Critics Roundup 1985

1985 was the year of the debut album. Light A Big Fire and their explosive ‘Gunpowder’, Hoodoo Gurus’ ‘Stoneage Romeos’, The Men They Couldn’t Hang with ‘A Night Of A Thousand Candles’, and the much vaunted Jesus And Mary Chain who silenced the detractors with ‘Psychocandy’.

Prefab Sprout and REM consolidated their positions with ‘Steve McQueen’ and ‘Fables Of The Reconstruction’ respectively. Tom Waits could do no wrong on ‘Rain Dogs’ and Marshall Crenshaw won the ‘Welcome Back, You Were Sorely Missed’ Award with the superb ‘Downtown’. Arriving in late November, Terry Allen’s ‘Bloodlines’ is my favourite favourite.

Husker Du’s ‘Makes No Sense At All’ was Single Of The Year followed closely by Jesus And Mary Chain’s ‘Just Like Honey’, Stars Of Heaven’s ‘All About You’, REM’s ‘Wendell Gee’ and Micro Disney’s ‘Loftholdingswood’.

Locally, the best bands of the year emerged from the most important new Venue Of The Year, a small cellar in Dame St., known as The Underground. A House, Stars Of Heaven, The Gorehounds and Something Happens! gave me plenty of memorable night … and many a sore head!!

Finally, in a year dominated by Bruce Springsteen and U2, it was a quiet unassuming Englishman and his guitar virtuosity and humour that provided me with the most pleasurable gig: Adrian Legge.