Who's Afraid (Of The 1980s)
“…and that was Japan, the effeminate futurists from the eighties” – Alan Partridge, 1997
The 1980’s was the perfect decade for Alan Partridge to exist in; the sports-casual clothing, the cocktails, the wine bars, the Radio One Roadshow, the Austin Montego, Triangle, big hair, shiny pop music and Dire Straits. There was a certain superficial naffness to the 80’s, and that list could well sum up the whole aesthetic of that most aligned of all decades. With all the recent talk of Live Aid, upon the occasion of its 40th anniversary, it’s tempting for people to think that the event defined the 1980s, but it didn’t, in the same way that Woodstock didn’t define the 1960s. It’s time for the 80s to be re-framed.
In terms of music, whereas rock ruled the 1970s – be it classic, hard, progressive or punk – it was pop that would rule the 80s. It was a decade of two distinct halves; 1980 to 1985 were years in which the influence of new wave and synth pop were felt most strongly, but around 1985 something changed. The years between 1986 and 1989 had a completely different musical character. It might seem that, having taken place in the summer of 1985, slap bang in the middle of the decade, it was Live Aid that was the turning point, and symbolically that may have been true. But there were two other moments in 1985 that were even more significant.
When Bryan Ferry turned down the opportunity to record the title song for an upcoming Brat Pack movie called ‘The Breakfast Club’, in stepped Simple Minds. The success of Don’t You (Forget About Me) completed the band’s transformation from former darlings of the alternative scene to mega-selling stadium rockers. It seemed that post-punk and new wave’s moment in the sun had ended. But even this was merely symbolic in comparison to another respected post-punk band, Dead Or Alive’s decision to hire production team Stock, Aitken and Waterman in late 1984 to work on their upcoming single and album. The resulting 45, You Spin Me Round was huge, scoring Stock, Aitken & Waterman their first No 1 hit, it’s success then forging a path for the future with SAW’s trademark, hi-energy electro-clatter manufacturing a dozen household names and scoring one massive hit after another right to end of the decade, and changing the character of pop music in the process.
But just as the first half of the decade wasn’t all about Duran Duran, Culture Club & Spandau Ballet, the latter half wasn’t all about Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue & S-Express. For one thing there were The Smiths and indie label 4AD, as well as two independent scenes in the UK that shaped popular and alternative music for the next decade and beyond; Acid House and C86. The former paved the way for the Jungle, Drum’n’Bass and other electronic & dance movements of the 90s and 00s, and C86 laid the foundations for the guitar-based indie sounds of Madchester, Shoegaze and Britpop. One thing that links the two halves of the 1980s is that the creativity and experimentation inherent in some of the pop music made between 1980 and 1985 laid the foundations for the subsequent success of scenes like C86 and Acid House.
As a reminder of just how innovative and experimental pop music could be in the first half of the 80’s, I’ve listed 10 tracks at the end of this article that were all big hits in the UK, sounded unique in comparison to everything else around them, and ultimately helped shaped the future of music in both the short and long term. It just so happens that none of the acts in question appeared at Live Aid. It’s not to belittle that event in the slightest, the effect it had on raising awareness of the horrendous plight faced by millions in Africa was phenomenal; the music was a means to an end.
The acts that played at Wembley on 13th July 1985 were all hugely successful at that point in time, in terms of chart success, and therefore number of records sold. It’s obvious why they were asked to appear; they would increase the profile and popularity of the event as a whole. However, when you scan through the Wembley running order now, it is interesting to note how many of the acts that appeared that day experienced a steady, or in some cases sudden, dip in popularity from that moment on. Certain legacies were already assured, namely the longer term established acts such as David Bowie, Paul McCartney and The Who, and others benefitted greatly from their own performances on the day, namely Queen and U2, but they were the exceptions. So when viewed as a snapshot of the decade, it’s inevitable that some might think that the Live Aid line-up was a good reflection of what the 1980s music scene was all about. In retrospect, however, just as will be the case with today’s pop music, only a small percentage of the music heard at Live Aid proved influential to the music of the future. It was just that; a snapshot, a glossy polaroid, but not a panoramic view.
A random list of the most surprising and influential hits of the early 1980s:
Games Without Frontiers – Peter Gabriel
Always trying to move his music forward, and ever-willing to try out new ideas and approaches to recording, his third self-titled solo album, now known as ‘Melt’, had a claustrophobic and eerie sonic atmosphere that seemed both in step with the new wave times it was released in, yet wholly apart from anything else that had come before it. This was due in part to Gabriels use of the gated reverb effect on the drums, and his insistence that no cymbals were used. It was an approach and sound that proved highly influential, as can be heard on Bowie’s ‘Scary Monsters’ (1980), OMD’s ‘Architecture & Morality’ (1981) and Tears For Fears ‘The Hurting’ (1983). Games Without Frontiers included ‘Jeux sans frontières’ backing vocals from Kate Bush and Robert Fripp’s scathing and sparing guitar. It reached Number 4 in the UK early in 1980.
O Superman – Laurie Anderson
Released in 1981, and following an initial self-pressed run of 1000 copies, O Superman reached Number 2 in the UK charts and was only kept off the top spot by Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin’s cover of ‘It’s My Party’, another unusual and innovative track, but not in the same league as multi-media artist Laurie Anderson’s minimalist 8-minute epic.
I’m In Love With A German Film Star – The Passions
Compared to the other tracks on this list, this was a minor hit, only reaching Number 25 in the UK chart in 1981. It did however secure the Post-punk Londoners their one and only Top Of The Pops appearance. Unlike much of the pop music from the decade, this truly has stood the test of time, and with its languid tempo, Barbara Hogan’s yearning, understated vocal and guitarist Clive Timperley’s heavy use of Echoplex, it could be argued that I’m In Love With A German Film Star was the very first shoegaze track, several years before the term had been conceived.
Sat In Your Lap – Kate Bush
A kindred spirit to Peter Gabriel in terms of her desire to experiment and push music forward, the urgency and pounding tribal heartbeat of Sat In Your Lap was a world away from Wuthering Heights, which had itself sounded unlike anything else when it was a breakthrough hit in 1978. Released in 1981, it would eventually be included on the following years highly experimental The Dreaming. Bush was an early adopter of The Fairlight, a synthesizer/ sampler system that would become a studio staple as the decade progressed. Other singles from the album included There Goes A Tenner and the even weirder title track, but this makes the list because it was the album’s biggest hit, peaking at Number 11.
Wordy Rappinghood – Tom Tom Club
Released in 1981, the debut single from Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads peaked at number 7 in the UK, becoming a bigger commercial success than any single ever released by their ‘other’ band. Though it may initially seem quite minimal, with it’s combination of propulsive four-to-the-floor beat, synth stabs, hypnotic melody, Tina Weymouth’s distinctive rapping, intermittent conga rolls and shrill, high-pitched tribal chant, there’s a lot going on in it’s six and a half minutes, so it’s no surprise that the track has been much sampled over the years, by the likes of Madlib and The Ones, who plundered it’s riches for their dancefloor hit Flawless.
Ghosts – Japan
A top 5 hit in the UK in 1982, no mean feat for a sparse, brooding track with the slightest of rhythms played on a marimba. As Alan Partridge proved, Japan always seem to be lumped in with the New Romantic scene but they weren’t really a part of that. Although, like Duran Duran, Spandau et al, they were also in thrall to Bowie and Roxy Music, and with David Sylvian developing a vocal style that is rightly compared to that of Bryan Ferry, they had a sound and experimental approach all of their own. None of their so-called peers were inventive or creative enough to come up with a song as downbeat, off-kilter and deeply personal as Ghosts, let alone release it as a single. Sadly, the track proved to be the bands swansong, but what a note to leave on.
The Lovecats – The Cure
Given their status as the Godfathers of Goth, it’s perhaps easy to forget just what a great pop band The Cure were. Further to that, amid all their 1980’s chart successes, they retained their reputation as creators of moody, introspective and wholly atmospheric music, bookending the decade by releasing albums of the quality and brooding intensity of Seventeen Seconds, released in 1980, and 1989’s Disintegration. But it was The Lovecats that marked the band’s emergence onto the pop stage for many, it being their first top 10 hit, reaching the dizzy heights of 7 in the UK singles chart. When hearing it’s upbeat melody, wonderfully pretty lyrics and jazzy double bass line, it’s hard to believe that it’s the same band that recorded a record as bleak as Pornography just a year earlier. With that said, lyrically the song has much darker origins, further proving that pop music isn’t always as pretty as it seems.
Hand In Glove – Sandie Shaw
When this single charted in April 1984, it was rubbing shoulders with Queen’s I Want To Break Free, Duran Duran’s The Reflex and Against All Odds by Phil Collins. It may have only hit the lower reaches of the UK Top 30, but when it appeared on Top Of The Pops – featuring all members of The Smiths bar Morrissey – it marked a significant moment for the band and for Independent music as a whole. The Smiths decision to approach a sixties icon to cover one of their songs was a masterstroke; it raised their profile, shedding new light upon their talent as musicians and songwriters, and opened up a whole new audience for them in the process.
When Doves Cry – Prince & The Revolution
As well as being a great song, When Doves Cry is famous for having no bass line. 1984 was the breakthrough year for Prince, with this being his biggest hit of that year. He was a prolific artist who never liked to sit still creatively, continually surrounded himself with the right musicians, and who paid as much attention to visual presentation as to the music itself. Always an artist who preferred not to be a part of the commercial music establishment, Prince could have appeared at Live Aid but chose not to.
Close To The Edit – The Art Of Noise
If late 80’s pop music was all about Stock, Aitken & Waterman, then you could argue that the early 80’s belonged to Trevor Horn. As the decade progressed the former Buggles and Yes vocalist’s reputation as an innovative and forward-thinking producer grew rapidly. His breakthrough as a pop producer came in 1982, with the success of ABC’s The Lexicon Of Love. By 1984 he had set up his own label, ZTT, and, with the help of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, a Fairlight and his own creativity and ear for a hit, was dominating the charts, which culminated in his involvement in the Band Aid single at the end of that year. Aside from his production work, he also put together the studio based musical project The Art Of Noise, along with music writer Paul Morley, musician and arranger Anne Dudley, engineer/ producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik. The group’s debut album, Who’s Afraid (Of The Art Of Noise), was one of the standout releases of the 1980’s. Packed with sublime melodies, abrasive beats, and a sack-full of sample-friendly soundbites, the album was a revelation whose influence would be heard in pop, hip-hop and electronica for years to come. Close To The Edit serves as a neat musical synopsis of the album as a whole, was accompanied by a similarly surreal and innovative video, and made it to number 8 in the UK singles chart in February 1985, a few short months before a certain live event at Wembley.