Synth-pop is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic, art rock, disco, and particularly the Krautrock of bands like Kraftwerk. It arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom in the post-punk era as part of the new wave movement of the late 1970s to the mid-1980s.
The Units were an American synthpunk band, founded in San Francisco in 1978 and active until 1984. They were one of America's earliest electronic new wave bands, and have been cited as pioneers of synthpunk, also retrospectively known as "electropunk". The Units were notable for their use of synthesizers in place of guitars, and multimedia performances featuring multiple projections of satirical, instructional films critical of conformity and consumerism.
The Beach Boys is the 25th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on June 10, 1985. Produced by Steve Levine, the album is the band's first after the drowning of founding member Dennis Wilson. It was also the band's first album to be recorded digitally and the last released by James William Guercio's Caribou Records.
Our Daughter's Wedding was an American synthpop trio, consisting of Layne Rico on Synare synthesizer, Keith Silva on vocals and keyboards, and Scott Simon on bass-synth and saxophone. Though the group was based in New York, Silva and Rico were from California. The group took their name from a type of DIY photo album.
Medazzaland is the ninth studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran. It was released on 14 October 1997 by Capitol Records. The album was never officially released physically in Europe, and was solely released in North America, Latin America and Japan. It reached number 58 on the Billboard 200 and number 66 on RPM's albums chart.
Amandla is an album by jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1989. It is the third collaboration between Miles Davis and producer/bassist Marcus Miller, after Tutu (1986) and Music from Siesta (1987), and their final album together. The album mixes elements of the genres go-go, zouk, funk and jazz, combining electronic instruments with live musicians. The composition "Mr. Pastorius", featuring drummer Al Foster, is a tribute to late jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius. "Catémbe" is a Mozambican and Angolan cocktail of red wine and cola.
The Works is the eleventh studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 27 February 1984 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and it is the band's first studio album to be released by Capitol Records in the United States. After the synth-heavy Hot Space (1982), the album saw the re-emergence of Brian May and Roger Taylor's rock sound, while still incorporating the early 80s retro futuristic electronic music and New York funk scenes. Recorded at the Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California and Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany from August 1983 to January 1984, the album's title comes from a comment Taylor made as recording began – "Let's give them the works!".
Other Roads is an album by Boz Scaggs, released in 1988. After an eight-year hiatus from recording, Boz Scaggs returned in 1988 with the album Other Roads, a record aimed primarily at the adult contemporary market. The album reached #47 on the Billboard pop album chart, while the lead single “Heart of Mine” was a big Adult Contemporary success, peaking at #3 on that chart. The single also reached #35 on the Billboard pop singles chart, making it his last hit on that chart to date. This single was produced by Stewart Levine. Another adult contemporary radio hit from the album, "Cool Running" was co-written by producer Patrick Leonard.
Ooh Yeah! is the thirteenth studio album by American pop music duo Daryl Hall & John Oates, released in May of 1988. It was their first studio release in four years and their first with Arista Records. Though the album went platinum in the United States and produced a No. 3 hit with the single "Everything Your Heart Desires", plus the singles "Missed Opportunity" and "Downtown Life" reaching Nos. 29 and 31 respectively, it charted lower, and sold fewer copies than the band's previous albums. Ooh Yeah! is the last Hall & Oates album with Janna Allen contributing to the writing team. She died in 1993 of leukemia.
Masters of the Universe is a 1977 compilation album by Hawkwind covering the years 1971 to 1974 while the group were contracted to United Artists Records. It is the group's second compilation album, after the previous year's Roadhawks, and was compiled and released without the band's input or approval.
So Excited! is the ninth studio album by the Pointer Sisters, released in 1982 on the Planet label.
No Sound But a Heart is Sheena Easton's eighth studio album, released in 1987 on the EMI America label. The album was issued in Canada, Mexico, Japan, and other Asian markets. The album consisted of midtempo and ballad songs, including the single and video, "Eternity", written by Prince. The disc features Steve Perry from Journey on backing vocals on "Still in Love" and a duet with Eugene Wilde on "What If We Fall In Love".
Rhythm of Love is the fifth album by American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker, released in 1994. The album peaked at #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop chart and was certified double platinum, giving Baker her fourth platinum selling album.
Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two is the second studio album by English new wave and synth-pop band China Crisis, released in October 1983 by Virgin Records.
Before After is the seventh studio album by the English synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in September 2005, on the label Ninthwave, nine years after their previous album, Bigger Than America.
Oasis is Roberta Flack's first solo album of newly recorded songs since 1982's I'm the One. Released 1 November 1988, Oasis features the number-one U.S. singles, "Oasis" (R&B), and "Uh-uh Ooh-ooh Look Out ".
Soused is a collaborative album between singer Scott Walker and experimental metal band Sunn O))). Announced in early 2014 by 4AD, the album was produced by Walker and Peter Walsh with the help of Mark Warman and released on October 21, 2014. 4AD released a music video for the song "Brando", directed by French filmmaker Gisèle Vienne.
Imagination is the fourteenth studio album by Australian-American pop singer Helen Reddy that was released in 1983 by MCA Records. As with the first of the two, 1981's Play Me Out, it did not reach Billboard magazine's Top LP's & Tapes chart. Reddy was subsequently dropped from the record label after the release; in her 2006 autobiography, The Woman I Am: A Memoir, Reddy wrote, "I was not surprised when I received a form letter from [MCA]'s legal department telling me that I'd been dropped from the label."
Western Ware is an album by the American synth-pop/electropop band Hyperbubble from Fellowshipwreck released on February 26, 2017. An aim of the collection was to follow through on the promise of band member Jess DeCuir to "plan to produce, mix and create the first electro Country & Western LP" since the work of Gilbert Trythall. One reviewer noted that the recording also marked a change for Hyperbubble in that while Jess is regarded as "the voice of band, ...on this album Jeff (DeCuir) cleans up rather nicely as lead vocalist on a good number of tracks."
What Noise is the second studio album by English synth-pop band Kissing the Pink, released in 1984 by Magnet Records. It is the last Kissing the Pink album to feature founding members including saxophonist Josephine Wells, and violinist Peter Barnett. Second keyboardist George Stewart would also leave the band after this album but would later rejoin the band. The album features new addition, Simon Aldridge, who played guitar, and bass in the band. This album did not reach as much attention and was not as widespread as Kissing the Pink's other albums. It never held a worldwide release. It was their first album to make use of sampling.
