SUZANNE VEGA Debut Album

Original released on LP A&M 395 072-1

(GERMANY, April 1985)

Though early comparisons were made to Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega's true antecedents were Janis Ian and Leonard Cohen. Like Ian, she sings with a precise, frequently half-spoken phrasing that gives her lyrics an intensity that seems to suggest an unsteady control consciously held over emotional chaos. Like Cohen, Vega observes the world in poetic metaphor, her cold urban landscapes reflecting a troubled sense of love and loss. The key track is "Small Blue Thing," in which the singer pictures herself as an object «Like a marble/or an eye,» «made of china/made of glass,» «lost inside your pocket,» and «turning in your hand.» The sharply picked acoustic guitar and other isolated musical elements echo the closely observed scenes - everything seems to be in tight close-up and sharp focus. Often, the singer seems to be using the songs to measure an emotional distance; sometimes, as in "Marlene on the Wall," she observes her own actions from a remove. In "Freeze Tag," she tells a companion, «I will be Dietrich/and you can be Dean»; in "Marlene," a poster of the aloof movie star «watches from the wall,» observing the singer's succession of lovers, and she tries to emulate her heroine's persona, telling the current one, «Even if I am in love with you/all this to say, what's it to you?» The ten songs on "Suzanne Vega" constitute the self-analysis of a young woman who desires possession without offering commitment; no wonder that, upon its release, it was taken to heart by young women across the country and in Europe. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)

NINA HAGEN: "In Ekstase"

Original released on LP CBS 26468

(GERMANY, 1985)

I've loved Nina Hagen ever since I first heard "Nunsexmonkrock" forever ago and the love was further solidified with my discovery of "Unbehagen" and "Nina Hagen Band". I thought the later stuff of hers I'd heard was kinda weak, though dancey and funnish, but this album's cover was so awesome looking I had to get regardless of my doubts. Oh man, this record is so good, and feels way more insane than even "Nunsex" felt when I first heard it. Oh my God, it's fucking wild, on "Atomic Flash De Luxe" she starts quacking that obnoxious circus song (think dickies theme to killer klowns) over a suuperrad dance beat and it's the most mindblowing thing ever. The whole thing's so goofy-epic, and super super super enjoyable. (in RateYourMusic)

Paris, Texas (OST)

Original released on LP Warner Bros 9 25270-1 E

(US, Fébruary 1985)

The LONE JUSTICE Albums

Original released on LP Geffen GHS 24060

(US 1985, April 15)

Few new bands receive the kind of critical buzz that Lone Justice generated prior to the release of their first album in 1985, and one senses the band (not to mention producer Jimmy Iovine and Geffen Records) wanted to deliver something special to merit the hype. Which was not necessarily a good thing; "Lone Justice" is an album that tries so hard to be great that it sometimes ends up tripping over its own ambitions. The record leaves no doubt that the first edition of Lone Justice was a very good band; on the best cuts, Maria McKee's voice sounds like a force of nature, bassist Marvin Etzioni and drummer Don Heffington are a strong and imaginative rhythm section whether they were playing souped-up country shuffles or fifth-gear rock & roll, and if guitarist Ryan Hedgecock isn't quite a virtuoso, he's solid and inspired when he gets to step to the forefront. But guest keyboardist Benmont Tench and the other high-priced help (including Little Steven, Mike Campbell, and an uncredited Annie Lennox) often overwhelm the group's personality, and while McKee's songs celebrating the heart and soul of rural America are unquestionably sincere, they don't always ring true ("After the Flood" and "Pass It On" sound more like writing exercises than narratives centered around believable characters), and they also seem to inspire Iovine's most bombastic production decisions. Where Lone Justice succeeds is on straight-ahead rockers like "East of Eden" and "Working Late," the C&W weeper "Don't Toss Us Away," and the tough "love gone bad" number "Ways to Be Wicked," all of which prove that this band really did have the goods. In the wake of the 1990s alt-country movement, in which dozens of bands mined similar musical territory with more satisfying results, Lone Justice sounds like an example of too many cooks spoiling the soup; there's enough good stuff to make it worth hearing, but its hard not to wish Lone Justice had gotten the sort of sympathetic but hands-off production that allowed Wilco and the Jayhawks to do their best work. (Mark Deming in AllMusic)

Original released on LP Geffen GHS 24122

(US 1986, November 3)

"Shelter" finds Lone Justice abandoning the cowpunk image of their debut in favor of a more polished '80s sound. What they came up with is rather a mishmash of material that only points the way for Maria McKee to don a solo outfit and carry on alone. "Shelter" falls into the trap of a record company dictating how a disc should sound no matter what might happen to the group producing it. There are strong cuts here - most notably, "I Found Love" (a real '80s-sounding product), "Wheels," and "Dixie Storms" (which foretells Maria McKee's future in music) all have something to recommend them. The rest falls into the trap of songs produced to fulfill obligations. Lone Justice was a group not unlike Big Brother & the Holding Company, who had a great female lead singer and focal point along with competent sidemen. Once the record execs ventured to guess that McKee would sell more on her own, they urged her to jettison the band, which she did after "Shelter". Such is life in the record biz. (James Chrispell in AllMusic)

ERIC CLAPTON: "Behind The Sun"

Original released on LP Duck 9 25166-1

(US 1985, March 11)

Although he is universally considered among the most important figures in rock & roll, Eric Clapton has not had consistent success in translating his stature into record sales, partially because he is, in essence, a great blues guitarist rather than a great pop/rock singer/songwriter. Clapton's career was in decline in the early '80s when he switched record labels from Polydor to Warner Bros., and his debut Warner album, "Money and Cigarettes", became his first to fall below gold record status in more than six years. As a result, Warner looked critically at his follow-up, the Phil Collins-produced "Behind the Sun", in the fall of 1984 and rejected the first version submitted, insisting that he record several new songs written by Jerry Williams, backed by Los Angeles session players under the auspices of company producers Lenny Waronker and Ted Templeman. Warner then emphasized the new tracks, releasing two of them, "Forever Man" (which reached the Top 40) and "See What Love Can Do," as singles. The resulting album, not surprisingly, was somewhat schizophrenic. It was hard to believe that Warner could have heard the leadoff track, "She's Waiting," and not realized its potential to be a hit single, though the company may have been correct in thinking that the album as a whole was competent without being very exciting. The added tracks were not bad (and, in fact, Clapton later would add session players Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes to his band), but they were not the sure-fire hits they were supposed to be. As usual, there was some effective guitar soloing (notably on "Same Old Blues"), but despite the tinkering, "Behind the Sun" was not among Clapton's best - although it went gold after nearly two years in release. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)

THE MOTELS: "Shock"

Original released on LP Capitol SJ-12378

(US, August 1985)

With this final album, the Motels attempted to move squarely into the MTV-sponsored pop/rock mainstream, adding harder guitars and bigger hooks. Although their makeover isn't entirely successful, the best moments on the album - "Shame," "Cries and Whispers" and the title track - are enjoyable mainstream rock. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

SADE: "Promise"

Original released on LP Portrait FR 40263

(US 1985, November 4)

Sade's second album improved on the performance of her debut, as "The Sweetest Taboo" was a huge hit and "Never as Good as the First Time" landed in both the R&B and pop Top 20. She was once again the personification of cool, laid-back singing, seldom extending or embellishing lyrics, registering emotion, or projecting her voice. This demeanor made her more desirable in the minds of many fans and was perhaps the ultimate misapplication of the notion of sophistication. But this album topped the pop charts and eventually went triple platinum. (Ron Wynn in AllMusic)

FAUSTO: "O Despertar dos Alquimistas"

Edição original em LP CBS 26486

(PORTUGAL 1985, Abril 19)

I can’t help having mixed feelings both about Fausto in a general manner and this album in particular; the inflated ambitious way in which these arrangements seem to have been prepared down to the smallest detail and the pomposity of the instrumentation with strings, horns and choirs all but contribute to enable any eventual sparks of spontaneity; furthermore, his frequent recurring to traditional Portuguese Folk music traditions where the form is normally left predictably untouched and the varied instrumentation can’t disguise a repetitiveness which may be very suitable for a popular dance hall  but becomes irking on record; equally irking is his too serious way of singing filled with arabesques and clichéd expressiveness. However, I also find that the best parts on the album are precisely those that make use of some of these elements, and the elaborate arrangements and the Classical care put in the making on the opening mini-epic “A Memória dos Dias” clearly make it one of the - if not The - album’s highlights; also strong is the both passionate and conformist song of love and delusion “Em Poucas Palavras”, a dichotomy enhanced by the contrast between the Portuguese 12-stringed guitar of Pedro Caldeira Cabral and the strings and French horn and coincidentally the only other piece where pianist Mário Laginha contributes, this time around  with dreamy arpeggios.

On a distinct register is the atmospheric “Quando o Inverno Chegar” with its pedaling tone, Emilio Cao accordion (sanfona) arabesques, the Indian inflections provided by the sitar and ceremonial percussions  and the enthralling anxiety of the choir, whereas the closing title track recurs to a beautifully sorrowful strings arrangements where the celli stand out in cool contrast with the naïve waltzing acoustic guitars of Fausto and Dudas on the one hand and the militant male choir on the other on a positive final note. It’s also impossible to ignore the quality of the lyrics and the way they are sometimes valued and made sound true thanks to the afore mentioned sophisticated singing; but if this album very much follows the “editorial” line of "Por Este Rio Acima“ - and the re-collaboration with producer, musical director and orchestrator (and percussionist, flutist and choir member) Eduardo Paes Mamede is no stranger to the fact - , it’s also true that it lacks a solid script such as its predecessors’ and everything ends up sounding more abstract and intellectual. (in RateYourMusic)

"A Noite" do ZÉ MÁRIO

Edição original em LP UPAV 001 T

(PORTUGAL 1985, Abril 29)

"Emotionally Yours" By BOB DYLAN

"One More Night" By PHIL COLLINS

BOB DYLAN: "Empire Burlesque"

Original released on LP Columbia FC 40110

(US 1985, May 30)

Say what you want about "Empire Burlesque" - at the very least, it's the most consistent record Bob Dylan has made since "Blood on the Tracks", even if it isn't quite as interesting as "Desire". However, it is a better set of songs, all deriving from the same place and filled with subtle gems - the most obvious being "Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love?)," but also "Emotionally Yours" and "Dark Eyes" - proving that his powers are still there. The rest of the album may not be as graceful, but it's still well-crafted songwriting that never fails to be interesting. The record's biggest flaw is its state-of-the-art production; this is every bit as slick as "Street Legal", but now sounds more focused and more of its time - thanks to a reliance on synthesizers and mildly sequenced beats - than it did upon its original release. All this makes "Empire Burlesque" seem more transient than it actually is, since - discounting the production - this is as good as Dylan gets in his latter days. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

A HERANÇA MUSICAL DE JOSÉ AFONSO

The 1st Time I Saw Him On Stage (1985)

MARY COUGHLAN's FIRST ALBUM

Original released on LP Mystery MRLP 001

(UK, December 1985)