The Great Synth Bands of the 1980s

[GoogaMooga]

Charmaine

[never/ever]

He didn't write that..

Anyway maybe put up a poll?

[GoogaMooga]

He didn't write that..

Anyway maybe put up a poll?

Did he write anything?

[never/ever]

Who cares? He was shit.

[Darkness_Fish]

Front 242
Eyeless in Gaza

[GoogaMooga]

I could happily live without either Simple Minds or Mantovani, but if I come across a Mantovani comp on a good label, I'll plonk down my 50 pence. Mantovani may be a minor player in the Easy Listening realm, but at least he had a distinct sound, as all great Easy Listening orchestra leaders do. Mantovani made his string arrangements sound like "a thousand strings", and a track like his signature, "Charmaine", is perfect for closing time at Tower, it will send the customers home with a sedate smile on their face.

[Hightea]

New Order would get my vote.

[pcqgod]

Gary Numan/Tubeway Army
Yaz
Yellow Magic Orchestra

[ConnyOlivetti]

Twice a Man

I meant no 80's synth bands.

Those from the 70's, now that's another matter.

Why do you quote me ?

[Brickyard Jack]

The Pet Shop Boys.... brilliant tunes, brilliant lyrics. Soft Cell second. OMD? Andy's voice is appalling. Saw them Liverpool Empire mid 80's. One of the worst concerts I've ever seen.....and I've seen some bad ones

I saw them there then too -probably 86 or 87- and thought they were brilliant!

[Rorschach]

Pet Shop Boys by miles for me. I admit I've never made it all the way through an album but I think they're one of the great singles bands.

And they've still got it! This from 2019:

[GoogaMooga]

I am changing my vote to Pet Shop Boys. Upon reflection, I think they were the best, although I only really remember the hits.

[The Modernist]

I can't really think of New Order as a synth band. Human League would be my answer.

[Deebank]

I can't really think of New Order as a synth band. Human League would be my answer.

They were my first thought too (NO) and then I thought not really a synth band as such (by their own various accounts they have synth / drum machine songs and 'acoustic' numbers in equal measure) . You could say the same about Duran Duran and Simple Minds (and others) too of course.

On the subject of New Order and synthesizers, I was going to start a thread on the Solina String Synthesizer, as featured on many JD and early NO songs - they (and Martin Hannett) really wrung every drop of usuage out this primitive polyphonic keyboard. It is the sound of all the JD synth-led tracks: Isolation, Atmosphere, LWTUA, Decades; as well as featuring on a bunch of early NO tunes but especially Procession. I would assume they chose it because Bowie used one extensively in his Berlin period (esp on the song Sound & Vision) but they really made it their own and hats off to Hannett for making this quite ropey sounding thing sound orchestral!


Anyway, I digress...

I downloaded a couple of Ultravox tunes the other day (The Voice and Reap The Wild Wind) Quite good.

[C]

I have seen all three live, and although HL have higher highs, OMD are more consistent.

Agreed



.

[Minnie the Minx]

I can't really think of New Order as a synth band. Human League would be my answer.

They were my first thought too (NO) and then I thought not really a synth band as such (by their own various accounts they have synth / drum machine songs and 'acoustic' numbers in equal measure) . You could say the same about Duran Duran and Simple Minds (and others) too of course.

On the subject of New Order and synthesizers, I was going to start a thread on the Solina String Synthesizer, as featured on many JD and early NO songs - they (and Martin Hannett) really wrung every drop of usuage out this primitive polyphonic keyboard. It is the sound of all the JD synth-led tracks: Isolation, Atmosphere, LWTUA, Decades; as well as featuring on a bunch of early NO tunes but especially Procession. I would assume they chose it because Bowie used one extensively in his Berlin period (esp on the song Sound & Vision) but they really made it their own and hats off to Hannett for making this quite ropey sounding thing sound orchestral!


Anyway, I digress...

I downloaded a couple of Ultravox tunes the other day (The Voice and Reap The Wild Wind) Quite good.

WRONG ULTRAVOX




Proceed.

[Deebank]

I can't really think of New Order as a synth band. Human League would be my answer.

They were my first thought too (NO) and then I thought not really a synth band as such (by their own various accounts they have synth / drum machine songs and 'acoustic' numbers in equal measure) . You could say the same about Duran Duran and Simple Minds (and others) too of course.

On the subject of New Order and synthesizers, I was going to start a thread on the Solina String Synthesizer, as featured on many JD and early NO songs - they (and Martin Hannett) really wrung every drop of usuage out this primitive polyphonic keyboard. It is the sound of all the JD synth-led tracks: Isolation, Atmosphere, LWTUA, Decades; as well as featuring on a bunch of early NO tunes but especially Procession. I would assume they chose it because Bowie used one extensively in his Berlin period (esp on the song Sound & Vision) but they really made it their own and hats off to Hannett for making this quite ropey sounding thing sound orchestral!


Anyway, I digress...

I downloaded a couple of Ultravox tunes the other day (The Voice and Reap The Wild Wind) Quite good.

WRONG ULTRAVOX




Proceed.

I think I got Vienna as well

[Minnie the Minx]

[Belle Lettre]

I was going to offer up Yello, but see they formed in 1979.

[Neige]

I don't like any band as much as Rupert Hine's trio of albums on A&M (1981-1983)