One of my favorite subgenres.

Possible contenders:
OMD: Architecture and Morality
Human League: Dare
Depeche Mode: Some Great Reward
Ultravox: Vienna
Gary Numan: The Pleasure Principle
ABC: The Lexicon of Love
Yaz: You and Me Both

I think I'd choose Vienna as my favorite.

Others?

Duran Duran is not synth pop, IMO.

Some good ones there. I like these also

Human League : Reproduction
A Flock of Seagulls : A Flock of Seagulls
New Order : Power, Corruption & Lies
Pete Shelley : Homosapien

New Order gets my vote.

Ultravox: Quartet.

Edit: oh, and Simple Minds: New Gold Dream

From that list, I would take the OMD and Yaz albums.

Oh yes. Good one. Sparkle in the Rain is awesome too.

Absolutely. That's the winner.

Also a contender: Howard Jones' Humans Lib

I have a hard time labling New Order as synth pop becuase they were a much broader band than just that one genre. However, either "Temptation" or "Blue Monday" is likely the ultimate synth pop single, so yeah, they're in.

Yeah Temptation is probably the ultimate synth single. Much better than monster hit Blue Monday.

a-ha - Hunting High and Low
Kajagoogoo - White Feathers
Ministry - With Sympathy
Blue Nile - A Walk Across the Rooftops

I'd classify Duran Duran's first LP as synthpop for sure although these terms are a bit sketchy to begin with.

I'm not sure how much it qualifies as synth-pop, but Tears For Fears - The Hurting is a motherfucker.

Either OMD's Architecture and Morality or Junk Culture.

Yes it is.

For Depeche Mode I'd nominate Music For The Masses over Some Great Reward, although both are great albums.

Does it have to be European? Otherwise I'd choose any of the three masterworks by Strange Advance.

John Foxx - Metamatic

I'm skipping the European bit since I'm not well versed in Euro-synth-pop and go with...

Ministry's

That's too late. 1987. Music for the Masses was their "Joshua Tree". The big crossover album. Their best albums are Construction and Some Great and I'd vote either of them as best early-mid 80s European synth pop album.

That's not a synth-pop album.

I would too, and it's one of the best, IMO.

Another one that I would put in the category is The Fixx's first album, Shuttered Room. I love that whole album.


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Yes,the first 3 Fixx albums are all great.
A couple of guys I did not see mentioned here(shame on all of you)
Thomas Dolby-The Golden Age of Wireless
Howard Jones-Humans Lib

Either Architecture and Morality (that'd be my vote) or Some Great Reward (close second).

Alphaville- Forever Young
Soft Cell- Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Re-Flex- The Politics of Dancing
Thompson Twins- Side Kicks