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.
======================================================
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.
======================================================
ALL 
or
ALL
=======================================================
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]
============================================================
============================================================
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]
============================================================
============================================================
Funny how the synthesizer once seen as cutting edge almost sounds out of date and of a time and place. Also I think The Monkees were the first to release a track with synth on it (someone might correct me). Anyway it's still a great collection - thanks BB
ReplyDeleteThanks Dr Robert.
DeleteLots of differing ideas on that one, seeing the synthesizer was developed in 1955 and the Theremin in the 1920's.
Some Moog music can be found here: https://butterboycompilations.blogspot.com/2023/01/va-in-moog-for-rock-cd1cd2-va-in-moog.html
Cheers.
"Funny how the synthesizer once seen as cutting edge almost sounds out of date and of a time and place. " Very well put. And still, as you mention, great hits!
ReplyDeleteHi gambarota.
DeleteIt may be true to many, but I don't see it as out of date even today. In 2024, the modern synth pop music scene continues to thrive. I am happy that you can still enjoy this set of great tracks.
Cheers.
I agree with Gummo I fondly remember a few of these. I will save some not all. Thanks BB.
ReplyDeleteIt just occurred to me the name makes it sound like synthetic ie imitating/not real instead of synthesizer, just a thought.
Thanks, lemonflag.
DeleteSynth-Pop is a real Genre and is still big today.
Cheers.
Hi Gummo,
ReplyDeleteGlad you grabbed it.
You can't judge a book by its cover... Enjoy.
Cheers.
Thought as Gummo did, then read the comments. Goes to show ... know how that ends. 😁 Many thanks BB.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good decision, hedspace.
DeleteCheers.