Underrated Songs of the Eighties

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Gulftastic

19-09-2016

Originally Posted by Ella Nut:
“Different Light sure is good, and you know, I rather like "Everything" for the most part too. For me, there were far better tracks on both albums than the ones they released as singles (and probably the ones where Debbi or Vicki were singing lead....).

Lucky you, I assume Michael Steele was still with them at that time (2003). Ah Dover Beach. Talented ladies, all of them.”

She was! Spanking that plank like a good one.

And as much as I resented Susanna being pushed to the forefront, she was still gorgeous. Those amazing eyes of hers........

mgvsmith

19-09-2016

Originally Posted by dodrade:
“"Life in a Northern Town" was sampled for "Sunchime" by Dario G which was a big hit in the 90s.”

All the more reason for thinking the original song is somewhat underrated?
The Dario G 'tune' is a bit of a dance anthem but it doesn't have any Northern magic.

owen10

19-09-2016

What about this classic

The Captain of the Heart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kpJJ66Tf70

mgvsmith

27-09-2016

The The - 'The Beaten Generation' (1989) - seems just as relevant now!

https://youtu.be/ustXRPke9lM

Jon Ross

27-09-2016

Originally Posted by CupidStunt2010:
“Talk Talk have always been highly rated by critics and fans”

Well, that's fairly obvious, every band is highly rated by their fans. And critics tend to acknowledge them too, you're right there. But they've seldom appeared on the front of magazines like The Smiths and Paul Weller, have they? And compared to the big bands of the era like U2, Simple Minds, Dire Straits, Genesis, which filled stadiums, they really weren't that popular. They went under a lot of people's radar, so I'd say they're a good choice for this thread.

carnoch04

27-09-2016

Originally Posted by corkdood:
“Another suggestion
Bagatelle - Summer In Dublin https://youtu.be/MMhWll_mfGk”

Absolutely! A classic. In my recently rediscovered vinyl collection, I have the Bagatelle album.

Pink Knight

27-09-2016

Quaterflash - Harden My Heart.
Don't think it reached the top 40 in the UK. Although it gets played on Radio 2.

Berlin - You Don't Know. (they did other songs apart from Take my Breath Away.)

Split Enz -Six Months in A Leaky Boat. (ill timed release at the time of the Falklands war.)

ohglobbits

27-09-2016

Originally Posted by Jon Ross:
“Well, that's fairly obvious, every band is highly rated by their fans. And critics tend to acknowledge them too, you're right there. But they've seldom appeared on the front of magazines like The Smiths and Paul Weller, have they? And compared to the big bands of the era like U2, Simple Minds, Dire Straits, Genesis, which filled stadiums, they really weren't that popular. They went under a lot of people's radar, so I'd say they're a good choice for this thread.”

You're right, they were more popular in France. And the press largely ignored them, Mark Hollis rarely gave interviews and wasn't known for being very approachable.

starry_rune

27-09-2016

Xanadu - a catchy song from a musical by Olivia Newton John.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDxcfTm1QTc

Hound of Love

27-09-2016

Originally Posted by starry_rune:
“Xanadu - a catchy song from a musical by Olivia Newton John.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDxcfTm1QTc”

A fine tune.

But, along with other tunes listed in the thread, not underrated in any way.

It reached number 1 back in 1980, for starters.

ajman

27-09-2016

Originally Posted by mushymanrob:
“this..... rated by (early) dance fans maybe (rightly so) but doesnt get the recognition this pioneering track should get, perhaps in part to the success of its remastered big hit version in the 90's

klf - what time is love (original 1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT7lwdui4HY”

Possibly inspired by the bassline in Paul Hardcastle's 19. What with it being the KLF I wouldn't be surprised if they knowingly ripped it off.

darkjedimaster

28-09-2016

Love this thread thanks OP

How about :

Red Box - Lean on me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTyFUbgSvL8

Wah - Story of the blues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO5-w3540H8

JurassicMark

28-09-2016

Originally Posted by darkjedimaster:
“Love this thread thanks OP

How about :

Red Box - Lean on me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTyFUbgSvL8

Wah - Story of the blues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO5-w3540H8”

Not exactly underrated, they both reached No.3 in the UK chart.

This only got to No.19 but thought it deserved better: Kissing The Pink - Last Film.

mushymanrob

28-09-2016

Originally Posted by darkjedimaster:
“
Wah - Story of the blues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO5-w3540H8”

no no no no NO!

that is one of the most overrated tracks... horrible, contrived, pretentious... and a big hit whilst (as wah heat) "better scream" failed to chart, a far superior track on every level !

mushymanrob

28-09-2016

Originally Posted by Hound of Love:
“A fine tune.

But, along with other tunes listed in the thread, not underrated in any way.

It reached number 1 back in 1980, for starters.”

cant get much more highly rated then #1 can you?

Jon Ross

28-09-2016

I've always thought David Bowie's Loving the Alien was an underrated song from the '80s. Scraped the UK top 20, didn't even chart in America, never appears in lists of the best Bowie songs, had a dreadful video which guaranteed it would never get played much on MTV, the one highlight of an album that has been roundly panned.

Jon Ross

28-09-2016

Originally Posted by mushymanrob:
“cant get much more highly rated then #1 can you? ”

I actually disagree with that. There are some songs which charted very highly at the time which have been largely forgotten and are never played today, therefore I believe they can be classed as underrated now. Just because a song was a big hit doesn't mean in any way that history has been kind to it.

mushymanrob

28-09-2016

Originally Posted by Jon Ross:
“I actually disagree with that. There are some songs which charted very highly at the time which have been largely forgotten and are never played today, therefore I believe they can be classed as underrated now. Just because a song was a big hit doesn't mean in any way that history has been kind to it.”

fair comment, but can you suggest any?

starry_rune

28-09-2016

Originally Posted by Hound of Love:
“A fine tune.

But, along with other tunes listed in the thread, not underrated in any way.

It reached number 1 back in 1980, for starters.”

I wasn't born till 85 and I'd never heard of this song until last week. Its never played on radio, music channels, and the film is never shown on TV.

So in that respect, its under rated, compared to Starship Nothings gonna stop us now which gets played a lot on radio

Jon Ross

28-09-2016

Originally Posted by mushymanrob:
“fair comment, but can you suggest any?”

Anthony Newley, Showaddywaddy, Marillion.

Three different decades. I would suggest history ain't been kind to any of them.

mushymanrob

28-09-2016

Originally Posted by Jon Ross:
“Anthony Newley, Showaddywaddy, Marillion.

Three different decades. I would suggest history ain't been kind to any of them. ”

lol...

Jim_McIntosh

28-09-2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDHidMlViMc
Gouge Away - Pixies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uysWaBnKVd4
How do you speak to an angel? - Lou Reed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pllRW9wETzw
Cloudbursting - Kate Bush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p809FSIFas
Downtown - Tom Waits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xZmlUV8muY
Games without frontiers - Peter Gabriel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpMt_YqVbhw
About a girl - Nirvana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xacRTqk5QFM
Meat is murder - The Smiths

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahr4KFl79WI
The Mercy Seat - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

All pretty well known (don't ask me about chart positions - I never took notice of that) so will now try to think of less known stuff.......errrm....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRFgXkyTi-Y
Parade - Magazine

Not entirely happy with those choices but I have a terrible memory.

dodrade

28-09-2016

I've always been a bit surprised how little airplay Move Closer by Phylis Nelson seems to get. I remember it being used in an ad in the 90s but have hardly heard it since

bspace

28-09-2016

The Higsons' Conspiracy.

Never did find out who stole the bongos.

mgvsmith

29-09-2016

Danny Wilson - 'Second Summer Of Love'

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