The hidden gems of the 80s

Vexr

Vexr

Vexr

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I recently watched Atomic Blonde and was struck by the soundtrack. Particularly these two:



Elsewhere I stumbled upon this:


The 80s were before my time, with me usually having heavy nostalgia for the 90s that I barely caught a glimpse of growing up. However, I'm awed by these tunes from the 80s having just discovered them.

Anyone able to recommend more music I might appreciate from that era? I think I'm 100% up to date with Madonna and Michael Jackson from then, but am relatively naive of other music from the 80s.
 
Here's a few off the top of my head:











I could sit here all day posting these as there are so many.

I was a young teenager in the 80's and it was a great time to be alive.

Great music
Great movies

Everybody seemed happier back then, jobs were plentiful, houses were cheap, going out with your mates all day on BMX bikes without a care in the world, kind of brings a tear to my eye looking at what things are like now, especially at the minute.

Also checkout the movie you posted "Manhunter" which is an adaptation of a Thomas Harris novel from the director Micheal mann, overshadowed by the more famous Silence of the lambs but is still an awesome movie with great atmospheric music. He also made "LA takedown" and later remade it as the famous and awesome movie "Heat" and booth have brilliant sondtracks.
 
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This. I'm an 80's teenager too (1st half though) I'll just post a few faves here.








a must watch film by the Late Jonathan Demme!

From a groundbreaking album which helped to make CD's mainstream back in the day, I still have mine from new 35 years old & it still plays!

I threw this one in as a placebo. I can still whistle to this one 36 years later! :D :p ;)
 
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Maybe I was a bit too old to enjoy the 80s. :) The 80s started with recession, The Falklands War, Arthur Scargill, and AIDS. The shadow of nuclear war, Maggie Thatcher and, even worse, punk rock, was still over us. It was far from wonderful. But I graduated (by the skin of my teeth) in 1984 as things were starting to settle down a bit (before the financial 1987 crash) and there was always plenty of great music, as Mr Triceratops says. And a lot of junk, as ever. I'll add to the list, but I'm not sure any of these count as hidden gems. One may count as rightfully buried though. :)
I was going to post Teenage Kicks, but the Undertones, but that's '78. So we'll substitute...
And of course, the all time classic...
And a late, great addition inspired by Grimley's Dire Straits entry. Sultans of Swing is my favourite track of all time, probably, but it's too early. This marvel of songwriting craft scrapes into 1980 though...

Edit: I've left in my duplicate of Grimley's Cure entry because for me it sums up the feel of the early 80's... the sense that something wasn't quite right with pretty much everything.
 


Couple from me that haven't been posted yet, this is going to make an epic BBQ playlist later. :)

Andrew_McP said:
even worse, punk rock,
Click to expand...

Oh I dunno, that gave rise to the California wave of punk which spawned Bad Religion, No Use for A Name, Lagwagon, NOFX etc. Some of my all time favourite bands. Alas, each to their own. :D
 
The early ‘80s was a superb period for music. There was a huge variety of acts, many at the top of their game. It never fails to amaze me that New Order were pumping out techno synth dance tunes nearly 30 years ago. Arguably (very!) music has been dying a low death since ‘86.
 
On the assumption from the opening posts that:
  • You aren't limiting genres
  • Well-known artists may still be included
I'll post up some of my favourite 1980's Rush output. Assuming you aren't already familiar with them, Rush are a Pandora's box of a band: 20 studio albums from 1974 to 2012, which encompasses numerous styles: Zeppelin-esque rock in their early days, through increasingly progressive towards the end of the 70s, introduction of synths in the 80s, and back to more standard rock thereafter. 'Moving Pictures' is considered one of their highlight albums (1981) but the best tracks across the 80s really differs hugely between fans. Below are some of my favourites. And if I may presume to include one track from the late 70s to show you how different this band were across their career, I have linked La Villa Strangiato ('Hemispheres', 1978) at the end.

Are you looking for anything in particular though @Vexr ? I don't want to throw up a bunch of tracks by well-regarded artists if you want under the radar stuff. But judging by your OP, you aren't that well-versed in this era - so anything goes?

Album: Permanent Waves, 1980

Album: Moving Pictures, 1981

Album: Moving Pictures, 1981

Album: Signals, 1982

Album: Grace Under Pressure, 1984

Album: Hold Your Fire, 1987

Album: Hemispheres, 1978
 
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Def leppard - hysteria
T'pau - China in your hand
Dexys Midnight Runners - Come on Eileen
New Order
Black Crowes - Hard to Handle
 
There are many many songs from the 80s that are awesome, I was born in the late 60s so for me the 80s were my formative years, but there are 2 songs that when I hear now remind me of drinking in a certain pub in the mid 80s as they were always on the jukebox.


Everytime I hear either of them I fancy a beer.
 
Way to many to mention! I am an eighties kid, I look back fondly, but it did have its seriously dark moments; I remember watching the film Threads at School...

If you like the Manhunter theme - no eighties list will be complete without Crockett's theme. Rocky 4, Top Gun and Miami Vice each have legendary soundtracks.


Gary Moore - Out in the Fields


Grand Theft Auto Vice City - Probably one of the best game sound tracks ever. Its a mix of all eighties genres.

Tears for Fears - Pale Shelter


Simply Red - I'm gonna lose you


Harrison Ford in the eighties made some mighty films, Indiana, Witness, Frantic etc.
 
I was born in 76 just missed the 80s :p
Instead got mixed up in grunge and the alternative scene.
Got myself into Depeche mode, New order, Duran Duran and other classics. At that age too. I love the 80s and regretted not being born a few years earlier lol. There's were good too though
 
I heard these more obscure 1980s gems on the Boards of Canada Societas X Tape radio broadcast last summer...especially if you like coldwave / synth music

Hearing the compilation live streamed was quite an experience - something I won't forget. I spent quite a few weeks trying to work out some of the tracks and lyrics with other fans





On another note I recently found the first three 'A Flock Of Seagulls' albums secondhand on vinyl - some great tracks and of course 'I Ran' always reminds me of playing GTA: Vice City
 
no rick astley. cant take thread seriously :p
op, do yourself a favour and go back another decade and listen to the album bat out of hell by meatloaf.
 
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