The recent release of a cleaned up and remastered Ultravox greatest hits compilation
Despite hooks and squiggly synths galore, Ultravox seemed to be consumed with capital-A Art. From the somewhat pretentious nature of their lyrics (“The Voice,” “Vienna,” “The Thin Wall,” etc., etc.), to the lavish and sumptuously shot videos, the group seemed to always be on a quest to make a grand statement. The lighter side of Ultravox’s talent seemed to be saved for Ure and Billy Curry’s work with Visage, the New Romantic vehicle for Blitz Kid Steve Strange. But thankfully, every so often Ultravox would prove they weren’t completely devoid of humor or whimsy.
To be fair, they proved this pretty early during the Ure era with “All Stood Still,” (download) the fourth single from Vienna, the band’s first album to feature Midge. Copping Devo right down to the simply Mothersbaugh-esque vocals and paranoia-infused lyrics, the track ended up being the group’s second Top Ten hit in the U.K., scoring them a spot on Top of the Pops: (more…)
In 1967, the Monkees sold more records than the Beatles. And the Rolling Stones. Combined. That year they also scored their third number one single, plus another Top Five hit. The assembled-for-television quartet were the biggest rock music act in the United States and United Kingdom. Three short years later, they’d be stripped down to duo and watch their final pre-reunion single peak at a pathetic #98.
There are certain acts and albums I absolutely adored in my younger days in the ’80s that I don’t quite care for now. One of these groups is the Thompson Twins, the New Wave trio that broke into the charts big time with the 1984 single “Hold Me Now” and its album, Into The Gap. As a high-school sophomore, I wore out my copy of Gap, but I really loved their 1982 effort, Side Kicks, which featured “Lies” and “Love On Your Side.”
Here’s an example of a great song that couldn’t be confined to a B-side. Wide Boy Awake was Adam & the Ants bassist Kevin Mooney’s first project after splitting from the Ants following 1980’s Kings of the Wild Frontier. While his new group only released a handful of tracks, two became club hits, one of which is still fondly remembered and played on “retro” club nights to this day.
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Yes, we’ve just gone and declared this week Kon Kan Week here at Popdose. Seeing as the duo nicked their name from the Canadian Content requirement for broadcast media up north, it’s only fair you get your dose of Kontent this week. Since the illustrious Mr. Steed featured Kon Kan’s 
I bought and fell in love with Blondie’s Parallel Lines album when I was around ten years old, and always wondered who the mysterious “Lee” was who was credited for writing the disc’s driving opener, “Hanging On The Telephone.”  As a youngster, I pored over the album credits, noticing that no one in the band was named Lee – where did this great song come from?
We’ve talked about Peter Godwin’s great lost art-rock combo, Metro, in a 
No, no, dear reader, I didn’t lose track while writing at 11pm once again and accidentally throw up a Lost in the ’80s post. By 1990, Adam Ant was pretty much considered washed-up. His last album, 1985’s, Vive Le Rock, sank without a ripple (despite being a fun, Tony Visconti-produced, glammy blast), and Ant was spending most of his days playing minor parts in b-movies in an attempt to cross over to Hollywood. That’s why it was such a shock to suddenly see a new Adam Ant album on the racks as the ’90s dawned, much less one produced by Prince bassist Andre Cymone.
When Siobahn Fahey left Bananarama in 1988, most people probably never expected to hear from her again. For Fahey to return to music with a goth look fronting a Siouxsie Sioux-influenced dance/electro combo was probably the most unexpected thing of all. But in 1988, Fahey’s solo project, Shakespear’s Sister (originally with an apostrophe, later without) released its debut album, Sacred Heart, and single, “Break My Heart.”
Where to begin with Ms. Lear? How about her modeling career in ’60s France? How about her years-long romance with surrealist Salvador Dali? How about her relationships with Bryan Ferry and David Bowie?