[antiant]

ok welp, if anyone is a huge 80's music fan and know's quite a bit about that particular music during that time, i'm asking for some recommendations/bands/artists/groups to check out, they can be any genre (i have no limitations whatsoever), rock, pop, jazz, soul and so on, things like cyndi lauper, crowded house, roger & zapp, gerald levert etc also if the artist was a one hit wonder and were "corny" i'm game for that as well, i like a lot of the songs from the 80's i just don't know who sings them! anyways without further adieu some help please

 

[markl]

Way too many, wouldn't know where to begin.

But let me make this suggestion, by far the best, most comprehensive "New Wave"/alterna-pop/proto alterna-rock/accessible post-punk compilation series is Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough series. There are over a dozen titles in this series and they are cram-packed with great tunes from the early 80s, and spare you all the cheesy stuff (for the most part). Sound quality is first-rate as well. They originally came out in 1994 and are getting hard to find now, but well worth tracking down in your local used CD store. Great stuff!

 

[fewtch]

Do you have cable? I'd suggest subscribing to VH-1 Classic, for a good overview of the pop side of the 80s.

 

[lewtz]

Yeh VH1 does a lot of GREAT countdown shows, I love the 80's, etc. WAs thinking about the 80's when you posted this. There are a ton of songs from the 80's I know the words to, or recognize, but don't know who sings them or what they are called. I do know a lot were one hit wonders.

So with a little searching found this.

http://80music.about.com/gi/dynamic/...itwonders.html

Might be able to find some info from here.

 

[omedon]

These are from the now 8-year old 80's mp3 directory on my computer. Most of them made it on 3 - 80 min CD (when they were rare) compilation I made when I was 17. These was before the days of napster. The emphasis is on the cheesy/fun variety there may be 1 or 2 early 90's songs listed here as well. No New Order in this list which I listened to heavily at the time as well. They were so strong every song was like a hit and I wanted to include no more than 2 of each artist. I think MJ and maybe one other artist got 3 songs on the cd comp.


10,000 Maniacs - These Are Days
A-Ha - Take on Me
Animotion - Obsession
B52's - Love Shack
Bananarama - Venus
Belinda Carlisle - Heaven is a Place on Earth
Billy Idol - Mony Mony
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Boney M - Rasputin
Boston - More Than A Feeling
Bugles - Video Killed The Radiostar
Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting
Cars - Just What I Needed
Cindy Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Cindy Lauper - Time After Time
Culture Club - Karma Chameleon
Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round
Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (Dancemix Extended)
Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
Depeche Mode - Policy Of Truth
Depeche Mode - World In My Eyes
Devo - Whip It
Dire Straits - Walk Of Life
Duran Duran - Ordinary World
Duran Duran - Rio
Duran Duran - Notorious
Eric Carmen - Hungry Eyes
Europe - Final countdown
Falco - Der Kommisar
Falco - Rock Me Amadeus
Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy
Footloose - Let´s Hear it for the Boy
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
George Harrison - I Got My Mind Set On You
Glass Tiger - Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone
Gowan - You're A Strange Animal
Huey Lewis - I Want A New Drug
J Giles Band - Centerfold
J Giles Band - Freeze Frame
Jefferson Starship - Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now
Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
Katrina and the Waves - Walking On Sunshine
Kim Wilde - You Keep Me Hangin On
Loverboy - Everybody's Working For the Weekend
Madness - Our House
Madonna - Like A Virgin
Men At Work - Land Down Under
Men At Work - The Safety Dance
Men At Work - Who Can It Be Now
Men Without Hats - Pop Goes the World
Michael Jackson - Beat It
Michael Jackson - Billy Jean
Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Micheal Sembello - Maniac
Milli Vanilli - Blame It On The Rain
Milli Vanilli - Girl You Know Its True
Mr. Mister - Kyrie
Naked Eyes - Always Something There to Remind Me
Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al
Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind
Pet Shop Boys - Suburbia
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
Real Life - Send Me An Angel
Reflex - The Politics of Dancing
Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
Rick Astley - Together Forever
Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me
Roxette - How Do You Do
Send Me An Angel
Simple Minds - Don't You Forget About Me
Soft Cell - Tainted Love
Starship - We Built This City
Styx - Mr Roboto
Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
Tears For Fears - Break It Down Again
Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Tears For Fears - Shout
Tears For Fears - Head Over Heals
The Human League - Don't You Want Me
Tiffany - I Think We're Alone Now
Toto - Africa
Twisted Sister - We're Not GonnaTake It
UB40 - Can't help falling in love
UB40 - Red Red Wine
Wang Chung - Everyone Have Fun
Wham - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
Whitesnake - Here I Go Again
Yello - Oh Yeah
Young MC - Bust A Move

 

[lewtz]

Yeh I got most of those, a buddy of mine has a "Good Singles" CD with a ton of 80's and early 90's stuff. Very similar, with tons more.

 

[gratefulshrink]

Dream Syndicate
Spacemen 3
REM
U2
Minutemen
Echo and the Bunnymen
Gang of Four
Rain Parade
Dinosaur Jr.
Sonic Youth

 

[antiant]

thanks a lot for the responses and recommendations, keep it coming

 

[Jahn]

Here's my 80's Playlist - basically, everything that doesn't have enough Critical Mass to earn its own album on my ipod. Ones that DO earn its own album will probably pop up on this thread anyhow, so nvm those hehe. Here you go!

867-5309/JennyTommy Tutone
99 LuftballonsNena
Alive & KickingSimple Minds
Always Something There To Remind MeNaked Eyes
Back On The Chain GangThe Pretenders
Brass In PocketThe Pretenders
BreakoutSwing Out Sister
Bring on the Dancing HorsesEcho & The Bunnymen
Call MeBlondie
Careless WhisperWham!
CenterfoldJ. Geils Band
Come On EileenDexy's Midnight Runners
Cruel SummerBananarama
Digging Your SceneBlow Monkeys
Do You Really Want To Hurt MeCulture Club
Don't Dream It's OverCrowded House
Don't Get Me WrongThe Pretenders
Don't You Forget About MeSimple Minds
Don´t You Want MeHuman League
Everlasting LoveHoward Jones
Every Little Thing She Does is MagicThe Police
Everybody Wants to Rule the WorldTears for Fears
Everyday I Write The BookElvis Costello
Everything She WantsWham!
Everytime You Go Away - Paul YoungVarious Artists
Get into the grooveMadonna
Get to Know YaJesse Johnson
Girls Just Wanna have funCyndi Lauper
GloriaLaura Branigan
Hands To HeavenBreathe
Heart AttackOlivia Newton-John
Heart Of GlassBlondie
Heaven Is A Place On EarthBelinda Carslyle
Here Comes The Rain AgainEurythmics
How Can I FallBreathe
I Ran (so far away)A Flock Of Seaguls
I Want CandyBow Wow Wow
In Your EyesPeter Gabriel
It's My LifeTalk Talk
Jack and DianeJohn Mellencamp
JeopardyGreg Kihn Band
Jesse's GirlRick Springfield
Just What I NeededThe Cars
Kiss On My ListHall and Oates
KyrieMr. Mister
Land Down UnderMen At Work
Left of CenterSuzanne Vega (Featuring Joe Jackson)
Lessons In LoveLevel 42
Let's Go CrazyPrince
Lips Like SugarEcho & The Bunnymen
Love is a BattlefieldPat Benatar
LukaSuzanne Vega
MandinkaSinéad O'Connor
ManeaterHall and Oates
Middle Of The RoadThe Pretenders
My SharonaThe Knack
No Myth (Romeo in Black Jeans)Michael Penn
No One Is To BlameHoward Jones
Once In A LifetimeTalking Heads
One Thing Leads To AnotherThe Fixx
One Way Or AnotherBlondie
Out of TouchHall and Oates
Poison ArrowABC
Pretty in PinkThe Psychedelic Furs
PureLightning Seeds
Red Wine (80s)UB40
RelaxFrankie Goes To Hollywood
Rock LobsterB-52s
Rock Me AmadeusFalco
Rock the CasbaThe Clash
Rock This TownStray Cats
Safety DanceMen Without Hats
Shake It UpThe Cars
Shattered DreamsJohnny Hates Jazz
She Blinded Me With ScienceThomas Dolby
She Drives Me CrazyFine Young Cannibals
ShoutTears For Fears
Something About YouLevel 42
Something So StrongCrowded House
Straight UpPaula Abdul
Stray Cat StrutStray Cats
Streets of Your TownThe Go-Betweens
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)Eurythmics
Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go (Original 12-inch Version)Soft Cell
Take On MeAh-Ha
The Killing MoonEcho & The Bunnymen
The Lady In Red
The MetroBerlin
The Politics of Dancingre-flex
The Power Of LoveHuey Lewis & The News
The Tide Is HighBlondie
The WarriorScandal
There She GoesThe La's
Time (Clock Of The Heart)Culture Club
Too ShyKajagoogoo
TrueSpandau Ballet
Twist In My SobrietyTanita Tikaram
Up The JunctionSqueeze
VacationThe Go-Go's
Voices Carry'Til Tuesday
Walk Like An EgyptianThe Bangles
We'll Be TogetherSting
What You NeedINXS
When Doves CryPrince
Who Can It Be NowMen At Work
Wishing WellTerence Trent D'Arby
Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)Scritti Politti
WordsMissing Persons
Wouldn't it be GoodDanny Hutton Hitters
You've got the lookPrince

 

[antiant]

 

[fewtch]

 

[antiant]

this is great, for those of you who have a lot of music try this out http://home.a03.itscom.net/tsuzu/programing/en/ it's a nice little list generator that will count all the text within your folders ie: music (it's what i use and works quite well)

 

[omedon]

Laura Brannigan - Self Control

Looking at Jahn's list reminded me of this one. It didn't find out about it till a few years after I made the comp. Picked it up from Art Bell who uses it as bumper music.

 

[Jeff Guidry]

I own the Rhino Like Omigod!: The '80s Pop and Culture Box (totally) set, a great 7 disc roundup of the best hits of the decade. The Just Can't Get Enough series is certainly more comprehensive, but if you want an excellent compilation that's all killer, no filler (depending on your taste), and what's more important, is easily available and reasonably priced, Like Omigod! is probably all you will want.

ADDED: I also own the Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80's Underground set, also from Rhino, that exclusively centers on 'alternative' music from the 80's like Husker Du, Cure, R.E.M., Gang of Four, etc. It's a good collection if you want to hear what the college radio stations were playing at the time.

 

[CousCous]

Any album by Echo & The Bunnymen. Start out with 'Heaven Up Here', an early darkish album and check out their self-titled album. That'll show you their range, and if you dig 'em both you'll probably like all of their albums.

The great thing about buying their stuff now is the remastered versions come with a 5+ bonus tracks.

Also, I don't see 'The Smiths' mentioned. Great band too.