Best of 1987- The Album List

Let's dive into the 1987 Albums campaign! This year marked an interesting crossover period where music styles from the first half of the decade began transforming into new genres, creating fresh musical opportunities and providing stages for new talents.

In terms of innovation, MTV Europe was launched, and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" became the first single released on CD, while the cassette tape continued to rise in popularity.

Synthpop was still prominent in the mainstream, with Erasure and Pet Shop Boys maintaining its presence. The pop hits from the emerging Stock Aitken Waterman pop factory, including Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," became chart-toppers and contributed to making it the best-selling single of the year.

On the other hand, House music was slowly growing and taking over dance floors, providing a fresh and dynamic sound. Simultaneously, indie pop/rock was flourishing, offering more diverse and alternative forms of music.

At the Brit Awards, Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel received honors for Best Female and Best Male, respectively, showcasing the diversity and richness of the musical landscape in 1987.

Echo and The Bunnymen Release a New Compilation

Echo & the Bunnymen have released a new two-CD set compilation summarizes the band’s output between 1979 and 1987. The compilation is entitled 'Do It Clean: An Anthology' and it is a 38-track collection which actually contains all the band’s singles from this era including non-album 45s and "People Are Strange" from 'The Lost Boys' soundtrack. There’s a small sprinkling of relative rarities with the inclusion of The Original "Cutter" – A Drop in the Ocean – originally on the flipside to "Never Stop". Speaking of which, that single is also included in its remixed form (Never Stop (Discotheque)). New sleeve notes from Paul Lester are included in the 16 page booklet. Do It Clean: An Anthology 1979-1987 is out on 16 April 2015.

Mad World- A Brand New Oral History of New Wave Out Now

A little bit of something to get back on our 80's track. A brand new New Wave book is out. It is entitled Mad World and it is a highly entertaining oral history that celebrates the New Wave music phenomenon of the 1980s via new interviews with 35 of the most notable artists of the period. Each chapter begins with a discussion of their most popular song but leads to stories of their history and place in the scene, ultimately painting a vivid picture of this colorful, idiosyncratic time. Mixtape suggestions, fashion sidebars, and quotes from famous contemporary admirers help fill out the fun. Participants include members of Duran Duran, New Order, The Smiths, Tears for Fears, Adam Ant, Echo and the Bunnymen, Devo, ABC, Spandau Ballet, A Flock of Seagulls, Thompson Twins, and INXS. Authors are Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein with an foreword by Nick Rhodes and afterword by Moby.

 madworldbook.com

Best of 1984 - Top 50 Singles List

The growing popularity of Michael Jackson which started in 1983 also set foot in 1984 especially after the video for "Thriller" was released. Even though the content of the video was controversial at that time, it was also groundbreaking and it revolutionized the music industry and the world of pop by breaking down the racial barriers and transforming the music video into a work of art.

Even at the other end of the Atlantic the 1983 started with a small scandal which involved Frankie Goes To Hollywood who got banned by BBC for almost a year due to the explicit lyrics in the and provocative video for their biggest hit "Relax". Despite this fact, the band managed  to have major success around the world with their debut album "Welcome to the Pleasuredome". This was also the first big success for ZTT Records and three times platinum in the UK. Towards the end of the year the Frankie Goes to Hollywood ban was slowly lifted and "Relax" was the ultimate anthem of 1984 introducing the Frankie Says Relax trend. 

With the growing popularity of MTV, in 1984 the first MTV Music Awards were given away at the  Radio City Music Hall in New York. Among the winners were Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, Herbie Hancock. Madonna has not been up for awards, but manged to make prominence and shake the pop world with her performance at the VMA's. 

Just ahead of Christmas when 1984 was in the fade out, a group of musicians headed by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure got together for a good cause forming Band Aid. This was a group of musicians who recorded a song to raise awareness and funds for the Ethiopian famine in 1983–1985. It included more than 40 musicians and it sold over two million copies around the globe and raised more than $24 million. 

 Towards the end of the year New Gold Dream which could easily be translated as the golden era of new Wave slowly began to vanish and became clear that the new musical term was Pop.

 The following Top 50 represents the result of the 'Best of 1984 - The Album list' from 2014 together with our in-house votes.

 

Updated: 08/2020

01. Bronski Beat- Small Town Boy 

02. Echo & The Bunnymen- The Killing Moon 

03. Talk Talk- It’s My Life 

04. Prince- When Doves Cry 

05. Billy Idol- Eyes Without a Face 

06. Cyndi Lauper- Time After Time  

07. Leonard Cohen- Dance Me to the End of Love  

08. Dead or Alive- You Spin Me Around 

09. Duran Duran- New Moon on Monday 

10. Alphaville - Big in Japan 

11. A-ha- Take on Me

12. Prince and the Revolution- Purple Rain

13. Madonna - Borderline

14. Pet Shop Boys- West End Girls '84

15. Gary Numan- Berserker

16. Siouxsie and The Banshees- Dazzle

17. Eurythmics- Here Comes the Rain Again 

18. Frankie Goes To Hollywood- Two Tribes

19. The Smiths- What Difference Does it Make  

20. The Style Council- Shout to the Top

Best of 1984- The Album List

The growing popularity of Michael Jackson which started in 1983 also set foot in 1984 especially after the video for "Thriller" was released. Even though the content of the video was controversial at that time, it was also groundbreaking and it revolutionized the music industry and the world of pop by breaking down the racial barriers and transforming the music video into a work of art.

Even at the other end of the Atlantic the 1983 started with a small scandal which involved Frankie Goes To Hollywood who got banned by BBC for almost a year due to the explicit lyrics in the and provocative video for their biggest hit "Relax". Despite this fact, the band managed to have major success around the world with their debut album Welcome to the Pleasuredome. This was also the first big success for ZTT Records and three times platinum in the UK. Towards the end of the year the Frankie Goes to Hollywood ban was slowly lifted and "Relax" was the ultimate anthem of 1984 introducing the Frankie Says Relax trend. 

With the growing popularity of MTV, in 1984 the first MTV Music Awards were given away at the  Radio City Music Hall in New York. Among the winners were Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, Herbie Hancock. Madonna was not up for awards, but manged to make prominence and shake the pop world with her performance at the VMA's. 

Just ahead of Christmas when 1984 was in the fade out, a group of musicians headed by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure got together for a good cause forming Band Aid. This was a group of musicians who recorded a song to raise awareness and funds for the Ethiopian famine in 1983–1985. It included more than 40 musicians and it sold over two million copies around the globe and raised more than $24 million. 

Towards the end of the year New Gold Dream which could easily be translated as the golden era of new Wave slowly began to vanish and became clear that the new musical term was Pop.

 

Best of 1983 - The Singles List

The year 1982 was all about Michael Jackson's Thriller which became the best selling album of all time. The video for the song proved to be challenging for the MTV airwaves and it is also considered as one of the best videos of all time. Along with Michael Jackson's success other artists followed; David Bowie released Let's Dance, his most commercial album to date and ladies rocked too, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper released their debuts too exploring the weird and unconventional and Kim Wilde won the Brit Award for best British female artist. 

In 1982, the first compact discs were produced in Germany and were already sold in Japan during the third quarter of the same year. In 1983 they also went on sale in the USA and they will certainly revolutionize the music industry in the coming years. 

New Wave slowly faded into Pop and its biggest stars of the decade Michal Jackson, Madonna, Prince and George Michael will rule the charts for the rest of the decade and beyond.

 

The following Top 50 represents the result of the 'Best of 1983 - The Singles List' poll from 2013 together with our in-house votes. 

Updated: 06/2020

01. New Order- Blue Monday 
02. Depeche Mode- Everything Counts 
03. The Smiths- This Charming Man 
04. Michael Jackson - Thriller 
05. The Sisters of Mercy- Temple of Love 
06. Simple Minds- New Gold Dream 81-82-83-84 
07. Frankie Goes To Hollywood- Relax 
08. Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) 
09. The The- This is the Day 
10. Siouxsie and The Banshees- Dear Prudence 
11. Yazoo- Nobody's Diary 
12. Echo & The Bunnymen- The Cutter 
13. U2- New Year’s Day 
14. David Bowie – Let's Dance
15. Cyndi Lauper- Girls Just Wanna have Fun
16. Pat Benetar - Love is a Battlefield 
17. Talking Heads - Burning Down The House 
18. R.E.M.- Radio Free Europe 
19. Spandau Ballet - True 
20. PIL- This is not a Love Song 

Best of 1983- The Album List

The year 1982 was undeniably dominated by Michael Jackson's groundbreaking album "Thriller," which went on to become the best-selling album of all time. The accompanying music video for the title track presented a significant challenge for MTV airwaves but is now regarded as one of the greatest music videos ever created. Riding on the wave of Michael Jackson's success, other artists achieved notable milestones: David Bowie released "Let's Dance," his most commercially successful album up to that point. On the female front, both Madonna and Cyndi Lauper made their debut appearances, exploring unconventional and unique styles. Kim Wilde received recognition by winning the Brit Award for Best British Female Artist.

Meanwhile, in 1982, Germany produced the first compact discs, which were initially sold in Japan during the third quarter of the same year. These CDs were later introduced to the U.S. market in 1983, revolutionizing the music industry in the years to come.

As New Wave gradually transitioned into Pop, the decade's most significant stars—Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, and George Michael—continued to dominate the charts for the remainder of the '80s and beyond.

 

Sensual Harassment's Alpha Draconis

Sensual Harassment are back with their debut EP. After releasing several singles during this Autumn, they have completed their album EP 'Alpha Draconis' which includes all the previously released singles as well their latest song "Russian Dolls", a post rock crossover between Walkmen and Echo & The Bunnymen. The EP is available both as a stream and free download from their official page. 

Check out www.sensualharassment.com for additional information.

Best of 1980- The Album List

The year 1980 marked a fascinating intersection, straddling the influences of the 1970s while gradually embracing the emerging trends of the new decade. Chart-toppers like Blondie, Abba, The Police, and The Jam continued to dominate the music scene. Notable achievements included David Bowie securing his second number one hit, and Kate Bush becoming the first British female artist to claim a No.1 album.

However, amidst the musical successes, 1980 also witnessed tragic losses that left an indelible mark on the industry. Ian Curtis of Joy Division tragically took his own life just before the band's scheduled US Tour, while John Lennon, an iconic figure in music, was shot dead outside his New York City apartment. These losses left families and legions of fans grieving.

The year concluded with John Lennon's posthumous release, "{Just Like) Starting Over," topping the UK charts, serving as both a poignant farewell and a herald of the new decade.

Best of 2009- The Album List

Ladies and Gentleman, our year in music in a quick overview!

01. Editors-  In This Light and on This Evening [Kitchenware]
02. Music Go Music- Expressions [Secretly Canadian]
03. Echo and The Bunnymen- The Fountain [Ocean Rain]
04. Metric- Fantasies [Metric]
05. Little Boots- Hands [679]
06. Mando Diao- Give Me Fire! [Universal/Vertigo]
07. Kasabian- West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum  [RCA/BMG]
08. Marc Almond- Orpheus in Exile - The Songs of Vadim Kozin [Cherry Red]
09. White Lies- To Lose My Life [Fiction/Geffen]

Echo & The Bunnymen- The Fountain

Echo & The Bunnymen are going to release their eleventh studio album on October 12, 2009. The album is entitled 'The Fountain' and it was produced by John McLaughlin, and Coldplay singer Chris Martin has collaborated with the band on one of the album's tracks. "Think I Need It Too" is the first single from the album which has been released on September 28, 2009.

 

Echo & The Bunnymen- News

Echo & The Bunnymen have announced first official details about their tenth album which is due to be released later this year. The album will be entitled "The Fountain" and it will be available as a digital and CD release in October. The first single "Think I Need It Too" will be available as a digital single release on the 28th September. This song and three others are streaming on Bunnymen official. Check the link for more info.

http://www.bunnymen.com/Echo_%26_The_Bunnymen.html

Echo & The Bunnymen- The Works

Echo & The Bunnymen will release their best of compilation “The Works”, a three CD retrospective which will feature 45 songs including Echo & the Bunnymen’s biggest hits. The record will be released on March, 31st 2008.

Echo And The Bunnymen- Ocean Rain Concert

Echo And The Bunnymen are to play their classic 1984 album 'Ocean Rain' in with full orchestra. The concert will be held in London's Royal Albert Hall on September 16th next year.


More info here:
http://www.bunnymen.com/