[A Grey Celebration] -- Oh, wow. There was just so much good music released in 1986. This week marks the 40th anniversaries of two albums I have loved since I first heard them. Both records were their respective artist's fifth studio release. And, get this, both of them were released on the very same day: March 17, 1986. The artists and their recordings are quite different and distinct from each other, and my love for them both is probably a good indicator of my dichotomous music taste. On one side, we have an electronic music powerhouse not only coming into their own after several instances of reliable pop fodder, but also achieving rather human sounds from their synths and drum machines. On the other side, we find hardcore pioneers in a bit of a transitional period, infusing melodic pop and contemplative lyrics with their punk power approach.
Buckle up. This week's post could be a bit long.
Black Celebration – First up, alphabetically for either their name or their album title, is Depeche Mode. They released their fifth studio album on March 17, 1986. Founding member Martin Gore had been determined to make their new album darker, heavier, and harder than previous outings. And although the studio was initially nervous about the morbid and much slower demos he shared, they eventually relented, though not without a standoff that fueled an already tense working atmosphere. But Depeche Mode came through all of that with a winner. Reviews in 1986 were mixed, but has time wore on, retrospective reviews have been kinder, praising the dark tapestry woven into Black Celebration. The album peaked at #90 on the US Billboard 200, but reached the top 5 in the UK and also reached into the top 40 of several other countries [charts].
The singles "Stripped", "A Question of Lust", and "A Question of Time" all did well in the UK and several other European countries. "But Not Tonight" replaced "Stripped" as a single in the US, the 12" remix of which remains one of my all-time favorite 1980s recordings. I remember late nights spinning the LP in my dorm room, or listening to a cassette recording while studying in an empty classroom (my preferred locale for exam prep back then). If you take the time to listen to the full album, you'll understand why it has been cited as one of the most influential albums of the 1980s and earned a spot on Spin magazine's 25 Greatest Albums of All Time (#15, April 1989).
So, as I wrote on the occasion of the album's 35th anniversary: While we have only "A Question of Time" (but not "A Question of Lust"), let's kick off a "Black Celebration" ... in this "World Full of Nothing." Maybe we can all get "Dressed in Black" and watch a "Fly on the Windscreen." However, "Breathing in Fumes" and getting "Stripped" are both optional.
Candy Apple Grey – Hüsker Dü released their fifth studio album, Candy Apple Grey, on March 17, 1986. Yes, on the same date as Depeche Mode's fifth LP. I stated that earlier, right? Anyway, this was the first major label release from Minnesota's premiere hardcore trio (they moved from SST to Warner Bros.). Most of the material on this record is still a sonic assault, but the band's sound was shifting away from punk/hardcore to something that paved a road to the alternative rock genre. In this way, Hüsker Dü continued the evolution that was evident in recent releases, particularly New Day Rising (new tempos and melody) and Flip Your Wig (glimpses of power pop). Even with the band's usual frenetic bluster and fury on this record, we find them venturing into introspection and even throw in some acoustic guitar. Candy Apple Grey was the first Hüsker Dü album to actually chart in the Billboard 200, albeit only to peak at #140. Perhaps unsurprisingly, neither of the album's two singles charted either.
Now, I often consider guitarist Bob Mould as Hüsker Dü's vocalist and chief songwriter. However, this album's first single, "Don't Want to Know if You are Lonely" [music video link], was penned by drummer and co-lead vocalist Grant Hart (March 18, 1961 – September 13, 2017), who also lent his vocals to it. "Don't Want to Know ..." has an excellent hook and it should have been more popular, at least in my opinion. I just find it to be the perfect blend of rock and post-breakup angst. It logged some decent play on MTV after it was first released, but it probably received its largest audience when it was featured in the 2009 flick, Adventureland. Hart also wrote and sang the second single, "Sorry Somehow".
One of my personal favorite tracks on Candy Apple Grey is Mould's "Too Far Down", which closes out the first side of the LP. "Too Far Down" is, perhaps, the epitome of someone speaking their 3:00am existential catastrophe into the universe. It's a deluge of feelings that, at one time, could only be shared over drinks, or maybe even a payphone. "Too Far Down" features Mould singing such lines as "And you don't want the emotion, Because the taste it leaves is for real" as part of his message that he very well might be unable to come back "...Because I might be too far down." Not something for pop radio, but it is honest and raw and a work of art. And ... my mother might have been a little concerned about how often I played that particular song.
Now, on to the music. 🎶
Flashback: Black Celebration (March 17, 1986)
Flashback #2: Candy Apple Grey (March 17, 1986)
And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.
See you in seven!
