• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Obscure, Punk, Post-Punk, New Wave, Alternative, etc

Fred Sanford said:
You just have to look at bands like the Police and Joe Jackson (whose first albums were introduced to me as being "punk") to prove that one out...it's all just music to me, I guess.

je
Click to expand...

Yes, the Police are certainly one of, if not the definitive 1980s band. Stuart Copland's drumwork is just fantastic and of course we all know Sting's blessed voice. Even to this day, I play them a lot. I never got too much into Joe Jackson (steppin out, into the night), but he sure got a lot of play on MTV (another heavy influence.)
 
Hmmm, well you've hit my genre. 80% of my vinyl collection is obscure 80's bands.
I'll try not to mention ones that have been brought up.
A House
Adam and the Ants
Altered Images
Balaam & the Angel
Richard Barone
Beat Happening
Belly
Belouis Some
Big Audio Dynamite
Blue Rodeo
Bodeans
The Bongos
Book of Love
Bourgeois Tagg
Bow Wow Wow
Billy Bragg
The Brandos
The Bronski Beat
Cabaret Voltaire
Cactus World News
John Cale
The Call
Camper Van Beethoven
Cellarful of Noise
The Charlatans
Circus of Power
Cocteau Twins
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
The Colour Field
Concrete Blonde
Julian Cope
Cowboy Junkies
Cruzados
Curiosity Killed The Cat
Cutting Crew
The Damned
Don Dixon
Dreams So Real
Dump Truck
Easterhouse
Echo & The Bunnymen
Erasure
The Fall
The Feelies
Fetchin Bones
Fields Of The Nephilim
Digney Fignus
Figures On A Beach
Fishbone
Flesh For Lulu
Fleshtones
The Fountainhead
Fun Boy Three
Gene Loves Jezebel
General Public - The English Beat
The Glove
The Godfathers
Golden Palominos
Guadalcanal Diary
Happy Mondays
The Heats
Hindu Love Gods
Hollywood Beyond
Hoodoo Gurus
The Housemartins
Hunters and Collectors
Huxton Creepers
Icicle Works
Inspiral Carpets
THE JAM ( " Town Called Malice"is one of my all time favourites!!!!!!!!!!!)
James
Japan
Jesus and the Mary Chain
Killing Joke
King Swamp
Let's Active
Living In A Box
Lone Justice
The Long Ryders
The Lotus Eaters
Love And Money
Lene Lovich
The Lucy Show
Martini Ranch
Mary's Danish
The Mission UK
The Multicoloured Shades
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
The Northern Pikes
The Outnumbered
Pavement
Payolas
Pilgrim Souls
Planet P
Plasticland
Poi Dog Pondering
Pop Will Eat Itself
The Pogues
Prefab Sprout
Pure Joy
The Rave Ups
Romeo Void
The Royal Court of China
Royal Crescent Mob
The Saints
The Sreaming Blue Messiahs
ScrittiPolitti
Severed Heads
Sex Gang Children
Feargal Sharkey
Jules Shear (And The Polar Bears)
Shriekback
The Silencers
The Sisters of Mercy
Skinny Puppy
Soft Cell
The Soup Dragons
The Southern Death Cult
Sparks
Stealin Horses
The Stone Roses
The Style Council
The Suburbs
The Sundays
The Tear Drop Explodes
The Tenants
That Petrol Emotion
The The
They Might Be Giants
Thrashing Doves
Throwing Muses
The Tourists
Transvision Vamp
The Triffids
TRIO (dah dah dah)
The Truth
Ultravox
The Undertones
Underworld
Violent Femmes
Visage
The Waterboys ("This is the Sea", if you haven't got this one.....well you know the drill)
Wild Seeds
The Wild Swans
Wire
Wire Train
The Wonder Stuff
The Woodentops
World Party
X
The Young Fresh Fellows

(I apologize for any repeats....and if I wandered out of the 80's and into the 90's)
 
Last edited:
highping said:
Hmmm, well you've hit my genre. 80% of my vinyl collection is obscure 80's bands.
I'll try not to mention ones that have been brought up.
A House
Adam and the Ants
Altered Images
Balaam & the Angel
Richard Barone
Beat Happening
Belly
Belouis Some
Big Audio Dynamite
Blue Rodeo
Bodeans
The Bongos
Book of Love
Bourgeois Tagg
Bow Wow Wow
Billy Bragg
The Brandos
The Bronski Beat
Cabaret Voltaire
Cactus World News
John Cale
The Call
Camper Van Beethoven
Cellarful of Noise
The Charlatans
Circus of Power
Cocteau Twins
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
The Colour Field
Concrete Blonde
Julian Cope
Cowboy Junkies
Cruzados
Curiosity Killed The Cat
Cutting Crew
The Damned
Don Dixon
Dreams So Real
Dump Truck
Easterhouse
Echo & The Bunnymen
Erasure
The Fall
The Feelies
Fetchin Bones
Fields Of The Nephilim
Digney Fignus
Figures On A Beach
Fishbone
Flesh For Lulu
Fleshtones
The Fountainhead
Fun Boy Three
Gene Loves Jezebel
General Public - The English Beat
The Glove
The Godfathers
Golden Palominos
Guadalcanal Diary
Happy Mondays
The Heats
Hindu Love Gods
Hollywood Beyond
Hoodoo Gurus
The Housemartins
Hunters and Collectors
Huxton Creepers
Icicle Works
Inspiral Carpets
THE JAM ( " Town Called Malice"is one of my all time favourites!!!!!!!!!!!)
James
Japan
Jesus and the Mary Chain
Killing Joke
King Swamp
Let's Active
Living In A Box
Lone Justice
The Long Ryders
The Lotus Eaters
Love And Money
Lene Lovich
The Lucy Show
Martini Ranch
Mary's Danish
The Mission UK
The Multicoloured Shades
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
The Northern Pikes
The Outnumbered
Pavement
Payolas
Pilgrim Souls
Planet P
Plasticland
Poi Dog Pondering
Pop Will Eat Itself
The Pogues
Prefab Sprout
Pure Joy
The Rave Ups
Romeo Void
The Royal Court of China
Royal Crescent Mob
The Saints
The Sreaming Blue Messiahs
ScrittiPolitti
Severed Heads
Sex Gang Children
Feargal Sharkey
Jules Shear (And The Polar Bears)
Shriekback
The Silencers
The Sisters of Mercy
Skinny Puppy
Soft Cell
The Soup Dragons
The Southern Death Cult
Sparks
Stealin Horses
The Stone Roses
The Style Council
The Suburbs
The Sundays
The Tear Drop Explodes
The Tenants
That Petrol Emotion
The The
They Might Be Giants
Thrashing Doves
Throwing Muses
The Tourists
Transvision Vamp
The Triffids
TRIO (dah dah dah)
The Truth
Ultravox
The Undertones
Underworld
Violent Femmes
Visage
The Waterboys ("This is the Sea", if you haven't got this one.....well you know the drill)
Wild Seeds
The Wild Swans
Wire
Wire Train
The Wonder Stuff
The Woodentops
World Party
X
The Young Fresh Fellows

(I apologize for any repeats....and if I wondered out of the 80's and into the 90's)
Click to expand...

The scary thing is I remember most of those bands from my college radio DJ days...even Martini Ranch. Also Fetchin' Bones - still a favorite.

-D
 
I'd love to lay hands on Brian Briggs' "Combat Zone" album.

Here's some others that were big with me back in the day:

Stiff Little Fingers
Sham 69
The Beat (Paul Collins)
20/20
The Skids
999
The Suburbs
Rezillos
The Meteors
The Vibrators
Holly & The Italians
Blue Angel (Cyndi Lauper's first band)
The Jags
The Tourists (Annie Lennox's first band)
Stiv Bators
Skafish
The Members
The Specials
X
Pylon
 
ejfud said:
Anyone familiar with the Aussie band the Lime Spiders? Garage rock at it's best.

Sweden's Nomads are also a fun listen IMO.
Click to expand...

I picked up a vinyl copy of 'Volatile" a month ago. (Lime Spiders) Not bad but wasn't overly impressed.

I saw the Beat Farmers mentioned, "Tales from The New West" is killer.

I am seeing lots of great bands mentioned here, but to me it looks like a list of all the bands that were not top 40.

Not that it's a bad thing just a long list.
 
Coil, Skinny Puppy, The Residents, Cinecyde, The Cubes, The Stooges (probably too popular for this list), The Blind.
 
grillebilly said:
I am seeing lots of great bands mentioned here, but to me it looks like a list of all the bands that were not top 40.
Click to expand...

that is the intent of the thread...to expand each others knowledge of obscure bands and broaden our tastes.

just about anyone who contributed to this thread could easily come up with the top 40 most commercial bands of these genres and era.

call it an excercise in alternative music snobberry, without the actual snob behavior
 
I love the main stream pop new wave bands too. I can't imagine anyone on this thread objecting to The Police, Elvis Costello or UB40 on the radio. Music is like scotch. Johnny Walker Red, Black and Gold are all very drinkable, just as a lot of main stream music is very listenable. However, it is an adventure to try Talisker, Laphroaig or the multitude of fine single malts out there, just as it is to listen to new obscure bands.
 
That's the way I learned about some of my favorite artists and bands, by comparing notes with friends and fellow musicians. I've been a lifelong fan of Robyn Hitchcock because a buddy of mine turned me onto the Soft Boys...
 
treserious said:
that is the intent of the thread...to expand each others knowledge of obscure bands and broaden our tastes.
Click to expand...

I guess it all depends of your definition of obscure.
Many of these bands sold out the bigger music venues in Washington, DC, close to my home.
Don't get me wrong, this is a great thread, and very informative.
I also love getting turned on to artists from other music lovers.
AK is a good source thanks to all you guys.
 
grillebilly said:
I guess it all depends of your definition of obscure.
Many of these bands sold out the bigger music venues in Washington, DC, close to my home.
Don't get me wrong, this is a great thread, and very informative.
I also love getting turned on to artists from other music lovers.
AK is a good source thanks to all you guys.
Click to expand...

I am curious, which of the bands would you consider not obscure? I do think many people listed bands I consider main stream, so I would really like to know which ones you are refering to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom