Was listening to the radio on the way in today, and they were playing a little block of eighties tunes, and it got me to thinking about the glut of Synth Pop that took up the greater share of radio play during that decade.

So I thought I would pose a question here.

Of all the Synth Pop acts of the eighties, who would you say were the most talented, or produced the most lasting music in that genre.

Off the top of my head, I would have to nominate New Order and Depeche Mode. There are more of course, but I'm interested in hearing what you folks think.

I agree with your two choices of Depeche Mode and New Order (the 2 best IMO). I'd add OMD for sure (not sure about the "lasting" aspect, but they sure had some great songs)!

But then again I also love:

Human League
Heaven 17
Blancmange
Yazoo
Pet Shop Boys
Soft Cell

I'd better stop because this list could get mighty long...

They predate the 80s, but every synthpop act owes a debt to Kraftwerk.

Given your criteria, I can't think of any better examples than New Order and Depeche Mode. I also concur with the mention of the Pet Shop Boys.

I might add people like:

The Eurythmics
Duran Duran
Howard Jones
and possibly Talk Talk

Jimbo's correct too...no Kraftwerk and possibly no synth-pop movement.

This is a strong argument, and one I tend to agree with.

Top three '80s synth pop acts for me are:

1. Pet Shop Boys
2. ABC
3. Visage (Steve Strange owned the early '80s, or at least he thought he did)

I've heard of a Swiss band called Yello that is supposed to be good. Has anyone here heard anything by them, and if so, what do you think of them?

If you've seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off you've heard Yello. They did the song "Oh Yeah" which is playing when Ferris is first checking out Cameron's dad's sports car, and crops up again during the closing credits (can you tell I've seen this movie a few times?). Yello is fairly quirky, even for an 80's synth pop band, but they're a lot of fun. I have one of their compilations and that's enough for me, but they're definitely worth checking out.

Another great Yello song is "I Love You". Pretty big modern rock radio hit back then. Several of their CDs were recently remastered (as imports I think) with bonus tracks. Good stuff!

To the lists already posted, I would add Erasure, Berlin, Naked Eyes, early a-ha, early Icehouse and, on a lesser plain but with some really great singles between the three of them, Information Society, Cause & Effect and Real Life.

Guys:
C'mon! Synth pop and no mention of Gary Numan??? I agree 100% about Kraftwerk, but no Gary Numan-no 80's synth pop bands crawling out of the woodwork.
Numan rules-absolutely rules.
Also on my list (some have been mentioned):
Ultravox
Eurythmics
Visage
Human League
Soft Cell
Thomas Dolby
Falco
Trio
Classix Noveaux
Blancmange
Japan
Depeche Mode
Duran Duran
OMD
New Order
Joy Division
Real Life
Yello
Pet Shop Boys
ABC
Re-Flex

I guess DEVO could be considered synthpop, even though they also had the usual contingent of instruments for a rock band (2 guitars, bass, drums).

Being a huge Numan fan, I thought about mentioning him, but I really have no sense of how influential he may have been in the synth-pop movement. He was certainly one of the earlier -- and one of the best -- new-wave synth gurus on the scene.

Talk Talk
Ultravox

I totally agree on DEVO. They used synths over many songs and the rock beat only helped to add to the difference. However, as I have a few of the above mentioned, I have generally hated Eurotrash music. Yuk!

Holy crap-how could I forget Devo? They were synth pop and did also use real guitars and drums.
Ven-Gary Numan has been a huge influence on acts like Nine Inch Nails (who covered "Metal"), Fear Factory (who covered "Cars" with Mr. Numan himself-although might I add their cover wasn't very good since it was Nu-Metal and I have recorded proof from 1994 that my band covered "Cars" with guitars on top of the synths before they did-we were nobodys, but we did a good job! OK, enough about us-I'll leave our name out of it, so no plug will occur!), The Killers, Foo Fighters (who covered "Down In The Park"-you might not hear it in their music but Grohl is a huge fan) and so on.
Glad you're a Numan fan too. He's made tons of crap, but his best stuff is simply amazing music.

Thanks for your opinions on Yello. I might start off with a comp by them.

Berlin. Devo. Possibly The Cars (depending on if one wants to call them synth pop).

I still really like Berlin, though they are a hormone band & my hormones be getting old.

I do remember a very pleasent date with Terri Nunn's cousin in the 80's. If I remember right (I think Alison was her name, we had a mutual friend) she (the cousin) was a jazz singer.

Many of mine already listed...I would add:
Yaz
Ministry's With Symphathy
1999
off the top of my head

Frankly, this would be a great box set - rather than many of the 80s boxes which has to include none Synth Pop tracks...and can any 80s comp NOT include Toni Basil BY THE LOVE OF GOD

Rhino issued a 2-CD set titled Machine Soul: An Odyssey into Electronic Dance Music, but it barely scratches the surface, and stretches from Donna Summer to synthpop to 80s electrofunk to 90s electronica.


1 The Robots Kraftwerk 6:11
2 Warm Leatherette Normal 3:20
3 I Feel Love Donna Summer 5:55
4 The Number One Song in Heaven Sparks 7:27
5 Electricity Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 3:33
6 Cars Gary Numan 3:56
7 Adrenalin Throbbing Gristle 3:56
8 Yashar Cabaret Voltaire 5:01
9 Planet Rock Afrika Bambaataa ... 6:23
10 Jam on Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song) Newcleus 7:52
11 Clear Cybotron 4:54
12 Blue Monday New Order 7:27
13 Strings of Life Rhythim Is Rhythim 6:07
14 Pump Up the Volume [Radio Edit] MARRS 4:06
15 Big Fun Inner City 3:25
16 Enjoy the Silence [Single Mix] Depeche Mode 4:15
17 What Time Is Love? [Live at Trancentral Mix] KLF 3:50
18 Little Fluffy Clouds [Dance Mix Mk I Edit] Orb 4:03
19 Go Moby 3:37
20 Move Any Mountain Shamen 5:02
21 James Brown Is Dead [7 Version] LA Style 3:07
22 Charly [Alley Cat Mix] Prodigy 5:22
23 Rez Underworld 9:57
24 Life Is Sweet Chemical Brothers 6:31
25 Absurd [Mighty Dub Katz Vox Mix] Fluke 6:28
26 2 Kool 4 Skool [Short] Uberzone 3:34
27 For an Angel [PVD Angel in Heaven Radio Mix] Paul VanDyk 3:52
28 Godspeed [BT Edit Mix] BT

More "on message" (if you can find one) is the 2-CD Virgin import Electric Dreams (not to be confused with the movie soundtrack of the same name).



1 Together in Electric Dreams Giorgio Moroder, Philip Oakey
2 Don't You Want Me Human League
3 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Eurythmics
4 The Model Kraftwerk
5 Say Hello, Wave Goodbye Soft Cell
6 Are 'Friends' Electric Gary Numan
7 Fashion David Bowie
8 Hyperactive! Thomas Dolby
9 Imagination Belouis Some
10 Talk Talk Talk Talk
11 Einstein a Go-Go Landscape
12 Fade to Grey Visage
13 Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) Flock of Seagulls
14 Brilliant Mind Furniture
15 Underpass John Foxx
16 Being Boiled Human League
17 Mad World Tears for Fears
18 Vienna Ultravox
19 Ghosts Japan
20 Blue Monday New Order
21 The Walk Cure
22 To Cut a Long Story Short Spandau Ballet
23 Don't Go Yaz
24 I.O.U. Freeez
25 (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang Heaven 17
26 Enola Gay Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
27 Yellow Pearl Phil Lynott
28 I Travel Simple Minds
29 Living on the Ceiling Blancmange
30 Planet Earth Duran Duran
31 Is It a Dream? Classix Nouveaux
32 We Are Glass Gary Numan
33 Electricity Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
34 Party Fears Two Associates
35 Absolute Scritti Politti
36 19 Paul Hardcastle
37 Sometimes Erasure
38 Relax Frankie Goes to Hollywood

After reading the track list, I think Tears for Fears and Spandau Ballet deserve a mention too.

And how about Bronski Beat/The Communards? Okay, I don't really remember them for anything other than the cover of "Don't Leave Me This Way".

Anyone else hear "Bizarre Love Triangle" playing in thier head whenever they open this thread?

Possibly one of the all time greatest synth-pop tunes ever. At least in my opinion.

I was unfamiliar with Furniture before I heard "Brilliant Mind" on the Electric Dreams set. Further research revealed that they released a posthumous best-of CD, titled She Gets Out the Scrapbook, copies of which command a king's ransom when they turn up, infrequently, on eBay.