Author Topic: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)  (Read 11658 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« on: April 01, 2018, 07:50:29 PM »
There are a lot of bands who had maybe a handful of hits in the 80's, or maybe just one hit, who I keep reading about having more good stuff, so I have been slowly but surely over time trying to check more of it now.

All I knew by Duran Duran for 30+ years were their hits, but a few months back, I got into some songs from the first two albums I had never heard before, like The Chauffeur, Last Chance on the Stairway and Friends of Mine.

I recently checked out and really like Shuttered Room, the debut album by the Fixx, and just got Reach the Beach.  We'll see how good that one is as well.

I also want to dig into XTC at some point.

Online DTA

  • Posts: 2457
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2018, 08:32:52 PM »
The Cure is peak 80’s pop for me. The Head On The Door is a masterpiece and Disintegration is as deep and moody as it gets. So many incredible songs.

Offline King Puppies and the Acid Guppies

  • AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 11622
  • Gender: Male
  • AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2018, 08:37:44 PM »
Simple Minds had a lot of good stuff outside of their radio hits.
aka Puppies_On_Acid
My last.fm | My Rate Your Music Page
Quote from: Podaar
King's Photoshop powers are akin to a three year old cutting faces out of photographs with the edge of a dull spoon and pasting them in place with garden shovel full of Gorilla Glue.
Quote from: TAC, definitely not King
Thes sng is are sounds rally nece an I lyke tha sungar

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2018, 08:39:34 PM »
I never dug much I heard by The Cure, so they would definitely not be high on my list of bands to dig deeper into.  Then again, the deeper stuff might grab me more than the hits did.

Simple Minds is another band I have heard good things about. *cues Joe* :P

Offline NoseofNicko

  • Posts: 2143
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2018, 11:21:31 PM »
I never dug much I heard by The Cure, so they would definitely not be high on my list of bands to dig deeper into.  Then again, the deeper stuff might grab me more than the hits did.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KZO40EUW9PA

Offline Sacul

  • Spinettapilled
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 12114
  • Gender: Male
  • ¿De qué sirvió haber cruzado a nado la mar?
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #5 on: April 01, 2018, 11:51:28 PM »
Talk Talk's The Colour of Spring is gorgeous, creative baroque pop, with many different instruments. Kate Bush's Hounds of Love is also excellent, very elaborate and varied music ranging from simple pop to Irish jigs to experimental tracks with growls to spoken word sections to half the album being conceptual, etc. Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine also come out in the 80s, damn good industrial metal :metal

Offline jammindude

  • Posts: 15236
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #6 on: April 02, 2018, 12:21:53 AM »
+1 on The Cure.

I was never really a fan until I started digging. IMO, The Singles is a great place to start for their early material
"Better the pride that resides in a citizen of the world.
Than the pride that divides when a colorful rag is unfurled." - Neil Peart

The Jammin Dude Show - https://www.youtube.com/user/jammindude

Online King Postwhore

  • Couch Potato
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 59288
  • Gender: Male
  • Take that Beethoven, you deaf bastard!!
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #7 on: April 02, 2018, 04:10:03 AM »
I never dug much I heard by The Cure, so they would definitely not be high on my list of bands to dig deeper into.  Then again, the deeper stuff might grab me more than the hits did.

Simple Minds is another band I have heard good things about. *cues Joe* :P


I went to bed early last night. :lol

Simple Minds is a band I will follow.  I love the dynamics of their music.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
"Oh, I am definitely a jackass!" - TAC

Offline Tomislav95

  • Posts: 6308
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2018, 06:48:58 AM »
+1 on The Cure.

I was never really a fan until I started digging. IMO, The Singles is a great place to start for their early material
Yep. Disintegration, Pornography and Head on the Door are just :hefdaddy
Also, The Smiths. They didn't make a bad album IMO.
...the years just pass like trains
I wave but they don't slow down...

Online Stadler

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 43001
  • Gender: Male
  • Pointing out the "unfunny" since 2014!
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2018, 07:09:46 AM »
The Cure is a weird band; the early stuff is hard to listen to, but I like the stuff around "Disintegration"; very lush, very much draws you into the mood.    Having said that, I got to see them live, and it was A-MAZING!   Over three hours, and even though I didn't know much of the set, it was absolutely mesmerizing.   Really good show. 

Of all the bands mentioned here, Duran Duran is really the one that I like best.  "Lonely In Your Nightmare" is perhaps my favorite song on a really, really strong record.

Online jingle.boy

  • I'm so ronery; so sad and ronery
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 44542
  • Gender: Male
  • DTF's resident deceased dictator
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #10 on: April 02, 2018, 08:34:19 AM »
Gowan's two solo albums (Strange Animal and Great Dirty World) are both gems.

Eurythmics is the only other band that comes to mind.
That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
I fear for the day when something happens on the right that is SO nuts that even Stadler says "That's crazy".
Quote from: Puppies_On_Acid
Remember the mark of a great vocalist is if TAC hates them with a special passion

Online King Postwhore

  • Couch Potato
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 59288
  • Gender: Male
  • Take that Beethoven, you deaf bastard!!
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #11 on: April 02, 2018, 09:03:23 AM »
XTC is another I've been delving into.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
"Oh, I am definitely a jackass!" - TAC

Offline LudwigVan

  • Posts: 4777
  • Gender: Male
  • Proglodyte
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2018, 09:29:34 AM »
As many have already mentioned: The Cure, XTC and Simple Minds. 

Interestingly, these 3 bands all have elements of prog in their music. 

If you go back to The Cure's second album, Seventeen Seconds, it's practically an instrumental album.  I think it's fantastic. 
"There is nothing more difficult than talking about music."
--Camille Saint-Saëns

“All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff.”
--Frank Zappa

Online King Postwhore

  • Couch Potato
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 59288
  • Gender: Male
  • Take that Beethoven, you deaf bastard!!
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #13 on: April 02, 2018, 09:36:33 AM »
As many have already mentioned: The Cure, XTC and Simple Minds. 

Interestingly, these 3 bands all have elements of prog in their music. 

If you go back to The Cure's second album, Seventeen Seconds, it's practically an instrumental album.  I think it's fantastic.

I throw in The Fixx with the element of Prog as well.


Ultravox is another that I dug as a teen but I never kept up with them.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
"Oh, I am definitely a jackass!" - TAC

Offline LudwigVan

  • Posts: 4777
  • Gender: Male
  • Proglodyte
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2018, 09:42:26 AM »
As many have already mentioned: The Cure, XTC and Simple Minds. 

Interestingly, these 3 bands all have elements of prog in their music. 

If you go back to The Cure's second album, Seventeen Seconds, it's practically an instrumental album.  I think it's fantastic.

I throw in The Fixx with the element of Prog as well.


Ultravox is another that I dug as a teen but I never kept up with them.

I'm not too familiar with these bands.  Guess I'm gonna have to do some digging myself!  :tup

And speaking about the prog side of all these bands, you just know that Steven Wilson listened to a ton of this stuff. 
"There is nothing more difficult than talking about music."
--Camille Saint-Saëns

“All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff.”
--Frank Zappa

Online Stadler

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 43001
  • Gender: Male
  • Pointing out the "unfunny" since 2014!
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #15 on: April 02, 2018, 04:18:55 PM »
Oh Vienna!!!!

I love that song.  Irredeemably.  And every time I hear "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" I end up singing it for days on end.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #16 on: April 02, 2018, 07:02:12 PM »
Talk Talk's The Colour of Spring is gorgeous, creative baroque pop, with many different instruments. 

I actually got that about a month ago.  Good record.  Life's What You Make It is a heckuva tune.

Simple Minds is a band I will follow.  I love the dynamics of their music.

I will need recommendations on them at some point.

 
If you go back to The Cure's second album, Seventeen Seconds, it's practically an instrumental album.  I think it's fantastic.

Hmmm, now that sounds intriguing.

Online TAC

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 74072
  • Gender: Male
  • Arthritic Metal Horns
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #17 on: April 02, 2018, 07:07:35 PM »
This thread needs to be renamed

The Release Your Inner Dork Thread.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2018, 07:26:43 PM by TAC »
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline NoseofNicko

  • Posts: 2143
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #18 on: April 02, 2018, 07:33:43 PM »
Familiar with Depeche Mode?

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #19 on: April 02, 2018, 07:43:07 PM »
Honestly, all I know by Depeche Mode is Violator, which is really good, and a handful of their other hits.  I have always meant to check out more, but when it comes to synth pop, I always liked Pet Shop Boys more.  The Pet Shop Boys have a ton of good songs. 

And because Joe wanted my thoughts, after several listens of both Shuttered Room and Reach the Beach by the Fixx (managed to listen to both at work today on the ear buds when busy doing stuff), I like both. I can't say I love either, but I would say both are about half really good/great and half okay/pretty good stuff.

Online TAC

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 74072
  • Gender: Male
  • Arthritic Metal Horns
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #20 on: April 02, 2018, 07:45:24 PM »
Didn't the singer from The Fixx just pass away a few weeks ago?
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline ytserush

  • Posts: 5376
  • Like clockwork...
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #21 on: April 02, 2018, 08:17:33 PM »
Only bands bands I'm into of those mentioned here so far are:

The Fixx
Talk Talk


I love The Fixx. (Just counted have 20 of their CDs) I've seen them live a few times too. and really like Talk Talk (only have 4 albums but plan to get the rest eventually.) Having lived through that period there's not a lot of music labeled "'80s music" that I'm really into, but there are some keepers.

Offline ytserush

  • Posts: 5376
  • Like clockwork...
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #22 on: April 02, 2018, 08:20:36 PM »
Didn't the singer from The Fixx just pass away a few weeks ago?

Probably thinking about someone else. As far as I know Cy Curnin, is still among the living but I haven't checked the site for tour dates recently.

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #23 on: April 03, 2018, 05:24:35 AM »
Tears for Fears. I'm not familiar with The Hurting beyond Pale Shelter and Mad World, but Songs From the Big Chair and The Seeds of Love are both incredible albums. Listen, the closing track of Big Chair, is incredibly haunting.

Online TAC

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 74072
  • Gender: Male
  • Arthritic Metal Horns
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #24 on: April 03, 2018, 05:33:40 AM »
Didn't the singer from The Fixx just pass away a few weeks ago?

Probably thinking about someone else. As far as I know Cy Curnin, is still among the living but I haven't checked the site for tour dates recently.

I thought someone from the band recently passed away. Maybe I am thinking of someone else..
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline v_clortho

  • Keymaster of Gozer
  • King of DTF
  • ***
  • Posts: 398
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #25 on: April 03, 2018, 09:01:59 AM »
Any love for Adam and the Ants or Men at Work here?

Offline Kwyjibo

  • Worse troll than Blabbermouth
  • Posts: 5996
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #26 on: April 03, 2018, 09:12:54 AM »
The first two Men At Work records are very good pop records, I especially like Cargo. The third one is not as good but is still solid. But Down Under is seriously overplayed.  :biggrin:
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

Offline soupytwist

  • Posts: 2725
  • Gender: Male
  • Star Trekkin
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #27 on: April 03, 2018, 09:31:15 AM »
A-Ha!

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #28 on: April 03, 2018, 05:03:33 PM »
Tears for Fears. I'm not familiar with The Hurting beyond Pale Shelter and Mad World, but Songs From the Big Chair and The Seeds of Love are both incredible albums. Listen, the closing track of Big Chair, is incredibly haunting.

Check out Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, their comeback album from '04.  Tremendous record.  Love me some Tears for Fears. :coolio

I love The Fixx. (Just counted have 20 of their CDs) I've seen them live a few times too. and really like Talk Talk (only have 4 albums but plan to get the rest eventually.) Having lived through that period there's not a lot of music labeled "'80s music" that I'm really into, but there are some keepers.

The Fixx have that many albums?  Wow, I had no idea.

Offline DragonAttack

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 4161
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #29 on: April 03, 2018, 06:22:21 PM »
Kev, as to XTC:  Friends back in the day had some of their albums, and I still have the cassettes I recorded from 'English Settlement', 'Mummur' and 'Skylarking'.  I also have the vinyl 'Oranges & Lemons'.  From what I've read of your favorite artists, I think you'd enjoy those albums.  Their 'Upsy Daisy Assortment' (greatest hits) might be a good place to start.

Would be remiss in not mentioning The Fixx 'Deeper and Deeper'.  Very good live versions available on youtube.  A friend's band would play an 8-10 minute very guitar driven version back in the day.  Just listened to that one today.  Surprised the VHS tape still worked :D
« Last Edit: April 03, 2018, 09:53:57 PM by DragonAttack »
...going along with Dragon Attack's Queen thread has been like taking a free class in Queen knowledge. Where else are you gonna find info like that?!

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #30 on: April 03, 2018, 06:28:46 PM »
Ironically, I got my hands on English Settlement last night and I am loving that so far.  The back half has a few songs I can do without, but the first half is money and I do like some of the later tracks like Fly on the Wall.  I listened to it a lot today at work on the ear buds and it just got better and better.  I love the sound of the bass guitar on this record.  This could be the start of a new band obsession for me...

Offline King Puppies and the Acid Guppies

  • AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 11622
  • Gender: Male
  • AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #31 on: April 03, 2018, 09:14:52 PM »
As far as Simple Minds goes, I'd start with Real to Real Cacophony and work your way forward in their discography through Once Upon a Time. Every one of those albums is really good and quite varied. They haven't had much since that album that has been worth checking out except maybe Graffiti Soul or Big Music. Street Fighting Years is ok and their first album Life in a Day is decent, but a bit raw and unpolished.
aka Puppies_On_Acid
My last.fm | My Rate Your Music Page
Quote from: Podaar
King's Photoshop powers are akin to a three year old cutting faces out of photographs with the edge of a dull spoon and pasting them in place with garden shovel full of Gorilla Glue.
Quote from: TAC, definitely not King
Thes sng is are sounds rally nece an I lyke tha sungar

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #32 on: April 04, 2018, 06:21:32 PM »
Okay, cool. I am likely to binge on XTC for a while now, but I have every intention on checking out plenty of the stuff being recommended here. :hat

Offline Kwyjibo

  • Worse troll than Blabbermouth
  • Posts: 5996
  • Gender: Male
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #33 on: April 05, 2018, 01:11:02 AM »
I really really like Level 42, but only based on the first 5 1/2 albums. Those are some cool pop-funk records, my favorite is probably True Colours. The first two (Level 42 and The Early Tapes) have a lot of cool instrumental stuff and the bass is featured prominently. Standing In The Light and The Pursuit Of Accidents are also worth a listen. On World Machine only the first side is really good. From then on it's all downhill.

Ironically their biggest selling record (Running In The Family) is one I don't really like at all. They went full out pop on that one and lost the funk and that was what made them special imo.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

Offline Zantera

  • Wolfman's brother
  • DTF.org Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13415
  • Gender: Male
  • Bouncing around the room
Re: Digging deeper into the 80's (pop and pop rock)
« Reply #34 on: April 05, 2018, 05:02:38 AM »
Okay, cool. I am likely to binge on XTC for a while now, but I have every intention on checking out plenty of the stuff being recommended here. :hat

XTC is a great choice! I would probably recommend starting with Skylarking - an album that has been compared to Pet Sounds and Abbey Road and I think it's their best. But they have several great albums so you can't really go that wrong. :)