Bombastic, fast-paced, and with the energy only a cocoa plant can provide, 1984 is quintessential rock and roll of the 1980s. That of course comes with the usual caveats; rampant misogyny, uninteresting lyrical themes, no slow songs whatsoever, and wildly short 33 minute run time. Surprise tracks that I hadn’t heard; Top Jimmy, I’ll wait, Drop Dead Legs. Eddie at the top of his game and brilliant as always, just wish it wasn’t in such a generic package. DLR is not a top-tier lead by any means. Not sure I would have bought this album while copies of thriller were on the shelf.

It’s funny that the album seen as one of Bowie’s “experimental” albums is actually celebrates one of the more commonly popular genres of the time (soul/R&B). So his experiment is to try to be typical. And it works…mostly. I think to say it’s a miss-step is maybe an overstatement, but to say it’s unfitting of his style and artistic direction is accurate. It’s always a little strange to hear one artist famous for a certain genre step into another, but because he was so talented, he did a serviceable job. The highlight, of course, is Fame. None of the other tracks actually stood out to me at all. John Lennon’s Midas touch (guitar and vocals on Across the Universe and Fame) of course saves this album. Overall, not bad, but also not even close to his best.

A very eclectic and funky set of songs, some jams that last too long, and some not long enough. The back half of the album is really when it takes off. It’s not available for streaming on music services, so I had to listen to the album as a whole on YouTube. I would be curious to see the count on the times the word “funk” is said throughout the album. It’s definitely in the three digit range. Overall, fun and interesting to listen to, although some songs are confusing, and the lyrics a bit dull and repetitive. The music and the musicianship is where this band shines, and this album is a good example of that. The addition of the live tracks at the end is a nice touch.

Best pop album of all time. Most of the songs on the album could be the best song on any other album if they stood alone. Just a thrill to listen to from front to back.

I’m sure someone can connect with it! It seemed like it took a lot of work. I really don’t have any idea what happened to my ears though. Really flabbergasted.