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by Mr. Marlowe

Call me crazy, ancient, or completely out of touch. Better yet, call me all three but also call me adamant, perplexed, and a bit obsessive as well. Whatever superlatives you prefer I can’t keep it in any longer: the ‘80s music scene rules! And surely I’m not alone in standing on the tallest building and shouting that mantra loud and proud. It’s true, stop into any college bar from Washington to Massachusetts and the scene will be the same: college kids huddled around a digital jukebox singing Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing, that ubiquitous tale of love told in consummate early ‘80s style. But why, why stop at Journey’s biggest hit when there are so many more awesome ‘80s classics just waiting for you impressionable youngsters to embrace just before closing time? Here is a list of some classic ‘80s tracks that died in the ‘90s but are ripe for a second shot at the limelight:

Europe – The Final Countdown… With perhaps the greatest synthesizer riff in the history of synthesizer riffs this classic from ’86 is everything big chorus hair metal can be and more. That Europe had virtually nothing else of note before or after this ultimate single should be even more incentive to embrace it with open arms and lips slightly pursed. This is pure pop heaven of the most glorious kind.

The Outfield – All The Love In The World… Better than any single Sting or The Police ever released, this Sting sound-a-like slice of 1986 is as haunting as it is breathtaking and magical. If this couldn’t be the ultimate theme to just about 90% of the great and memorable movies of the ‘80s than I don’t know what would. Though their other hit, Your Love, has always garnered considerably more attention don’t be fooled, All The Love In The World is infinitely better and deserving of another crack at pop stardom.

The Thompson Twins – Hold Me Now…Napoleon Dynamite did wonders for reviving a pair of ‘80s gems, When in Rome’s The Promise and Alphaville’s Forever Young, so what modern film is going to pick up this diamond in the rough and shine it up nice and pretty for a new generation of kids? One of the more timeless tunes of an era that screams its age this classic ballad is potential pop gold in any decade.

Joe Eposito – You’re the Best… The theme from the greatest movie of all-time, The Karate Kid (I’m not joking!) is simply amazing. Yanked from the tournament montage of the film there is nothing capable of keeping this tune down, that is, if it ever gets a chance to make it into jukeboxes nationwide. Come on BMG, put this track on one of your ‘80s compilations and watch the money roll in. This tune deserves another shot!

Gene Loves Jezebel – Desire (Come and Get It)…The 1986 tune Desire is a slab of glam gone hair metal with soaring choruses and catchy riffs, prime time ‘80s, indeed. Though Gene Loves Jezebel had a flurry of hits in their native UK they never gained the appreciation they deserved in America. This is the song that defined the band and it’s a winner that easily could pique the interest of the new generation if only it had another shot.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – So In Love… I know it’s a gigantic long shot but how great would it be for awesome ‘80s band OMD to leave behind their Breakfast Club If You Leave fame for something more eclectic and possibly representative of their greatness? If it ever happens my choice is this lead off track from their 1985 album, Crush. Perhaps too cheery for today’s generation you never know, they just might love it all the same. And if it doesn’t work out with this one there’s always Enola Gay, their haunting yet beautiful portrait of the atomic bomb of the same name. OMD was much more than If You Leave, if only they’ve another chance to prove it.

Flesh for Lulu – I Go Crazy… Speaking of The Breakfast Club, Flesh for Lulu’s 1987 soundtrack hit (also featured on their own The New Flesh) I Go Crazy is ‘80s UK dynamite. Like a chugging train of goth gone glam gone new wave this drum machine and synth laden power pop hit is melodic, catchy, and even a little rough around the edges, perfect qualities for busting the mainstream of the new millennium. Whether you like or dislike John Hughes and his plethora of teen angst films, no question he knew how to populate his movies with some of the best tunes of the era and this is one of them.

The Cars – Double Life… The Cars had plenty of late ‘70s/early ‘80s hits but Double Life is probably the one you’re least likely to know about. Maybe that’s because it was never really a hit. The fourth song on the red headed step-child of The Cars’ catalogue, Candy-O, Double Life slows down the usually energetic Cars’ tempo but carries more emotional weight with each line Ric Ocasik rips into the microphone. So unknown is this Cars’ track that it is left off both the original Greatest Hits as well The Complete Greatest Hits, a crying shame of the highest order. This single is a terrific tune and stands out as something a little different from the rest of the Cars’ hits and is deserving of another shot at greatness.

The B-52s – Mesopotamia… Sure, The B-52s have already had two lives as pop superstars. The first came at the end of the 1970s when their self-titled album and huge hit Rock Lobster ruled the underground party scene. The second came in the MTV age of 1989 with their explosive mainstream success Love Shack from Cosmic Planet. Somewhere in between, however when the spotlight ignored them the self-proclaimed “world’s greatest party band” (and I concur!) put out a little remembered EP entitled Mesopotamia. Forgotten by many it rocks nonetheless, in particular the title track, which I continue to feature on many of my numerous party mixes. So why not see if the third time’s the charm and give Mesopotamia a chance to bring The B-52s to the mainstream one more time?

Def Leppard – Hysteria… I know, I know, I know. You want Pour Some Sugar On Me to be here. That song, while excellent, is far too played out for a comeback. Hysteria, on the other hand is perhaps the forgotten single of the 1987 album of the same name and the one most deserving a second chance to shine. Not nearly as chorusrific as its more famous brother Hysteria is nonetheless awesome ‘80s power pop rock from a band that did for the genre almost as much as Michael Jackson did for… oh never mind! Give this tune another go!

Concrete Blonde – Joey… Even though Joey was technically released in 1990 it is unquestionably born of the ‘80s. Vocalist Johnette Napolitano is a ringer for a huskier, muskier Chrissy Hynde and on Joey her qualities shine through taking a decent track to the stratosphere. Her voice slinks between subdued verses to soaring choruses effortlessly holding us in its unflinching trance. This lovelorn bit of musical storytelling brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it and would whip the pants off nearly any “indie-rock” that currently wets the pants of the critics.

Shannon – Let the Music Play… Electro-funk princess Shannon’s Let the Music Play was freestyle music before that genre even existed. It’s the type of thing that should rule wedding dance floors instead of Kool and the Gang and the like. Simple but effective dance, Let the Music Play is toe tapping, booty grooving big time sensuality.

Trans X – Living on Video… On the heels of Kraftwerk’s Trans Europe Express comes this over-the-top snyth-pop gem. All synthesizer all the time this is the song to really have people scratching their heads. Was this type of music ever popular? Perhaps, but only in Revenge of the Nerds and certainly not in this crude form, precisely why Living on Video is music magic.

So there’s your lucky thirteen megamix for the next time you throw a five in the juke. You won’t be disappointed and just maybe you’ll find your next Don’t Stop Believin’.

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Does Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over bring a tear to your eye, too? Get your empathy fix by slipping Mr. Marlowe an Email: scottmarlowe@undependentmedia.com

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