We don't penalize for spelling (frontières); how much did you wager, Jon? </Alex Trebek>

"Love Stinks" was 1980, too, speaking of Boston. (Jon's city; I don't talk about that band.)

I was still in Manhattan in 1980 so I don't talk about them either.

(I bump into Peter Wolf occasionally. He is scary looking).

She's *not* saying pop-u-lar?!

DAAAAMN. You know what? I'm going to continue to believe that she is.

Tommyrot: Package received, thank you very much. And it's still loaded with goodies, so thank you even more!

Cool. I forgot the instruction manual but I think you can download that.

Technically I should have deleted the 20 Gig of mp3s on it, but I... forgot. Technically you should delete them too. I'll just assume that you did, OK?

And Sandinista came out in Dec. 1980. How do I know this? I recently got an email from a guy organizing a double CD 25th anniversary tribute (scheduled for release in Dec. 2005 -- duh) wondering if The Lothars would want to contribute. I think we're going to cover "The Call Up".

Wow! That is excellent Jon.

I have a friend who swore she thought Stipe was singing "Pull your hood up!" in the chorus of "Cuyahoga." Luckily, I thought she was batty and it didn't ruin the song for me.

wondering if The Lothars would want to contribute. I think we're going to cover "The Call Up".

Cool!

And Sandinista came out in Dec. 1980.

Man were the Clash in a groove! They were really cranking it out AND it most of it was great (a shockingly high percentage given how fast they were going.) The cover (click the links below) was the first hint that they were staking a claim to rock's history & their place in it. (As opposed to a radical break.) Does that make them/it not true punks? Don't know & don't care. "Wrong 'Em Boyo" uses a false start a la Elvis's "Milkcow Blues Boogie" & "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" and then uses the "Sea Cruise" horn chart to do a reggae "Stagger Lee". Use the great stuff from the tradition & extend it by adding your own touch. Fabulous! Christgau on the 1980 Pazz & Jop Winner:

1. The Clash's London Calling: Oh yeah, and then there was the Clash. If this [1980] was the Year of the Lollapalooza, the Clash was the Lollapalooza of the Lollapalooza. Their triple-LP, Sandanista!, finished 55th as an import and is sure to come in a lot higher next year, and they also put out a 10-inch "EP" that had 34 minutes of music on it. But this was the biggest one, supported by all but the bared-teeth brigade and the shameless sticks-in-the-mud. It generated an urgency and vitality and ambition (that Elvis P. cover!) which overwhelmed the pessimism of its leftist world-view. And it was good for an actual hit single. I mean, what else is there?

Bad ass, Jon.

Ahem, for my birth year, I have to narrow it down to something from Exile on Main St, Pink Moon, Gene Clark's White Light, Al Green's I'm Still In Love With You, Richard Thompson's Henry the Human Fly, The Late Great Townes Van Zandt, T Rex's The Slider, Big Star's #1 Record, Neu!, Ege Bamyasi, Faust's So Far, Talking Book, or GP.

Al Green's I'm Still In Love With You

I would pick "I'm Glad You're Mine" for Al Jackson's (Howard Grimes's?) drum intro alone.