That Flock of Seagulls album is an absolute belter, if I had to pick one it'd be Space age love song for me, what a tune. Same reason you picked I Ran, cracking guitar solo but the drums kick arse too 🎵
class selection there! great to see you have such varied 45's in your collection! some of my synth pop favourites are Harry Thumann 'Underwater', Cowboys International 'Aftermath', Silicon Teens 'Judy In Disguise', The Associates 'Party Fears Two', Thomas Dolby 'Europa And The Pirate Twins', Our Daughters Wedding 'Lawn Chairs', Dalek I Love You 'Freedom Fighters', B Movie 'Remembrance Day' and China Crisis 'Wishful Thinking', cheers!
Lots for me to investigate. Love that Thomas Dolby. I have it on Lp but not 45. Sulk is a great Lp too. Judy in disguise is an old song. Not heard their version. Thanks for watching and commenting, Chris
What a great selection. It takes me back to the old days when I heard many of these songs on the alternative radio stations. Most of these were never released on 45s here in NZ so I had forgotten some of these gems. And you added a few I had never heard before. GIANT THUMBS UP
Really great selection, Chris. Many of those would also be my favourites. Two others that spring to mind are The Buggles-Video Killed The Radio Star and New Muzak-Living By Numbers. Heading off now to listen to that Seagulls song, don't think i have heard it since back in the day.
Another great selection Chris thank you. I have most of these on 45 and still play them regularly in DJ sets I do on Twitch. Interesting to see Simple Minds in there. The flip of Promised You A Miracle is a big favourite of mine Theme From Great Cities is a track that apparently became very big on the hip-hop scene and is often quoted as a B-Boy classic. I notice others have mentioned Party Fears Two by The Associates, B Movie's Remembrance Day and Lawn Chairs by Our Daughters Wedding which would all be in my top 30. My favourite 'synth pop' tune from the era is Cry Boy Cry by Blue Zoo (a hit in 1983 but released in 82). An absolute banger and a song that always lifts my mood.
Totally agree with most of your choices, Shit I have all the 7's! except Peter sh.....?. The Human League- Being Boiled should be in the top 5, Quiet Life too. The Normal -Warm Leatherette. How do your 7"s look so pristine? Simple minds so synthy in the early days Thirty Frames a Second or Celebrate, Changeling. New life best ever DM song totally agree.Have OMD's Electricity thermographic. top 5 definately. i ran debut 7" better version than the album version. Mentioned before Cabaret Voltaire -Nag Nag nag. New Order Procession? Keep them coming Chris loving the focus on 45's. Excellent Well done Mate.
Lots of these were nostalgic picks tbh. Always struggled with Japan. Saw them in 78. They were supporting blue oyster cult!! Japan were terrible I quite like rocky simple minds too. They look pristine as they are in plastic sleeves. Not so good out of them. Cheers my friend, Chris
Just to add, Blancmange made a few good synth pop singles too, notably I've Seen The Word and Living on the Ceiling. Saw them live supporting a very early Depeche Mode
A very unexpected number one....I'm not even sure I've heard it, and I must have left that Flock of Seagulls LP behind a million times. Great selection Chris. I learned recently that Mark King was involved with 'M' and Pop Musik, which I never knew before. Talking of synthy TV themes, I always loved the early eighties revamp of the Tomorrow's World theme. Then there was that scary synth-prog tune they used for 'World In Action', which still give me the chills to this day.
That flock of seagulls Lp is Marvellous. I love it. Don’t leave it behind again! Didn’t know about a mark King! I remember that World in Action theme. Very organy
We had a great club here in Vancouver called the Luv-A-Fair, they played nothing but punk, post punk, synth pop and early industrial beginning in the late '70s. I really loved going there and it attracted a lot of music fanatics looking for the latest imported sound. I really like the synth pop era you're talking about here. Pete Shelly's Homosapien is a great example of the genre. Everything's Gone Green by New Order, Computer Games by Mi-Sex, She's got a Gun by Yello, I Travel by Simple Minds (love your pick for them too) All your choices are great, so it's time to put together a playlist and relive my youth
Thank you Tim for watching so many of these videos and taking time to leave a comment. It’s appreciated. I do enjoy synthpop and thank you for your recommendations. Have a great weekend, Chris
A good intro overview. I would have chosen "Poison Arrow" over the other singles from ABC's Lexicon of Love. Synthpop was anathema to my NWOBHM/Hair Metal tastes until the attractive cover of "Happy Families" (1982) by Blancmange seduced me into buying it for $2.50 (Canada) a couple of months ago. The deep cuts pleasantly surprised me and I have since been looking for more similar material. My contribution to your list would be "The Safety Dance" 1982 by Men Without Hats. Try not to move your feet!
Commercially Gary Numan opened the door for most of these bands. His first solo album The Pleasure Principle sounded like it came from the future in 1979. It still does today. It's a masterpiece of simplicity. Raw synths driven by a traditional rhythm section. Numan is an underrated genius
Great list. I’d probably have chosen Yazoo’s Only You and OMD’s Souvenir ahead of your picks. As for a Flock of Seagulls, I never really noticed the guitar solo until you mentioned it in one of your videos in the past week or so. Keep up the great work. It’s a pleasure following you👍
Do you follow Sea of Tranquility Chris? They have a huge YT following. You’d be brilliant as a guest on there as they don’t seem to touch on the punk/new wave stuff you talk about. Brian
I remember hearing many, maybe at least half of those songs on college radio stations here in the states. Those certainly were times to remember when a lot of the bands sounded like something different and new. Do you remember the "T.V.O.D." / "Warm Leatherette" single by The Normal?
A little late to this video Chris but a great selection. I to like Synth pop and a few of my favourites are in your list. Early and later Ultravix with John Foxx and Midge Ure respectively, (RIP Chris Cross), Simple Mind, early Gary Numan and Tears for Fears. But outside of Rock I would place Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark high up in a top 10 of my all time favourites. I would struggle to pick just one of their singles, liking so much of the their whole catalogue. To this day the albums 'Organisation' and 'Architecture and Morality' still blow me away. Organisation especially because the cassette version had extra tracks, 4 non vinyl album songs, two of which are just superb. This is a great series of videos you have produced which has really taken me back to a much missed time. Thanks Chris!
Great list Chris. Possibly the best time for pop music. Fade to Grey is my fav - from a fantastic album. I think these could have made your list: She Had Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carne Games Without Frontiers by Peter Gabriel You Can Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties by Jonah Louis Thrown Away by the Stranglers
Lovely selection of records, Chris- some absolute classics. I really enjoy the way you do the countdown in your videos. A definite Top Of The Pops feel to it. It actually gets quite exciting!
All killer no filler there Chris. Nice to see Temptation feature quite highly. I'm going to have to dig out Rio and give the B-side a listen now. Fade to Grey is wonderful. I Ran is great and I also think Wishing runs it close. I'll have to make a playlist of these songs for the car. cheers Dale
An Interesting selection there Chris. Can I also throw in Peter Godwins Torch Song for the Heroine, Messengers I Turn in to You and Data Ricochet Love, fronted by former Sailor frontman Georg Kajanus
Just nodding in agreement takes me back to my DJ days when I played many different genres confusing my audience! 😂 I love and have a lot of these choices! Great stuff Chris! 👍
I'd go Messages for OMD but all in all a great list. BUT my favourite synth/pop song is I'm In Love With A German Film Star by The Passions. I was at school when it came out, completely forgot how brilliant it was until I watched the first episode of Ashes to Ashes and it's playing as Alex Drake walks into the restaurant. What a tune!!!
Telex were a Belgium group, Chris. Also, good to see you mention French band, Space, not to be confused with the British band of the same name from the1990's.
Really good choices, but I personally would have put Electricity by OMD. But I may be a little bias there because a mates band called Basczax from Teesside supported them at Middlesbrough Rock Garden in 79/80. I'm sure they went on tour with OMD too. Electricity is definitely one of my all-time favourites. You may have heard of my mates band before Basczax they were Blitzkrieg Bop, great punk band from 1977.
Simple minds are my totally favorite band promised you a miracle fantastic song god awful music video directed by the legendary Steve Barron of take on me and more
That Flock of Seagulls album is an absolute belter, if I had to pick one it'd be Space age love song for me, what a tune. Same reason you picked I Ran, cracking guitar solo but the drums kick arse too 🎵
Space age love song is tremendous
class selection there! great to see you have such varied 45's in your collection! some of my synth pop favourites are Harry Thumann 'Underwater', Cowboys International 'Aftermath', Silicon Teens 'Judy In Disguise', The Associates 'Party Fears Two', Thomas Dolby 'Europa And The Pirate Twins', Our Daughters Wedding 'Lawn Chairs', Dalek I Love You 'Freedom Fighters', B Movie 'Remembrance Day' and China Crisis 'Wishful Thinking', cheers!
Lots for me to investigate. Love that Thomas Dolby. I have it on Lp but not 45. Sulk is a great Lp too. Judy in disguise is an old song. Not heard their version. Thanks for watching and commenting, Chris
What a great selection. It takes me back to the old days when I heard many of these songs on the alternative radio stations. Most of these were never released on 45s here in NZ so I had forgotten some of these gems. And you added a few I had never heard before. GIANT THUMBS UP
Cheers Daniel. Great to hear from you
Really great selection, Chris. Many of those would also be my favourites. Two others that spring to mind are The Buggles-Video Killed The Radio Star and New Muzak-Living By Numbers.
Heading off now to listen to that Seagulls song, don't think i have heard it since back in the day.
Both were contenders! Love that seagulls song
Another great selection Chris thank you. I have most of these on 45 and still play them regularly in DJ sets I do on Twitch. Interesting to see Simple Minds in there. The flip of Promised You A Miracle is a big favourite of mine Theme From Great Cities is a track that apparently became very big on the hip-hop scene and is often quoted as a B-Boy classic. I notice others have mentioned Party Fears Two by The Associates, B Movie's Remembrance Day and Lawn Chairs by Our Daughters Wedding which would all be in my top 30. My favourite 'synth pop' tune from the era is Cry Boy Cry by Blue Zoo (a hit in 1983 but released in 82). An absolute banger and a song that always lifts my mood.
Forgot about Cry Boy Cry. I have that somewhere. Not sure it would have made it but a contender! Don’t know the others. Cheers Mark!
I must admit Japan : Ghosts and Bill Nelson/Red Noise stuff for me! 😂
I contemplated Bill Nelson nut didn’t have an appropriate 45!
@@TheVinylOrchard looking forward to the Disco selection as it is a wide ranging genre!
Totally agree with most of your choices,
Shit I have all the 7's! except Peter sh.....?.
The Human League- Being Boiled should be in the top 5, Quiet Life too. The Normal -Warm Leatherette. How do your 7"s look so pristine? Simple minds so synthy in the early days Thirty Frames a Second or Celebrate, Changeling. New life best ever DM song totally agree.Have OMD's Electricity thermographic. top 5 definately. i ran debut 7" better version than the album version. Mentioned before Cabaret Voltaire -Nag Nag nag. New Order Procession? Keep them coming Chris loving the focus on 45's. Excellent Well done Mate.
Lots of these were nostalgic picks tbh. Always struggled with Japan. Saw them in 78. They were supporting blue oyster cult!! Japan were terrible
I quite like rocky simple minds too. They look pristine as they are in plastic sleeves. Not so good out of them. Cheers my friend, Chris
Just to add, Blancmange made a few good synth pop singles too, notably I've Seen The Word and Living on the Ceiling. Saw them live supporting a very early Depeche Mode
Living on the ceiling nearly made the cut
A very unexpected number one....I'm not even sure I've heard it, and I must have left that Flock of Seagulls LP behind a million times. Great selection Chris. I learned recently that Mark King was involved with 'M' and Pop Musik, which I never knew before. Talking of synthy TV themes, I always loved the early eighties revamp of the Tomorrow's World theme. Then there was that scary synth-prog tune they used for 'World In Action', which still give me the chills to this day.
That flock of seagulls Lp is Marvellous. I love it. Don’t leave it behind again! Didn’t know about a mark King! I remember that World in Action theme. Very organy
Got a disco top 30 to come!! 😂
@@TheVinylOrchard I trust you'll be delivering the video in full lycra?
@@jamesgriffithsmusic I’ll leave that to when I run. The worlds not ready.
We had a great club here in Vancouver called the Luv-A-Fair, they played nothing but punk, post punk, synth pop and early industrial beginning in the late '70s. I really loved going there and it attracted a lot of music fanatics looking for the latest imported sound. I really like the synth pop era you're talking about here. Pete Shelly's Homosapien is a great example of the genre. Everything's Gone Green by New Order, Computer Games by Mi-Sex, She's got a Gun by Yello, I Travel by Simple Minds (love your pick for them too) All your choices are great, so it's time to put together a playlist and relive my youth
Thank you Tim for watching so many of these videos and taking time to leave a comment. It’s appreciated. I do enjoy synthpop and thank you for your recommendations. Have a great weekend, Chris
A good intro overview. I would have chosen "Poison Arrow" over the other singles from ABC's Lexicon of Love. Synthpop was anathema to my NWOBHM/Hair Metal tastes until the attractive cover of "Happy Families" (1982) by Blancmange seduced me into buying it for $2.50 (Canada) a couple of months ago. The deep cuts pleasantly surprised me and I have since been looking for more similar material.
My contribution to your list would be "The Safety Dance" 1982 by Men Without Hats. Try not to move your feet!
Love the safety Dance. Soft spot for the genre despite loving my rock stuff.
Neil Arthur (Blancmange) has got his second wind and is having a busy 2024.
Commercially Gary Numan opened the door for most of these bands. His first solo album The Pleasure Principle sounded like it came from the future in 1979. It still does today. It's a masterpiece of simplicity. Raw synths driven by a traditional rhythm section. Numan is an underrated genius
I often overlook the first Lp too. That’s good as well. Cheers, Chris
I would have squeezed Jon and Vangelis 'I'll Find My Way Home' somewhere into my top 30 synth pop 45's.....Great list though Chris.
Interesting choice from about 81 ish?
Yup, me too! The whole of the Mr Cairo album is ace!
Great selection of 45's and a real thrill to see all those singles! Really fun little video.
Thank you so much for watching!
Great list.
I’d probably have chosen Yazoo’s Only You and OMD’s Souvenir ahead of your picks.
As for a Flock of Seagulls, I never really noticed the guitar solo until you mentioned it in one of your videos in the past week or so.
Keep up the great work. It’s a pleasure following you👍
Only you was a contender as the B side Situation is brilliant. Thank you so much for your kind feedback. Cheers my friend, Chris
Do you follow Sea of Tranquility Chris?
They have a huge YT following. You’d be brilliant as a guest on there as they don’t seem to touch on the punk/new wave stuff you talk about.
Brian
My favourite channel tbh
I remember hearing many, maybe at least half of those songs on college radio stations here in the states. Those certainly were times to remember when a lot of the bands sounded like something different and new. Do you remember the "T.V.O.D." / "Warm Leatherette" single by The Normal?
I know the 45 but sadly don’t own it
A little late to this video Chris but a great selection. I to like Synth pop and a few of my favourites are in your list. Early and later Ultravix with John Foxx and Midge Ure respectively, (RIP Chris Cross), Simple Mind, early Gary Numan and Tears for Fears. But outside of Rock I would place Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark high up in a top 10 of my all time favourites. I would struggle to pick just one of their singles, liking so much of the their whole catalogue. To this day the albums 'Organisation' and 'Architecture and Morality' still blow me away. Organisation especially because the cassette version had extra tracks, 4 non vinyl album songs, two of which are just superb.
This is a great series of videos you have produced which has really taken me back to a much missed time. Thanks Chris!
So hard choosing one song. Glad you like the videos. Love doing them. Thanks for watching Robert, Chris
I'm like you. I love "The Chauffeur" more than "Rio". As for A Flock of Seagulls, "Space Age Love Song" is my favorite!
Space age ..was a real contender
Great list Chris. Possibly the best time for pop music. Fade to Grey is my fav - from a fantastic album. I think these could have made your list:
She Had Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carne
Games Without Frontiers by Peter Gabriel
You Can Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties by Jonah Louis
Thrown Away by the Stranglers
Great choices sir.
Love Bette Davis eyes. That stranglers Tuen is a great shout
Absolutely brilliant selection
Thank you Paul
Lovely selection of records, Chris- some absolute classics. I really enjoy the way you do the countdown in your videos. A definite Top Of The Pops feel to it. It actually gets quite exciting!
Thanks for watching Alan. Got a disco one on its way 😂
@@TheVinylOrchard Thanks for the warning...
@@statictraveller 😂😂
All killer no filler there Chris. Nice to see Temptation feature quite highly. I'm going to have to dig out Rio and give the B-side a listen now. Fade to Grey is wonderful. I Ran is great and I also think Wishing runs it close. I'll have to make a playlist of these songs for the car. cheers Dale
Makes a great playlist. Great stuff I think. Cheers Dale, chris
An Interesting selection there Chris. Can I also throw in Peter Godwins Torch Song for the Heroine, Messengers I Turn in to You and Data Ricochet Love, fronted by former Sailor frontman Georg Kajanus
Need to check those Out. Thanks for the recommendations my friend
Marvelous selection there but no Love Will Tear Us Apart? Also the amazing self titled single by Icehouse. New Musik too.
Always saw JD as guitar based and not synth pop. More post punk I guess. Living By numbers was a contender
Just nodding in agreement takes me back to my DJ days when I played many different genres confusing my audience! 😂 I love and have a lot of these choices! Great stuff Chris! 👍
Great genre. Got a disco video lined up too!!!!
I'd go Messages for OMD but all in all a great list. BUT my favourite synth/pop song is I'm In Love With A German Film Star by The Passions. I was at school when it came out, completely forgot how brilliant it was until I watched the first episode of Ashes to Ashes and it's playing as Alex Drake walks into the restaurant. What a tune!!!
Messages is superb. Love the Passions tune too
Early depeche mode single Dreaming of Me one of my favourites, and from the 70s Chicory Tips Son of my father, which was a Moroder song I believe
Someone else reminded me of chicory tip. Can’t believe I missed that. I love it. They are going to appear in a glam rock top 30 for sure
Telex were a Belgium group, Chris. Also, good to see you mention French band, Space, not to be confused with the British band of the same name from the1990's.
Great. Thanks Nick!
Excellent collection fade to grey my favourite
It’s a classic!
@@TheVinylOrchard the album is a excellent album to one of my favourites.
@@jamesgreig4805 wholeheartedly agree. FTG is the best on it for me. Cheers James, Chris
New life "12"inch on quadraphonic speakers with a few joints......oh my.
Lovely!
Really good choices, but I personally would have put Electricity by OMD. But I may be a little bias there because a mates band called Basczax from Teesside supported them at Middlesbrough Rock Garden in 79/80. I'm sure they went on tour with OMD too. Electricity is definitely one of my all-time favourites. You may have heard of my mates band before Basczax they were Blitzkrieg Bop, great punk band from 1977.
Heard of Blitzkrieg Bop. I did include Electricity!
Something by Erasure, New Order or Howard Jones could be included, and my favorite Human League song is The Lebanon.
The Lebanon is a great track I think!
This was only up to 82
Simple minds are my totally favorite band promised you a miracle fantastic song god awful music video directed by the legendary Steve Barron of take on me and more
They did some brilliant songs!
Wow!
Wow indeed!
New Life was not their debut. That was ‘Dreaming of Me’ / ‘Ice Machine’
@@andyevans8385 thanks Andy
All good, just found your channel, very interesting, will work my way through the vids.
Cheers fella, Chris
Ashes To Ashes ?
@@justinrowles541 very good shout
Son of my father chicory tip
Hell yes. Great shout!