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

i like that Chakk more than the Tackhead time bomb. it is ripe for remixing. i must have that single in a box here somewhere...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJDI8BaBXPg

^ Stroom have just put out a comp of this band's stuff, had never heard of them before but they're called W.A.T. (World According To) and they're kind of like a Belgian version of The Passions - really good!

this is a really super soundtrack EXCEPT for the dreadful brian wilson song on side one and the dreadful southern pacific song that ends side two. oh well. nothing is perfect. everything else on this record totally fits together.

https://i.discogs.com/BoiGq6wN_Neazqkq_TBuegHg1pGdQprZ46shpdTXtoE/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:599/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIyMzc4/MzAtMTYzMDg1MzA1/OC00NTA3LmpwZWc.jpeg

The Relations - Patrick (1989 - Stairwell Recordings)

https://i.discogs.com/xaZJIYxYb2SPJeqbJIo4zLI8A647GDxMoo89NXO-Cy0/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:495/w:495/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTY4MTg0/NTYtMTQyNzI3OTYy/OC05MjM4LmpwZWc.jpeg

the first songs reminds me of robyn hitchcock. wait, david bowie had a song called ""right on mother"? and peter noone sang it? produced it? i'm too sleepy to google.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o05FfODGJdY

some people might call this bog standard scottish indie. or something like that. i like the echo on the vocals on the third track. one of the perks of having no money to record. reminds me of the straightjacket fits. nowhere near as good but still...

on the fourth song the singer channels shayne carter of straightjacket fits and fellow scot jim reid. i like that mix. the song sucks though.

and on the next song he is a scottish michael stipe! hoo boy, pick a lane, dude.

whole wide world - s/t (penny for the guy records - 1987)

not great. but hopefully the band had fun. unfortunately sounds NOTHING like wreckless eric. they mostly have a male lead singer but they do give their female bass player a song and they should have done that more because she sounds like a young amy rigby. kidding! but she is definitely an improvement on generic male american indie singer hoping for a deal with Mammoth Records or Big Time Records or Alias Records or Twin/Tone Records.

https://i.discogs.com/S3x70NOUlA83GLd_i7YvUyAnILNgEXhTOj2f-zNsM58/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:598/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTEyODA1/NjUtMTY0ODM2ODMw/NS01OTEyLmpwZWc.jpeg

main members of WWW were in a band called Modern Clix. who discogs says made "punk rock with caribbean influences". so, they sounded like bad brains, i guess.

https://i.discogs.com/6dIEvxePscSagx48r3Qw-3OMV9dcOfT7b0kKy6EictM/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:410/w:533/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9BLTM1ODYy/OTMtMTQyNTE3MjE0/NC01NjU3LmpwZWc.jpeg

uh...not like bad brains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCySN08xyVk

haha Discogs says the guitarist Fran Powers also used the alias "Ratti Dread"

the boring reggae part of bad brains they've got down anyway.

fat's garden - every now and then (tempel records - 1988) 3-song single

nice. belgian indie with sylvianesque vocals. they don't need the belgian soul workout at the end of the first track "you and i" but what the heck you need an ending right? they must have been listening to dark side of the moon. to make matters confusing the album version is totally different so i won't post that youtube clip. and to make matters more Scottish the second track sounds like Jim Kerr at his most muscle rock and the song is called "american way".

https://i.discogs.com/8hCCWfgoLA7d55E_A6xgse1HULhlqWD4c3OWURrGsFs/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:473/w:477/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTM3MjE1/ODItMTM0MTczMjg1/Mi0zMjMxLmpwZWc.jpeg

52nd Street - "Can't Afford" (Factory - 1984)

keeping this 12-inch because factory and i don't own it. i see the u.s. profile version mostly. i feel like inner city could have had a hit with this in 1988. new order + inner city is a deadly combo. was this a smash on detroit dancefloors? it should have been. also reminds me of my heroes colourbox, so, score another one for the team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUmx-zqoB4U

yates brothers and sisters - electricity (mca - 1982)

digging. super sweet bubblegum disco. also a must for paulinho da costa completists. you know who you are.

https://i.discogs.com/O0vrUc5YURm9TorKRW4ckgq6Px9Od-Ga7hLiVHwyvNw/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:477/w:477/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE3MjM3/MTctMTM1NDQwNTQw/NC02NDMxLmpwZWc.jpeg

I totally love Can't Afford to Let You go but I don't think it was a hit anywhere...and I've never been able to make it work on a dancefloor for some reason. Their earlier song Cool as Ice had a bigger impact in the clubs. Definitely good examples though of New Order and ACR members using side-projects to test out new equipment. In this case I think it's Bernard and Donald Johnson from ACR?

mutants - fun terminal (mutiny shadow international - 1982)

not unfamous but not THAT famous despite their pioneer status. again, i wish they had ditched their founding dude and just gone with the women because their voices are so cool. i want to say that they are just following the B-52s template as so many others did but i'm not actually sure of the timeline. they probably started around the same time as the b-52s? don't know if they were aware of each other. in any case, it took longer for mutants to put out an album and by then the b-52s were established pop stars. this is a pleasant album that is pleasant. but solo albums by the two women in the group would have been better i betcha. one of those women, sue white, now sings cornish folk songs and had a group called the goonhillies!

https://i.discogs.com/Hd74_tI_UVlTou-buqjoEW1n2s4OmLd3bv-mS7eUm54/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:598/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTEwNjcw/MDUtMTE4OTU2MjU2/MS5qcGVn.jpeg

don't make fun of me but i'm listening to security and i don't think i've ever listened to the whole thing before? too many 6 minute songs to be a new wave album. i usually just play shock the monkey when i get a copy and call it a day. i like thompson twins lay your hands on me better. also, how did peter gabriel hook up with jerry marotta? he was such a dusty 70s rock stalwart. was peter gabriel a big orleans fan? still top ten cover for me as far as 80s covers go. the back cover is soooooooooo front 242.

https://i.discogs.com/CW2Am95gWa_vcUtco1unqIZCoCBwq6gaJsTADhF8dIk/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:597/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTY1NDc1/OTAtMTYwNTAyMzQ4/Ni05Mzc4LmpwZWc.jpeg

i'm listening to happy mondays for the first time on purpose! on vinyl! because bernard and because factory. uhhhhh, i won't be keeping this. so much for my completism.

happy mondays - freaky egg dancing with that acid monkey who shakes the maracas (factory - 1986) (man that is a looooong 6 years from love will tear us apart...)
https://i.discogs.com/HDZdHf9ob7KgAJvpa2Yv04V0huOk8MJ7CZEvAJheCX4/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:589/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE2MjA3/Ny0xMzQ4MTYwNzky/LTY3NDMuanBlZw.jpeg

Boxcar - Insect 12-inch (arista/nettwerk - 1989)

have i been underrating Boxcar all this time! (can't not think about ancient ilx boxcar! meme...) my apologies to Australia. i really like all three tracks on this single. the dub, the a-side club mix, and the b-side remix of an album track. i have ignored their debut album for years. don't know why.

https://i.discogs.com/lOAagN7ttT_7yN1EVUhFPPDw7Or968yPiRmKccGvB3g/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:591/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTExNTMx/OS0xNjQ5MTM4NDYx/LTgyNDguanBlZw.jpeg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-DETXPV9u4

big mouth - quite not right (atlantic - 1988)

beastie boys rock. okay, fine, rap-metal. but this is like TOTAL beastie boys stuff. more fun than limp bizkit. Atlantic probably thought they had a goldmine here. guitarist from Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

https://i.discogs.com/CM9NzHd8b43scMEUB_1adGMQm7HJQLJmJE7TAN08NiE/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTMzMjUz/MjMtMTQxOTc3NjU1/NC05NDYyLmpwZWc.jpeg

https://i.discogs.com/mLhT4ztMP1wJRnVhSHzynR23sUv95PF_G0jAuhaODIE/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTMzMjUz/MjMtMTQxOTc3NjU3/OS01OTY5LmpwZWc.jpeg

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

furniture - brilliant mind 12-inch single (stiff - 1986)

i don't know how many records i've heard on stiff from 1986. probably not many. this is okay. good production. really good actually. but sorta lacklustre over all. the b-side "to gus" is better than the a-side single. but couldn't find it on YT.

https://i.discogs.com/9NBku1K9JEFO3fegG6Es9OxAmLZmHjqiGq4BGLbqVOY/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTc0NzI0/Mi0xNjYwNzU4NzA3/LTc4MjIuanBlZw.jpeg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-XIIHgsVgU

That song was Furniture's sole hit single in the UK. Reading about their history they seem like a vastly unlucky band!

“Quite not right” sounds like a British album title

that one was a minor hit in the UK and fairly fondly remembered by blokes of a certain age. the singer was a music journalist and wrote for melody maker amongst other things, and one of the other members went on to start transglobal underground. couple of their early records go for decent money i think and are kind of interesting but none of it really grabs me tbh. kind of make me think of a less charismatic pulp?

okay another true confession. i have never listened to a comsat angels album. i know! but i really do get to everything eventually. and i have a serious question: were Chameleons influenced by this album? or the first Comsat album that i still haven't heard? because the first side of this album has a REALLY big chameleons vibe. especially on the last two songs. but maybe everyone just sounded like everyone back then. i haven't read a lot of chameleons interviews on purpose. they are too revered by me. i like to have a little mystery. they must have loved this album. i'm keeping this. the last song on side one is so awesome. okay the first song on side two totally could be a chameleons song too. its official. cool though! the first three comsat albums didn't come out in the u.s. i don't know if you knew that. in my defense. you just don't see them around much.

the comsat angels - sleep no more (polydor - 1981)

https://i.discogs.com/N9a1tWMGvXDRBWP4fI59h8GCwZltdwG7DszPholN9UY/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTY5NDc1/Mi0xNTY3MDI4MDI2/LTkwOTUuanBlZw.jpeg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alL3pooF_L0

love that one, recently got a copy

fantastic album that

and i have a serious question: were Chameleons influenced by this album?

i don't know, but i reckon U2 definitely were - just have a listen to 'dark parade' and then listen to 'bullet the blue sky'

massive drum sound on that track you posted (and all over the album tbh). almost even sounds like gated reverb on the snare - was this the album where they recorded the drums in a stairwell of the office block that one of them worked in?

anyone ever heard this one of theirs before? from 1980, sounds exactly like a UK version of Mission of Burma:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBvISx83JOs
Comsat Angels - Home Is the Range

crazy how similar it is imo, even the weird tape noises are there

sleep no more is a total desert island disc for me

comsats opened for u2 in early 80s iirc, you can pretty much trace the sound shift

There's a whole genre of sort of post-Joy Division/Factory post-punk/new wave of that type that you could put u2 and Simple Minds in but mostly talking about bands like Comsat Angels and Chameleons but also The Sound and Modern Eon and most obscure of all of that but some of the very best and my life's mission to put them in the conversation, is The Lines.

i like that modern eon album a lot.

and The Sound everyone should like.

i remember your Lines love!

never heard this one! it's weird! oi! #westham #foreverblowingbubbles

the rejects - quiet storm (heavy metal - 1984)

https://i.discogs.com/zz6YXD9cDguedzbJJ9l6jUiU2GQoaxgN0fOH3BpbLfI/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:597/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIzNDYy/NTYtMTQ4MjA2MTQ5/OC00NDg3LmpwZWc.jpeg

what are your fave oi! groups? i like: 4skins, angelic upstarts, blitz, the business, cockney rejects, the ejected, infa riot, oi polloi, oppressed, sham 69, u.k. subs. uh, so, most of the big ones. oppressed, 4skins, and the business might be my real faves. though i'm always finding more that i like. section 5. i don't listen to cock sparrer much but i dig their vibe. i'm not a big adicts fan. i'm not big on "novelty" bands except for the legendary toy dolls. not a big splodgenessabounds fan. i love slaughter & the dogs. i love that last resort debut. i will pretty much listen to any captain oi! comp. or any secret records comp. even some rock-0-rama stuff if it isn't scary. though ANY oi! sung in german sounds scary and i stay away from it. (i only listen to the early 80s stuff on that label and to be honest the best stuff they put out is all that awesome finnish stuff. appendix. riistetyt. terveet kadet. finnish spunk/hard beat is one of the greatest punk comps ever made.) and yes i like the chiswick stuff and back with a bang by you know who but i don't make a big deal about it and i got rid of my vinyl years ago. got them from my friend who was a boston skin (a jewish boston skin!) and basically gave them away to a friend who is a soul and reggae dj and skin but who is very realistic about history and a good egg. (and yes i wish every punk single sounded as incredible as back with a bang on vinyl but that is my last word on that band ever for as long as i shall live.)

like d-beat, i'm mostly in it for the beats! that's why i'm a hardcore techno fan. the oppressed debut might be my platonic oi! ideal.

there now you know way too much about my oi! likes.

xp wtaf?

colonel poo to thread

I love this! I thought it was gonna be hokey but its awesome. the guitars are totally cool. the vocals. everything. do the herky jerk! they have a full album on enigma that i've never heard. it couldn't possibly be better than this.

Volumatix - Volume One (Republic Recording Corporation - 1982)

https://i.discogs.com/OpM3SvdtJWErAgcidCx6s6uUdljlgRGSb3S7x3nSRjY/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:599/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE4ODMy/MTUtMTU5OTY4NTE3/NS0yODczLmpwZWc.jpeg

https://i.discogs.com/jUlOTuURyAFcFP9LVeKCXg6Yr3OWApAM7uwQy4hxgRY/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:479/w:375/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9BLTE1MzUz/MjYtMTQyNjYwOTk0/NC0yNzY4LmpwZWc.jpeg

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

I will definitely check out the lines

I don’t know oi at all but I love 80s d beat made by pacific vegan Scandinavians

pacifist not pacific

for the Lines you have to listen to all three release.

Memory Span collects the singles from the melancholic power pop classic White Night throught the angsty post-punk of On the Air/Cool Snap into the more dubbed out new wave of Nerve Pylon.

Flood Bank collects the two LPs which are firmly in the "post-Hanentt" world with as much emphasis on atmosphere and rhythm as songwriting.

Hull Down is the lost "3rd album" featuring material from the early to mid 80s with more electronics being introduced in a manor not unlike what say New Order or Cabaret Voltaire might've been doing circa 82.

at last a band i have heard of : Furniture.
they were a thing re certain aspects of the UK music press for a while.

The Lines are great! Listening now for the first time & wow… Omnivore or LITA or someone should do a reissue series. Not like the records are impossible to get, but they’re not exactly common either. And it’s be great for Memory Span to be available on vinyl.

metal break! this album is so wonderful. power/trad metal but a deep dark and delicious (and heavy and crunchy) power/trad metal. one of the best of the 80s imo. wish more trad bands would take this album as their template instead of the super-muscle manowar or shiny euro-power thing. nothing against dragons i just like stuff like this better. from an era when big ugly guys from florida were doing god's work. satan being god obviously.

iron cross - s/t (private press/no label - 1986)

https://i.discogs.com/D3Jqr0xCwcuO5wKyvUWpmrYKbmslPoOiljSrlTIT7uk/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:563/w:580/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTMyNDAw/NzctMTMyMTg5NzQz/OS5qcGVn.jpeg

https://i.discogs.com/9j0xiTi3820yyR6UjixQm4Lev8IVl9kGps7P2n2nEIc/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:568/w:568/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9BLTE0NzY3/MDQtMTUxMTQyOTU1/My04NDM5LmpwZWc.jpeg

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

"Omnivore or LITA or someone should do a reissue series"

OMG someone on this thread DID a reissue series!

his name rhymes with...stan melzer.

Yeah, would be great for Memory Span and the LPs to be on vinyl. Get in touch and I can try to help.

We did the CDs during a time when CDs was the way to go for such things.

Some of the original records are easier to find than others.