search
date/time
Lancashire Times
Weekend Edition
frontpagebusinessartscarslifestylefamilytravelsportsscitechnaturefictionCartoons
Graham Clark
Music Features Writer
@Maxximum23Clark
1:00 AM 4th January 2025
arts
Review

Albums: Now Eighties Dancefloor Synth

Now Eighties Dancefloor Synth
New Order Blue Monday; Eurythmics Sexcrime(Nineteen Eighty-Four); Propaganda Duel; Animotion Obsession; Paul Hardcastle 19; Yellow The Race; Jan Hamer Miami Vice Theme; Pet Shop Boys Domino Dancing; Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder Together In Electric Dreams; Scritti Politti Absolute; Kon Kan I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You A Rose Garden); Men Without Hats The Safety Dance; Eighth Wonder I’m Not Scared; Liza Minnelli Don’t Drop Bombs; Falco Rock Me Amadeus; Frankie Goes To Hollywood Two Tribes; Dead or Alive My Heart Goes Bang; Soft Cell Torch; Visage The Anvil; Spandau Ballet Glow; The Human League Hard Times; The Art of Noise Close (To The Edit); Harold Faltermeyer Axel F; Colonel Abrams Trapped; Jellybean Sidewalk Talk; Expose Come Go With Me; Taylor Dayne Prove Your Love; Living In A Box Living In A Box; The Pointer Sisters Automatic; Joe Jackson Steppin’ Out.


The 12” single was a regular requirement for all acts to release in the eighties. Many were just elongated versions of the track on the 7” single, often with the song on repeat, though many artists realised that what was originally a promotional gimmick could actually be turned into something in its own right.

The New Order track, Blue Monday, which opens up this double pack vinyl collection, became the biggest-selling 12” single of all time. As the song builds into a crescendo, you can understand why Blue Monday is rightly referenced as a classic pop/dance track.

There are, however, some casualties; Duel by Propaganda is still an epic track, though at the time it sounded futuristic; it now sounds dated and very much of its time, ditto the Scritti Politti track, Absolute. While it provided the soundtrack to the summer of 1985 for many, the sparse and often cold production sounds shrill and uninspiring now.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood's magnificent Two Tribes showcases Trevor Horn's production techniques. Best heard on a decent set of speakers at home or in a nightclub, the song still takes the listener on a thrilling ride with many twists and turns, leaving even the most discerning pop music lover satisfied.

There are a few surprises too; many forget that Pet Shop Boys wrote the Liza Minnelli song, Don’t Drop Bombs, as well as the Eighth Wonder hit, I’m Not Scarred. Madonna penned the Jellybean hit, Sideway Talk, with a song that does not get any leeway on any of the eighties radio stations of today.

Joe Jackson's Steppin' Out, which closes the compilation, is a fine collection of songs mixed primarily for the dancefloor. Now, forty years hence, these songs will appeal to a new generation and rekindle memories for those who recall the tracks first time around.