Critics' Choice 1984

1. Bruce Springsteen Born In The USA [CBS]
Following the bleak monochrome landscapes of Nebraska, Bruce buckled down to reconciling art with commerce, creating what was in effect a Greatest Hits set comprised of new material. The bristling title track gave voice to a disenfranchised Vietnam vet over a fanfare of keyboards and martial drums; thereafter it was a feast of rowdy roots rock (‘Darlington County’, ‘Working On the Highway’), searingly intense songs of love and faith (‘Cover Me’, ‘I’m On Fire’, ‘No Surrender’) and elegiac slow burners (‘Downbound Train’, ‘My Hometown’).
2. U2 – The Unforgettable Fire [CBS]
3. Elvis Costello – Goodbye Cruel World [F-Beat]
4. REM – Reckoning [IRS]
5. Prefab Sprout – Swoon [Kitchenware/CBS]