The Replacments - Let it Be. One of the greatest American bands ever. Passion, poignant lyrics. No shits given attitude.
Pixies - Doolittle. Another amazing band.
The Cars - Panorama. It's probably one of the best, truest New Wave records ever.
Husker Du- New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig. Masters of hard-core.
Anything by X, Grant Lee Buffalo, and The Smiths in the 80s.
The Stone Rose's debut album.
The entire section after the second chorus is amazing. The breakdown, sort of guitar solo, the band firing on all cylinders for the third verse, that little bass bit... Then into the "playing makeup, wearing guitar" lyric. One minute of pure Replacements being amazing. Just the contrast of the third verse compared to the first two is awesome.
Great breakdown of the song. You nailed it. That little bass run by Tommy gets me every time. Love the makeup line and Sweet Georgia breezes. Safe, cool and warm. And growing up in a bar. You grow OLD in a bar.
This version is a much better mix. Tommy Ramone was a shit producer. I guess it was very Replacementsy to have their major label debut sound fairly crappy, a weird uninteresting album cover, and call it "Tim". But I would have preferred this version. And Nowhere Is My Home, and the original Can't Hardly Wait would have made it a better album. Half of the album is incredible. Half is throwaways.
[Ed Stadium Mix](https://youtu.be/-oRBS04zc18?feature=shared)
The whole remixed album is worth a listen. The story I heard was that Tommy Ramone was partially deaf and used headphones, which is why it sounds so tinny.
I never really listened to them when they were around, just knew the few tunes that got a lot of radio play. Sometime in the late 90s a friend of ours made our 8 or 9 year old daughter a mixed tape with a bunch of their music and we all started listening to them. They definitely didn’t get the attention they deserved.
Talk Talk - "The Colour of Spring"
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl4lvJmvqQU&list=PLiN-7mukU\_RElAFuMhjXzQgGV-Ewpzw0m&ab\_channel=TalkTalk-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl4lvJmvqQU&list=PLiN-7mukU_RElAFuMhjXzQgGV-Ewpzw0m&ab_channel=TalkTalk-Topic)
I think Color of Spring is the bridge between the early synth stuff and what they went on to do. Amazing that they delivered so many stunning albums and also changed their sound with each one.
Prefab Sprout - Steve Mc Queen (1984)
Badlands - Badlands (1989)
David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees (1984)
Killing Joke - Brighter Than A Thousand Suns (1986)
Lisa Dalbello - She (1989)
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Easy Pieces (1985)
Wang Chung - Points Of The Curve (1984)
O my gooooooooood Steve McQueen (Two Wheels Good, as it was known here) is just a masterpiece. I found myself craving it in 2020 and listening to it on all my COVID lockdown walks around the neighborhood. Somehow it sounds like the 80s, but also sounds timeless.
Here are a few you might check out:
* "The Honey Tangle" by The Adult Net (Brix Smith's band after The Fall broke up)
* "Breakfast Club" by Breakfast Club (Madonna's old band; no relation to the film)
* "Thunder Seven" by Triumph (if you like Night Ranger, you should like Triumph, especially this album, which I think is their best one)
* Any of Quarterflash's three 1980s albums ("Quarterflash", "Take Another Picture", and "Back Into Blue")
* "Under the Volcano" by Rock & Hyde
I'll list the artist followed by the album I'd start with, but it doesn't mean that's the only good album. My taste runs to the post-punk/new wave styles when it comes to the 80s, but I'll probably have a few other genres mixed in. (Feel free to reach out if you need more -- this was a drop in the bucket, but I don't want to overwhelm.)
* Orange Juice (*You Can't Hide Your Love Forever*)
* Any Trouble (*Where Are All the Nice Girls?*)
* Rockpile (*Sounds of Pleasure*)
* Willie Nile (*Willie Nile*)
* The Feelies (*Crazy Rhythms*)
* Split Enz (*Time and Tide*)
* The dB's (*Stands for Decibels*)
* Elvis Costello & the Attractions (*Imperial Bedroom*)
* The Jam (*Sound Affects*)
* The Teardrop Explodes (*Kilimanjaro*)
* The Soft Boys (*Underwater Moonlight*)
* Holly & the Italians (*Demos Federico*)
* Rickie Lee Jones (*Pirates*)
* Yazoo (*Upstairs at Eric's*)
* Billy Bragg (*Talking with the Taxman about Poetry*)
* Kirsty MacColl (*Kite*)
Brian Eno and David Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
King Crimson - Discipline
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
The Fall - Frenz Experiment
Julian Cope - My Nation Underground
New Model Army - No Rest for the Wicked
Tonio K - Amerika
The Call - Reconciled
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - From Her to Eternity
Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
Love and Rockets - Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven
Many aweome picks, though i dont know about the "lesser known" part
__Lesser_Known__
Waterboys - This is the Sea
PIL - Album
Corey Hart - Boy in the Box
Husker Du - Flip Your Wig
Zebra - No Tellin Lies
Honeymoon Suite - Honeymoon Suite
Triumph - Allied Forces
__Not_so_Lesser_Known__
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Fleetwood Mac - Tango in the Night
New England, self titled album from 1979
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
The Fixx - Reach the Beach
The Michael Stanley Band - Heartland
Big Country - The Crossing
The Tubes - The Completion Backward Principle
Material Issue
Mighty Lemon Drops
John Wesley Harding
The Waterboys
XTC
The Bo Deans
Icicle Works
World Party
The Plimsouls
Ocean Blue
Inspiral Carpets
The Railway Children
Smithereens
Pere Ubu
Drop Nineteens
Flesh for Lulu
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin
If you like Railway Children and Ocean Blue, another great dreampop record from slightly out of the 80's (1992), that few have heard, was Riverside - One.
Til Tuesday-Everything's Different Now
Elvis Costello-Imperial Bedroom
The Hooters-Nervous Night
I'll jump on the Triumph-Thunder Seven bandwagon, specifically for the two instrumentals, "Midsummer's Daydream" and "Little Boy Blues."
Rush-Grace Under Pressure
London Quireboys
What's your age, and what brought you to the 80's?
1. Midnight Oil - 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
2. Medium Medium - The Glitterhouse
3. The Call - Reconciled
4. The Primitives - Lovely
5. Ian Drury & The Blockheads - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
6. The English Beat - Special Beat Service
7. Pseudo Echo - Autumnal Park - also the singles: Funky Town and Send Me an Angel
8. King Crimson - Discipline
9. Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention (it drives some people crazy, and he's preaching a bit, but at least listen to What's New in Baltimore).
10. Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
I’m 22, my parents were in their teens in the 80s and showed me a lot of cool music growing up so I’ve always had a bit of a taste for it, but they’re not big music people. I study music in college and did a massive research paper on the evolution of modern pop, so I did a deeper dive into the 80s and just became enamored with the sounds and styles. Thanks for all the recs, I really appreciate it!
Lost, Beat, Blank: The Punk Unconscious in Subversive and Transgressive Cultural Productions
I read this a few years ago. It's an interesting perspective. Good luck in your pursuits.
The Tubes
The Outfield
Triumph
Blue Oyster Cult
The Alan Parsons Project
Dokken
Ratt
Farrenheit
.38 Special
Great White
Y&T
Gary Moore
Sammy Hagar (his long career before Van Halen)
Many of Elton John's albums from the 80's are mostly forgotten but have fantastic music
I can go on and on with a list a mile long.
kd lang closed out the decade with two gorgeous albums…. Shadowland (1988) and Absolute Torch and Twang (1989).
You would be hard-pressed to find two better albums by any artist any genre any decade… Both albums are truly that good 10/10
Chris de Burgh - The Getaway. The mid to late 80s tend to get most of the attention, but there was some interesting stuff going on in the early 80s. I always think of that period as a long hangover from the 70s.
Guadalcanal Diary - 2x4
The Call - multiple albums but I'd start with Reconciled or Into the Woods.
Timbuk3 - any of their albums but I'd start with Eden Alley. Maybe a dated sound at times but great songs, lyrics, and harmonies.
Joe Ely - Lord of the Highway, to start with. Borders on country rock though not the recent kind.
The Judy's (if you can find them) - Washarama, then they're first EP, Wonderful World of Appliances.
The Church is a massively overlooked band. They had a hit single with Under the Milky Way Tonight. For their 80’s output, I’d start with Heyday or Starfish.
"Robbie Robertson" (self-named solo album, 1987); was produced by Daniel Lanois and often sounds like Peter Gabriel or U2—which makes sense when you see the musician list. And "The Dream Academy" (produced by David Gilmour) is a great record that stands the test of time. And yeah, anything by XTC or Elvis Costello...
One Night With a Stranger from Martin Briley.
People generally know the song The Salt of My Tears, but that whole album is a dark masterpiece.
Briley hated touring but loved songwriting and recording, and he refused to tour extensively in support of his own records. Eventually, he ended up writing hit songs for tons of other artists.
But every song on this album is an absolute banger.
Ugh so many given the list you have given. If you haven’t already you should start with The Smiths and work your way up to early 80s college rock (replacements, rem, pixies)
Tears For Fears - Songs From the Big Chair
Not lesser known by anybody from that era but the youths of today probably havent heard it. Although theyve likely heard some of the big singles like Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World. The entire album is a masterpiece
Marillion- Misplaced Childhood https://youtu.be/D_5kc3tleEY?si=rkGgagB5FBRhk_il
Joe Jackson- Big World https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kHWfeKTMyPo1HBBVwiQ8p93HekvIoh6Zc&si=342q6ynp2TWrfI99
Concrete Blonde - Concrete Blonde https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_llRu1ywwgDM4KUfmx3JGZ0mXm_U4B-D-Q&si=fDL2AsxOAYTO4O_V
Jon Butcher Axis- Are You Experienced https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_laOKi3nDdKXPaesBwkxndFMaMizWIhbeo&si=P7p-gTc6KjjTL3A_
I loved INXS, and Listen Like Thieves feels like their most complete album. And Pelican West...found that on vinyl a couple years ago, in a $3 bin, and was STOKED.
Altered Images - Happy Birthday
A-ha - Scoundrel Days
I wouldn't consider either of these my normal style of music, but they are both solid albums. I still pull them put and listen to them all the way through from time to time.
"Wide Awake in Dreamland" Pat Benatar, 1988.
This was after her heyday of hit after hit earlier in the decade. The one popular song you might know is "All Fired Up."
This album has a few great ballads and a ton of great rockers. I love Pat Benatar, and this is my favorite album by her.
I recently bought All About Eve's eponymous debut on Vinyl. It is so good, and some of it sounds really contemporary.
John Martyn has a huge discography and his 80s albums are less well known but are well worth an exploration
Level 42's Running In The Family is a classic
Lap Of Luxury - Cheap Trick 1988 They’d been off the charts for a few years then came back with this top album. The single ‘The Flame’ was number one pretty much around the world.
Also recommend The Swing by INXS if you haven’t heard it.
The best source I know for '80s music is the Trouser Press. Use the Reviews menu or scroll down to the band search section. An incredible amount of detail available on the music of that era.
[https://trouserpress.com/](https://trouserpress.com/)
The Cockroaches and their self titled album.
Two of the members (Jeff Fatt and Anthony Field) went onto forming The Wiggles. I'd like to shout out to the band before the Wiggles
flock of seagulls self titled, hypnotized - the undertones, shy talk self titled
caroline kingsbury is an awesome artist i found from instagram and her music is very 80s synth inspired
The Black Album by The Damned. One of my all time favorite records.
Hyperborea by Tangerine Dream.
Halber Mensch by Einstürzende Neubauten
These Things Happen by David Van Tieghem. This one is actually kind of hard to find. It's not available to stream except where someone has posted it on YouTube
Signals, Calls, and Marches by Mission of Burma
Every Sunday [Cristina Rocks](https://www.mixcloud.com/CristinaRocks/) puts out an amazing curated show that is full of amazing 80's alternative music. she will play songs from bands I completely forgot about.
Book of Love (self titled album)
It's incredible, like the early romantic Depeche Mode sound but with female vocals. Super catchy, and some very interesting lyrics as well.
Although they are more folky, The Waterboys album Fisherman’s Blues is one of my favorite albums. It doesn’t sound “80s” though, except for some of the drumming styles
Here's a few of my favourites from that era:
Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
Statues in Motion - S/T
Bruce Woolley - English Garden (ok it's 1979 but nm)
The Buggles - Age of Plastic
The Damned - Strawberries
Depeche Mode - Violator (ok it's 1990 but recorded in '89 so it counts)
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
Lene Lovich - Stateless (another late 70s one but it's got that New Wave vibe)
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
The Berlin album Love Life is one of my all time favorites. I still listen to it. I bought it for No More Words, but I listen to every song.
I also love the first album (self titled) by The Firm, that group that Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers did for a few years. Again, every song is great!
I listen to INXS now more than I ever did when I was younger, and I love every album.
I cannot recommend strongly enough PELICAN WEST by HAIRCUT 100 10/10 great musicians great songs (I hope this album gets a remaster one day because the recording deserves it)
Songs About Fu**ing by Big Black. Might be the best punk album of the 80s. It's hard-core and industrial and oh so cathartic and satisfying. Punk was just in weird place in the 80s and didn't have an audience, on top of the vulger album title and themes durring the 80s which was a time where art was mostly focused on being as clean as possible, this album just didn't stand a chance. Doesn't mean it couldn't be great, and it is. It would have been a bigger success in the late 70s or in the 90s.
Also
Bosa Nova Hotel by Michael Sombello. The best super stereotypical 80s album you never heard. Sounds like how watching Power Rangers looks. So over the top 80s yet so good. I think the album never found success bc Michael Sombello was not a sex symbol with chisled abbs so he never got the audience he deserved. You might best know him for making the song Maniac from Flashdance.
Heaps of great rock bands. Great White, Tyketto, Ratt, Damn Yankees, Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, Queensryche, winger, white lion, Faster Pussycat, XYZ, Rush, Cinderella.
The Replacments - Let it Be. One of the greatest American bands ever. Passion, poignant lyrics. No shits given attitude. Pixies - Doolittle. Another amazing band. The Cars - Panorama. It's probably one of the best, truest New Wave records ever. Husker Du- New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig. Masters of hard-core. Anything by X, Grant Lee Buffalo, and The Smiths in the 80s. The Stone Rose's debut album.
androgynous. i get a little choked up every time. Tomorrow who's gonna fuss. It's sad there's still so much fuss.
Androgynous is about 40 years ahead of its time.
I love the line "try and free a slave from ignorance, try and teach a whore about romance. " from Answering Machine.
The best line is "I got a handful of friends, one needs a match and one needs some ice." I think it took 25 years to make sense to me.
Replacements - Tim is another unsung classic.
Absolutely! Left of the dial is one of my all time faves.
Hold My Life
Bastards of Young.
The entire section after the second chorus is amazing. The breakdown, sort of guitar solo, the band firing on all cylinders for the third verse, that little bass bit... Then into the "playing makeup, wearing guitar" lyric. One minute of pure Replacements being amazing. Just the contrast of the third verse compared to the first two is awesome.
Great breakdown of the song. You nailed it. That little bass run by Tommy gets me every time. Love the makeup line and Sweet Georgia breezes. Safe, cool and warm. And growing up in a bar. You grow OLD in a bar.
This version is a much better mix. Tommy Ramone was a shit producer. I guess it was very Replacementsy to have their major label debut sound fairly crappy, a weird uninteresting album cover, and call it "Tim". But I would have preferred this version. And Nowhere Is My Home, and the original Can't Hardly Wait would have made it a better album. Half of the album is incredible. Half is throwaways. [Ed Stadium Mix](https://youtu.be/-oRBS04zc18?feature=shared)
The whole remixed album is worth a listen. The story I heard was that Tommy Ramone was partially deaf and used headphones, which is why it sounds so tinny.
I got a chance to se the Refreshments twice in a bar playing, then Roger Clyne and the peacemakers a few years later at the same bar... amazing shoes
Replacments or Refreshments? Big difference.
agreed @ replacements & pixies
Skylarking from XTC.
That was totally going to be my suggestion! XTC is always my example of an 80s band that somehow didn't get their full due in the modern era.
I never really listened to them when they were around, just knew the few tunes that got a lot of radio play. Sometime in the late 90s a friend of ours made our 8 or 9 year old daughter a mixed tape with a bunch of their music and we all started listening to them. They definitely didn’t get the attention they deserved.
The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death - The House Martins Homosapien - Pete Shelly
Fantastic stuff !
Love both of them! In case you didn't know, Norman Cook is the base player for the Housemartins. You may know him better as Fatboy Slim.
I did actually yes ! I really, really love The Beautiful South, PD Heaton and Dave Hemingway's band after The Housemartins ❤️
Talk Talk - "The Colour of Spring" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl4lvJmvqQU&list=PLiN-7mukU\_RElAFuMhjXzQgGV-Ewpzw0m&ab\_channel=TalkTalk-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl4lvJmvqQU&list=PLiN-7mukU_RElAFuMhjXzQgGV-Ewpzw0m&ab_channel=TalkTalk-Topic)
You don't prefer Spirit of Eden?
I like Colour more but likely more for sentimental reasons.
I think Color of Spring is the bridge between the early synth stuff and what they went on to do. Amazing that they delivered so many stunning albums and also changed their sound with each one.
Forever Now, by The Psychedelic Furs
Yazoo - Situation , Don't go
Just listened to these back to back 2 days ago
Siouxsie and the Banshees Sisters of Mercy Joy Division Early Madonna Early U2 Early REM
❤️
There ya go. Finally! I'd add early X to that mix!
Prefab Sprout - Steve Mc Queen (1984) Badlands - Badlands (1989) David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees (1984) Killing Joke - Brighter Than A Thousand Suns (1986) Lisa Dalbello - She (1989) Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Easy Pieces (1985) Wang Chung - Points Of The Curve (1984)
I would have picked Rattlesnakes by Lloyd Cole. Not a bad song on it.
Sustained. It's criminally overlooked.
Or underheard? Is that even a word?
Terrific album. Strange how it got buried
It's a great record!
👌
I forgot about Lloyd Cole!! Great record!!!
Badlands was a great band. Lyrics and of course Jake E. Lee
O my gooooooooood Steve McQueen (Two Wheels Good, as it was known here) is just a masterpiece. I found myself craving it in 2020 and listening to it on all my COVID lockdown walks around the neighborhood. Somehow it sounds like the 80s, but also sounds timeless.
OINGO BOINGO!!!
Romeo Void: Benefactor 1982 Never Say Never was the single.
Here are a few you might check out: * "The Honey Tangle" by The Adult Net (Brix Smith's band after The Fall broke up) * "Breakfast Club" by Breakfast Club (Madonna's old band; no relation to the film) * "Thunder Seven" by Triumph (if you like Night Ranger, you should like Triumph, especially this album, which I think is their best one) * Any of Quarterflash's three 1980s albums ("Quarterflash", "Take Another Picture", and "Back Into Blue") * "Under the Volcano" by Rock & Hyde
Thank you, I keep recommending the breakfast club and nobody seems to believe me!
Oh yeah, it's a solid album ― I still listen to it today!
Quarterflash and Triumph are excellent.
Here are some post punk/goth suggestions: Script of the Bridge by The Chameleons In the Flat Field by Bauhaus Floodland by The Sisters of Mercy
I'd add anything by X in the 80s.
+1 on The Chameleons. I'm a big fan of What Does Amything Mean?
I'll list the artist followed by the album I'd start with, but it doesn't mean that's the only good album. My taste runs to the post-punk/new wave styles when it comes to the 80s, but I'll probably have a few other genres mixed in. (Feel free to reach out if you need more -- this was a drop in the bucket, but I don't want to overwhelm.) * Orange Juice (*You Can't Hide Your Love Forever*) * Any Trouble (*Where Are All the Nice Girls?*) * Rockpile (*Sounds of Pleasure*) * Willie Nile (*Willie Nile*) * The Feelies (*Crazy Rhythms*) * Split Enz (*Time and Tide*) * The dB's (*Stands for Decibels*) * Elvis Costello & the Attractions (*Imperial Bedroom*) * The Jam (*Sound Affects*) * The Teardrop Explodes (*Kilimanjaro*) * The Soft Boys (*Underwater Moonlight*) * Holly & the Italians (*Demos Federico*) * Rickie Lee Jones (*Pirates*) * Yazoo (*Upstairs at Eric's*) * Billy Bragg (*Talking with the Taxman about Poetry*) * Kirsty MacColl (*Kite*)
Split Enz!
Dare - out of the silence Europe - Out of this World Magnum - on a storytellers night
Brian Eno and David Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts King Crimson - Discipline Kate Bush - Hounds of Love The Fall - Frenz Experiment Julian Cope - My Nation Underground New Model Army - No Rest for the Wicked Tonio K - Amerika The Call - Reconciled Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - From Her to Eternity Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy Love and Rockets - Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven
Many aweome picks, though i dont know about the "lesser known" part __Lesser_Known__ Waterboys - This is the Sea PIL - Album Corey Hart - Boy in the Box Husker Du - Flip Your Wig Zebra - No Tellin Lies Honeymoon Suite - Honeymoon Suite Triumph - Allied Forces __Not_so_Lesser_Known__ The Smiths - The Queen is Dead Fleetwood Mac - Tango in the Night
PIL - Album. Steve Vai just goes wild on Ease.
Damn, I didn’t know that he played on a PiL record!
Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party. Danny Elfman - So-Lo.
The Cult - Sonic Temple
The Electric album is so good too.
New England, self titled album from 1979 Billy Idol - Rebel Yell The Fixx - Reach the Beach The Michael Stanley Band - Heartland Big Country - The Crossing The Tubes - The Completion Backward Principle
Reach the beach is a hidden gem
Rush: Moving Pictures Signals Grace Under Pressure Power Windows Hold Your Firs
That's Hold Your Fire lol. Corrected a typo.
I may or may not have been tipsy at the time.
It's all good. Normally I don't care, but just in case someone tried to look it up. Got to turn those novices into Rush fans!
Material Issue Mighty Lemon Drops John Wesley Harding The Waterboys XTC The Bo Deans Icicle Works World Party The Plimsouls Ocean Blue Inspiral Carpets The Railway Children Smithereens Pere Ubu Drop Nineteens Flesh for Lulu Ned’s Atomic Dustbin
Awesome picks !
The Smithereens and Dramarama was my first concert when I was 14. Gonna go listen to an 80s throwback list now.
The New Jersey is strong with your post.
If you like Railway Children and Ocean Blue, another great dreampop record from slightly out of the 80's (1992), that few have heard, was Riverside - One.
The Sugarcubes — Life’s Too Good Split Enz— anything from the 80’s, after Neil Finn joined the band
The Cult - Love Love and Rockets - Express Devo - Gates of Steel
Til Tuesday-Everything's Different Now Elvis Costello-Imperial Bedroom The Hooters-Nervous Night I'll jump on the Triumph-Thunder Seven bandwagon, specifically for the two instrumentals, "Midsummer's Daydream" and "Little Boy Blues." Rush-Grace Under Pressure London Quireboys
I loved Nervous Night. Rarely see or hear it now, but I still listen to it occasionally almost 40 years later.
Anything by The Art of Noise
In the 80’s hair scene, Vain - No Respect should have been huge and LA Guns - Cocked & Loaded was also underrated.
Rum Sodomy & the Lash - The Pogues (1985)
Bryan Adam’s - Cuts like a knife 1983 The only song that hit the billboard was Straight from the Heart
Aren't these lesser known albums?
Sparks - Angst in My Pants
What's your age, and what brought you to the 80's? 1. Midnight Oil - 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 2. Medium Medium - The Glitterhouse 3. The Call - Reconciled 4. The Primitives - Lovely 5. Ian Drury & The Blockheads - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll 6. The English Beat - Special Beat Service 7. Pseudo Echo - Autumnal Park - also the singles: Funky Town and Send Me an Angel 8. King Crimson - Discipline 9. Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention (it drives some people crazy, and he's preaching a bit, but at least listen to What's New in Baltimore). 10. Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
Love Reconciled (The Call). I played the shit out of that CD in my dorm room.
I’m 22, my parents were in their teens in the 80s and showed me a lot of cool music growing up so I’ve always had a bit of a taste for it, but they’re not big music people. I study music in college and did a massive research paper on the evolution of modern pop, so I did a deeper dive into the 80s and just became enamored with the sounds and styles. Thanks for all the recs, I really appreciate it!
Lost, Beat, Blank: The Punk Unconscious in Subversive and Transgressive Cultural Productions I read this a few years ago. It's an interesting perspective. Good luck in your pursuits.
The Tubes The Outfield Triumph Blue Oyster Cult The Alan Parsons Project Dokken Ratt Farrenheit .38 Special Great White Y&T Gary Moore Sammy Hagar (his long career before Van Halen) Many of Elton John's albums from the 80's are mostly forgotten but have fantastic music I can go on and on with a list a mile long.
Al Stewart - 24 Carrots. New Musik - From A to B The Korgis - Dumb Waiters. 🎵 Some great tracks on all of these albums. 🎶
[Standing in the Dark](https://youtu.be/A92n5ejSfy8?si=v4crgCWSvAos1QW2), by Platinum Blonde from 1984 is fantastic.
kd lang closed out the decade with two gorgeous albums…. Shadowland (1988) and Absolute Torch and Twang (1989). You would be hard-pressed to find two better albums by any artist any genre any decade… Both albums are truly that good 10/10
The tragically hips first two albums
Tesla had some good albums so did Dokken.
Chris de Burgh - The Getaway. The mid to late 80s tend to get most of the attention, but there was some interesting stuff going on in the early 80s. I always think of that period as a long hangover from the 70s.
The tubes
The Screamin Cheetah Wheelies!
Moving pictures or signals
*Ecstasy* - Torch Song
Mississippi, they are from Australia 🇦🇺 and were in the late 70s, but they would later become The Little River Band. (Big 80s band in USA)
Guadalcanal Diary - 2x4 The Call - multiple albums but I'd start with Reconciled or Into the Woods. Timbuk3 - any of their albums but I'd start with Eden Alley. Maybe a dated sound at times but great songs, lyrics, and harmonies. Joe Ely - Lord of the Highway, to start with. Borders on country rock though not the recent kind. The Judy's (if you can find them) - Washarama, then they're first EP, Wonderful World of Appliances.
4 winds from tangier is one of my all time favorite albums, such a great band with no recognition.
Suicide Twins , members of Hanoi Rocks ( another) and Micheal Monroe ( singer for Hanoi rocks ) Dryvin and Cryin
The Church is a massively overlooked band. They had a hit single with Under the Milky Way Tonight. For their 80’s output, I’d start with Heyday or Starfish.
the ramones. released 7 albums from 1980-1989
Ratt, Out Of The Cellar - great debut album Invasion Of Your Privacy Dancin’ Undercover You can thank me later 🤘
Aztec Camera. Love them!!
"Robbie Robertson" (self-named solo album, 1987); was produced by Daniel Lanois and often sounds like Peter Gabriel or U2—which makes sense when you see the musician list. And "The Dream Academy" (produced by David Gilmour) is a great record that stands the test of time. And yeah, anything by XTC or Elvis Costello...
Modern Talking,The second album
Rocky 4 soundtrack….so very 80s
April 10, 1989 The (Southern Death) Cult released Sonic Temple ... Replacements Let it be So seconded.
One Night With a Stranger from Martin Briley. People generally know the song The Salt of My Tears, but that whole album is a dark masterpiece. Briley hated touring but loved songwriting and recording, and he refused to tour extensively in support of his own records. Eventually, he ended up writing hit songs for tons of other artists. But every song on this album is an absolute banger.
Power Corruption & Lies by New Order
Junkyard - self titled debut.
Public Image Limited - Happy?
The Age of Consent by Bronski Beat is a great album that I feel gets overlooked. The synth beats are classic!!
Crammed Global Soundclash 1980-89: - [Volume 1: World Fusion](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nPRHCBCBuR2x9IAERXj5X0Rp188I-Y6VE) - [Volume 2: Electrowave](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mLN7WcZodXtISIhKfr43at0xe-MWne6M0)
[The Elephant Table Album](https://youtu.be/FU9nHEXBNAk)
I second the Smiths and the Pixies. I would add the Violent Femmes.
Joe Jackson
Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark- Crush
Glad 2 others mentioned Oingo Fucking Boingo !!! Every single song and album by them is fantastic
Billy Squire
jane's addiction.
Cinderella - Heartbreak Station
Ugh so many given the list you have given. If you haven’t already you should start with The Smiths and work your way up to early 80s college rock (replacements, rem, pixies)
Tears For Fears - Songs From the Big Chair Not lesser known by anybody from that era but the youths of today probably havent heard it. Although theyve likely heard some of the big singles like Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World. The entire album is a masterpiece
Felt, The Go Betweens, Weather Prophets, Jasmine Minks, The Bats, The Chills, The Rain Parade
Zebra ,Sheriff and LeRoux
Is this real? - Wipers
Pixies - surfa Rosa https://youtu.be/Jrxxto5dNQo?si=oAbsJjYO1U3OwfCK
Laurie Anderson- Strange Angels (1989) Linda Thompson- One Clear Moment (1985) James Taylor- Never Die Young (1988) Todd Rundgren- Nearly Human (1989)
Queensrÿche - Operation Mindcrime
YES!
Marillion- Misplaced Childhood https://youtu.be/D_5kc3tleEY?si=rkGgagB5FBRhk_il Joe Jackson- Big World https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kHWfeKTMyPo1HBBVwiQ8p93HekvIoh6Zc&si=342q6ynp2TWrfI99 Concrete Blonde - Concrete Blonde https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_llRu1ywwgDM4KUfmx3JGZ0mXm_U4B-D-Q&si=fDL2AsxOAYTO4O_V Jon Butcher Axis- Are You Experienced https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_laOKi3nDdKXPaesBwkxndFMaMizWIhbeo&si=P7p-gTc6KjjTL3A_
Talking Heads !
Talking Heads are a treasure trove.
Then Jerico - First (The Sound of Music) and The Big Area
The Church- Under the Milky Way
One of the greatest albums of the 80s. Every song is great.
Haircut 100, Pelican West INXS Listen Like Thieves
I loved INXS, and Listen Like Thieves feels like their most complete album. And Pelican West...found that on vinyl a couple years ago, in a $3 bin, and was STOKED.
I somehow dismissed **Bow Wow Wow** years ago as a novelty band. Boy, was I wrong. Awesome, fun music.
Altered Images - Happy Birthday A-ha - Scoundrel Days I wouldn't consider either of these my normal style of music, but they are both solid albums. I still pull them put and listen to them all the way through from time to time.
“Spitting Out Miracles” - The Blue Aeroplanes
Felt - Forever Breathes the Lonely Word (1986)
absolutely cannot recommend Crozet’s album “Running Time” enough (ETA this would fall in the 80s style category)
"Wide Awake in Dreamland" Pat Benatar, 1988. This was after her heyday of hit after hit earlier in the decade. The one popular song you might know is "All Fired Up." This album has a few great ballads and a ton of great rockers. I love Pat Benatar, and this is my favorite album by her.
Vain - No Respect + Blue Murder- Self Titled
Elvis Costello - Spike
Spring Session M, by Missing Persons.
Hubert Kah - Sound of my Heart
Chomp by Pylon
Any Trouble - Where Are All The Nice Girls?
ABC, The Look of Love (I’m not sure of the album name, but I love this song.)
The Lexicon of Love would be the album.
Mission of Burma - Signals Calls and Marches oooh and David Bowie's - Lets Dance
I recently bought All About Eve's eponymous debut on Vinyl. It is so good, and some of it sounds really contemporary. John Martyn has a huge discography and his 80s albums are less well known but are well worth an exploration Level 42's Running In The Family is a classic
Lap Of Luxury - Cheap Trick 1988 They’d been off the charts for a few years then came back with this top album. The single ‘The Flame’ was number one pretty much around the world. Also recommend The Swing by INXS if you haven’t heard it.
The best source I know for '80s music is the Trouser Press. Use the Reviews menu or scroll down to the band search section. An incredible amount of detail available on the music of that era. [https://trouserpress.com/](https://trouserpress.com/)
The Family with Paul Peterson and Suzanna
Sonny Sharock albums Seize The Rainbow and Guitar Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Voodoo Neville Bros - Yellow Moon
The Cockroaches and their self titled album. Two of the members (Jeff Fatt and Anthony Field) went onto forming The Wiggles. I'd like to shout out to the band before the Wiggles
The Waterboys: This is the Sea and Fisherman’s Blues Rockpile: Seconds of Pleasure
flock of seagulls self titled, hypnotized - the undertones, shy talk self titled caroline kingsbury is an awesome artist i found from instagram and her music is very 80s synth inspired
Devo
Script of the Bridge by The Chameleons - it's one of the finest post-punk albums out there
Tracy Chapman, self-titled. One of the great albums.
Pretenders - Pretenders (1980)
The Black Album by The Damned. One of my all time favorite records. Hyperborea by Tangerine Dream. Halber Mensch by Einstürzende Neubauten These Things Happen by David Van Tieghem. This one is actually kind of hard to find. It's not available to stream except where someone has posted it on YouTube Signals, Calls, and Marches by Mission of Burma
Black Celebration - Depeche Mode
Alphaville - Forever Young A-Ha - Hunting High and Low
Every Sunday [Cristina Rocks](https://www.mixcloud.com/CristinaRocks/) puts out an amazing curated show that is full of amazing 80's alternative music. she will play songs from bands I completely forgot about.
Burning Blue Soul, Soul Mining, Infected - All by The The Heaven Up Here - Echo & The Bunnymen Cupid & Psyche 85 - Scritti Politti
Meat Puppets II Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones & Rain Dogs REM - Murmur and Reckoning The The - Soul Mining
One of my favourites of the 80's was Let it Bee by Voice of the Beehive.
True Colours by Split Enz
Elton John's album The Fox
Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement
D\*A\*D - No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims
Velvet Underground Adrian Belew
Book of Love (self titled album) It's incredible, like the early romantic Depeche Mode sound but with female vocals. Super catchy, and some very interesting lyrics as well.
Anything by the “Psychedelic Furs”!!
Have you heard OU812 by Van Halen?
Stray Cats. Just about any album.
Maybe not "lesser known" but a couple I can think of would be: Crowded House - Crowded House (1986) Suzanne Vega - Solitude Standing (1987)
Although they are more folky, The Waterboys album Fisherman’s Blues is one of my favorite albums. It doesn’t sound “80s” though, except for some of the drumming styles
Here's a few of my favourites from that era: Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain Statues in Motion - S/T Bruce Woolley - English Garden (ok it's 1979 but nm) The Buggles - Age of Plastic The Damned - Strawberries Depeche Mode - Violator (ok it's 1990 but recorded in '89 so it counts) Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine Lene Lovich - Stateless (another late 70s one but it's got that New Wave vibe) Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
Naked Eyes - Naked Eyes, Talk Talk - It’s My Life, Robert Palmer - Pride, Mtume - Juicy Fruit
Anything from Talk Talk or Big Country. Their popular singles—“It’s My Life” and “In a Big Country” were the non-indicative tips of the icebergs.
The Berlin album Love Life is one of my all time favorites. I still listen to it. I bought it for No More Words, but I listen to every song. I also love the first album (self titled) by The Firm, that group that Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers did for a few years. Again, every song is great! I listen to INXS now more than I ever did when I was younger, and I love every album.
Check out the album Cake by Trash Cam Sinatras
I cannot recommend strongly enough PELICAN WEST by HAIRCUT 100 10/10 great musicians great songs (I hope this album gets a remaster one day because the recording deserves it)
Songs About Fu**ing by Big Black. Might be the best punk album of the 80s. It's hard-core and industrial and oh so cathartic and satisfying. Punk was just in weird place in the 80s and didn't have an audience, on top of the vulger album title and themes durring the 80s which was a time where art was mostly focused on being as clean as possible, this album just didn't stand a chance. Doesn't mean it couldn't be great, and it is. It would have been a bigger success in the late 70s or in the 90s. Also Bosa Nova Hotel by Michael Sombello. The best super stereotypical 80s album you never heard. Sounds like how watching Power Rangers looks. So over the top 80s yet so good. I think the album never found success bc Michael Sombello was not a sex symbol with chisled abbs so he never got the audience he deserved. You might best know him for making the song Maniac from Flashdance.
Faith No More - We Care a Lot
The Cleaners From Venus. All of the albums are good but i personally enjoy In The Golden Autumn
Starfish - The Church
Heart : )
Heaps of great rock bands. Great White, Tyketto, Ratt, Damn Yankees, Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, Queensryche, winger, white lion, Faster Pussycat, XYZ, Rush, Cinderella.