Electric 80s

New Order - True Faith


The song was a big shift from there post punk days of the late 1970s as Joy division but the song showcased there talents on the electric dance scene. The song was released in 1987 and reached number 4 in the UK single charts and was there first song to hit the top 40 in America. The song was released as new material on there collection album 'substance' in 1987 and went on to become one of there famous songs. The video promo directed by Philippe Decoufle was a bizarre video with vibrant colours with dancers walking backwards and slapping each other furiously, it was compelling stuff. The song was written and produced by New Order and Stephen Hague and the song was released on the infamous Factory Records and assigned the FAC 183 label. A true classic song.

Ultravox - Vienna


Quite often a song comes along and for what ever reason although popular it never quite hits the top spot. Ultravox suffered that fate in 1981 where the song was number 2 for four weeks. It can be a combination of a better song or the British obsession with novelty records! unfortunately Ultravox suffered twice the first week to John Lennon and the next 3 weeks Joe Dolce 'shaddap your face'. The song was quite unique in it's sound with a mixture of Grand Piano, a deep synth bass and Viola solos in the middle. The song was based on the 1940s film 'The third man' which was based around the Austrian capital Vienna. This was reflected in the video the band produced which was very grandiose and suited the song. The song was written by all the Ultravox members and was produced by Conny Plank a famous German producer who worked with Kraftwerk and David Bowie amongst others. He was a big name in the synth electro sound and one Ultravox were keen to work with. The song is widely regarded as the anthem for the new romantic/synth pop era in the early 1980s and the song epitomised the new scene of music in the 1980s. The success helped encourage many more bands such as Depeche Mode to dominate the charts.

Lotus Eaters - The first picture of you

Lotus Eaters were a new wave synth band from Liverpool formed in the early 1980s. They shot to prominence after singing this song on BBC Radio 1 John Peel Sessions. The song sparked a plethora of record labels wanting to sign them up. They eventually signed to Arista Records and the song was produced by Nigel Gray who worked with the Police and Siouxsie and the Banshees. In 1983 the song received more radio air play than any other song that year. The song peaked at number 15 in the UK singles chart and the song is still played today for it's ambient sound which is easy on the ear for Radio. A true classic electric sound.

Tears for Fears - Mad World



This song in late 1982 took the charts by storm and peaked at number 3 in the UK charts and shot the band into the mainstream. The song was to be a b side to 'Pale Shelter' but decided it give its own life and what a masterstroke it was. The song was produced by Chris Hughes ex-Adam and the ants drummer and was written by Roland Orzabel about his images and dreams of his world. The promo video was a gloomy affair with Curt Smith trying to escape a room but was punctuated with the bizarre dance of Roland near the lake. The song was a popular one of the 1980s and can be seen on most compilations. The song was rejuvenated in 2003 when a remake for the Donnie Darko film saw the song become a Christmas Number One. A true classic synth/gloom song.

A flock of Seagulls - Wishing (If I had a photograph of you)


Possibly without sounding too hyped one of the all time classic new wave synth sounds of the early 1980s. This band from Liverpool scored there only top 10 UK hit with this gem. The song was released from the album Listen and was produced by the fijian maestro Mike Howlett who had success with OMD, Joan Armatrading, Gang of Four and Martha and the Muffins amongst others. The song was very heavily synth and became popular in the UK around that time and the success of this song was as good as it got for the Flocks but definitely opened the door for others to take on. such was it popularity it was heavily played on MTV early days due to it's futuristic appeal. The song was also voted in BBC Radio 6 2006 poll as the 2nd most popular synth song ever only beaten by Tubeway Army 'are friends electric?'. That gives you the measure of the song.

Art of Noise - Close (to the edit)


This innovative band became one of the best respected synth pop bands of its generation. The release of Close shown the full use of electronic music with sampling. Signed to ZTT records the founders of this label found time to form a four piece band and produce some classic material. The song was written and produced by Art of Noise in particular the key members were Trevor Horn and Paul Morley and the song became the first of three top 10 entries in the UK singles chart. The song was infamous for it's various remixes and was originally the unedited part of the earlier single 'Beat Box' but this song went onto become more successful.

Visage - Fade to Grey


Another classic electric song from the synthpop generation. Visage released this song late 1980 and the song went on to become a dance floor hit in the UK reaching the top 10 and was number one in various charts across Europe. The song was released on Polydor records around the same time as the album was released and was written and produced by Visage. Although the writing credits were given to Billy Currie, Chris Payne and Midge Ure. The French Lyrics were performed by Brigitte Arens who was Rusty Egan's girlfriend at the time. The song was also noted for it's video promo which featured the singer Steve Strange body being covered in paint and featured his friend Julia Fodor miming the French lyrics. The video was produced and directed by Godley & Crème. A true classic song which embraced the electric and euro pop feel and the song still holds relevance now.

Frankie goes to Hollywood - Relax


If there was one single that gained controversy in the 1980s then this was the one. It was the bands first single release and it didn't make much impact when released but when Radio One DJ Mike Read and the BBC refused to play the song for it's sexual nature and subsequently banned it, the song rose up the charts and reached number 1. Such was it's popularity it sold over 2 million copies and was the seventh best selling single in the UK. The song was pretty much in the charts for over a year and when they released there second single Two Tribes, Relax got another surge and was number 2! The band played the song originally on Channel 4 The Tube and a certain producer Trevor Horn saw this and signed them to ZTT records which he co owned with Paul Morley. He set to work on this and produced a more slick electronic sound. Once produced Paul Morley set to work on the marketing side where the Relax t-shirts etc..became the norm. Soon everyone heard of Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes


This was a classic gem released in 1980 and was successful in its sound and the video promo that accompanied the song. The song was based on Major Tom who featured in his earlier work on space oddity. The song was a huge hit and reached number 1 on the UK single charts. It was released on RCA records and was produced as well by Bowie and his long time producer Tiny Visconti. The video was very iconic for the 1980s with Bowie in a Pierrot costume and leading certain group of new romantics including Steve Strange of the London Blitz kids. The video at the time cost over £250,000 and incorporated many visuals that were unusual at the time such as solarised colours. The song and video were a major influence on the New Romantic scene that followed shortly after. A true classic song.

Falco - Rock Me Amadeus


This song became the first German speaking song to hit number one in the UK and USA singles charts. Released in 1985 this Austrian artist enjoyed great success in Europe mainland but the UK and America was a little difficult but this tribute to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart seemed to do the trick. On the back of this the Video was a great eye catcher showing Falco as Amadeus through the times in a formal jacket to the wacky pink wig with a modern crowd of bikers mixing with 18th century patrons. Weird but it worked somehow! The Song was written by Falco and his Dutch pals the Bolland Brothers. The song has been proved popular in recent polls about the best of the 1980s and the song has really stood the test of time.

Belouis Some - Imagination

This little gem became a huge hit for Belouis Some in 1986 after being re-released following disappointment in 1985. The song reached number 17 in the UK charts and reached the top 100 in America. Released on Parlophone records it was written by Belouis and produced by Thompson and Barbiero who had worked with the likes of Metallica, Madonna, Korn and Public enemy amongst others. The song was noted for it's video which featured nudity and caused controversy in many corners but this seemed to add fuel to the sales of the song as well as sound which proved popular on radio and the dance floor.

Simple Minds - Promised you a Miracle

This was the bands first commercial breakthrough in 1982 and peaked at number 13 in the UK charts. The song was released from the New Gold Dream album and the song help trigger a long sustained attack on the charts right up to the mid 1990s. This song and the album saw a move away towards to the electronic dance and the song was noted for it's electronic keyboard beat from Mick Macneill and combined with the deft riffs on guitar by Charlie Burchill. The song was released on Virgin and was written by Simple Minds and Produced by Pete Walsh and many critics defined this song as one of the bands most complete sounds. A true gem.

Kraftwerk - The Model


These guys were the originators of the electronic based sound. Starting in the early 1970s they produced some of the most innovative work on the music scene. Originally written and recorded in the late seventies by Hutter, Bartos and Schultz, the song went onto be number one in the UK in 1982 by a bizarre Circumstance. The song was released as a b side to 'Computer Love' in 1981 and the song reached the top 30 in the UK. However, DJ's and Radio were more interested in the B side and as a result EMI released it as a stand alone single and the song reached number one as a consequence. The song was released against the bands wishes and as a result the band rarely perform this song. That said the song put Kraftwerk in to many people conscience and a true electronic classic.

ABC - the look of love


This band broke onto the mainstream from the Sheffield electric scene in the early 1980s. They were led by lead singer Martin Fry and the above song came off there debut album The Lexicon of Love. The song was on Mercury records and was produced by the legendary Trevor Horn and the song reached number 4 in the UK singles charts. This proved to be the bands biggest hit. The video promo also got heavy airplay on MTV and featured the old British scenes of Carnivals and Puppet shows. The Video also featured cameos from Trevor Horn and journo Paul Morley who later formed ZTT records and Art of Noise.

Howard Jones - What is Love?


This synth pop legend enjoyed a huge amount of success in the early 1980s and this song peaked at number two in the UK singles charts. It also enjoyed a Top 40 entry on the American charts. The song came of the critically acclaimed album Human's Lib. The song released on WEA records and was written by Howard and Bill Bryant and this saw a period of success for Howard with synth pop classics.

OMD - Maid of Orleans (Waltz of Joan of Arc)

OMD were a top class synth band from Liverpool with McCluskey and Humphries referred to as the Lennon- McCartney of the synth world. This particular song came from there successful album Architecture and Morality. This song release came on the back of the previous single Joan of Arc and this song was also a tribute to the lady. Maid of Orleans faired better in the charts in the UK although both songs did reach the top 5. The song was written to celebrate the 550th birthday of Joan of Arc and was prominently a instrumental song featuring bagpipes, violins and a choir to give it a electro ambient sound. The video promo was directed by Steve Barron who directed memorable videos for Michael Jackson and A-ha and Joan was played by Julia Tobin who at the time worked for the RSC. The song was written and produced by OMD and was released on the DinDisc label. The song reached number 4 in the UK charts and remains one of the best pieces of music during the synth explosion in the early 1980s.