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TheQuake '82-'85 SF,CA

80s, Alternative
kqak_the_quake DJ Profile image
DJ: kqak_the_quake
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YAHOO: dr_jaffe

kqak_the_quake

Hang the DJ

I started listening to the Quake at the end of summer 1983. I had been listening to Hot Hits KITS since that spring, and if you remember their format at that time, they played the top 12 or 13 of the Billboard 100 every hour like clockwork. As the summer wore on and "Every Breath You Take" stayed at number one for 8 weeks, it finally occurred to me to look for something new.

The Quake and it's eclectic mix of Two-Tone, English new wave, American underground, and local music was a breath of fresh air. That and MTV, which we had just started getting that summer also, helped form my musical tastes. And I swore I'd never become the fuddy-duddy I am, but here it comes right now: Music was never better than it was in 1983-1985, roughly the lifetime of the Quake. Ugh, did I just say that?

I guess music is never as good as it is when you are in junior high or high school and it all seems so new and exciting. It's a shame that 80s music has become synonymous with “cheese” and has been condensed to "I Ran" and "Tainted Love" and “She Blinded Me With Science” because there was so much more interesting music than those three 80s flashback chestnuts.

While I haven't stopped listening to current music, I haven't listened to the radio in five years and have been disinterested in it since about the time of Temple of the Dog and "Hunger Strike." I am glad the Quake ended before it reached the travesty that passes for radio these days--I know it would have followed the rest of the so-called alternative stations in playing Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, Korn, Limp Bizkit and Marilyn Manson.

For the Quake, however, it will forever be a perfect day in 1985. "Road to Nowhere" has just finished playing and Tim Bedore is just about to announce "Happy Boy", and follow that with "The Perfect Kiss" and "A Message to You Rudy" and “Christian Boy” and…

Favorite Artists

The Cure
I used to fantasize that the Cure would somehow become the Goth Grateful Dead with legions of somber, black-wearing, teased hair converts trailing them around the globe. I suppose they'd have to tour more than once every three or four years. And stop breaking up every other album.

New Order
Even almost 20 years on, the first beats of "Blue Monday" send chills up my spine. Why hasn't it been in a car commercial yet? I mean, they've already tapped "How Soon Is Now" and "She Sells Sanctuary" to name but two...

Buzzcocks
It wasn't until I saw them live that I realized they are the punk Beatles.

The Ramones
What feeble words can I offer that will convey the genius of the Ramones? I used to dismiss them because every song sounds the same. I still think that, yet why do I own so many Ramones CDs? R.I.P. Joey, Dee Dee and Johnny.

Echo and the Bunnymen
The first five albums now remastered and available from Rhino, as well as a box set covering their entire career. It's a swell time to be an Echo fan. Or to become one....

Favorite Albums

The Clash - London Calling
I'm not sure why people seem to prefer the bloated Sandinista over this album where every track should have been a massive hit. As far as I'm concerned, this is the only album that matters by "the only band that matters."

Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
The music, yes. Everyone seems to agree this is their high water mark. But I am recommending this one simply for the beautiful cover, which was the culmination of years of beautiful Echo photography by Brian Girffin and design by Martyn Atkins, the team who brought you many of the equally wonderful Depeche Mode covers.

Gang of Four - Entertainment
They had mellowed a bit by the time I had first heard their "I Love A Man In A Uniform," but this 1979 album is one red hot chili pepper.

The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow
It's so hard to pick just one Smiths album, so I put them all into a hat and this was the one I picked. A good selection of radio sessions and alternate versions. Interesting that at this early point in the career, already their imperative was to reissue and repackage. The sun shines out of their behinds indeed.

New Order - Substance
Low-Life was released just before the Quake went off the air, so Substance is not a proper "Quake album", yet I list it here for it's inclusion of the essential 1981-1982 EP, otherwise unavailable in the U.S.

Favorite Broadcasters

indiepopradio
The best of new indie pop. Check out his site at www.indiepopradio.com for the latest news and new releases.

k_records
K has always been in the shadow of fellow Northwest label Sub Pop, and I for one, say it's a crying shame. I recommend the Halo Benders albums, especially the CD single "Don't Touch My Bikini" which carries a wickedly funny yet touching cover of the Smiths' "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want."

kindercoreradio
Kindercore is a cool record label from Athens, GA and is carrying the torch long ago carried by Let's Active and R.E.M. and The B-52s.

shout bubble

 

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