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[list] -> 10 influential albums from the 80s

Discuss your favorite songs, artists or post your top ten lists from the new wave era or related genres.

[list] -> 10 influential albums from the 80s

Postby negative1 » Sun Jan 19, 2014 3:28 am

hi new wavers'ers

here's my list, and
thoughts i have about
music i liked in the 80's..

abc didn't make the list

but they are still
definitely one of my other
groups from the 80's that
i like to listen to on
occasion....

----------------------------------------------
top 10 influential albums of the 80's
----------------------------------------------

[kraftwerk] -> computer world '81 /warner bros

the penultimate electronic album, mixing
computer vocoders, electronic rhythms and
beats, this minimalist sounding recreation
has yet to be matched even today by groups
with superior technology...... (only to be
matched by their latter effort 'electric cafe'),
karl bartos, emil shuldt, florian schneider,
all provided back up to ralph hutter's vocals,
and created a unit, that emerged as the dominant
force in electronic music for the next
two decades and beyond....kraftwerk embodied
a new approach to music, mechanical, and
mathematical, this decomposition of music
down to the fundamental units of sound,
captured societies fascination with technological
and futuristic innovation....kraftwerk
redefined and brought back 'concept' albums
with each release being a masterpiece
in combining natural sound elements
(in the form of 'samples') and new
sounds created exclusively through their
own custom musical instruments and studio
(kling klang).. a landmark for electronic music
in the eyes of many artists, and a huge influence
on the electronica/techno scene that survives even
today..........

---------------------------------------------
[new order] -> power, corruption and lies '83 /factory

another collobaration of rock and electronic
music blend seamlessly in this merger..
the precussor to 'blue monday', this album
proved to be the final monumental epic
that new order would make for the rest of
their career (only to be approached by
'low life')...electronic rhythms, drum
machines, bass and electric guitars all
blended into a superior mix of sounds
complimented by bernard summners superior
vocals and discordant lyrics...another
notch in their long list of commercial
and critical releases..new order helped
to create a revolution in the way they
released music, the artwork and design
that went into it, and creating an identity
through 'factory' studio.... templates that
would be used by almost every modern day group
even now........

---------------------------------------------
[ultravox] -> lament '84 /chrysalis

a band with a long past, and a huge string of
commercial hits...ultravox regenerated themselves
in the 80's into a new romatic, electro-pop group.
midge ure helped create the new and urgent sound
that permeates the entire album...many of their
other releases, like 'vienna', and 'quartet' showed
that they could release cohesive, and artistic
sounding albums...but all of it meshed together
in their most creative and critically acclaimed work on
'lament'...evoking sympathy, romance,
and political commentary, each song created an
atmosphere that told it's story through the
instruments and midge ure's distinct vocals..
a masterpiece for ultravox....

---------------------------------------------
[simple minds] -> new gold dream (81-82-83-84) '82 /a&m

after several albums and different sounds,
jim kerr sparkled all throughout this release,
regardless of the several session musicians
that worked on it (and guest stars)..it still
came together in an artistic and musical
triumph....several singles including 'promised
you a miracle' cemented their success in the uk,
for what would be two decades of music...
flawless keyboard work, subtle melodies,
poetic lyrics, and impeccable studio work
created a work of art that set a standard
for them.....proudly hailed as the new
dream for the 80's, it lived up to it's billing,
and continues to sound as fresh today, as it
did when it was first released..simple minds
extensive touring forged them into one of
uk's most vibrant 'live' bands, and even
today simple minds continues to create
music , though at a much slower pace, and
with different members...however their
legacy is well preserved, and continues
to shine brightly like a glittering
prize that will be treasured forever......

---------------------------------------------
[skinny puppy] -> vivisect VI '88 / nettwerk

skinny puppy helped pushed the industrial era
into the public consciousness with many of
their releases, '88 saw the release of this
influential and political sounding album..
harsh, grating, nerve-wracking barely begin
to describe the content.... not for the timid,
and definitely not suited for everyone's ears,
a horror movie made into a soundtrack, but
scarier..nivek ogre, cevin key, and dwayne
gottel, formed a core for the group, and
rotating members such as alan jourgensen
(of ministry) also helped fashion and
forge this experimental blend of sounds,
samples, and rhythms....their live shows
created a new standard in implementing
stage props, improvisation, and audio-
visual elements into their presentation..
though skinny puppy has disbanded, the
individual members have continued to
release music in many, many countless
side-projects, and alternative bands,
even lending production and engineering
for many of the other influential industrial
/ gothic / and alternative bands that continue
to exist even in todays music.....skinny
puppy helped bring canada recognition for
their artists, and also made 'nettwerk' a
label to be reckoned with as pioneers in
the alternative scene...


---------------------------------------------
[u2] -> war '83 / island

the irish political rock band created this
album after two other remarkable releases..
however in their long and thriving career,
this piece best defines the traditional
sound they once had....soaring guitar hooks,
loud and brash drumming, melodic basslines,
and ardent and impassionate lyrics from
bono hilight this release....'sunday
bloody sunday', 'two hearts', and 'new
years day', all tell stories of a time,
with a magnitude that has yet to be
reached again in the last decade from
bono.........no gimmicks, no multi-million
dollar stage shows, or fancy outfits, just
the music, and the attitude that made it
have created this legacy of work that will
stand up to any other groups best work, and
surpass it....

---------------------------------------------
[depeche mode] -> construction time again '83 /sire

another all synthesizer band that captured
the publics eye, and ears....a carefully
constructed work of art, that seemed to
explore man and machine in a pop sense that
was more accessible to people and dance
clubs (with the many, many remixes and
singles that came from the group)..
depeche mode came from a lightweight
pop sensibility but honed their skill,
and their writing techniques here...
a much darker and brooding tone would
envelope their later releases, however
here they shine through several of
the tracks 'everything counts', 'love
in itself', and even the non-album
track produced around the same time
'get the balance right'.....that's exactly
what happened here, they got the balance
right........and it paid off....david
gahan, taking his vocal skills to the
next level, helped define synthpop with
his body of work, and daniel miller
and gareth jones helped fashion the
music into a tight sounding and unmatched
production.........depeche mode continues
successfully today, a testament to their
adaptive attitude, and the impressive
legacy that they have created.....

---------------------------------------------
[cabaret voltaire] -> the sword, the covenant, the arm
of the lord '85 / some bizarre

cabaret's voltaire influence on modern day
electronic music is only matched by few other
groups (mentioned on this list)...this early
experimental groups was one of the first to
implement audio-visual techniques fully into
their exhibitions.....music was actually the
result of several of the numerous projects
they embarked on...after nearly a decade of
work...this industrial masterpiece pushed
the forefront of electronic / techno /
industrial music in the realm of the club
scenes....they also launched many singles,
and remixes (including the highly acclaimed
'sensoria') that would forever become club
staples...richard kirk and stephen mallinder
created an entity that has lived on long
past the early heyday of the '80's and have
continously recreated themselves throughout
the following decade...though not highly
visible now, they still remain active, and
continue to put out critical and thoughtful
music as well as helping other artists
develop other musical pieces.....

---------------------------------------------
[the human league] -> dare '81 / a&m

the second incarnation of this group with
philip oakey helped put electronic music
on the map on both major continents with
this huge critical and commercially
successful album...'dare' captured the
new romantic movement and brought synthpop
to the forefront of pop radio, and helped
create a demand that opened the doors for
countless other bands.....true, they may
not have been the first (soft cell and
other groups were also achieving success)..
but their quirky blend of motown,
synthesizers, and fashion set a standard
that perfectly captured the essence better
than most of the other bands....nothing
less than 4 releases came off this album,
and the rest of the music combined
effortlessly in this combination of
commentary, romance, and pop thanks
largely to martin rushent's production..
the league are still around even now,
however after many changes and styles
in music and looks, many people still
continue to remember the sound from
'dont you want me', and that's what
brought them to their current fascination
with synthpop and electronic music..

---------------------------------------------
[big country] -> the crossing '83 / mercury

this scottish band, like many of the other
political rock bands that came out of europe at
the time, were definitely overshadowed by u2,
and even simple minds...however, not to
diminish their works, or all the music
they made...they do stand out amongst the
crowd...incredible musicians each in
their own right, mark brezezicki, a world
class drummer, tony butler and bruce
watson on bass and guitar, along with vocalist
stewart adamson, brought a well crafted, and
excellently produced album by steve lillywhite
to the world....yes the trademark guitars
along with the faux bagpipe sound might
have been regarded as a gimmick..however
the many, many albums, and singles that
they delivered afterwards showed that their
potential was in fact not just a fluke or one
off piece of work.....the entire album created
a landscape of music that ranged from
anthemic rock (fields of fire), radio
hits (in a big country) and melodic
ballads (chance)...all in one cohesive
package.....big country still makes music
today, and continues to tour even after
several revisions in their lineup and
changes in their musical style..

-------------------

alphabetically,
-1
negative1
Room at the Top
 
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