Trabant 33 - When in Bavaria

DreidefotoMon, 15 Apr 2024 22:31

Hi Estragon, I'm still alive and grateful for all your effort, still interested in this melody that won't stop haunting me.. but I was busy with a bunch of other things lately. Guess my next step will be checking out the last part of your latest list, then I jump into record lists of Madness, maybe I'll be lucky some day..  😀

EstragonWed, 20 Mar 2024 21:55

Np, okay, that's good to know. What do you think matches the most? (Which song? Tone of voice? Instrumentals?). Is there anything that's standing out in the song that you can recall? Like a solo of a specific instrument?

DreidefotoTue, 19 Mar 2024 18:25

Hi Estragon, I'm still trying hard to find that darn song, working my way thru the lists you gave me.. I'm not done with all of it yet, but the closest I can think of up til now is Madness.. but there hasn't been a hit yet..

It's just that I was a bit busy these days..

All the best, Erwin

EstragonFri, 08 Mar 2024 22:46

Another "jungle" song from 1981: King Crimson "Thela Hun Ginjeet" https://youtu.be/nOrYTBaT1z0?feature=shared

Good luck

DreidefotoFri, 08 Mar 2024 18:27

Hi Estragon, thanx a lot once more for your relentless effort! Unfortunately, neither The Cramps nor The Clash is what I'm looking for. I will try to go thru the other lists, maybe late tonight, while my wife sleeps ;-)

I'll be back to you :-)

All teh best, Erwin

EstragonTue, 05 Mar 2024 20:25

Also, given that you feel these artists are close to what you're looking for, I would highly recommend looking into similar UK artists. Many of these had only one hit in the US and maybe a couple in Europe, but many hits in the UK, so I would expect that some of their lesser known stuff was at least playing occasionally on German Radio:

Madness: one-hit wonder in the US for "Our House", though you probably will immediately recognize another song by them "It Must Be Love", but they had tons in the UK and they're quite versatile and most of their stuff is really upbeat and fun

Capatin Sensible: Known mostly for "Happy Talk" (1982), "Goody Two Shoes" (1982), "Glad It's All Over" (1983)

XTC: Mostly known for: "Senses Working Overtime" (1982), "Making Plans for Nigel" (1979), "Dear God" (1986)

Wax: Mostly known for "Bridge To Your Heart" (1987)

Any Trouble: Mostly known for "Second Choice" (1980)

Squeeze: Mostly known for "Tempted" (1981, Elvis Costello was the producer), but they are quite well-known in the UK and they're also quite versatile (they have at least 2 different vocalists, I believe), so I find it hard to immediately recognize that a song is actually by them. Look into "Cool for Cats" (1979) and "Up the Junction" (1979), "Nail Up to My Heart" (1981) 

Specials: I feel like they're much more firmly Ska-punk than Madness, so if you feel that that's definitely not the type of music you're looking for, no need to get too much into them. That being said, they have 2 "jungle" songs: "Jungle Music" (1979) and "Concrete Jungle" (1979). Their most known songs are "Free Nelson Mandela" (1984), "A Message to You, Rudy" (1979) and "Ghost Town" (1981)

Gary Numan is always an option when it comes to non-mainstream 80s stuff

There's also the German band CAN, which is in high regard in music circles nowadays, but I don't think they were ever played much on mainstream radio, not even in Germany, yet I'm not sure. They were most active in the 70s, but reunited in 1986 and 1988, so worth looking into as well.

And you'll know Split Enz from "I Got You". Worth looking into them, too, though. (They're from New Zealand)
 

Then there's artists I tend to rule out because I would put them more firmly into the rock category, but I'm listing them here anyway, because they did have radio hits in Germany in the 80s, but might be mostly forgotten today (I'm unsure what is playing on Germany radio stations nowadays):

Alvin Stardust: "Jealous Mind", "Pretend, "I Feel Like Buddy Holly"
Shakin Stevens: "Oh Julie", "This Ole House", "Green Door"
Rocky Brunette: Most known for "Tired of Toein' the Line"
Billie Squier (US artist and more known in the US, I think): mostly known for "The Stroke" (1981), "In the Dark"

Also mentioning Status Quo, because I feel, while everyone knows them, they're not talked about much nowadays, but they had quite a radio presence in the early 80s, I think. (Might all just be my impression, though)
 

Again, if you're still interested, I'll be back with more. Good luck in the meantime, if you choose to look into these!