What is your favorite 80's/new wave music/artist? - Page 4

Those bands sure bring back a few memories.

I recently found "Hunting High and Low," by A-Ha for $2. Had to buy it - IIRC, that was the first CD I ever heard. A friend's family bought one of the first Sony decks and they put this on to demo it to the small crowd of kids wanting to see a CD player. Oh, I remember everyone being captivated by the "Take On Me" video. The blending of animation and live action was extremely cool at the time. I know it seems dated now, but it was a Big Deal then.

The age divide also seems to show up in other genres. Seems that a lot of jazz fans only listen from Bebop on, while a lot of Golden Age and Swing aren't as popular. Too bad, since most of it is accessible and a lot of fun. Jazz used to be dance music at one time, not just people sitting cooly in jazz clubs. The reason I got into it was that my high school band instructor was a fan and had us playing it. Not that there were any complaints - it was really fun to rehearse and perform.

Not to change the subject. I wish more people would open up to good music - the US had a good run from the beginning of the 20th century through the mid-90s. That was when big music started working formulaic groups and anything interesting went underground. Good music has been coming out the past 15 years or so, but you have to search for it.

 

 

I can see how one might get that impression about new jazz fans, but I think that may be more true of folks in these forums than beyond. I know that people are still coming to, say, Duke Ellington's music regularly.

 

The reason for the boppish slant in these forums might have a more practical explanation, though: We tend to talk about music presented in the album format around here, which is something that wasn't really around until the bop-era in the early '50s. On the other hand, around NYC there always seems to be young people forming little makeshift bands to play early New Orleans-type swing for people to dance to. It's not a big commercial movement like the swing revival of about 12 years ago, but it's definitely a niche.

 

I sure wish the swing/jump band revival would make its way west.

Killing Joke

 

Although they defy genre-pigeonholing.

 

 

I experienced this weird time-warp thing with that Gary Jules cover of "Mad World". TV shows are using it a lot, but the first time I heard it was in the movie Donnie Darko, and I remember thinking, 'What's that '70s song?' When I tracked it down (this is some years ago), it prompted me to go back and sit with Tears For Fears for a minute…they're not geniuses or anything, but like I said above, the songs hold up.

 

1983, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Relax, classic 1980s pop

 

     

 

   

Highly under-rated, A Flock of Seagulls from 1982, the track is 'I Ran' and it is one of those, I have heard that before tracks.

 

     

Hi Tru Blu,

 

With Tears for Fears I'd say and this is my take on many of those bands of the 80's is that their biggest hits hold for me (although I've played them to death).  Remixes and sampling today will lead folks like yourself and I to wonder where they came from.  And they aren't geniuses, but they like the ilk of their bands of that period seemed to have some sort of message within their music which speaks volumes to me.  Not to say music today lacks substance.. I just like the fact they touched subjects on: politics, war, self improvement, depression, exploration, imagination, weirdness and awkwardness.   I don't know how to better explain it.. let's face it the 80's were pretty out there.   Here's a weird one.. kind of pedobear status..  and no this isn't great by any means.. actually.. kind of awful.. quirky at best.

 

 

I'd also like to add:

 

Pet Shop Boys

UB40

 

 

 

 

Flock of Seagulls and the Cure.

 

…good catch!!…totally forgot about them…and truth is, they might actually be geniuses…

 

80s....definitely some michael and janet, luther and whitney. 

The Pet Shp Boys! Of course, well added to the list.......

 

    

Bit of a one major hit wonder - but I can remember playing this one a lot during that golden era ....

 

Soft Cell - "Tainted Love"

 

 

THE MOTELS

Edited by ISALULA - 6/23/11 at 10:32am

http://youtu.be/tgOJPB4OSzQ

 

What Trent Reznor was up to before he formed NIN. Pretty good. There is another track that is arguably even ore eighties by him, but I couldn't find it.