An unsatisfying year for albums. In this video age I’m rapidly falling victim to the 'Instant Gratification Syndrome’. Why wade through 45 mins of uneven music for the sake of one or two highlights when it’s so easy to make video and audio recordings of favourite songs.

Very few albums justify their length: ‘Ocean Rain’ does each track sounds as though it belongs to a whole which is varied, cohesive, evocative and memorable. The Bunnymen take their music beyond The Doors, rendering comparisons superfluous. Ian Mac juggles phrases with consummate skill, turning meanings “Inside out/Upside down/Back to front/All the way around”, (‘Thorn Of Crowns’). Equivocation to match any in ‘Macbeth’.

David Bowie is a law unto himself. ‘Tonight’ has the mark of an album made on a whim. This year’s ‘Lodger’, in years to come it will be accorded affection and respect by man who’ve initially written it off as sub-standard.

‘The Way We Wah’ is quite an eye opener. This retrospective album makes me wonder why I didn’t investigate Wah! before. Pete Wylie may be arrogant, and big-mouthed with it, but this is a really good record.

1984 has been the year of Frankie, ’nuff said. Sharing the top ten with ‘Relax’ for a lengthy period this summer was ‘White Lines’, an ambivalent little ditty which also suffered/benefited from an airplay ban. Wit and suss are always in short supply so every home should have a copy of ‘Greatest Messages’.

U2 have forged in ‘The Unforgettable Fire’ their best album since ‘Boy’. Textured and complex, it’s the nearest they’ve come to realising their massive potential and a welcome return to form after the respective cul-de-sacs of ‘October’ and ‘War’.

Prince had a hugely successful ’84, totally cleaning up on the U.S. charts 'Purple Rain;’ is impressive for its strong melodies, emotive singing and the ghost of Jimi Hendrix. More rain! ‘Sparkle In The Rain’ is not Simple Minds at their best but they’re still in a different league to 99% of the opposition. Following up the sheer magnificence of ‘New Gold Dream’ was a formidable task.

‘Akadoo’ by Black Lace was that queer pancake, an album which found its way into the sixties charts. Lyrically, this album works at many different levels. Let us dissect some lyrics, how about ‘Push Pineapple, Grind Coffee’. At a basic level this is obviously a venomous jibe at wealthy plantation owners; the duo implore the oppressed workers to ‘grind’ an unjust system into the ground, to ‘push’ fruit sales to new heights. On another level ‘Akadoo’ tackles the chief dichotomy affecting Western culture; should we have fruit juice or coffee for breakfast? The song’s call and reply vocal style is culled from The Smurf’s seminal ‘Smurf Song’, i.e. “Can you crawl through a small key hole?” – “Yes, I can crawl through a small key hole”.

Phew! What a year.