OT: Underrated songs of the 80's

I hope it is ok to post here, even though both the user/users last active, have been either deleted or decided to shut down their accounts, and it has been a few year since it was created. And so, instead of just starting up yet a similar thread/topic, one can just continue on posting in this one.

Anyway, I was far too young to remember much from the 80's, but I always seemed to have a very fond and strong emotional feelings towards that decade, specially when it comes to music and movies.

I doubt that I will ever be able of watching or listening to absolute "everything" that was made or written during the 80's, and no matter how much films or music I have heard from that era, there is always so much more to discover, where one would suddenly "stumble" upon something that is completely "new" and unheard/never seen, and just as this thread were all about, you start to wonder:

"How the hell did this awesome song/single/band/artist never achieve far more success, back in the day?"

Some bands tend to have a ridiculous line up, of one "hidden" gem, after another. Full of great and powerful melodies, fantastic mood or atmosphere and some very catchy/clever lyrics, and somehow, they just never made it to the lists, or that I guess, might have some very bad luck/promotion at the time of their release.

Over the years, I do not really have any favorite musical genres any longer, from the 80s. But I seem to get more drawn towards a certain type of artists or bands, than just focusing on a bunch of different styles/trends, and I do tend to come back to those who had a bit of a taste or talent, of never really "settle down", but always be on the move, instead of making the same record, over and over again.

Anyway, back to the topic.
I had actually never heard of the artist or band Icehouse, that is until I finally watched Young Einstein (1988) back in late 2019, and there were a montage/scene where the song Great Southern Land was played, and it went along with all this beautiful australian nature scenery, and it just hit me so hard with emotions and a certain sweetness to it all, and I must have then right afterwards, looked it up on Youtube, and listened to it, for at least 20-30 times over.
Of course, for me this song I had never heard in my life before. But it was love at first listen, as I never saw a video on the scandinavian VH1-Classic (now suddenly changed into MTVs 80s) or heard it being played on the norwegian radio.
So, I guess it is considered a long time classic by most people, but somehow for me, it was just one of those big and powerful 80s songs, that I had never had the pleasure of hearing before.

When I think of underrated songs, that probably should have become a potential hit or something in similar, I guess one of the first 80s songs that pops up, every now and then, is by A-ha and that were taken from their second studio album, Scoundrel Days (1986).
I just cannot believe that they decided to not release the title and opening track, as it might just be one of their finest songs, and is just an incredible piece of nordic synthpop, and where Morten Harket delivers one hell of a vocal performance.

If only some radio stations would give this one a spin, every now and then, instead hearing Take On Me getting its usual "20 times a day", routine. Then I would be a very happy man.

The 80s often tend to be "dismissed" or talked down on, as the era of the "one-hit-wonders", specially within the british synthpop and new wave scene, and I guess it is not surprise, as there most likely were a whole bunch of hyped up, new today, gone tomorrow acts, which had colorful and "funny" early music videos in a time when MTV was still pretty fresh, and where the bigger acts had maybe not started to realize its potentional, and begun dominating the airwaves with ten times bigger budgets and the help of famous movie directors, to back them up with.

But it sure does get on my nerve, from time to time, when a guy as talented and creative like Thomas Dolby, is "written off" as just another "forgettable" one-hit-wonder, most known for the singles She Blinded Me With Science or Hyperactive.

And if that is all people can come up with or think of, when they hear about Dolby. Then that is just not a very good or worthy "example" of how his music and legacy should be remembered. Of course, that could be said about very many bands and artists from the 80s, but since I am a fan of Dolby and his work, it kind of feels more natural to be a little defensive.  
Still, for those who decided to dig a little bit further, than just that ONE big or famous hit, they might discover a very unique and special artist, who would not only make two very fine and different studio albums, during the early 80s, but also his outstanding work as both a guest musician and producer for several of Prefab Sprout's records, starting with the classic Steve McQueen (1985).

Anyway, I fell in love with his debut album The Golden Age of Wireless (1982) 10-12 years ago, and how rich and fun his take on synthpop was, instead of trying to jump on the more cold and futuristic stuff, that so many other seemed to do, and also he often had a great way of combining some very funky beats/rhythms or riffs, into these sweet and catchy synthpop numbers, and I guess that is maybe another reason to why he often seemed to hit off bigger in the states, than in his own country.

What I truly loved, was that the 2009 remastered CD edition, did not follow the same usual route/treatment of the older CD copies, which seemed to highlight She Blinded Me, some even started the album off with that song, and instead the main hit, was not even among the 2009 original tracklist. And I thought it worked like magic.
The album has so many catchy and powerful songs, that even if the hit single would be stuck between any of them, it would still not stand out all that much, as the "main" highlight, instead it might have been more closer to one of the "weaker" moments.

The one song from his debut release, that I will never grow tired of hearing, is the stunning Airwaves.
Which actually got a single release, but I guess never managed to make it much far upwards the charts at that time, but the album version is just, well, it has so many layers and I think was actually written already back in 1978 or 79, but since he had little money to go with into making his first album, he had to wait a few years, and work on the road as a guest musician for acts like Lene Lovich, Foreigner, Def Leppard and more, but the wait was surely worth it.
It really is one those special little 80s synthpop gems, that I would have loved to hear on radio, just for once. But then again, I would happily have taken any Dolby single, as I have never heard any of his songs on radio before. 

On his second studio album, he moved further away from the synthpop days, and towards a richer and more varied sound and musical styles, and where there were not that much room for instant catchy melodies or potential hit singles, but still, there was very much atmosphere and some incredible songs which really hit off well, and "sadly", the news of him having gone to top 10 over in America, with She Blinded Me, kind of put the album on hold.
I think what finally made it onto The Flat Earth (1984), is about 70-75 percent of new music, and it would have been interesting on how it would all be, if he had not gotten that telephone (about becoming a huge popstar in the states) while working in the studio.

My favorite cut from The Flat Earth, is a more serious or darker themed story, which was inpsired in some way, when Dolby moved to L.A. (or so I have Read), and the alienating differences between the glossy/"perfect" world onscreen a Hollywood production, and the tragic reality that goes on behind the scenery, and where the haunting and atmospheric cut Screen Kiss, really is one of his finest moments.

I guess the turn towards producer part, with fellow countrymen in Prefab Sprout were not that "strange", as I remember him or Paddy, wrote something about hitting off early on, and sharing a similar taste in music and also that Thomas realized he HAD to do it, when he first heard the song Desire As, which I believe is the best cut from Steve McQueen (1985), and among the most "Dolby-sounding" Sprout numbers as well. He did a similar song on his own, a bit later on, with Budapest by Blimp.

I think it's the gaudy production of the 1980s music that makes it poorer with age. Bombastic, primitive synths, and tacky aesthetics. On the contrary you have artists like David Sylvian, Kate Bush, Paul Simon and similar art pop auteurs who have an eclectic array of baroque and world instruments. Prefab Sprout, along with Sade, were part of the British Sophisti-Pop genre, that has aged pretty well. Today's artists such as The 1975, Rhye, Dev Hynes have drawn inspiration from it. Then there's are a few exceptions like you listed, I am a sucker of the New Romantic sounds like Duran Duran's "Save a Prayer" and Thomas Dolby's zany pop hits. They are done pretty competently but walk a thin line from shallow pop fluff to artistic substance. 

I'm divided about the 1980s, there's a LOT of bad, and some great. 

Oh yeah, having last year, gone through a whole bunch of 80s albums and releases, I often wonder what the hell the artist or producers were thinking, when they went into that territory, by just completely overdoing absolute "everything", and a lot of the victims or worst offenders of these new kind of work-methods, were really some of the biggest names and acts of the 60s and 70s, and somehow it all went horribly wrong, when they entered the 1980s.

Always makes me think of that Frasier episode, where the Crane brothers are having a go, at trying to make a "simple" yet catchy 15-20 seconds melody for Frasier's radio-show, and it in return, turns into a bombastic piece of prog-rock epic, lasting for several minutes:

Dr. Niles Crane: Whatever happened to the concept of "less is more"?

Dr. Frasier Crane: Ah, but if less is more, just think of how much more MORE will be!

I guess that kind of over-doing things, happened far too much back in the 80s.
Thankfully, as you have mentioned, not everybody did jump on this trend on playing or toying around too much with all this new and "colorful" sounds and toys, that the 80s had brought forward to the masses. 

David Sylvian is an artist, both with Japan and also as a solo act, I have long wanted to check out further, as I do own 2-3 albums of him, and I do remember enjoying a few of his cuts from Brilliant Trees, which made me think of the later studio albums of Mark Hollis and Talk Talk, whom also had quite an interesting and very impressive journey, going from making "simple" synthpop melodies, and then all of a sudden, turning away when the commercial market were all there for the taking.

And it lead the band far into something very different, of what was going on in the british music landscape. But it proved to be the start of the end of their pop-charting days, and instead it would lead towards some of the finest albums to come out of the 80s and early 90s.

XTC, is another favorite of mine, who seemed to go their own way, rarely making many "bad" albums, and where they far into the 90s and early 00s, would still deliver stunningly beautiful and well crafted songs and music, but at one time they had the potential of being a great pop-band, as they have so many catchy and melodic pop-rock tunes to offer from. But I guess, going from a seemingly fantastic/very promising live act, during the late 70s and early 80s, then into becoming a "studio-act", kind of put the commercial stuff on a permanent hold. 

Speaking of underrated british 80s acts, and where I doubt they are completely "unkown", still, to me they had kind of lied low below the music radar, for most of my life, even though I had heard/read about them a few times, often mentioned along with names like Talk Talk, Prefab Sprout and XTC.
Still it was not until 2018, that I finally caved in, and got a hold of The Blue Nile and their debut album, A Walk Among the Rooftops (1984). 

Somehow, when I first heard that. It reminded me very much on how I first reacted, having heard through Talk Talk and Spirit of Eden (1988).
It did not just "blow me" over, but instead, gradually and slowly made me discover a whole new favorite album, which I realized early on, that this is something else, and if one was a little bit patient, it would only get better and better, for each listen. 

As of now, I only own their 2 first releases, but I guess in time, I will have to pick up the rest of their albums.

Anyway, while probably not "underrated" or completely forgotten, I do rarely "stumble" upon something as beautiful and emotional as Tinseltown in the Rain, that often.
Which I guess is a good thing, for me that is. Since one was completely unprepared for what I got in return, when first hearing it.

I guess one could have posted at least, a few entire albums of great and sligthly "overlooked" Rush 80s songs, which I ofte thought was far superior than the singles from the albums they were taken from, and which I think Signals (1982) is pretty good evidence of. As for me, the "weakest" song of that record, I have always thought were New World Man. Not a bad song, but compared to so many other and far better songs, where I was very surprised that neither the stunning The Analog Kid or the incredibly catchy and fun Digital Man never even made it as singles in the first place.
Then you have Chemistry and for me, probably that albums finest hour, Losing It.

As of today, my choice for favorite cut from early 80s Rush era, has to be The Analog Kid, which has a fast paced, yet dreamy futuristic sound going very strong.
 

Love the Cocteaus, a truly unique and transcendent band. Loved the sounds they could get out of their guitars and effects. And of course Liz's voice is other worldly

This song i heard for the first time right now called. I like it when you call me names.