Two double CDs, both purchased in the past couple of years.
Electric "The Very Best of Electronic, New Wave and Synth", and Electric Dreams "80's Synth Pop Classics". Out of 70 tracks, only eight are repeated...
More Eighties pop tartism. Pity, then, that having pressed 'Random' the first track is Trio's Da Da Da. I hated it back then; I hate it today. Then I hear Gary Numan's Cars. Which, twenty-five years on still sounds as fresh as it did back then (First Year). My friend, and my sister's friend, were both obsessive Gary Numan fans. To my mind, he failed to ever emulate this song.
I also don't like Close (To the Edit) by The Art of Noise. In Sixth Form, this was one of those songs the trendy people were into. I didn't get it then. I don't get it now. Others not liked include Talk Talk Talk Talk, Einstein a Go-Go, Underpass
Other classy stuff include
- Visage's Fade to Grey
- Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat, a truly extraordinary song. Musically, beautiful and haunting, yet with that 1984 disco beat (Hi NRG?). Lyrically moving, a story that made a very big impression on my consciousness, and, if all that isn't enough, Jimi Somerville's remarkable voice. I'm surpised it didn't make the Top Twenty Two that I defined on 21 December 1999. But it was definitely bubbling under...
- Under Your Thumb - Godley and Creme. This song, these artists, are rarely mentioned nowadays in my experience. But another hauntingly good ballad, painting a picture for the imagination
- Take on me - A-ha. Of course we didn't like them; we were in Sixth form, and they were a BoyBand for 2nd years. (Did we use the term Boyband back then). Of course, I now realise it's not a bad track, and A-ha had a modicum of talent...
- I Second That Emotion, and Ghosts - Japan - I just really like them...
- Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You) - Flock of Seagulls
- Together in ELectric dreams - Phil Oakey and Giorgio Moroder
- Model - Kraftwerk
- Party Fears Two - The Associates - classic song
- Absolute - Scritti Politti
- 19 - Paul Hardcastle: seminal and intelligent - I don't suppose this song would even get recorded now, let alone hit number one. And who can forget Rory Bremner's hilarious cricket spoof?
The best of the rest are on Artist Albums...
You know, these two, and the recently reviewed Eighties albums, could, IMO keep a party going all night. NOt a dinner party, an informal stand around and drink party.
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