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.
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