by Darren Clarke, September 15, 2021

1984, the year in music, was so special it got three podcasts instead of two. In large part it was the magic of Minnesota- The Twin cities offering us up two very different musical acts in The Replacements and Prince and the Revolution. Regardless of how massive the differences in attitude, style and performance, between the two bands, they similarly managed to tap into their greatest possibilities, to offer up albums that were compelling from open to close, entirely dialled into the magic of their moment. But it was more than that.

1984 gave us Mike Watt and D. Boon, “jamming econo,” at the height of their lyrical and musical powers in The Minutemen‘s Double Nickels on the Dime LP, it gave us REM’s Reckoning, the final golden moment for Van Halen with 1984, Kim Mitchell’s vastly underrated Akimbo Alogo and yes, it also gave us the first elegant musical salvo from Sade’s Diamond Life– Smooth Operator.

To be honest, I’m almost a little sad to have finished the final podcast attached to 1984.

In the final instalment of Which Brings Us To… 1984, we talk the challenges in trying to reconcile the art versus the life of Bill Cosby, we consider the admirable legal career of Gloria Allred, we explore the state of Menudomania in 1984, we chat about a few great books including- The Unbearable Lightness of Being, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, and like always, there’s a whole locker full of much, much, more.

Music featured includes- The Minutemen, Simple Minds, David Bowie, Sade, The Replacements, Prince and the Revolution, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Kim Mitchell.

Just press play.