5 Awesome Albums Released 45 Years Ago This Month

We’ve fired up the time machine and set a course for May 1980. As Spring was arriving in full force, so too were a new batch of albums. As it would turn out, several of these LPs proved to be hits in the short term. And they held staying power for the long haul.

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What music was luring fans to record stores 45 years ago this month? We’ve picked out five albums that hit the spot back then and still deserve plenty of play all these years later.

‘Freedom Of Choice’ by Devo

They had spent their first few albums deconstructing rock and roll. Why not try the same thing with R&B? It was a risky move, considering their record label was starting to lose faith in Devo as a commercial entity. Freedom Of Choice answered all doubters. The robotic grooves are relentless. “Whip It” turned out to be the big hit, but songs like the title track, “Girl U Want”, and “Gates Of Steel” all could easily have earned huge airplay if they’d gotten there first. You’re so busy bobbing your head that you almost miss the subversive, no-BS messages that these tricksters snuck in practically every line of the lyrics.

‘Peter Gabriel’ by Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel, in his never-ending quest to frustrate music critics, once again made his third album a self-titled affair. (Call it the melting face record, if you must.) Make no mistake, however, this LP separated itself from his previous two. His willful weirdness and left-of-center approach cohered into a top-to-bottom classic. Gabriel freaks you out right off the bat with the menacing “Intruder”. Swinging grooves on “I Don’t Remember” and “Games Without Frontiers” set the table for erudite, piercing narratives. And then there’s “Biko”, one of the best protest songs of that or any other era, to round it all out. As good as So, Peter Gabriel is maybe a bit less instantly accessible (but only a bit).

‘McCartney II’ by Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney didn’t know at the time that McCartney II was essentially starting his solo career. (He had intended to go back to Wings, but that fell apart after this album was released.) If he had, he might not have gone down such experimental alleyways. Which would have been a shame, because it’s a blast to hear him throwing everything at the wall without worrying about sticking to typical rock and roll textures. “Coming Up” offered the crackerjack pop single as an entry point for folks to get into the record. Those folks might not have expected the loopiness of songs like “Temporary Secretary” and “Bogey Music” to follow, but they likely enjoyed themselves anyway.

‘Flesh And Blood’ by Roxy Music

Even as they were mellowing out, this legendary British band was innovating. By Flesh And Blood, they had largely bailed out of the claustrophobic version of funk rock that had characterized their classic 70s albums. Perhaps the fact that they were down to a trio and relied on session players for the drumming had something to do with that. In any case, Roxy Music settled on a sound that was still alluringly elusive but also more soulful and sensuous. Focusing on Bryan Ferry’s highly emotive vocals and Andy Mackay’s slinky saxophone, songs like “My Only Love” and “Over You” set the tone for the sophisti-pop movement of the 80s.

‘The Up Escalator’ by Graham Parker And The Rumour

At the time it was released, The Up Escalator took a lot of heat from critics for what was perceived as an attempt to sand down the edges of Parker and The Rumour’s previous sound. Maybe there’s something to that. But Jimmy Iovine’s production certainly highlights the melodic deftness of Parker’s songwriting, which can’t be a bad thing. This approach works for both the spiky “Stupefaction” and the tender “The Beating Of Another Heart”. You also get Bruce Springsteen’s braying backing vocals on “Endless Night”, and a picture-perfect pop gem in “Love Without Greed”. Hard to hear what all the complaining was about.

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