Electrical Language: Independent British Synth Pop 78-84

Having cut my musical teeth in the punk and post-punk eras, this engaging and entertaining 80-track set initially intrigued me because I only recognised about 10 tracks and maybe 15 further names, despite being a devoted Peelite and inky reader at the time. The compilers explicitly note they wanted to avoid covering the same ground as “the over-polished electro-pop which has become the staple of so many garage forecourt compilations over the years”. They’ve succeeded with aplomb. For the most part – the only real exception being the embarrassing “Drowning in Berlin” by the Mobiles and the awful “There’s Someone Following Me” by Poundland New Romantics Eddie and Sunshine, which seems like a precursor of the equally awful Rockwell hit “Somebody’s Watching Me” – this set is electro-pop with dirty fingernails, and should be welcomed as such.One of the problems with synth-totin’ bands at the time was self-regard. Interviews in the music press would inevitably see them and the journalist showing off their poor understanding of the Penguin Modern Classics they’d pretend to have read, before having a sneer at the poor old Neanderthals who still – chortle, chortle – made or listened to records with…. GUITARS on them! You only have to glance at the photo of aforementioned Eddie and Sunshine to remember instantly why the NME haemorrhaged readers in 1981. Thankfully, there’s little sign of semi-educated elitism on display here in either the packaging or the music, setting aside a few vomit-inducing comments about Depeche Mode and Spandau Ballet in the booklet’s introductory essay by David Henderson. He seems to have written this without really knowing what was going to be included, as neither band are here to stink up the place, and he goes on to state the importance of the music herein as resting in its influence on indifferent contemporary pop acts. Gotta love a hack with a deadline to meet.The music itself, though it will be largely unknown to all but real experts, is largely engaging. There are a couple of (minor) chart hits and some non-hits from artists who went on to make a bigger commercial impression with other tracks. The fact the Human League are represented by “Circus of Death” and not its A-side “Being Boiled” pretty much summarises the approach taken by the compilers: they’re going for the interesting and over-looked, rather than the familiar. The spectrum covered ranges from “can’t see why this couldn’t have been a hit, if only it had been played on the radio” to “could never have been a hit if it had been the only record played on Radio 1 for a solid month”, though there’s more of the former than the latter, and from guitar bands synthing it up (Be-Bop Deluxe, with the gorgeous set-titling “Electrical Language”) to synth purists. There are some big names, some names their own families have forgotten, and a couple of former members of Hawkwind who most certainly wouldn’t have been approved of by the 1981 NME. It never gets particularly experimental – no room for Cabaret Voltaire, for example (though you might think “Do It” by The Limit is the Cabs, if you were doing a blindfold test) – and the focus is very much on songs. To be honest, there’s no lost classic that’s going to make you think “How come I never heard THIS before?”, but on the other hand, most of the tracks will leave you thinking “That’s pretty decent”, at very least. It’s certainly admirable that a lot of perfectly sound music has been rescued from the dustbin of history. With such a big set, it’s largely pointless singling out the best tracks, as everyone’s choices from a total of 80 will be very variable, but the quality is unusually consistent for the most part. Yeah, I couldn’t resist pointing out the two I consider stinkers.The package is a whole is exemplary. It comes as a hard-bound book, with the four discs held in the inside front and back covers. They’re kept in place by little clips, but the clips are a newer design than those used in previous Cherry Red box sets and they are far superior in terms of ease of use, functionality and durability. The design is excellent, perfectly capturing the look of early ‘80s indie releases, and the booklet contains detailed notes on each track. Many of these feature contributions from the artists themselves and are more informative than is often the case with sets of this kind.So it’s four stars for the archival/historical aspects, four for the packaging and about three-and-a-half for the music, which equates to a four overall.

i guess the best thing i can say about this compilation is that for most people who are fans of late 70s early 80s synth there are umpteen compilations of the better known chart hit's such as are friends electric, fade to grey, tainted love etc but this one really is full of new (old) things to listen to, i dare say that even with this one 6 or 7 of the songs are fairly well known by most 80s fans.. drowning in berlin, circus of death, red frame white light, windpower etc but there are still a good 40 or so songs that are completely new to me and i mean completely new, never heard them before and I do own hundreds of vinyl and cds from the 79 - 85 era... of course not all the songs are great, some are a bit weak and you can see why they never really had any success but there are also quite a few genuinely nice surprises and a good few hours of listening pleasure... this set is a worthwhile purchase if you simply want something new but old to listen to!

Really enjoyed the compilation. Lots of songs I had missed at the time.

My husband is enjoying reading this

Synthpop was responsible for some of the most vibrant, brilliant pop music of the 80s - some of which have yet to leave radio playlists. But the Top 40 chart hits were only half the story with the independent sector producing a more esoteric, exploratory side to the sound.Obscurities abound which is no bad thing (the big hitters story is well documented) providing plenty of new discoveries for those who’ve yet to tire of the sound of the future.

If you like independent Synth pop bands from the 80's, this will be for you, more of the lesser known hits