Yellow Pills · 20/20

[1979]

Yellow Pills is at that perfect intersection of power pop and new wave. Chucking an unruly and abrasive synth into a slice of pure melodic guitar pop  is a genius manoeuvre.  

20/20 - Sheri [1979]

Also it's hard to deny this hook laden anthem. Melodic. Energetic. Electric.

 

20/20 - Tell Me Why (Can't Understand You) [1979]

This one's more on the mid tempo tip. So Beatle-esque it reaches ELO-like proportions. The infectious stuttered "T-T-T-T-Tell Me Why" chorus is peak new wave gloriousness. Concluding with lengthy psych interlude that includes spacey bass, backwards guitars, synth, spooky backmasked vocals and an epic fade out.

It's Friday night, Rewind Baby!

Jungle Rot · George Brigman

Jungle Rot - George Brigman [1975]

I think I bought the Jungle Rot cd reissue cd in the 00s mainly because of this photo accompanying the review which caught my eye in a magazine. It pictured three young burnout dudes hanging out in an abandoned house in nowheresville USA during the mid 70s. 

If someone told you this opening title track was a Chrome demo from 1977 you'd believe them, with its fantastic acid fried fuzz guitars and snarling vocals. 

Most of the rest of the LP doesn't really follow this style. There's a couple of tunes in a similar vein but the rest is more low key, comprising throwback 60s garage, some blues and stoner psych noodling with hints of of Velvets circa 3rd LP, The Stooges, Blue Cheer, probably The Groundhogs... anyway, an eclectic curio it definitely is.

It's Misery - George Brigman [1975]

It's the creepy stoner fuzz jamz that this teenage three piece from Baltimore excel in though.

Modern Eon - Fiction Tales

[1981]

One of the great post-154 albums. If you like your post-punk nice and gloomy yet sometimes uplifting, the incredibly dreamy Fiction Tales LP is for you. Along with Alex Johnson's inventive idiosyncratic vocal style & melodies we get serious post-punk drummage, classic goth bass lines and an array stellar dreamlike guitar textures. Chuck in weird atmospheric sound fx, a bit of piano, synth waves and some sax on a coupla tracks and that's your lot. While similar smaller bands of the era, Chameleons, The Sound, Sad Lovers & Giants etc. now have huge cult followings this Liverpudlian group still seem to get overlooked surprisingly.   

Laura Branigan - Self Control

80s, 80s, 80s! 

More tunes about adult concerns with darkly glamorous themes. 

"I'm living in the forest of a dream"

When being sexy was all about hair in your eyes and wearing an off the shoulder oversized jumper sans pants.

Shonky dancing alert! The daggy Branigan shenanigans begin at the 1.48 minute mark.

I totally forgot this song existed, I don't reckon I've heard it since 1984. . . This tune is way better than I recall. The state of the art 80s pop production is fucking sensational. It's synth-y, it's funky, it's disco, it's rock... it's 1984 baby.

*Things I didn't know in 1984: 

Self Control had Harold Faltermeyer on the synth. 

The video was directed by William Friedkin. 

Laura Branigan had no Italian heritage whatsoever which is surprising... we probably all assumed she was half Italian as she did a whole bunch of covers of Italian pop songs including this one.  

Don Henley - The Boys Of Summer

Still love this... probably still the best song of the 80s since I bought the 7" in 1985. 

Your Love · The Outfield

[1986]

Your Love is like the Monopoly man's monocle. Did it even exist in the 80s? I don't recall this band at all. Not on any music video shows or in music magazines or in the record shops during the 80s. This song was not a hit here in Australia or any soundtracks that I I know. The Mrs who grew up in Wales was a Smash Hits reader, TOTP viewer and all round pop music fan also does not recall the song. Yet when I heard it the other day I sang along like I'd known it all my life. So I'm guessing it's just been played on radio since the 80s. Maybe it's just so generic that I could just predict the lyrics and where the melody would go. Who knows? 

Anyway this is a great little power pop tune that was a big hit in America and Europe. Interestingly Your Love became a gold record in the UK despite the fact it only ever made it to number 83 on the British charts. It's all rather mysterious. It's a non existent monocle of a song. 

"You can put these songs on while you're driving or play them at a high school dance. They makes you feel good." Said the Outfield dudes who were surprisingly from the East End in London and not heartland America. The only English band from the 80s that were so uncool they looked like they were either from Canadia or Australia. When wearing a singlet with a matching mullet in your film clip was heroic.

They outdid The Cars, Foreigner, Mr Mister and Bryan Adams at their own game and created THE anthem of the era. I'm pretty sure the world agrees with over a billion plays of Your Love on spotify and 800 million views on youtube of the music video. 

Sniff 'n' The Tears - Driver's Seat

[1978]

One of the coolest songs ever.

The appeal of this tune is pretty mysterious. I mean when this song comes on the radio you go "Fuck yeah!" but just what is it? What even is the genre? Who cares I suppose... it's a vibe... it's one of a kind... it's all about restraint and what it ain't which makes the keyboard and guitar flourishes so much more, that constant nerve-y beat, the blip of the synth and these hidden little hooks all permeating the tune, insidiously add to the pop magic of Sniff 'n' The Tears' Drivers Seat.

Rewind!  

Young Turks · Rod Stewart

[1981]

Check out this supreme synthetic synth-y production. Production duties by none-other than Rodney himself. Not only that but Mark Knopfler is on guitar here! People talk about great tunes like Boys Of Summer but maybe this is the true national anthem of hypnagogic pop. 

 

When being a teenage mum with a pierced eared boyfriend who drove a pickup like a lunatic was heroic. Live the dream kids!

"They held each other tight as they drove on through the night they were so excited. 

We got just one shot of life, let's take it while we're still not afraid. 

Because life is so brief and time is a thief when you're undecided. 

And like a fistful of sand, it can slip right through your hands."

Osé - Computer Funk

(1983)

Strange electro jam written by James McCauley of Maggotron (in)fame from the previous post. How is this not an out and out stone cold cult classic of electro? This sort of bassline is maybe pretty unusual, is it? The same style perhaps not really being used again until the 90s with Drexciya as well as some hip-hop and drum and bass tunes, am I wrong? Wait for the 5.49 moment when it goes intergalactic then dissipates. 

Hey all you pac mans it's party time!

Maggotron - Computer Pop

Maggotron - Computer Pop (1984)

Here we go with the electro jamz once again... a whole lotta funky fun including on trend vocoder vocals and scratching. It's the Future and you're in it!