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Underrated Songs of the Eighties


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Old 30-09-2016, 00:40
Lucy Van Pelt
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Another suggestion
Bagatelle - Summer In Dublin https://youtu.be/MMhWll_mfGk
Arrrggggghhhhhh !!!! Sorry but hate that sodding song with a passion, think I would rather listen to Daniel O'Donnell whilst getting my face massaged with brillo pads and ajax


a few of my suggestions :

Love Is A Wonderful Colour - Icicle Works

Life in The City - After the Fire

Tunnel of Love - Fun Boy Three

Under Your Thumb - Godley and Creme

Swamp - That Petrol Emotion

LA - The Fall

Could You Be The One - Husker Du

Oblivious - Aztec Camera (always overlooked by Somewhere in My Heart)

Way Out - The Las (see above but There She Goes)
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Old 01-10-2016, 21:54
446.09375
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OK, shove this random playlist in your ears!

The The - Slow Train To Dawn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfzvFKO1ud8

The Fountainhead - Someone Like You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=844oGkGqD_o

Thomas Dolby - The Flat Earth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO4rtBzN6vo

Wax - In Some Other World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmF1yDii6kg

Paul Haig - The Only Truth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AETHjjYXkYg

Paul Haig - Heaven Sent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu-vWhtMyNs

Scritti Politti: Boom! There She Was
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbCsMigGiLM

Cousin Rachel - You give me so much
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kw7enI0wdQ
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Old 01-10-2016, 21:59
scrilla
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Underrated eighties can mean different things to different people. Some will say that a single that didn't hit the top 40 is underrated. Some might even say 'underrated' if the record in question didn't go top five. Or maybe a track that hit big at the time but doesn't get much airplay now in 2016.

I'll go with some records I rate hugely which I had on regular rotation at the time of release and which weren't ignored within their intended markets but (to the best of my knowledge) didn't crossover to the pop charts.



Debby Blackwell - Once You Got Me Going (1986)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC1cD65M0qs

Fatback - Is This the Future? (1983)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCG926aQJcc

Bobbi Humphrey - No Way (1986)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KcrP1MGtuI

R.J.'s Latest Arrival - Shackles (1984)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clt7VrJHuhA

Octavia - 2 The Limit (1986)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1k69r-SA9I

Jerome 'Secret Weapon' Prister - Say You'll Be (1985)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxtx8KX-taU

Kreamcicle - No News Is News (1983)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJeaTk9BkuM

Modernique Feat. Larry Wu - Loves Gonna Get You (1987)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6N5HkWjM1E


Brother D - How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise? (1980)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-HQR2-s1J4

Spoonie Gee - The Godfather (1987)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEWTaMSe64w

J.V.C. Force - Strong Island (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05pcczvmrjc

Lakim Shabazz - Pure Righteousness (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flNUA1cHjgQ

True Mathematics - After Dark (1987)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQlsah88H4E

Sugar Bear - Don't Scandalize Mine (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I6suxtyN3s


Tyree Cooper - Turn Up The Bass (1989)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skmkWiAhSko

Cultural Vibe - Ma Foom Bey (Love Chant Version) (1986)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U90t5NaX9JA

Dhar Braxton - Jump Back (Set Me Free) (1986)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KeTX6zgjBU

Lachandra - Just Started (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbqF7DJUbPY
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Old 01-10-2016, 22:03
Hound of Love
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Colourbox - The Moon Is Blue

Scritti Politti - Faithless
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Old 04-10-2016, 14:17
dave2702
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The Bangles - Going Down To Liverpool.
If remember correctly was written by Katrina & the Waves. The Bangles Video for it featured Leonard Nimoy

This thread will certainly make a great Spotify List

My suggestions

Kissing the Pink - Last Film I ever saw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFX5Ca36kOk

Trance Dance - Gonna Get It - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMz13qUZ2zA

Probably out of the sphere of underappreciated but

Hanoi Rocks - Don't You Ever Leave Me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFiABo45GQQ
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Old 04-10-2016, 14:19
dave2702
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I don't know if it's been posted yet, but I've always loved 'Clouds Across the Moon' by The RAH Band..........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4R97AeM6IE
Always loved the line "I'll try again next year"
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Old 04-10-2016, 19:33
446.09375
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Thanks for that. I'm not all that taken with most of the suggestions on this thread (the ones I haven't heard before) but I'm liking that.
And thanks Pitman, the Chameleons - Up the Down Escalator is a good one.

Apart from that, there's a reason why many of these are 'underrated'
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Old 04-10-2016, 19:59
mgvsmith
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scrilla
True Mathematics - After Dark (1987)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQlsah88H4E

Thanks for that. I'm not all that taken with most of the suggestions on this thread (the ones I haven't heard before) but I'm liking that.
And thanks Pitman, the Chameleons - Up the Down Escalator is a good one.

Apart from that, there's a reason why many of these are 'underrated'
I agree that's a great piece from that list. Underrated suggests undervalued, that was my working thesis.
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Old 06-10-2016, 21:45
pete137
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The Outfield were the very definition of an underated 80's band. They were unusual in the sense that they were a British band who had sucess in America but remained relatively unknown here. My two favorite songs are Your Love and Say It Is'nt So. Classic 80's !

https://youtu.be/4N1iwQxiHrs

https://youtu.be/tU2HybDGJHQ
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Old 15-10-2016, 00:56
mrkite77
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The Outfield were the very definition of an underated 80's band. They were unusual in the sense that they were a British band who had sucess in America but remained relatively unknown here. My two favorite songs are Your Love and Say It Is'nt So. Classic 80's !

https://youtu.be/4N1iwQxiHrs

https://youtu.be/tU2HybDGJHQ
Oh man.. Back in the late 80s/early 90s I lived in San Diego, and during the summer we would spend every evening hanging out at the beach, having a bonfire and listening to music. I'm pretty sure Your Love was on the playlist at the time, because listening to it immediately gave me flashbacks to that.
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Old 15-10-2016, 06:24
Twmbarlwm
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I guess it was big at the time, so maybe doesn't qualify, but I never hear mentioned now was The Kane Gang - Closest Thing to Heaven. Lovely blue-eyed soul record.

Also loved DC Lee's - See the Day

Never heard much about it until it was covered by whoever - Girls Aloud?

I agree with the Lotus Eaters shout - great pop song.

Someone mentioned China in Your Hand - Gary Barlow was right on that one!
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Old 15-10-2016, 07:55
ajman
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I guess it was big at the time, so maybe doesn't qualify, but I never hear mentioned now was The Kane Gang - Closest Thing to Heaven. Lovely blue-eyed soul record.

Also loved DC Lee's - See the Day

Never heard much about it until it was covered by whoever - Girls Aloud?

I agree with the Lotus Eaters shout - great pop song.

Someone mentioned China in Your Hand - Gary Barlow was right on that one!
Gary Barlow said that the second biggest selling single of 1987 was underrated? Always hated that song. Heart and Soul was a much better record.

See The Day was Top 3 so hardly underrated either.
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Old 15-10-2016, 08:01
ajman
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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.
I always preferred Big Man Restless to The Last Film. Haven't a clue where it charted though.
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Old 15-10-2016, 08:38
Twmbarlwm
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I
Gary Barlow said that the second biggest selling single of 1987 was underrated? Always hated that song. Heart and Soul was a much better record.

See The Day was Top 3 so hardly underrated either.
No - it was a tangential point to the thread tbf. Since I first heard China in your Hand, I felt she sang a key note at the end of a line out of tune every time it came up in the song. I found it annoying - daft really, but I didn't like the song anyway.

A few years ago someone covered it on X-Factor and GB made a jokey comment that it was nice to hear the song sung in tune. Carol Decker got angry and there was big fuss in the media. She made a big fuss and said she had perfect music (I personally find that hard to believe, and I taught music for years, but there we go!).
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Old 15-10-2016, 11:12
Nikolaj
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Eastern Bloc - Wait Too Long
The Outfield - No Surrender
Kate Bush - And Dream of Sheep
Strangeways - Talk to Me
Fleetwood Mac - Isn't It Midnight
The Human League - Jam
Stevie Nicks - Ooh My Love
Heart - There's the Girl
Eddie Money - Endless Nights
Belinda Carlisle - Nobody Owns Me
Cyndi Lauper - Calm Inside the Storm
Scandal - The Warrior
Blue Oyster Cult - Burnin' for You
Tina Turner - Look Me in the Heart
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Old 15-10-2016, 14:45
Makson
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The Cover Girls - My Heart Skips A Beat
Tina Turner - Foreign Affair
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Old 15-10-2016, 14:52
Blondie X
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TS Monk - Candidate For Love.

Passed most people by and seems to have only come to prominence in the last couple of years due to Dave Lee giving it the Joey Negro treatment
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Old 15-10-2016, 15:03
Clank007
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Tenpole Tudor - Wunderbar
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Old 15-10-2016, 15:30
Thorney
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Eastern Bloc - Wait Too Long
The Outfield - No Surrender
Kate Bush - And Dream of Sheep
Strangeways - Talk to Me
Fleetwood Mac - Isn't It Midnight
The Human League - Jam
Stevie Nicks - Ooh My Love
Heart - There's the Girl
Eddie Money - Endless Nights
Belinda Carlisle - Nobody Owns Me
Cyndi Lauper - Calm Inside the Storm
Scandal - The Warrior
Blue Oyster Cult - Burnin' for You
Tina Turner - Look Me in the Heart
Wow someone else outside US who knows Eddie Money, I loved his mid 80s hits the one you mention is good but nothing beats this one for me.

Eddie Money - I Wanna Go Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0JqC2UDpoE

He is practically unknown in UK, love that Scandal song as well
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Old 15-10-2016, 18:20
dodrade
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Gary Barlow said that the second biggest selling single of 1987 was underrated? Always hated that song.
That's why I mentioned it. It might have been a big hit at the time but no one seems to have a good word to say about it. I was suggesting it's underrated because it doesn't deserve the constant derision it has had ever since.
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Old 16-10-2016, 01:39
mrkite77
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Wow someone else outside US who knows Eddie Money
Huh. I didn't know Eddie Money isn't known much outside the US. I'd put him alongside artists like Bruce Hornsby and Joe Jackson.. both of which have done well in the UK.
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Old 16-10-2016, 13:11
Nikolaj
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Wow someone else outside US who knows Eddie Money, I loved his mid 80s hits the one you mention is good but nothing beats this one for me.

Eddie Money - I Wanna Go Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0JqC2UDpoE

He is practically unknown in UK, love that Scandal song as well
I'm only familiar with the Can't Hold Back album. My parents sometimes played it around the house and in the car when I was growing up. Eddie Money isn't well known in Denmark. I think the majority of his success is within the North American market.
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Old 16-10-2016, 19:08
robo2
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classic prince production
vanity 6 - nasty girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzqBzCU_zpw

80s indie rock
The Feelies - Loveless Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fg_s9NKd_0

great 80s alt psychedelic rock
The Cleaners From Venus - Only a Shadow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4xeT7phuog

hucknall without the soul lite schmaltz
Frantic Elevators - Holding Back The Years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzg33hSnBwI

if you like the smiths you will like this
another sunny day - you should all be murdered
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AkXC5m8ueA

Berlin - Metro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UXtort76gY

The Chills - Pink Frost
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjW3MT8D9RY
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Old 16-10-2016, 19:19
Thorney
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Huh. I didn't know Eddie Money isn't known much outside the US. I'd put him alongside artists like Bruce Hornsby and Joe Jackson.. both of which have done well in the UK.
sadly no, he never made the top 100 over here. 'Take Me Home Tonight' and ' I Wanna Go back' were played on No Limits and Entertainment USA to big music shows in the 80s here but no sales . But even Bruce Hornsby is a one hit wonder in the UK although his albums have done well. And Joe Jackson he is ours anyway as he was a leading light in UK nu-wave.
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Old 16-10-2016, 21:43
mal2pool
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Caravan Of Love by Isley Jasper Isley....the original and best version of the song. Mad this wasnt a hit
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