people on here with a genuine/serious love of UK 80s pop

[Brundle-Fly]

Any love for this album? I thought it was incredibly futuristic forty years ago, less so now. Taylor Parkes kind of explains that these sort of arty/ quirky synth/ oddball New Wave acts make no sense now. Especially to young people. Their attitude, the message, the aesthetic. The skinny ties. What do they want from us?



This similar vibe album I suppose is more user-friendly? Both albums had very original lead singles off them, Einstein A-Go-Go and She Blinded Me With Science, respectively. Boffin-Pop?

[The Culture Bunker]

Any love for this album? I thought it was incredibly futuristic forty years ago, less so now. Taylor Parkes kind of explains that these sort of arty/ quirky synth/ oddball New Wave acts make no sense now. Especially to young people. Their attitude, the message, the aesthetic. The skinny ties. What do they want from us?

Perhaps part of it is that the synths/drum machines/sequencers from the era sound, well, a bit weedy compared to what someone can do in their bedroom these days.

I think what they were doing makes sense (ie trying to move away from tired 'rock' cliches, wanting to do everything themselves without needing others to make up a band), but the limits of the technology can show through.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Got algorithmically recommended Oppenheimer Analysis a while a back and thought about making a thread a couple of times but also couldn't think of how to start it.

The wikipedia stuff redirects to what sounds like a press release about the fact the main guy is now a spook and their national defense achievements.

Discogs seems to have out of date info and the streaming services include some releases not listed on it or are referenced as both old cassette/bootleg/small releases and then .wavs released in 2015.

Good though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kds4XIt-MuA

[non capisco]

Todd In The Shadows did a recent episode of Trainwreckords on Crash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrXR4cLJ01M

I bloody love Todd In The Shadows. His Trainwreckords episode on 'Cut The Crap' by The Clash is brilliant.

My mum was a Human League diehard and I remember her pretending to like Crash for about a week, the same way I did later with Monster by R.E.M. It hurts when your faves suddenly decide they've had enough of being good and fancy giving being rubbish a go.

[non capisco]

What are people's objectively terrible UK 80s pop songs that they nonetheless have a weird thing for? For a while about five years ago I got borderline obsessed with 'Do The Hucklebuck' by Coast To Coast. That strange pale frontman that looks like Swiss Toni in his youth (and it's not even him singing on the record). During the first lockdown when we all started mentally preparing ourselves for our own deaths and time went all screwy I got the bang on the floor from the downstairs neighbour because I was singing along to 'Do The Hucklebuck' by Coast To Coast at what I hadn't realised was 03:15am.

[The Culture Bunker]

Years ago, I decided to listen to all of the top 40 as published in the NME dated my birthday (28/02/1981) and 'Do the Huckleback' was at #8. I didn't like it much, but it wasn't the worst in the top 10 by a long way.

The main bonus I got from the experiment was becoming aware of the fab 'Twilight Cafe' by Susan Fassbender.

[non capisco]

The main bonus I got from the experiment was becoming aware of the fab 'Twilight Cafe' by Susan Fassbender.

Yes!!! Completely adore 'Twilight Cafe'.

[non capisco]

I made three 80s pop Spotify playlists going up to '84 a few months back, based on TOTP appearances. Probably nothing you won't have already heard on there, but a decent lineup of hoofers and heaters.

I Love The Eighventies : UK Pop Chart Musik Bangers '79-'81

Was 1982 The Best UK Pop Chart Year Ever? (the answer is yes)

Frankie Say Reflux: 1983 & 1984

[the science eel]

Yes!!! Completely adore 'Twilight Cafe'.

I love it too but there's a sad story. And watching her play it on TOTP not too long ago brought a tear to the eye.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Fassbender

[Natnar]

This similar vibe album I suppose is more user-friendly? Both albums had very original lead singles off them, Einstein A-Go-Go and She Blinded Me With Science, respectively. Boffin-Pop?

The lead single from Golden Age Of Wireless was Europa & The Pirate Twins since She Blinded Me With Science wasn't on the original release of the album https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Age_of_Wireless

[Jittlebags]

The lead single from Golden Age Of Wireless was Europa & The Pirate Twins since She Blinded Me With Science wasn't on the original release of the album https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Age_of_Wireless

Fuck yes. That's an awesome album, before he went a bit weird doing mobile phone jingles.

Saw him live at the Liverpool Empire when Hyperactive was in the charts, and he'd just bought a Fairlight for the equivalent cost of several houses.

[jamiefairlie]

Are we defining 80s as 80-89? Personally I'm with the CMP gang as seeing the 'Eighventies' as a whole separate era, with the '80s' not starting until sometime in 1982.

[DrGreggles]

1982 is a strange year, as there's a continuation of 'Eighventies' at the start which is barely there at the end (as a chart presence anyway).

[Kankurette]

What are people's objectively terrible UK 80s pop songs that they nonetheless have a weird thing for? For a while about five years ago I got borderline obsessed with 'Do The Hucklebuck' by Coast To Coast. That strange pale frontman that looks like Swiss Toni in his youth (and it's not even him singing on the record). During the first lockdown when we all started mentally preparing ourselves for our own deaths and time went all screwy I got the bang on the floor from the downstairs neighbour because I was singing along to 'Do The Hucklebuck' by Coast To Coast at what I hadn't realised was 03:15am.

Are Tears for Fears terrible? Because the first three tracks of The Hurting are bangers.

[The Culture Bunker]

Are Tears for Fears terrible? Because the first three tracks of The Hurting are bangers.

I certainly wouldn't say so. For me, their only real misstep in the first few years is 'The Way You Are', but they did a bit overblown by the end of the decade.

[purlieu]

Their 1989 album The Seeds of Love is almost a sister album to Simple Minds' Street Fighting Years (albeit quite a bit better) in trying to move away from the bombast of the mid '80s by using acoustic instruments, but then coating them in never-ending reverb trails and making the songs seven minutes long and full of soloing and ultimately way more bombastic in the process. Obviously neither of them had noticed that Talk Talk had already mastered the approach in the preceding years.
Still some good songs on The Seeds of Love, mind.

[The Culture Bunker]

The first two TfF albums manage to sound like there's a band at work (and I guess it was, the main two guys plus Ian Stanley and Manny Elias) but by the time we get to 'The Seeds of Love', it sounds too much like Roland Orzabal and a stream of session players. There's a couple of moments things manage to click (ie 'Sowing the Seeds of Love') but I can understand why Curt Smith sacked it off as he must have felt like a stranger in his own group.

Good point re Talk Talk, though presumably Tears for Fears and Simple Minds still had half an eye on the charts, while Mark Hollis had probably long stopped giving a hoot about such things.

[jamiefairlie]

I love The Hurting but find the later albums too cluttered and ruined by "80s" production and technology. The changeover of tech from early 80s analogue is a key differentiator between the stuff I enjoy and the later stuff that to me often suffers from sounding too clattery, clinical and sterile, like a bunch of metal buckets bring chucked down an echoey stairwell.

[The Culture Bunker]

I think there's an interesting story behind Tears for Fears that I'm not sure has been told in any real length through books or documentary: new wave/ska bandwagon jumpers going nowhere (except in Spain, if I remember right) ditch it all to go all synth and score a series of big hits in England, then suddenly in 1985 become the biggest band in the world for a year or so. 'Songs From the Big Chair' has sold five million (!) in the States, nearly a million here - it's understandable they blew it afterwards, as it must have fucked with their heads, especially given the whole gist of the band (lyrically) was based on the fragility of ego.

I do see the appeal they had: now I just appreciate them as good pop music, but when I was 16, I did have their teenage thing of thinking "yeah, this is deep, man". I didn't even have the excuse of being a casual drug user to excuse such nonsense either.

[Natnar]

I'd recommend The Circle & The Square by Red Box if anyone is after a bit of Tears For Fears-esque anthemic pop. It's got their two hits (Lean On Me & For America) on it

[purlieu]

by the time we get to 'The Seeds of Love', it sounds too much like Roland Orzabal and a stream of session players. There's a couple of moments things manage to click (ie 'Sowing the Seeds of Love') but I can understand why Curt Smith sacked it off as he must have felt like a stranger in his own group.

Indeed, the liner notes for the super deluxe set are very telling, in that Curt only really liked half the album, even at the time. It was already becoming a Roland project by then. Am I right in thinking there's a track on it which Curt doesn't even play on at all?

I love The Hurting but find the later albums too cluttered and ruined by "80s" production and technology. The changeover of tech from early 80s analogue is a key differentiator between the stuff I enjoy and the later stuff that to me often suffers from sounding too clattery, clinical and sterile, like a bunch of metal buckets bring chucked down an echoey stairwell.

Yeah, for me I absolutely love the mid-to-late '80s production, something about the sound of it - and it's definitely very cold - has a really alluring atmosphere to me that just makes anything that sounds like that immediately really appealing, it's almost like a comfort blanket. I can understand why some people would dislike it, though.

[The Culture Bunker]

Indeed, the liner notes for the super deluxe set are very telling, in that Curt only really liked half the album, even at the time. It was already becoming a Roland project by then. Am I right in thinking there's a track on it which Curt doesn't even play on at all?

Seems likely. Pino Palladino plays bass on three (out of eight) tracks, but Smith might there on backing vocals on a couple of them.

'Sowing the Seeds of Love' predates the whole Britpop 60s fetishism by a good half decade, so they were ahead of the curve on that one.

[Bently Sheds]

The Sowing The Seeds Of Love box set is well worth it if you want to listen to endless takes of Bad Man's Song.

[jamiefairlie]

Seems likely. Pino Palladino plays bass on three (out of eight) tracks

Oh but of course he did, the kiss of death, with his stupid rubbery sound.

[purlieu]

The Sowing The Seeds Of Love box set is well worth it if you want to listen to endless takes of Bad Man's Song.

And numerous attempts at making a single version of Year of the Knife (before they gave up).

There's actually a reasonable amount of interesting stuff on it, some quite varied alternate versions, unlike the Big Chair box which has eight versions each of Mother's Talk, Shout and Everyone Wants to Run the World, many of which are just different edits, on top of the originals. Can't knock the thoroughness, but as a listening experience it's bleak.

[The Culture Bunker]

Oh but of course he did, the kiss of death, with his stupid rubbery sound.

Well, maybe, but I do like Gary Numan's 'Music for Chameleons' - and he was just ripping off Mick Karn anyways.

[Custard]

Always had a bit of a blind spot with Erasure. You can't fault the songs but Andy Bell's voice is like claws down a blackboard for me.

I get where you're coming from. I always wonder how much better it'd be with Alison Moyet singing

[jamiefairlie]

I get where you're coming from. I always wonder how much better it'd be with Alison Moyet singing

Yeah, me too. There's a very fine line between pop and cabaret, and Yazoo were on the former side and Erasure the latter.

[Brundle-Fly]

The lead single from Golden Age Of Wireless was Europa & The Pirate Twins since She Blinded Me With Science wasn't on the original release of the album https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Age_of_Wireless

Ah, a mate taped it for me at the time and included 'Science' so I assumed it was on the original album. Home taping is not only killing music but confusing future historians.

[gilbertharding]

I was born in 1969... but I am very ambivalent about 80s pop. I started liking/being interested in pop in the mid 70s, and thanks to having the influence of a much older sister, listened to a lot of stuff much more at the Rock end of the spectrum - so punk and new wave was right up my alley. Perhaps as a consequence, a lot of 80s pop music passed me by at the time. I listened to as much as anyone else, but never ever BOUGHT anything (why would you need to?). So, for most of the 80s I listened to Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin and whatever Annie Nightingale played on the request show on a Sunday night (as well as just absorbing the chart sounds like everyone else).

It wasn't until much later (like, the last 20 years) before I really came to terms with the fact that a lot of 80s pop music was, indeed, quite good. I can't pretend to LOVE it, but I do like a lot of it.