issue 442

In 1985, Rolling Stone was still HERC's primary source of music information. Spin would debut in March of that year and it slid nicely into the slot vacated by his beloved Trouser Press which celebrated its ten year anniversary and ceased publication with the April 1984 issue. (The main man behind Trouser Press, Ira Robbins, contributed a few album reviews to Rolling Stone in 1985.) Lesser influences included copies of New Musical Express read in the basement of the University's library and the occasional issue of Musician, Smash Hits, Creem or Circus he purchased or read at the newsstand or record store.

Issue 442, dated February 28, 1985, featured Springsteen on the cover and fourteen albums reviewed near the back of the issue - twice as many as the previous issue.  The thing about most of the reviewed albums is that the majority of them failed to make the Album Guides pictured below, with seven of them appearing in the 1992 edition and only four making the 2004 edition.  As far as albums in HERC's collection, only five of the fourteen made the grade: David Lee Roth, Eurythmics, Deep Purple, Jonzun Crew and Malcolm McLaren.

In addition to cover art, each album below has the title (with Spotify link when available), album artist, label, release date, the critic's name and the original 1985 rating (number of stars) as well as the ratings from Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992) and The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004). HERC Included those last two ratings because sometimes history doesn't repeat itself - it rewrites or revises itself.

Follow HERC's record buying adventures in 1985:

1985: A Vinyl Odyssey

Two Minute Warning

Angel City aka The Angels

MCA

November 28, 1984

David Fricke

1985 rating: 3

1992 rating: -

2004 rating: -

Crazy From The Heat

David Lee Roth

Warner Bros.

January 28, 1985

Christopher Connelly

1985 rating: 3

1992 rating: 3½

2004 rating: 3½

Perfect Strangers

Deep Purple

Mercury

September 16, 1984

Deborah Frost

1985 rating: 2½

1992 rating: 2½

2004 rating: -

Eric Carmen

Eric Carmen

Geffen

February 9, 1985

Christopher Connelly

1985 rating: 2

1992 rating: -

2004 rating: -

1984 (For The Love Of Big Brother)

Eurythmics

RCA

November 12, 1984

Parke Puterbaugh

1985 rating: 2½

1992 rating: 2

2004 rating: 2

Down To Earth

Jonzun Crew featuring Michael Jonzun

Tommy Boy

1984

Kurt Loder

1985 rating: 3½

1992 rating: -

2004 rating: -

Rattlesnakes

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

Geffen

October 12, 1984

David Fricke

1985 rating: 3

1992 rating: 3½

2004 rating: 4

Fans

Malcolm McLaren

Island

February 2, 1985

Kurt Loder

1985 rating: 4

1992 rating: -

2004 rating: -

Italian X-Rays

Steve Miller Band

Capitol

November 1984

Parke Puterbaugh

1985 rating: 3

1992 rating: 2

2004 rating: -

Native Sons

The Long Ryders

Frontier

1984

David Fricke

1985 rating: 3½

1992 rating: -

2004 rating: -

Who's Last

The Who

MCA

November 1984

Kurt Loder

1985 rating: 1

1992 rating: -

2004 rating: 1

Back Again (Try...)

Tommy Keene

Dolphin

1984

Parke Puterbaugh

1985 rating: 3½

1992 rating: 3

2004 rating: -

Places That Are Gone

Tommy Keene

Dolphin

1984

Parke Puterbaugh

1985 rating: 3

1992 rating: 4

2004 rating: -

Drifters

True West

PVC

1984

David Fricke

1985 rating: 3½

1992 rating: -

2004 rating: -