I was a fan of Tears for Fears from the beginning but much like OMD, it wasn’t until years later that I truly came to appreciate their music. Although Songs from the Big Chair was their breakout album, it’s 1983’s The Hurting that finds the most play on my IPod. “Mad World” was the third single released from The Hurting, and it was also the band’s first video. The song was originally intended as a b-side and became the group’s first UK hit, reaching #3 on the singles chart. With its driving percussion and playful use of synth (belying the dark lyrics), it was a standout on the LP.
Roland Orzabal wrote the song. Not happy with how he sounded on vocals, he handed singing duties over to Curt Smith. The video was filmed on a country estate in Bath, England and the party scene is made up of family and friends – that’s Smiths’ mom as the birthday girl. About that funny dance, Orzabal made it up while recording the song in the studio. Having been relegated to the sidelines, with Smith on vocals, the record company insisted that he perform it in the video. I think it’s a nice touch.
I wasn’t a fan of Devo’s in the early ’80s, probably because my older brother would play “Whip It” nonstop. It wasn’t until seeing the video for “Beautiful World” years later that things changed. I’ve since gone back and listened to their early catalog and count them among one of my favorite bands of the ‘80s. Released in 1980, Freedom of Choice was the band’s third and most successful album, reaching #22 on Billboard’s pop album chart. The album is made up of short, polished synth-infused songs. The 12 tracks clock in at just over 32 minutes. Although “Whip It” put the group on the map, I prefer the lesser-known songs off the LP like the electro “Snowball” and “That’s Pep!,” which sounds kind of like a new wave Hand Jive. In my opinion, the album is one of their best and ranks behind only 1978’s Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!.
The video for the title track has the group dressed as aliens singing about how ultimately freedom of choice is not what we want. It also has skateboarders, donuts, and Mark Mothersbaugh in a dog costume.
“Girl U Want” has the band performing in front of an audience of 1950s teenyboppers. Just as the video for “Freedom of Choice,” it’s quite a low budget affair and relies heavily on color saturation. I’m pretty sure they used up all their video production money on the video for “Whip It.”
Released on July 8, 1986, Lifes Rich Pageant is where R.E.M. really found their political footing. They also brought attention to environmental issues with songs like “Cuyahoga” and “Don’t Fall on Me.” The former being about the polluting of the Cuyahoga River and the latter about acid rain. It was the band’s most successful album to date, reaching #21 on the Billboard charts, and #43 in the UK. In my opinion, it ranks right up there with the best from the group and I remember being ecstatic that they played several songs from the album when I saw them in ’87. There were only two singles released from the LP, “Don’t Fall on Me” and “Superman,” but my favorite track is “I Believe.”
It took The Feelies six years to release their second album, The Good Earth. Received well by critics, the band traded in some of their trademark jangle for a more mature, developed sound. Championed by R.E.M.’s Pete Buck, they opened up for the band on a leg of the Lifes Rich Pageant tour. Although never reaching mass success, they did grab the attention of director Jonathan Demme who cast them as the high school reunion band in his 1986 film Something Wild. Watch for their interesting rendition of David Bowie’s “Fame.” Director Noah Baumbach also took notice of the band and featured the song “Let’s Go” from The Good Earth album in the 2005 film The Squid and the Whale.
As I was looking for cold wave bands of the ‘80s on YouTube, I came across the video for Polyrock’s “Romantic Me.” I gave it a listen and immediately recognized the song, although I couldn’t quite place where I had heard it – probably some early ‘80s new wave cable show. I’m not sure why they were lumped in with cold wave on this particular YouTube channel, as they are more minimal new wave. There wasn’t much information available on the band but I’m sure glad I rediscovered them.
Having come out of the same late ‘70s, NYC music scene, Polyrock was often compared to the Talking Heads. It also didn’t hurt that singer Billy Robertson had a unique vocal delivery, somewhat similar to David Byrne’s. Their sound combined stripped down repetitious rhythms and synth that you could move to, as evidenced on “Romantic Me,” the group’s most notable song. Their minimalist sound was no accident, as composer Philip Glass had a hand in producing their first two albums, and also made an appearance on both. The band released two albums in the early ’80s, their self-titled debut in 1980 and Changing Hearts in 1981. They also released a 5-track EP in 1982, Above the Fruited Plain, before calling it quits later that year.
“Romantic Me” is the first track off the self-titled LP. The repetitious beat along with the mechanical keyboards and synth play nicely against Robertson’s emotional delivery.
For “Call of the Wild,” backing vocalist Catherine Oblasney takes the lead. The song is included on the EP Above the Fruited Plain. By this time, the group had already moved to a more pop-oriented, melodic sound.
I had a group of friends over for an ‘80s high school movie night this past weekend. Not wanting to go the John Hughes movie route, I chose films not everyone in the group had seen. The playlist for the night consisted of songs solely from the movie soundtracks. The goal was to watch three movies but as conversation and music flowed, time got away and we only got in two movies. The first film up was Valley Girl (which has arguably the best teen movie soundtrack of the ‘80s) followed by Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to the final film on the agenda, The Last American Virgin. The film has a rather interesting soundtrack, where you’ll find arena rock songs alongside new wave classics and R&B love songs. I first came across the movie on late night cable TV, where my sister and I watched it more times than I care to mention.
A remake of an Israeli movie called Eskimo Limon (a.k.a as Lemon Popsicle), The Last American Virgin was released in 1982, within a month of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Unfairly dismissed as another teen romp akin to Porky’s, the film has since become a cult classic. Not to say the movie doesn’t have its share of raunch, which it certainly does, it also has some honest coming of age moments. It also has a surprising twist ending, that I won’t give away here. The soundtrack was promoted just as heavily as the movie, with good reason, as it includes songs from The Police, Human League, The Waitresses, Blondie, The Cars, Devo, U2, The Plimsouls, Oingo Boingo, REO Speedwagon, Journey, and the Commodores. I was really looking forward to screening the film for the group because if nothing else, they would have appreciated the soundtrack. Perhaps another ‘80s movie night might be in order.
Besides the heavy hitters, there were also some lesser known bands who contributed to the soundtrack, such as The Fortune Band. Formed in the late ‘70s, the band had some minor success in the early ‘80s and caught the attention of Columbia Records. They decided to include the band’s single “Airwaves” on the soundtrack. The song is a burst of new wave, power pop with plenty of catchy synth. The video for the song is a low-budget affair and has the band performing in a studio with plenty of cheesy visual effects.
The Gleaming Spires also appear on the soundtrack with their 1981 song “Are You Ready for the Sex Girls?” (The song also appears on the 1984 Revenge of the Nerds soundtrack). The song was intended to be a B-side but eventually became the group’s only hit. It’s a bouncy, novelty song that wouldn’t seem out of place on a Sparks’ album, a band they would later join. The video has singer Leslie Bohem and drummer David Kendrick making a pie, of all things. After his tenure with Sparks, Kendrick would later drum for Devo in the mid-eighties.
If any song could fill a dance floor back in the day it was Killing Joke’s “Eighties.” The relentless beat combined with an infectious guitar riff made it hard to stay in your seat. The video for the song perfectly matched the frantic pace. It features singer Jaz Coleman behind a presidential podium shouting about the struggles of living in the eighties, interspersed with images of religious and political leaders, war, punk rockers, and the frivolous extravagance of the decade. As I was doing a bit of research on the song, I came across an interesting tie it has to Nirvana that almost resulted in a lawsuit.
Released as a single in 1984, “Eighties” would later be included on Killing Joke’s fifth album Night Time. The song didn’t chart in the US but did appear on the soundtrack for the 1985 John Hughes’ movie Weird Science. It also had minor success in the UK, peaking at #60 on the singles chart. The song would come into the spotlight again in 1992, when the band claimed Nirvana plagiarized the riff of the song (at a slowed down pace) for the single “Come as You Are.” There are disputes of whether a lawsuit was ever filed but by 2003 all was forgiven, as Dave Grohl took leave from the Foo Fighters to record with the band. As I listened to both songs, there is a definite similarity but I’ll take “Eighties” over “Come as You Are” any day.
As I was looking for live TV performances of the ‘80s, I kept coming across The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder. Although the show was on past my bedtime (11:30pm in my time zone), I was able to catch it every once in a while and vaguely recall the musical guests. What I do remember was Snyder wildly waving around a cigarette while animatedly interviewing his guests. (He would later be famously mimicked by Dan Ackroyd on Saturday Night Live). As I kept coming across more and more musical performances, I realized that no one else was doing what Tom Snyder was doing at the time – exposing TV audiences to new bands and genres of music. He would also do sit-down interviews with the bands with sometimes hilarious and uncomfortable results. I was able to track down several performances and will be posting them in the coming months, but unfortunately many are unavailable.
The Tomorrow Show began as an interview show on the NBC network in 1973 (with no studio audience), and was known for the diverseness of its guests, which included Ayn Rand, Ken Kesey, Charles Manson (from prison), Marlon Brando, Jimmy Hoffa, Alfred Hitchcock, and John Lennon (his last TV interview). In 1980, to appeal to a younger audience, the show started having musical guests and began taping before a live studio audience. Some of the musical guests included The Clash, Ramones, Adam & the Ants, The Jam, Split Enz, and Public Image Ltd. The show ended in 1981, when Johnny Carson (who had contractual rights) decided he wanted a different sort of program following the Tonight Show timeslot. In early 1982, Late Night with David Letterman was launched replacing The Tomorrow Show. Snyder was offered the timeslot following Letterman but declined.
The first performance I’m starting with is U2’s appearance in June of ‘81. The band was in the states supporting the album Boy, and were on their first major US tour. This was also the band’s first US TV appearance. Along with performing “I Will Follow” and “Twilight,” Bono and the Edge sat down to chat with Snyder about things such as the origin of the Edge’s name and performing for American audiences. It’s apparent from the video clip that Bono had already mastered his signature dance moves and had acquired a penchant for wading into audiences.
It’s time for another installment of ‘80s protest songs. In my last post, I focused on the anti-apartheid movement and how artists helped bring this issue to a broader audience. This time around I’ll be focusing on songs that dealt with the backlash against Ronald Reagan and his policies. There were countless artists who spoke out against the administration’s policies, such as cuts to social programs and taxes for the wealthy, deregulating the EPA, and the rise of capitalism. It would take another post to cover protests over the administration’s military policies.
The B-52s’ song “Channel Z” is pretty much an indictment of the Reagan administration as a whole wrapped up in a fun, upbeat tempo. But mostly this song is a condemnation of the deregulation of the media under the administration and the constant feeding of mass information to an all too eager public. It was the debut single off the 1989 album Cosmic Thing. Although not achieving the success of other songs from the album, such as “Love Shack,” and “Roam,” it did reach #61 on the UK Singles Chart.
One of my favorite songs off R.E.M.’s 1987 album Documentis the opening track, “Finest Worksong.” The song is basically a rousing call to arms against Reagan capitalism delivered in an almost sermon-like form. It was the third, and last, single to be released off the album. It reached #50 in the UK but failed to chart in the U.S. A slightly lighter-sounding version of the song is included on the greatest hits compilation, Eponymous. It’s the brighter version that Pete Buck felt should have been on Document but I think I’ll have to disagree with Mr. Buck on this one.
The Ramones also joined the fray with their song “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg.” The single, released in 1985, was a protest to a visit Ronald Reagan paid to a military cemetery in Bitburg, Germany. Along with members of the German army, there were also several members of the Waffen SS (a branch of the Third Reich) buried there. The Ramones were joined in protest by holocaust survivors, US politicians from both sides of the aisle, and many countries in Europe. To stem the tide of criticism, a visit to a concentration camp was added to Reagan’s agenda. The single was not released in the US and as an import became a minor success on college radio. Retitled “My Brain is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg),” the song was included on the 1986 album Animal Boy.
There’s not much more to say about the Smiths’ third album, The Queen Is Dead. Released on June 16, 1986 to great critical praise, it has since garnered numerous accolades – #1 on NME’s 500 greatest albums of all time and #16 on Slant magazine’s top albums of the ‘80s. I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t warm up to the Smiths until the ‘90s. Their mix of jangle pop and rockabilly didn’t appeal to me at the time. I eventually came to see the light and I’d be hard pressed to find a party playlist that didn’t have at least one Smiths’ song.
Since choosing one song off the album seemed too daunting a task, I’ve decided to focus on the songs highlighted in the Derek Jarman film. The film contains video clips for the songs “The Queen is Dead,” “There is a Light That Never Goes Out,” and “Panic.” Although not on The Queen is Dead album, “Panic” was released as a single in 1986.
One of the best things about doing this series of posts is that I get to highlight some lesser known albums turning 30 this year, such as Strange Times by the Chameleons. Released on September 1, 1986, it was the group’s third album. Critically praised upon its release, it produced what is probably the band’s most well-known song, “Swamp Thing.” The album also contains several bonus tracks, including a great version of the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows,” and a lighthearted take on David Bowie’s “John, I’m Only Dancing.” My favorite song off the album is a bonus track of the single “Tears.” It’s a haunting instrumental version that I prefer to the original acoustic.
Like many, I discover new music through music blogs and social media. (There’s still nothing like coming across a great find). This is how I first heard of Modern Eon, a post-punk band out of Liverpool. A page I follow – The 80s Underground – posted their song “Euthenics.” I took a listen and immediately wanted to find out more about the group. It turns out that they were a short-lived band, producing a handful of singles and only one full-length album. It’s no wonder I’d never heard of them before. Their dark and atmospheric sound drew comparisons to Joy Division but the use of offbeat drum rhythms and bursts of electronics and horns gave them a sound all their own.
Founding members Alix Plain and Danny Hampson started the band in 1978. At the time they were called Luglo Slugs but after a few lineup and band name changes they decided on Modern Eon. The group gained a following within the “New Wave Liverpool Scene,” which produced other notable acts such as Echo & the Bunnymen, OMD, and The Teardrop Explodes. After some success with the EP “Pieces” and the single “Euthenics” (and after more lineup changes), they released their only album, Fiction Tales, in 1981. Although the album didn’t do well commercially, it did receive critical acclaim. Later that year they were set to tour with The Stranglers when drummer Chris Hewitt critically injured his wrist. They went on with the tour but eventually had to replace Hewitt with drum tracks. After Hewitt’s recovery, they recorded demos for a second album that were never completed. By the end of 1981, the group had disbanded. It’s unfortunate, since it would’ve been interesting to see how their music would have evolved.
The song “Euthenics,” originally released as a single in 1980, also appears on the Fiction Tales album. It’s a soaring, atmospheric song with Hewitt’s off-kilter drumming on full display, along with a shot of special effects they were known for. The band was a big fan of composer Ennio Morricone, and he was asked but declined to produce their album. You can definitely hear his influence on this song.
“Mechanic” is another single off the Fiction Tales album. It’s a more melodic song off the LP with a steady bassline and great guitar work by Tim Levers, who would later go on to find success with Dead or Alive.
Living In Oblivion 