…And so, Real Gone reaches the inevitable end of The Great 80s Project, but what an amazing year for music!  The charts didn’t always reflect the interesting things going on, but in terms of albums, it’s a year full of wonder.

Marillion were reborn with ‘Seasons End’, a terrific album that proved a change of vocalist needn’t be the death knell; XTC released ‘Oranges & Lemons’, a golmine of inventive pop that met with public indifference; The Replacements’ ‘Don’t Tell A Soul’ continued the alternative heroes’ voyage into commercial waters with a set of great songs and Mudhoney’s first full length presented a timeless slab of garage rock, hinting at things to come in the new decade.

Indie heroes Carter USM and Jesus Jones became the new NME heroes, while on the rock front King’s X released a corker in ‘Gretchen Goes To Nebraska’, a record that managed to sound contemporary but oddly retro all at once; Enuff Z’Nuff’s debut was a US smash with its psychedelic take on glam rock and Signal’s ‘Loud & Clear’ more than proved that classic sounding AOR and melodic rock was far from dead.

Our look back at the year features all of these albums and artists, as well as several hours’ worth of other treats.  So, dive in to the 80s with us one last time… We guarantee you’ll find something you’ll love.