Self Help Radio 011817: 1981

(Original image here.)

People love lists.  People spend all day on the internet looking at lists.  When I was a kid, I read all three copies of "The Book Of Lists."  I have a friend who's intensely interested in lists.  Give me a list of your top ten favorite artists, he has said.  What are your favorite records of this & such year?  Make a list!  Make a list of the best movies you've seen!  List!  List!  List!

Frankly I am leery of such lists.  First of all, it seems like once you've committed to a list, especially a hierarchical one, you're less likely to want to go back to change it.  Secondly, aren't lists conditional? I mean, none of my favorite hip-hop records from 1981 made it onto my show, but that's only because I don't think about hip-hop in the same way as music that affected me when I was younger.  Which is to say that there are times I'd much rather listen to "Apache" by the Sugarhill Gang than "Ceremony" by New Order.  (Both singles were released in 1981.)

The best kind of list I can offer is this sort of show.  On this week's Self Help Radio, I played songs from my favorite releases of 1981.  Two of these were recorded before, but not released until, 1981.  Eight of them came from singles or EPs.  Almost all of them would wait to be discovered by me until late high school/college.

& here's the show, now at the Self Help Radio website. Pay attention to username/password info on the front page.  The songs I played are below.  The fact that it's now thirty-six years since 1981 kinda blows my mind.

(part one)

"Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste" The Modern Lovers _The Original Modern Lovers_
"Nothing's Going To Happen" Tall Dwarfs _Three Songs_
"Fast Boyfriends" Girls At Our Best! _Pleasure_

"Exercise One" Joy Division _Still_
"Ceremony" New Order _Ceremony_
"The Passion Of Lovers" Bauhaus _Mask_
"Spellbound" Siouxsie & The Banshees _Juju_

"Charlotte Sometimes" The Cure _Charlotte Sometimes_
"Into You Like A Train" The Psychedelic Furs _Talk Talk Talk_
"Zoo-Music Girl" The Birthday Party _Prayers On Fire_
"Don't Shake Me Lucifer" Roky Erickson & The Aliens _The Evil One_

"Leave The Capitol" The Fall _Slates_
"Jerkin' Back & Forth" Devo _New Traditionalists_

(part two)

"This Angry Silence" Television Personalities _...And Don't The Kids Just Love It_
"Join The Book Club" George Carlin _A Place For My Stuff!_
"Help Me Somebody" Brian Eno & David Byrne _My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts_

"This Is Radio Clash" The Clash _This Is Radio Clash_
"That's Entertainment" The Jam _That's Entertainment_
"The KKK Took My Baby Away" The Ramones _Pleasant Dreams_
"That's When I Reach For My Revolver" Mission Of Burma _Signals, Calls, & Marches_

"New Lace Sleeves" Elvis Costello & The Attractions _Trust_
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" The Police _Ghost In The Machine_
"Since You're Gone" The Cars _Shake It Up_
"Belinda" Eurythmics _In The Garden_

"Poor Old Soul" Orange Juice _Poor Old Soul_
"Sorry For Laughing" Josef K _The Only Fun In Town_