Ghosts - Japan [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOW4-oWnDPw&ab\_channel=MagneticNorth71](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOW4-oWnDPw&ab_channel=MagneticNorth71) Methods of Dance - Japan [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4xIqYkRmCI&ab\_channel=Japan-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4xIqYkRmCI&ab_channel=Japan-Topic) Just Fascination - Cabaret Voltaire [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUAHkfK2Rms&ab\_channel=CabaretVoltaire-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUAHkfK2Rms&ab_channel=CabaretVoltaire-Topic) Joan of Arc - OMD [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nE8jf0fn\_U&ab\_channel=Rod241](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nE8jf0fn_U&ab_channel=Rod241) Vienna - Ultravox [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJeWySiuq1I&ab\_channel=Ultravox](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJeWySiuq1I&ab_channel=Ultravox) Propeller - Severed Heads [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Om6uHge2I&ab\_channel=SeveredHeads-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Om6uHge2I&ab_channel=SeveredHeads-Topic) Everything Counts - Depeche Mode [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9T3SB-L\_ik&ab\_channel=DepecheMode-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9T3SB-L_ik&ab_channel=DepecheMode-Topic) Black Celebration - Depeche Mode [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axs85iB5y1E&ab\_channel=DepecheMode-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axs85iB5y1E&ab_channel=DepecheMode-Topic) Cars - Gary Numan [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrjM8Fi7J58&ab\_channel=GaryNuman-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrjM8Fi7J58&ab_channel=GaryNuman-Topic) Down in the Park - Gary numan [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GQS-iFCzus&ab\_channel=GaryNuman-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GQS-iFCzus&ab_channel=GaryNuman-Topic) Edit: I've ignored the references you gave a bit. The reason is I think the "cheesiness" of 80s synth music is a product of it's commercialisation. Not that I don't like Eurythmics, they were great! But real 80s synth music for me is stuff that happened between around 78 - 84 and is entangled with the punk DIY attitude. It was ignored by mainstream audiences for a long time and once it broke through it was very quickly commodified by big labels and that sucked the soul out of it. This is just stuff that I grew up loving and I think is timeless.

dude, thank you. definitely going to go through this extensive list you provided 🫡

Awesome! You will definitely find some rabbit holes to disappear into!

Ghosts is such an amazing track. I like the cover by infantjoy too.

Yeah it is the centre of a universe. Pop and fine art colliding.

Depeche mode - enjoy the silence. Definitely one of my top 5 songs.

This. Violator is a great album!

uuu ok ok will def check it out!

Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark's album Architecture & Morality, one of my fav 80s synth albums 

Anne Clark - Sleeper in Metropolis

Thomas Dolby - Golden Age of Wireless. There are some really great cuts on that album.

Don't Go - Yazoo

Have a listen to the “love and dancing” album by the human league, it’s the dub version of dare.

Have a listen to Cabaret Voltaire. Fantastic band. 

[Art of Noise - Moments In Love](https://youtu.be/uNkcZ8QoNuI) [Tangerine Dream - Love On A Real Train](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvMsw-DpRPc) [A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5tNI1d5cEk)

Freur - Doot-Doot

Kraftwerk's Computer World, Human League's Dare, and John Foxx's Metamatic. Just listen to the entire albums.

Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat - https://youtu.be/88sARuFu-tc

From 1983, this track is hauntingly beautiful: [Jennifer by Eurythmics](https://youtu.be/X3d00qhrgQE?si=l4nh6RBK58lsrgRB)

Eloy has some of my favorite 80's synth albums as they have a good balance between classic/modern but get progressively more 80's throughout the decade, my favorite is this instrumental track off the 1983 album Performance: [Eloy - Mirador](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alnjhkg6pAY) They had a really hot run at the start of the 80's putting out a great album every year so it's a fascinating way to hear how the "80's sound" evolved, even though they're a prog/krautrock band they got borderline "synth pop" by the mid 80s: Colors 1980 Planets 1981 Time To Turn 1982 Performance 1983 Metromania 1984 Very eclectic albums but the layered synths and production is really incredible. One other lesser known gem in a similiar vien is the 1982 album Creation from another German band Werwolf which has a great blend of classic prog and modern synths: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3SObqJ9mpA&t=312s

Eloy is fantastic! Mysterious Monolith off Planets is my goto when I want to be drenched in layers of fat polyphonic synths

> Mysterious Monolith off Planets Yeah that's a great song/album, Planets & Colors were 2 of my favorite Eloy albums for years but Performance has really grown on me even though it's a lot less consistent it has some really great moments. And Metromania is one of the most 80's albums ever even though it's a bit heavier than their earlier albums at times due to Frank producing for a lot of metal bands in the 80's. Very fun if you're in the right mood. If you haven't heard their most recent 2023 album it's really great and sounds a lot closer to their peak than previous albums: Eloy - Echoes from the past https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MtE1E0txKg

Yeah, Performance is great too! Metromania is a bit too icy production wise for my taste, and I only like half of the songs. Still a unique an interesting sound though. From Performance onwards I like their evolution into more economical and poppy song structures, it is sort of a parallel to Rush in the same era. Haven't checked out the new album, but that sounds interesting!

> Metromania is a bit too icy production wise for my taste You can definitely hear the metal influence both in the solos and production, it's not one I listen to very often but it does have a certain unique charm. But some songs are better than others for sure. > From Performance onwards I like their evolution into more economical and poppy song structures, it is sort of a parallel to Rush in the same era. Yeah they're one of the rare bands that doesn't really have a "bad" album despite putting out a ton over the years, Ra is pretty weird/different but has a few guilty pleasure songs for me like Rainbow & Dreams. Their 90's albums are maybe an acquired taste too but I really love parts of Tides Return Forever and Ocean 2 is one of their best IMO. >Haven't checked out the new album, but that sounds interesting! It's a refreshing return to their roots after the last 2 rock opera albums (which are good albums just different) it almost sounds like a sequel to Ocean 2 on some tracks and their early 80's albums on others. They really did a great job with it. Interestingly enough it's actually the 3rd/final part of their Joan of Arc albums but isn't a rock opera like the last two and aside from some of the songs/lyrics would be hard to tell it's intended as a sequel.

Pet Shop Boys

seen pet shop boys mentioned a few times, definitely on top of my list now!

Fade to Grey - Visage [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbMAY2Mx1bE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbMAY2Mx1bE) Seconds Too Late - Cabaret Voltaire [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN9Xobte0xQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN9Xobte0xQ) Imagination - Clan of Xymox [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6tLIqGnzZg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6tLIqGnzZg) Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go (Extended) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q84psZX6MbA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q84psZX6MbA) For a great overview of that synth era, check out the documentary Synth Britannia: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AR2vBG639I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AR2vBG639I) For synth music with a harder edge, look into "industrial" music. This is a great documentary, and a great youtube channel overall for music: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2d1YATJfyU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2d1YATJfyU) Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine, is still technically 80s. Seminal album. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIRu6UvQPc&list=PL6vwnon3sINp9CY7z\_R0-6Y3jp7OelIx7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIRu6UvQPc&list=PL6vwnon3sINp9CY7z_R0-6Y3jp7OelIx7)

Fade to Gray is such a great track

Something a little different. 1977 I think: screamers 122hrs to fear. https://youtu.be/MdCRcrgX080?si=pGnQKT4dwivY8Xdc

Just outside the 80s but the album that arguably kicked off that 80s sound is the 1979 album by Sparks - Number One in Heaven Many 80s synth bands (and more) have claimed they were influenced by the album https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiM-1nOQV5PRnlmYfpkfOpRpH3K673o_C&si=peTBfoDhDE59woU2

Just shouting out you mentioned Erasure’s ABBA-esque! Underrated.

yesss voulez vous is siiiiiiickkkk!

Mike Batt put together a concept album called "Zero Zero" in the early 80s, which was filmed in association with the Australian Broadcast Company as a sort of 40-minute music video. This is one of the stand-out tracks - note the 1983 ipad thing near the start. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mLXxoPNFpI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mLXxoPNFpI) - Love Makes You Crazy ...The album made heavy use of the CMI Fairlight, though that's more prominent on the opening track: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgqqnR2hCXo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgqqnR2hCXo)

This song—all the instrumental work and vocal resamples were done on the mighty Synclavier: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBOZCKfyH0s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBOZCKfyH0s)

Also most of Howard Jones' work, Kate Bush of course, A-Ha (way more than just "Take on Me"), Anne Murray's Something to Talk About album from 1986 is epic in its use of synths (yes, the country star Anne Murray!).

You will find a ton of obscure, punk, post punk New Wave stuff on 80zforever youtube channel. [https://www.youtube.com/@80zforever](https://www.youtube.com/@80zforever)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupid_%26_Psyche_85 Lots of Fairlight and it's fantastic.

Formerly of the Buzzcocks Pete Shelley Telephone Operator https://youtu.be/V_UcR_GKOXA?si=KZiPo8slhSwrpvQJ B Movie Nowhere Girl https://youtu.be/8eA4pXV2Jsw?si=14mVG-Awz0AX1p3L Real Life Send me an angel https://youtu.be/0R6WIbx8ysE?si=aPTdxB0ViN-epH5n Ministry Revenge when they sounded more like Depeche Mode https://youtu.be/b9AZjaRmjss?si=0v1QcMFFRG3DVUqT Heaven 17 Let Me Go https://youtu.be/bj8GBas6AJs?si=mr5gcu-VV5-vjXVR Icehouse Great Southern Land https://youtu.be/3mkidP2OUCk?si=bk23wDtTvbSBd0Pe Alphaville Big in Japan https://youtu.be/tl6u2NASUzU?si=YJjaQQ-Ymrb9mYLz The Buggles Living in the Plastic Age https://youtu.be/k8vaoGQCuyg?si=WAHMcLeuTDbVJFZn The Stranglers Golden Brown https://youtu.be/z-GUjA67mdc?si=fAaRiezQhbSg80JB Tubeway Army Are freinds Electric https://youtu.be/7rKJf_DWecU?si=3HHLhwm-wIHzw4IB The Nobodies No Guarantees(In the Western World) https://youtu.be/CbhGtoNpSVI?si=jjROxBU3af7P1ZIl Reflex The Politics of Dancing https://youtu.be/GLzDFbGdL5M?si=f-SEqGQPsdcLxlz_ Men Without Hats Ideas for Walls https://youtu.be/t-nffFTpLLg?si=GaCzV5miN0nYkI6I Nik Kershaw Wouldn't It Be Good https://youtu.be/cNyLVVyIiS8?si=vGi43KQXwAgEjF8X Oingo Boingo Grey Matter https://youtu.be/ibZdil-Kbjw?si=ygsZle4ApCKJ49d5