake of Heaviness” more than make up for any flab. 

 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ7ztNazTVC0algmYEGMCBoabUMLxTbH

The 1985 Listening Post - Aerosmith - Done with Mirrors

Aerosmith - Done with Mirrors

#444/1079

November 9 1985

Aerosmith

Done With Mirrors

Genre: Rock

3.75 out of 5

Highlights:

Let the Music Do the Talking

Gypsy Boots

The Hop

Joe Perry came back. 

I’m one of those very very latecomers to Aerosmith. I admit it. I found them during their resurgent MTV days. And I had to go back and give them their due. 

They were one of the bands that I featured on the original Listening Post a decade ago. Their 2nd, 3rd and 4th records, culminating in Rocks were astoundingly good. 

So much so that I probably burned out cuz this is much better than the previous 2 and a really good warm up to the next 2. Sure, they sound like they wanna be the American Rolling Stones but, hey, the Stones weren’t doing anything interesting at this point so, why not take that blues based cock rock slot?

I wasn’t fair to this then. Fresh ears and all. Just proves you really shouldn’t listen to EVERYTHING in a band’s catalog in one solid go. 

I was wrong about this one 10 years ago. It’s much better than I remembered.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/done-with-mirrors/1443504474

The 1985 Listening Post - Twisted Sister - Come Out and Play

Twisted Sister - Come Out and Play

#443/1078

November 9 1985

Twisted Sister

Come Out and Play

Genre: Rock

2.25 out of 5

Highlights:

I Believe In You

I should love this. It’s even less Slade-y and more Alice Cooper-y. I don’t care for Alice but I like Theatric Rock. But something’s wrong. It’s cold and lifeless. 

Covering “Leader of the Pack” is their answer to “Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room” and it’s a terrible choice. 

Ugh, this album…

Whatever guilty pleasure fun Twisted Sister offered in the past is depleted with this record. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/come-out-and-play/1312810928

The 1985 Listening Post - Elton John - Ice On Fire

Elton John - Ice On Fire

#442/1077

November 4 1985

Elton John

Ice On Fire

Genre: Rock

2.25 out of 5

Why does Elton John sound like he’s trying to be INXS? Who wrote this??

Take a listen to “Cry to Heaven” and see if you hear what I hear: That this is exactly what mid-80s Queen sounded like. Like this could’ve fit on A Kind of Magic in a heart. It’s no secret that Elton was close with Freddie. The two of them joked about starting a band with Rod Stewart called something like “Teeth, Nose and Hair”. 

This is just like what Queen was like in 85: Big, tired and coasting. 

(I wanted to highlight “Nikita” but, damn, that song is like 9 1/2 minutes long of the same, droning, island music thing.)

https://music.apple.com/us/album/ice-on-fire-remastered/1440912795

The 1985 Listening Post - Cut the Crap

The Clash - Cut the Crap

#441/1076

November 4 1985

The Clash

Cut the Crap

Genre: Rrrrroooooockkkk….?

2 out of 5

What is this garbage? Is Joe Strummer trying to prove me right? Was he saying that Mick should “Cut the Crap” and get back to rock? Because in the shadow of B.A.D., this is shyte. 

It’s a muddy mess, with crappy drums and…keyboard horns?

They alllllmost sound like The Clash on “Movers and Shakers” and “This is England” but it takes a lot to get there. And once you do, the journey wasn’t really worth it. The former is mixed terribly and the drum machines on the latter kill it to death. I can only imagine what “Three Card Trick” would sound like if the whole band was together. 

This was a chore. 

Go away, Joe. Regroup. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/cut-the-crap/190260539

The 1985 Listening Post - The Alarm - Strength

The Alarm - Strength

#440/1075

November 3 1985

The Alarm

Strength

Genre: Rock

3.75 out of 5

With the scads of happiness and anthemic joy that Declaration brought me, I have no idea why I eschewed this album. Did I hear something that led me to believe it wasn’t good? Did I just think that the first one was so perfect that I couldn’t bear to even hear any more? What is wrong with me? I do this a lot. Love an album, never listen to any more by the artist. 

You know who must have loved The Alarm? 

Against Me!.  “Knife’s Edge” could’ve been covered on White Crosses and I would not have known it was a cover. 

Something’s missing, though…Mike Howlett isn’t Alan Shacklock. He’s trying to make The Alarm sound like they belong on the radio and it’s that Civil War rock band sound that worked so well for them. It’s what separated them from U2 while mining the same tropes. Now they sound like a U2 wannabe band. Dammit.

In the end it sounded like a secondary rehash of the first with none of the excitement or bombast or, really, fun.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/strength-1985-1986-remastered/1324886851

The 1985 Listening Post - Subhumans - Worlds Apart

Subhumans - Worlds Apart

#439/1074

November 1 1985

Subhumans

Worlds Apart

Genre: Punk

4 out of 5

Highlights:

Heads of State

Apathy

Fade Away

Pigman

Subhumans didn’t get the memo that Punk was dead. So, they continue that sludgy metal pseudo-Crass punk attack and, much like their first record, it satisfies like…like that one. 

I don’t recall them being so bass heavy but that actually helps here. It’s a much more musical, dare I say nearly psychedelic punk than one would expect at the time. But also, that Reggae influence I was talking about shows up on “Fade Away” and it’s intercut with some razor blade guitars. 

Another very good record by Subhumans. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/worlds-apart-remastered/309253931

The 1985 Listening Post - GANGgajang - GANGgajang

GANGgajang - GANGgajang

#438/1073

November 1 1985

GANGgajang

GANGgajang

Genre: World Rock

3.75 out of 5

Highlights:

Ambulance Men

The Bigger They Are

I couldn’t find this record for about a week. But that’s because I kept spelling it GANJAgang. Now, it’s definitely something you could appreciate more if you were on the Ganja but that’s besides the point. 

These guys definitely listened to a lot of New Wave records of Midnight Oil but also Talking Heads and even Adam Ant or the like. It’s a bouncy New Wave but not too political. It’s pleasant. It’s the kind of record you hear playing in the background at, say, Great Wolf Lodge. It’s sunny pool music but not for being outside. Its an inside the building record. Not a top down record. You still want to be air conditioned when you listen cuz it doesn’t cool you off on it’s own.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/ganggajang/268877729