The best synth-pop albums of the 1980s: The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week
Welcome back to Far Out’s weekly vinyl corner feature, where we look to bring you a tempting selection of records from some of our favourite artists, bargain vinyl deals to look out for, and unmissable limited-edition releases. Today we’re celebrating synth-pop by selecting the ten greatest albums of the genre from the 1980s.
Vinyl sales grew for the 15th consecutive year in 2022, rising to 5.5million units, the highest level since 1990, when …But Seriously by Phil Collins was the year’s biggest-selling studio album. The return to plastic has steadily climbed since the invasion of streaming services in the late 2000s. While the weightless, highly accessible and practical format is great for discovering and consuming swathes of new music while you’re out and about, there’s nothing like coming home to a bit of vinyl.
Fellow collectors will agree that if there’s an artist or album you love, there’s always a good reason to have the turntable at the ready and a 12″ slot reserved on the shelf for inevitable expansion. The sound quality of vinyl brings something more hearty and vibrant with its analogue warmth and crisp definition that there really isn’t a substitute for.
So if, like me, you have a soft spot for these groovy discs of plastic, allow me to walk you through ten hot picks for this week. The list includes a selection of darker releases from New Order to Depeche Mode alongside some danceable classics from The Human League and Simple Minds.
The following selections have been handpicked by Far Out Magazine, and as a result, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Architecture & Morality
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, or OMD, was formed in Merseyside by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys in 1978. Inspired by Kraftwerk and similar electro-pioneers of the decade, they became one of the most important synth-pop outfits of the 1980s and remained a seminal force in popular music to this day.
OMD are best known for hits like ‘Electricity’, ‘Enola Gay’ and ‘If You Leave’, but their most consummate record was undoubtedly 1981’s Architecture & Morality, their third studio album. The LP is home to the singles’ Souvenir’, ‘Joan of Arc’, ‘Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)’ and ‘She’s Leaving’.
Available for purchase here for £27.65.
The Human League – Dare
The Human League put Sheffield on the new wave map in the late 1970s. With the release of their third studio album, Dare, in 1981, they brought synth-pop to the global arena for the first time. Where the first two albums had focussed on a more avant-garde electronic sound, Dare came with a commercial approach, and it certainly worked out.
In a conversation with Far Out in 2022, Heaven 17 frontman Glenn Gregory quoted David Bowie as saying, “They’re fucking brilliant, they are the future of fucking music,” backstage at a Human League show in London.
Available for purchase here from £27.65.
Japan – Tin Drum
Adolescent Sex garnered Japan a strong following, mostly thanks to its popular eponymous single. After the similarly guitar-driven Obscure Alternatives, Japan turned a corner with the synth-heavy Quiet Life in 1979.
Quiet Life was the band’s first synth-pop release and laid the foundations from which they grew impressively, reaching a peak in 1981’s Tin Drum. Most memorably, the album was home to Japan’s only top-five single, ‘Ghosts’, but also featured hits like ‘Canton’, ‘Visions of China’ and ‘The Art of Parties’.
Available for purchase here from £19.49.
New Order – Power Corruption & Lies
After Ian Curtis’ death and Joy Division’s end, the remaining members reunited as New Order. After dabbling with synthesisers for their enjoyable yet unbalanced Joy Division hangover album, Movement, in 1981, they returned with a seminal classic and quite possibly their masterpiece in 1983’s Power Corruption & Lies.
The album boasts some of New Order’s most memorable early hits, including ‘Age of Consent’, ‘Leave Me Alone’, ‘The Village’, ‘Your Silent Face’ and ‘Ultraviolence’. This new reissue available on Amazon is cut on high-quality 180g vinyl.
Available for purchase here from £23.08.
Talk Talk – It’s My Life
Led by the late great Mark Hollis, Talk Talk blossomed through a series of stylistic changes throughout the 1980s. The sound they eventually landed on in 1988’s Spirit of Eden and 1991’s Laughing Stock was simply breathtaking, but one would be hard-pressed to describe them as synth-pop.
Each of Talk Talk’s five studio albums bettered the previous, but only the first two can be comfortably classed as synth-pop. Hence, Talk Talk’s synth-pop musings peaked in 1984’s It’s My Life. The band’s days of introspective art-rock were yet to come, and hits like ‘It’s My Life’ and ‘Such a Shame’ helped buoy the album to respectable chart positions across Europe.
Available for purchase here for £27.99.
Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Eurythmics was formed by Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart from the ashes of The Tourists in 1980. In the Garden, the duo’s debut effort of 1981 was poorly received both critically and commercially, but they more than redeemed themselves in 1983 with the masterpiece follow-up Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).
The album is understandably remembered for its titular single, which made it to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. However, it was also home to such hits as ‘Love Is a Stranger’, ‘Wrap It Up’, ‘The Walk’ and ‘Jennifer’.
Available for purchase here from £17.15.
Blancmange – Mange Tout
Blancmange consisted of Neil Arthur on vocals and Stephen Luscombe on keyboards. The pair significantly impacted the early 1980s synth-pop scene, especially with their first two albums, Happy Families and Mange Tout.
Mange Tout was home to ‘Blind Vision’ and ‘Don’t Tell Me’, two highly absorbing and danceable singles. Elsewhere on the album, ‘The Day Before You Came’ and ‘Game Above My Head’ marked more suppressed highlights.
Available for purchase here for £25.61.
Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
Simple Minds formed in the late 1970s as a post-punk outfit and gradually welcomed the synth to their sound. After breaking through with Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call in 1981, the band hit a peak with New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84), the band’s first album classifiable as synth-pop.
Despite its misleadingly unattractive album artwork, New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84) was Simple Minds’ masterpiece album, containing a wealth of timeless hits. The three brilliant singles, ‘Promised You a Miracle’, ‘Glittering Prize’ and ‘Someone Somewhere in Summertime’, were joined by equally listenable hits like ‘New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)’ and ‘Big Sleep’.
Available for purchase here from £24.99.
Yazoo – Upstairs at Eric’s [Numbered Edition Silver Label]
Yazoo was a duo comprised of singer Alison Moyet and former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke. Their debut album, Upstairs at Eric’s, arrived in August 1981 as the duo’s debut studio album and was given the global attention it deserved thanks to its smash hit previewing single, ‘Only You’.
The lead single peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in May 1982 and remains Yazoo’s most beloved hit. Upstairs at Eric’s was also home to seminal synth-pop classics like ‘Don’t Go’, ‘Situation’, ‘Bad Connection’ and ‘Midnight’.
Available for purchase here from £43.15.
Kraftwerk – Computer World [Colour Vinyl]
German synth pioneers Kraftwerk had been tinkering away since the early 1970s, bringing their innovative electronic music to the masses with such releases as Autobahn and Radioactivity, but it wasn’t until 1978’s The Man-Machine that they truly set the tone for the 1980s and the synth-pop takeover.
Computer World arrived in 1981 as the long-awaited follow-up to The Man-Machine, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Following the more pop-orientated trend, Kraftwerk brought a delectable spread of sound highlighted by hits such as ‘Computer Love’, ‘Pocket Calculator’, and ‘Computerwelt’.
Available for purchase here from £31.51.
