Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits Of The '80s, Vol. 11

cryptosicko, you should do a Spotify playlist for these last five in this series.

In a Big Country - Big Country
Change - Tears for Fears
Talking in Your Sleep - The Romantics
Send Me an Angel - Real Life

one of these

I spent a night last week listening to Big Country singles last week. Man, they were pretty good through 1986, eh?

i know i played my copy of the debut album to death back in the day. well i assume the one with the blue cover is their debut, not positive thou.

Accidentally watched a video for Real Life - Send Me An Angel '89 and by then they have the trifecta of ponytail, mullet and Bolton mane. Send them some clippers.

So obscure it's not on Youtube:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xrc6j5

I used to think "Just Got Lucky" was by the Jam.

"Shiny Shiny" is a long-time fave and somehow evokes the spirit of this time period the best

Big Country v. Nena.

I voted for Mirror Mirror because I don’t think anybody else will. It’s pretty amazing and underrated.

Such a good comp, probably the best of the series.

The singer from Felony was in Rock Action's post-Stooges/pre-Destroy All Monsters proto-punk band The New Order:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K7Tw_3gwag

...as the singer, kinda Iggy-ish at times.

One of many great things abut Black Coffee in Bed is Difford's absolutely ripping guitar solo. Those are legit jazz chops.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, April 6, 2018 9:08 PM (yesterday)

Tilbrook's. He did the lion's share of the guitar playing in the studio.

It's a great song, though - easily the best thing about the Sweets From a Stranger album.

Doesn't Tilbrook also write all the music and Difford does the lyrics?

I always find these combos strange where the singer is the music guy and the other one is the lyricist. Same with Elton John and Taupin.

Yeah, that's right, even on the songs that Difford sings lead on!

I rate Tilbrook highly as a guitarist, actually, and was always fascinated by how many chords he could cram into a song - there's a Squeeze track called 'King George Street' which has quite a fair amount of chords in it.

TBH, Difford has a fairly monotone voice, so it makes sense he doesn't sing a lot, but I like the songs he's on like Cool For Cats.

Big Country v. Nena.

― Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Saturday, April 7, 2018 10:20 AM (five hours ago) Bookmark

otm
went with Nena but could have voted for either
i love both songs for basically the same reason -- they are exhilarating

i can look and breathe and see the sun etc

Guitar chords, maybe best to steer clear of that subject, Turrican?

And if you do bring them up, please for consistency’s sake provide them in alphanumeric order as has been your wont: A, A2, A6, A6/9, A7, A9, A11...

Science!

i only understand the words to the English version of 99 Luftballoons and I still voted for it
in 1983, i was 8 and actively disliked President Ronald Reagan and everything he stood for
and then this song comes on the radio (in English)?! my 8 year old brain went bananas. the lyrics are way more interesting than other stuff i had heard at the time, and they played it at the roller rink so it was magical in that sense as well.

i just watched the video for the first time in forever and it reminded me of what i thought was cool back then -- i remember thinking the woman who sang this song was super cool.
turns out, she was pretty cool! (hopefully she didn't turn out to be a terrible person)

Have your seen or read about her recent project with ex-Eurythmic Dave Stewart, LL?

i just googled around and found it!

and this, which lists her year of birth as 1960 and has a recent picture https://espaciochus.com/2015/03/24/nena/
she still seems cool!

i regret only learning her name today :(

It is a sunny spring day and there is nothing better in the world than "Just Got Lucky" atm.

TBH, Difford has a fairly monotone voice, so it makes sense he doesn't sing a lot, but I like the songs he's on like Cool For Cats.

― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Saturday, April 7, 2018 8:34 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

He sounds at his best on 'Someone Else's Heart', but that's pretty much because Elvis Costello convinced him to sing it that way - Tilbrook apparently tried to get him to sing like that again but he wouldn't.

Guitar chords, maybe best to steer clear of that subject, Turrican?

― Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Saturday, April 7, 2018 9:23 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm not taking posting advice from a noted disablist, particularly one that's trying to derail the thread. I'm ignoring every post you make from this point on.

Haven't learned your lesson, I see, carry on with that attitude and you'll be out of here, though not soon enough, you got lucky last time.

FP'd.

LOL, clown.

In fact, talking about the solo on 'Black Coffee In Bed' and the way it slips into that distinct middle section, 'True' also kinda does the same trick (albeit in a different way) for the sax solo.

I voted for Mirror Mirror because I don’t think anybody else will. It’s pretty amazing and underrated.

― El Tomboto,

I voted for this too. Those few Dollar singles are definitely Trevor Horn's most underrated productions.

Not familiar with all the songs here but the Fun Boy 3 tune is all time so that’s my vote

A lot of great tunes on this one. May have to go with "99 Luftballons"

Nice to see a couple big ups for Slow Children, I feel like they're pretty forgotten. Both their albums were patchy, but the high points (including "President", but I prefer "Spring in Fialta") are great. Not quite sure yet that I can vote for them though, stiff competition.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"Black Coffee in Bed" then.

Went with Felony.

"Black Coffee in Bed" reminds me of watching The Voice and some guy from "the heartland" does his rendition of a soul song.

I spent a lot of time as kid watching that In a Big Country video and trying to figure out what was going on with that woman. The video itself is the very picture of what a ten-year-old thinks a rewarding adult life would be like.

Wait, that's not slice of life Scotland?

talking in yr sleep

Voted Big Country but should have voted Romantics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSXEZe7tRuw

Going with "Send Me An Angel." I like having a single like that with no idea what another song by Real Life would sound like, vs. the equally good Big Country and The Fixx. Complete standalone.

Slow Children for President.

It must be Americans that still love Big Country, right? Can't imagine that shit flying with soggy island dwellers right now. Tbf I've never heard their albums but this is fairly unbearable even though I kind of liked the riff at the time. Humblebrag, I saw them opening for Bowie on the Glass Spider tour. Would much rather it had been The Cult.

99 Luftballons, an extremely tight and well produced track given how much is going on.

It must be Americans that still love Big Country, right? Can't imagine that shit flying with soggy island dwellers right now.

Why not?

just realised it's stuart adamson's birthday today - he would've been 60

:-(

I say this with love, but you people make me sick

The Fixx got robbed.

i was hoping "Change" would pull this off but number two is very respectful.

Wow, I don't even know the Tears For Fears song. I was the other Fixx vote.

The Fixx got robbed.

Yes. I didn't vote for it either but it deserved better than it got.

Wow, I don't even know the Tears For Fears song.

When does the end of me
Become the start of you

their first record is a Goth masterpiece: Tears for Fears: The Hurting poll

I'm sure Real Life have other songs, but it's so much more beautiful for me to imagine that they made one awesome song and then stopped making music

I'm one of the two votes for "Just Got Lucky", though i don't know what it's doing on a new wave compilation

The Fixx did get sorta robbed but that song gets played out everywhere, all the time. I’m impressed every song got a vote, but I reiterate, this is a strong contender for the best in the whole series.

I've got almost all of these CDs (they were legion in the used bins for a while and I had fun trying to collect the whole set) and I'm pretty sure this is the best one of the lot.

Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits Of The '80s, Vol. 1

the Ramones single only gets three votes and is OTM as it isn't better than anything that beat it.

The Halloween one is classic if for no other reason than it has six songs from the 80s called "Halloween" on it

Would love to cast a vote for Squeeze, but they just didn't bring their A game on "Black Coffee in Bed".

This is crazy talk! One of their most memorable melodies, a stunning Tilbrook guitar solo, solid arrangement, etc.

This song is easily one of the highlights of any Glenn Tilbrook solo show or Difford & Tilbrook performance, becoming as it does a great audience participation moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIJzhfsIknE

Audience backing vox did make me grin

I'm one of the two votes for "Just Got Lucky"

darn, forgot to vote. everyone add one more vote for Black Coffee In Bed in your mental tallies pretty please

Impossible for me to choose, so I didn't vote, but one thing I can say for sure is the Fixx should have done better

if Secret Separation is on one of these comps, i'll vote for The Fixx

Secret Separation is weird because it's def one of the best Fixx songs but that album is super weak

Volume 12

no question it's "change" for me