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Number 1: Blue Peter - Water Off The Moon

Canadian band Blue Peter formed in 1978 and released three full-length albums and one EP over the next six years. Those records contained great songs such as "Radio Silence" (#116 on this list), "Falling" (#56) and "Don't Walk Past" (#21). By early 1984, however, things had changed. New wave had faded in popularity; the clean, sparse synthesizer sound being replaced by a new pop sensibility. Blue Peter recognized this and set out to make a different kind of album. Vertigo, as the record was to be titled, would attempt to wed new wave, pop, and rock. A brave, original idea - something never tried before (and maybe since). Alas, it wasn't to be. The band disagreed on many aspects of the new LP. Compromises failed, and Blue Peter split up before Vertigo could be finished. The band was done, but one song survived in its complete form. "Water Off The Moon" was to have been the lead-off single from Vertigo.

Would "Water Off The Moon" have been a hit? Would Vertigo have saved new wave? We'll never know. Some demo versions, half-finished, have been released from the Vertigo sessions in the years since, on various greatest hits compilations and such. They're intriguing glimpses of what could have been, although no one can say for certain how those songs would have turned out had they been completed by the band.

We only have one finished song from Vertigo: "Water Off The Moon".

For its fantastic bassline, its driving drums, its subtle, almost-hidden-at-times synthesizers, its amazing, cryptic lyrics, its haunting vocals by Paul Humphrey, and for all the lost potential it carries with it to this day, "Water Off The Moon" gets the ultimate spot on my Top 200. In some alternate universe, Blue Peter stayed together and released Vertigo at the absolute height of their creative powers. In the real world, we can only listen to this song and imagine what that record might have sounded like.


Live performance from 2008 (Blue Peter reunited in 2006):

I hope everyone enjoyed listening to the 200 songs I picked, and reading my little write-ups. It was fun for me, and I hope it was fun for you. I would encourage anyone who might want to give it a go to do so! I'd love to read *your* top 200 (or 100, or 300, or whatever).

This blog is now finished, but great new wave and synthpop from that era will always be with us, a reminder of what I consider a better and more interesting time in the history of pop music. I'm out, cheers!  -Marc

Number 2: A Flock Of Seagulls - Modern Love Is Automatic

A Flock Of Seagulls' eponymous 1982 debut album contained the hits "I Ran (So Far Away)", "Messages" (#122 on this list) and "Space Age Love Song" (#15). To me, however, "Modern Love Is Automatic" is their best track. In fact, I love it so much that I had it at #1 on my Top 200 off and on throughout the summer. Ultimately it settled into the #2 spot, but it was close. This song is the epitome of musical greatness. Mike Score's vocals, the synth lines, the drums, the guitar work of Paul Reynolds. It all adds up to an amazing listening experience. Never released as a single, "Modern Love Is Automatic" is four minutes of sonic bliss.

P.S. Never mind annoying solos and shredding crap. *This* is how you use an electric guitar! Absolutely perfect use of the instrument in a song.

Live performance below.

Number 3: Trans-X - Eyes Of Desire

Canadian new wave group Trans-X released multi-platinum album Living On Video in early 1986. The LP featured their biggest hit, "Living On Video" (#165 on this list) and the awesome track "Through The Eyes Of The Nineties" (#107). Another song, however, eclipsed them both for pure synthpop excellence: "Eyes Of Desire". This tune was somehow never released as a single, but it held the #1 spot on this list for a time before eventually settling in at #3. Pascal Languirand, Laurie Gill, and the rest of the band outdid themselves with this track, and for me synthpop music doesn't get any better than this (well, I suppose it does get better, since "Eyes Of Desire" is #3 not #1, but you know what I mean). Trans-X hits it out of the ballpark with their third and final entry on my Top 200.

...and they still rock! Here's Trans-X with their 2011 single release "I Want To Be With You Tonight".

Number 4: Bill Nelson - Flaming Desire

Musical genius Bill Nelson dropped his second solo album, The Love That Whirls, in 1982. "Flaming Desire" was released as a single, only reaching #55 on the UK charts (though it was top-20 in Germany for some reason). What a travesty! This is one of the finest songs of the entire new wave/synthpop era, and was #1 on my Top 200 for a week or so. I eventually slotted it into the #4 spot, but that's only due to the absolute brilliance of the next 3 songs and is not a slight against "Flaming Desire" at all. If this song were twenty minutes long instead of five, I still wouldn't get sick of it. Bill Nelson worked with Gary Numan and others throughout his career, frequently as a background contributor, and didn't seek the spotlight much. But with "Because Of You" (#125 on this list) and "Flaming Desire", he staked his claim as one of the great innovators and composers in synthpop history.

Number 5: B-Movie - Nowhere Girl

At #5 on my Top 200 is B-Movie with their best-known song, "Nowhere Girl". This entry represents the final debut on my list. The remaining 4 songs are all by artists that have already appeared earlier. B-Movie were an English group fronted by Steve Hovington, joined by bandmates Rick Holliday, Paul Statham, and Graham Boffey. The group formed in 1981 and released "Nowhere Girl" after signing a record deal in 1982. Unfortunately, their momentum stalled and they failed to release their debut full length album, Forever Running, until early 1985. The record tanked and the band's career entered a tailspin. After a few more fits and starts they broke up for good in 1986, only to reform decades later in 2013. "Nowhere Girl" is a fantastic piece of music. The part from 1:59 to 2:10 alone qualifies them for the rank of genius.

Number 6: Berlin - Rumor Of Love

Berlin released Love Life, their third LP, in mid 1984. Big hits from the album included "Dancing In Berlin" (#160 on this list) and "No More Words". Not released as a single was "Rumor Of Love", which is not only my favorite Berlin track, but one of my favorite new wave songs of all time. Berlin frontwoman Terri Nunn does not sing the lead vocals on "Rumor Of Love": that task falls instead to uber-bassist John Crawford. He turns in a virtuoso performance, his voice a perfect fit for the track's laid-back synth groove. I have no idea why the A&R men at Berlin's label didn't choose this song to be released as a single; that decision still leaves me shaking my head. To my ear this is head and shoulders above anything else they recorded, especially the awful-yet-popular "Take My Breath Away" (the worst misstep of genius producer Giorgio Moroder's career). I have "Rumor Of Love" at #6 on my Top 200, marking Berlin's third and final appearance here.

Number 7: Leisure Process - Love Cascade

Leisure Process. The awesome vocal stylings of Ross Middleton. The musical genius of multi-instrumentalist Gary Barnacle. This duo made some amazing music in their short career together, including "Anxiety" (#106 on this list) and their masterpiece, "Love Cascade". Unfortunately, the vagaries of the music industry meant that a full-length LP was not to be, but the tracks they did create were pure gold, especially "Love Cascade", their first collaboration in early 1982. Who knows what kind of amazing stuff Leisure Process could have come up with, had Middleton and Barnacle been given proper label support and backing? As it is, two of their songs ended up on my Top 200 (and "Cashflow" just missed making it three). The fantastic "Love Cascade" takes the #7 spot. Make way!

Video below.

Number 8: Pseudo Echo - A Beat For You

Pseudo Echo debuted in 1984 with seminal album Autumnal Park. The Aussie new wave outfit sported sophisticated synthpop sounds blended perfectly with a guitar-rock edge. The best song on the album to my ear is "A Beat For You", which features fantastic keyboard work by Tony Lugton and top-notch vocals by frontman Brian Canham. The track reached #12 in their native Australia and #6 in New Zealand, cementing the band as a fixture of the new wave scene down under. I've always loved "A Beat For You" and often play it as a good example of they type of music I enjoy most. I have the song at #8 on my Top 200.

Here is a live version from Pseudo Echo's 1987 world tour.

Number 9: Spoons - One In Ten Words

My favorite Spoons song is "One In Ten Words", from their 1982 debut album Arias and Symphonies. It's one of the few classic Spoons tracks where Sandy Horne sings the lead vocals during the verses. The synth work by Rob Preuss is impressive, and the song epitomizes for me the new wave sound popular in Canada at the time. Never released as a single, I have "One In Ten Words" in the #9 spot on my Top 200, marking the Spoons' fourth and final appearance here.

Live performance from 1982:

...and they still rock! Here's a live performance of the song from 2012 (they add a bit of their 1984 hit "Romantic Traffic" there at the end). 

 

Number 10: Yaz - Bring Your Love Down (Didn't I)

We have reached the final ten songs out of 200. These tracks are my favorite of the entire new wave/synthpop era. I haven't gotten tired of hearing these songs yet, and don't anticipate it happening anytime soon. In my opinion, these are the best of the best. I hope you enjoy listening! Here we go.

Upstairs At Eric's. What else is there to say about that seminal synthpop album? Like Numan's Telekon or Ultravox's Systems Of Romance, it's one of the few LPs that changed the entire history of new wave music. After such amazing songs as "Situation", "Only You" (#158 on this list), "Goodbye 70s" (#105), and "Don't Go" (#76), one could be forgiven for thinking that the final song on side two might be a bit of filler, a synth instrumental perhaps. Nope. Instead we get "Bring Your Love Down (Didn't I)", which is my favorite Yaz song of all time. Lyrics by Alison Moyet, awesome disco beat and layered synths by Vince Clarke. Talk about ending an album with a bang! This song always gets people moving when played at a party, but it's equally cool to pump from your car speakers when on a long solo drive. I have "Bring Your Love Down (Didn't I)" at #10 on my Top 200, the final of four Yaz songs to make the list. Crank it up and enjoy!

Number 11: Red Flag - Russian Radio

At #11 we find Red Flag, in their second and final appearance on my Top 200. This time it's "Russian Radio", which for the past few years has also been my cell phone ring tone. From their 1989 album Naive Art, the track is another of Red Flag's driving, percussion-heavy synthpop creations. Like "Count To Three" (#119 on this list), "Russian Radio" was underappreciated when it was released - it appeared on the Billboard club chart but failed to make any other. "Russian Radio" is right up my alley, however, and has always been one of my favorite tunes from the time period. Turn it up loud and enjoy!

...and here's Red Flag live!

Number 12: Howard Jones - New Song

In August 1983 Howard Jones released Human's Lib, his awkwardly-titled yet brilliant debut album. Lead-off single "New Song" rocketed up the charts both in his native England and across the Atlantic in North America. Eventually reaching #3 in the UK, #22 in Canada, and #27 in the USA, "New Song" got Howard Jones's career off to a flying start. It's always been my favorite track of his, and it takes the #12 spot on my Top 200, marking HoJo's second and final appearance here.

Number 13: Ministry - Revenge

For several decades, Ministry was known for hardcore industrial music, political-statement songs, and rotating band lineups due to infighting, feuds, substance abuse, and arrests. Before all that, however, Ministry was known for its first (synthpop) album, With Sympathy. Released in 1983, it featured lead singer Al Jourgensen in a fake English accent, backed by two keyboard players cranking out new wave sounds. Now that's a Ministry I can support! Here's the #13 spot for you, Al, with your awesome song "Revenge", which you refuse to play live or acknowledge in any way nowadays. Sad.

Number 14: Blancmange - Lose Your Love

The #14 spot goes to English band Blancmange, made up of Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe. I have to admit I'm not a big fan of their music, with the exception of "Lose Your Love". The second single released from their third album, 1985's Believe You Me, the song reached a disappointing #77 on the UK chart. To me, however, it's a clear #1 in the Blancmange catalogue. I have "Lose Your Love" at #14 on my Top 200, the band's only appearance on this list.

Number 15: A Flock Of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song

Next up we have A Flock Of Seagulls with the amazing "Space Age Love Song". Criminally underappreciated when released from their debut eponymous LP in 1982, the song only reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. A disappointing number when their previous single, "I Ran (So Far Away)" hit #9. While "I Ran" didn't make this Top 200, "Space Age Love Song" is one of my all-time favorite new wave tunes. Guitar god Paul Reynolds is in top form here, as he provides the framework from which the rest of the song's components are hung. Four minutes of cosmic genius, "Space Age Love Song" takes the #15 spot on my list.

Number 16: Propaganda - Duel

At #16 we have Propaganda, a German band discovered by uber-producer and general new wave genius Trevor Horn in 1982. He signed the group (made up of Ralph Dorper, Susanne Freytag, Claudia Brucken, and Michael Mertens) and produced their first album, A Secret Wish, released in early 1985. Advance single "Dr. Mabuse" hit #25 in the UK in late 1984, an encouraging result for Horn and the band. Second single "Duel" reached #21 on the British chart, and would turn out to be the biggest hit of Propaganda's entire career. They continiued to release material throughout the 80s and 90s, eventually splitting and reuniting several times before finally calling it quits for good in 2010. "Duel" is fantastic, complete with a stylized, James Bond-ish video that was played in heavy rotation on music video channels such as MTV. "Duel" also represents Propaganda's only appeance on my Top 200.

Number 17: The Box - My Dreams Of You

The Box circa 1985 consisted of frontman Jean-Marc Pisapia (an ex-Men Without Hats member) bass player Jean-Pierre Brie, drummer Claude Thibeault, and guitarist Guy Florent. That was the year the Montreal band released their second LP, All The Time, All The Time, All The Time. The title came from the lyrics of "My Dreams Of You", the lead-off single. The song performed disappointingly on the Canadian charts, peaking at a mere #51. This despite the track being the best tune The Box ever released or would ever release. The synthpop sound was beginning to fall out of favor, replaced by dreck like Bryan Adams and Mr. Mister. "My Dreams Of You", in all it's synth glory, takes the #17 spot on my Top 200, marking The Box's second and final appearance on the list.

Number 18: Psychedelic Furs - All That Money Wants

The Psychedelic Furs' best song, in my opinion, is "All That Money Wants", from their 1988 LP All Of This And Nothing. Criminally underappreciated, this Richard Butler creation only reached #75 on the UK chart, and didn't even make the Billboard Hot 100 (although it did top the modern rock chart). Brilliant guitar work by John Ashton drives this track, and the band has never sounded tighter than they do here. Richard Butler's vocals are appropriately raw and full of emotion, and the song blends new wave, post punk, and rock sensibilities brilliantly. I knew this tune would be in the upper echelons of my Top 200, the only question was how high it would ultimately end up. I have it at #18, and it marks the second and final appearance of Psychedelic Furs on this list.

Number 19: Strange Advance - Perfect Day

Canadian new wavers Strange Advance reunited in 1991 to work on the Worlds Away And Back greatest hits album. They included their best-known songs, some previously-unreleased material, and one new track, "Perfect Day". I'm not sure what the song is about (A terminal illness? Suicide?), but the track is one of my favorite ballads of all time. Somehow not released as a single from Worlds Away And Back, I think "Perfect Day" might be the band's best song. It gets the #19 spot here and marks Strange Advance's third and final appearance on my Top 200.

Number 20: Peter Godwin - Images Of Heaven

We are now in my Top 20 songs, out of 200 on the list. These are my favorite songs of the genre, ones I listen to all the time and never tire of hearing. It's been a long road since I began this blog with #200 on April 13th, but now we are entering the home stretch. Here we go!

Peter Godwin came to fame as a hard rocker with the band Metro in his native England. After that group broke up in 1981 Godwin went solo, changing his sound to fit the new wave zeitgeist that was then taking hold in Britain and internationally. He quickly recorded an EP, Images Of Heaven, which was well-received. The title track was a masterpiece, with driving percussion matching innovative synth work in perfect harmony. Godwin would go on to release another EP the same year, the success of both enabling him to produce his acclaimed LP Correspondence one year later. "Images Of Heaven" takes the #20 spot on my Top 200, marking Peter Godwin's only appearance on my list.

Number 21: Blue Peter - Don't Walk Past

Blue Peter's biggest hit is "Don't Walk Past", from 1983's Falling LP. The song hit #24 in Canada, propelled by a stylish video featuring the manic, David-Byrne-like dancing of frontman Paul Humphrey. In mid-83, these guys were tearing it up in the Great White North, seemingly headed for new wave domination. Unfortunately, one year later acrimony surrounding the recording of their next album, Vertigo, reached a crescendo, and Blue Peter broke up in a supernova of anger, jealousy, and resentment. They've since patched things up, and today they tour sporadically, but the exploding angst during the Vertigo sessions drove the band's career straight into a brick wall. Blue Peter takes the #21 spot on my Top 100 with "Don't Walk Past", the shining apex of their musical trajectory.

Here's the infamous video!

Number 22 - Peter Baumann - Strangers In The Night

Peter Baumann's fourth solo album after leaving Tangerine Dream was 1983's Strangers In The Night. The title track marks Baumann's second and final appearance on my Top 200. It's a remake of a Bert Kaempfert hit from 1966, and like Japan's remake of Smokey Robinson's 1967 song "I Second That Emotion" (#81 on this list), Baumann's version of "Strangers In The Night" is superior to the original in every way. From the driving drum machine beat, to the robotic, emotionless vocals, to the gutteral synth sounds, this song is awesome. Making it even better is a surreal video, complete with alien polyhedrons firing lasers at a city, people running in terror, and disturbing closeups of Baumann singing. Actually, the entire album is fantastic, but "Strangers In The Night" is the LP's crowning glory. I have the song at #22 on my Top 200, and every time I listen to it I debate with myself whether it should have been placed even closer to #1. Baumann also made the list at spot #185 ("Be Mine").

Number 23: After The Fire - Laser Love

After The Fire released their self-produced debut album, Signs Of Change, in 1978. The band consisted of Andy Piercy, Peter "Memory" Banks, Ivor Twidell, and Nick Battle, and at the time they played mostly progressive rock. Touring to support the album got them noticed by CBS, and they signed a record deal in 1979. Hopping on the new wave bandwagon, After The Fire changed their sound and released Laser Love, their second album, in 1980. The title track is my favorite song of theirs, full of awesome synth effects and great guitar riffs. Unfortunately, while recording the LP the band members began to drift apart. Creative differences led them to break up soon after, though they did produce two more records. They scored hits with "Der Kommissar" (a reworked Falco track), "One Rule For You", and "Dancing In The Shadows", but nothing ever came close to "Laser Love" in my opinion. That song takes the #23 spot on my Top 200 and marks After The Fire's only appearance on this list.

Here's a live performance from the Old Grey Whistle Test show in the UK. Watching the video, it's difficult to tell that the band probably already loathed one another by this point.

Number 24: Thompson Twins - If You Were Here

The first time I heard my favorite Thompson Twins song, "If You Were Here", was in the cinema watching the final scene from the movie Sixteen Candles. The track was originally a cut from the Twins' 1983 album Quick Step and Side Kick, but, despite its appearance on the movie soundtrack, was never officially released as a single. Tom Bailey's keyboard work is amazing on the song, and vocally he's in top form. I like a lot of Thompson Twins' material, but for me their catalogue is forever divided in two: this song, and everything else. "If You Were Here" gets the #24 spot here, and marks the Thompson Twins' fourth and final appearance on my Top 200.

Let's be frank here, Tom Bailey did a lot of work carrying dead weight around for a decade. Here's Tom performing "If You Were Here" with his new all-female backup band in 2014. I don't detect a big quality drop without Currie & Leeway. Just saying.

Number 25: Morrissey - Everyday Is Like Sunday

Morrissey came to fame as the lead singer of The Smiths, but went solo after that band broke up in 1987. His first solo album, Viva Hate, was released in 1988 and featured the smash hit "Everyday Is Like Sunday", which reached #9 on the UK pop charts and made Morrissey a solo star. A long and successful career followed, as the Manchester native maintained his fanbase throughout the rest of the 80s, into the 90s and beyond. "Everyday Is Like Sunday" remains a staple of Morrissey's concert set today, and gets the #25 spot on my Top 200 in his only appearance here.

Live performance:

Number 26: Cetu Javu - Sometimes

Spaniard Javier Revilla-Diaz formed Cetu Javu in Germany in mid 1987. He was then elected frontman of the group...since he was the only one who could sing. The other three members - Stefan & Torsten Engelke and Chris Demere - all played keyboards. A fixture on the Hanover New Wave scene, the band eventually scored an album deal with ZYX records and, in 1990, produced their first LP, Southern Lands. "Situations" and "Have In Mind" were standout singles from the record, and the group began to build a following in central Europe. By 1992, they were back in the studio, and the result was Where Is Where, their second (and final) album. "Sometimes", which led off the B-side of the disc, is their crowning achievement. Easily the band's best song, "Sometimes" has always been one of my favorite synthpop tracks. Cetu Javu quietly disbanded after touring to support Where Is Where, but they left a lot of great music behind. "Sometimes" takes the #26 spot on my Top 200 in the band's only appearance here.

"Often now my feelings go upside down and I think about the passing time. Things should have gone in other ways, how wrong I was in former days."

Number 27: Fiction Factory - Feels Like Heaven

Kevin Patterson and Eddie Jordan formed Fiction Factory in their native Scotland in mid-1983. Their debut album, Throw The Warped Wheel Out, produced one monster hit: lead-off single "Feels Like Heaven". It reached #6 in the UK and charted in dozens of countries worldwide. Strangely, however, the band was not able to replicate this success. The second single, "Ghost Of Love" only reached #64, and nothing else from the group charted at all. Their second album, 1985's Another Story, was a commercial disaster and led directly to the breakup of the band. Not to insult Fiction Factory fans (I have seven of their songs on my personal playlist and enjoy their music), but these guys are a textbook example of the one hit wonder. "Feels Like Heaven" is an amazing song, but even the video is awful. It's so bad it actually makes me like the song less, so I didn't even include it here; my advice is, don't watch it. Few of the other tracks on Throw The Warped Wheel Out are in any way noteworthy (and the name of the record is awkward), and the second album was an utter sales debacle. 

Still, "Feels Like Heaven" is so good, those lovable losers Fiction Factory get the #27 spot on my Top 200.

Top of the Pops performance:

Number 28: Robert King - Paper Heart

When Scottish punk band The Scars broke up in 1982, it seemed the end of the road musically for frontman Robert King. The times had changed, and veteran punk rockers were leaving the industry in droves. King had a idea, however: reinvent himself as a new waver. In 1983, he cobbled together studio time and recorded a single, "Paper Heart", from which he hoped to gain label support and produce a full-length solo album. Unfortunately, the song didn't chart, and an album wasn't to be. King soon busied himself with other things, eventually rejoining his Scars bandmates for a reunion in 2010. The "Paper Heart" single sank into the realm of what might have been. It's an awesome track that shows King had the chops to be a fantastic synthpop/new wave presence had he continued in that vein. I've always loved the song and lamented the fact that King did not create more solo music at the time. "Paper Heart" is at #28 on my Top 200.