80s Music A-Z: E

The candidates for the letter E all released their first albums in the early 80s, as opposed to the late 70s, as many of the previous entries have done.

The first candidate is one of those bands that everyone has heard, whether they realize it or not. The English Beat released the song "Save It For Later" , from the album Special Beat Service, hit the airwaves in 1982. If you heard it now, you'd recognize it. If that one didn't ring any bells, then this one would. The problem there is that that song, "Tenderness", is actually by General Public.It featured the lead vocalists of The English Beat, Dave Wakeling, and Ranking Roger, so it obviously doesn't really qualify, but you did recognize it, right? Thought so.
The real reason for disqualifying The English Beat as the letter E, is that they aren't really The English Beat. No, they had to go by that name in the US to avoid confusion with an American band called The Beat. They're called The British Beat in Austrailia.
The Beat (American version) had a catchy song that I had on a compilation album, and I remember, but I don't think they made much of a splash here in the states. They were called Paul Collin's Beat in the UK. And to confuse things even more, both bands toured together in a tour called "Two Beats Hearting as One". So, okay, that leaves them out.

The next candidate is one of those bands that everyone has heard, and they KNOW that they've heard them. The Eurythmics were a pop duo that released their first album, In the Garden, in 1981, but really hit it big with their second one in 1983. It was called Sweet Dreams( Are Made of This ) and the song of the same name was a HUGE hit for them, reaching number 1 in the US and Canada. If the name of the song isn't familiar (and how could it not be?), you probably remember the video, in which lead singer Annie Lennox sported a suit and tie and a short-short bright red haircut.
They had a string of hits in the 80s, like "Here Comes the Rain Again" and "Would I Lie To You."
But, ultimately, Eurythmics is not our representative for the letter E because, let's face it, as great as those songs are, you're probably a bit tired of them. In fact you probably heard it on the radio today during the 80s Lunch Break, or whatever they're calling it. (Seriously, guys, there were more than 20 songs that were recorded during the 80s).

Echo and the Bunnymen is our letter E. Who?, you may ask. I don't know them, you may say. Yes, you do. They became famous in the US when their song "Bring On the Dancing Horses" was featured in the film Pretty In Pink in 1986.  You probably know "Lips Like Sugar", too, although neither song really did much on the charts here, it's probably a safe bet that you know at least those songs.
So, why have these guys as the illustrious letter E?
Look at the haircuts! Like the entry for C, The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen scream 80s, with attitude, sound, and look.
For the featured song from them, I'm going with "Seven Seas" from 1984. Not only is it a great song, but it features lead singer Ian McCulloch dressed a girl. How could I not show that one?

So, representing the letter E is Echo and the Bunnymen and the song "Seven Seas."

Letter F is next. Will it be the obvious? C'mon, you know who I mean. Check back to see.
And as always, thanks for playing.

80s Music A-Z: D

We come to the letter D, and yet another quandary, of sorts. See, I didn't use The Cars or Elvis Costello in the post for the letter C because they came into prominence in the late 70s instead of the 80s. Well, today's band did the same. So, I'm either not going to use them, or I'm going to have to come up with some reason for going against the precedent I've set for myself. You'll which path I chose in a moment.

I said in the last post that you may be surprised with this entry. Let's see, it's a post about 80s music. What song is on EVERY. SINGLE. COMPILATION. of 80s music? Why," Come On, Eileen", by Dexy's Midnight Runners, of course. So, I have to feature that one, right?
Wrong.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love this song. And where else are you going to see a bunch of grown-ups who aren't on a tractor ,or shoveling hay, wearing overalls as unselfconsciously as in the video for the song? But, as I said, that was probably what you expected to see. And, I don't want to be too predictable. So, no hobo-looking- scruffy-bandana-wearing too-rye-ayers today. (Although, re-watching the video and seeing the little lethargic jig the band did almost...almost made me change my mind.) Bye the way, like many of the bands that you'll see during this list, these guys are still around. Although, they've shortened their name to Dexys. Go figure.

Okay, so the next candidate for the letter D were formed before the 80s. (I'm sensing a trend here.) In fact, they were practically a late 60s band. Formed in 1972, Devo were to music what Andy Warhol was to art. They played with conventions and twisted them into their own warped mondo-movie inspired world view. They combined satire, political savvy, and flat-out weirdness to create something that the world had never seen. (And to be frank, may not have been ready for.)
I remember seeing them on SNL in their first appearance, back in 1978. They had a lot of people talking after that, for sure, with their bizarre robotic movements and identical radiation suits.
But, they didn't really make a splash, nationally until a couple of years later, with the song "Whip It", from the album Freedom of Choice. And, like Dexys Midnight Runners, this is the song that is included on EVERY. SINGLE. COMPILATION.  of 80s music. So, I'm not featuring it either.

Now it comes to the actual featured act. As stated above, this band formed in the 70s. In fact, they actually had a pretty big hit in 1978. So, why am I going to feature them? Because their GIANT hit didn't come out until 1985. That song was "Money For Nothing" and the band is Dire Straits. The video for this song was the very first one played on MTV Europe a couple of years later, because of its impact. It's the one that has Sting singing "I want my MTV" in it. So, I know you've heard it.
It was in heavy, heavy rotation for a long time. (I mean, why wouldn't MTV want to run it. It was practically a commercial for them, no matter that the lyrics were satirical, and not necessarily that flattering for them.)

So, D is for Dire Straits, "Money For Nothing".

E is for Elephant. But I don't think there was an 80s band by that name, so tune in next time to see who turns up.
Thanks for playing.

80s Music A-Z: C

The letter C creates a bit of a quandary. Two of my favorite acts from the 80s start with the letter C- The Cars, and Elvis Costello (Obviously, I'm ignoring the article and the first name, here.) But both of them started in the latter part of the 70s. Granted, they both had their biggest hits in the 80s; The Cars with "Drive" in 1984, and Costello with "Everyday I Write the Book" in 1983 and "Veronica" in 1989, (I suppose it should be noted that I'm basing this on the US charts.) but it just doesn't feel right to include them on this list. Maybe if I ever have a sequel, or if I create a list of My Favorite Music I'll put them in.
So, for the letter C, who shall it be? Who represents the 80s esthetic more than the above acts?
After due deliberation, I decided that the band that begins with C that screams 80s (attitude, sound, and maybe most important, hairstyles) is ...The Cure.
Now, I realize that The Cure  actually formed in the early 70s, but they didn't release their first album until 1979. And didn't really make an impact on these shores (see the caveat, above) until smack in the middle of the decade, 1985, with the album The Head On the Door.  That's the album that our selection today if from.
So, without further ado, here's The Cure, with one of my favorites of theirs. "Close To Me."

See what I mean? Kinda screams 80s, huh?

What act will represent the letter D?  Check back soon for the answer. It may surprise you

80s Music A-Z: B

We continue with the 80s A-Z with the letter B. There were quite a few choices with this letter: Bangles, Bow Wow Wow, B-52s, etc. But I decided to go with a one that had a unique sound imbued with Scottish folk sounds. I speak, of course, of Big Country. Here is the most famous song from Big Country. I was unable to find the original video, so this is from Top of the Pops. It appears that the band may actually be lip-synching, but I decided to use it anyway, as you can hear the recorded version (at least most of it) of the song with the band "performing" it. 
Big Country reunited in 2007, with original member Tony Butler replacing Stuart Adamson as lead vocalist. ( Adamson had committed suicide in 2001.) They currently still tour, having brought in former members of The Alarm, but without Adamson, they just aren't the same. 

C is for Cookie, of course, but it's also for our next featured artist. Check back to see who that may be. 

And as always, Thanks for playing. 
 

80s Music A-Z : A

80s music is hot! Don't try to deny it. It's all over the radio with new bands galore channeling bands from what may have been the greatest era of pop music.

With that in mind, I thought I'd take you back to that time and give you a primer of the bands and acts that inspired these crazy kids today. What better way to start than with 

ABC- The Look of Love

Even though I could cheat and call this the first three letters, I'm not going to do that. Can you guess who will be the letter B? 

Any suggestions for the rest of the alphabet? 

Let me know in the comments. 

Thanks for playing. 

See you soon.