My search for "New" music - starting in 1980, finished though 1984 (1 Viewer)

I find myself becoming increasingly bored with the songs I've grown up with. Sure I have some that'll never grow old but I've decided to dig a little deeper and see what I've been missing out on.

I'm sure many of these, especially from the more popular bands, are well known by many. Well they're new to me - save for a precious few that I've rediscovered and are like new again. 

I've found a site that is comprehensive enough for me, so I've started working my way through. There are hundreds of songs each decade, so if it doesn't grab me quickly, I'm off to the next even if it gets better later.o

Post 2 will keep the running list of each decade as I get though it. I'll also highlight my few absolute favorites from each decade.

If you're not interested, see you in another thread.

1980

(Oh Yeah) On The Radio - Roxy Music

A Day Without Me - U2

Agnes - Donnie Iris

All the Way from America - Joan Armatrading

An Cat Dubh - U2

Atmosphere - Joy Division

Biggest Part Of Me - Ambrosia

Call It A Loan - Jackson Browne

*Christine - Siouxsie and the Banshees

*Click Click - The English Beat

Clones (We're All) - Alice Cooper

Coming Soon - Queen

Curtain Call - The Damned

*Danny Says - Ramones

Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? - Ramones

Does It Really Happen - Yes

Dreamin' - Cliff Richard

*Duchess - Genesis

Emergency - Girlschool/Infa Riot

Enola Gay - OMD

Expresso Love - Dire Straits

*Girl U Want - Devo

Going Underground - The Jam

He Stopped Loving Her Today - George Jones

Headbanger - Cockney Rejects

Held Up Without A Gun - Bruce Springsteen

Holiday In Cambodia - Dead Kennedys

How Do I Make You - Linda Ronstadt

I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In the Light Green) - Redgum

I'm A Rocker - Bruce Springsteen

I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today - The Crusaders

Independence Day - Bruce Springsteen

Into The Heart - U2

Johnny Cool - Praying Mantis

Johnny Hit and Run Pauline - X

Lady Starlight - Scorpions

Last Of The Independents - Rory Gallagher

Lead a Normal Life - Peter Gabriel

Leonard - Merle Haggard

M - The Cure

One Day I'll Fly Away - Randy Crawford

Out Of Control - U2

Rock It - Queen

Somebody Got Murdered - The Clash

Steeler - Judas Priest

Stories For Boys - U2

The Electric Co. - U2

The Sound of the Sinners - The Clash

The Wait - Killing Joke

Twist And Crawl - The English Beat

Two Little Boys - Splodgenessabounds

Two Pints Of Lager and A Packet Of Crisps - Splodgenessabounds

What You're Proposing - Status Quo

1981

Armed And Ready - Michael Schenker Group

*Beautiful World - Devo

Boys and Girls - The Human League

Dreams Never End - New Order

Find Another Fool - Quarterflash

Getting Out Of Hand - Bangles - video

Give The People What They Want - The Kinks

Hitsville UK - The Clash

How Much More - The Go-Go's

I'm In Love With A German Film Star - The Passions

I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Going To Be a Diamond Someday) - Billy Joe Shaver

Number The Brave - Wishbone Ash

Only Lonely - The Divinyls

Pocket Calculator - Kraftwerk

*Scarlet - U2

*Suffer The Children - Tears for Fears

Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me) - Rod Stewart

1982 - Part 1

'65 Love Affair - Paul Davis

Am I Evil? - Diamond Head

*Analog Kid - Rush

*Angst In My Pants - Sparks

Astro Zombies - Misfits

Athena - The Who

*Beyond Belief - Elvis Costello

Buffalo Gals - Malcolm McLaren - Weird Al & Eminem

Cat People (Putting Out Fire) - David Bowie - Inglorious Basterds

Change - John Waite

Cleaning Windows - Van Morrison

Dancer - Michael Schenker Group

*Desperate But Not Serious - Adam Ant

Don't Fight It - Kenny Loggins

Don't Go - Yazoo (Tango & Cash)

Dreaming - UFO

Electric Eye - Judas Priest

*England Belongs To Me - #### Sparrer (#### Sparrer - Take 'Em All)

Faster than the Speed of Light - Raven

Give It Some Stick, Mick! - Chas & Dave

Here Comes The Grump - Adam Ant

I Can See It In Your Eyes - Men at Work

Industrial Disease - Dire Straits

More Than This - Roxy Music

1983

40 - U2

An Ending (Ascent) - Brian Eno

Baby Jane - Rod Stewart

Big Crash - Eddie Money

Blinded By A Lie - UFO

Catch Me I'm Falling - Real Life

Club Michelle - Eddie Money

Come Back And Stay - Paul Young

Don't Cry - Asia

Harry May - The Business

Heat - Soft Cell

How Can I Fall? - Breathe

Illegal Alien - Genesis

Information - Dave Edmunds

It Ain't Enough - Corey Hart

It Might Be You - Stephen Bishop

She Was Hot - The Rolling Stones

1984

Baby I Do - Alison Moyet

*Blitzkrieg - Metallica

Bobby Jean - Bruce Springsteen

Dance Me to the End of Love - Leonard Cohen

Deeper and Deeper - The Fixx

Girls - Dwight Twilley

Going Down to Liverpool - Bangles

*Heaven - The Psychedelic Furs

I Do' Wanna Know - REO Speedwagon

I Go Crazy - Queen

I Need You Tonight - Peter Wolf

*Living On A Thin Line - The Kinks

Ride On - Christy Moore

This Girl Gets Around - Sammy Hagar

What Difference Does It Make? - The Smiths

Best of 1980

Christine - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Click, Click - The English Beat

Duchess - Genesis

Girl U Want - Devo

The Wait - Killing Joke (this song is freaking awesome)

Biggest "oof - Feels Like I'm In Love - Kelly Marie.

The video is one of those things the internet was made for.

Andy Dufresne said:

(Oh Yeah) On The Radio - Roxy Music

Atmosphere - Joy Division

Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? - Ramones

Does It Really Happen - Yes

*Duchess - Genesis

Enola Gay - OMD

Expresso Love - Dire Straits

Going Underground - The Jam

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Lots of  deep cuts by these artists to check out as you go through the years.

Based on these results, if someone thinks I missed something...I'm open to new suggestions.

And I think Splodgenessabounds are my new favorite band.

I love some of the 80's Marillion albums..   Misplaced Childhood and Clutching At Straws-   

Andy Dufresne said:

Based on these results, if someone thinks I missed something...I'm open to new suggestions.

And I think Splodgenessabounds are my new favorite band.

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I don't know what your source is, but - based on what you've listed - I don't think me suggesting early-80s funk is going to gain a lot of traction.

Good luck and enjoy!

Uruk-Hai said:

I don't know what your source is, but - based on what you've listed - I don't think me suggesting early-80s funk is going to gain a lot of traction.

Good luck and enjoy!

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Yeah, this project would probably lead to some decent psychoanalysis.

Andy Dufresne said:

Best of 1980

The Wait - Killing Joke (this song is freaking awesome)

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Metallica covered this one on the  $5.98 E.P. 

I never heard Throw Your Arms Around Me by Hunters and Gatherers during the 80s. But I wish I had - good tune. 

Joy Division and English Beat are two bands that I didn't start listening to until the 2000s. Big fan of both. 

i will take the link to the spotify playlist.  TIA.

unfortunately, it's not on spotify ...but Bryan Ferry's Taxi album is great from beginning to end.  

here is my 80s spotify playlist - there are probably some 70s stuff in here ...maybe a couple early 90s - I didn't bother checking dates

https://open.spotify.com/user/1231377415/playlist/4NpOTNAugL4jq0iACG98v4?si=9L3cTegDSwW7hUhmnyiuDg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIf7hFNV7-I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MdOv826QiU

I probably won't be following along, but I am curious what website you are using.  I am doing this myself using Spotify.  I have found a bunch of stuff I would never have gotten in to just based on their discover weekly playlist they generate for you based on their algorithms.  I'm also going through Billboard top 100 charts since the beginning of time just to find stuff I may have fotten to add to my playlists, but I would like something with a deeper reach.

Making playlists on spotify is my addiction.  I get a mood and I try to create a playlist for that.  It's like a mixtape creation machine, but you aren't limited to the length of a cassette.

Bull Dozier said:

I probably won't be following along, but I am curious what website you are using.  I am doing this myself using Spotify.  I have found a bunch of stuff I would never have gotten in to just based on their discover weekly playlist they generate for you based on their algorithms.  I'm also going through Billboard top 100 charts since the beginning of time just to find stuff I may have fotten to add to my playlists, but I would like something with a deeper reach.

Making playlists on spotify is my addiction.  I get a mood and I try to create a playlist for that.  It's like a mixtape creation machine, but you aren't limited to the length of a cassette.

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I've been on YouTube so long their algorithm has created some pretty decent playlists for me. I have to remember though to go off the board every so often or it will become repetitious.

Bull Dozier said:

I probably won't be following along, but I am curious what website you are using.  I am doing this myself using Spotify.  I have found a bunch of stuff I would never have gotten in to just based on their discover weekly playlist they generate for you based on their algorithms.  I'm also going through Billboard top 100 charts since the beginning of time just to find stuff I may have fotten to add to my playlists, but I would like something with a deeper reach.

Making playlists on spotify is my addiction.  I get a mood and I try to create a playlist for that.  It's like a mixtape creation machine, but you aren't limited to the length of a cassette.

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I know I could have found a better source of I'd tried a little harder, or at all.

As it is, I'm using Songfacts because it came up first.

Songfacts by year

Brony said:

I never heard Throw Your Arms Around Me by Hunters and Gatherers during the 80s. But I wish I had - good tune. 

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Hunters and Collectors

Jules Winnfield said:

Hunters and Collectors

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you are right. my bad.

Brony said:

I never heard Throw Your Arms Around Me by Hunters and Gatherers during the 80s. But I wish I had - good tune. 

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Have you heard the Eddie Vedder/Neil Finn cover?

Andy Dufresne said:

I'm A Rocker - Bruce Springsteen

Independence Day - Bruce Springsteen

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Give that whole album a listen beginning-to-end.  I probably do once per month or so.  For me, I wanna Marry You and The Price You Pay are the only skips. 

So far, 1981 is ROUGH.

MAC_32 said:

Give that whole album a listen beginning-to-end.  I probably do once per month or so.  For me, I wanna Marry You and The Price You Pay are the only skips. 

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I will. Not a huge Bruce fan though.

Andy Dufresne said:

I will. Not a huge Bruce fan though.

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I wasn't either.  Then my now wife played this album and Born to Run beginning-to-end.  Mainstream Bruce is easily forgettable.  When he's not worried about making money and just making music I think he puts together some outstanding music.  

Andy Dufresne said:

So far, 1981 is ROUGH.

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ2oXzrnti4

Bull Dozier said:

Have you heard the Eddie Vedder/Neil Finn cover?

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If you like that, check out Birds of Tokyo's cover of "Talking to a Stranger" by H&C. In fact, check out "Crucible - The Songs of Hunters & Collectors". The whole album is covers of H&C songs, and it has some sweet tunes.

joker said:

If you like that, check out Birds of Tokyo's cover of "Talking to a Stranger" by H&C. In fact, check out "Crucible - The Songs of Hunters & Collectors". The whole album is covers of H&C songs, and it has some sweet tunes.

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Will do. 

I don't know any of H&C, but I heard the Vedder/Finn version a long time ago.  Didn't know it was a cover.  Love threads like this with new info/exposure.

1981

Armed And Ready - Michael Schenker Group

*Beautiful World - Devo

Boys and Girls - The Human League

Dreams Never End - New Order

Find Another Fool - Quarterflash

Getting Out Of Hand - Bangles - video

Give The People What They Want - The Kinks

Hitsville UK - The Clash

How Much More - The Go-Go's

I'm In Love With A German Film Star - The Passions

I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Going To Be a Diamond Someday) - Billy Joe Shaver

Number The Brave - Wishbone Ash

Only Lonely - The Divinyls

Pocket Calculator - Kraftwerk

*Scarlet - U2

*Suffer The Children - Tears for Fears

Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me) - Rod Stewart

1981 sucked.

After that, I had to listen to three different versions of She Sells Sanctuary to remind myself I like music.

I guess I liked these two the best

Beautiful World - Devo

Suffer The Children - Tears for Fears

I did like finding "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Going To Be a Diamond Someday) - Billy Joe Shaver" because I always wondered if Jimmy Neutron was singing an actual song.

not sure if you're a fan of "classic rock," but Triumph released Allied Forces in 1981.

Rik Emmett is wildly underrated as singer/guitarist.

Andy Dufresne said:

So far, 1981 is ROUGH.

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I'm just getting back from vacation...but these were my prime years of discovering music as a kid .. and I was a record store nerd from then on. After I get settled back in at work I'll try to follow up here with you.

El Floppo said:

I'm just getting back from vacation...but these were my prime years of discovering music as a kid .. and I was a record store nerd from then on. After I get settled back in at work I'll try to follow up here with you.

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Get ready for a lot of screaming Dufresne. 

Nick Vermeil said:

Get ready for a lot of screaming Dufresne. 

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They didn't get good until the 90s

Andy Dufresne said:

I know I could have found a better source of I'd tried a little harder, or at all.

As it is, I'm using Songfacts because it came up first.

Songfacts by year

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Thanks...now I have hours to spend on research.

Preview for 1982...

I'm normally a fan of 2/3 of Rush songs - as in the first and last thirds of each of them. Alex Lifeson is a great guitarist but the noises he makes in his solos really grate on me.

However...Analog Kid is a great song!

we're talking songs or albums? some great albums released in 1981...

albums...

new order- movement (dreams never end)

elvis costello- trust (new lace sleeves)

kraftwerk- computerwelt 

grace jones- nightclubbing (I've seen that face before)

the cramps- psychedelic jungle (goo goo muck)

japan- tin drum  (still life in mobile homes)

the au-pairs- playing with a different sex (it's obvious)

the fall- slates (fit and working again)

fela kuti- black president (colonial mentality)

echo and the bunnymen- heaven up here (over the wall)

squeeze- east side story

DAF- alles ist gut (der mussolini)

the beat- wha'ppen

u2- october

depeche mode- speak and spell (new life)

siouxie and the banshees- juju

Joe Jackson- Jumpin’ Jive (jumpin' with symphony sid)

Felt- Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty (cathedral)

The Psychedelic Furs- Talk Talk Talk (into you like a train)
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark-Architecture & Morality (she's leaving)
Bauhaus-Mask (dance)
Soft Cell-Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (sex dwarf)
Simple Minds- Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call (the american)
Black Flag- Damaged (rise above)
X-Wild Gift
Oingo Boingo-Only a Lad (on the outside)
The Church-Of Skins and Heart (the unguarded moment)
Killing Joke-What’s THIS For…!
Gang of Four-Solid Gold (he'd send in the army)
Modern English-Mesh & Lace
Tom Tom Club-Tom Tom Club (wordy rappinghood)
Wall of Voodoo- Dark Continent (back in flesh)
Minutemen-The Punch Line (the struggle)

(edited to add songs above and more as I remember below)

our daughter's wedding- digital cowboy (lawn chairs)



 

1982 albums:

The Clash, Combat Rock

Simple Minds, New Gold Dream

XTC, English Settlement

Sonic Youth, Sonic Youth

Kate Bush, The Dreaming

Grandmaster Flash, The Message

Bauhaus, The Sky’s Gone Out

Horace Andy, Dance Hall Style

The Psychedelic Furs, Forever Now

Cocteau Twins, Garlands

XTC, English Settlement

Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel (aka ‘Security’)

The Beat, Special Beat Service

Thomas Dolby, The Golden Age of Wireless

Talk Talk, The Party’s Over

Joe Jackson, Night and Day

The Jam, The Gift

X, Under the Big Black Sun

The Church, The Blurred Crusade

Bad Brains, Bad Brains

The Birthday Party, Junkyard

Laurie Anderson, Big Science

Haircut One Hundred, Pelican West

Mission of Burma, Vs.

The Fall, Hex Enduction Hour

Marshall Crenshaw, Marshall Crenshaw

Wall of Voodoo, Call of the West

Killing Joke, Revelations 

The Dream Syndicate, The Days of Wine and Roses

Blancmange, Happy Families

Gang of Four, Songs of the Free (TIE)

The Lords of the New Church, The Lords of the New Church

Fun Boy Three, Fun Boy Three

Orange Juice, Rip It Up

Circle Jerks, Wild in the Streets

Meat Puppets, Meat Puppets (TIE)

Cabaret Voltaire, 2×45

Flipper, Album - Generic Flipper

Altered Images, Pinky Blue

Hunters & Collectors, Hunters & Collectors

Orange Juice, You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever

You guys do realize that Moving Pictures by Rush came out in 1981? Just sayin...

And Andy, I love the Duchess choice in 1980. I think the whole Duke album is somewhat underrated.

1982 - Part 1

'65 Love Affair - Paul Davis

Am I Evil? - Diamond Head

*Analog Kid - Rush

*Angst In My Pants - Sparks

Astro Zombies - Misfits

Athena - The Who

*Beyond Belief - Elvis Costello

Buffalo Gals - Malcolm McLaren - Weird Al & Eminem

Cat People (Putting Out Fire) - David Bowie - Inglorious Basterds

Change - John Waite

Cleaning Windows - Van Morrison

Dancer - Michael Schenker Group

*Desperate But Not Serious - Adam Ant

Don't Fight It - Kenny Loggins

Don't Go - Yazoo (Tango & Cash)

Dreaming - UFO

Electric Eye - Judas Priest

*England Belongs To Me - #### Sparrer (#### Sparrer - Take 'Em All)

Faster than the Speed of Light - Raven

Give It Some Stick, Mick! - Chas & Dave

Here Comes The Grump - Adam Ant

I Can See It In Your Eyes - Men at Work

Industrial Disease - Dire Straits

More Than This - Roxy Music

Now this is more like it! I've always said that "80's music" really means the years '82-'88 and this is proving that out.

I'm not a big Rush fan but Analog Kid is terrific.

Angst In My Pants - Sparks

Beyond Belief - Elvis Costello

Desperate But Not Serious - Adam Ant...I like this more serious sounding AA.

England Belongs To Me - #### Sparrer....Oi!!!

It's funny that Buffalo Gals was sampled by both Weird Al AND Eminem!

Very up and down era just after 80 but some really good songs have been posted.

#### Sparrer is a fun band!

Andy Dufresne said:

Now this is more like it! I've always said that "80's music" really means the years '82-'88 and this is proving that out.

I'm not a big Rush fan but Analog Kid is terrific.

Angst In My Pants - Sparks

Beyond Belief - Elvis Costello

Desperate But Not Serious - Adam Ant...I like this more serious sounding AA.

England Belongs To Me - #### Sparrer....Oi!!!

It's funny that Buffalo Gals was sampled by both Weird Al AND Eminem!

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did I misunderstand your goal for the thread? are you looking for new music, or looking to post things that you've found on your website? I hope I didn't gum things up in here for you... will happily back out from the listing of stuff if so. 

and my stuff is obviously missing the obvious stuff... didn't think a lot of it needed posting... plus I'm just listing the stuff I like(d) and listen(ed) to.

El Floppo said:

did I misunderstand your goal for the thread? are you looking for new music, or looking to post things that you've found on your website? I hope I didn't gum things up in here for you... will happily back out from the listing of stuff if so. 

and my stuff is obviously missing the obvious stuff... didn't think a lot of it needed posting... plus I'm just listing the stuff I like(d) and listen(ed) to.

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There really wasn't much of a point except maybe to see how much I'd missed that others hadn't. Generally talk about obscure-ish 80's-ish music.

Always up for recommendations.

I just watched the music episode of the "The 90s" documentary on Netflix.  While I can't get through new music at the same pace, I've been motivated to do this exercise, but starting at 1990.

I loved John Waite’s Change maybe because the video was played so much. 

When you get to 1984, give the album “All Over the Place” a listen. It showed that The Bangles were a good band and not just that MTV #### of Walk Like an Egyptian.

James, Hero Takes a Fall, and Going Down to Liverpool were my three favorite songs on that album