The “Fall” of the Eighties

While the eighties revival has been underway for the better part of a decade with artists like Billy Idol, The Cars and Van Halen (the original lineup), among others, returning to action of late, it’s rare that so many MTV-era icons release new albums at the same time.  That’s exactly what is happening this fall, though.  Nearly a dozen major artists who either began their careers or enjoyed considerable popularity during the eighties will be back in the new music section of record stores (and yes, with the recent resurgence of vinyl, I can call them that again) over the next couple of months.  Rather than write a long, boring review of each one (maybe I’ll do that later), I figured it would save us both time if I just give a quick overview of my first impressions of a few of the most notable ones.  So, here goes:

Duran Duran – “Paper Gods”

(release date:  9/11)

After returning to their New Romantic roots on 2011’s excellent “All You Need is Now”, the Fab Five (minus one) are back in experimental mode and chasing trends again with a whole slew of special guests.  The sounds are interesting, for sure.  Unfortunately, the songs are unspectacular with awkward melodies and contrived lyrics.  Disappointing, to say the least.

a-ha – “Cast in Steel”

(release date:  9/11)

The band’s first since 2009’s “Foot of the Mountain” is a plodding collection with nary a “Take on Me”, “Cry Wolf” or “Celice” to be found – just one sluggish number after another.  Boring.

New Order – “Music Complete”

(release date:  9/25)

Their first album of all-new material since 2005’s “Waiting for the Sirens’ Call” finds the band in top form.  If you like New Order, you’ll like this one.

Don Henley – “Cass County”

(release date:  9/25)

His first in a decade and a half contains none of the energy he displayed on “Long Road Out of Eden”.  Instead, it’s mostly melancholy country with a forced southern accent – not exactly the makings of a “perfect beast”.

Janet Jackson – “Unbreakable”

(release date:  10/2)

Back after an 8-year layoff, Janet sounds disturbingly like her brother Michael on this one…and I don’t mean her music – I mean her voice.  It’s actually distracting.  Almost as distracting is the excessive use of autotune that undermines the most listenable songs on the album, which are mostly the slower ones.  This is a mixed bag, at best.

Joe Jackson – “Fast Forward”

(release date:  10/2)

If the title track and “A Little Smile” are any indication, this could be Joe’s catchiest album since his early-eighties heyday.  I like what I’ve heard so far – very “Night & Day”-ish.

Rod Stewart – “Another Country”

(release date:  10/23)

After what seemed like an eternity of reinterpreting classics from the past half-century, Rod finally returned to making new music with 2013’s lackluster “Time”.  “Love Is” hints at a much better result this time around with early press promising a healthy dose of Celtic and reggae flavor.  Welcome back, Mr. Stewart.

Bryan Adams – “Get Up”

(release date:  10/30)

His first album of new material in almost a decade is produced by Jeff Lynne and bears more than a slight resemblance to the Traveling Wilburys…and that’s a good thing.  This is the most engaging thing he’s done since the nineties and could be just the shot in the arm that his career has needed.  If you’re a fan of Bryan OR the Wilburys, give this one a listen.

Well, there you have it – my mini-reviews of new albums by some of your favorite artists that you probably thought had stopped making music years ago.  There are several others that I either missed or ignored altogether.  My object wasn’t to include them all.  It was only to inform those of you who are very quick to say “music doesn’t sound like it used to” that, yes, it does.  You just need to look a little harder.