70s-80s Synth/New Romantic/Goth/Dance hits

[PeterG]

I know some of you prog fans like to appropriate some of this stuff as "prog" So here are some hits for you that might appeal to you as prog fans
Again, not full lists of hits for each band, just some of my fav songs by some of my fav bands of that ilk!

Spandau Ballet - Gold, To Cut a Long Story Short, Chant no.1 (pressure on), True, Only When You Leave, Through The Barricades
Human League - Don't You Want Me, Being Boiled, Love Action, Mirror Man, Keep Feeling Fascination,
ABC - Poison Arrow, The Look of Love, All of My Heart
OMD - Enola Gay, Souvneir, Joan of Arc, Maid of Orleans, Sailing on the Seven Seas.
Ultravox - Vienna, Dancing With Tears in My Eyes
Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough, See You, Everything Counts, People Are People, Master and Servant
Duran Duran - Girls on Film, Planet Earth, Hungry Like The Wolf, Rio, Union of the Snake, The Reflex, A View to a Kill
Arcadia - Election Day
Soft Cell - Tainted Love, Say Hello Wave Goodbye, Torch, What
Icehouse - Hey Little Girl
Kraftwerk - The Model, Autobahn
Mobiles - Drowning in Berlin
Classix Nouveaux - Is It A Dream
The Stranglers - Golden Brown, La Folie, Strange Little Girl, European Female
The Damned - Eloise, Grimley Fiendish
Black - Wonderful Life
Gary Numan/Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric?, Cars, She's Got Claws, Complex, We Are Glass, I Die You Die
All About Eve - Martha's Harbour
Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion
Lene Lovich - Lucky Number
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams, Love is a Stranger, Who's That Girl?, Here Comes the Rain Again
Bauhaus - Ziggy Stardust
Heaven 17 - Temptation, Come Live With Me
Fiction Factory - Feels Like Heaven
Cult - She Sells Sanctuary
Adam & The Ants - Stand and Deliver, Prince Charming, Antmusic, Dog Eat Dog, Young Parisians
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence, Hong Kong Garden
Cure - The Love Cats, In Between Days, Lullaby
Mission - Wasteland
China Crisis - Wishful Thinking
New Order - Blue Monday, Confusion

[GuitarGeek]

You left out Thompson Twins. I always thought Quick Step & Side Kick and Into The Gap were great albums. As far as "hits" go, the singles off those records weren't necessarily my favorite songs (except Hold Me Now and You Take Me Up), but both albums had lots of great songs. And the use of If You Were Here in Sixteen Candles is still iconic, as far as I'm concerned.

[rcarlberg]

[klothos]

I know some of you prog fans like to appropriate some of this stuff as "prog" So here are some hits for you that might appeal to you as prog fans

Geez,Peter! ...With Nick Beggs on Stick, and this one didnt make your list?!?

[Nijinsky Hind]

Always liked this one... Great vocals... Dance? Maybe. Prog fans may appreciate the overall sound and vibe... Plus, they use a real drummer and band! Not too much studio gimmickry.

[klothos]

^^PROPAGANDA!!!! Great call!!

OK, Heres a few more pop tunes with just the "hint" of progginess (OK, so not really new romantic per se)

[Rogue Mail]

Always liked this one... Great vocals... Dance? Maybe. Prog fans may appreciate the overall sound and vibe... Plus, they use a real drummer and band! Not too much studio gimmickry.

Horrible fucking song...horrible...

[Nijinsky Hind]

Horrible fucking song...horrible...

Haahaha... I'm glad you like it!

[rcarlberg]

With Nick Beggs on Stick, and this one didnt make your list?

Why does Nick Beggs look like Jessica Lange?

[GuitarGeek]

I remember reading an interview with Vince Clarke in a magazione called Music Sound Output. This particular magazine had a series of articles, each month they'd interview a band who'd basically talk about writing and recording their new single. This one interview was about Situation. The funny thing was, Situation (and probably some of the other songs on Upstairs At Eric's) was remixed for the Stateside release, which apparently involved adding at least a couple synth parts that aren't on the UK release. And since Vince wasn't present at the remix session, the guy was asking him questions about stuff that wasn't able to answer.

[Galactic Bulldozer]

Don't forget about me?
Ghosts
Winning
Sweetest Girl
Bette Davis Eyes
Mexican Radio
Wouldn't it be Good (to have a white suit)
Dance Hall Days
West End Girls

[klothos]

Why does Nick Beggs look like Jessica Lange?

Dude, it was the 80s: Everybody looked like Jessica Lange.........

[Digital_Man]

Don't forget about me?
Ghosts
Winning
Sweetest Girl
Bette Davis Eyes
Mexican Radio
Wouldn't it be Good (to have a white suit)
Dance Hall Days
West End Girls

To this list I might add:

Safety Dance
I ran
No more words
Walking in LA
What are words for
She blinded me with Science
Tainted Love
Don't you want me
It's your life
Talk Talk
Kids in America
Turning Japanese
I got you
Cars

Yeah there are lots more but those are a few personal favorites.

[PeterG]

Blimey, suddenly remembering loads of bands that I like which I forgot to list, admittedly i dont how many of them had hits .... Visage, Thompson Twins, Nina Hagen, Japan, Alphaville, Propaganda, Landscape, Fad Gadget, D.A.F, Cabaret Voltaire, Yazoo, Flesh For Lulu, Gang of Four, The Leather Nun, Lords of the New Church, Einsturzende Neubauten...

[iguana]

keep 'em coming. exactly my bag even though this does remind my of my age.

[Progbear]

What, no mention of Canada’s answer to Ultravox?

[PeterG]

You left out Thompson Twins.

Yes, I know...oops...I missed quite a few I like actually! But it wasn't supposed to be a complete list.....youze guyz muzt addz ztuff too!

[PeterG]

keep 'em coming. exactly my bag even though this does remind my of my age.

You and me both!

[PeterG]

What, no mention of Canada’s answer to Ultravox?

WOW! I'm loving that! Never heard of them. Best album to start investigating?

[PeterG]

Let me also start a negative spin with a short list of artists of the period that I didn't like:

Kajagoogoo
Limahl
Nik Kershaw
Paul Young
Most, but not all, of Howard Jones' output.
Wham
Culture Club

[PeterG]

Some more gems of a synthy/romantic/goth ilk that I love and which I forgot to list:

[markwoll]

B-52's Private Idaho...how can you not dance

Or Bananarama - Venus

Dead or Alive - Spin me round

[klothos]

Geez,Peter! ...With Nick Beggs on Stick, and this one didnt make your list?!?

Let me also start a negative spin with a short list of artists of the period that I didn't like:

Kajagoogoo

Well, that explains that

[Paul]

Here's one of my favourites from 1982:

[Progbear]

WOW! I'm loving that! Never heard of them. Best album to start investigating?

Worlds Away is the only one I have. 2wo is said to be similar with lesser material, and I understand The Distance Between goes into more of an AOR direction, which is a shame but fairly typical for 80s CanCon.

Worlds Away is an A+ forgotten gem of 80s synth-pop, though. Highly recommended.

And while we’re on the subject of excellent forgotten gems of 80s synth-pop, I must mention Sleep Convention by Trees (a.k.a.: Dane Conover from San Diego). Produced by Earle Mankey, from the first line-up of Sparks. I found my copy in a dollar vinyl bin, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen another copy: