Steven Hale
1 min readFeb 11, 2022

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I went through the list all the way to 200. As time goes by, I get less involved with the good music of the period. So I'd have to name all the top 100 entries for my "worst of" list.

That would make room for #102, "State of Confusion" by the Kinks. Their 80's albums are woefully underrated by the critics (who begrudgingly acknowledge the album's hit single "Come Dancing"). But the entire album is revelatory, and the Kinks not only incorporate the current trend of music + video, but use the brilliant director Julien Temple for an ensemble of amazing visual works in the 80's. The video for the title track is one of the best films (in any format) of the decade--a recursive look at the difficulty of the artist in trying to connect with an audience and remain true to himself: https://youtu.be/KnHw_1h0-fE

Watch the video 5 times and you'll see what I mean. Watch it 10 times and you'll become a fan. The Kinks + Julien Temple created an art form that transcended the album.

I'm also very fond of 136, "What's New" by Linda Rondstadt.

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Steven Hale
Steven Hale

Written by Steven Hale

Music: Discovering the lost and forgotten. Politics: Exposing injustice. Screenwriting: Emotional storytelling.

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