Just wondered if there was anyone here who liked it too?! As a 70s/80s child I grew up with it.
After watching Synth Britannia, I've found the music played on A Clockwork Orange. The opening music (a funeral march from a classical composer I believe) is so moody and I don't think any instrument lends itself so much to mean, moody, atmospheric music than the early synths.
Although I like the synthpop era that followed, I think the earlier period is better.

I love 80s synth music as well and I watched synth Britannia too. I love the raw kind of sound there is in early 80s synth music, although to an extent, I also like that it entered the mainstream and became catchier poppier and more melodic as time went on as I generally prefer music when it's like that. I think it's probably at its best when it has that raw, experimental sound but is also melodic, although I know what you mean about the dark, early sound of synth music, it is very atmospheric. I like a lots of different sorts of 80s pop though, even some SAW songs. I can see how by the time of SAW, a lot of people must have found it cheesy and annoying because I guess all music sounded like that by then but I was only born in 1986, so unfortunately wasn't really around when the synth pop explosion was happening.

In terms of early 80s music, I like artists like Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, The Human League and Yazoo the most. I am also a huge fan of the Pet Shop Boys, who I know came along later but I think have written countless amazing, beautiful, interesting songs over the years, many of which aren't really known by the general public.

I'll be honest, I think it sounds horrifically outdated

My fav 80's synth track from one of my fav 80's albums:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLy_WYJCMBQ

Still sounds as good now as when it came out in 1982.

I'm in an intermittent musical love of sorts with a very specific 'mood' synthesiser sound, which I think you pin down somewhere within your OP; one that to me simultaneously evokes the hopelessness of contemporary post-industrial dilapidation and the bleak prospect of existence in a dystopian, 1984-type future. It's used a lot on stuff like the early Human League albums and by 70s instrumentalists like Jean Michel Jarre, but it was far less prevalent once 'synth' music went mainstream; with the notable exception, inevitably, of the Eurythmics' 1984 soundtrack album; it's also predominant within The Model. When I hear that specific sound it literally transfixes me, and haunts my psyche; dolorous and rapturous at once.

You just reminded me of this track - wow haven't heard it for 25+ years!

John Foxx - Underpass (1980)

I guess Tubeway Army fall into the category as well

Good version of Down in the Park on old grey whistle test 1979

I'm a massive synth fan, although I'm a bit young to remember it first time around. I make my own synth stuff too.

No one has mentioned Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark yet, they're not very fashionable but their early 80s stuff (up to and including Dazzle Ships) is flawless. I also really love Jarre and Vangelis.

Yes, some of their B-sides in the 80s were great, along with the 12" mixes as well

I think Talk Talk were massively underrated in the 80's:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hHnOBlwU3A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TS-ua3t2Ak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpGkiZ7FGmg

Although their 'Natural History' greatest hits album did go on to sell a million in 1990.

Title Music from A Clockwork Orange was based on "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary" by Henry Purcell.

Agreed. This piece of music set the standards for what was to follow, IMHO-and still sounds fresh and eerie considering it came to prominence in 1971. Most people didn't even know what synths were back then!

But yes, I agree...there's nothing quite like music from the 70s and 80s made on analogue synths. While there is good modern electronic music out there, it just doesn't quite measure up...

At last, a rare decent music thread in the music forum in amongst all the pop rubbish!

Henry Purcell.. english 17th cetury
Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGYQtNAHbX4

I remember when the Pet Shop Boys appeared on BBC's Whistle Test programme in 1986:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90GFehynN60&NR=1

There's a few clips of this on youtube, but what they miss out are they sneery attitudes of the presenters during the rest of the programme (probably Mark Ellen and Andy Kershaw, but I can't be sure!)

Rock and Indie still reigned supreme on Whistle Test in 1986, and the impression being given was that this was not a real "live" performance as synths, samplers and sequencers were being used instead of "real" instruments !!

Fans of early synth music should also check out the various Radiophonic Workshop CDs that are available. People like Delia Derbyshire and John Baker did amazing stuff with very primitive gear by today's standards. The album "An Electric Storm" that featured Delia is also a notable landmark in the use of synths and tape effects.

Also, the Krautrock documentary that was on BBC4 recently filled in a few of the gaps from the 70s that Synth Brittannia did not cover.

I saw the (remaining) members of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop do a lecture and play a live show at the Roundhouse earlier this year. It was aboslutely stunning. The music they made by blowing across bottles and twanging elastic bands, then cutting or altering the speed of the tapes, is years ahead of its time.

Very underrated, you missed my fave:

Talk Talk - Life's what you make it

Another obvious synth band:

Soft Cell - Bedsitter
Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Yes, I love this kind of music as well even though I wasn't alive for any of it. It was The Human League that started me on it (I was about 13 at the time and before then thought all "old" music wasn't worth listening to ). I love the atmosphere that it evokes and I agree that although there is still good electronic music being made it isn't quite the same, and it's difficult to find nowadays as well. I just think the alterantive music scene in the eighties was wonderful (it's a shame most people's image of the eighties is stuff like Wham and Stock Aitken and Waterman). I think I was born in the wrong decade really.

Edit - Love the songs you just posted zounds. Re Soft Cell it annoys me when people just associate Tainted Love with them, I think their other songs are much more interesting.

If you like electronic music then try my myspace for some tracks I have made.

PS ignore the lack of background......must get round to sorting it out. Lol.

http://www.myspace.com/gigernova

If you like electronic music then try my myspace for some tracks I have made.

PS ignore the lack of background......must get round to sorting it out. Lol.

http://www.myspace.com/gigernova

absolutely, they are imho the 80's forgotten jem.. but they werent exactly 'synth' as such...

yep the early synth sounds from the 'new romantic' era do sound dated... but so what? lol, they are gloriously nostalgic for those of us who were lucky enough to be around then.

yeah, I agree - not synth, but they just about fit the thread.

Here's a classic that is definitely synth:

Visage - Fade To Grey

For anyone interested in 70/80's electronica I recommend giving the following Tangerine Dream albums a listen :-

Phaedra (1974)
Rubycon (1975)
Ricochet (1975)
Stratosfear (1976)
Encore (1977)
Force Majeure (1979)
Tangram (1980)
Pergamon (1980)
Exit (1981)
White Eagle (1982)
Logos (1982)
Hyperborea (1983)
Poland (1984)
Le Parc (1985)
Underwater Sunlight (1986)
Livemiles (1987)

In short, a 13 year journey tracing electronic music development in both studio and live performance environments.

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Last edited by zounds : 05-11-2009 at 13:47

They still write great B-sides now, although obviously their sound now is different to their 80s sound. Here are some very recent ones

After the Event
Gin and Jag (Link also includes We're All Criminals Now, which I don't think is quite as good)


Yes, I've seen that clip before, it's interesting what you say about the attitudes of the presenters and strange if it was Mark Ellen, seeing as I believe he worked with Neil Tennant on Smash Hits magazine before Neil was in the Pet Shop Boys, which, as you probably know, was a very pop based magazine.


Thanks for this info, I'm really interested in this stuff and it's quite relevant to the course I'm doing at the moment actually.

You might want to check out the Mute Audio Documents 1978 - 1984 for some great classic synth tracks. If you have spotify they're all on there.

I'm amazed nobody has mentioned Vince Clarke who is famed for his electronic music with Depeche Mode (abeit briefly!), Yazoo! and Erasure. Although Vince's music isn't always entirely synth, his music is still fantastic

Don't forget The Assembly