If you are of a certain age and spent any part of your younger years in SoCal, you may have been very familiar with Jed the Fish. If your music tastes ran to the quirky grooves of the B-52s, the jangling guitars and dark poetry of the Cure, or the elegant art-rock vibes of Roxy Music, you would have listened to Pasadena’s own KROQ, the “ROQ of the 80s.” And you would have heard Jed Gould, or more familiarly to radio fans, “Jed the Fish,” the afternoon disc jockey who introduced us to some great alternative and new wave acts, and who became a personality in his own right, making a few cameos in film. Gould passed away on April 14, at the age of 69.

Spins some tunes in honor of Jed the Fish, and with gratitude for his influence on the airwaves. May his memory be a blessing.

 

Pretenders [Hoopla digital music], Pretenders Original release: 1979

“Whatever the Pretenders’ exact place in the rock hierarchy these days, the band is the new sensation of 1980. Combining the provocativeness of new wave with the accessibility of mainstream rock,…[T]he impressive thing about the album, at a time when rock critics and sales charts rarely agree, is that the Pretenders enjoys equal support from critics, radio and the public.”

Closer [Hoopla digital music], Joy Division Original release: 1980

“‘Closer,’ the second album, was released a few weeks after [singer and lyricist] Curtis’s death, and is less accessible, if just as gripping. It has its share of magnetic settings, too. ‘Twenty Four Hours’ may contain nowhere-to-turn lines like ‘One moment/Thought I’d found my way/Destiny unfolded/I watched it slip away.’ But as one journalist wrote, the song ‘explodes with a rage and sinister power that could frighten the staunchest heavy metal fanatic.'”

Beauty and the Beat [Hoopla digital music], Go-Go’s Original release: 1981

“And now, rock ‘n’ roll may have found itself another Match Made in Heaven…a scrappy, stubborn band of local girls and an economy-minded, adventurous little record label headquartered in Hollywood. It kicked off with the new album, ‘Beauty and the Beat’; to hear the Go-Go’s and IRS Records talk, it’s as hunky-dory a match as you’re liable to find anywhere.”

Avalon [Hoopla digital music], Roxy Music Original release: 1982

“Although Ferry insists that ‘Avalon,’ which has been No. 1 in England for the past month, is not a concept album, its music certainly seems of a piece. In actuality Avalon is part of the Camelot legend, a place described by Ferry as ‘the ultimate romantic fantasy land,’ and the music conjures that imaginary terrain quite vividly. Regal and ethereal, it rolls in like a glittering fog as Ferry beseeches in a shivering croon, ‘My heart–will it ever stop bleeding?'”

Speaking in Tongues [Hoopla digital music], Talking Heads Original release: 1983

“What with the Seagulls Flocking and Persons Missing and Men Working these days, Heads Talking was starting to look like old news…But the New Yorkers’ first fresh music in 2 1/2 years seems so essential that it’s hard to believe they were away. This grueling tour of scenic mental states conveys a gripping sense of spiritual tumult that makes the final, reassuring resolution glow with a lasting light.”

Sparkle in the Rain [Hoopla digital music], Simple Minds Original release: 1984

“This album jumped to No. 1 on the British pop charts in its first week of release, and little wonder. It not only sparkles, but stands like the Hope Diamond amid the jumble of fine gems and costume jewelry that comprises British post-punk music…’sparkle in the Rain’ is rich with material that’s both lush and blazing.”

Fine Young Cannibals [Hoopla digital music], Fine Young Cannibals Original release: 1985

“Fine Young Cannibals play soulful shades of blue-beat pop. From the percolating rhythms and thematic anxiety of ‘Johnny Come Home’ to the group’s Memphis-sound tribute on its reworking of Elvis’ ‘Suspicious Minds,’ the Fne Young Cannibals evoke the cool and jazzy side of rhythm & blues.”

Skylarking [Hoopla digital music], XTC Original release: 1986

“A suffocatingly lush excursion into the sunny side of psychedelia, ‘Skylarking’ is a stoned soul picnic that invites the listener to drowse in the scented clover of Strawberry Fields forever. It’s almost too rich for the blood, but it’s so beautiful it’s hard to resist…Structures like an operetta, ‘Skylarking’ is a highly poetic and brilliantly thought-out record.”

Babylon and On [Hoopla digital music], Squeeze Original release: 1987

“This quirky pop band…is noted for intelligent lyrics and for approaching standard pop from odd angles. Lyricist Chris Difford, who works with composer and lead singer Glenn Tilbrook, has written some memorable songs. Effusive critics have compared them to the likes of Lennon and McCartney–even Gilbert and Sullivan.”

Peepshow [Hoopla digital music], Siouxsie and the Banshees  Original release: 1988

“Throughout the late 1970s and ’80s, Siouxsie and the Banshees found plenty of success on the British charts with their musical nihilism. But, in the United States, it was a different story. As recently as 1986, a Los Angeles Times rock critic called the group ‘one of the most consistently rewarding, influential, and, in this country, sadly neglected bands of the last decade.’ Today, however, Siouxsie and the Banshees are riding high on the American pop charts with both a hit album, ‘Peepshow,’ and a hit single ‘Peek-a-Boo.'”

Disintegration [Hoopla digital music], The Cure Original release: 1989

“Disintegration? Isn’t that what happens to rock bands who’ve been around as long as the Cure? The title turns out to be as ironic as a story by Saki–this is the most confident and accomplished Cure album yet. The reasons have nothing to do with breaking new ground–the last two brilliant collections did the exploring. ‘Disintegration’ sifts through the findings and synthesizes the elements that have made the English band one of the most entrancing of the ’80s.”

She Hangs Brightly [Hoopla digital music], Mazzy Star Original release: 1990

“Mazzy Star is more in the Opal tradition: austere country blues with Velvet Underground bloodlines (one guitar solo practically quotes the Velvets’ ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror’). Singer Hope Sandoval isn’t quite Nico. Her cool detachment rarely translates as aloofness. Electric or acoustic, the settings are stripped down to basics–often just a guitar strum, bass cushion and tambourine timekeeping. A juiced-up Cowboy Junkies for the Bohemian set, Mazzy Star sustains a dark beauty.”

 

 

 

 

 

Hilburn, R. (1980, Apr 13). POP MUSIC: PRETENDERS BECOME CONTENDERS. Los Angeles Times (1923-1995) Retrieved from https://www-proquest-com.pasadena.idm.oclc.org/historical-newspapers/pop-music/docview/162794094/se-2

CROMELIN, R. (1983, May 29). TALKING HEADS BURNING LOVE. Los Angeles Times (1923-1995) Retrieved from https://www-proquest-com.pasadena.idm.oclc.org/historical-newspapers/talking-heads-burning-love/docview/153435922/se-2