Forgotten Idols

Susan Booth42 said:Art Company. 😁

Actually, no—it's an Austrian group called Opus...

parliament said:Here are 25 reasons why 80s synth-pop should never, ever be forgotten:
-Ultravox-Rage in Eden
-John Foxx-Garden
-Haircut 100-Pelican West
-Adam and the Ants-Kings of the Wild Frontier
-ABC-The Lexicon of Love
-Classix nouveaux-Night People
-DAF-Alles ist Gut
-Thomas Dolby-The flat Earth
-Duran Duran-Duran Duran
-FGTH-Welcome to The Pleasuredom
-human League-Dare
-Japan-Tin Drum
-New Order-Movement
-OMD-Architecture and Morality
-pet shop Boys-Please
-Soft Cell-Non stop Erotic cabaret
-talk Talk-New Wave Era
-Tears for Fears-Songs fra The Big Chair
-Trio-Trio
-Visage-Visage
-Yazoo-Upstairs AT Eric ´ S
-Yello-Solid Pleasure
-Spandau Ballet-Journeys to Glory
-Depeche Mode-A Broken Frame

👋 Honestly, it's just one giant, glorious 80s mess—not even a single outlier! 👍

And there won't be any room left for

80s Pop - Dont you
Paul Simon - Graceland
Neneh Cherry - both singles 😁
Bobby McFerrin - don't worry, be happy

....whereas on the other hand...

Peter Gabriel - So
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
80s Pop - Some great reward

these belong in a special collection entirely! 😁

Does anyone know what happened to Martika, that 80s pop starlet?

Well, she actually did a track with Eminem! 🙂 😎

You’ve got some questionable taste if you think Architecture & Morality, Tin Drum, DAF, and a few other albums on this list are just mindless sludge.👎

parliament said:Here are 25 reasons why 80s synth-pop should never be forgotten:
-Ultravox-Rage in Eden
-John Foxx-Garden
-Haircut 100-Pelican West
-Adam and the Ants-Kings of the Wild Frontier
-ABC-The Lexicon of Love
-Classix nouveaux-Night People
-DAF-Alles ist Gut
-Thomas Dolby-The flat Earth
-Duran Duran-Duran Duran
-FGTH-Welcome to The Pleasuredom
-human League-Dare
-Japan-Tin Drum
-New Order-Movement
-OMD-Architecture and Morality
-pet shop Boys-Please
-Soft Cell-Non stop Erotic cabaret
-talk Talk-New Wave Era
-Tears for Fears-Songs fra The Big Chair
-Trio-Trio
-Visage-Visage
-Yazoo-Upstairs AT Eric ´ S
-Yello-Solid Pleasure
-Spandau Ballet-Journeys to Glory
-Depeche Mode-A Broken Frame
-Kate Bush-Hounds of Love

What is Trio even doing on here? That album is basically punk mixed with some reggae, and their biggest hit is just a pop joke... hardly fits the synth-pop label. And Kate Bush doesn't really fit this vibe either. I mean, both Trio and Hounds of Love are killer albums, no doubt about it, but still... You definitely should have made room for Kraftwerk's Electric Cafe earlier on this list...

Dana Anderson4 said:Nah, it was actually an Austrian group called Opus...

c-c-c 🙂 Mijesas...
The guy was spot on:
Art Company, Dutchmen, Suzanna
Opus, Austrians, Life is Life

Frank Howard79 said:Man, you've got some questionable taste if you're calling Architecture & Morality, Tin Drum, DAF, and a few other albums from this list "new wave sludge."👎

And putting OMD at the very top? 😲 Honestly, that’s probably the most questionable take on this whole list. If I’m ever going to indulge in some mainstream, radio-friendly pop, it’s always going to be George Michael for me. 🙏

I mean, seriously—if we're talking synth-pop, OMD is basically the Stone Temple Pilots of that genre... well, feel free to correct me if I'm totally off base there. 🙂

Gregory Garcia said:OMD are basically the Stone Temple Pilots of the synth-pop world, so feel free to tell me if I'm totally off base. 🙂

Kid, it's time to grow up.
Grunge—whatever you want to call it—is mostly just garbage at its core (except for Screaming Trees, which some people unfairly lump into that whole "grunge" invention), whereas synth-pop actually has some seriously incredible albums out there.
And honestly, I don't need to argue with you; your own ears will tell you the truth soon enough.
I'd really love to hear what exactly isn't working for you. Is it Gregory Garcia?...

Frank Howard79 said:Honestly, I would absolutely love to hear exactly what's bothering you so much. Gregory Garcia?

Man, you really are quite the harsh critic, aren't you! 🤔
Since we're already talking about grunge—and since you only singled out Screaming Trees, who, let's be real, aren't even strictly grunge—you basically just pointed to where Mudhoney ended up. And if you ask me, I'm calling it now: Mudhoney is going to become the American version of Azra—the kind of band people look back on and truly admire twenty years down the road. But, since it seems like you don't quite see it my way, well... suit yourself! 🙂

Man, Mudhoney gets linked to the grunge scene almost as much as Azra does. Thank God I still listen to them and really respect what they do (truth be told, it's probably been about 10 years since I actually sat down with their discography), but at the end of the day, they're just an incredibly solid garage rock band, nothing more...

I, personally, I prefer being more helpful to my fellow teachers at the preschool.

dmj said:C-c-c 🙂 Mijesas...
The guy was spot on:
Creative Artists Agency, Dutchmen, Suzanne
Opus, Austrians, Life is Life

She’s a woman, not a guy. 🙂 😁

dmj said:What is Trio even doing there? That album is basically punk mixed with some reggae, and their biggest hit is just some pop nonsense; it hardly qualifies as synth-pop. And honestly, Kate Bush doesn't fit that narrative at all. Don't get me wrong, both Trio and Hounds of Love are fantastic albums, period. But on your list, there should have been room for Electric Cafe by Kraftwerk before anything else...

Look, with their stripped-back percussion—I mean, all I can really hear is the bass, the snare, and the hi-hat—combined with those toy instruments and that Casio electric guitar, Trio leans much more toward novelty music than punk or godforsaken reggae. To my ears, they simply fit that 80s synth-pop sound, so why argue about it? Songs like "DA DA DA" or "Energy" are pure, unadulterated synth-pop.
As for Kraftwerk, go ahead and make your own list, then slot them in wherever you want.

Interpol said:Mudhoney is a band I predict will become the American Azra—the kind of legends people still look up to twenty years down the line. Since you clearly don't see it my way, I guess you can just stay in the dark about it! 🙂

Honestly, I can’t think of a worse insult to throw at Mudhoney. Maybe calling them some obscure garage band from the Midwest...

Nicholas Perez33 said:I honestly can't think of a worse insult for Mudhoney. Maybe calling them some American corporate pop act...

And what are you even doing here? Seriously, go find somewhere else to hang out if you're just going to be like this!😠

Frank Howard79 just can't make it to the concert, na-na-na-na-na-na 😛

but hey, at least we still have a Certain Ratio - do The du

I have this nagging feeling I might have already seen them on TV...🙂

AFRODITA69 said:I've still got a box at home filled with mixtapes from back when I was living in a dorm in Chicago and still a teenager. I keep them tucked away in the closet, and every now and then I pull one out to listen to with a bit of nostalgia. Listening to some of those old singers and bands that were massive hits back then—but are totally forgotten now—makes me wonder what happened to them all.
For instance, some of the ones I remember loving were: Cyndi Lauper and her various tracks, Alphaville had some catchy songs even if their frontman had a terrible accent, Talk Talk had great music, and Kim Wilde was just incredibly sexy with solid songs too. And those two, the blonde and the brunette—Modern Talking, I think—they were everywhere. What happened to them?
Nick Kershaw was cute—probably a grandpa by now, I guess...
And I can't for the life of me remember that young British singer whose song was huge, but she sounded way older than 14... if anyone knows who it is, let me know!
Anyway, go ahead—who were you guys listening to? And if anyone finds a site where we can see what our old idols look like today, that would be awesome!

It was a good era—even if the music was hit or miss.

Nicholas Perez33 said:Total respect. Forever.

By the way, I picked up "Quartet" and "Vienna" by Ultravox, and man, both records are absolute perfection. I'd recommend them to anyone.

👍 👍

Frank Howard79 said:So, what are you even doing here? Why don't you just head over to the Sunset Strip since some people clearly can't handle it!😠

Man, Bio. Gutbucket was totally wasted (seriously, someone get that sax player out of there!) but the Sunset Strip set absolutely crushed it. That guy from Enon did such an incredible job. Ahhh, man, life is just so good living here in Los Angeles!😁

So, here’s a casual little nostalgia trip for you. We might start out talking about Limahl and Nick Kershaw, but who knows? This could easily spiral into a heated debate over whether Mudhoney actually counts as grunge, all while we throw in some obscure rock references just for the hell of it.