Five superb 1980s debut albums that need to get more respect

The Alarm - Declaration 

It’s hard to resist the stirring music from The Alarm. They play with such energy and passion and are a superb live act. Their best-known song, “Sixty Eight Guns,” leads the list for their debut album Declaration from 1984. But The Alarm is no one song wonders by any means. They'd released four of the tracks from it as singles before the album came out. Each of those is a stunner too,  and generally in a similar style to “Sixty Eight Guns."

Declaration was a top ten chart hit in the UK and made a brief appearance at 52 in the US. Sales-wise, though, at around 60,000, it’s falling short of where it deserves to be. In addition to “Sixty Eight Guns,” the other singles "Marching On," "The Stand," "Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?" and then "The Deceiver," which was released after the album, are all great anthemic style tunes and ones you maybe haven't heard for a while. 

Men At Work - Business As Usual

This album was very successful back in the 1980s. It wasn’t overlooked, and all the sales and awards, plus several top singles from it, indicate it wasn't underrated either. Now, as I mentioned at the start, that’s sometimes the reason why some albums fall by the wayside. They just aren't appreciated enough.

But that’s also why the title of this list of five songs is quite specific and focused. It’s about albums that need to be heard more often. And that's where this beauty from down under comes in. I used to play it a lot, I loved the pure Australian elements and the slightly quirky tunes. Add a bit of saxophone and even a flute to the mix, and it’s all going on.

The album came out in 1981, then a bit later in the US in 1982. It’s a top sound from start to finish, another with no skips. The singles were great and probably topped by the big hit “Down Under” and the slightly echoey “Who Can It Be Now.” Writing about it here has made me realize it needs to be back on my playlist again. 

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