calhoun07

I am trying to remember some old songs from the 80's but I can't quite recall too many. While I can easilly find the top hits from the decade on TV exclusive CD compilations, there are songs from the decade that were actually good but just obscure not to get on the compilation CDs. Such as "They Don't Know" by Tracy Ullman, a great, underrated song.

What are some of your favorite obscure 80s songs?

isamu

Too many to list...

my cd collection actually consists of 85% 80s music from obscure 1 hit wonder bands.

But to name a few songs...

Too Shy - Kaja Googoo
It's my Life - Talktalk
No Promises - IceHouse
Promises Promises - Naked Eyes
The way you are - Tears 4 Fears
White China - Ultravox
Come on Eileen - (forgot the name of the band)
Our House - Madness
We can Dance - Men without hats
Let me Go - Heaven 17
Human - Human League
Alive and KIcking - Simple Minds
It's a Deadman's Party - Oingo Boingo
True - Spandau Ballet
Love my way - Phych Furs
Blinded me with Science - T. Dolby
Charlie don's surf - The Clash
This is the day - theThe
Saved by Zero - The Fixx
Bombers in the sky - Thomson Twins
The Big heap - Stan Ridgeway
If I ever - Red Flag
Rain in the summertime - The Alarm
Cuts you up - Peter Murphy
Insecure me? - Soft Cell
Things can only get better - Howard Jones
Cities and dust - Siouxsie and the B.
I ran - Flock of seaguls
Picaderi Pilaray - Morrissey
and of course...Take on me - Ah Ha

sawll I can think of right now....

duy37

the above list is good but if you want more obscure 80's stuff

--
Cause & Effect - Another Minute and many other good songs
Baltimora - Tarzan Boy
Joy - Touch by Touch
Fancy - Flames of Love and many other good songs
Icehouse - Great Southern Land
Modern Talking - Lady Lai and many other good songs
Bad Boys Blue - Come Back and Stay and many other good songs

isamu

Wow your list is definitely superior because I've never heard of any of those bands except for Icehouse

madcougar

What About Me? Moving Pictures
When the Children Cry White Lion
Show Me Cover Girls
I Wanna Be Stevie B
6 Minutes Doug E. Fresh

duy37

Hahaha I wouldn't call it superior but thanks. They are obscure because never play these on the 80's radio stations and i except for cause & effect alot of my obscure 80's bands are from europe.

Tarzan boy was used in a Listerine commerical in the 80's.
Modern talking recently won a World music award for best selling German duo of all time (all they're song is in English). I think they have sold 70+ million albums.

Also want to add another song - "Angel 07" by Hubert Kah get the English version, its a wicked dance song

Rocky_Stallone

I like a lot of 80's music but some of my favorites are the Cure, Pat Benetar, INXS, and Peter Gabriel.

Oh, and I also like Depeche Mode too.

Andalusia

I agree, Tracey's got some great songs. You should check out her other tunes, like "You Broke My Heart in 17 Places" and "Falling In and Out of Love".

mllefoo

Stand aside, people. 80s new wave queen has entered the building.

Here's a partial list of really fun, really obscure tunes that I hope will someday make it onto some sort of 80s cd box set. Ready? Everyone get their bathroom break? Okay. Here we go.

Jerusalem - Belouis Some
Pete Shelley - Telephone Operator
Kraftwerk - The Model
Cetu Javu - Have in Mind (extended version is the best)
The Care - The Flaming Sword
Funboy Three - The Lunatics are Taking Over the Asylum
Toy Dolls - Everybody Jitterbug
Toy Dolls - James Bond Lives Down My Street
Madness - Baggy Trousers
Paul Haig - Heaven Help You Now
Dragon - Rain
Edelweiss - Bring Me Edelweiss
Chameleons - Swamp Thing
Clan of Xymox - Evelyn
OMD - Genetic Engineering
Amazulu - Cairo
Visage - Mind of a Toy
Klaus Nomi - Rubberband Laser
Fancy - Flames of Love
Fiction Factory - Feels Like Heaven
Figures on the Beach - Accidently 4th Street (Gloria)
Gary Numan - Are Friends Electric
Box of Toys - Precious is the Pearl
Bourgie Bourgie - Apres Ski
Sigue Sigue Sputnik - 21st Century Boy (this is a really fun song)
English Evenings - I Will Return
Candy Flip - Strawberry Fields Forever
The Bolshoi - A Way
Gene Loves Jezebel - Motion of Love
Violent Femmes - Country Death Song
Polecats - Make a Circuit With Me
Total Coelo - I Eat Cannibals
The Knack - Good Girls Don't
Doctor and the Medics - Burn
Doctor and the Medics - Spirit in the Sky
The Sparks - Mickey Mouse
T'Pau - Heart and Soul
Pop Will Eat Itself - Def Con One
A House - Call Me Blue
Boris Badinaugh - Hey Rocky
Fiat Lux - Secrets
Moev - Crucify Me
Ultravox - Dancing With Tears in My Eyes
CCCP - American Soviets
Until December - Until December
q-Feel - Dancing in Heaven
Kon Kan - Harry Houdini
Tin Tin - Kiss Me
Bauhaus - King Volcano
Soft Cell - Sex Dwarf
Zerra One - Ten Thousand Voices
Josie Cotton - Johnny, are you Queer?
Love and Rockets - Yin and Yang and the Flowerpot Man
Blue Room - I'm Afraid
Erasure - Star
Hoodoo Gurus - Bittersweet
The Call - Let the Day Begin
Kate Bush - Army Dreamers
Peter Schilling - World of Lust and Crime
Secession - The Magician
Dominatrix - Dominatrix Sleeps tonight
Seven Red Seven - Thinking of You
The Other Ones - Holiday
West World - Pain Killer
Visage - Fade to Grey
The Nylons - This Island Earth
Blancmange - Don't Tell Me
Aneka - Japanese Boy
Endgames - First, Last, For Everything
Mummy Calls - Beauty has Her Way
Railway Children - Every Beat of the Heart
Lucy Show - Sojourn's End
Stan Ridgeway - Camouflage
Camouflage - That Smiling Face
Altered Images - Happy Birthday
Blancmange - The Day Before You Came
Celebrate the Nun - Will You Be There
Red Flag - Russian Radio
SSQ - Synthecide
Tears for Fears - Suffer the Children

If you want more, I can give you more.

mllefoo

Come on Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners.

The Men Without Hats tune to which you are referring is called Safety Dance.

Antarctica and Pop Goes the World are fun songs from that group.

isamu

You have good taste milady

atlantamoi

mllefoo, do you REALLY like Total Coelo's - I Eat Cannibals? I remember when that song came out and it didn't jive too well with the other new wavey songs I liked. I still cringe when I hear that one!

The Lucy Show... man, the song "Melody" by them is still one of the best songs I've ever heard. It was just an album cut, but very original.

atlantamoi

Which was originally written and sung by Kirsty MacColl, who sadly died a couple of years ago in a boating accident. THAT was one talented lady (her own albums and backup singing for the Smiths, Simple Minds, Pogues and others).

Andalusia

Yeah, she wrote that and "You Broke My Heart in 17 Places". I agree, she was talented (everybody should check out "Kite" and her last album, "Tropical Brainstorm"). I was very sad when I heard she died. Gone too soon...

mllefoo

I actually do like I Eat Cannibals for it's intense cheese factor.

raithen

Also, check out:

"A Day"
"Blind Hearts"
"Stranger"

Also:

"Wise Up! Sucker" (12" Youth Remix)

IMHO, Kon Kan released one of the last great singles of the 80's in:

"I Beg Your Pardon"

Definitely one of my all-time favourite tracks, but don't forget the unabashedly, embarressingly DM-clonish (yet fantastic!):

"The Great Commandment"

-matt

duy37

Yes, that was a great album, but the track that moved me was "Move to Move" hence the album name

fallow

I'm partial to The Talking Heads, The Pixies, and Sonic Youth (albums like Daydream Nation - could it possibly get better?)

isamu

also love is a shield

Oh and in your opinion, who was a more DM ripoff....Camoflauge or Red Flag?

Tscott

how about

Break My Stride - Mathew Wilder
Goodbye to You - Scandel
Shame - The Motels
Turning Japanese - The Vapors

mllefoo

Just a little trivia here. The drummer for the Motels owns a video production company in the SF bay area. Nice guy with gold records all over his office.

I believe you can find some rare 80s tracks at audioparagon.com

jfoobar

What, no Jim Carroll Band or Romeo Void? Bah!

Jiber2001

Check out a new electro pop band FELIX THE HOUSE CAT....
Awsome stuff. DM mixed with Chris and Cosey. Just Like The Good Old Days....
AWSOME

icondude

fallow

Rock Me Amadeus was such a cool song...