Penthouse and Pavement by Heaven 17
This is a strong representation of English synth-pop/new wave from the early 80s. I don’t recall this album at all, and it was not much of a hit in the U.S. I enjoyed listening to hit this morning especially the title track, but I don’t find any of the songs particularly memorable. There is nothing wrong or deficient here. You could have told me this was Devo or Soft Cell and I would not have challenged you, which is probably more of a reflection on my shallow knowledge of the genre than anything else. Also: low marks for implying Ronald Reagan was a fascist, which is simply stupid. That ignorance got their single “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” banned by the BBC.12 My rating:
AllMusic called the album, “one of the most accomplished debuts of the '80s.”
Picking up where Kraftwerk had left off with The Man Machine, the group created glistening electro-pop that didn't skimp on danceable grooves or memorable melodies. What set Heaven 17 apart was the well-deep vocals of Gregory, who managed the difficult trick of sounding dramatic without seeming pretentious, and an overtly left-wing political outlook best expressed on the debut single "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang."3
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Patrick Emery wrote:
“…the album’s lyrics and image intelligently parodied the emergence of global corporations.”4
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
Prime Playlist: 241. Penthouse and Pavement by Heaven 17
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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: n/a
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a
Released on September 1, 1981. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross5
• Number one album: 4 by Foreigner6
• Number one movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark by Steven Spielberg7
• Most watched TV programs: Dallas, 60 Minutes, Dukes of Hazzard, The Love Boat, Private Benjamin8
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Cujo by Stephen King9
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: The Beverly Hills Diet by Judy Mazel10
Some other albums released that month
• Special Forces by Alice Cooper
• Strait Country by George Strait
• Why Do Fools Fall in Love by Diana Ross
• Maiden Japan by Iron Maiden
• Songs in the Attic by Billy Joel
• Abacab by Genesis
• Allied Forces by Triumph
• Hooligans by The Who
• Magic Windows by Herbie Hancock
• Nine Tonight by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
• Private Eyes by Hall & Oates11
Sport
• Aug 30 Bill Shoemaker becomes the first jockey to win a $1 million thoroughbred horse race when John Henry takes the inaugural Arlington Million by a nose over The Bart.
• Sep 12 US Open Women's Tennis: Tracy Austin wins her second US title; beats Martina Navratilova 1-6, 7-6, 7-6.
• Sep 13 US Open Men's Tennis: John McEnroe wins 3rd straight US title; beats Björn Borg 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 in Borg's last Grand Slam match.12
Notable Births
• Sep 1 Clinton Portis, American football running back (Pro Bowl 2003, 08; Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins), born in Laurel, Mississippi.
• Sep 4 Beyoncé, American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, producer and actress (Destiny's Child), born in Houston, Texas.
• Sep 12 Jennifer Hudson, American Academy Award-winning actress (Dreamgirls; Respect) and Grammy Award-winning singer ("And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"), television talk show host, and Tony Award-winning producer (A Strange Loop), born in Chicago, Illinois.13
Historical Events
• Aug 28 John W. Hinckley Jr. pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to kill President Reagan and assaulting three other men the previous March.14
• Aug 28 National Centers for Disease Control announces high incidence of Pneumocystis & Kaposi's sarcoma in gay men15
• Sep 1 Military coup under general Kolingba in Central African Republic, President Dacko flees16
Notable Deaths
• Sep 1 Albert Speer, German architect and Nazi leader (Reich Minister for Armaments and War Production), dies of a stroke at 76.
• Sep 4 Verne Rowe, American character actor (Fernwood 2-Night - "Verne"), dies at 59.
• Sep 6 Christy Brown, Irish painter and autobiography writer (My Left Foot; Down All the Days), dies from choking during a meal at 49.17
I’m not in favor of this kind of censorship.
What is with the parentheses?
Emery, Patrick, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 473.
Ibid.