Great lost lps...the 80s....synth pop and others..

I loved the Church as well.....

My guilty 80's pleasure has always been The Producers, You Make the Heat is still a great album.

Propaganda - Secret Wish

Visage - s/t

I love 80's synth/Euro pop!

David

Don't forget Gary Numan's 'Telekon'! -The live version on vinyl is quite good!

Kraftwerk (the creators of Synthpop), with 'Computerworld'

80s synth is the music I grew up with---my LP collection is about 75% 80s---have a huge collection of Numan, Kraftwerk, Dmode, Human League, mostly rare and Japanese releases---I now keep the US/UK releases in the garage.

Armstrod---I am a big fan of Propaganda as well---there were also solo projects called ACT and the singer Claudia Bruuken released a great solo LP.

Macdadtexas-when I turned 16, we used to go to all the Producers shows when they hit SF--(3 times I think)---my tastes became a bit more refined, but they remained a quilty pleasure as well for a couple years.

Also have some Section 25, Cabaret Voltaire,

Til Tuesday's "Welcome Home" is an incredible album both from a sonic and performance perspective.

Also check out That Petrol Emotion's "Chemicrazy"!

Justlisten,

Cabaret Voltaire is also a favorite of mine; they do a great job even on the ballads.

By the way, if any of you are looking for a great 80's synth pop radio station, Soma FM has recently put up a stream called Underground 80s:

http://somafm.com/play/u80s

It's the best 80's stream I've heard, and I've listened to many of them.

David

Maybe more in the "and others" category and not quite the eighties. Ok, I missed the mark, but "Remote Control" by the Tubes popped into my head and, so, there it is. Produced by Todd Rundgren and released in 1979, this was the Great Tubes Album. Most songs could only be classified as rock, but synth was heavy throughout. Although I considered it a lost gem, I just found that the Tube's official website title is "Remote Control".

The Tubes, Completion Backwards Principal

Great album.

I thought I was the only one who knew about the Woodentops! A real influence on much of what came out of the next decade. Dolby's LPs were fantastic.

Let's not forget these other 80s synth-pop kings:

Wang Chung
Naked Eyes
Re-Flex
The Cars / Ric Ocasek
ABC
Lene Lovich
Howard Jones
Peter Godwin

and plenty I can't think of right now!

Macdadtexas,

I have 5 copies of the Producers self titled album...the cover with the directors chairs...a fantastic pop record beginning to end!
The CD has 2 albums on one CD and is way out of print (I can't find another copy anywhere).

Pepe

Cajun Pepe-Mon Frere, I have a terrible copy of that album on vinyl, only at this point. Can't find my CD copy, bought in the 90's, to rip to digital.

I do however to my great delight, have a PRISTINE vinyl copy of You Make the Heat, that gets played regularly.

Why did that band never get bigger? I hear they still play gigs in Atlanta.

I just picked up Ultravox's "The Collection" from '84 -- nice. I also dig New Order.

Macdadtexas
Hit my email and I will send you one

Pepe

Any of the four Moody Blues albums from the 80's featuring Patrick Moraz on keys (Long Distance Voyager, The Present, The Other Side of Life, Sur La Mer). Go for the more recent remasters if possible.

Love the Church.

Seen them live front and center in a small venue twice recently.

While not synth pop, the first two Fleshtones lps, "Roman Gods" and "Hexbreaker" are very enjoyable "retro with a fresh twist" efforts. I'm happy to have held on to these hard to find gems.

Oh goodness, how could I forget Japan and Spandau Ballet?

Gary Newmans Pleasure principle, awesome synths !!!!!

From left field, Men Without Hats-Rythm of Youth. Most would likely consider this crap and I guess it has a digital character but the sound is dynamic and fun.

Great calls re Close Lobsters, Kraftwerk "Computer World" and "Tin Drum"

Not really "lost" but some of my favourites include:

The Blue Nile - A Walk Across the Rooftops (1983)
New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies (1983) (in fact anything by New Order)
Buggles - The Age of Plastic (1980)
John Foxx -The Garden (1981)
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Dazzle Ships (1983)
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Architecture & Morality (1981)
The Associates - Sulk (1982)
Tears for Fears - The Hurting (1983)
The Human League - Dare! (1981)
Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85 (1985)

Not heard (vinyl is quite hard to find) but will one day:
Alain Bashung - Novice (1989)

Not 1980's but in the spirit and fantastic:
Junior Boys - Last Exit (2004)

Forgot:
Strawberry Switchblade - Strawberry Switchblade (1985)

Guadalcanal Diary:

- Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man (1984)
- Jamboree (1986)
- 2X4 (1987)
- Flip-Flop (1989)

The Housemartins:

- London 0 Hull 4 (1986)
- The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death (1987)

Sisters of Mercy (all the EPs...and the LPs)

Alphaville from Germany
And who can forget that great video from A-Ha of Norway?
Searching some of these bands has unearthed videos and live performances that are an absolute riot!

Icehouse - their debut album is a classic!
Shona Laing - South
I own many LP's or cd's of lesser-known Canadian bands like Chalk Circle, Bundock, The Box, 8 Seconds and Gowan, among others. All had some really good music from the '80's that you never heard or saw on MTV or US radio, for that matter.
Howard Jones
The Hooters - Nervous Night is a great album.
The Plimsouls had some great songs too.
Tony Carey's Planet P Project - Pink World is another one of my favorite albums. Depressing-as-hell cold war nuclear armageddon theme but one of the best concept albums from the '80's in my opinion and awesome fidelity. I own both the original gatefold LP and the German import CD.

Crowded House - not really a synth rock band but great music!

Comsat Angels: Independence Day

DEVO best predated the 80s, original weird synth pop.
Wall of Voodoo "Call of the West" was a great album, not just the 'Mexican Radio' cut. I also have 'Ring of Fire' live on 12"45.

OK, I am listening now to a pristine version of the Producers self titled debut album, which was a generous gift from a fellow 'Gon-er.

Thanks CajunP, much appreciated.

Yello: One Second, The Race. Art of Noise: In no sense? Non sense! Thomas Dolby: Aliens ate my Buick.

Nice picks! Roxy Music deserves vaulted mention imho, although some might not call it "synth-pop," and none of it is "lost." ;) Also, anyone remember what Ministry sounded like back then? Picking it up just as the 80's closed, Elegant Machinery helped keep the genre alive through the 90's. De/Vision and And One are probably better known, though. In 1994, Lassigue Bendthaus branded itself as "world famous technopop" on the album "Render," although the project remains obscure. ;)

I'm glad I found this thread. There are several bands mentioned I'd never heard of.

I sure do remember Ministry before they went thrash. I have that first LP (EP?), and many of their later albums. I actually like the thrash stuff better - incredible energy.

I love Roxy Music. The album that feature more synth would be "Manifesto". An underrated release in my opinion, a little darker than most of their stuff.

Tears for Fears

this thread has reminded me why I dropped out of the music listening habit during the 80s. I dont know about 95% of the bands named

The The, Love Tractor, Flesh for LuLu, Shreikback, That Petrol Emotion

Devo "The Mix" and Herbie Hancock "Rocket" both sound awesome over my Forte IIs on my deck. I dont have most of the music discussed here on dvd, but I do have the right speakers for the job!

Fine young cannibals, the blue Nile, camouflage

Many good suggestions above, also

Yazoo - Allison Moyet and Vince Clarke
OMD
Depeche Mode (were even better once Vince left - Construction time was a landmark album)
The Cult
Duran Duran (took 70's disco - think Chic and incorporated into Synth pop of Roxy Music style)
Flock of Seagulls
Annie Lennox/Stewart Eurythimics
Ultravox (great sound effects)
New Order
Pet Shop Boys
Soft Cell
ABC
Blancmange (combined synth pop with Indian instruments)
Howard Jones
The Fixx

and great producers - Trevor Horn, Colin Thurston, Martin Rushent, Rupert Hine,Gareth Jones, Nile Rodgers

Most of the bands listed below, while having strong techno influence, were definitely not pop. This was in serious rotation back in college days along with much of the above.

Section 25
Propaganda,
The Clan of Xymox
Front 242
Tack-Head
Ministry
Nitzer Ebb
Nine Inch Nails-(pretty hate machine was awesome!)
The Revolting Cocks
Skinny Puppy
Erasure (now that was techno pop)
Yaz
The Communards

Pet Shop Boys ALL THEVWAY!!! The British dual is still going strong
worldwide, big followings in Asia and Brazil. Still issuing LPs for every new
release. I've got them all, even the Dance Mixes (not sure why, but I got
them). Both wife and I are big PSB fans. still bummed that we missed their
last tour because my wife was very pregnant at that time.

Some other honorable mentions:
OMD
Depeche Mode
New Order
Erasure
Thompson Twin

FrankC

I have many of the titles you guys have been mentioning. I love to play Propaganda P-Machinery on vinyl to demonstrate the bass response of my system; that song will shake my entire house when I play it. Also, I was curious if any of you have the Blancmange LP with West India Company "Ave Maria" on the flip side? "Ave Maria" was really huge at the dance clubs back in the early to mid 80's, and I picked up that 12" at one of the DJ record stores at the time.
Jon

God! I forgot about...Big Pig, Echo and the Bunnymen, Anne Clark, Ofra Haza, The Jack Rubies ("Horse With No Name" is killer.), The 77's (Christian), Patrick O'Hearn (really, just Eldorado), William Orbit/Torch Song, Adam Again(Christian), Tonio K (some of which is dated)...Whew! I was a d.j. then, what a time warp!! Look them up, refresh your memories, educate your ears, and meet with those no longer with us (Ofra Haza and Gene Eugene of Adam Again). Happy hunting!

the first Orb LP is dated 1989...
I was a big fan of the 4AD label, with recording done by John Fryer-
That West India Company "Ave Maria" was really cool.
Back in those days I really went for the 12" singles. Talk Talk was usually a lot more interesting in 12" single format.
Simple Minds lost me after about their 4th album.
He Said
Savage Progress
Strange Advance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEDw2P4Yjx0

Nice one, Atmasphere. 4AD really had my heart for awhile. I have a friend who still buys most of what 4AD puts out on lp. I hope to one day hear some of it through your products. :)

I was kicking myself for not mentioning Camouflage, but it was just a matter of time. ;) To keep things alive, anyone else get into Kie the Vez, Dark Voices, Majestic . . . *checking thread* . . . and is there agreement that Arcadia was a better DD side project than Power Station? Or maybe I'm not being fair.

Gary Numan!

The Call-Into the Woods
The Motels-Little Robbers
Tommy Tutone-2

T-Bone Burnett's "Proof Through the Night" is one of my most prized albums. Out in 1983 it is classic IMO. Its not Synth pop. One of the better sounding recordings that I have.

I would call Gary Myrick's "Language" synth pop. Big spacious sound stage with good depth and good bass. I think the material holds up OK too.

I have occasionally seen both at used record stores

Yello of course made a number of great LPs in the 1980s, but they are still around. Their latest, Touch (2009), will appeal to any Yello fan. They have continued to refine their craft!