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MUSIC FEATURE

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There’s nothing quite like taking home some fresh vinyl and putting it on the turntable for the first time. It’s a total experience. Each month we pull together a collection of reissues, JB-exclusives, or just straight-up classic long-players to add to any burgeoning collection. Words Paul Jones, Amy Flower V I N Y L V I T A L

Add some ’80s to your record collection with these ten essential cuts.

GUNS ‘N ROSES APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION (1987) Primarily written in individual ses sions, the classic Gunners line-up of Axl Rose, Slash, Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin, and Duff McKagan would commit 54 minutes of hard rock, raw talent, and rebellious punk swagger to tape. A shot in the arm for ‘80s rock music, Appetite wrote the band into rock and roll history. TOP TRACK: Welcome to the Jungle FAST FACT: Welcome to the Jungle was written in just three hours.

INXS KICK (1987)

PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION PURPLE RAIN (1984) Prince melded pop, rock, new wave, and metal with his trade mark funk and R&B bend to forge nine exhilarating and diverse tracks. Aided by the Revolution, the genre-defying Purple Rain elevated Prince’s songwriting prowess, creativity, and ambition to a global scale. TOP TRACK: Purple Rain FAST FACT: Prince asked Stevie Nicks to write the lyrics for Purple Rain but, overwhelmed by the task, she refused.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BORN IN THE U.S.A. (1984) Springsteen, a dab hand at capturing the toil of America’s working class through song and prose, wrote 70 compositions over two years for the album. Born in the U.S.A . is unashamedly upbeat rock and roll, jammed full of stonking iconic anthems that have never lost momentum. TOP TRACK: I’m on Fire FAST FACT: Born in the U.S.A. was the first commercially produced CD in America.

N.W.A. STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (1988) Straight Outta Compton is ten juggernaut cuts overlaying barbed rhymes about street violence, racial inequality, rebellion, and police oppression. This potent combination of aggressive but catchy hooks would completely derail traditional hip-hop; all these years later, its potency remains undiluted. TOP TRACK: Straight Outta Compton FAST FACT: N.W.A member Arabian Prince quit over royalty concerns before the album was released.

Packed full of melodic and infectious hits like Guns in

the Sky, New Sensation, Devil Inside, Need You Tonight, and the awe-inspiring Never Tear Us Apart , Kick is engineered to complete pop perfection. In ’87, it stood unparalleled. It still sounds incredible today. TOP TRACK: Never Tear Us Apart FAST FACT: When he first heard Kick , Atlantic Records president Doug Morris told the band, “I’ll give you a million dollars to go and record another album.”

DEF LEPPARD HYSTERIA (1987)

THE CLASH LONDON CALLING (1979)

THE HUMAN LEAGUE DARE (1981)

WHITNEY HOUSTON WHITNEY (1987)

MICHAEL JACKSON THRILLER (1982)

Led by hit sculptor Mutt Lange with an enviable production budget, Hysteria is packed full of rollicking polished chart stormers. Its anthems, Pour Some Sugar on Me, Animal, Rocket, and Love Bites , read like Def Leppard’s greatest hits. TOP TRACK: Hysteria FAST FACT: Lange wasn’t available when work began on Hysteria , so the band turned to Meat Loaf pro ducer Jim Steinman. He lasted two months before getting the boot.

London Calling is a formidable confluence of rock, reggae, ska, and rockabilly, forming a dynamic double album. All 19 unique tracks are an influential testa ment to The Clash’s unyielding spirit. TOP TRACK: London Calling FAST FACT: Pennie Smith, the photog rapher who originally captured the iconic album cover image, didn’t want the band to use it because she thought it was too out of focus.

A fresh band line-up left the avant-garde behind and fully embraced pop, crafting a bona fide classic. Beyond the smash hit singles Love Action and Don’t You Want Me , there is some serious top-shelf synthpop in belters such as The Sound of the Crowd, The Things That Dreams Are Made Of, and the killer Do or Die . TOP TRACK: Open Your Heart FAST FACT: The band’s name was filched from a sci-fi board game called StarForce: Alpha Centauri .

Whitney showcases Houston’s extraordinary vocal talent across a range of pop and R&B tracks. Armed with hits I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) , and So Emotional , the album is packed with powerful and passionate performances. TOP TRACK: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) FAST FACT: Whitney’s mother worked as a backing vocalist for Aretha Franklin – young Whitney got to call her Aunt Ree.

Fusing pop, rock, funk, and soul, the nine tracks on Thriller were culled from a list of 30. Produced by Quincy Jones, the album’s in novative sound and unforgettable videos revolutionised the music industry and crowned Jackson the undisputed King of Pop. TOP TRACK: Billie Jean FAST FACT: The white Hugo Boss suit that Michael Jackson is wearing on the cover belonged to photog rapher Dick Zimmerman. Jackson admired it while deciding what to wear for the shoot, so Zimmerman took it off - it fitted like a glove.

16 AUGUST 2024

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