we listen so fast: forgotten/unkown/unloved 80s we are listening to.

your morning workout!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs_gXpPg31c

canadian new wave from 1982. this is actual synth-pop! so far. i dig it. we shall see how things progress. with these types of dollar records you don't know if you will get actual synth-pop or slightly skinny tie power pop with a dash of synth from a band that turned in its steve miller and eagles covers 6 months ago and bought some pointy shoes. not that i have a problem with the latter if the songs are good. but often the former bar band will have one cool single that is A1 on side 1 and then a bunch of whatever.

https://i.discogs.com/PLarDiRE-LR5sn4M6EDFD1OW0z4U_3T5FiPdo5qg4jg/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE1NzA0/NDctMTM3MTI2Mzk0/MC03ODcxLnBuZw.jpeg

in general, though, all bets are off once the calendar turns to 1985. things go downhill fast. as far as that kinda stuff goes. by 1985 you have full rooster hair a la The Alarm and cowboy boots and before you know it you are caught in a zodiac mindwarp!

i love this one! but i have already expressed my love for radio songs. this is kinda ultravox + blue nile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU7IESCs-j0

I haven't been following this thread (was planning to revisit it later when I'm next obsessed with a very minor 80s band, upon which I'll mention the ones I already have in mind) but I just want to say Cruella de Ville are great and it's a shame there was never an album.

it's official. the first Strange Advance album is UNDERRATED. maybe not in canada. i wouldn't know. they don't put a bar band new wave rock song on the album until track 10! and its the only song with Bob Rock playing rock guitar. everything before that any new wave band would have been happy to have a single. for the most part. good job, gang!

https://i.discogs.com/78UZaLBZo4_3B_h4djo9jmasakJ_sjPkny_uj7hKPh0/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:423/w:500/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9BLTI5MzE5/NC0xNDg0NTAzMDc0/LTI2NDQuanBlZw.jpeg

It's Jesse's Gang! Who could ever forget them? Me! I'm sure I've seen their singles a bunch. That's the great situation I'm in right now. I have a ton of full-length albums by artists who I have only seen on singles before. The albums rarely pop up. The singles tanked so the album tanked. Or something like that. Plus, this is from 1987 so if anyone was a Jesse's Gang fanatic they would buy the tape or CD. anyway, I'll report back. I'm looking forward to their song "Noiz Without Words".

https://i.discogs.com/rEz4vpsByk-xGYu-ut62rcMCxUZ5RqHZsq1WpjhR0Sc/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE5OTAw/OTEtMTM3OTYwMjYx/Ny00NjE3LmpwZWc.jpeg

since canadian synth-pop is a recurring theme of this thread, i will humbly submit this amazing b-side by the band Roman Grey, who had some degree of success in their home country but are basically unknown in the states. could only find one mention of them in the ilx archives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHRAUN8rudU

i like that a lot!

nobody needs that Jesse's Gang album i was listening to. sorry, Jesse. and as a sorta/kinda kid creole/august darnell/stony browder completist i'm embarrassed to say that i have never heard this project by the ever-fecund darnell mind. from 1983. playing now!

https://i.discogs.com/1GTQoCIiqQdyS_9crwqz5cWLoV4ZB38Qnck3P1zWIZQ/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTExMTAz/MC0xNjIxNzczMzk3/LTk0ODEucG5n.jpeg

I haven't thought about some of these albums in years. The cover art brings back the heady days of stocking the bins.

Hmm pop with synths is not synthpop imo? Song 1 vibes more as, like ultravox, but performed by like, rush? By songs 2 and 3 they’re even better at it.

i guess i just meant the difference between SYNTH-pop with a big emphasis on new wave/new romantic/post-punk synth sounds and some rock band with some added synths farting along behind them.

there was a lot of anonymous power pop with a loud keyboard player thanks to The Cars. every label wanted another Cars. who can blame them?

listening to the first album by then Jerico (First (The Sound Of Music) from 1987) but i think i like their promo pics better than their album.

https://i.discogs.com/KXQ94X44qqxNxuhDtDH7VFjSwe4PbnMoy0FfHd2WPz4/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9BLTk2MTI5/LTE1ODUwNzkyNzMt/ODcyOS5qcGVn.jpeg

https://i.discogs.com/cD2Ty00cmd89yvNWLyzGy9NTtfHwvk2_tZJ7Ub5EgH8/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:613/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9BLTk2MTI5/LTE1ODUwNzkzMDQt/NDU3Ni5qcGVn.jpeg

https://i.discogs.com/IBU7pxm3aw84Nse0jyRl0EkWzefFjLDVBBoyonz8R88/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9BLTk2MTI5/LTE1ODUwNzkyNTMt/NDk3Ny5qcGVn.jpeg

did they have their own line of ripped sweaters? that is so cool.

https://i.discogs.com/TImSuXnXYhnqB7g7sH0hplaXuPBw8EGW_WNh0MJ5GlU/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:603/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9BLTk2MTI5/LTE1ODUwNzkyODUt/MjgzMy5qcGVn.jpeg

xp Ha yep. I agree that strange advance album is consistently good at what it was doing.

though possibly more interesting than then jerico - and as much i like jan hammer - i don't think i can listen to this styx solo record. i'm moving on after one track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SanTtzMW2c

we have a winner!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7ReMYa64MQ

acieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed. this is really good. i'll go light on the acid house singles i'm cleaning because 95% of all british acid house is obscure to me. i listen to it on comps and i never know what i'm hearing. from 1988. i would listen to a comp of whoever this is on cd.

https://i.discogs.com/lOBQL4baOk7OX-PG8xLS0sKV_p8ZyWdqK8GFshwScbY/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:598/w:595/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTg2Mzk4/LTEyMDExNzQzMTYu/anBlZw.jpeg

haha, no wonder. its one of the 5% i know and love, a guy called gerald!

british ebm. 1986. so keeping this 12-inch. i dig it. and i won't have to listen to the crappy youtubes that people put up. this one isn't as crappy. some of them are really bad. turntables from 1902 playing industrial music. maybe that's steampunk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqbWgyx8jtY

maybe you’ve heard it already scott but the richard sen comp ‘this ain’t chicago’ has that annette track and lots of other excellent british acid house besides

speaking of britishes: the UK group White Door, from their album Windows. the members of this band also played in a prog band called Grace about whom i know nothing. italian DJs in the 80s liked to play this one @ 45, and i can see why - it’s a bit on the slow side, but i like its prettiness. they apparently released a second album a few years ago!

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

the white door track is cool. like a dubby japan sorta. or a murkier japan. i like that tempo. i will keep my eye out for the album.

that comp looks cool too. i like baby ford a lot. confused me when i searched it that there was a u.k. acid house group named This Ain't Chicago but they aren't on the comp! and they had a smash hit apparently.

okay, i'm out of here. but before i go i totally forgot about THIS song until i heard it on youtube today. probably haven't heard it since 1983. sounds good in 2023!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i44WVe1Hci4

'A Night In New York' by Elbow Bones & The Racketeers is fabulous.

the cruella de ville up thread, i wonder if it's the same band I have a single by, "hong kong swing"? listening again it obviously is. haven't thought about those for about 40 years.

xxp dud for suing Jandek

speaking of britishes: the UK group White Door, from their album Windows. the members of this band also played in a prog band called Grace about whom i know nothing.

I had a couple of Grace albums back in my 80s-era neo-prog days. They had a song about a witch I used to play a lot, the rest of it I don't recall. More dud than classic from my hazy recollections.

I have tried with the units before because Hugh Jones

White door yessssss

it's official. the first Strange Advance album is UNDERRATED. maybe not in canada. i wouldn't know. they don't put a bar band new wave rock song on the album until track 10! and its the only song with Bob Rock playing rock guitar. everything before that any new wave band would have been happy to have a single. for the most part. good job, gang!

🖼

John Robb's book Death To Trad Rock was a great source for mid 80s UK alternative bands like a UK equivalent of Michael Azzerad's This Band Could Be Your Life or something.
Most off the leftfield bands that were on the same circuit as the Membranes that Robb himself fronted.
Just saw some talk about a few bands I think are in it upthread.

I confused the Units with the Staff

https://www.discogs.com/master/510426-The-Staff-Out-Of-Bounds

Annette is prime UK acid from Simon Topping of A Certain Ratio and Quando Quango and the Haciendas Mike Pickering as T Coy. Think there was even a Derrick May mix.

oh ok maybe gerald just produced it. i was scanning quickly. because i scan so quick. though JUST having him produce your acid house in 1988 would be enough for most people.

i'm taking a let's active break to start my listening day. let's active who are neither forgotten nor obscure. and who i have been listening to year in and year out since 1983. been listening to oh ok since 1983 as well come to think of it.

https://i.discogs.com/Z9479GhyXkANCyNEc9IVofY3wnD1EzBjewK0iIWwP5I/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:450/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9BLTI1Njk3/NC0xMjc5ODk4NjY1/LmpwZWc.jpeg

i tried to listen to the first Ph.D. album but i really can't take the singer's voice. one of those rare cases where a voice just completely drives me up a wall immediately. sorry, Ph.D.! (more of a prog voice than a new wave voice....)

https://i.discogs.com/A-wJODiQLyruik1W8pdgJUI_tPUMGSrzlUyig0WW4s0/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:463/w:466/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTM0OTg0/MDAtMTMzMjc4ODcz/MC5qcGVn.jpeg

the things i do for science...

https://i.discogs.com/3J3YrsVHfe8cAt4iESbUhEX1P9EfEOGxQ7ANo-4PHmM/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:598/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTQwMzU4/MDEtMTYzNTkzMjI4/Mi0zMDUzLmpwZWc.jpeg

the sheer tonnage of denim in the 80s...

the cotton fields must have been running 24/7.

jesus, "girl in the ghetto"...why, cry before dawn, why...??

Another familiar face from the unbought-even-at-£1 second-hand racks in London (and probably the rest of the UK)!

Were they Irish?

i blame bono so hard.

one thing i will say about U2 and Alarm wannabes - and did they give some sort of government stipend if you started one of these bands in the u.k.? - is that usually the singers can actually sing. so, a good voice at least something to hang onto.

yeah, they are irish. they just added some pipes to their ghetto song!

of course they have a song called "flags". they must have been bummed that there was already a band called Flag.

its official. i will listen to anything.

https://i.discogs.com/kbniNvHnF0LIaMtQIAXwRN4PF_pOEn4WfIq0XLanRf0/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:598/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTU2ODI0/OS0xNDc1MjM0MjI1/LTI4OTUuanBlZw.jpeg

the little "80s" doodads and sounds added to his joe walsh music is just so dumb.

i had to take that abysmal don felder thing off. and that's coming from me! i have a very high tolerance for mediocrity. i feel like i need to hear the one and only Device album. feels weird that i've never played it. its a pretty common dollar bin item. holly knight was such an integral part of u.s. pop in the 80s and it feels wrong to go any further without playing it. she wrote or co-wrote "love is a battlefield", "the best", AND the grandaddy of all and cornerstone of 80s american DJing "obsession". and probably a ton more i can't think of. plus, she was tight with mike chapman. and he produced the Device album and i am a big fan of his. playing now.

https://i.discogs.com/-aLfob6Wq8FVqt0s1LAN3d01CeByCRyYoDjTGO9JQRU/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:454/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9BLTEyOTg0/My0xMzM3MzEyNTI4/LTY3MzkuanBlZw.jpeg

man, mike chapman should have recorded every aor album in the 80s. sounds like a dream. if you dream of los angeles and sunglasses. its obvious that they wanted every song to be a possible single. they really went for it.

oh you want another Device recommendation from youtube:

@mile0931
2 years ago
Of my collection of 2000 CD’s and 300 pieces of vinyl, I have 10 “essential” releases locked in a fire proof safe. This CD is among those 10. Absolutely STELLAR album!

sad there is no holly knight thread on ilm. she wrote "never"! one of my fave heart songs. not to mention "the warrior". the carole king of the 80s! kinda.