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The Music Of The 80s - Favorites, Classics And Rarities


hitman531ph

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The death of a band member left Level 42 in a void. They haven't come up with an album afterwards.

 

Level 42's success was initially limited to the UK. But in 1985, the band released World Machine that gave them worldwide fame. The sone Something About You rocketed to the US Top 10 and the UK Top 10. Leaving Me Now was a lesser hit in the album.

 

In 1986, Level 42's single Lessons in Love became a US Top 20 hit and went to #1 in the UK. By 1987, Lessons in Love was released in an album called Running in the Family. Other tracks that made it big in Running in the Family were: Children Say, Running in the Family, It's Over. The title of the song It's Over was a sign of foreboding that their chart-hitting days were over.

 

In 1988, Two Solitudes became a UK hit but didn't make much impact in the US.

 

Level 42 is one the cool sounding bands that came out of the 80s.

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OMD stands for Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark

 

The duo was formed in the late 70s and had minor hits in their early days with Virgin Records. In 1982, their first hit was a new wave classic Enola Gay. It was a UK hit but not in the US. In 1983, Talking Loud and Clear and Locomotion were UK hits and both songs entered the US Hot 100.

 

In 1985, OMD reached worldwide fame when two singles So In Love and Secret were UK top 10 hits and US Top 40 hits. The album Crush was recognized worldwide.

 

In 1986, OMD recorded their biggest hit for a movie Pretty In Pink called If You Leave. It was a memorable track from the movie. It went to #1 in the UK and #4 in the US.

 

In 1988, however, OMD lost some steam when their album The Pacific Age was not as successful. The single Forever Live and Die made it to the UK Top 10 and US Top 20. The follow up single We Love You did not enter the US Top 40.

 

However, OMD is considered by many New Wavers, a classic band that made its mark

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The Dawn made their mark in the OPM scene of the 80s in 1986 when OctoArts Records signed them up.

 

Their first hit Enveloped Ideas was followed up Dreams

 

Their next album I Stand With You also made its mark in the OPM scene. But disaster struck when their lead guitarist and core man Teddy Diaz was murdered by some drunk in Tatalon in Quezon City with an ice pick.

 

The band had to go on and record their next album with a temporary Japanese lead guitarist at the close of the 80s and a hit called Salamat

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YES

 

This band formed in the 70s made it to number 1 in 1984 with Owner of a Lonely Heart. The music video won the MTV Music Video of the Year Award during the award's first year. A second single Leave It made it to the Top 40. Both songs came from an album titled 90125.

 

In 1987, YES came up with another hit Love Will Find a Way. However, in-fighting plagued the group and eventually disbanded not long after.

 

Jon Anderson soon went solo and made one Top 40 hit called Hold On to Love.

 

Nothing was heard from them since.

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The Smiths were a hugely influential British rock group and "indie music" pioneers. The band existed from 1982 to 1987 and have had a considerable legacy on popular music, cited for influencing several movements, including Britpop, through to bands such as Doves, James and many, many more.

 

The group was formed in early 1982 by Manchester residents Morrissey (b. Steven Patrick Morrissey May 22, 1959) and Johnny Marr (b. John Martin Maher, October 31, 1963). The pair began to write songs based around Marr's guitar playing and lyrics by Morrissey, an occasional and none-too-successful music journalist. When they formed the band, Morrissey dropped his first name and Maher changed his surname to Marr to avoid confusion with the Buzzcocks drummer of the same name.

 

Mike Joyce was recruited as drummer after a short audition; the sound engineer of the studio where they recorded their first demos, Dale Hibbert, played bass. Hibbert was replaced after two gigs, however, by Andy Rourke, a friend of Marr's. Signing to Rough Trade Records, they released their first single "Hand in Glove" on 13 May 1983. The record, like many of their later singles, was championed by DJ John Peel, but failed to chart.

The follow-ups, "This Charming Man" and "What Difference Does It Make?", fared better and, aided by much praise from the music press, The Smiths began to pick up a fanatical following. Morrissey's lyrics, superficially depressing, were often full of mordant humour ("one of the few bands capable of making me laugh out loud", said Peel) and his lovelorn tales of alienation found an audience amongst a disaffected section of youth culture, bored by the ubiquitous synthesizer new romantic bands that dominated the charts.

By February 1984 their fanbase was sufficiently large to launch the band's long-awaited, self-titled debut album to No. 2 in the UK chart. Despite its strong chart performance, The Smiths lacked some of the pop energy of the earlier singles, and suffered from being a little one-paced. Its mood was also unremittingly bleak, exemplified by such track titles as "Still Ill" and "Suffer Little Children"; the latter referring to the Moors Murders that had stunned Manchester in the 1960s.

 

Also evident was Morrissey's studied references to literature and popular culture icons. His frequent acknowledgement of his many idols (James Dean and Oscar Wilde particularly) in interviews, along with some more subtle reference (the song-title "Pretty Girls Make Graves", for example, is taken from Jack Kerouac) .encouraged a literary bent amongst fans, who already had a tendency towards bookishness. Both "Reel Around the Fountain" and "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" were met with controversy, supposedly being suggestive of pedophilia. In addition, "Suffer Little Children" caused an uproar after a grandfather of one of the children murdered heard it on a pub jukebox. In spite of the uproar, the song is in fact entirely sympathetic to the children's plight and led to Morrissey establishing a friendship with Ann West, the mother of victim Lesley Anne West, who is mentioned by name in the song.

 

1984 also saw the release of one of the Smiths' most well-known songs, "How Soon Is Now?" as a B-side to the single "William, it was Really Nothing".

 

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Meat is Murder

 

The sleeve of The Smiths' 1985 album, Meat is Murder, featuring a still from Emile de Antonio's 1969 film In The Year Of The Pig.With their profile further raised by a hit version of "Hand in Glove" by Sandie Shaw (another Morrissey idol), who was supported by the band, barefoot, on the Top of the Pops show, and a critically feted album of session material (Hatful of Hollow, released in November 1984) the band returned to the studio to record their sophomore effort, Meat Is Murder. This album was more strident and political than its predecessor, including the vegetarian proselytising of the title track (Morrissey forbade the rest of the group from being photographed eating meat) and the light-hearted republicanism of "Nowhere Fast." Musically, the band were more adventurous, with Marr adding rockabilly riffs to "Rusholme Ruffians" and playing funk on "Barbarism Begins at Home."

 

As well as the album being more political than its predecessor, Morrissey brought a political stance to many of his interviews, courting further controversy. Among his targets were the Thatcher administration, the Monarchy and Band Aid, of which Morrissey famously quipped, "One can have great concern for the people of Ethiopia, but it's another thing to inflict daily torture on the people of England."[1]

 

The album's lone single "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" was an odd choice, as its aloof mood, backwards guitar, and lack of any consistent hook made it their second - and final - failed single, barely cracking the top 50. Meat Is Murder was also the band's only album to reach #1 on the UK charts.

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GO WEST

 

The duo made it to the UK charts and the US dance charts when they first appeared under Chrysalis Records with We Close Our Eyes in 1985. They had catchy tunes and became sort of part of the new wave music scene. They came up with another UK chart hit called Call Me. Their following singles Eye to Eye and Don't Look Down were also quite catchy but were milder successes on the charts. Another song by Go West appeared on the Rocky IV soundtrack but didn't make it as good as the previous hits.

 

Their second album bombed out when it was released in 1988.

 

The duo of Peter Cox and Richard Drummie made their mark in the mid 80s, only to bomb out at the close of the eighties.

 

They redeemed themselves in the early nineties with a string of even bigger chart-topping hits.

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In September 1985, a Norwegian group composed of Pal Waktaar, Mags and Morten Harket made their first appearance in the charts with Take On Me. Their band's name was a-ha.

 

Take On Me skyrocketed to the US and UK #1 spots. The album Hunting High and Low also went straight to the top of the album charts. The music video won MTV's Video Music Awards for the spectacular pencil to real life figure video which featured cartoon animation blended with live action movements.

 

a-ha hit the US Top 40 for a second time with The Sun Always Shines On TV. It didn't repeat the band's first chart-topping ways and the band never came back to the US Top 40 for the rest of the 80s. a-ha, however, continued hitting the charts in Europe.

 

a-ha was honored to have been chosen to perform the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights which starred Timothy Dalton as 007. The band, however, failed to make it to the charts unlike the 1985 Duran Duran James Bond hit A View to a k*ll.

 

The girl who appeared at the Take On Me music video eventually became a-ha lead vocal Morten Harket's wife

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Speaking of James Bond movie songs, here are the James Bond movie songs of the 1980's:

 

1981

 

For Your Eyes Only - For Your Eyes Only - Sheena Easton - US Top 10

 

1983

 

All Time High - Octopussy - Rita Coolidge - Did not reach US Top 40

 

1985

 

A View To A k*ll - A View To A k*ll - Duran Duran - US & UK #1

 

1987

 

The Living Daylights - The Living Daylights - a-ha

 

1989

 

For the first time, two James Bond songs from one movie:

Licence to k*ll and If You Asked Me To - Licence to k*ll - Patti LaBelle

 

If You Asked Me To went to the US Top 20 but Celine Dion remade it in the early 90s and took it to US Top 5.

 

1983

 

Never Say Never - Never Say Never Again - Lani Hall

(non-Ian Fleming/Albert Broccoli production of a James Bond movie which featured an aging Sean Connery as James Bond 007 for the last time)

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PuNks Not DEad

 

>The Jerks, a five-member group led by former folk singer Chicoy Pura, replaced Joey “Pepe” Smith (whose asking price became too exorbitant) as On’s regular performer and became Pinoy punk’s first major discovery.

 

>Jingle magazine, the most respected music rag in the country at that time, started a series of coverages on the growing punk scene in Manila. The Jerks were the first to be featured.

 

>The very first Brave New World concert was organized at the conservative Philippine Trade Exhibits grounds (Philtrade). It saw the debut of Chaos, a teenage punk quartet led by concert organizer Tommy Tanchanco.

 

>Local punks became more creative. They designed their own clothes and made their own gear, including their own punk buttons. D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself) punk was born.

English hairstylist Stephen Bradley established Public Image, an expensive hair salon in Manila specializing in punk haircuts

 

>Betrayed -- a quartet composed of U.P. jocks -- introduced hardcore to euphoric punk concert goers as gigs became more violent than ever

 

>Arnold Morales founded an Oi!/punk outfit called the Urban Bandits, guitarist Enggol formed the Sex Militants with Chiloy on vocals.

 

>Wuds, formerly spelled Woods, makes their debut as a transcendental punk rock band (with folk rock as their roots) at “BNW Part 6” and at the second “Punk for Peace: Neighborhood Concert” at Singalong.

 

> 1984...punks organized themselves into regional or area tribes (or armies) with names like the Two-Tones, Slabs (short for Salabusabs), Mess, Nazi-Haters, Wasted Youth, Exploited, Criminals, Dead Paranoids, Rebels (Philippine Rebellious Youth), Abnormals, Hazards, S.A.D. Army (Search And Destroy), and many others, each supporting a certain band or musical style.

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Punks Not Dead part2

 

>Punk becomes a profitable business for T-shirt and RTW manufacturers based in Cartimar, Recto. Shops like Shambhu [no, not shabu], Khumbmela, Hard Stuff, Arte Linea, and High Adventure among others made a killing in selling punk and new wave gear and clothing. Likewise, the stairways of Tandem Cinema became the favorite hangout of punks and hardcores, and the nearby Dapitan Sports Complex, the favorite concert place.

 

>Imported vinyls and cassettes of locally unreleased punk and new wave albums, as well as their pirated pre-recorded counterparts, proliferated in the underground market. The most notable distros then were A2Z Records along Anonas St., Q.C. and Third Mind Rare Tapes. Tape piracy was born.

 

>DWXB-102 FM, the “Capital Radio”, became the “station that dares to be different”. Located along Donada St. in Pasay City, “102 Music” to the station’s listeners meant the music of New Order, Joy Division, The Cure, the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and occasionally Betrayed, Urban Bandits, and Private Stock.

 

 

>Rock critic and punk photographer Didits Gonzales organized weekly punk gigs at Katrina’s, a pub operated by his family at Mabini St., Malate. Slamdancing was allowed during “hardcore Saturday nights” but only when a “referee” was around.

 

>Violence erupted from slamdancing during a guest performance of Betrayed at the recognition night of the “1st Independent Film and Video Festival” at the Wave Cinema in Cubao.

 

>Betrayed played their last gig at the “World Annihilation” concert at Ortañez University and called it quits permanently. Vocalist Dominic Gamboa, a prime mover of the International Music Workers Union and the War Resisters League then, founded the first generation of reggae group Tropical Depression. The line-up consisted of The Jerks’ Chicoy Pura on guitars, ex-Betrayed Je Bautista on bass, and ex-Dead Ends Harley Alarcon on drums. The same group later formed a ska outfit called the SkaVengers for fun. SkaLawags, another pioneer ska band, also graced the scene. Ska would eventually gain more local adherents in the 90s, particularly its bastard child “ska-punk”, thanks to its American proponents like Operation Ivy and the rest of the “California sunshine” punks.

 

 

>DWNU-107 FM, the “Home of New Rock”, and DWBM-105 FM, the “Power Station”, hit the new music airwaves. Though NU would carry on into the next decade’s alternative rock scene, BM wouldn’t be as lucky.

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Canadians also made their mark in the 80s

 

BRYAN ADAMS rocked the 80s with his trademark white t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. His first US hits came from the 1983 album CUTS LIKE A KNIFE featuring the title track and Straight From the Heart. His monster album RECKLESS came up with a string of hits featuring HEAVEN (also used in a 1984 movie A Night in Heaven), SUMMER OF '69, ONE NIGHT LOVE AFFAIR, RUN TO YOU and a Tina Turner duet song, It's Only Love.

 

1987 saw a lesser successful Bryan Adams with HEAT OF THE NIGHT. Two hits came out of the album including the title track and Victim of Love.

 

Canada is also home to MEN WITHOUT HATS. Their first hit was the most successful hit, Safety Dance, in 1983. A minor hit called I Got the Message was a dancefloor hit at the time. In 1987, the band came up with another hit Pop Goes The World

 

Canada also is home to Glass Tiger. Glass Tiger had two hits in 1986. Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone which featured Bryan Adams on backing vocals, went to the US #1. A second hit, Someday, went to the Top 10.

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HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS

 

The 80s wouldn't be complete without them. These boys were pure American good time rock n' roll.

 

After a mildly successful first album which produced minor hits, the band went on to their second album.

 

Their first hit came from the album Picture This. The Top 10 song was Do You Believe in Love?

 

The following album was the album that transformed them into a supergroup. Their 1983 album Sports came up with several hits that charted into 1984. Heart and Soul, I Want a New Drug, If This Is It, The Heart of Rock n' Roll were all US Top 10 hits. Walking on a Thin Line was a Top 20 hit.

 

In 1985, the movie Back to the Future skyrocketed the band to their first #1 hit. The Power of Love was the band's 1985 hit which was included in their 1986 album (and their fourth one), FORE! The album came up with more Top 5 hits including Stuck With You, Hip to be Square and another #1 hit Jacob's Ladder charting into 1987.

 

Unfortunately, the band had already reached the peak of their career.

 

In 1988, the band came up with their last Top 10 hit Small World from the album of the same title. A second hit which reached the Top 40 was Perfect World from the same album

Edited by hitman531ph
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RICK ASTLEY

 

This nice, clean-cut boy with a rich voice was an instant dancefloor and eventually a pop star with the release of his 1987 album Whenever You Need Somebody.

 

The dancefloors of Makati had Rick Astley as their staple well into 1989.

 

Never Gonna Give You Up went to #1 in the US and UK, followed up by Whenever You Need Somebody which went to the Top 5, and another #1 hit Together Forever. It Would Take a Strong Strong Man was a dance chart hit. A single not included in the album was also a dance chart hit My Arms Keep Missing You.

 

In 1988, Rick Astley came up with another album which was less successful on the pop charts but was nevertheless successful on the dancefloor She Wants to Dance With Me and Take Me to Your Heart

 

Both albums were produced by dancefloor hits producers Stock/Aitken/Waterman

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Nakowpo... ayus to... Gene loves Jezebel, U2, Simple Minds, The Cure, The Church, Depeche Mode, OMD, Fiction Factory, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Care, Fra Lippo Lippi, Culture Club, Seona Dancing, The Smiths, Icicle Works, Modern English, Midge Ure, Ultravox, Rick Astley, Duran Duran, New Order, Tears for Fears, Spandau Ballet... ay saka pala Imelda Papin, Eva Eugenio, Basil Valdez, Hajji Alejandro, Nonoy Zuniga, Ric Segreto at Marco Sison... parang nakalimutan ko na yung iba... ganun ata talaga pag "matured" ka na... napapaghalata yung malapit ng mawala sa kalendaryo... he he he :P

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TEAR FOR FEARS

 

Their first single The Way You Are was released in 1982 and didn't make much of an impact. However, that didn't stop them from releasing their 1983 album The Hurting

 

TFF became a UK sensation in 1983. Their songs Pale Shelter, Mad World and Change certainly rocked the Brits and the rest of the new wave world. Other songs in the album Watch Me Bleed and Suffer the Children were minor hits. TFF at this time were Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal.

 

TFF was relatively an unknown band in the US and not much really knew who they were until late 1984 when they released their biggest selling monster album called Songs From the Big Chair. The first single Shout went to #1 in the US and UK. New wavers around the world rejoiced with glee. The next single off the same album went straight to #1 again in the US and UK in 1985 called Everybody Wants to Rule the World. Another version Everybody Wants to Run the World is a CD collectors item. The B-side of the single called Pharaohs resembled the song on the A-side.

 

Their next hit Head Over Heels went to the US and UK top 5. The B-side of the single When in Love with a Blind Man resembles the tune of The Working Hour in the Songs From the Big Chair album. The fourth single Mothers Talk went to the UK Top 10 but went only to the Top 30 of the US charts. At this time, TFF were Curt Smith, Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley and Manny Elias. All four members are prominently seen on the Head Over Heels video which was kinda comedic.

 

Nothing new came out of TFF until mid 1989 when they released their 3rd album Sowing the Seeds of Love. The title track shot TFF back to #1 in the UK and US. Their next singles Advice For The Young at Heart and Woman in Chains (featuring Oleta Adams) went to the UK Top 5 but only managed the Top 40 in the US.

 

By the close of the 80s, TFF managed to return to the charts but Ian Stanley and Manny Elias were no longer with TFF in 1989. TFF was a different sounding band by 1989 and have shed much of the new wave sound that catapulted TFF to fame in the early and mid 80s.

 

The new wave era by 1989 was gone.

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More on the 80's bands:

China Crisis, Psychedelic Furs, Romeo Void, Strawberry Switchblade, Industry, The Adventures, Propaganda, Flesh for Lulu, Lotus Eaters, The Style Council, The Pale Fountains, General Public, A-ha, The Cult, The Fall, Erasure, Blue Zoo, Bolshoi, When in Rome, Vitamin Z, Inxs, Aztec Camera, Thompson Twins... 80's music the best for me... good that we can buy 80's music MP3's now... good morning and keep it coming!

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The Go-Go's suddenly rose to fame in the early 80s with the release of 3 albums until 1984. Their hits included a Fan Boy III remake of Our Lips Are Sealed, Vacation (a top 10 hit), We Got The Beat, Head Over Heels (missed the Top 10 and peaked at #11) and Turn To You.

 

The Go-Go's were never known to have released any ballads and rocked their way until 1984 when band members were already at odds with each other and disbanded by 1985. Their last album in the 80s was Talk Show which included Head Over Heels and Turn To You.

 

Jane Wiedlin came up with an album as a solo artist in 1985 called Fur and had a moderate chart hit Blue Kiss.

 

Belinda Carlisle was more successful with two albums in 1986 and 1988 and three Top 10 hits, Mad About You (1986), I Get Weak (1988) and Heaven is a Place On Earth (1988).

 

The Bangles had a string of hits which began in 1986 with Manic Monday (#2 hit), If She Knew What She Wants (#19), Walk Like An Egyptian (#1), Walking Down Your Street (#24)

 

The Bangles later recorded a ballad Eternal Flame in 1988 and was also a chart hit. Hazy Shade of Winter was a lesser chart hit.

 

Eventually, The Bangles broke up in the 90s.

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