Critics Roundup 1983

Boy George brought androgyny to Toy Town and made every gel wish he was their teddy-bear. Annie Lennox proved that women could take the harder part. Otherwise, Brit-pop melted down to pills and soft-soap.

Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones presided over the summer ball, as black music offered harder stuff, but by December, those clap-tracks had become an annoying aural pollutant. Besides contemporary materblasters, a 40s/50s R’n’B revival was being steered by labels like Ace, Charley and the Demon/Edsel combine. Release packages: definitely Arthur Alexander of Ace and the Sue ‘Maximum R’n’B’ cassette.

U2 finally wowed America where T-Bone Burnett and R.E.M. produced the most independent expressions. The Tobin’s brains-trust wondered if Maura O’Connell and te Blades could follow.

In Ireland, the letter was H: for heroin in the city; for me, the triple pleasure of Howth, Hoddie and Hill Street Blues. Wild prediction of the ‘You Read It Here First’ variety: a teen early electric Dylan revival scheduled for Summer ’85. Wreckless Eric will have to wait.