Andy Gallo's Top 5 Bands From College

Better Be Sure is set in Harrison University (which doesn’t exist), so I dusted off playlists from a few decades ago for what I listened to when I was in college. 

1. The Smiths/Morrisey. My roommate and I were huge Smiths fans. They’d broken up by then, but that didn’t stop us from blasting “The Queen is Dead” or “Louder than Bombs". Never saw them in concert, but I saw Morrisey years later.

2. U2. A testament to their staying power is that U2 is alive and well today. Back then it was “War,” “The Unforgettable Fire,” and “The Joshua Tree.” I saw the tour for the “Unforgettable Fire” when it hit Philadelphia. 

3. REM – Technically they’re still around, but I don’t think they’ve are playing anymore, and they haven’t had a new album in over a decade. I remember an interview with the band where they talked about being together and playing on New Year’s Eve 2000 and thinking - gawd, that’s forever away. Yep, now it’s forever away in the rear-view mirror. I saw the “Orange Crush” Tour in Minneapolis. 

4. David Bowie. The only one on my list who’s no longer with us. Bowie had a bit of a resurgence when I was in college when he released “Let’s Dance.” That of course had us searching for all his older stuff and we were hooked. I saw the “Let’s Dance” tour in Philadelphia – twice if I recall correctly.

5. Bruce Springsteen. Although last, he’s endured the longest for me. I’m still a huge fan and I’ve even got ‘lil q hooked. I forget how many times I’ve seen Springsteen in concert, but in college we camped out in the parking lot of John Wanamaker’s outside Philly to get tickets for the “Born in the USA” tour. Back then there was no internet. You bought tickets at the ticket window. “Thunder Road” is still my favorite.

So, without revealing your age, what songs/bands do you remember from high school, college or thereabouts?