Yet Another 10 Underrated ’80s Bands You Need to Hear Now

L.A. Weekly ^ | MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2017 | LIZ OHANESIAN

[nickcarraway]

It's hard to resist the siren call of the 1980s. After the late-1970s explosion of punk and the advent of user-friendly synthesizers, even pop music started to sound pretty weird. It's no wonder that people remain obsessed with this highly creative decade. And so, L.A. Weekly is back with its third installment of "Underrated ’80s Bands You Need to Hear Now," featuring another 10 groups that deserve a place in your vinyl (or digital) libraries.

Romeo Void

"I might like you better if we slept together." If you grew up in Los Angeles listening to ’80s KROQ, then you no doubt recall the most striking lyric from Romeo Void's "Never Say Never," which might have seemed then to stand alongside Berlin's "Sex" and Soft Cell's "Sex Dwarf" to form a trio of new-wave hook-up jams. Years later, though, you may have taken a peek at the written lyrics and noticed that stanza where the character's desire for sex is juxtaposed with a homeless person's need for shelter and a coat. There's more to Romeo Void than the chorus. Led by singer Debora Iyall, the San Francisco–based group flirted with popularity in the early ’80s thanks to the aforementioned song and another Top 40 single, "A Girl in Trouble." Today they deserve a revisit not for nostalgia but for lyrical prowess. Iyall shares stories that are equal parts detailed and vague; there's enough there to set a scene and enough missing to let the listener interpret it. Check out "Undercover Kept," from the 1982 album Benefactor.

XTC

Driven by Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, XTC released 14 albums between 1978 and 2000, with the bulk of the output concentrated in the 1980s. Alternative-radio listeners of the era will recognize the band for singles including "Senses Working Overtime" and "Dear God." As songwriters, they tackled subjects such as war, on the snarky and perennially relevant "Generals and Majors," and atheism, on the surprise hit "Dear God." They never reached the level of commercial success of R.E.M. or attained the same sort of cult following that The Smiths did. Maybe that was due in part to their absence from the road; the band stopped touring in the early ’80s. Still, their studio work was filled with multiple strokes of genius that mixed perfectly melodic guitar pop with forays into experimental music. XTC fiddled with electronic blips and walls of noise with the same eloquence that they wrote pop ditties like "Mayor of Simpleton."

Ultravox

From the opening of "Astradyne," the introduction to Ultravox's 1980 album Vienna, it's clear that this was a band intent on making a bold entrance into the new decade. Their sound was large enough to fill a stadium, with swells of synthesizers that could conjure images of an electronic future. A seminal U.K. post-punk band of the late ’70s, Ultravox headed into the ’80s with a new singer, Midge Ure, and a commitment to dramatic pop songs that garnered them commercial success across Europe. In the United States, though, the story was different. A committed new-wave nerd would know the band, and the former cool kids of the decade might recognize songs like "Vienna," "Reap the Wild Wind" and "Dancing With Tears in My Eyes." But Ultravox never broke in the States the way that they did elsewhere — a reality even Ure joked about that when he recently played solo in Los Angeles. Ultravox's 1980s output, from the energetic "We Came to Dance" to the heartbreaking "Vienna," deserves to reach more American listeners.

Camouflage

German group Camouflage made a splash with their debut single, "The Great Commandment," which topped the U.S. Billboard dance chart in 1988. From there, however, the band's profile faded. Now they're mainly recognized only by those who didn't give up on synth-pop after the genre's 1980s heyday. Indeed, you'll still hear the synth-obsessed DJs of L.A. dropping tracks like "Love Is a Shield," from Camouflage's 1989 sophomore effort, Methods of Silence. While Camouflage reflected a waning period of 1980s music, before techno hit the underground and guitar rock went on to dominate ’90s alternative radio, the band continued. In fact, their most recent album came out in 2015.

Klymaxx

Best known for their 1984 album, Meeting in the Ladies Room, Klymaxx had a bit of Top 40 success with the ballad "I Miss You." The sentimental slow jam, though, wasn't quite an accurate representation of the all-female group. Head back to 1981 for their underappreciated debut album, Never Underestimate the Power of a Woman, where late disco–era cuts meld into fierce funk. It is damn near impossible to escape the hip-swiveling groove of "You're the Greatest" and the rousing handclaps of "All Fired Up." By the mid-’80s, Klymaxx had developed an electro-funky sound that made for some of their most exciting and cheeky work, like the title track for Meeting in the Ladies Room and "The Men All Pause." This is essential party music.

SSQ

After a stint known simply as Q, SSQ released their only full-length album, Playback, in 1983. Led by singer Stacey Swain and guitarist-producer Jon St. James, the group pulled together a mishmash of ideas that resulted not so much in a cohesive album but rather a sample of how many directions synth-pop could take. "Synthicide" is a bouncy, new-wave number in line with the hits of the day, although it didn't make the same kind of impact as, for example, Kim Wilde's "Kids in America." On "Screaming in My Pillow," they take a more minimal approach for a song that has aged quite well; it could easily fit in a set of today's indie synth artists. Then there's "N'importe Quoi," which is basically ’80s lounge music. While SSQ didn't make it big, Swain and St. James' creative partnership did after the singer renamed herself Stacey Q and released the 1986 hit "Two of Hearts."

Bow Wow Wow

Bow Wow Wow's lone U.S. top 40 single, "I Want Candy," is a staple of ’80s parties, almost as cliche a representation of the decade as Valley Girl imitations. But Bow Wow Wow remain underrated in that people just can't seem to get past that one song, itself a cover of a 1965 hit for The Strangeloves. Formed by former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, Bow Wow Wow strayed far from that group's signature snarl, but they were no less rebellious. Lead singer Annabella Lwin's raspy voice was equal parts charming and forceful, sounding like the connective tissue between the music of the 1960s and that of the 1980s, as she spouted lyrics that sometimes dealt quite frankly with sex. Lwin's style of singing was also a wonderful match for the rhythmic bounce that came courtesy of former members of Adam and the Ants and is best evident on songs like "Do You Wanna Hold Me?" and "Aphrodisiac."

The Selecter

The Selecter's first run was short-lived — they formed in 1979 and disbanded in 1981 — but in that time, they recorded enough solid tunes to be a seminal force in 2-tone ska. Musically, The Selecter seamlessly bridged complicated emotions, a point best illustrated on "Bombscare" (from sophomore album Celebrate the Bullet) when drum rolls lead into dark, dubby interludes that augment the fear in Pauline Black's voice. The beat picks up as that fear turns to anger. The title track from their debut album, Too Much Pressure, channels ska into the musical equivalent of a boiling point.

Book of Love

Book of Love deserve a spot on this list solely for the bold way this synth-pop four-piece opened their sophomore album. Lullaby propels listeners onto the dance floor with a cover of "Tubular Bells" — best known for its use in The Exorcist — which plays out like hearts racing under a disco ball. It is filled not with the fear of demonic possession but of love, longing and angst that comes to fruition when the cover morphs into "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls." Book of Love kept it real in a way that dance music frequently doesn't. In "Boy," the narrator describes being a girl stuck outside of a gay bar with a touch of melancholy that belies the energetic beat. Recently, the band embarked on a 30th-anniversary tour and released a new EP, All Girl Band.

Quando Quango

Thanks to Joy Division and New Order, Factory Records became one of the best-known indie labels of the post-punk era and a pivotal player in Manchester's music scene. Among the lesser-known artists to release music through the storied label is Quando Quango. The band fused an international array of influences into a big, club-friendly sound that made an impact during the period after disco's fall and before house's rise. Fittingly, Quando Quango member Mike Pickering became a DJ at Factory's now-legendary Hacienda nightclub. (He also went on to form the group M People.) "Love Tempo" and "Atom Rock" are cult favorites among dance-music lovers and have turned up on several compilations over the years. Check out the band's sole full-length, Pigs + Battleships, for a faithful cover of "Low Rider."

[taildragger]

The Best Band you never heard of?

Fountainhead out of Connecticut in the late 70's and early 80's. Edgy Country Rockers as Punk-Madonna and everything else was coming in, it was a hard sell for a record deal. Live in a Bar they were insane, I took one friend once who never heard them and he said, "What they hell are they doing here? why aren't they on tour with a Record deal?"

Check out "Stay Away" and "A Pirates Life" live...

http://fountainheadband.net/

Listen here: http://fountainheadband.net/listen/

Long haired guy on the left Art Deske, White Shirt up front Johnny Frezel (spelled correct?) dueling leads that were insane. Rhythm guy would jump in as well on the long guitar rifs..

[Robert DeLong]

In 1980, McLaren persuaded guitarist Matthew Ashman, drummer David Barbarossa (also known as Dave Barbe) and bassist Leigh Gorman, all then members of Adam and the Ants, to leave the founder of the band, Adam Ant, and form a new group. After a six-month audition process for a lead singer, the band enlisted Annabella Lwin. David Fishel, an acquaintance of McLaren's, discovered 13-year-old Lwin while she was working a Saturday job at her local dry cleaners.

So, yes a majority of them were recruited from Adam & The Ants. I hesitate using the word stolen. 8>)

[major-pelham]

Thanx Old Sport - fun read, good reminiscing.

[Robert DeLong]

It grows on you, especially as a younger male staring at that cover. 8>)

My tastes have changed as well since then. While I have it in my music collection, I never listen to it anymore. But that's true about a lot of songs.

It's the truly special songs and groups that last through the ages with a person.

[ETL]

From the few I sampled, none not even in the same universe as Journey, Foreigner, and REO Speedwagon.

[Third Person]

Chameleons and Go Betweens

[ResisTyr]

I’m a big 80s music fan. Did the whole New Wave Dance Club scene for several years. Was never a fan of XTC. Compare them to another 80s “alphabet” band, INXS. FAR superior in every way, IMO. Michael Hutchence (RIP) was the quintessential 80s frontman. Way cool dude, with excellent vocals & stage presence. Tight band.

INXS - Need You Tonight
https://youtu.be/PrZZfaDp02o

[angcat]

Hated them all!

[dfwgator]

I only knew XTC for their 1979 song Making Plans For Nigel rather than for any of their later stuff.

Check out "Nonsuch". Over time it has become my favorite XTC album. Some brilliant songwriting on it, with songs like, "Rook", "Then She Appeared", "Dear Madam Barnum", "Wrapped in Grey".

[TexasBarak]

I always figured The Rainmakers would go further than they did-

They’re Feedin’ My People That Government Cheese-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLzFhOslZPM

Let My People Go-Go-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTEIjM3BkLo

[dfwgator]

Don’t forget XTC’s alter-egos, “The Dukes of Stratosphear”....

25 O’Clock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGF7o_I4mAw

[mothball]

The band not on this list, are The Chameleons UK. If you haven’t heard them, check them out. You won’t be disappointed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldLk0rQORHY&index=4&list=PLEA68302BA1F4217D

[dfwgator]

Anyone one remember “The Producers”, they had a hit with “What He’s Got”.

I loved that album, thought those guys were going to be huge. I still play it once in awhile.

[Clutch Martin]

I heard them. The west coast bands were quite popular on Guam. So was cha - cha and oddly enough the go-to record store to carried a nice selection of “Guitar Player” & “Downbeat” reader’s poll winner releases; old and new. When you went to Japan just before cd’s really hit the market, there you find cd shops with every artist or soundtrack one could think of, Lazer disc’s too. And, a lot if pop bands, rack bands, and jazz fusion bands would stop over at Guam post tour from Japan and perform up close and personal. It was pretty cool.

[T-Bone Texan]

I say The Sparks are underrated.

Still alive?

[T-Bone Texan]

You are the reason I gave Alice Cooper a second look.

Well, you and the Muppet Show.

[dfwgator]

Maybe the best remake of Ring of Fire

I prefer Social D's version.

[38special]

I nominate Gene Loves Jezebel

[slorunner]

I don't think it is possible to underrate ANY bands of the ‘80’s.

Or the 70’s, 90’s or since for that matter.

[BenLurkin]

Filmed in L A, I bet.