Could somebody recommend me some vintage 80s jangle-rock (besides REM)?

there's lots of this stuff

Also Tommy Keene. Just about anything by him is great.

How about The Reivers?

Right now, my favorite band is the Vulgar Boatmen, so anything like that would be appreciated.

Also, Michael Hall. But especially get this The Setters, which is Walter Salas-Humara (Silos), Michael Hall, and Alejandro Escovedo.

aw, man. i'm gonna have a hard time stopping here...

Also check out Let's Active, the dBs, Guadalcanal Diary, and Miracle Legion.

Fucking excellent stuff!

Look also for The Dangtrippers.

Long Ryders - State Of Our Union & Two Fisted Tales.

Grapes Of Wrath - Now & Again (brilliant, underrated etc:)

The Grapes Of Wrath - Do You Want To Tell Me?
http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1P1SILC5J69PC2CP6B2EISF562

If not then I'm going to YSI their whole album

Wygals, The Embarrassment, The Connells, Guadalcanal Diary -- yeah, keep on rockin.'

Los Lobos and the Meat Puppets -- it's hard to find bands that don't jangle less unless you're in the heavy metal or punk rock genres. oh wait... Ha ha.

did you find anything you like from these suggestions?

?

Up On the Sun jangles more than anything REM ever did. Human Television fits a bit. though they're 00s

Nobody replied, in complete shame as so many worship Mozzer & Marr.

X|

Also, from Boston, Men & Volts, who alternated between doing a weird Beefheartian thing and really interested pop songs. 21-645 (who had a couple of 45s) are fantastic as well.

Also worth checking out are the Bird Nest Roys and the amazing Verlaines, both from New Zealand and on the Flying Nun label, of course.

The website www.littlehits.com has some amazing stuff, and a new song is added every day...check it!

The sad part is, that's a 2 cd, 46 song monstrosity, and I can still name about fifteen great songs that I can't believe aren't on it. How the hell can you have a Glen Campbell best-of without Roll Me Easy? Geez Louise!

If you can dig up anything by mid-80's NC band One Plus Two I'd highly recommend it.

I love the Reivers though the production on their Capitol records may sabotage the overall sound. There are moments of brilliance buried in there, worth searching out. "Saturday" and "End of the Day" still give me chills.

Early Hoodoo Gurus? Mighty Lemon Drops?

Almost everything on C86.

The Sunflowers?
no, wait - the Springfields. Them, anyway. None more jangly.

sleeve, would you happen to be able to share this (or the other stuff you mention)? i had an old gizmo's nth generation tape a loooong time ago, but it's gone and this is impossible to find now. as for the other bands you mention, i've never heard of 'em and would love to give a listen.

OTM, actually. Funny enough, the covers album, Scattered, Smothered and Covered, includes covers of songs by a bunch of people mentioned (or who should have been mentioned) on this thread:

The Smiths
R.E.M.
The Silos
54-40
Vic Chestnut
Reivers
Don Dixon

except that they completely fail at being a vintage '80s band!

Oh! And the Windbreakers, as well. I used to have Terminal and Run, which were both cool

The Windbreakers. Wow, these guys are good.

Great name! Conjurs thin cheap jackets or people with too much intestinal air.

Hands down the best power pop ever to come out of Mississippi. Not that there's much competition.

wasn't sure where to put this, but has anyone heard Arrogance w/Don Dixon? I came across their name in the liner notes to a teenline comp years ago, but still haven't heard them. anyone?

not from the 80's exactly, but imperial teen are great and jangly. gravity talks by green on red is a good record, but i never thought of them as jangly. too much velvets in their sound for that, imo

hmm maybe i'll find a better thread for my arrogance query. according to allmusic they went from byrdsjangle/early-mid70s West Coast post-psych/pop/rock/folk-rock/country-rock to more rocking powerpop?

Have a look on Youtube - search: arrogance don dixon

oh yeah...thanks. wow, this is garbage.

It was educational anyhow.

Dream Syndicate - Days of Wine & Roses
The Rain Parade - Emergency Third Rail Power Trip
The Silos - Cuba & self titled The Silos (which I think was their 3rd record)
The Plimsouls - Everywhere at Once
The Go Betweens - Before Hollywood
Camper Van Beethoven - II & III, Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart
Robyn Hitchcock- Globe of Frogs
The Church - Heyday
The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms & Only Life
Pylon - Chomp & Gyrate

The guitar-skronk of Dream Syndicate and Gang of Four-isms of Pylon, though I love both, don't really jangle to me. One pretty jangly LP I've pulled out several times recently is "Greenhouse" by Absolute Grey (1984,) which has lots of that strummy Rickenbacker sound of early REM.

And were already mentioned in this thread 4 years ago. Carry on...

jangle-pop!

here are two of my favorite songs ever. i think these are jangle-pop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv96lj-YM7U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNKSs1J38EA

Despite being a fan of Shack, I didn't listen to the full Pale Fountains albums until this week. Not bad!

The Pale Fountains - Pacific Street (Virgin, 1984)
The Pale Fountains - …From Across The Kitchen Table (Virgin, 1985)

Also Ian Broudie post-Wild Swans/pre-Lightning Seeds:

Care - Diamonds & Emeralds (Camden, 1984)

A friend was listening to the Shrimp Boat box set, which made me think that a label like Captured Tracks needs to put out box sets of The Jazz Butcher and Game Theory.

Flying Nun in general. The Clean, The Bats, The Verlaines, Bird Nest Roys, Look Blue Go Purple, Straightjacket Fits, THE Chills etc etc

Coincidentally REM big fans I THINK. Seem to remember they called The Chills the best band in the world.

The June Brides
Wolfhounds (will vouch for early stuff at least)
Razorcuts
Sea Urchins
Start (anyone know more about this Kansas band? I'm mildly obsessed with this one track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbmIXWE0e8k )

Yeah, I just ordered the Captured Tracks box set of The Bats that came out a few weeks ago.

http://www.capturedtracks.com/shop/featured-flying-nun-releases/fnctb-001-the-bats-vol-1-3cd-cassette-tote-option-available/
http://www.capturedtracks.com/captured13/wp-content/uploads/FNCTB001-BATS-FAKEOUT_CD-300x300.jpg

723 entries of jangle pop on RYM:

https://rateyourmusic.com/customchart?page=1&chart_type=top&type=album&year=alltime&genre_include=1&include_child_genres=1&genres=jangle+pop&include_child_genres_chk=1&include=both&origin_countries=&limit=none&countries=

Highest ranking newish album is Real Estate's Days at 97. Ones I don't have are Jacobites, The Sundays, Polaris, Håkan Hellström and Trashcan Sinatras.

Cleaners From Venus for lo-fi UK jangle

probably the Kimberly Rew solo album? I should get that some day

Hmm, I've never thought of The Sundays as jangle, but I guess they technically are?

Omg. Ever since discogs dot com became uncooperative I've been needing a new reference....thanks for those 728 pages !!

Game Theory.

The first album by The Loud Family is my favorite by Scott Miller.

The Stars of Heaven - "Rain On The Sea"....vintage 80s country-ish jangle

i second the Long Ryders mention way upthread too

The Sex Clark Five (who seem to have had a reunion album last year, on Spotify, but I'm just listening to it now so no idea if it's good).

This was always a favorite:

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

Contemporary jangle pop distinguished by a female version of Stipe.

Eternal Summers - Gold and Stone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOmNrBaLoHc

the dentists.

the method actors. ga indie jangle OGs

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

what exactly makes nicole a female version of stipe?

Was Jefferson Airplane much of an influential touchstone for any of these 80s jangle groups? I know the Velvet Underground is always stated, but listening back to old JA, I got to say sonically their first couple LPs sound in line with these 80s groups.

The method actors

The Nields

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever are kind of in there between early Go-Betweens, The Clean, other antipodals (and they seem like they probably like Television's "Days", T's Byrdsiest ever, even achieve the harmonies, atypically enough). Neighbor Courtney Barnett (who also might fit, though the one w Kurt Vile not rec) has observed that Melbourne doesn't have no beach, but RBCF make their own (other neighbors Dick Diver, who also might fit) honored their sister city on Melbourne Florida/ Anyway 2017's The French PressEP is a really nnniiiice and driving place to start w Coastals (they've got older stuff on here too) https://rollingblackoutscoastalfever.bandcamp.com/

Sleep Good's "Teen Sprite."

(Earl: I'd say so, or at least they should be--and the Charlatans, and Beau Brummells.)

If you want some really great undersung 60s jangle check out Darby Slick's raga guitar on the live Great Society set. That's Grace's brother-in-law in her pre JA band.
for 80s stuff does Savage Republic's monotone guitar count as jangle? I think that is the sound you get from it anyway.
& the Abecedarians also depend on droning jangle I think.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever are kind of in there

Yes yes yes! This is my favorite guitar band to emerge in God knows how many years. They are fantastic.

Additionally, as stated upthread, please check out Winter Hours. We know how to jangle here in NJ and they had the sound down. Hyacinth Girl is a lost classic. They should have been more popular, and unfortunately they had a tragic ending.

Maybe I'll try them again---seemed like, back when their vids were occasionally on 120 Minutes of MTV, that the lead vocals were too Murmur-y for me---I still liked Stipe at that point, but even then one was enough.
Aztec Camera's High Land, Hard Rain was refreshing, and I think would have been even if it weren't so against the grain/trends of early 80s. Other AZ albums of the 80s, also 1990's Stray were okay-to-good, and certainly more quality over quantity, although Roddy Frame could sometimes sound like---a better Barry Manilow? Dunno, I'm not big on a lot of earnest young Brit male voxxes. But that guitar, those tunes, yow. (The guitar was sometimes down in the mix, but the tunes could feel it).

Speaking of 80s trends, you get Steve Lillywhite's DRUM SOUND--hipster/post-punk/HEY MTV---with robust jangle and more of those supple tunes on Marshall Crenshaw's Field Day, and for me the (sufficiently blended)contrast works even better because of supporting his earnest young American male vox, always blander than Frame's, or too consistently subtle for me.

The Ocean Blue had their first 3 albums reissued recently, and they contain a lot of jangle rock and 80s production.

Speaking of supple tunes and guitars, got those w scruffy, take-it-or-leave-it voice and words on Freedy Johnston's Can You Fly, although that's from '92---The Trouble Tree was pretty good too, from 1990, '89? Dunno if he did any in the 80s.

First Dumptruck album holds up great. Subsequent albums blend in with all the other 80s bands too much for me. I ought to revisit them though I suppose.

Yes first Dumptruck is a fine example.

i never heard that first one, though i had the second one for a little while. it was ok. doubt i've heard them since the 80s, i'm curious to check though.

ha i was just thinking that i didn't remember them as that jangly, so i opened "walk into mirrors" on youtube and it had that one guitar tone i remembered really well as sorta characteristic. but then...yup you're right a jangle part. huh.

First fear of men album, sounds like classic cranberries

Check out the Feelies side-projects - especially the Yung Wu record.

― Marty McFly, Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:02 PM (twelve years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Keep seeing this thread in new answers and wondering if Yung Wu was mentioned yet.

Anyway, that Yung Wu record is great.

Dumptruck's "Going Nowhere" is an all-time favourite...I guess that's jangle; maybe a little darker and more downbeat.

I still enjoy hearing tracks from Miracle Legion's first "The Backyard" pop up on playlists. They had a great live show back in the day. Saw at least one double-bill with them and Dumptruck on the New England indie circuit.

One of the quintessential 80s jangle songs...Vulgar Boatmen Drive Somewhere.

^this

THE WAKE is some good 80s jangle...very influential on recent indie stuff like Real Estate and Beach Fossils

The Wake's Here Comes Everybody is one of the best (and most overlooked) jangle records ever, personally.

First two Dumptrucks are good dark jangle. For the Country would be my pick of their three initial albums, though it's more Neil Young than R.E.M.

And, finally, it's a very pleasant surprise to see an Ocean Blue mention by someone besides me. Those first three albums are definitely personal classics.

One of my favorite jangle records ever is an Ocean Blue-affiliated album by the band Riverside. Their first album, titled One, was produced by Steve Lau and was released in 1992, but still fits right in with this topic.

No Smithereens on this whole thread!

Because the Smithereens were cold garbage.

Let’s Active - Every Dog Has Its Day has aged well.

Finally heard 28th Day for the first time this week. So good!!!

Oh yes. And from there, go explore Barbara Manning's solo catalog, starting with "Lately I Keep Scissors".

Great name! Conjurs thin cheap jackets or people with too much intestinal air.

― Gorge, Friday, July 25, 2008 2:03 PM (nine years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ctrl-f'd 'too much' hoping to find a Too Much Joy reference and this is how I'm rewarded.

1978 but you'd be missing out if you never heard this. one of my all-time favourite 7". B-side is excellent too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nml0v-GlHw

"Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever"

never heard them. thanks. just added a video to the aussie jangle/guitar playlist i made yesterday. based on a lot of names i got off of ilm a couple of years ago from someone here.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4uJu4UGWv-Rn0YA53IvBEQTcxQ2E0u1n

all 21st century stuff though. not 80s.

Wygals, "Sleep With Angels." I think that's the title.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, July 13, 2005
RIP, Rickey! He was a good music mag/paper writer, good ilxor too. The Wygals-related Individuals were one of those Hoboken bands, in fact I think they were among the Hoboken 3 (play on name of Frankie Sinatra's noob vocal group), with the dB's and Bongos. Fields/Aquamarine was the twofer reissue this century. Best track: "Asleep in your bed/I'm drunk in the fields/(Janet Wygal chimes in)I walk by your houuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse."

I like this live version too, though the sound is rougher:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeLXNPfjZVg

"Wygals-inclusive," I might as well have said, since Doug & Janet were both Individuals.

"Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever"

Oh man, Sick Bug is a good song but they have better. Try The French Press, or my favorite of all, Heard You're Moving. Or maybe Write Back. Holy mackerel they are so good.

man, one of my favorite hometown bands, Primitons, got a small reissue a couple of years back, I know TWAS was a fan as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9kVlsdIsQw

chuck warner put out the first primitons EP so it is everywhere around here.

we are throbbing lobster-heavy in western mass.

Primitons and The Ho-Ho Men were both descendants of Jim Bob And The Leisure Suits, though I don't remember how well any of them would fit any notion of jangle.

well the ep was produced by Mitch Easter, which is like definition of jangle, right? haha.
this is a fun thread.

like a lot of these comps it's certainly not all essential stuff but there's some good stuff

https://capturedtracks.com/captured-tracks-announces-strum-thrum-the-american-jangle-underground-1983-1987/

Will definitely co-sign that. One of my favorite releases of the year.

yup yup

I like both kinds of music, early Byrds and early REM!

jangle is just a good sound, love the jangle

0–9
3 Lb. Thrill
B
The Bats (New Zealand band)
The Beat Farmers
Best Coast
C
The Clean
D
The dB's
Dillon Fence
Dreams So Real
Dumptruck (band)
F
The Family Cat
The Feelies
Fire Town
A Fragile Tomorrow
G
Game Theory (band)
Gin Blossoms
The Go-Betweens
Guadalcanal Diary (band)
Guster
H
Richard X. Heyman
Hoodoo Gurus
J
Jason & the Scorchers
The Jazz Butcher
L
The Last (band)
Let's Active
Life in Film
Lone Justice
The Loud Family
M
Miracle Legion
N
Nada Surf
Martin Newell (musician)
O
The Ocean Blue
The Organ (band)
P
The Pale Fountains
The Parties (band)
The Plimsouls
Polaris (American band)
Preston School of Industry (band)
R
R.E.M.
Rain Parade
Rainy Day (band)
The Refreshments (U.S. band)
The Reivers (band)
The Rembrandts
Remiah
S
Sister Hazel
The Smiths
Spooner (band)
Summerhill (band)
The Swimming Pool Q's
T
The Three O'Clock
U
Uncle Green
V
Vishnu (band)
W
Wednesday Week (band)

I see no recommendations for The Hummingbirds so I will make one here

https://www.discogs.com/The-Vulgar-Boatmen-You-And-Your-Sister/master/259070

Good interview here with the Captured Tracks guy.

https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2020/12/03/strum-thrum-the-american-jangle-underground-1983-1987/

xpost, You & Your Sister from the Vulgar Boatmen is always a good recommendation

Seconded or thirded.

IMO their earlier Indiana-only post-Gizmos iteration Right To Left is even better:

https://musicalfamilytree.com/band/right_to_left

(6-track studio recording not on Discogs or released aside from demo tape, which kills me)

Also no mention of the Field Mice or any of Bobby Wratten's other endeavours yet. That's being rectified right now.☺

(to be clear the Right To Left link I posted is a live show from 1988, the studio demo tape remains unreleased)

Had not heard of Right To Left, Field Mice, Bobby Wratten! Have just now skimmed this review of the recent Captured Tracks comp cited upthread: once past "Proustian" and some other attempts at pre-summary, there are appealing descriptions of tracks, which range from shiny happy people to shadow patrols, apparently:https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/various-artists-strum-and-thrum-the-american-jangle-underground-1983-1987/

This is the "pitchfork sucks" topic, so I feel like it's okay to admit that I (Andy, to be certain) have actually liked some of their features and their twee one is kind of a classic, as far as I'm concerned: https://pitchfork.com/features/article/6176-twee-as-fuck

(It's Nitsuh, so of course it's great.)

Sorry, that should read this is NOT the "pitchfork sucks" topic.

dow here's the only official recording with the Right To Left band:

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Black-Brittle-Frisbee/release/3668588

saw the link about the captured tracks anthology and thought "i bet they don't have crippled pilgrims" but looky there, they have crippled pilgrims!

this is a good comp ... the R.E.M. imitation is sometimes fierce, but it sounds fine now

Also no mention of the Field Mice or any of Bobby Wratten's other endeavours yet. That's being rectified right now.☺

― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Friday, December 4, 2020 10:43 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

"Bobby"??!! Sorry but no way can Robert Wratten pull off "Bobby" :)

Not even ironically

It's what he prefers.☺

Sundays have loads of jangle but should probably technically shelved under 90s

There are some great recommendations and discoveries on this thread. How did the Vulgar Boatmen pass me by? I second The Hummingbirds, a fantastic band - so sad that Simon Holmes is no longer with us.

Vulgar Boatmen so good. Like a Motorik Everly Brothers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRP5_sLI6Lc

^^ yeah that one is all time, so good

dude sounds a bit like Neil Finn there

The little pause before the cymbal hits in the 'chorus' are the very best thing.

Wow, wow, wow.

I used to have the mp3's of this Brazilian band. So excellent, you have to hear it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP0mbHEz0kk

^ Wow, indeed! That whole album sounds fantastic--cool unexpectedly frequent use of harmonica by the singer, too...

Yeah I posted the live version, whereas the album is a classic indie 80s sound, love the guitar and unadorned sound...now I gotta go back and revisit the rest of that Brazilian "new wave" that was on that comp.

I'm pissed this wasn't on American college radio back in the day.