Simple Minds – Alive and kicking
It has been too long since I posted a true 80’s classic. Great song, even better video. Waterfall? Check. Cliff overlooking a lake? Check. Island in middle of said lake? Check. Forest? Check. Also, just take in the STYLE on display. Yikes. What more could I want?
RjK
The Beat – Save it for later
The Beat are an English band who came to prominence in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I don’t know too much about them or any more of their stuff beyond this song. But what a song it is, with a perfect early 80’s sound. I especially like the intro.
Squeeze – Pulling muscles (from a shell)
For some reason Squeeze came into my head today. They were a favourite from school. Particularly this, which memorably a friend mis-heard as ‘Pulling muscles for Michelle’. They are also notable for counting raconteur and all around good egg Jools Holland amongst it’s former members.
Has anyone else mis-heard a song lyric with comic effect?
Sade – Your love is king
I can’t decide whether this is awesome or interminably, mortifyingly naff. I heard it a few weeks ago and it has been periodically but unshakably been playing on repeat in my mind. It does have a smooth charm which is somewhat irresistible, and Sade can really sing.
Tom Tom Club – Genius of love
These guys are an offshoot of Talking Heads, a pretty good place of origin. I this this is great, with an original and clever sound.
If the mark of a great song is how much it is sampled, this must be pretty special. A veritable who’s who of hip hop including Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Tupac Shakur and Public Enemy used this in various tracks. Not to mention this (WOW – blast from the past!!) or this (HA!). The last two are rarefied air indeed.
The Cure – Close to me
This is another classic 80’s tune. The reason it came to my mind is this list of the best jokes from the Edinburgh festival. I particularly liked “I was in a band called The Prevention, because we hoped people would say we were better than the cure.” Funny stuff. Also a good song.
The J.Geils Bands – Centrefold
Fox the fox – Precious little diamond
This is a strange one. Fox the fox are obscure, Dutch, one hit wonders from the 1980’s. However, I have heard this played by 3 DJ’s in the past month. It is great, with a classic 80’s sound, but a rather strange track to be undergoing a revival.
Also, a classic 80’s video here. A little reminscent of this gem.
This is an old favourite. Classic 80’s. I like lots of the Waterboys stuff so it was a challenge to choose only one song. However, this was the first of their’s that I knew and it remains my favourite.
I wandered out in the world for years, while you just stayed in your room. I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon…
Prefab Sprout – Cars and girls
This is classic 80’s and one that I have wanted to post for a while. It is a bit cheesy but I find it irresistible. Hiding beneath that cheesy, breezy chorus are actually some very clever lyrics.
Some things hurt more, much more than cars and girls…