The Band holed up in LA
drinking
and snorting
and smoking
and fucking (who can blame them)
John Lennon
and Peter Tosh
were murdered
The Cars and the Police
took over the radio
Bob Marley died
Michael Jackson
and Madonna
taught
a generation
how to dance
and revolutionized
a new low artform
Elvis Costello
did all he could
and then some
Linda Ronstadt
disappeared
for the most part
Stevie Nicks
sang
Knocking On Heavens Door
with Bob Dylan
in Mesa
and you could
smell that shit
in Phoenix
Tom Waits
records kept getting
more interesting
Something started
brewing
in Seattle
Dimes
became nickles
and quarters
looked like dimes
but the weed
tasted sweeter
Husker Du
and X
and the Replacements
and Lone Justice
and the Blasters
and the Beat Farmers
and the Del Lords
and Giant Sand
and the Golden Palominos
and Green On Red
and the Long Riders
and some bands
I forget
or can't spell
composed
performed
and recorded
great music
throughout the decade
and were
mostly ignored
until they went broke
and quit
Bob Dylan's
records
were underrated
but not up to
his high standards
Prince
damn near
saved
rock and roll
and the world
but it was
too big a job
for one man
to do
The Clash
said goodnight
and punks
became post punks
overnight
and why
would anyone
want to be called
a punk anyway
The Fornicating Cattle
sounded like Exile
era Stones
for two minutes
in 1988
but Brown Deer
forgot to
turn on the tape
Don Williams
and Hank's kid
and Patty Loveless
tried to keep
country and western music
from jumping off a cliff
The Stones
still had it
but were
less willing
to bring it
they made
a few decent records
and put on
at least
one mediocre
show in Phoenix
or maybe it was great
and everyone
was to far away
to see it
and everyone said
this might be
my last chance
to see them
Lou Reed
made his
best record
and everyone
still kept talking
about the
Velvet Underground
for reasons
I can't comprehend
The Who
broke up
came back
and made
piles of cash
they're still
trying to count
After a decade
and a half of
elegant
understatement
Eric Clapton
hooked up
with Phil Collins
and made two
of his worst records
(I can listen to
but not defend them)
to be fair
he made a couple
pretty good ones
Where's Leon
when you need him
Waylon quit
drinking coke
and staying up
all night
catchin' songs
John Cougar
changed his name again
U2
became
the biggest band
in the world
for better and worse
And who
can forget
Duran Duran
Wham
the catch
money for nothing
and
chicks for free
Dynasty
Bill Cosby
Bill Buckner
Pat Benatar
The cold war (I miss it)
Ronald Ray Gun
the beginning
of the end
of western civilization
and
The long
slow death
of rock and roll
and
country western
The ten best records of the decade were
I Blast Of Silence
II King Of America
III Purple Rain
IV The Blasters
V Warehouse
VI New York
VII More Fun In The New World
VIII The Rose Of England
IX Rumor And Sigh
X Rain Dogs
Off the top of my head
Ten more
Honky Tonk Angel
Guitar Town
The Pressure Is On
Blood And Chocolate
Rock n' Roll
Money And Cigarettes
Nebraska
Border Radio
Emotional Rescue
Long Stem Rant
I could go on and on
The ten best songs
I Brownsville Girl
II Purple Rain
III Poor Little Girl
IV Looking For Lewis And Clark
V Reason To Believe
VI Work Was New
VII American Without Tears
VIII Little Honey
IV All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)
X Johnny Come Lately
Artist of the decade
and it ain't even close
PRINCE
He could
fill both lists
if I wasn't
trying to be fair
to everyone but him
How could
a list
of the twenty best albums
of the decade
not include
Sign Of The Times
and 1999
Here's
ten songs
that should
blow your mind
I Could Die For U
I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
Little Red Corvette
Raspberry Beret
When You Were Mine
Nothing Compares To U
Cream
Alphabet Street
Diamonds And Pearls
Controversy
How's that
for ten years worth
And there's more
those are
just the ones
I thought of
while I looked
at a couple
of his records
while doing
research for
this tome
Yeah I know
this is hardly
a tome
and calling
looking
at the back
of a greatest hits CD
research is
kind of a stretch
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