5 Excellent Albums Released 40 Years Ago This Month in 1985

Here we are, smack dab in the middle of the year that was smack dab in the middle of the 80s. Why not take a look back at that numerically significant month of July 1985 and find out which albums were arriving on record shelves?

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This is an interesting batch of five records, in that none of them jump out as clear-cut classics. But we think that this quintet from 40 years ago this month surely deserves your renewed attention.

‘Who’s Zoomin’ Who?’ by Aretha Franklin

The Queen of Soul decided that she wanted back in the pop crossover game after years when her singles couldn’t find much traction. She chose Narada Michael Walden as her main collaborator to make it happen. Walden certainly puts a modern (for 1985) sheen on the proceedings on songs like the title track and “Freeway Of Love”. Elsewhere, Franklin proves a winning duet partner with Annie Lennox (“Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves”) and Peter Wolf (“Push”). She cuts loose with some of the familiar abandon on “Sweet Bitter Love”. And, as both writer and performer, she delivers a winning, discofied statement of purpose on the closing track “Integrity”.

‘Standing On The Edge’ by Cheap Trick

Can you really blame Cheap Trick for turning to songwriters-for-hire and poppy production on their 1986 album The Doctor? A year prior, they released this gem of a power pop compendium, and the public largely ignored it. The single was “Tonight It’s You”, one of the band’s finest power ballads that features Robin Zander’s vocals at their most elastic. “Love Comes” also shows a little bit of a softer side. But, as usual, these guys really soar when they crank up the pace and offer up deft melodic twists and turns. The title track and “Cover Girl” are two of the songs that find the band in their sugar-rush wheelhouse. This one’s a standout on our list of July 1985 albums.

‘Ain’t Love Grand!’ by X

X never reached the point where they were a mainstream attraction. This album probably represents their closest call, in large part thanks to the churning lead track “Burning House Of Love”. They changed producers for this record, parting ways with Ray Manzarek in favor of Michael Wagener, who made his bones in heavy metal. But don’t expect out-and-out headbanging from the band, even if this album was harder-edged than the norm for them. They still make their mark thanks to the clever back-and-forth between lead singers and songwriters John Doe and Exene Cervenka. Tracks like “Around My Heart” and “I’ll Stand Up For You” capture their unique chemistry.

‘Fly On The Wall’ by AC/DC

This album arrived at a time when the coolness factor of AC/DC had largely worn off. Critics were starting to look askance at the band’s reliance on their old formula. And yes, some of the lyrics have aged poorly, although we’d guess that they were somewhat troublesome even at the time. But we challenge you to listen to this record with fresh ears. Maybe the reason that they didn’t change the formula is because they knew they could mine it consistently for hard-rock glory. Tracks like “Shake Your Foundations” and “Hell Of High Water” demonstrate that they’d lost nothing off their fastball.

‘Flash’ by Jeff Beck

The title for this entry on our list of July 1985 albums was appropriate. Jeff Beck, who rarely catered to anyone’s tastes, decided to nudge his music towards a flashy, pop-oriented sound on the record. There are a lot of chiming synths in there that can get in the way of enjoying Beck’s stinging licks. But a couple of instrumentals reward repeated listens. And, as always, Beck fearlessly tries different styles on for size, meaning you can’t ding him here for being cautious. If nothing else, this album is worth it because it reunited him with old buddy Rod Stewart on a lovely cover of Curtis Mayfield’s all-time gospel hit “People Get Ready”.

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