1981: The Year in Music, Part 1 of 4
As I approach my 40th trip around the sun, I thought it would be fun to capture my favorite music from my birth year in the same format as I currently do at the close of each year. Here is Part 1 of 4 of the 1981 edition of my annual favorite tracks list. While they may be harder to find, I’ll still include live, in-studio performances or decent live recordings when possible. Plus a Spotify link to studio recordings (though some of those aren’t available, either) for good measure.
Th Church: “The Unguarded Moment”
The Psychedelic Furs: “Pretty in Pink”
Echo & the Bunnymen: “A Promise”
Squeeze: “Is That Love?”
The Plimsouls: “Everyday Things”
It is absolutely criminal that the Plimsouls’ self-titled debut LP is largely unavailable. You cannot stream it on Spotify. You cannot stream or buy it on iTunes. You cannot buy a new physical CD or record. If you want the album, you have to keep your eye on eBay or Discogs and shell out a hefty sum. The thing is … it’s actually worth every penny with this one. I just wish those dollars were going into Peter Case’s pockets — in my mind, he’s THE unsung underground rock & roll songwriter of his era. Power pop, folk, blues … he’s an ace across the board. Case has the compelling story. From making the move from Buffalo to California — where he basically had to busk on the streets for survival money — to co-founding the short-lived-but legendary The Nerves (a DIY band that didn’t QUITE fit in no matter where they traveled; they were too far ahead of their time) … to founding his OWN incredible rock band, The Plimsouls, it’s ALL there. But above all that background stuff, the music is absolutely stunning, and it stands the test of the time. As I mentioned, the songwriting is incredible. But the performances somehow match the material. Below is the studio version that isn’t available on Spotify or iTunes. It was incredibly difficult to choose just one track, as I could easily insert “Now” or “Nickels and Dimes” (which I have long suspected could be about Paul Collins). I love this band with all my heart, and I hope that the fact that it’s so hard to find their music doesn’t ultimately get them lost in the sands of time.