Vinyl School Years: My Favorite Albums from the 1980s (Part 1)

Inspired by my father, and by my forthcoming book on Chinese rock scenes, I take a trip down memory lane, recalling my favorite albums from a misspent youth in Massachusetts. Artists featured in this blog include The Clash, The Dead Kennedys, The English Beat, Polyrock, The Stranglers, Ultravox, Talking Heads, Snakefinger, R.E.M., and Thomas Dolby.

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Back on Track in Muggy Shanghai

Summer has hit Shanghai with a vengeance, slamming us bugs into the pavement like a great big fly-swatter.  Having lived in Aus for all those years I’d forgotten how jarring four extreme seasons can be.  It’s just hot as hell out there today.  And humid—like a great big bowl of steaming wonton soup.  Thank Buddha for air conditioning, even though it’s a contributor to global warming, which is just making the problem worse in the long run.  But we humans, we’re short-term thinkers.  Looking out for our own comfort without regard for the generations to come.  

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