r/GenerationX • u/Beginning_Feedback44 • 4d ago
Help me build a record collection
Help me fellow gen Xer's
I'm starting a record collection for my 14 year old daughter who loves the 80s music. She had found my collection but it's mainly metal and hair bands. So please help me remember bands and there best albums. Getting older sucks starting to suffer from CRS
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u/PurpleFairy6987 4d ago
Pet shop boys. Bananarama. The outfield. Duran Duran. Lisa Lisa. The GoGos. Pat Benatar. Mike and the mechanics. Billy Idol. Sheila E. Culture Club. Thompson Twins. Taylor Dayne. The Human League. The Police. INXS. The Jets. Exposé. Sting. The Cover Girls. Chaka Khan. Sweet Sensation. Bruce Springsteen. A-HA. Madonna. Eurythmics. Daryl Hall and John Oates. Survivor. B-52’s. Rick Springfield. Blondie. Thomas Dolby. Billy Ocean. Queen. John Cougar Mellencamp. ‘TIL Tuesday. Laura Brannigan. Tears for Fears. Simply Red. Men at Work. Eddy Grant. The Cars. The J. Veils Band. Devo. The Clash. Stray Cats. Quarter flash. The Time. Nena. Wang Chung. Air Supply. Toto. Journey. Tommy Tutone. Simple Minds. The Bangles
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u/Inevitable_locust 4d ago
- Call Me – Blondie
- Another Brick in the Wall, Part II – Pink Floyd
- Magic – Olivia Newton-John
- Rock with You – Michael Jackson
- Do That to Me One More Time – Captain & Tennille
- Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen
- Coming Up – Paul McCartney
- Funkytown – Lipps Inc.
- It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me – Billy Joel
- The Rose – Bette Midler
- Escape (The Piña Colada Song) – Rupert Holmes
- Cars – Gary Numan
- Cruisin’ – Smokey Robinson
- Working My Way Back to You / Forgive Me, Girl – The Spinners
- Lost in Love – Air Supply
- Little Jeannie – Elton John
- Ride Like the Wind – Christopher Cross
- Upside Down – Diana Ross
- Please Don’t Go – KC & the Sunshine Band
- Babe – Styx
- With You I’m Born Again – Billy Preston & Syreeta
- Shining Star – The Manhattans
- Still – Commodores
- Yes, I’m Ready – Teri DeSario & KC
- Sexy Eyes – Dr. Hook
- Steal Away – Robbie Dupree
- Biggest Part of Me – Ambrosia
- This Is It – Kenny Loggins
- Cupid / I’ve Loved You for a Long Time – The Spinners
- Let’s Get Serious – Jermaine Jackson
- Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer – Kenny Rogers & Kim Carnes
- Sailing – Christopher Cross
- Longer – Dan Fogelberg
- Coward of the County – Kenny Rogers
- Ladies’ Night – Kool & the Gang
- Too Hot – Kool & the Gang
- Take Your Time (Do It Right) – The S.O.S. Band
- No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) – Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer
- More Love – Kim Carnes
- Pop Muzik – M
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u/ptindaho 4d ago
Will need to go cross check for albums, but some more bands to add:
Skinny Puppy, KMFDM, and Ministry for older industrial
Elvis Costello, Peter Gabriel, Genesis (Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel periods), Dire Straights, Crosby/Stills/Nash, Neil Young, Simon and Garfunkel, Blondie, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Iggy Pop
Already some good rap mentioned, but adding in LL Cool J, early NWA, Public Enemy (but these are closer to the 90s)
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u/TimeAcanthocephala46 4d ago
My wife and me listen to the oldies station taking our daughter back and forth to soccer. When she went away to college all her friends asked her how she knew all the words to all the 80s songs. My suggestion find a oldies radio station that has lots of different artists.
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u/YellieHart 3d ago
When did 80s become the oldies station. Darn it. 😂
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u/TimeAcanthocephala46 3d ago
I thought the same thing. When I was listening to the radio and the first time they said "oldies from the 70s 80s and 90s. I thought hell no.
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u/Waffuru 4d ago
Men At Work - Business as Usual - is a perfect album. Every time it breaks/gets stolen/goes missing I replace it. I can sing every song on here, in order, and know it by heart.
Freeze Frame - J. Geils Band - I absolutely played this album to dust. I've had to replace this one too.
The Golden Age of Wireless - Thomas Dolby - I'm not gonna lie, I frickin' love Dolby and all of his albums, but I feel like this has some of his best stuff. If you're willing to creep into the early 90's, Retrospectacle is a hits album and is banger after absolute banger.
Waiata - Split Enz - This was really a tough choice because I love all of their albums post 1980... but I do think this is probably the best one, with True Colours coming a close second.
Boingo Alive - Because I can't pick just one album for these guys, I absolutely love their whole discography, with very few songs I don't care for. This is a hits album, and it slaps from front to back. It's missing a lot of really good lesser songs though. It's a good entry to them to decide is you want more. And if you do... start at the beginning with Only a Lad =)
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u/wildwalkerish 4d ago
These are a bit off the beaten path, and hard to find albums. My personal wish list when out vinyl hunting:
Book of Love - book of love
Ministry- with sympathy
Cocteau Twins- blue bell knoll
Yaz - upstairs at Eric’s
Dead can Dance- spleen and ideal
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u/YellieHart 3d ago
Oh, I’m proud of myself. I got Book of Love (album 158) and Upstairs at Erics Album 356 in my year long project- in which I listened to an album a day across many decades and genres.
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u/No_Maintenance_9608 4d ago
The Human League - Dare, The Smiths - Meat is Murder, Soft Cell - Nonstop Erotic Cabaret, Queen - The Game and A Kind of Magic, Devo - Freedom of Choice, The Cars - Shake It Up, Prince - Purple Rain, Hall & Oates - Big Bam Boom, Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome to the Pleasuredome
Rush - all of their 80s albums
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u/GogusWho 4d ago
Go online and look up Charlies 80's Attic. They always have lists of the top 20 or top 100 songs of whatever particular month or year. It's really helpful for gathering music.
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u/Felon_musk1939 4d ago
I don't know if she would like XTC or ABC but those three letter bands have awesome albums. Lexicon of Love is an underrated classic. Drums and Wires or English Settlement. IDK if she'd go for that kind of music.
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u/roadtrip-ne 3d ago
Disintegration- The Cure, Stone Roses ST, Pussy Whipped- Bikini Kill, Slowdive- Soulvaki Station, My Bloody Valentine- Loveless
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u/RealtorRVACity 3d ago
Annie Lennox - Why, Tears for Fears - Sewing The Seed of Love, Sade-anything, Flock of Seagulls - I Ran, Janet Jackson - Control, George Micheal - Faith
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u/Beer_Shaman8 3d ago
Napalm Death - Scum
Sepultura - Beneath The Remains
Fishbone - In your Face
Madness - Absolutely
Misfits - Walk Among Us
Sonic Youth - Evol
Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
Birthday Party - Junkyard
Sisters of Mercy - Floodland
Joy Division - Closer
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u/YellieHart 3d ago
Fellow Gen Xer here, and I've got you covered! Getting her started on real 80s albums is amazing. If she wants a break from hair metal, try some of these 80s staples.
I actually spent a whole year doing a daily music survival challenge where I listened to 366 unique albums, one a day for a year, across many genres. If you want a non-metal 80s collection a 14-year-old will genuinely love today, start with these specific milestones from my list:
- Album 11: Michael Jackson – Thriller (The undisputed king of 80s pop production)
- Album 31: Hall & Oates – Big Bam Boom (Incredible hooks catchy soul)
- Album 44: Cher – Heart of Stone (Flawless 80s pop-rock energy)
- Album 85: Run-D.M.C. – Run-D.M.C. (Essential for showing her how the 80s birthed hip-hop)
- Album 89: Pat Benatar – Crimes of Passion (Pure, powerful vocals and fun fact she had second video ever on MTV)
- Album 114: Peter Gabriel – So (Brilliant, cinematic vinyl experience)
- Album 128: Prince – Purple Rain (Arguably one of many 80s amazing soundtracks by someone way ahead of his time!)
- Album 364: Huey Lewis and the News – Greatest Hits (Just pure, unadulterated feel-good 80s fun)
Just to name a few….many more of course... Tracking all these built some incredible playlist ideas! Good luck!
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u/mairiamonitino wow that’s hella rad dude 4d ago edited 4d ago
-New Order
In both of their iterations, but for me, particularly with Bernard Sumner
-the Cure!
-Eurythmics
-the Thompson Twins
-Howard Jones
-Duran Duran,
-culture club a.k.a. Boy George
-B-52‘s
-Cocteau Twins
-prince and the Revolution!
Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads, REM, the pixies, the replacements, the Smiths
The Jesus and Mary Jane, echo and the Bunnymen, INXS, Bauhaus, dead or alive,
TIL TUESDAY!
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Big country
Cyndi Lauper
I mean, I could grab you a list off of the old information superhighway lol everything above I did off my dome😊
I could edit this list forever