SYNTH POP BONANZA
VA - Synth-Pop Bonanza (A Butterboy Compilation) CD1 + CD2
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop) is a sub-genre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970's and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960's and early 1970's by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic, art rock, disco, and particularly the "Krautrock" of bands like Kraftwerk. It arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom in the post-punk era as part of the new wave movement of the late 1970's to the mid-1980's. The synthesizer was the sound of tomorrow, today, and it was thrilling.
If the Seventies was the era of the album, the Eighties gave new life to the single – short bursts of bright, gleeful keyboards, portals to other worlds which made yours feel a little brighter. Pop music was suddenly ablaze with infectious and irresistible sounds, led by a new batch of stars. All eccentric and lovable, extra-terrestrial yet human, and groomed for the video pop generation.
Synth-pop has received considerable criticism and even prompted hostility among musicians and in the press. It has been described as "anemic" and "soulless". However, by the mid-1980's, synth-pop had helped establish the synthesizer as a primary instrument in mainstream pop music. It also influenced the sound of many mainstream rock acts, such as Bruce Springsteen, ZZ Top and Van Halen. It was a major influence on house music, which grew out of the post-disco dance club culture of the early 1980's as some DJ's attempted to make the less pop-oriented music that also incorporated influences from Latin soul, dub, rap music, and jazz. Whatever your feelings are for Synth-Pop tunes you cannot deny the fabulous sound of the tracks on these two CD's.
As usual, all the favorites and monstrous hits, the forgotten tracks of their times and the hard to find.... sounds of the future.
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Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop) is a sub-genre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970's and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960's and early 1970's by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic, art rock, disco, and particularly the "Krautrock" of bands like Kraftwerk. It arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom in the post-punk era as part of the new wave movement of the late 1970's to the mid-1980's. The synthesizer was the sound of tomorrow, today, and it was thrilling.
If the Seventies was the era of the album, the Eighties gave new life to the single – short bursts of bright, gleeful keyboards, portals to other worlds which made yours feel a little brighter. Pop music was suddenly ablaze with infectious and irresistible sounds, led by a new batch of stars. All eccentric and lovable, extra-terrestrial yet human, and groomed for the video pop generation.
Synth-pop has received considerable criticism and even prompted hostility among musicians and in the press. It has been described as "anemic" and "soulless". However, by the mid-1980's, synth-pop had helped establish the synthesizer as a primary instrument in mainstream pop music. It also influenced the sound of many mainstream rock acts, such as Bruce Springsteen, ZZ Top and Van Halen. It was a major influence on house music, which grew out of the post-disco dance club culture of the early 1980's as some DJ's attempted to make the less pop-oriented music that also incorporated influences from Latin soul, dub, rap music, and jazz. Whatever your feelings are for Synth-Pop tunes you cannot deny the fabulous sound of the tracks on these two CD's.
As usual, all the favorites and monstrous hits, the forgotten tracks of their times and the hard to find.... sounds of the future.
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ALL 
or
ALL
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Track lists
CD1
01 Soft Cell - Tainted Love 02:41 [1981]
02 Donna Summer - I Feel Love 03:11 [1977]
03 New Order - Blue Monday 04:05 [1983]
04 Human League - Don't You Want Me 03:58 [1981]
05 Flash & The Pan - Waiting For A Train 03:44 [1982]
06 Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough 03:45 [1981]
07 A-Ha - Take On Me 03:46 [1985]
08 Cars - Drive 03:55 [1984]
09 China Crisis - Black Man Ray 03:38 [1985]
10 Johnny Hates Jazz - Shattered Dreams 03:28 [1988]
11 Gary Numan - Cars 03:56 [1979]
12 Erasure - A Little Respect 03:32 [1988]
13 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Enola Gay 03:31 [1980]
14 Duran Duran - The Chauffeur (Blue Silver) 03:52 [1982]
15 Devo - Whip It 02:40 [1980]
16 Yazoo - Only You 03:14 [1982]
17 Heaven 17 - Temptation 03:33 [1983]
18 Sarah Jane Morris and The Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way 04:31 [1986]
19 Kraftwerk - Computer Love 07:20 [1981]
20 Tears For Fears - Mad World 03:35 [1983]
21 Secret Service - Flash In The Night 03:45 [1982]
22 Talk Talk - Talk Talk 03:18 [1982]
23 Telex - Moscow Discow 04:14 [1979]
24 Electronic - Get The Message 03:51 [1991]
25 M - Pop Muzik 03:19 [1979]
CD2
26 Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax 03:57 [1984]
27 Black - Wonderful Life 04:49 [1984]
28 Cure - A Forest 04:44 [1980]
29 Yello - The Race 03:20 [1988]
30 Howard Jones - What Is Love 03:40 [1983]
31 Belouis Some - Imagination 03:35 [1985]
33 OMD - Souvenir 03:35 [1981]
34 Visage - Fade To Grey 03:50 [1980]
35 Tubeway Army - Are 'Friends' Electric! 05:21 [1979]
36 Berlin - Take My Breath Away 04:11 [1986]
37 When in Rome - The Promise 03:41 [1988]
38 Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F 03:01 [1984]
39 Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science 03:42 [1982]
40 Tears For Fears - Shout 06:34 [1985]
41 Falco - Der Kommissar 03:52 [1982]
42 Alphaville - Forever Young 03:48 [1984]
42 Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy 03:55 [1984]
43 Erasure - Love to Hate You 03:57 [1991]
44 Real Life - Send Me An Angel 03:51 [1983]
45 Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) 03:38 [1983]
46 Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star 03:27 [1980]
47 Haddaway - What is Love 04:29 [1993]
48 Nik Kershaw - Wouldn't It Be Good (UK Single) 04:29 [1984]
49 FM Attack - Sleepless Nights 06:48 [2009]
50 Giorgio Moroder and Philip Oak - Together In Electric Dreams 03:49 [1984]
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01 Soft Cell - Tainted Love 02:41 [1981]
02 Donna Summer - I Feel Love 03:11 [1977]
03 New Order - Blue Monday 04:05 [1983]
04 Human League - Don't You Want Me 03:58 [1981]
05 Flash & The Pan - Waiting For A Train 03:44 [1982]
06 Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough 03:45 [1981]
07 A-Ha - Take On Me 03:46 [1985]
08 Cars - Drive 03:55 [1984]
09 China Crisis - Black Man Ray 03:38 [1985]
10 Johnny Hates Jazz - Shattered Dreams 03:28 [1988]
11 Gary Numan - Cars 03:56 [1979]
12 Erasure - A Little Respect 03:32 [1988]
13 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Enola Gay 03:31 [1980]
14 Duran Duran - The Chauffeur (Blue Silver) 03:52 [1982]
15 Devo - Whip It 02:40 [1980]
16 Yazoo - Only You 03:14 [1982]
17 Heaven 17 - Temptation 03:33 [1983]
18 Sarah Jane Morris and The Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way 04:31 [1986]
19 Kraftwerk - Computer Love 07:20 [1981]
20 Tears For Fears - Mad World 03:35 [1983]
21 Secret Service - Flash In The Night 03:45 [1982]
22 Talk Talk - Talk Talk 03:18 [1982]
23 Telex - Moscow Discow 04:14 [1979]
24 Electronic - Get The Message 03:51 [1991]
25 M - Pop Muzik 03:19 [1979]
CD2
26 Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax 03:57 [1984]
27 Black - Wonderful Life 04:49 [1984]
28 Cure - A Forest 04:44 [1980]
29 Yello - The Race 03:20 [1988]
30 Howard Jones - What Is Love 03:40 [1983]
31 Belouis Some - Imagination 03:35 [1985]
33 OMD - Souvenir 03:35 [1981]
34 Visage - Fade To Grey 03:50 [1980]
35 Tubeway Army - Are 'Friends' Electric! 05:21 [1979]
36 Berlin - Take My Breath Away 04:11 [1986]
37 When in Rome - The Promise 03:41 [1988]
38 Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F 03:01 [1984]
39 Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science 03:42 [1982]
40 Tears For Fears - Shout 06:34 [1985]
41 Falco - Der Kommissar 03:52 [1982]
42 Alphaville - Forever Young 03:48 [1984]
42 Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy 03:55 [1984]
43 Erasure - Love to Hate You 03:57 [1991]
44 Real Life - Send Me An Angel 03:51 [1983]
45 Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) 03:38 [1983]
46 Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star 03:27 [1980]
47 Haddaway - What is Love 04:29 [1993]
48 Nik Kershaw - Wouldn't It Be Good (UK Single) 04:29 [1984]
49 FM Attack - Sleepless Nights 06:48 [2009]
50 Giorgio Moroder and Philip Oak - Together In Electric Dreams 03:49 [1984]
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Thank you for this repost, Butter - I was just beginning to get an itch to ask for it... and I bet other folks have been as well. Might I suggest you consider assembling a third volume - ? That era has lots to drawn on, of course - both charting, and deserving of a listen. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI have wanted to do another synth pop comp but there are so many great ones out there. I may do so at a later date. I am still working on a number of new ones first.
DeleteCheers
I can't imagine your *not* having a dozen-odd compilations in construction, at any one point. It's plenty to know that the back of your busy mind's mulling further synth pop. And there are so many realms and genres deserving of a turn on the table; cheers!
ReplyDeleteI have 6 new comps near completion. Stay tuned in... If you have any suggestions for a comp I will gladly take it on board and if possible.
DeleteCheers
Oh, brother, Butter - I can't imagine that you need any suggestions; you've pulled an amazing array of hats from the very generous rabbit, with no sign of running short of chapeaus, or bunnies. With that disclaimer...
DeleteA while back I suggested a compilation of higher-end vocals (falsetto, et al.) in rock, as a parallel to your fine set of great screams in rock. And you've spotlighted (spotlit?) several prominent instruments in rock; would it be possible to look at the sitar, and beyond just the Beatles and the mid-1960s? What comes to mind are "Green Tambourine" with its electric sitar, "Visions of Paradise" (or "Om") by the Moody Blues... okay, they're both in the 1960s. But there's also Tom Petty's "Don't Come Around Here No More", and surely other artists between 1966 and 2016.
Speaking of the Moodies… maybe a look at the mellotron? E.g., their "House of Four Doors" among many others; there's also Black Sabbath's "Changes", the studio versions of, respectively, the original "Freebird" and "Turn the Page"; and more. And naturally one could easily pull in King Crimson, ELP, Yes, etc.
…which should get the back of your mind working all the more vigorously - don't let that drag you away from other projects, or especially keep you from enjoying the lovely outdoors, this weekend and beyond!
I truly appreciate the feedback and great suggestions. I like and enjoy the challenge along with the interest in these type of comps. So I hope I can get to these someday in the near future.
DeleteCheers