Best UK Synth Band.

[Blagsta]

'beat box' still sounds great.

and "Moments in Love"

 

[perplexis]

and "Moments in Love"

I sense I am going to have to relisten to a bunch of Art of Noise

 

[killer b]

actually, the whole of 'who's afraid of...' sounded smashing last time i listened...

 

[Blagsta]

actually, the whole of 'who's afraid of...' sounded smashing last time i listened...

I got that when I was 12. Loved it, but was also a bit about it, weirdest thing I ever heard at that age!

 

[AverageJoe]

This is just getting silly now!
Howard Jones had like what, oooh, 1 decent tune?
And the Thompson Twins weren't a patch on their mercifully non-musical Tintin-based namesake's
Art of Noise, despite all the groundbreaking production, didn't really do much that actually still sounds good. I listen to Peter Gunn and think "fuck yeah", and then remember it's essentially a cover of Mancini, and Close to the Edit is wicked, but much of the rest is painfully dated. Which annoys me cos I want it to sound awesome.

How very dare you!!!

Howard Jones certainly had his moment - New Song, What Is Love, Hide and Seek, Like To Get To Know You Well, Look Mama and Life In One Day were all chart hits. AND he had a mime artist. AND he stopped Nik Kershaws career

As for the Thompson Twins - man, at the time - Doctor Doctor, Hold Me Now, Love On Your Side, We are Detective, You Take Me Up and King For a Day - man, you still know the lyrics now!

Next someone will be saying - No Frankie Goes to Hollywood?.....no Bronski Beat?

 

[Orang Utan]

a close call between depeche mode and pet shop boys for me, with yazoo close behind.

 

[AverageJoe]

a close call between depeche mode and pet shop boys for me, with yazoo close behind.

Between me and you OU - its DM all the way. I fucking loved em at 15 during my awkward puberty stage, and still love em now 20 years later, um, during my awkward midlife crisis stage or something

 

[ska invita]

Just finished watching this a minute ago - Sparks? never heard of them till watching the live show, in which the Beat THe Clock tune scared me a little.

The most interesting stuff was probably Cabaret Voltaire, The Normal, Throbbing Gristle etc.
On a pop tip it has to be Gary Numan
also Fade 2 Grey as the best No1 (plus best video!)

 

[discokermit]

But I think Soft Cell because Non Stop Erotic Cabaret is an entirely brilliant album

this times ten.

 

[Orang Utan]

yeah, i enjoyed it, but there was nothing new that i learnt - all the same old anecdotes that have been in countless other docs. andy mcluskey struck me as a bit of a saddoe.

 

[discokermit]

andy mcluskey struck me as a bit of a saddoe.

a bit? did you see him dancing? and going on about cliches whilst trotting out cliches?

 

[JE:5]

Colourbox

Their cover of Augustus Pablo's 'Baby I Love You So' is deadly!

But anyway, out of that list I am tempted by Human League as their early stuff was fucking awesome and quite quirky which I love. But overall I think i'm going to have to plump for Gary Numan.

 

[ska invita]

yeah, i enjoyed it, but there was nothing new...

Finally got to see what Simon Reynolds looks like (good have just googled him i guess).

By pure luck i managed to catch a really good show with Simon Reynolds talking about the whole Rip it Up and Start Again (postpunk) stuff on Resonance, in which he played some really interesting cuts - my leaking head immediately forgot everything I heard, and there were a few tunes i really wanted to look up.

clicked about and supposedly you can get that show (and others) on iTUnes:
http://www.uncarved.org/blog/2009/06/exotic-pylon-now-available-via-itunes/

...but as i dont do itunes i cant get it - if anyone has it any chance of a PM share? Long shot, but thanks anyway

 

[chico enrico]

it's a shame really - i can't think of many songs which are better than bizarre love triangle, blue monday or touched by the hand of god: they were a superb singles band... but their albums are, without exception, utter toilet.

weird. i find those three songs amongst new order's worst ever.

i think new order are thee best pop band in the history of civilisation and most of their albums , with the exception of 'republic' which i concede is toilet, are utterly superb.

and i will fight anyone who disagrees.

 

[chico enrico]

Finally got to see what Simon Reynolds looks like (good have just googled him i guess).

haha, he looks a cock.

however doing a google image search for Mara Carfagna does yield a clip of her in a dancing tournament thing where you get some, alas lamentably fleeting, upskirt action.

 

[chico enrico]

never liked depeche Mode for some reason. think it was their fans more than anything. and that cock with the gormless face & curly hair who used to wear stupid clothes.

oh, and sorry but Thompson Twins were just piss.

Cabaret Voltaire i always think have been quite criminally, outrageously underrated. from their early 70s recordings till their 1990s 'house phase' it is a pretty stunningly prolific and consistently amazing body of work they have produced.

I'd also nominate Chris & Cosey, who have also produced consistently great music over the past quarter century or so.

 

[paolo]

I'm surprised Depeche Mode have got so few votes. A bit plink plonky pop to start off with, but they've outlasted New Order, had some total classics like Enjoy the Silence, have managed a fairly credible return to the studio, and can still easily sell out big venues.

(You may be able to guess, I voted for DM )

e2a: Point of order: Sparks are American, not UK - albeit they had their success here, because American audiences clearly have no taste.

 

[oryx]

omd pre joan of arc?

Yes, good call as AverageJoe's said. Organisation is magnificent.

On here I'd go for The Human League (in their Travelogue and Reproduction phase). I like all the bands in the poll though.

 

[Fictionist]

My vote goes overall to Depeche Mode. They have some fantastic material in their back catalogue which still sounds great today. It is just a shame that their recent material has been a bit underwhelming.

 

[purplex]

Soft cell for me, nonstop erotic cabaret has never left my collection, the album Ive listened to most. Marc Almonds melodramas over dave balls electro backing, just perfection!

Surprised noones mentioned goldfrapp though.

 

[JE:5]

Finally got to see what Simon Reynolds looks like (good have just googled him i guess).

By pure luck i managed to catch a really good show with Simon Reynolds talking about the whole Rip it Up and Start Again (postpunk) stuff on Resonance, in which he played some really interesting cuts - my leaking head immediately forgot everything I heard, and there were a few tunes i really wanted to look up.

clicked about and supposedly you can get that show (and others) on iTUnes:
http://www.uncarved.org/blog/2009/06/exotic-pylon-now-available-via-itunes/

...but as i dont do itunes i cant get it - if anyone has it any chance of a PM share? Long shot, but thanks anyway

He reminds me a slightly chubby Mark Lamaar.

 

[jusali]

New Order for the outstanding Blue Monday
Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing gristle good too as all the others.
I love synths me!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Finally got to see what Simon Reynolds looks like (good have just googled him i guess).

By pure luck i managed to catch a really good show with Simon Reynolds talking about the whole Rip it Up and Start Again (postpunk) stuff on Resonance, in which he played some really interesting cuts - my leaking head immediately forgot everything I heard, and there were a few tunes i really wanted to look up.

clicked about and supposedly you can get that show (and others) on iTUnes:
http://www.uncarved.org/blog/2009/06/exotic-pylon-now-available-via-itunes/

...but as i dont do itunes i cant get it - if anyone has it any chance of a PM share? Long shot, but thanks anyway

you can download it direct from exoticpylon.com as well.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Anyway it is blatantly Soft Cell.

Killer B - did you check out "Torment and Torreros" by the Mambas in the end?

 

[elbows]

Surprised noones mentioned goldfrapp though.

There is a heavy bias in this thread towards ignoring things that are newer than the 1980's or feature females.

 

[editor]

I saw the Human League last year. They were absolutely amazing.
http://digital-lifestyles.info/2008/10/15/palm-treo-pro-london-launch-rocked-by-the-human-league/

 

[perplexis]

New order out of the bands in the poll, for quality and longevity. And anyone who thinks their albums are shit has never heard Low Life.

Used to love Fad Gadget, and what about Orbital?

Well, having relistened to Low Life I have to agree it's actually a very good album. But it's very guitary...
And it's still not as good as Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.

 

[killer b]

Anyway it is blatantly Soft Cell.

Killer B - did you check out "Torment and Torreros" by the Mambas in the end?

i never did y'know? i picked up 'untitled' the other week, which is ok... i guess i've always been underwhelmed by marcs solo output: it generally strikes me as worthwile but uninteresting iyswim.

anyway, you've reminded me - i'll acquire it today at some point...

 

[sir.clip]

Bronski beat! rule with an iron fist.

Then the communards took a grip.

 

[skyscraper101]

erasure must be worth a mention?

From 1986 to 1997, Erasure achieved twenty-four consecutive Top 20 hits in the UK. By 2007, 34 of their 37 singles had made the UK Top 40, with 17 climbing into the Top 10

yeah, where's Erasure? Surely they're worthy of being in this poll?