London 0 Hull 4

With their music far too rooted in R&B, the Housemartins were never "officially" part of the C86 movement (named after a British music magazine's influential 1986 compilation album that featured the Wedding Present, Wolfhounds, Primal Scream, and others). But their jangling guitars, the social criticism of their lyrics, and their gleefully cynical outlook were fully in line with the C86-ers. The debut LONDON 0 HULL 4 (1986) is chock-full of catchy tunes, great lyrics, and Paul Heaton's exceptional vocals. This is one of the great records of the '80s.
Standouts include the chipper "Get up off Our Knees," carried on a bright acoustic-guitar line and choral-type backing vocals, "Think For a Minute," a wistful track featuring Heaton's falsetto vocals, the percussion-and-bass-driven "We're Not Deep" (complete with sing-along "ba ba baba ba"s), and "The Mighty Ship," a hyper harmonica instrumental. The album's trio of gospel standards is also of note. A staggeringly brilliant take on Luther Ingram's "I'll Be Your Shelter" features Heaton's voice, alternately growling and soaring, a barreling piano, and a full-on choral backing. Start to finish, this record is a masterpiece.