Song of the Week Archive

This crazed and goofy number by former Suicide-member Alan Vega was a blatant attempt to mimic Elvis in a campy, new wave sort of vein. Released in 1983 on the forgotten album classic, Saturn Strip , produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars. In fact, look for Ric Ocasek in drag in the video, if you ever have the opportunity to view this lost masterpiece of cheese.

Amazing fact: Al Jourgensen of Ministry (during his New Wave days that he'd love to forget!) supplies some of the primitive keyboards on this album (not sure about this song in particular).

"The Blue Hour" is a gentle, reflective number by this little-known Scottish duo consisting of vocalist Richard Spellman and guitarist Sean Lyons (formerly of art rock/new romantic outfit Metro, which featured Peter Godwin). It comes from their Deliverance EP (1984, I.R.S.) -- you can hear elements of Bryan Ferry and even David Bowie in the song. This song was produced by Anne Dudley of Art of Noise fame (and now an Academy Award winning composer). Raise the Dragon later changed their name to Intimate Strangers, releasing a full-length album in '86. They even remixed this song for the album, but this original version still sounds fresher, in my opinion.

Like The Mood last week, The Sights are yet another band about which very little is known. "So Much for Everlasting Love" is the title track from the 4-song EP (1982) by this power pop quartet from (presumably) Southern California. They released a single called "Virginia" a year later and disappeared. This song is a blend of Merseybeat and harder-edged power pop. The lyrics spin a sarcastic and gritty tale about an obsession with a hooker, making this song something like the raunchier cousin to The Police's "Roxanne".

Fay Ray never managed to get much airplay during the UK New Wave invasion of America in '82. Their sole album, Contact You, was lost amongst all the other new acts snapped up by the major labels hungry to capitalize on the phenomenon. Fronted by vocalist Sheila McCartney, Fay Ray sounded like something between Quarterflash and Siouxsie & The Banshees. They were also decidedly political on several of their songs. "Modern Lovers" was one of the single-worthy tracks from this incredible album -- still unavailable on CD.

Hey, we're living in the year 2000, so why not continue with the theme of modern love?! "Modern Day Love" is perhaps the shining moment for this obscure new wave duo from L.A. Dial M released a self-titled album in 1983 (on the indie D&D label), from which this song comes from, and then an EP entitled For a Good Time in '84. Another example of a one-hit wonder gem that should be available on CD ... somewhere.

One of most innovative and underappreciated bands of the New York City new wave movement was Polyrock. Their quirky, angular sound often defied normal pop sensibilities, much like the Talking Heads. They attracted the attention of Philip Glass and Kurt Munkacsi, who produced their self-titled debut in 1980 as well as their 2nd album, Changing Hearts, from which "Like Papers on a Rack" comes from. They independently released their final EP, Above the Fruited Plain in 1982, which fell on deaf ears despite its brilliance. They disbanded several years later after an aborted 4th release.

I'm back after a busy holiday season and a business trip that prevented me from updating my site last week. This week's song is from a little known Australian band, The Expression, led by Tom Haran. Their style was definitely a nod to the lush sounds of late Roxy Music. "Total Eclipse" is probably the most memorable track on this brilliant, self-titled album from 1983 which is still criminally unavailable on CD (I recorded it to CD-R for obvious reasons). The Expression released a follow-up album, Conscience, in 1985, which I still haven't been able to track down. Still, beautiful stuff.

Since we're on a Police sound-alike kick (i.e., last week's Tenants song), here's another band that sounded remarkably like The Police at times, particularly in their Stewart Copeland-like drumming and Andy Summers-esque guitar work. Novo Combo were a power pop band with art rock leanings fronted by well-known drummer and electronic musician Michael Shrieve (a non-vocalist by the way). Novo Combo released two albums -- Novo Combo (1981) and The Animation Generation (1982) -- before finally calling it quits. They got a fair amount of airplay on AOR and progressive early 80's stations with this song as well as "City Bound ('E' Train)", "Tattoo" and "Animation Generation" (which was a notable MTV video classic).

This bawdy number was a KROQ (L.A. radio station) cult classic in its day. Hilary probably scored biggest with her synth-pop gem "Kinetic", but "Drop Your Pants" is the one on everyone's minds and more requested for obvious reasons! Both songs come from her Kinetic EP from 1983, which was engineered, co-written and co-produced by Stephen Hague, who would later gain production fame working with OMD, the Pet Shop Boys and New Order.

Iam Siam was not so much a band as a studio project. Mainly the brainchild of Stefan Vienna (Steven Weiner) who wrote most of the lyrics, Iam Siam also included songwriter Brian Rothschild, producer David Sonenberg and Larry Fast (of Synergy fame). Most of the songs on this overlooked 1985 album, She Went Pop, featured various female vocalists, including this week's song (with its brief spoken prologue) -- mysterious, alluring and one of the best songs on the album despite never being released as a single. Iam Siam was best known for their minor hits "Talk to Me (I Can Hear You Now)" and "She Went Pop" both which featured cutting edge videos shown on MTV back in the day.

After their frontman Nick Heyward left to pursue a solo career, Haircut 100 pressed on to complete their follow-up album Paint and Paint (1983). This time, percussionist Mark Fox took over lead vocals. The album got unfairly panned by critics, probably in much the same way that Kajagoogoo's follow-up after Limahl left was mostly ignored. "Prime Time" was one of the "lost" singles from this album, and you can still hear the distinctive Haircut 100 sound.

A Drop in the Gray was a cross-pollination of L.A. and European musicians -- the result was very lush, almost orchestral synth/guitar pop caught somewhere between Gene Loves Jezebel and Roxy Music. "Heartache Feeds Heartache" is one of the outstanding cuts off of Certain Sculptures (1985), the only album released by this band. This song received a bit of airplay, at least here in the States, along with another of their songs: "Wide Eyed One".

4 Out Of 5 Doctors were an obscure power pop outfit out of Washington D.C. who released two albums in the early 80's. The first self-titled album (1980) was produced by English studio master Alan Winstanley. "Anna With Antennae" -- perhaps their most infectious song with its thumping bassline -- comes from their 2nd album, Second Opinion (1982).

This well-known song by Thomas Dolby was released in this version on the original pressing of The Golden Age of Wireless back in 1981. This version is decidedly more upbeat and guitar-driven. Listen for Lene Lovich's "try to think of nothing" mantra towards the end -- a passage that was never used on the re-recorded version that is widely available on CD. Truly an interesting, forgotten artifact from Thomas Dolby's early days.

Trees was the synthpop genius of then San Diego musician, Dane Conover (now living in northern California). The only album by this one-man band, Sleep Convention (1982) ranks up there with the greatest lost 80's albums of all-time. Even Ira Robbins of the sorely missed Trouser Press couldn't praise this album enough: "That this album died the commercial death is not just incomprehensible, it's criminal. " "Shock of the New" was one of the singles from the album and the video received some MTV airplay.

Formed in L.A., Holly and the Italians was the vehicle for Chicago-born singer/songwriter/guitarist Holly Beth Vincent. After relocating to England to secure a record deal which resulted in the classic The Right to Be Italian (1981), Holly went solo, releasing the confusingly titled Holly & The Italians the following year. "Rock Against Romance" is one of standout songs on her first album -- a driving, anthemic rocker. Yet another talented artist awaiting proper reissue on CD. Holly resurfaced in the 90's with her collaboration with Concrete Blonde's Johnnette Napolitano on 1995's Vowel Movement .

Belfegore was a short-lived transcontinental trio consisting of German guitarist/vocalist Meikel Clauss, Canadian drummer Charly T. Charles and American bassist Raoul Walton. They released their sole self-titled album in 1984 -- a dark, electronic rock album that was a bit new wave, industrial, goth and metal all rolled into one. The album was produced by the late and legendary Conny Plank. "All That I Wanted" was the only hit single from this album and also featured a memorably frantic video with people running everywhere on a New York pier while cameras gave chase to dizzying effect.

Addendum: Right after I posted this, I discovered that a Fashion reissue called The Height of Fashion is being released next week in the UK by Cherry Red and it's essentially Fabrique plus bonus tracks! Oh well, I will keep this one up in any case. Go figure!

The Swingers were the short-lived brainchild of ever-eccentric Phil Judd (shown lower right in picture on the left), one of the founding members (along with Tim Finn) of New Zealand's most famous musical export: Split Enz. After departing Split Enz around 1977, he soon formed the Swingers, who released Counting the Beat in 1981 down under (later remixed and released with alternate tracks in the States in '82). This week's song is the US mix of their zany classic "Counting the Beat".

With the horrific, tragic events of the past week, I chose a heartfelt and appropriate song by Minor Detail that not only honors the spirit of freedom and  America, but also the triumph of the selfless individual (Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa) in overcoming the odds to create positive change in the world. This Irish brotherly duo created one of the most moving, passionate songs of the era that is both tear-jerking and triumphant.

Please note that while Minor Detail honor Christopher Columbus in the lyrics --  the effective namesake of the song along with the Space Shuttle Columbia -- they certainly weren't aware back in 1983 how many would come to feel about Columbus and the exploitation (and that's putting it mildly) of native peoples of the Americas by him and other Spanish and Portuguese explorers. Don't let this fact sour the honest intentions of this song. I'm sure they were conveying the spirit of adventure, not so much the ugly details of history.

I can only hope that an event of this magnitude will unite and bring out the best in all Americans, freedom-loving people and democratic nations the world over, but uniting in hate is not the answer. Oppressive governments and fundamentalist religious sects will topple where truth and freedom are allowed to flourish without fear, persecution and desperation. The triumph of the individual and collective human spirit will prevail.

Peace,
Mike Paulsen

Robert Hazard hails from Philadelphia, and was a local success as Robert Hazard and the Heroes from 1979 through 1982. In '82, he dropped the band name and effectively went solo. His first release was a self-titled EP which contained his  breakthrough hit "Escalator of Life" along with this brilliant 2nd single, "Change Reaction," which always seems to get ignored on 80's compilations. A little historical tidbit: Robert wrote the song "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" which became the defining smash hit for Cyndi Lauper in the 80's. Robert Hazard is still putting out records and performing in the City of Brotherly Love.

For the next two week stretch, I thought I would delve into a bit of American country-tinged new wave featuring Rubber Rodeo and Joe Ely.

Rubber Rodeo were part of the new wave country/"cowpunk" scene which cropped up in U.S. starting in the mid-80's, which included bands like Rank & File, Beat Farmers, Mojo Nixon, Dash Rip Rock, Cowboy Mouth, and arguably others like Charlie Sexton. "The Hardest Thing" is one of the classic hits from this New England-based band and hails from their first album Scenic Views (1984).

Texas native Joe Ely has been a country-rock heavyweight since the 70's. In 1984, he experimented with synthesizers and a new wave sound on his not-so-critically-acclaimed album Hi-Res. Regardless it spawned a sizeable radio hit with "What's Shakin' Tonight".

Chas Jankel was one of the founding members of Britain's infamous Ian Dury and The Blockheads in the 70's: the vehicle of the late, great eccentric Ian Dury. In the early 80's Chas moved into dance/funk territory as a solo artist releasing  Questionnaire (1981) among his other releases, which is where "109" hails from. Also featured on this album is the stupendous dance floor thumper "Glad to Know You", with quirky lyrics provided by none other than his old mate Ian Dury (appears on the Billboard Top Dance Hits 1982 compilation, by the way).

With Halloween this week, I wanted to feature a song that is both fun and just a touch creepy. I chose "The Ripper" (not to be confused with the Judas Priest song!) by the Scottish band the Headboys, which couldn't have been more timely, given the recent release of the film From Hell about none other than "Saucy Jack"! The Headboys released one self-titled album in 1979 and promptly disappeared, but not before leaving us with some memorable power pop like the above song. Keyboardist Calum Malcolm became a producer, working on Blue Nile's albums.

Slow Children was the L.A. duo of Pal Shazar and Andrew Chinich. They released two albums -- Slow Children (1981) and Mad About Town (1982) -- full of quirky, danceable pop and artsy, intellectual lyrics. Both albums featured well-known producer Stephen Hague and singer/songwriter Jules Shear. "Spring in Fialta" comes from their debut album, however the extended 12" single mix is featured here. One of their other minor hits, "President Am I", appears on Rhino's New Wave Hits of the 80's Vol. 11 -- probably the only song of theirs to make a showing on CD.

One the Juggler personified the lost pipe dreams of so many bands during our favorite decade of excess. They were yet another one of those bands that managed to release two albums and a handful of singles before disappearing off the radar for all time. In this case, One the Juggler were a UK band fronted by members Rokko (vocals/guitar) and Lushi (bass). "Everyday" was one of the standout hits from their second album, Some Strange Fashion (1985) -- a catchy, infectious song that bears more than a passing similarity to late Split Enz and Crowded House at times, with Rokko's vocals sounding strikingly like Neil Finn, in this case.

This week I decided to feature two under-3-minute nuggets of American 80's indie/underground. The first is "Now You Know" by the Boston band The Neats, whose sound was very influenced by 60's garage rock, before they reformed in the late 80's with a more swampy, blues style. It hails from their self-titled 2nd album (1983) and you can definitely hear similarities to Hüsker Dü and Bob Mould here.

"Mind My Have Still I" comes from the quirky short-lived trio, What Is This?, fronted by the late great Hillel Slovak in the mid 80's between being a full-time member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This song comes from their Squeezed EP released in 1984. They also released self-titled album in 1985. Both of these records are well worth seeking out for RHCP fans.

Smash Palace was a New York band headed by brothers Brian and Steve Butler, formerly of the band Quincy. They released their self-titled album in 1985, from which this killer song emerged. "Living on the Borderline" received significant airplay at the time, however the album, albeit strong, never translated into sales. Amusingly enough, this song, with its hard, crunchy guitar pop and Brian Butler's vocals, reminds one of the Alarm and the Psychedelic Furs who are fronted by none other than another Butler ... Richard Butler (no relation, of course)! Against all odds, Smash Palace re-emerged and released another album in 1999 called Fast, Long, Loud, and from what I hear it really rocks, despite being completely ignored.

Not a lot is known about The World, save that they were yet another synthpop band aiming squarely for the Top 40 market during the new wave blitzkrieg on the American charts in the early 80's. They released the album Break the Silence in 1983 with "Shoo Shoo Wah" as the single. The album was produced by Roy Thomas Baker (of Cars and Queen fame), and you can certainly here his touch on this album, sounding very much like another synthpop band he produced around the same time, Espionage.

For the Holiday Season, I wanted to feature a Christmas song and one fitting for the New Year. First, we have "The Bombs Dropped on Xmas" by the oft-overlooked Australian band, The Reels, from their 1980 Christmas EP Five Great Gift Ideas. This song is definitely political and cynical in tone and uncannily applicable to the current events in Afghanistan and the ever-escalating violence in the Middle East (even Santa couldn't bring peace to the world), but also very much in the wry style of Ray Davies of The Kinks ("Father Christmas" anyone?) ... even David Masons' vocals sound like a dead ringer for Ray. So, if this song is a bit of downer, then let us have a New Year's "World Dance Party" with the campy Boston band The Fools (famous for their novelty classics "Psycho Chicken" -- a spoof on the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" -- and "Life Sucks...Then You Die") from the 12" single released around their World Dance Party album (1985).

Happy Holidays!

See you next year.
Mike Paulsen

Welcome back! It's now 2002, but why not roll it back over 20 years to this amazing, punk-pop rocker from the virtually unknown UK band Masterswitch, featured on the classic early new wave compilation Permanent Wave (1979), which also featured the Only Ones, The Vibrators, After the Fire and The Diodes among others.

One of most innovative and underappreciated bands of the New York City new wave movement was Polyrock. Their quirky, angular sound often defied normal pop sensibilities, much like the Talking Heads. They attracted the attention of Philip Glass and Kurt Munkacsi, who produced their self-titled debut in 1980 as well as their 2nd album, Changing Hearts. "Call of the Wild" comes from their third and final release, Above the Fruited Plain (5-song EP, 1982), and is the only song to feature keyboardist Kathy Oblasney on lead vocals, rather than band leader Billy Robertson. They disbanded several years later after an aborted 4th release, but left behind some of the most important music from the American new wave scene of the early 80's. Unfathomably unavailable on CD.

Jazzateers hailed from Scotland, releasing their self-titled debut in 1983 featuring this murky post-punk rocker, "Nothing At All". This short-lived group was fronted by Grahame Skinner, who later became the vocalist for late-80's pop group Hipsway (recall "The Honeythief").

This week's song is "Romanticide" from Combo Audio, a new wave band out of the midwestern US -- one of the few American bands that attempted a serious "new romantic" sound. This is the superior and longer(!) 7" version from 1982 which differs from the later version of "Romanticide" featured on their sole self-titled EP (1983), which appears on the EMI new wave CD comp, Living in Oblivion, Vol. 1.

Athletico Spizz 80 surfaced with the album Do a Runner in 1980 -- yet another incarnation of punk/pop eccentric Spizz and his ever-changing lineup. It was also his first full-length album after a series of singles (including the legendary "Where's Captain Kirk?") and name changes ranging from Spizzenergi to Spizz Oil. The following year, he released Spikey Dream Flowers under the name The Spizzles. Spizz has continued in his maverick fashion to churn out odd albums and singles throughout the 80's and 90's and into the new millennium. "Energy Crisis" is an essential nugget of aural mayhem that brilliantly captures the whole DiY/new wave/postpunk spirit of the era -- the perfect antidote for anyone trying to dismiss all 80's music as disposable, wimpy or uninventive. 

For this week of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd supply some pretty and wistful songs about yearning to be with that special someone. Firstly is the Australian band The Reels (yes, I recently featured them during the X-Mas/New Year's set but I couldn't resist this one), with their beautiful rendition of a far more spritely, earlier hit for them: "Prefab Heart". This version comes from their 1982 album titled -- what else -- Beautiful ! Also from 1982 is "Something I Don't Need", a wonderful pop ditty from the anonymous band Blanket of Secrecy (famous for their minor hit "Say You Will") about being on the road, playing in a band, and all the while secretly longing to be with your love, however hopelessly trying to convince yourself otherwise.

"Empty Heart" is a superb Power Pop/AOR crossover gem from this little known U.S. band, The Cretones. They released two albums -- Thin Red Line (1980) and Snap! Snap! (1981) -- on Planet Records. Guitarist/vocalist Mark Goldenberg had worked with Linda Ronstadt on her Mad Love album around the same time, and has recently been working with Jackson Browne.

I haven't been able to find out much about Brian Briggs, save that he released two albums on the Bearsville label in the early 80's. One website I found seemed to imply that he was none other than Bearsville studio engineer John Holbrook, but I can't confirm this. (He's clearly not from upstate New York where the studio is located!) In any case, "See You on the Other Side" comes from his first album Brian Damage (1980) -- very much in the tongue-in-cheek spirit of Ian Dury or Jona Lewie ... it sounds like something that belonged on the Stiff label back then. Great tune from a very forgotten artist.

Fay Ray never managed to get much airplay during the UK New Wave invasion of America in '82. Their sole album, Contact You, was lost amongst all the other new acts snapped up by the major labels hungry to capitalize on the phenomenon. Fronted by vocalist Sheila Brook (neé MacCartney), Fay Ray sounded like something between Quarterflash and Siouxsie & The Banshees. They were also decidedly political on several of their songs. Featured here is the terrific title track from this incredible album -- still unavailable on CD.

Industry was a shortlived synthpop quartet out of New York. They initially released a self-titled EP in 1983 followed by a full length album in 1984 called Stranger to Stranger. "Communication" is featured on both releases. They are best remembered for their anti-war anthem and minor hit "State of the Nation", which is actually available on CD, appearing on EMI's Lost Hits of the 80's.

The Mood were one of many overlooked synthpop/new romantic bands out of the UK in the early 80's. It didn't help that they never released an album, only managing to release a series of singles and an EP entitled Passion in Dark Rooms (1983) in the States which collected several of their early singles, on which this minor hit appears. "Paris Is One Day Away" as well as The Mood's image perfectly encapsulated the spirit of the new romantic movement: glamour, intrigue, style, romance (of course) and a requisite dash of androgyny. The Mood apparently disbanded around 1985, their final single being "I Don't Need Your Love Now" (to the best of my knowledge).

Fingerprintz was a forgotten yet incredibly talented UK quartet fronted by Scotsman Jimmy O'Neill (shown second from right), whose brogue shines through on this infectious, quasi-instrumental groove from their debut -- and arguably best -- album, The Very Dab (1979). "Wet job" is apparently about the killing of  Bulgarian novelist/playwright/dissident Georgi Markov in London by Durzhavna Sigornost (Bulgarian State Security) in 1978 -- certainly topical for the time. Fingerprintz's brand of clever guitar-based new wave was quite distinct and noteworthy for the early 78-81 period of the new wave movement. O'Neill and guitarist Cha Burns later went on to form The Silencers, who had a hit with "Painted Moon" in 1987.

Tim Scott, formerly with new wave rockabilly revivalists The Rockats, went solo in 1983 (the Swear EP). Featured here is the full-length title track, which was a minor hit on US new wave radio back in the day. Tim Scott (now known by his full name Tim Scott McConnell) released another album -- this time, country-tinged -- in 1987 entitled The High Lonesome Sound.  He later formed the short-lived Havalinas in the early 90's.

Texas native Joe "King" Carrasco carved out a niche in the 80's with his unique blend of tex-mex new wave, with its sound firmly steeped in classic Farfisa organ 60's rock (no surprise that Sir Douglas Quintet and Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs were also from Texas). Always with the camp factor on high (how can you go wrong with song titles like "Caca de Vaca" and "Monkey Got My Frisbee"?!), sporting a crown and with a predisposition for stage diving, Joe's live act was something not to be missed back in the day. He's still going strong today. He scored his only significant hit with "Party Weekend" back in 1983, but the wacky-groovy "Person-Person" comes from his earlier 1982 album, Synapse Gap , with a classic low budget video to boot.

Best remembered for their numerous dance floor hits like "Let Me Go", "Penthouse and Pavement" and "Temptation", Heaven 17 had a strong series of albums in the early 80's, before they fell into relative decline. They continue to this day, but have too often fallen prey to remixing and updating their earlier hits. This dance mix of "Let's All Make a Bomb" appeared on the U.S. version of their second album, The Luxury Gap (1983),  and I'm not aware of it existing on CD despite numerous Heaven 17 compilations.

This Irish band's only full-length album, Flowers for All Occasions, was released in 1985 and clearly follows the anthemic, political rock of U2 and The Alarm. They, however, released an EP back in 1979 (One by One) that actually predates U2! "The Wild Colonial Boy" was one of the singles from the Flowers album, and despite much critical acclaim, the album never made an impression and fell into obscurity. Even a final EP in 1987 (Political Wings ) couldn't sustain them and they disbanded.

Iam Siam was not so much a band as a studio project. Mainly the brainchild of Stefan Vienna (Steven Weiner) who wrote most of the lyrics, Iam Siam also included songwriter Brian Rothschild, producer David Sonenberg and Larry Fast (of Synergy fame). Most of the songs on this overlooked 1985 album, She Went Pop, featured various female vocalists, including this week's song -- the title track -- which was one of the singles. Iam Siam was best known for their hit "Talk to Me (I Can Hear You Now)", which, along with "She Went Pop", featured cutting edge videos shown on MTV back in the day.

Roman Holliday were the new wave era's answer to swing revivalism, long predating the swing craze of the late 90's. Their debut -- Cookin' on the Roof (1983) -- yielded two major singles, "Don't Try to Stop It" and "Stand By". "I.O.U." is another outstanding cut from this album, reminiscent of other jazz-inflected new wave popsters like Haircut 100 or JoBoxers.

This Dutch new wave band -- not to be confused with the later British psychobilly band -- released three albums in the early 80's before passing into obscurity. Featured this week is "It's You, Only You" -- later a successful hit for Lene Lovich -- from their debut, Teenage Heart (1980).

Hambi & The Dance was a short-lived vehicle for Liverpudlian producer Hambi Haralambous, who was well-known amongst the local synthpop bands (OMD, A Flock of Seagulls, Dead Or Alive, etc.) at the time, particularly for his studio, Pink Museum. "Too Late to Fly the Flag" was one of the singles off of the debut album, Heartache (1981).

Every so often, it's fun to throw one in from left field. This week's song was the only single released by this obscure UK band assembled by Jess Roden (of the Jess Roden Band; also worked with Robbie Krieger and John Densmore of The Doors in the Butts Band). Their 1980 album, Multiplay, is a noteworthy lost pop rock album that's entirely keyboard driven (no guitars). The late keyboardist/co-songwriter of this band, Peter Wood, was also the co-writer of "Year of the Cat" with Al Stewart.

Trees was the one-man band of San Diego musician Dane Conover. As Trees, he released one album, Sleep Convention (1982) -- a superb lost synthpop album that deserves to be heard. Seek this one out ... it's well worth it. Even Ira Robbins of the famed Trouser Press music magazine couldn't praise this album enough.

I even corresponded with Dane a couple years ago. If the email addy is still current, feel free to contact him at popgems@inforum.net ... I'm sure he'd love to hear from 80's music fans.

Space Monkey was a short-lived UK synthpop band fronted by Paul Goodchild. They released one album -- On the Beam -- in 1985, which didn't sell despite being loaded with catchy, infectious (albeit dated by today's standards) dance melodies. You can hear elements of Duran Duran and Dead Or Alive on much of this album. This week's song is vaguely Halloween-oriented with its dark, "satanic" implications (no offense to anyone, especially in lieu of featuring practicing Catholic Sal Solo last week!).

EBN-OZN was the NYC dance-pop duo consisting of the late Ned Lieben (EBN) and vocalist Robert Rosen (OZN), best remembered for their zany classic "AEIOU Sometimes Y". The other major single from their overlooked 1984 album -- Feeling Cavalier -- was "Bag Lady (I Wonder)", which featured late actress Imogene Coca as the bag lady in a socially-conscious video.

Trying to play catch-up after missing a week, I decided on featuring two brief nuggets from the obscure Bay Area band Psycotic Pineapple (sic) -- and why not, with garage rock making a huge comeback these days. These garage-revivalist jokesters released one all-too-brief album, Where's the Party? back in 1980.

Tom Tom Club is the side project of Talking Heads' members, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. Initially more or less a one-off project with their excellent debut in 1981 (featuring the oft-sampled classic "Genius of Love"), they returned in 1983 with their 2nd album, Close to the Bone (still unavailable on CD). Featured this week is the 12" version of "The Man With the Four Way Hips" -- the chief single from Close to the Bone. Tom Tom Club has since released 3 more albums, including the recent The Good, the Bad and the Funky (2001).

Troy Tate, formerly a member of Julian Cope's legendary short-lived pop band The Teardrop Explodes, released his first solo album in 1984: Ticket to the Dark . "Thomas" is one of the stand-out singles from the album.

Australian quartet Pseudo Echo are best known for their cover of "Funkytown" and a handful of lesser singles from what was already their 2nd album, Love an Adventure, but few people -- particularly here in the States -- ever had a chance to hear their debut, Autumnal Park (self-titled in the U.S) back in 1984. "See Through" is one of many excellent songs from this very synthy, new romantic-styled album.

Dial M was a L.A. synthpop duo consisting of Mark M. and Mike Kapitan. They released a self-titled album in 1983 and a follow-up EP in '84. "House of Joy" is one of the notable tracks from the LP, along with "Modern Day Love", for which they made a video that may have been in minor rotation on MTV back in the day. Mike Kapitan later became part of Thomas Dolby's backing band, The Lost Toy People.

Rodway was a synthpop outfit led by Steve Rodway, who, according to one website, was affiliated with the Buggles, although I can't verify that he actually played on either Buggles album. "Don't Stop Trying" comes from the 1983 album, Horizontal Hold --  certainly an overlooked, infectious single.  

Ah, for the week of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd throw in a postpunk gem from the brilliant and criminally overlooked NYC band, Polyrock. "Love Song" hails from their second album, Changing Hearts (1981), which was produced by Philip Glass and Kurt Munkasci. That this band has languished in obscurity for as long as they have without even a single CD anthology is really hard to believe.

Leyden Zar was an obscure new wave/power pop quintet from Quebec, releasing a self-titled album in 1981. "Money Talks Loud" is one of the catchy singles from the album. Other than that, I have very little info on them. 

The Mood were one of many unsung synthpop/new romantic bands from the early 80's that scarcely registered a blip on the musical radar. It probably didn't help that they never released an album—yet between 1982 and 1984 they released enough singles with their respective b-sides to make up a complete album. They did, however, release a 5-song EP—Passion in Dark Rooms—in the US in 1983 that featured many 12" versions of their singles up until that time, including this week's song. This EP is well worth seeking out for fans of early 80's new romantic and synthpop.

Annabel Lamb certainly created an interesting style combining art rock and postpunk edginess with good pop sense. Featured this week is Annabel Lamb's superb cover of The Sound's "Heartland" from her debut album, Once Bitten (1983). In fact, Adrian Borland (of The Sound) appears on this album, along with Ray Manzarek of The Doors. She continues to stay active, releasing several albums in the 90's.

New Models (clearly not to be confused with The Models or New Model Army) were well received in their native Boston area, releasing a catchy EP in 1983: Sight and Sound. "Say What" is a perfect blend of power pop and synthpop -- another lost gem recovered here for posterity.

Dirty Looks (no relation to the hard rock band of the later 80's and 90's) was a supremely overlooked punk/mod-inflected power pop trio out of NYC who got the attention of Stiff label producer Dave Robinson, who subsequently signed them. Unfortunately, things didn't pan out as planned and they never got the attention they deserved, calling it quits after two albums. "12 O'Clock High" is from their self-titled debut from 1980. Ska/Punk-pop/emo-core bands of the 90's--spearheaded by bands like Green Day and Rancid--owe a heavy debt to the ska, punk & mod revival styles developed by bands like The Jam, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, and indeed Dirty Looks (though many have never heard of them).

One of the more underrated new wave/postpunk bands from the States—The Suburbs—were legendary in their native Minneapolis: the birthplace of other postpunk legends like The Replacements and Hüsker Dü. This raucous quintet was all over the map musically and their albums (In Combo, Credit In Heaven and Love Is the Law all thankfully reissued on CD) are well worth owning, but by the time they had released their final (and self-titled) album in 1986, they had become rather tame and short on inspiration. "Life Is Like" is one of the noteworthy tracks from this album, still unvailable on CD. A nice tune, but a far cry from the early quirk-punk of "Tape Your Wife to the Ceiling" and "Chemistry Set" or the infectious dance pop of "Love Is the Law" and "Rattle My Bones".

For an excellent overview check out: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Suburbs Have Left the Building

The Nits are one of the more celebrated not to mention prolific bands from Holland during the new wave era—definitely a treat to those of us in the North America who got little to no exposure to this great band. "The Young Reporter" is from the 1980 single, with a different version featured on their 2nd album, Tent (1979).

For an excellent career-spanning overview check out: Nits Hits

Shriekback emerged in 1982 practically poised to be a postpunk supergroup, with Barry Andrews (ex-XTC) on lead vocals/keyboards, Dave Allen (ex-Gang of Four) on bass, and Carl Marsh (of the lesser known Out On Blue Six) on guitar. They developed a unique avant dance/pop/funk sound that was difficult to pin down, and their tendency for cryptic lyrics and esoteric subject matters made them all the more enigmatic. After an initial EP, Tench, they released their first full-length album in '83 entitled Care. This version of "Accretions" comes from the US version of the album, which featured a different track listing than the UK version—a superior version of the album that may never see a proper issue on CD.

Recommended on CD:
Natural History: The Very Best of Shriekback (amazon.co.uk)
Oil and Gold

Re-Flex are best known for their smash 1983 single "The Politics of Dancing" along with its provocative video. Their debut (and only officially released) album The Politics of Dancing contained several other dance pop gems like "Hurt" (one of my favorites) and "Praying to the Beat", despite being more or less panned by critics. "How Much Longer?" is the rare and only single released prior to what was to be their 2nd album, Humanication, in 1985. As far as I've been able to determine, no copies of the album have ever surfaced—even as a promo—making for quite a phantom collector's item. If anyone has it, please let me know!

See if you can figure out who makes an uncredited guest vocal appearance on this song. Hint: leader of one of the biggest bands of the 80's!

All About Eve emerged in the mid-80's as a gothic rock outfit who embraced a folkier style moreso than many of their contemporaries. "Don't Follow Me (March Hare)" is the b-side from their first 12" single "D for Desire" (1985), when their identity hadn't been well established—you can clearly hear a similarity to Siouxsie & The Banshees and Cocteau Twins in their early singles. Lead vocalist Julianne Regan had a short stint as bassist for Gene Loves Jezebel prior to forming the band. Marty Willson-Piper of The Church filled in on guitar in the 90's, after original guitarist Tim Bricheno departed.

Despite a 'Best Of' and a 'Rarities' CD, many of their earliest singles—including this song—have not yet been released on CD.

Recommended on CD:
All About Eve  (1st album)
The Best of All About Eve

This week we have a two-fer of punk firepower from Red Rockers (who knew, right?). This transplanted San Francisco band (by way of New Orleans) really packed a punch on their debut album, Condition Red (1981; released on the legendary San Francisco label 415), owing a large debt to The Clash and other politically-charged bands from the original UK punk explosion, and they fit right in with other postpunk political bands like U2, New Model Army and The Alarm who were emerging at the same time. As you can clearly hear, these songs bear next to no resemblance to the smoother jangle pop sound the band generated later with hits like "China" in 1983.

Recommended on CD:
The Best of 415 Records
Good As Gold / Schizophrenic Circus (2-on-1)

This week I thought I'd feature a song from the little known avant electropop Dutch trio Kiem. "It's Working" comes from their self-titled debut from 1984—an interesting minimalist tune with a touch of "industrial" using only a synthesizer, metal drums and sax for instrumentation. I was able to locate a little more info on a Dutch music site here. Too bad I can't translate ... maybe one of our Dutch message board members can give me more info on them?

This week I dredged up a skeleton from Ministry mainman Al Jourgenson's closet—from a time I'm sure he wishes we all could forget, but alas it wasn't that bad after all. "I'm Falling" comes from his debut Cold Life EP, originally issued on the famed Wax Trax! records in 1981. Despite a new wave club sound, you can definitely hear the beginnings of his angst and paranoia rising to the surface. It's actually a shame that this song didn't get added to Ministry's Wax Trax! 12" singles CD, since it was one of his best early songs. He went on to release the overlooked synthpop classic With Sympathy (1983) before heading down the 'ol industrial grindcore road one piece at a time.

Recommended on CD:
With Sympathy
Twelve Inch Singles (1981-1984)
Twitch
Land of Rape and Honey

The Rain Parade were one of the legendary bands of the "Paisley Underground" movement that sprung up predominantly in L.A. in the early 80's—a scene which openly embraced the sound of 60's pop, folk and psychedelia and featured other bands like The Dream Syndicate, The Bangles, The Three O'Clock and The Plimsouls. After the Rain Parade's critically acclaimed debut, Emergency 3rd Rail Power Trip (1983), and equally noteworthy follow-up EP, Explosions in the Glass Palace (1984), they regrouped for their third and final album, Crashing Dream (1986), having previously lost lead singer David Roback to his new project Opal (and later Mazzy Star). "Gone West" is one of the strongest songs from this otherwise disappointing album, proving how integral David Roback was to their distinctive sound.

Recommended on CD:
Emergency 3rd Rail Power Trip / Explosions In The Glass Palace

The Hoovers were an obscure ska quartet from San Francisco fronted by a pair of transplanted Brits and were heavily influenced by the then-current second wave of ska. Their debut album Skin & Blisters (1980) was shortly followed by an EP in 1981 entitled Smut & Class. Unfortunately, the 2nd wave of ska never caught on in the States, and they swiftly disappeared.

Another true obscurity, Nomo was a short-lived synthpop trio fronted by David Batteau, who released previous albums under his name in the 70's. Nomo released one album, The Great Unknown in 1985 — "Dance the Dance" is one of the more memorable songs from this otherwise forgotten album.

Trees was a one-man band consisting of San Diego-based musician Dane Conover. He released one album in 1982—Sleep Convention—to little fanfare, but what an album ... infectious, thinking person's synthpop. It ranks up there as one of the greatest lost new wave albums of the 80's. Read what Ira Robbins of the famed Trouser Press had to say about this album. This week I'm featuring "Red Car"—the excellent, much requested closing track on the album.

The Hawaiian Pups were a short-lived trio out of New York that managed only one EP—Split Second Precision—back in 1983. Their brand of intelligent, eccentric synthpop was showcased on their cult classic "Baby Judy". The fact that they only released an EP, like many other artists from the period, led Eno, Spaz an I to create a series called ObscureEPs, which collects 3 lost EP's from different artists on a single CD. The Hawaiian Pups are definitely one of those artists!

Icehouse was one of the more successful Australian acts to rise out of the new wave movement and achieve eventual chart success in the States ("Crazy", "Electric Blue", "No Promises"). The band changed its line-up several times, proving mainly to be a vehicle for singer/songwriter Iva Davies. This week's song is the U.S. dance mix of the classic "Hey Little Girl" from 1983, which sounds more stripped down (i.e., less lush sounding) than the original and reinserts a lost—although fairly inconsequential—verse back into the song.

Recommended on CD:
Flowers [remastered w/ bonus tracks]
Primitive Man [remastered w/ bonus tracks]
Sidewalk [remastered w/ bonus tracks]
Measure For Measure [remastered w/ bonus tracks]
Man of Colours [remastered w/ bonus tracks]

The Rescue was a short-lived American new wave quintet who released one infectious EP—Messages—in 1984, with production wizardry courtesy of Tony Mansfield. Lead singer Paul McGovern sounds incredibly like Robert Smith (of The Cure) at times.

Another true 80's obscurity, the synthpop duo Nine Ways to Win released one self-titled album in 1983. "Close to You" was the lead single from the album.

In the spirit of the holiday season, I couldn't help but feature a Christmas tune (so bear with me this week all ye scrooges or if you don't celebrate the holiday). This one comes from Vancouver's Payola$ (who made an impact on American radio back in '82 with their timeless classic "Eyes of a Stranger"). This little X-mas nugget comes from their 1983 album Hammer on a Drum (and yes, you can find it on CD on Oglio's The Edge of Christmas compilation). Happy holidaze!

Positive Noise were certainly one of the more underappreciated synthpop bands of the early 80's. Hailing from Scotland, they released 3 albums and a slew of singles over the course of 5 years. "Feel the Fear" comes from their 2nd album, Change of Heart (1982) — this week's song features the extended mix. These guys are long overdue for a decent CD retrospective.

Oh, and welcome to 2004!

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry hailed from Leeds, also home to fellow gloom/goth rockers Sister of Mercy. This version of their single "Only Dreaming (Wide Awake)" is the version that appeared on the US release of their 1988 album, Nothing Wrong, which is frequently tagged as the "acoustic version" due to the acoustic intro.

Recommended on CD:
Nothing Wrong / Blow
The Very Best of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

As a brief member of Julian Cope's pop band The Teardrop Explodes, Troy Tate also had a solo career in the mid-80's, releasing two albums in short succession: Ticket to the Dark (1984) and Liberty (1985), as well as an earlier 10" EP. "Sorrow" is the standout single from Liberty.

Modern English have been unfairly designated a "one-hit wonder" here in the U.S. with the timeless and perhaps-just-slightly-overplayed "I Melt With You", but "Ink and Paper" could easily have been another smash — the standout single on their 4th album, Stop Start (1986), still unissued on CD. It is interesting to note that the song was co-written by ex-Rubinoo power popster Tommy Dunbar, demonstrating that at this point, Modern English had long since traded their earlier post-punk, gothic roots for pop.

Recommended on CD:
Mesh and Lace [+6 bonus tracks]
After the Snow [+6 bonus tracks]
Ricochet Days [+4 bonus tracks]
Life in the Gladhouse (Best of)

The Mockers enjoyed some success in their native New Zealand, but were scarcely known to the outside world. This new wave quintet fronted by Andrew Fagan released a series of highly collectable singles (many on colored vinyl) and several albums throughout the 80's. "New Day Dawning" is an outstanding album cut from their 2nd album, Culprit and the King (1985).

The Expression were one of the lesser known bands to emerge during the "Oz Invasion" of the States in the early/mid-80's. A&M was one of the major U.S. labels to release a number of Australian and New Zealand artists on the legendary Mushroom label (Split Enz, Mental As Anything, Machinations, to name a few) during that period. This smooth, Roxy Music-esque quintet fronted by Tom Haran released their exquisite self-titled debut in 1983 to little fanfare. This "full length version" of "Nothing Changes" — one of the best album tracks — is actually a b-side that slightly extends the album version. After the departure of several members, The Expression released a rare 2nd album, Conscience, in 1985 and disbanded shortly thereafter.

I can find next to nothing on this band, who released an EP in 1984, The Hope. Still, well worth seeking out for some excellent moody, gothic post-punk. "Talk" would make a fantastic goth/darkwave club song — alas, despite being released as a single, it probably never got a spin in the clubs.

This UK synthpop duo (consisting of Colin Campsie and George McFarlane) with a flair for funk & soul, burst onto the scene first in Australia with a smash single "Hip Shake Jerk". The single was so successful that a debut album — On the Up Take — was rushed to market down under in 1980. This week's song is the original version of "To Prove My Love" from this Australian debut album. Their debut elsewhere in the world didn't arrive until 1982 with Fascinating Rhythm (featuring production work by John Luongo), essentially a reworked version of their debut with some new tracks replacing older ones on the debut, including the club hit "Zulu".

Born in New Zealand to Danish parents, Zaine Griff relocated to London in his teens to concentrate on his musical career and was poised to be the next David Bowie for the eighties when he released his first album Ashes & Diamonds in 1980. He even had the look (and cheekbones) to boot! Even more convincingly, the album was produced by Tony Visconti (famous for his production work with Bowie). This week's song is the superb title track from this intriguing album that should be a must for any Bowie/glam/art rock fans.

As an insteresting side note, David Bowie even re-recorded a handful of his classics (“Space Oddity”, “Panic In Detroit” and “Rebel Rebel”) using Zaine and his band, after hearing about him from Tony Visconti. Two of the songs from these sessions appear as bonus tracks on the 1992 Ryko issue of Bowie's Scary Monsters (sadly out of print and highly sought after).

Lost Loved Ones were clearly one of those bands that got lost in the maelstrom of musical activity in the mid-80's. This trio had a catchy sound along the lines of other guitar-based bands of the era like The Alarm or Hoodoo Gurus, as noted on this outstanding track from their only album Outcast (1985), but success eluded them and into obscurity they went. I have very little information on them other than the album and a handful of singles.

Hilly Michaels — an in-demand session drummer — decided to try his hand at songwriting and lead vocals, releasing two solo albums in the early 80's that went without much notice; however, his brand of playful new wave pop was certainly enjoyable. The likes of Dan Hartman, Davey Johnston, Greg Hawkes, G.E. Smith, Rick Derringer and many others made guest appearances on his albums. "Assembly Line" is a catchy number from his 2nd album Lumina (1981).