2nd album from 1980's synth-duo The Communards continued where their debut from the year before started, which means a mix of good and not so good synhesizerbased synth-pop and very female-ish male vocals. I really like some of this band's songs, they stay as strong as any Yazoo-song in power and melody, but unfortunately there are some songs that are quite under par.  Anyway, the album reached nr. 4 on the UK chart. It would last 7 years until they released another album. "Never can say goodbye" is a version of the song sang by Jackson 5 and Gloria Gaynor.

1)Tomorrow (7,0)

2)T.M.T./T.B.M.G. (There's more to life than boy meets girl) (7,5)

3)Matter of opinion (5,0)

4)Victims (6,5)

5)For a friend (5,5)

6)Never can say goodbye (7,0)

7)Lovers and friends (3,0)

8)Hold on tight (6,5)

9)If I could tell you (3,0)

10)C minor (5,0)

Score: 5,60

Jimmy Sommerville-vocals (b.1961)

Richard Coles-keyboards, piano and organ (b.1962)

+ many musicians

Suddenly it happened to Chicago, they reached the toplists all over the world. From this album 4 singles were released and all reached top 20 on the Billboard and the album reached nr. 4 and nr. 1 in Sweden! I remember that the songs were played a LOT on radio. Even if the band had hits before, they were more of a jazz/fusion/progressive rockband than a popband. This album is a pure popalbum though, but with a lot of horns and a little jazzinspired, and the last to feature superb singer Peter Cetera. He created his own successful popcareer after Chicago. Today these 1980's popsongs might seem dated but I really really like them still. The incredible sense for melody and poppy power is significiant on the whole album and is one of the best popalbums of the 80's, that's for sure. Except for the 8-man strong band, there are many well known artists playing on the album, like Michael Landau, Jeff Porcaro from Toto and Richard Marx.

1)Stay the night (8,0)

2)We can stop the hurtin' (7,5)

3)Hard habit to break (7,5)

4)Only you (8,0)

5)Remember the feeling (7,5)

6)Along comes a woman (6,0)

7)You're the inspiration (8,0)

8)Please hold on (6,5)

9)Prima donna (7,0)

10)Once in a lifetime (7,0)

Score: 7,30

Peter Cetera-vocals and bass (b.1944)

Bill Champlin-guitars and keyboards (b.1947)

Chris Pinnick-guitars

Danny Seraphine-drums (b.1948)

Robert Lamm-keyboards (b.1944)

Lee Loughnane-trumpet (b.1946)

James Pankow-trompbone (b.1947) 

Walter Parazaider-woodwinds (b.1945)

This 80's synth-pop album by one of the most popular artists of the era was Jones 2nd. It reached nr. 2 on the British charts, probably because he had had great success with he's first album the year before and that the song Things Can Only Get Better was a good song. The rest of the album does not include any hits or songs that touches  me, a case for many of the pop hit-artists in the 80's. Unfortunately a not so good album by one of my absolute favorites in the 80's, but it's never really bad though.

1)Things can only get better (8,0)

2)Life in one day (5,5)

3)Dream into action (6,5)

4)No one is to blame (5,0)

5)Look mama (7,0)

6)Assault and battery (6,5)

7)Automation (6,5)

8)Is there a difference? (6,0)

9)Elegy (5,0)

10)Speciality (6,0)

11)Why look for the key (6,5)

12)Hunger for the flesh (4,5)

Score: 6,08

Howard Jones-most instruments (mainly synthesizers) (b.1955)

Martin Jones-bass

It's 12 years since this Swedish synthpop-band released their last album. Only the frontman Johan Kinde from the original band is still in the band and he really IS the band nowadays. Theres a lot of melancoly and lyrics about lost love, forbidden dreams and regret on this album which is in Swedish. I can listen to this without problem since there's a lot of 80's pop in it, but nothing I would put on very often if I owned the album. Its just doesn't lift me up and there is much better pop in the 80's vein than this to listen to.

1)Skönhet kräver ingen tolkning (8,0)

2)En enda kyss (7,0)

3)Eld och vatten (7,0)

4)Förbjuden frukt (7,5)

5)Ung igen (6,0)

6)Det verkade så viktigt då (6,0)

7)Fascinerad (4,0)

8)Tills gryningen skiljer oss åt (6,0)

9)Jag hade slutat drömma om att känna så här (6,5)

10)Hon är allt jag ser (6,5)

11)Jag borde vetat bättre (5,5)

Score: 6,36

Johan Kinde-vocals

Jan Lundkvist-?

Yes I love rock and hardrock but I also have a passion for pop from the 80's. One of the hitmachines of that century was Limahl and his band Kajagoogoo which I liked very much. This album though, is very very boring and actually crap. Only the world wide hit The neverending story, is somewhere near the class of the music he made with Kajagoogoo. The music on this album can be discribed as disco/synthpop with a soulfeel.

1)Don't suppose (5,0)

2)That special something (5,5)

3)Your love (4,0)

4)Too much trouble (5,0)

5)The neverending story (7,0)

6)Only for love (5,0)

7)I was a fool (5,5)

8)The waiting game (1,0)

9)Tar beach (5,5)

10)Oh girl (4,0)

Score: 4,75

Limahl (Christopher Hamill)-vocals and keyboards (b.1958)

De Harris-guitars and keyboards

Tim Palmer-percussion

This album containes Kim Wilde's typical synthpop of the 80's. She had some big hits worldwide through her carrier, the first one being "The kids in america" in 1981, but this album was a bit of a failure and only made it to nr.90 on the charts. It truly has no hit-potential and the songs are overall quite bad. She did better than this both before and after this album. Wilde is still active as a singer but also has an carrier as a landscape gardener.

Gary Burnacle has played with a huge amount of wellknown pop and rockstars during his carrier.

1)House of Salome (6,5)

2)Back street Joe (4,0)

3)Stay awhile (5,0)

4)Love blonde (5,5)

5)Dream sequence (2,0)

6)Dancing in the dark (6,0)

7)Shoot to disable (4,0)

8)Can you hear it (6,0)

9)Sparks (5,5)

10)Sing it out for love (5,0)

Score: 4,95

Kim Wilde-vocals (b.1960)

Steve Byrd-guitars

Ricky Wilde-guitars, bass and keyboards

Mark Hayward Chaplin-bass

Trevor Murrell-drums

Gary Burnacle-saxophone and flute (b.1959)

This band was formed in 1984 by Genesis-member Mike Rutherford. They played a typical kind of 80's pop with good songs and elements of rock and they had two very strong vocalists. Paul Carrack has had a long solocarrier with several hit songs, Paul Young has played with Sad Café and died in 2000, Adrian Lee has played with Cliff Richard, Toyah, Chris De Burgh and 10 CC, Peter Van Hooke has played with Cliff Richard and Van Morrison.

1)Nobodys perfect (7,5) Very nice intro that builds up to the refrain. Good, clear singing and a catchy hit-refrain and typical sounds of the 80's.

2)The living years (8,0) A teardripping song about a father that passes away. A big choir-chorus and kind of a ballad. Very good song and a huge hit for the band.

3)Seeing is believing (6,5) A rocking pop-song. Guitarrriff and synthcomp.

4)Nobody knows (7,0) Nice ballad with an up-tempo refrain. Nice sensetive singing.

5)Poor boy down (7,0) Up-tempo pop-rocker. Very 80's style.

6)Blame (6,5) Dancefloorfiller with a heavy synthbeat and strong vocals. A bit repetitive.

7)Don't (5,5) Just a synthbeat and strong vocals. Different.

8)Black and blue (6,0) As always good singing but a pretty boring song.

9)Beautiful day (5,0) Just a song, nothing special and nothing happens.

10)Why me? (8,0) A song with different phases and a bombastic refrain and Pink Floyd-like guitarplaying. This song would have suited Pink Floyd or old Marillion perfect, a really good song.

Score: 6,70

Paul Carrack-vocals (b.1951)

Paul Young-vocals (b.1947-d.2000)

Mike Rutherford-guitar and bass (b.1950)

Adrian Lee-keybaords (b.1957)

Peter Van Hooke-drums (b.1950)

http://www.mike-and-the-mechanics.co.uk/gb/home/

The band Docent Död (later Docenterna) was formed in Sollentuna near Stockholm in 1979. This is the bands 11th album and contains a nice mix of guitarpop with good hooks and melody and female and male vocals.

1)Vanligt folk (7,5) Very nice melodic guitar-pop, wonderful peaceful break at the end. A good song!

2)Sheena (6,0) An ordinary pop-song. Nothing special.

3)Pärlemor (5,0) Calm song that builds up to a guitarchaos at the end.

4)Vi ser rätt bra ut tillsammans (7,0) Punky pop with a nice melody.

5)Min enda vän (6,0) Kind of a ballad. Ok.

6)Saknar dig så (5,5) A rip-off of Bruce Springsteen's Dancing in the dark.

7)Koma (5,0) Ballad with banjo and a Shadows-guitar vibrato.

8)Du kan inte komma åt mig (6,5) Punky pop. Good refrain.

9)En annan nu (6,5) Nice happy guitar-pop.

10)Det gjorde jag (5,0) Acoustic intro to a mellow song.

11)Dom andras liv (6,0) Nice funky 70's-style pop.

12)Medan vi spelar pop (6,0) Ok pop-song.

Score: 6,00

Joppe Pihlgren-vocals, guitar

Jon Klingberg-vocals, guitar, bass

Idde Schultz-vocals, guitar

Larry Lövgren-vocals, guitar, bass

Kricke Pihlgren-drums

www.docenterna.se