Brought to you by Crispy Zebra.com
‘In touch with the ground, I’m on the hunt I’m after you’
Pop excess, shoulder pads, leg warmers, rubik’s cubes and like, totally rad sayings: that’s the eighties for you. It was the era when the stadium band went mainstream, with the following four acts selling out the largest of large venues the world over.
Simple Minds: Never ones to stand still and be pigeon-holed, the Glasgow band moved between genres as diverse as new wave, Pop-Rock, Post-Punk and Alternative Rock, with a smattering of New Romanticism and Prog thrown in for good measure. Ably-led by charismatic vocalist Jim Kerr and all-round musician Charlie Burchill, their initial efforts owed a lot to major influences such as Roxy Music and David Bowie.
Success on a reasonable scale was achieved in the UK throughout the early years, most notably on the release of their 1981 Steve Hillage-produced Sons and Fascination. This early promise was built upon by their first album to hit the mainstream: New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) with hits such as Glittering Prize and Promised you a Miracle gaining the attention of a larger audience. 1984’s Sparkle in the Rain was better still (the blistering Waterfront and Up on the Catwalk fine examples of a band who were ready for the big time).
They didn’t need to wait long for it to arrive...
The United States finally became aware of Simple Minds in 1985 with their tour de force Once Upon a Time; their most commercial, radio-friendly work by a country mile. The States lapped it up, and hits like Don’t you forget about me, Alive and Kicking, Sanctify Yourself and Ghost Dancing ensured decades of repeat plays and royalty checks. The nineties releases saw a much more serious, often bitter introspection, none more so than with the controversial Belfast Child. Still touring today, Simples Minds deservedly occupy a place in many a forty-something’s heart.
If you only own one Simple Minds Album: it has to be Once Upon a Time: great stuff.
Five tracks to download:
The American (1981)
Waterfront (1983)
Up on the Catwalk (1984)
Don’t You Forget about Me (1985)
Alive and Kicking (1985)
Duran Duran: A key instigator in the MTV Generation, Duran Duran hit the states like a steam train. Unlike Simple Minds, the Brummies’ rise was meteoric, riding high on the new wave of New Romantic bands such as ABC, Spandau Ballet and Japan; their videos instantly broadcast to hundreds of millions of home worldwide 24/7.
Notoriously ripped off by an EMI contract, their first album Duran Duran was a heady mix of synths, big hair, makeup and questionable sexuality. Their first top twenty UK hit, Planet Earth a statement of intent from the Birmingham upstarts. Their next single Girls on Film did even better, reaching number 3. EMI nicknamed the band ‘The Fab Five’ and started work on their strategy for American, then global, domination.
But it didn’t arrive. Well, not at first anyway...
The second album Rio’s first single, the instantly catchy Hungry like the Wolf hardly registered stateside, and the label began to get edgy. It was only with the release of an extended dance version (something for which the band should take a pioneering bow) that airplay and disco play, for that matter, increased considerably, giving them a number one in the UK and a number 4 in the US. They had arrived.
Along with other early 80’s English Giants Culture Club and Wham! Duran Duran went from strength to strength globally, at one stage making them tax exiles in the south of France. Rio, Save a Prayer, Is there something I should know and The Reflex were all huge smashes, and although their stay at the top was limited, their status as a stadium band kept them rolling well into the nineties. And as for the nineties, a mention should be given to the wonderful single Ordinary World, a lament on lost youth, an unknown future and the onset of middle age: if they are only remembered for these magnificent four minutes, it is still surely enough.
If you only own one Duran Duran Album: you should plump for Rio: full of glitz, glamour and 80’s excess: a time capsule of a record: trust me, it really was this bonkers back then...
Five tracks to download:
Planet Earth (1981)
Girls on Film (1981)
Save a Prayer (1982)
Rio (1982)
Ordinary World (1990)
Dire Straits: The first two Dire Straits albums (the eponymous debut and Communiqué, from 78 and 79) couldn’t have been more removed from Yankee Stadium if they tried; more in touch with folk and rootsy Delta Blues than Interstellar Rock group. Their leader, ex-school teacher Mark Knopfler, a truly gifted guitar-playing front man, bent the strings of his Stratocaster with the assurance of Hank Williams: his brother David playing some fantastic backing rhythm - a combination that fully deserves re-investigation.
David left during the recording of 1980’s Making Movies: the album keeping the UK popularity stakes on the up. There were some beautiful compositions (notably Tunnel of Love and Romeo and Juliet). But the style was changing: the thundering Solid Rock a telling hint at what was to come. By the time 1982’s Love over Gold arrived, America had taken notice: its title track a striking ballad that Jim Steinman would have been proud of. Private Investigations explored themes of love and betrayal, Spanish Guitar, synths and a brooding menace - groundbreaking indeed. Most notable, though, was the epic Telegraph Road, a study of lost Americana, unemployment and disillusioned youth: the nearest thing to Born to Run an Englishman has ever created.
And so the stadiums beckoned, and after extensive touring, the 1985 release of Brothers in Arms turned the unassuming rockers into global super stars. TV, Radio and unit-friendly singles abound: it certified nine times platinum in the States and to this day is the one of the world’s bestselling albums (30 million and counting). Money for Nothing (featuring Police front man Sting) summed up the ‘mememe’ eighties generation perfectly, Walk of Life a track that had ‘Hank Marvin’ written all over it. On the slower, more pensive tracks, Your Latest Trick and Why Worry showed a writer at the peak of his artistic form. Add to this the emotive title track and the thumping The Man’s too Strong and you have a work that could never truly be eclipsed.
A hiatus was called for, and Knopfler, to his credit, recognized that there wasn’t really anywhere left to take the band; and it wasn’t until 1991’s criminally underrated On Every Street came out that the end was in sight (number one in the UK, yes, but stateside, their popularity was on the wane). Standout tracks Millionaire Blues and Fade to Black succinctly revealed the conundrum of the eighties pop star. Knopfler continues to record work for himself these days, and I for one applaud this wise decision.
If you only own one Dire Straits Album: it should be Brothers in Arms - despite its faults, the sum of its parts really is something rather special.
Five tracks to download:
Sultans of Swing (1978)
Water of Love (1979)
Tunnel of Love (1981)
Telegraph Road (1982)
So Far Away (1985)
The Police: What the Police possess that the above three do not is the element of contemporary longevity: amply demonstrated by their 2008 reunion tour (it made them the world’s highest-earning musicians in that golden year: their legendary status now assured).
Rather than look at their album catalogue, it is probably better to consider The Police as one of the most successful singles bands of all time. Forming in London in 1977, the three-piece began as a groundbreaking force on the mushrooming new wave movement, mixing punk with reggae, attitude with guitar-laden sexiness. Their initial single, Roxanne was a huge hit the second time around in the UK - their label A + M clearly seeing something in the band that others had missed. After touring the length and breadth of the United States in a battered van, the suicidal Can’t Stand Losing You was released, followed up by the addictive Rock/reggae crossover Message in a Bottle and eerie Walking on the Moon. By now, they had made it: radio stations clamouring for the latest news on this enigmatic three-piece.
By 1980 the band had completed their first world tour, quickly followed by the controversial Don’t Stand so close to Me and the nonsensical Do Do Do, De Da Da Da; both big hits in the US. By the time Duran Duran had hit the big time, Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers had paved the way for them, and 1982’s releases Every Little Thing she does is Magic, Invisible Sun and Spirits in the Material World showed a maturing self-confidence that left many of their contemporaries in the shade.
It all seemed so effortless...
1983 is seen by many as the band’s zenith, and it is hard to argue with this when you consider the quality of the releases during that brief 12-month period. Every Breath You Take is their greatest composition, and one of the greatest singles ever released. Wrapped around Your Finger and King of Pain were examples of a band at the peak of their success. 1983’s sell-out gig at Shea Stadium, where The Beatles had so famously played 17 years earlier, was described by Sting as the ‘Everest’ of their career: shortly after saw the front man split the band to focus on a highly successful solo career. Still one of the most popular bands to come out of the late seventies/early eighties period, The Police are deservedly still revered in the digital age.
If you only own one Police Album: it should be the 2005 Greatest Hits Compilation - not a duffer in sight
Five tracks to download:
Roxanne (1978)
Message in a Bottle (1979)
Invisible Sun (1981)
Every Breath You Take (1983)
Wrapped Around Your Finger (1983)
Brought to you by Crispyzebra.com
‘In touch with the ground, I’m on the hunt I’m after you’
Pop excess, shoulder pads, leg warmers, rubik’s cubes and like, totally rad sayings: that’s the eighties for you. It was the era when the stadium band went mainstream, with the following four acts selling out the largest of large venues the world over.
Simple Minds: Never ones to stand still and be pigeon-holed, the Glasgow band moved between genres as diverse as new wave, Pop-Rock, Post-Punk and Alternative Rock, with a smattering of New Romanticism and Prog thrown in for good measure. Ably-led by charismatic vocalist Jim Kerr and all-round musician Charlie Burchill, their initial efforts owed a lot to major influences such as Roxy Music and David Bowie.
Success on a reasonable scale was achieved in the UK throughout the early years, most notably on the release of their 1981 Steve Hillage-produced Sons and Fascination. This early promise was built upon by their first album to hit the mainstream: New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) with hits such as Glittering Prize and Promised you a Miracle gaining the attention of a larger audience. 1984’s Sparkle in the Rain was better still (the blistering Waterfront and Up on the Catwalk fine examples of a band who were ready for the big time).
They didn’t need to wait long for it to arrive...
The United States finally became aware of Simple Minds in 1985 with their tour de force Once Upon a Time; their most commercial, radio-friendly work by a country mile. The States lapped it up, and hits like Don’t you forget about me, Alive and Kicking, Sanctify Yourself and Ghost Dancing ensured decades of repeat plays and royalty checks. The nineties releases saw a much more serious, often bitter introspection, none more so than with the controversial Belfast Child. Still touring today, Simples Minds deservedly occupy a place in many a forty-something’s heart.
If you only own one Simple Minds Album: it has to be Once Upon a Time: great stuff.
Five tracks to download:
The American (1981)
Waterfront (1983)
Up on the Catwalk (1984)
Don’t You Forget about Me (1985)
Alive and Kicking (1985)
Duran Duran: A key instigator in the MTV Generation, Duran Duran hit the states like a steam train. Unlike Simple Minds, the Brummies’ rise was meteoric, riding high on the new wave of New Romantic bands such as ABC, Spandau Ballet and Japan; their videos instantly broadcast to hundreds of millions of home worldwide 24/7.
Notoriously ripped off by an EMI contract, their first album Duran Duran was a heady mix of synths, big hair, makeup and questionable sexuality. Their first top twenty UK hit, Planet Earth a statement of intent from the Birmingham upstarts. Their next single Girls on Film did even better, reaching number 3. EMI nicknamed the band ‘The Fab Five’ and started work on their strategy for American, then global, domination.
But it didn’t arrive. Well, not at first anyway...
The second album Rio’s first single, the instantly catchy Hungry like the Wolf hardly registered stateside, and the label began to get edgy. It was only with the release of an extended dance version (something for which the band should take a pioneering bow) that airplay and disco play, for that matter, increased considerably, giving them a number one in the UK and a number 4 in the US. They had arrived.
Along with other early 80’s English Giants Culture Club and Wham! Duran Duran went from strength to strength globally, at one stage making them tax exiles in the south of France. Rio, Save a Prayer, Is there something I should know and The Reflex were all huge smashes, and although their stay at the top was limited, their status as a stadium band kept them rolling well into the nineties. And as for the nineties, a mention should be given to the wonderful single Ordinary World, a lament on lost youth, an unknown future and the onset of middle age: if they are only remembered for these magnificent four minutes, it is still surely enough.
If you only own one Duran Duran Album: you should plump for Rio: full of glitz, glamour and 80’s excess: a time capsule of a record: trust me, it really was this bonkers back then...
Five tracks to download:
Planet Earth (1981)
Girls on Film (1981)
Save a Prayer (1982)
Rio (1982)
Ordinary World (1990)
Dire Straits: The first two Dire Straits albums (the eponymous debut and Communiqué, from 78 and 79) couldn’t have been more removed from Yankee Stadium if they tried; more in touch with folk and rootsy Delta Blues than Interstellar Rock group. Their leader, ex-school teacher Mark Knopfler, a truly gifted guitar-playing front man, bent the strings of his Stratocaster with the assurance of Hank Williams: his brother David playing some fantastic backing rhythm - a combination that fully deserves re-investigation.
David left during the recording of 1980’s Making Movies: the album keeping the UK popularity stakes on the up. There were some beautiful compositions (notably Tunnel of Love and Romeo and Juliet). But the style was changing: the thundering Solid Rock a telling hint at what was to come. By the time 1982’s Love over Gold arrived, America had taken notice: its title track a striking ballad that Jim Steinman would have been proud of. Private Investigations explored themes of love and betrayal, Spanish Guitar, synths and a brooding menace - groundbreaking indeed. Most notable, though, was the epic Telegraph Road, a study of lost Americana, unemployment and disillusioned youth: the nearest thing to Born to Run an Englishman has ever created.
And so the stadiums beckoned, and after extensive touring, the 1985 release of Brothers in Arms turned the unassuming rockers into global super stars. TV, Radio and unit-friendly singles abound: it certified nine times platinum in the States and to this day is the one of the world’s bestselling albums (30 million and counting). Money for Nothing (featuring Police front man Sting) summed up the ‘mememe’ eighties generation perfectly, Walk of Life a track that had ‘Hank Marvin’ written all over it. On the slower, more pensive tracks, Your Latest Trick and Why Worry showed a writer at the peak of his artistic form. Add to this the emotive title track and the thumping The Man’s too Strong and you have a work that could never truly be eclipsed.
A hiatus was called for, and Knopfler, to his credit, recognized that there wasn’t really anywhere left to take the band; and it wasn’t until 1991’s criminally underrated On Every Street came out that the end was in sight (number one in the UK, yes, but stateside, their popularity was on the wane). Standout tracks Millionaire Blues and Fade to Black succinctly revealed the conundrum of the eighties pop star. Knopfler continues to record work for himself these days, and I for one applaud this wise decision.
If you only own one Dire Straits Album: it should be Brothers in Arms - despite its faults, the sum of its parts really is something rather special.
Five tracks to download:
Sultans of Swing (1978)
Water of Love (1979)
Tunnel of Love (1981)
Telegraph Road (1982)
So Far Away (1985)
The Police: What the Police possess that the above three do not is the element of contemporary longevity: amply demonstrated by their 2008 reunion tour (it made them the world’s highest-earning musicians in that golden year: their legendary status now assured).
Rather than look at their album catalogue, it is probably better to consider The Police as one of the most successful singles bands of all time. Forming in London in 1977, the three-piece began as a groundbreaking force on the mushrooming new wave movement, mixing punk with reggae, attitude with guitar-laden sexiness. Their initial single, Roxanne was a huge hit the second time around in the UK - their label A + M clearly seeing something in the band that others had missed. After touring the length and breadth of the United States in a battered van, the suicidal Can’t Stand Losing You was released, followed up by the addictive Rock/reggae crossover Message in a Bottle and eerie Walking on the Moon. By now, they had made it: radio stations clamouring for the latest news on this enigmatic three-piece.
By 1980 the band had completed their first world tour, quickly followed by the controversial Don’t Stand so close to Me and the nonsensical Do Do Do, De Da Da Da; both big hits in the US. By the time Duran Duran had hit the big time, Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers had paved the way for them, and 1982’s releases Every Little Thing she does is Magic, Invisible Sun and Spirits in the Material World showed a maturing self-confidence that left many of their contemporaries in the shade.
It all seemed so effortless...
1983 is seen by many as the band’s zenith, and it is hard to argue with this when you consider the quality of the releases during that brief 12-month period. Every Breath You Take is their greatest composition, and one of the greatest singles ever released. Wrapped around Your Finger and King of Pain were examples of a band at the peak of their success. 1983’s sell-out gig at Shea Stadium, where The Beatles had so famously played 17 years earlier, was described by Sting as the ‘Everest’ of their career: shortly after saw the front man split the band to focus on a highly successful solo career. Still one of the most popular bands to come out of the late seventies/early eighties period, The Police are deservedly still revered in the digital age.
If you only own one Police Album: it should be the 2005 Greatest Hits Compilation - not a duffer in sight
Five tracks to download:
Roxanne (1978)
Message in a Bottle (1979)
Invisible Sun (1981)
Every Breath You Take (1983)
Wrapped Around Your Finger (1983)
Brought to you by Crispyzebra.com
