Pazz & Jop 1981: Dean's List

Albums

1. Greatest Rap Hits Vol. 2 (Sugarhill) 19
2. X: Wild Gift (Slash) 15
3. Elvis Costello and the Attractions: Trust (Columbia) 13
4. King Sunny Adé and His African Beats: The Message (Sunny Alade import) 12
5. English Beat: Wha'ppen? (Sire) 9
6. David Byrne: Songs from the Broadway Production of "The Catherine Wheel" (Sire) 9
7. Gang of Four: Solid Gold (Warner Bros.) 6
8. Psychedelic Furs: Talk Talk Talk (Columbia) 6
9. Human Switchboard: Who's Landing in My Hangar? (Faulty Products) 6
10. Tom Verlaine: Dreamtime (Warner Bros.) 5

11. Black Uhuru: Red (Mango)
12. UB40: Present Arms (DEP International import)
13. Robert Ashley: Perfect Lives (Private Parts): The Bar (Lovely)
14. Black Flag: Damaged (SST)
15. The "King" Kong Compilation (Mango)
16. Yoko Ono: Season of Glass (Geffen)
17. Funkadelic: The Electric Spanking of War Babies (Warner Bros.)
18. The dB's: Stands for Decibels (Albion import)
19. The Blasters: The Blasters (Slash)
20. Al Green: Higher Plane (Myrrh)
21. Red Crayola With Art & Language: Kangaroo? (Rough Trade)
22. The Clash: Sandanista! (Epic)
23. Gregory Isaacs: Best of Gregory Isaacs Volume 2 (GG)
24. Sly and Robbie Present Taxi (Mango)
25. Meredith Monk: Dolmen Music (ECM)
26. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts: Bad Reputation (Boardwalk)
27. Shoes: Tongue Twister (Elektra)
28. Ramones: Pleasant Dreams (Sire)
29. Let Them Eat Jellybeans! (Virus import)
30. Penguin Cafe Orchestra (Editions EG)
31. Elvis Presley: This Is Elvis (RCA Victor)
32. Tom Tom Club (Sire)
33. Slave: Show Time (Cotillion)
34. Shannon Jackson & the Decoding Society: Nasty (Moers Music import)
35. C81 (Rough Trade/NME import cassette)
36. Teena Marie: It Must Be Magic (Gordy)
37. Kid Creole and the Coconuts: Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places (ZE/Sire)
38. Marvin Gaye: In Our Lifetime (Gordy)
39. James Blood Ulmer: Free Lancing (Columbia)
40. Lucinda: Happy Woman Blues (Folkways)
41. Aretha Franklin: Love All the Hurt Away (Arista)
42. Linx: Intuition (Chrysalis)
43. Rolling Stones: Tattoo You (Rolling Stones)
44. Z.Z. Hill: Down Home (Malaco)
45. Rick James: Street Songs (Gordy)
46. Sir Douglas Quintet: Border Wave (Takoma)
47. Squeeze: East Side Story (A&M)
48. David Johansen: Here Comes the Night (Blue Sky)
49. Earth, Wind & Fire: Raise! (Columbia)
50. Bohannon: Alive (Phase II)
51. Prince: Controversy (Warner Bros.)
52. Warren Zevon: Stand in the Fire (Asylum)
53. Mofungo: End of the World (unlabeled cassette)
54. Garland Jeffreys: Escape Artist (Epic)
55. John Anderson: 2 (Warner Bros.)
56. Johnny Copeland: Copeland Special (Rounder)
57. Muddy Waters: King Bee (Blue Sky)
58. Stampfel & Weber: Going Nowhere Fast (Rounder)
59. Smokey Robinson: Being with You (Tamla)
60. Basement 5: 1965-1980 (Antilles).

Singles

1. Funky Four Plus One: "That's the Joint" (Sugarhill 12-inch)
2. Taana Gardner: "Heartbeat" (West End 12-inch)
3. T.S. Monk: "Bon Bon Vie" (Mirage)
4. "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" (Sugarhill 12-inch)
5. Killing Joke: "Change" (Editions E.G. import)
6. Afrika Bambaata/Zulu Nation/Cosmic Force: "Zulu Nation Throw Down" (Paul Winley 12-inch)
7. Bits & Pieces: "Don't Stop the Music" (Mango 12-inch)
8. Medium Medium: "Hungry, So Angry" (Cachalot 12-inch)
9. Liliput: "Eisiger Wind" (Rough Trade import)
10. Black Flag: "Louie Louie" (Posh Boy)
11. The Treacherous Three: "The Body Rock" (Enjoy 12-inch)
12. Scritti Politti: "The 'Sweetest' Girl" (Rough Trade)
13. Yoko Ono: "Walking on Thin Ice"/"It Happened" (Geffen)
14. Teena Marie: "Square Biz" (Gordy)
15. Frankie Smith: "Double Dutch Bus" (WMOT 12-inch)
16. Depeche Mode: "New Life" (Mute import 12-inch)
17. Pete Shelley: "Homosapien" (Genetic import)
18. Kim Carnes: "Bette Davis Eyes" (EMI)
19. Trickeration: "Rap, Bounce, Rockskate"/"Western Gangster Town" (Sounds of New York 12-inch)
20. Rolling Stones: "Start Me Up" (Rolling Stones)
21. Spoonie Gee: "Spoonie Is Back" (Sugarhill 12-inch)
22. Chron-Gen: "Reality" (Step-Forward import)
23. Brother D. & Collective Effort: "How You Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise" (Clappers 12-inch)
24. Denroy Morgan: "I'll Do Anything for You" (Becket 12-inch)
25. Luther Vandross: "Never Too Much" (Epic)

EPs

1. Descendents: "Fat" E.P. (New Alliance)
2. Gang of Four: Another Day/Another Dollar (Warner Bros.)
3. Angry Samoans: Inside My Brain (Bad Trip)
4. DNA: A Taste of DNA (American Clavé)
5. Propellor Product (Propellor)
6. Panics: "I Wanna Kill My Mom"/"Best Band"/"Tie Me Up, Baby!" (Gulcher)
7. Bebe Buell: Covers Girl (Rhino)
8. The Specials: "Ghost Town"/"Why?"/"Friday Night Saturday Morning" (Chrysalis)
9. Peter Dayton: Love at 1st Sight (Shoo-Bop)
10. Lyres: AHS-1005 (Ace of Hearts)

Village Voice, Feb. 1, 1982

1980

Essay | Critics Poll

1982