My choice: Are we not men? We are DEVO!!!  8)

Depeche Mode

I went for Heaven 17. A great band that had a couple more hits than the anthemic 'Temptation'. Very good and should have received more recognition. I follow this strongly with XTC.

I would have put in a good mention for They Might be Giants but their only hit in Britain (Birdhouse in your soul) came out in 1990. Still, it's a brilliant song!

White Lion

My brother'd whoop my a** for my vote because he was a big Replacements fan, but I chose Dokken.

I went for Heaven 17. A great band that had a couple more hits than the anthemic 'Temptation'. Very good and should have received more recognition. I follow this strongly with XTC.

I would have put in a good mention for They Might be Giants but their only hit in Britain (Birdhouse in your soul) came out in 1990. Still, it's a brilliant song!

HEAVEN 17
Their great songwriting went unrecognized as they were pigeonholed into the dance/funk category.
Runners up:
Blancmange
Ultravox

Other:  The Time

I chose A Flock Of Seagulls. Too many people know them for little more than "I Ran" and Mike Score's hairdos. It's a shame... They have other great songs! :)


Ultravox

I agree. Unfortunately, most people on this side of the Atlantic would know "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes," and maybe "Vienna"...but that's about it. But they have so many other wonderful songs, as I've discussed before on the Ultravox Poll thread. ;)


Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode, underrated? You think? They have legions of adoring fans (like you and me)! OK, they haven't had any chart-topping singles, but would you really want them to? I wouldn't. :) I'm very happy they haven't made it to #1 and/or sold out. :)

Absolutely Vile

THE MOTELS!!!!!

I looooove them so much! I have both 'Little Robbers' and 'All 4 One' on vinyl and they absolutely ROCK!! Martha Davis was such a unique and clever songwriter. My favorite songs are 'Monday Shut-down', 'Apocalypso,' 'Suddenly Last Summer,' 'Take the L,' 'Trust Me,' and of course 'Only the Lonely.'

Another 80s artist I love but has been long forgotten by the general public is Basia. She had a hit song in 1987 called 'New Day for You,' and her debut album 'Time and Tide' is one of my all time favorite albums ever.

I chose A Flock Of Seagulls. Too many people know them for little more than "I Ran" and Mike Score's hairdos. It's a shame... They have other great songs! :)
I thought they showed the most promise on the Listen album.  If they'd advanced with more progressive electrica, like those instrumentals, and harder-edged New Wave numbers, like "Over the Border," and "Quicksand," I think they could have formed a more solid fan base.  I think Mike Score had a delusion that AFOS was going top the charts and storm the world again.  He traded in the darker New Wave sound for a lighter pop sound, and it bombed.  Then things kind of fell apart.  If you're not trying to go platinum, there's not so much pressure.  A more relaxed timetable might have given them a chance to work things out.  Anyway...
BTW, the quintessential New Wave band, Devo, had only one Top 20, "Whip It," and how many of their songs are well known today?  The charts don't count for everthing.


I agree. Unfortunately, most people on this side of the Atlantic would know "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes," and maybe "Vienna"...but that's about it. But they have so many other wonderful songs, as I've discussed before on the Ultravox Poll thread. ;)
They never cracked the Top 40 in the States.  "Vienna," "Reap the Wild Wind," and "Love's Great Adventure" got some airplay here, as did "Dancing..."  They weren't called "New Romantic" for nothing, and the nature of their songs is now more outside the realm of pop music than ever.  They got ridiculed by rock critics in the '80s, too.  Laughed at for being sentimental, and conversely called "cold" and "fascist" at other times.  I'll always love them!


Depeche Mode, underrated? You think? They have legions of adoring fans (like you and me)! OK, they haven't had any chart-topping singles, but would you really want them to? I wouldn't. :) I'm very happy they haven't made it to #1 and/or sold out. :)
Depeche Mode became one of the biggest bands in the world.  Their success in the U.S. was relatively latecoming.  Many artists have had bigger hits and more hits, but few have the kind of staying power DM has.  I do think their '80s material is underrated.  Again, the odious rock critics wrote them off as another bubble gum synth pop group, and went back to sifting reefer onto their Rush album jackets.  They got associated with screaming teenage girls, but so were the Beatles.  A lot of their own hype overshadowed their innovations with electronics in pop, and Martin Gore's songwriting prowess.  I've listened to all kinds of electronic music, from the earliest synthesizer recordings in the '40s and '50s, to the most advanced computer music today, and Depeche Mode still stands out to me in their craft.

Absolutely Vile

THE MOTELS!!!!!

I looooove them so much! I have both 'Little Robbers' and 'All 4 One' on vinyl and they absolutely ROCK!! Martha Davis was such a unique and clever songwriter. My favorite songs are 'Monday Shut-down', 'Apocalypso,' 'Suddenly Last Summer,' 'Take the L,' 'Trust Me,' and of course 'Only the Lonely.'



You are so right!!!  I LOVED the Motels as well.  It seems that as fast as they came on the scene, they disappeared.  That was a real shame since Martha Davis had a phenomenal voice and they played great music.

Breathe

Another 80s artist I love but has been long forgotten by the general public is Basia. She had a hit song in 1987 called 'New Day for You,' and her debut album 'Time and Tide' is one of my all time favorite albums ever.


I love Basia's music.  I also hear "Cruisin for Bruisin" a lot, I love that one too.

Another similar artist that I would love to have heard more by is Swingout Sister.  They had the popular song "Breakout" around the same time, and they had one in the early 90s called "Am I The Same Girl" or something like that. 

Chas and Dave were underated as well. 'Rabbit, Rabbit on the sideboard here etc . . .'

I went with a couple:

Ultravox and Adam and the Ants, call me crazy but I never hear anything about Adam on TV or the radio or anything unless its associating him with "Goody Two Shoes". I mean, that was not his only good song! TV and radio people are just too shallow...

Rio

I went with a couple:

Ultravox and Adam and the Ants, call me crazy but I never hear anything about Adam on TV or the radio or anything unless its associating him with "Goody Two Shoes". I mean, that was not his only good song! TV and radio people are just too shallow...

Rio


"Goody Two Shoes" isn't even Adam Ant's best song! (His best songs were with The Ants, actually.) :)

Absolutely Vile

Because of her age, Debbie Gibson was underrated because people saw her as some teenybopper puppet. You never heard her getting credit for writing, producing, and playing her music.


The Go-Go's and the Bangles were also underrated. They were seen as girly bubblegum novelty acts when in reality they could rock just as hard as the boys could on stage.

The Furs with Siouxsie coming in close second.

I went with Other: Yello

I think that most people know Yello for "Oh Yeah!" and think of them more as a novelty act.

Chas and Dave were underated as well. 'Rabbit, Rabbit on the sideboard here etc . . .'


I think you have your songs mixed up here Bobby! 

That is Rabbit and The Sideboard Song.

You also cannot forget other classics such as Gertcha and Snooker Loopy.  They are also Tottenham Hotspurs fans too so they can't be all that bad.

"Goody Two Shoes" isn't even Adam Ant's best song! (His best songs were with The Ants, actually.) :)

Absolutely Vile


I couldn't agree with you more!!!!! I like some of his post-ants songs but I am forever listening to songs from Dirk..., Kings..., and Prince Charming.

And the first CD off of Antbox. A lot of rare stuff on that one!!!

Rio

Because of her age, Debbie Gibson was underrated because people saw her as some teenybopper puppet. You never heard her getting credit for writing, producing, and playing her music.


The Go-Go's and the Bangles were also underrated. They were seen as girly bubblegum novelty acts when in reality they could rock just as hard as the boys could on stage.



True.
Debbie Gibson did write, produce, sang her own material. I didn't put her on because I doubt anybody would vote since she's more from the "guilty pleasure" section like New Edition & Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
.
I added Kylie Minogue as a filler (she wasn't huge in the U.S) and she's not yet voted.

I didn't put the Bangels & Go-Go's because they were well known.  Though same people, including myself, look at them as talented musicians.

I can't believe OINGO BOINGO was not on this list!!  They put out some brilliant music behind the musical genius that IS Danny Elfman.  Sadly, their highest charting hit single was "Weird Science" one of their weakest efforts actually.   Oingo will always be one of my all time top 5 bands from the 80s.

I can't believe OINGO BOINGO was not on this list!!  They put out some brilliant music behind the musical genius that IS Danny Elfman.  Sadly, their highest charting hit single was "Weird Science" one of their weakest efforts actually.   Oingo will always be one of my all time top 5 bands from the 80s.


Sorry.  I didn't know they were underrated.  :-[

My local alternative station always play their songs.  8) Though I assumed they were popular in the '80's.

The Furs with Siouxsie coming in close second.

I agree with both of these.  A lot '80s groups were written off as "80s groups" by the baby boomer rockocracy, and never enjoyed the critical acclaim they deserved.  At least in America, the "Woodstock" generation copped this attitude that they were there for the apex of rock, and nothing could compare to their icons--Elvis, Jimmi, James Brown, Janice, The Beatles, The 'Stones, The Doors, The 'Dead, Dylan.  To this very day Rolling Stone publishes "Best of" lists, and they're all STILL totally '60s biased.
Unlike the baby boom generation, generation X, loved the music of their parents.  I didn't.  I wanted nothing to do with that "old time Rock 'n' Roll," that's why I identified so strongly with synth-pop.  It had a totally different feel from my parents' music.  So did bands like the P-Furs and Siouxsie.
Is the same way The Cure was completely underrated, that is, up through the Disintegration album.  When people think of The Cure, they think of morbid lyrics and goth schtick.  I recommend an exercise, and this applies to Siouxsie as well, forget about the IMAGE and just listen to the SONGS for their own sake.  I found this gave me a much refreshed appreciation for The Cure.

Rush wrote
I went with Other: Yello

I think that most people know Yello for "Oh Yeah!" and think of them more as a novelty act.
A kitsch act, but not a novelty act, Yello was excellent '80 to '87.  They created a sort of New Wave Exotica, creating dense atmospheres with cool electronics and over-the-top vocals/lyrics.  My favorite Yello albums are Solid Pleasure and You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess.

I went with a couple:

Ultravox and Adam and the Ants, call me crazy but I never hear anything about Adam on TV or the radio or anything unless its associating him with "Goody Two Shoes". I mean, that was not his only good song! TV and radio people are just too shallow...

Rio


I totally agree with you Rio!

Japan.

Without them, there'd be no Duran Duran and other New Romantics would have found it hard to pin down a style.

Yep, Japan got their start way back in '74!

Yep, Japan got their start way back in '74!


So did Ultravox! Though they were called "Tiger Lily" back then. :)

By the way, yes...I totally agree that Japan is extremely underrated! Great band! :)

Absolutely Vile

So did the Mael bros. as "Sparks." Thing is, Ultravox! sounded waaaay different pre-1980. Sure, they recorded a bonafide album and a song or two before Japan did in 1978, but as far as the New Romantic sound goes, Japan got there first.

Yes. Ultravox! were more punk-rock/prog-rock when John Foxx was fronting them in the 70's. They slowly started to get a more synthesiser type sound by Systems Of Romance (and subsequently dropped the "!" from their name), but it didn't really come to a head until Midge took over in late 1979 and they released Vienna in 1980. True, that Japan were doing it in '78-79...but they, like Ultravox, started out more glam than anything! But that's a moot point. :)

Absolutely Vile

Other:  Level 42  8)

I think you have your songs mixed up here Bobby! 

That is Rabbit and The Sideboard Song.

You also cannot forget other classics such as Gertcha and Snooker Loopy.  They are also Tottenham Hotspurs fans too so they can't be all that bad.


I did it deliberately, Rush. I didn't think anyone would notice.  ;D

Oddly enough, I haven't heard Gertcha but I love Snooker Loopy ('cause I where these Gaaaarrrgggleess!  ;D). You support Tottenham, Rush? They used to be quite a footballing force a few years back.

Other:  Level 42  8)


I couldn't agree more, Ceramics!

I chose "other" and my pick is Queensryche.....followed by Dokken.

An honorary mention: Red Hot Chili Peppers (not popular until 1989)  :)

An honorary mention: Red Hot Chili Peppers (not popular until 1989)  :)


Whaaaat?  1987's, "The Uplift Mofo Party Plan" album was HUGE! :o  At least in these parts & I KNOW it was on the West Coast.

Whaaaat?  1987's, "The Uplift Mofo Party Plan" album was HUGE! :o  At least in these parts & I KNOW it was on the West Coast.

I first heard of RHCP in 1984, Real Men Don't Kill Coyotes.

I first heard of RHCP in 1984, Real Men Don't Kill Coyotes.


I did too, but they were still pretty unknown back then, until they released "Mofo Party Plan".  All the skaters & surfers were into them.

I voted for "A Flock Of Seagulls". Kylie Minogue underrated?? Can't quite figure that out.

I'll stick to my a-ha...

Kryllith

Other: The Smithereens.
These guys were a very talented, hard working band that had a few minor hits (like "Only A Memory") but never really broke it big.
I think they were just to "striaght ahead" sounding for the times...

Other: The Smithereens.
These guys were a very talented, hard working band that had a few minor hits (like "Only A Memory") but never really broke it big.
I think they were just to "striaght ahead" sounding for the times...
I liked their album "11" a lot. Sometimes I felt Pat DiNizio's lyrics got a little bit too self-pitying at times, but the music rocks!

I chose "other" and my pick is Queensryche.....followed by Dokken.

I don't know if Queensryche fans consider it a sellout song, but I always loved Silent Lucidity.
:)

Other - Crowded House and Split Enz

I don't know if Queensryche fans consider it a sellout song, but I always loved Silent Lucidity.
:)


Not at all, IMO.  It's a great song.  :)

I love Basia's music.  I also hear "Cruising for Bruising" a lot, I love that one too.

Another similar artist that I would love to have heard more by is Swingout Sister.  They had the popular song "Breakout" around the same time, and they had one in the early 90s called "Am I The Same Girl" or something like that. 

That's right, "Am I The Same Girl" was early 90s; it used the instrumental classic "Soulful Strut" in the background.

"Cruising For Bruising" by Basia was also from the early 90s. I thought for a while that it may have been 80s, but I did some research and found out that it hit the charts in May of 1990...which is when I turned 10! (It could have been recorded in '89, though.)

I think most of these groups got recognition from fans within their particular genre. For instance, Siouxie and the Banshees are almost legendary in the alternative genre.

I agree with Level 42. I love "Something About You". The Time had a lot of recognition in the R&B genre.

I voted for Faith No More, b/c IMO, they were overlooked as helping fuse rock with rap. Groups like Korn and Limp Biskit get credited for mixing them first.

Tanya

Other: Scritti Politti.
True to my heart, and as tasteless as this suggestion may be, I really DO have to nominate them.  Despite being sugary-nicey-androgynous-overall weird to the naked eye, the synthesiser work was, in my opinion, unmatched - and Gartside's voice being, quite simply, the most bizarre noise you will ever hear from the larynx of a homo sapiens.  I may not fully agree with them politically (I'm center) - I think it was a mixture of Gartside's Left Wing ideals and... the foundation... which seriously alienated them from the rest of the chart regulars.  It is indeed a shame, as they have had some damn good records... I think they were one-hit wonders in the US with "Perfect Way" (#11 or 12, I think) - here in the UK, they managed two top ten hits (The Word Girl - #6 and Wood Beez - #10), so someone must have liked them... sadly, their last effort, the hip-hop twinged "Anomie and Bonhomie" LP of 1999, is quite frankly one of the worst albums I've come to posess (with the obvious exception of "Feeling Free" by Sydney Youngblood - and DON'T let me go into that!!).  Er, that's it!

There are a lot of them but I voted for They Might be Giants.




Cat

Funny how Kylie Minogue's on the shortlist - she was absolutely massive over here in the UK, scoring 3 numbers ones in the 80s alone and a futher three number ones in the 00s!  She's still releasing work to this day and is still all over the tabloid press, even more so than she was in the 80s - I think it's odd that someone can be massively successful in one country yet unsuccessful in another - and I wouldn't say she's overrated either, as her 80s stuff was excellent - her newer works are rather drab (although Scritti Politti worked on her most recent album, so shut my mouth).

Another nominee for most underrated, then - Living in a Box.  Did they ever actually HAVE a hit in the US?

Another nominee for most underrated, then - Living in a Box.  Did they ever actually HAVE a hit in the US?


"Living In A Box" in 1987. Great song.  :)

I think Bruce Hornsby & The Range have often been underrated, and Bruce still is on his own. People always seem to recognize "Mandolin Rain" and "The Valley Road", but often forget he co-wrote two #1 hits for other artists: "Jacob's Ladder" with Huey Lewis and "End Of The Innocence" with Don Henley. I was lucky enough to see him live in 1993, and he brought the house down! Anyone else think he's underrated?

Doc Brown

I think Bruce Hornsby & The Range have often been underrated, and Bruce still is on his own. People always seem to recognize "Mandolin Rain" and "The Way It Is", but often forget he co-wrote two #1 hits for other artists: "Jacob's Ladder" with Huey Lewis and "End Of The Innocence" with Don Henley. I was lucky enough to see him live in 1993, and he brought the house down! Anyone else think he's underrated?

Doc Brown

I agree.  Both his "The Way It Is" and "Scenes From the Southside" LPs with the Range are supremely underrated, even more so in the UK than in the US.  Only "The Way It Is" is recognised over here (peaked at #15 :() due to the fact that it's the theme tune to a particular daytime hospital documentary.  And what about all the other great songs on those albums?  I'm damned if "The River Runs Low" isn't one of the greatest yet most unappreciated works I've ever listened to.  I'm a fan of several acts who have received scattered recognition (Scritti Politti, Rick Astley, Simple Minds, Early Madonna, Phil Collins, Talk Talk, Tears for Fears, Hue and Cry but to name a few), but since I found a copy of "The Way It Is" (the album!) for 50p at a car boot sale I've become enthralled by Hornsby's work.  I will be looking to upgrade my casette edition of Scenes From the Southside to CD in the new year as I seem to have misplaced it :(

"Living In A Box" in 1987. Great song.  :)

Well what dy'a know? A self-titled song! :D

Other: German synth-pop band The Twins formed by Sven Dohrow and Ronny Schreinzer in 1980.
Some of heir better known songs include 'Ballet Dancer', 'Not The Loving Kind', and 'This Desert Place'.
Still gigging in Europe to this day. Now if they would only make it down to Australia.......... 8)

Heaven 17, Overlooked genious.

Well what dy'a know? A self-titled song! :D

It doesn't stop there... I have the album, which is also titled... Living in a Box.  Imaginations ran riot!

A Flock Of Seagulls


Shame the question wasn't "Most Overrated '80's Artist" - would have been a lot easier to choose  ;)

since this topic refuses to die, i put my vote to sigue sigue sputnik. they were purposely over-hyped and made an album that was more a commercial than music. the album 'flaunt it' inspired many artists to use samples from movies and TV. they also were the inspirations of several industrial/EBM acts through the 90s.

Psychedelic Furs. Vastly underrated!

Funny how Kylie Minogue's on the shortlist - she was absolutely massive over here in the UK, scoring 3 numbers ones in the 80s alone and a futher three number ones in the 00s!  She's still releasing work to this day and is still all over the tabloid press, even more so than she was in the 80s - I think it's odd that someone can be massively successful in one country yet unsuccessful in another - and I wouldn't say she's overrated either, as her 80s stuff was excellent - her newer works are rather drab (although Scritti Politti worked on her most recent album, so shut my mouth).

Another nominee for most underrated, then - Living in a Box.  Did they ever actually HAVE a hit in the US?


How true you are, Heathcliff. Kylie was the big thing in the late 80s (at least from 1988 - 1991 she could barely put a foot wrong in the charts). I loved that stuff. I agree with your Scritti Politti comments as well - he had a remarkably high smooth voice. I liked Wood Beez but never understood it.

Living in a box were pure class. I have their gatecrashing album. 'Living in a box','Blow the house down' and 'Room in your heart' were brilliant for different reasons. I think Richard Darbyshire tried for a solo career in the very early 90s.

Other: Asia

Other:  Crowded House.

Neil Finn was and is one of the master songsmiths of his day.

Also Tears for Fears.  "Songs From The Big Chair" is the only LP/CD that the payola...er, radio stations seem to think ever existed by TFF.

I always thought Breathe should have gotten more recogintion.