[colpet]

I heard Nick Lowe's Cruel to be Kind on the radio today, and that put me in the mind for some retro alt-rock. I've just downloaded some:
XTC - Senses, Dear God and Mayor of Simpleton
Pig Bag - Papa's got a brand new pig bag ( I dare you to sit still through this )
Talk Talk - It's my Life
Jam - Town called Malice
The The - This is the Day
What are some of your favorites?

[Crunchy in milk]

I enjoy a lot of Fine Young Cannibals... the film clips where great too with the watersoaked drums.

I have the Lost Boys soundtrack in my playlist so I get frequent doses of Still Believe. Beauty Has Her Way and Lost In The Shadows.

[samIamsad]

Nick Kershaw - Wouldn't it be good
A-Ha - Take on me
Alphaville - Big in Japan
And, of course Slayer - Reign in blood (erm, Raining blood, actually, the song covered by Tori Amos yeeaeaaaars later)

[Melanie68]

Duran Duran (I was in love with them when I was 14 or 15)
Old U2 (Boy, War, October, Under a Blood Red Sky)
Culture Club - I was in the grocery store the other day and they were playing and I was singing along in public.
When In Rome - The Promise
A Ha
New Order
The Fixx

I'll think of more and add them later. That decade gave us bad hair and bad clothes but some cool music.

[samIamsad]

Originally Posted by Melanie68

DThat decade gave us bad hair and bad clothes

Mhhhh.. then it's true! I'm living in the past.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

I'm a child of the 80s. I dunno where to start as far as favourite little ditties, I have shitloads of them.

[Kolzig]

80's is filled with lots of funny pop tunes, and lots of good rock music.
It's hard to name just a few.

But I find great enjoyment for example when I listen to Huey Lewis & the news songs

[RLacey]

Having been born in '86, I effectively missed the '80s as far as music is concerned.

I can't decide whether or not that's a good thing.

[pinkgothic]

And then there's Luxuria, who've consumed me quite thouroughly... they were 80's. Very 80's, actually, though nowhere near mainstream.

@RLacey: '84 for me. When Luxuria fell apart, I was six years old. Way too young to appreciate their stuff. Way, way too young. And much too young to have seen them in concert. Oh, how I envy the people that have...

Point being, I suppose you'll know if it's a good or a bad thing when you're confronted with the stuff by backtracing something from another band. Or so.

[Henke]

80's had some good music aswell as some bad music just as the 70's, 90's or any decade really.

My personal favorite records from the 80's are (among others):

Bathory - Hammerheart
Misfits - Walk Among US
W.A.S.P - The Crimson Idol
Celtic Frost - Into The Pandemonium
Ebba Grön - Kärlek och uppror
Slayer - Reign In Blood (already mentioned but it's worth mentioning again, it's really that good)
Pogues - Rum, Sodomy and The Lash
Metallica - Ride The Lightning
The Cult - Love

+ many more

[colpet]

My perception was that the 80's had more of the 'one hit wonders' than other decades. Bands like Aha, When in Rome, Heaven 17 and Naked Eyes, I only associate with their breakout songs. I was in my 20's then, a time of parties and dancing at clubs, so much of my fond memories revolve around dance tunes. I love Erasure (actually saw them in concert); I was surprised to see that they still tour. They put on quite a show.
For some of you younger folk, I was wondering whether you would hear the music growing up since your parents may have listened to it. I was quite young in the sixties, but much of that music played as a backdrop, ensuring familiarity. I loved the folk songs, but missed out on the whole Beatle phenomena.
@pinkgothic: I never heard of Luxuria. Will see if I can find some of their songs.

[Henke]

Originally Posted by colpet

My perception was that the 80's had more of the 'one hit wonders' than other decades. Bands like Aha, When in Rome, Heaven 17 and Naked Eyes, I only associate with their breakout songs. I was in my 20's then, a time of parties and dancing at clubs, so much of my fond memories revolve around dance tunes. I love Erasure (actually saw them in concert); I was surprised to see that they still tour. They put on quite a show.
For some of you younger folk, I was wondering whether you would hear the music growing up since your parents may have listened to it. I was quite young in the sixties, but much of that music played as a backdrop, ensuring familiarity. I loved the folk songs, but missed out on the whole Beatle phenomena.
@pinkgothic: I never heard of Luxuria. Will see if I can find some of their songs.

As far as popular dance music goes I think it has always have (and still have) more "one hit wonders" then other music genres. But I can be wrong since I'm no expert in that area.

I remember listening to much music during the 80's but since I was so young I didn't really develop a bigger interest in any of it. I really did a lot of backtracing in the 90's though. The only songs I really remember listening to when they actually came out are there for only the most popular tunes (like "Final Countdown" ).

[pinkgothic]

Originally Posted by colpet

Bands like Aha, When in Rome, Heaven 17 and Naked Eyes, I only associate with their breakout songs.

A-ha I associate with everything but their breakout songs. Well, their older breakout songs, anyway. A-ha, to me, is Summer Moved On and Minor Earth, Major Sky. And the associated album. <3

Originally Posted by colpet

For some of you younger folk, I was wondering whether you would hear the music growing up since your parents may have listened to it.

Nope. My mum was pretty musically progressive. She had an addiction to the Bon Jovi song It's my Life when it came out, for example. So my like of 80's music comes from personal research, particularily of Apollo 440, tracing them back to Luxuria, which traces back to Howard Devoto and thus Magazine, Buzzcocks, and... yeah... also goes into the 70's, though most 70's things I've discovered I can't really stand.

Originally Posted by colpet

@pinkgothic: I never heard of Luxuria. Will see if I can find some of their songs.

Warning... it's very much of an aquired taste. But if you really wish to take a listen... you could also just ask me in a PM...

[RLacey]

A-ha means only one thing to me: The Living Daylights. I had genuinely never heard of a single other song by them until reading this thread ...

[Lucien21]

I used to have their album.

Man I must be drunk

Youv'e never hear "Take on Me" Great video crap song. "The Sun always shines on TV" or "Hunting High or low"

All stunningly rubbish.

[RLacey]

Hey driver
where're we going? I swear my nerves are showing

Set my hopes up way too high
living's in the way we die.

Comes the morning and the headlights fade in rain

Of hundred thousand people I'm the one they frame.
I've been waiting long for one of us to say:
Save the darkness
let it never fade away -
In the living daylights
in the living daylights.

Alright
hold on tight now
it's down
down to the wire

Set your hopes up way too high
living's in the way we die.

Comes the morning and the headlights fade away

Hundred thousand changes
everything's the same.
I've been waiting long for one of us to say:
Save the darkness
let it never fade away -
In the living daylights
living daylights
living daylights.

Comes the morning and the headlights fade away

Hundred thousand people
I'm the one they frame
In the living daylights
in the living daylights.

Living daylights
- set your hopes up way too high
Living daylights
- living's in the way we die -
Living daylights
- set your hopes up way too high -
Living daylights
- living's in the way we die -

[Melanie68]

Originally Posted by Lucien21

I used to have their album.

Man I must be drunk

Youv'e never hear "Take on Me" Great video crap song. "The Sun always shines on TV" or "Hunting High or low"

All stunningly rubbish.

ROFL

I had that album (as a matter of fact it's still in my closet). I loved it!! They were Norwegian (i think) and I had a soft spot for Norwegian men when that album came out too.

[samIamsad]

Holy crap, I totally forgot to mention The Smiths, The Cure, Dag Nasty, The Ramones etc.etc.etc.! And lets not forget Looking for freedom by David H., the song that singlehandedly reunited Germany!!!!!1

Spoiler:

Okay, probably not.

@Henke: No Creeping death or Master of puppets?

@colpet: Wouldn't it be good was my first favourite song, AFAIK, I was like 5 years old back then. And I think my pa bought me the single (on LP!). Ah, glory, glory days....

[Kolzig]

Ahhhh, Looking for Freedom, now that's a Classic.

[samIamsad]

Originally Posted by Kolzig

Ahhhh, Looking for Freedom, now that's a Classic.

Another one would be the video clip of "Crazy for you". ROTFL!