every song i play this week was released in the year 1985, which doesn't seem so long ago, but if i think back at the quality of my work 27 years ago, i'm not sure i'd be bragging about it as much as i am this week's hour of music. the songs are here.

sting played with some of the best jazz musicians available and made the remarkable "dream of the blue turtle." you'll remember dire straits' "walk of life," but may have missed aztec camera's "jump" and todd rundgren's "mystified."

what i consider the cd of 1985 was pete townshend's "white city." that's him playing his guitar flamenco-style, left. "white city" was a well-produced powerhouse--short on pyrotechnics, but with plenty of technique, quality tunes, and cutting lyrics:

^{you must have heard the cautionary tales} 

^{the dangers hidden on the cul-de-sac trails}

^{from wiser men who have been through it all}

^{and ghosts of failures spray-canned up on the wall}

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from todd rundgren's "mystified"

you got a wishing well in your eye
the surface starts to ripple
pardon me, what might your entendre be?
i'm seeing double, sometimes triple.

every thought wears a thin disguise
it's not a thing that I can verbalize
but if you knew what I was looking for
you'd get off your ass and walk out that door
mystified.