Best of 1983 Mix

 

1982 | 1984

By 1983 we are in full 1980's swing.  REM has their first album released, U2 is really hitting their stride, Madonna has arrived, bring on the 80's.  

20. Talk About the Passion by R.E.M.

     For me R.E.M. really explodes with their second album, but this is a great song.  

19. Pale Shelter by Tears for Fears

     I didn't discover this song until my college days.

18. Photography by Def Leppard

     Great song off of a good album.  They would explode with their next album, and I hated everything about that album.  

17. Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2

     If someone have never heard of U2 and they wanted me to pick one song to represent them I would pick this song.  It's not my favorite, but I think it sums up U2.

16. Let's Go to Bed by The Cure

     Here we are moving into more pop territory with The Cure and it's a wonderful place to be.  

15. Age of Consent by New Order

     One of the most iconic opening bass lines in music.  

14. China Girl by David Bowie

     I always really liked this song and still do.  

13. One Day by The Church

     Was so into this song in 1986.  

12. Physical Attraction by Madonna

     As a huge Madonna fan I'm glad we are getting to her music, but I'm not sure I was that excited about it in 1983.  We'll have to chug along and see when we find that moment with her.  

11. Everyday I Write the Book by Elvis Costello & the Attractions

     This is the first Elvis Costello song I became aware of in 1987.  

10. Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol

     I always have really liked this song.  

9. S.O.S. by ABC

     ABC in many ways was a one album hit wonder, but I really liked their second album and I thnk this album represents it very well.  

8. Wrapped Around Your Finger by The Police

     I'm not the biggest Police fan in the world, but I love the mood of this song so much.  Great video.  

7. Suddenly Last Summer by The Motels

     OK my Motels story from the last post, may actually be about this song.  Doesn't matter they were both great songs.  

6. New Year's Day by U2

     War is a great album and I have always loved this song.  Still sounds great.  

5. Promises, Promises by Naked Eyes

     Absolutely loved this song in 1983 and still find it to be a joy to listen to.  

4. Institutionalized by Suicidal Tendencies

     Repo Man would include this song in its soundtrack in 1984 and that is where I would get introduced to it.  Of all the punk stuff that came out during this early 80's time this is the song.

3. A New England by Billy Bragg

     It would be 1987 when I would discover Billy Bragg.  I loved this song from the first time I ever heard it.  Such a great song.  If a space alien came to me and wanted me to provide them a song that represents the mind of a man in his early 20's, I would give them this song.  

2. Gold by Spandau Ballet

     Easily my album of the year in 1983.  Still love this album but this song is what got me to buy it.  

1. Blister In the Sun by Violent Femmes

     Today I would say the best album of 1983 was Violent Femmes by Violent Femmes and it isn't even close.  One of these days I need to make an all-time album ranking.  This album would probably be in my top 10.  

KHSAA Football Finals

The State Championship Finals for KHSAA Football start today.  All games to be played at Commonwealth Stadium -- or whatever they call it now -- in Lexington, Kentucky.  MaxPrep rankings in parentheses:

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6:

11 A.M. Central -- Class 1A Championship

(35) Raceland (10-4) v. (33) Sayre (14-0)

3 P.M. Central -- Class 2A Championship

(20) Owensboro Catholic (14-0) v. (18) Beechwood (13-1)

7 P.M. Central -- Class 4A Championship

(4) Franklin Co. (13-0) v. (7) Paducah Tilghman (14-0)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7:

11 A.M. Central -- Class 3A Championship

(9) Christian Academy - Louisville (11-3) v. (26) Union Co. (12-2)

3 P.M. Central -- Class 6A Championship

(2) Ryle (12-2) v. (3) Lou. Trinity (12-2)

7 P.M. Central -- Class 5A Championship

(1) Cooper (14-0) v. (11) Bowling Green (12-2)

Based on the rankings, this is a very strong collection of games, with Christian Academy-Louisville and Cooper as the only clear favorites.

It seems clear that if Cooper wins their championship, they will finish the season as the Number One team in the Commonwealth.  But if Bowling Green pulls off the upset, then the Number One ranking will likely go to either Ryle or Trinity, depending on who wins that game.

NFL Week 14

Here is the latest top 10, according to the ESPN rankings:

1.  Detroit:  11-1

2.  Buffalo:  10-2

3.  Kansas City:  11-1

4.  Philadelphia:  10-2

5.  Pittsburgh:  9-3

6.  Minnesota:  10-2

7.  Green Bay:  9-3

8.  Baltimore:  8-5

9.  San Diego:  8-4

10.  Washington:  8-5

This is the last bye week of the season.  Six teams had to play 13 weeks in a row before they could finally have a bye:  Baltimore, Denver, Houston, Indy, New England, and Washington.

The Game of the Week this week is Thursday night:  Green Bay at Detroit.  This will be a better Thursday night game than usual, because both the Packers and the Lions played on Thursday last week -- so their guys will be well-rested.  The Sunday night game -- San Diego at Kansas City -- should also be a good one.

The Wonder of Rick Barnes

Rick Barnes is 70 years old, and has been toiling in the gardens of college basketball for many years.  From 1999 to 2015, he was the head coach at Texas, where he took them to the Final Four in 2003, and to the Elite Eight in 2006 and 2008.  But in 2015, after his fourth year in a row of double-digit losses, the Longhorns let him go.  He then went to Tennessee, where he became a much better coach.  By 2019, he had the Vols in the Sweet 16.  And after a down year in 2020, he went on the best streak of his career.  Look at these results:

2021:  18-9 (28 in Ken Pom) (1st round of the NCAAs)

2022:  27-8 (9 in Ken Pom) (2d round of the NCAAs)

2023:  25-11 (6 in Ken Pom) (Sweet 16)

2024:  27-9 (5 in Ken Pom) (Elite Eight)

2025:  8-0 (2 in Ken Pom)

He's already run John Calipari out of town, and on Monday he will have the number one team in the AP Poll.  It's an amazing run.  I can only compare it to what Ray Meyer did toward the end of his career at DePaul, but that was 40 years ago.

In any event, it is wreaking havoc with basketball in Kentucky.  Barnes already has a 22-point win over Louisville this season, and he still has two games coming up with the Big Blue.

The Internet Is Amazing!™

Just starting on the viewing of this playlist of videos from in and around Heath High School in 1988, but I wanted to make sure I went ahead and got it up here at the HP just as quickly as I possibly could.

The first moment I've been genuinely taken aback so far is--in "Between Class," the fifth video in the series--remembering the feel and smell of the brown, grooved-rubber stair treads. Thank you, Brad Kelley (brilliant choice on the Smithereens song for the opener, by the way), YouTube and Internet at large.