Friday, October 3
Laurent Voulzy - Les Nuits Sans Kim Wilde
What's not to like about a bespectacled French Prince-wannabe singing about "nights without Kim Wilde"?
Labels:
1985,
80s,
europop,
Laurent Voulzy,
Les Nuits Sans Kim Wilde,
synthpop
Sunday, September 14
Bill Wyman - (Si Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star
You may remember the song but you probably haven't seen the video before (or if you have, you've spent the last 27 years trying to forget it).
Best Harold Steptoe impressions at the ready for the face Bill pulls at 2:37 ("They'll think I'm your dad and you're my daughter") - you dirty old man!
Saturday, August 30
Strawberry Switchblade - Jolene
The sound of an interesting and original group being forced by their record company into doing a novelty cover version. Oh dear.
Monday, August 18
Cock Robin - The Promise You Made
I was suddenly reminded of this when I accidentally stumbled across a dodgy Eurodance version of the song. The original is, of course, infinitely better and reminds me of the summer of 1986 when it seemed to be climbing the charts at a rate of one position a week for most of the summer, eventually settling at number 28.
For those of you with a strong stomach, here is the dance version by Kate Ryan:
Labels:
1986,
80s,
Cock Robin,
pop,
rock,
The Promise You Made
Monday, July 28
The Big Dish - European Rain
Some classy pop from the late '80s. This lot had one top forty hit with Miss America in 1991 taken from their album Satellites. Satellites - Big Dish - do you see? Oh well.
Sunday, July 27
Bardo - One Step Further
From the days when the UK used to score points at Eurovision (don't get me started on that one), here's a clear case of a song which really should have won it for us but somehow didn't. Christ knows what's going on in the video.
Labels:
1982,
80s,
Bardo,
Eurovision,
One Step Further,
pop
Saturday, July 26
Tears For Fears - The Way You Are
Tears For Fears appear to have disowned this single - it came out in 1983 between The Hurting and Songs For The Big Chair but doesn't appear on either, nor does it show up on their greatest hits album.
Labels:
1983,
80s,
pop,
Tears For Fears,
The Way You Are
Friday, July 25
Swimming With Sharks - Careless Love
Apparently this lot are very big in Germany, where they were called "Humpe & Humpe". When the single was released in the UK the band was renamed "Swimming With Sharks", which was also the title of their album. It still wasn't a hit.
Labels:
1988,
80s,
Careless Love,
Humpe,
pop,
Swimming With Sharks
Thursday, July 24
Duranduran - Do You Believe In Shame?
A minor hit from that strange late '80s period when the band was a trio and the band's name was all one word.
Labels:
1989,
80s,
Do You Believe In Shame,
Duran Duran,
Duranduran,
pop
Wednesday, July 23
Cocteau Twins - Pearly Dewdrops Drops
The first chart success for Grangemouth's finest export (except for petrol from the BP refinery)...
Labels:
1984,
80s,
alternative,
Cocteau Twins,
Pearly Dewdrops Drops
Tuesday, July 22
The Farmers Boys - Phew Wow
How did such a handsome bunch of guys never manage to have a hit?
Labels:
1984,
80s,
alternative,
Farmers Boys,
Phew Wow,
pop
Monday, July 21
Friday, July 18
The Cross - Heaven For Everyone
This lost '80s classic would probably have remained lost if The Cross's frontman Roger Taylor hadn't got his old mate Freddie Mercury to record a version of the song. The version with Freddie's vocals turned up on The Cross's album Shove It and was later recycled into a Queen single. This is The Cross's single version with Roger Taylor on vocals.
Labels:
1988,
80s,
Freddie Mercury,
Heaven For Everyone,
Queen,
rock,
Roger Taylor,
The Cross
Thursday, July 17
Wednesday, July 16
Stan Ridgway - The Big Heat
Yes, there was always more to Stan Ridgway than novelty songs about ghost soldiers...
Labels:
1986,
80s,
alternative,
Stan Ridgway,
The Big Heat
Tuesday, July 15
Terry, Blair & Anouchka - Missing
A modern blues from Terry Hall - ex-Specials, ex-Fun Boy Three, ex-Colour Field and then solo artist!
The video for the follow-up single Ultra Modern Nursery Rhyme is here - it's from 1990 so not strictly a forgotten '80s classic, but it's another great song and the video has Jerry Sadowitz in it...
Labels:
1989,
80s,
Missing,
pop,
Terry Blair and Anouchka,
Terry Hall
Monday, July 14
The Blow Monkeys - This Is Your Life
This is the original 1988 version, not the pointless dance remix which inexplicably was a much bigger hit the following year.
Labels:
1988,
80s,
Blow Monkeys,
pop,
This Is Your Life
Sunday, July 13
Wham! - Where Did Your Heart Go?
Well, I never knew there was a video for this, the D-side of Wham!'s farewell double single The Edge Of Heaven. Unfortunately Sony BMG have decided that it's far too dangerous to allow anyone to embed this video anywhere, which kind of begs the question why did they put it on YouTube in the first place? Anyway, to see it, click here...
Labels:
1986,
80s,
George Michael,
pop,
Was (Not Was),
Wham,
Where Did Your Heart Go
Saturday, July 12
New Order - Thieves Like Us
Totally live on Top Of The Pops in May 1984, in the days when everyone had to lip sync. This video also contains Mike Read; sorry about that.
Labels:
1984,
80s,
indie,
New Order,
synthpop,
Thieves Like Us,
Top Of The Pops
Friday, July 11
Thomas Dolby - Dissidents
The mad scientist of synthpop with another mysteriously unsuccessful single...
Labels:
1982,
80s,
Dissidents,
synthpop,
Thomas Dolby
Thursday, July 10
Stephen Duffy - I Love You
Somewhere between the sampler frenzy of Kiss Me and his later, gentler work with The Lilac Time... how he came to be writing an album with Robbie Williams is still a mystery.
Labels:
1985,
80s,
I Love You,
pop,
Stephen Duffy,
Tin Tin
Wednesday, July 9
Dexys Midnight Runners - An Excerpt From "This Is What She's Like"
Not the full 14 minute version, but never mind.
Labels:
1985,
80s,
Dexys,
Dexys Midnight Runners,
Kevin Rowland,
pop,
This Is What She's Like
Tuesday, July 8
Roman Holliday - Don't Try To Stop It
The rockabilly revival starts (and ends) here.
Labels:
1983,
80s,
Don't Try To Stop It,
pop,
rockabilly,
Roman Holliday
Monday, July 7
This Island Earth - See That Glow
Caution: contains Mike Read.
Labels:
1984,
80s,
pop,
See That Glow,
This Island Earth
Sunday, July 6
Saturday, July 5
It's Immaterial - Ed's Funky Diner
The follow-up to their slightly better remembered hit Driving Away From Home. It's Immaterial are, in true Spinal Tap tradition, currently residing in the "Where Are They Now?" file.
Labels:
1986,
80s,
alternative,
Ed's Funky Diner,
It's Immaterial,
pop
Friday, July 4
Thomas Lang - The Happy Man
I haven't heard this for two decades and I'm still belting out the chorus! The YouTube tags say "Liverpool jazz pop", which seems to sum it up quite well.
Labels:
1987,
80s,
jazz,
pop,
The Happy Man,
Thomas Lang
Thursday, July 3
New Musik - This World Of Water
You may just about remember their big hit Living By Numbers from earlier in 1980. Lead singer Tony Mansfield went on to produce hits for such unlikely bedfellows as Captain Sensible and A-Ha...
Labels:
1980,
80s,
New Musik,
synthpop,
This World Of Water,
Tony Mansfield
Wednesday, July 2
Captain Sensible - There Are More Snakes Than Ladders
Sorry the volume is a bit low on this one but it's worth cranking up. The reason the good Captain is floundering around in an enormous cereal bowl? Ah, the power of advertising...
Labels:
1984,
80s,
Captain Sensible,
pop,
punk,
There Are More Snakes Than Ladders,
Weetabix
Tuesday, July 1
Kissing The Pink - One Step
This lot had a hit in 1983 with The Last Film and then that was pretty much it, although they continued to release some excellent overlooked singles, including this one.
Monday, June 30
Thompson Twins - Get That Love
Their first single as a duo, so the nearest they ever got to actually being twins...
Labels:
1987,
80s,
Get That Love,
pop,
Thompson Twins
Sunday, June 29
The Cure - Hot Hot Hot!!!
Here's Robert Smith on Stars In Their Eyes. "Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be... Suggs!"
Labels:
1988,
80s,
alternative,
Hot Hot Hot,
pop,
The Cure
Saturday, June 28
The Buggles - Elstree
I know it's not Video Killed The Radio Star, but they had other songs too! Some bloody good ones at that.
Friday, June 27
Stump - Charlton Heston
"Thou shalt not bonk thy neighbour's wife!" Ideally this should have been reissued a few months ago when Charlton Heston died, but never mind.
Labels:
1988,
80s,
alternative,
Charlton Heston,
pop,
Stump
Thursday, June 26
New Model Army - Stupid Questions
Not their biggest hit (amazingly that was as late as 1993) but a cracking record that deserves to be heard more often.
Labels:
1989,
80s,
New Model Army,
rock,
Stupid Questions
Wednesday, June 25
Freur - Doot-Doot
This lot had a symbol for a name a full decade before Prince thought of the idea. Not only that, but they eventually morphed into Underworld of "Born Slippy" fame. And they had synthesiser suits that you could play just by moving your arms... maybe I should stop there.
Tuesday, June 24
Depeche Mode - Love In Itself
One of the Mode's forgotten singles from around the time they stopped being twee teenyboppers and started banging bits of metal together.
Uploaded to YouTube by a user called FanOfDepecheMode, whose description of the video is:
Depeche Mode is the best band ever!!!! I love DM!!!! They rules!!!! Fan of depeche Mode forever!!!!!
DEPECHE MODE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Labels:
1983,
80s,
alternative,
Depeche Mode,
Love In Itself,
synthpop
Monday, June 23
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Watching The Wildlife
Frankie's swansong should have been a much bigger hit but only reached number 28 in 1987.
Labels:
1987,
80s,
FGTH,
Frankie Goes To Hollywood,
pop,
Watching The Wildlife
Sunday, June 22
The Style Council - How She Threw It All Away
Just before the Style Council embraced house music (and really did throw it all away), they released this classy little number, which mysteriously didn't chart.
Labels:
1988,
80s,
how she threw it all away,
pop,
style council
Saturday, June 21
Space Monkey - Can't Stop Running
A "radio hit" in 1983, surprisingly it did nothing saleswise.
Labels:
1983,
80s,
can't stop running,
space monkey,
synthpop
Friday, June 20
Frazier Chorus - Typical!
From their debut album Sue, before they "went dance". Those Chart Show graphics probably looked quite snazzy at the time!
Thursday, June 19
Danny Wilson - A Girl I Used To Know
A criminally under-rated band, they did so much more than Mary's Prayer (wonderful though that is).
Labels:
1987,
80s,
a girl i used to know,
danny wilson,
pop
Wednesday, June 18
Feargal Sharkey - Listen To Your Father
Madness wrote and played on this first solo release by the former Undertones vocalist, from the days when every video had to be a minature epic!
Labels:
1984,
80s,
feargal sharkey,
listen to your father,
madness,
pop,
undertones
Tuesday, June 17
Scarlet Fantastic - No Memory
A cracking one hit wonder from 1987.
Labels:
1987,
80s,
no memory,
pop,
scarlet fantastic
Monday, June 16
Blancmange - Lose Your Love
Perhaps the catchiest track from their 1985 album Believe You Me, surprisingly it became their least successful single.
Labels:
1985,
80s,
blancmange,
lose your love,
synthpop
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)