If you’re a reader of David Hepworth’s excellent blog you’ll know that he considers 1971 to be the best-ever year for rock albums. He’s beating that drum again by listing the albums that would have been on the Mercury Prize shortlist (albums released by UK and Irish acts) if they’d had one that year.
A very impressive list it is too (if you can ignore the presence of Yes and Jethro Tull which I’m trying hard to do) and in response I offer what would have been on the Mercury Prize shortlist in 1979. I’m leaving off some out of personal preference (The Fall, not my cup of tea) and I’m sure there are others missing that will be pointed out in the comments.
Metal Box – Public Image Ltd.
Unknown Pleasures – Joy Division
London Calling – The Clash
Entertainment! – Gang Of Four
Armed Forces – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
154 – Wire
The Raincoats – The Raincoats
Squeezing Out Sparks – Graham Parker
The Specials – The Specials
Forces Of Victory – Linton Kwesi Johnson
The Undertones – The Undertones
Setting Sons – The Jam
Drums & Wires – XTC
Cut – The Slits
Broken English – Marianne Faithful
Not that I want to start a generational war or anything, but: Eat that 1971!
I was 17 in 1979 so obviously I have a sentimental dog in this race but I think it wins this one by several noses. Not only is that a list of great records, many of them are great records which had a huge and lasting impact on rock music. 1979 looks even better when you see the NME albums and singles of the year.
Was it a better year than 1972 overall? We could argue about that until the cows come home but that’s what we like doing best isn’t it? Having completely pointless arguments about things that can never be proved one way or the other.
Download: Careering – Public Image Limited (mp3)
Download: New Dawn Fades – Joy Division (mp3)
Download: Discovering Japan – Graham Parker (mp3)
Download: Sonny’s Lettah – Linton Kwesi Johnson (mp3)
Download: No Side To Fall In – The Raincoats (mp3)
Download: Nite Klub – The Specials (mp3)
cryingallthewaytothechipshop.wordpress.com 
Crikey, what a great list and there’s even further treasure to be found in the albums that didn’t make your cut; ‘Even Serpents Shine’ by The Only Ones, ‘3 Imaginary Boys’ by The Cure and ‘Different Kind of Tension’ by Buzzcocks spring readily to mind. I also retain a fondness for the first two Joe Jackson albums, both released in ’79.
And the winner is…….? ‘London Calling’ natch, but then I’m biased.
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No need to argue at all because you are entirely and absolutely right and there is no question whatsoever about that!
You forgot ‘Eat To The Beat’ though …
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I was 17 too, in 1979! So, let me remind you just another LP from that year: Another Kind of Blues –
UK SUBS. ”C’mon you get a/crash course
Drangah drangah drangah/thumpah thumpah/brang brang”
Oh, the nights in my(then) village,in the Turin area(Italian Hard-Punk Rock City – ie NEGAZIONE, LINEA 77) listening to this one + the Italian, w.picture sleeve, PISTOLS singles(I still have them – SATELLITE!)+ UNDERTONES (a present from Stefania, then my sweetheart from Turin)+ booze. My old mate of those days,’the only -other- punk rocker in the village’ :-)now is in…bonsai business!
PS METAL BOX: truly a masterpiece, but not good
for the teenage depression…
LUCA, now in Italian Riviera
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No Dirk Wears White Sox or Machine Gun Etiquette? For my record tokens – 1973 Would be the golden year for albums
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I was also thinking of the sort of albums that would be more likely to win the Mercury Prize – ie: “important” albums – so no Joe Jackson, though I love ‘I’m The Man’
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‘Fear Of Music’ shurely?
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Yanks. Not eligible for the Mercury Prize. Otherwise ‘Off The Wall’ would be on there too (what a year!)
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Ah, right.
Yes, what a year.
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Always felt it necessary to listen to all of Squeezing Out Sparks. Once I start, I can’t pause, got to make it through to the end in one go.
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I’m with you 100%. Most of that 1971 list is really “halfway decent stuff of the sort that could be compiled for any nearby year, even using the same artists”. And some, like The Doors, Crosby, Nash, Yes, Streisand, et al. are just plain horrible.
My vote would be for ’65, or ’66, personally, with maybe ’59 being a contender if we’re allowing jazz in. But ’79 was pretty stunning. Punk cleaned the slate, and ’79 is when it started to fill up again with the results. Of course, the real answer is ’81, which takes all comers with just You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever on the list!
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I really couldn’t pick a year for albums. Singles is easy for me, it’s 1982, but albums…I’ve just been going through a list in my head, and my favourites come from all over. For a while though I did consider my era to be 1977-1985, pretty much coinciding with both Weller and Costello’s best, taking in punk and 2 Tone, the whole early 80s thing and disco. But I’ve changed my view somewhat when I think how much music from the last 20 years I love too.
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Magazine : Secondhand Daylight?
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Squeeze – Cool for Cats (playing on 6Music this morning). Slap and Tickle, Up the Junction, title track, Goodbye Girl … One of those groups whose brilliance I always tend to overlook (or forget).
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Agree that 1979 was THE year for music (just as, IMO, 1975 was the year for films).
Also agree with LondonLee about “Off The Wall” – even though its not my sort of music I thought then (age 14), and still do, that this was a masterpiece. A great riposte to the Disco Sucks movement as it made sure the genre went down with class. In fact, if “Billie jean” had been on it, it would have been perfect. Funnily enough, I have no time for anything else by MJ – not even Thriller (so over-rated).
Anyway, I’d add “Replicas” by Tubeway Army – to the list, me.
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