[il Padrino Ute]

My senior year in high school was when that Def Leppard album was released. A friend of mine had the original Sony Walkman - about the size of a VHS tape - and was listening to it. He said to me: You gotta hear this. It's awesome."

I listened for about 15 seconds and had heard enough. IMO, that is the worse band in the history of the world. But I won't hold it against you.

My list would be (in no particular order):

U2 - The Unforgettable Fire: I really liked Joshua Tree, but I think this was when U2 sold out by making the decision to make mone. Nothing wrong with it, but it seems that each album is progressively worse because they're catering to the Top 40 crowd. Every song on Unforgettable Fire is terrific.

Hoo Doo Gurus - Mars Needs Guitars: The songs are all great fun. I've seen this band twice - once when they opened for the Bangles in '86 and again in about '91 or so. They sound just as tight live as they do in a studio.

Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party: Elfman and the boys at their best. Of course, I have to say that I'm a bit biased, as Boingo is my all time favorite band. I've seen 'em 22 times.

Stan Ridgeway - The Big Heat: Nobody tells a story like Stan does. Each song is a different story and the music is very good.

Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair: The Hurting is probably their best album, but this was my introduction to TFF. It was my first concert when I came home from my mission in '85. I remember them telling the crowd at Park West that they had never played in front of an audience that big.

As you can see, I'm admittedly stuck in the 80s New Wave scene and I don't feel apologetic at all. If I really thought about it, I'm sure I could come up with a few others.