"I Love The 80s......"

Time for a Friday flashback with some obscure and unique 80s music. All of the usual 80s compilations feature the same songs over and over and over, but there was some fabulous music in the 80s that was all but unheard of. As NBC used to say during reruns "If you haven't seen it, its new to you..." so I will apply the same logic here:

Mad World "Live" (Tears For Fears) - This song was recently covered by Gary Jules (see the film Johnny Darko) and made it to the famed "Christmas Number One" in the UK last year. This is from a live concert in 1983.

Victims of Fact (Neon) - This band split into Tears For Fears (Roland Orzabal & Curt Smith) and Naked Eyes (Peter Byrne)

Communication Without Sound (Naked Eyes) - Pre "Always Something There To Remind Me" single

Strip "Extended Mix" (Adam Ant) - One of my favorites from 1983

House of Stone (The Roaring Boys) - The best song Roxy Music never wrote

Romantic Dreams (Industry) - Another Roxy Music inspired track

Why Take It Again? (Minor Detail) - Underground classic from 1982

Screan Me, I'm Yours (Tik & Tok) - These guys were actually in Return of the Jedi

Mission of Mercy (Real Life) - A 1989 demo from my good friends in Australia, famous for "Send Me An Angel"

Starchild 1987 Remix (Level 42) - This track was a club hit in NYC in 1982, and by the time Level 42 made it big in America (1985 - 1987) with "Something About You" and "Lessons In Love" they issued this exclusive mix as a 7" vinyl b-side. You can really hear the band's jazz-fusion origins here.

Interface (The Human League) - Long before "Don't You Want Me" launched the HL into the pop spotlight, they began as an experimental electronic outfit from Sheffield, England. This early demo is as far removed from pop as one could get.


Cheers,
Paul