by Darren Clarke, October 10, 2021

1984 and 1985 produced a bumper crop of epic albums like, This Is the Sea, Love, The Unforgettable Fire, 1984, 3-Way Tie For Last, not to mention the production from Minnesota- Prince and the Revolution with Purple Rain and Around the World in a Day, The Replacements with Let it Be and Tim. So yeah, it was always going to be hard for 1986 to follow up. But like any good artist 1986 didn’t bother trying to match those years on their terms. Instead, it skipped school, borrowed their friend’s father’s Ferrari, checked out an art gallery, a Cubs game and generally painted the town Save Ferris.

Yes, it’s the year of the Sausage King of Chicago- Ferris Buehler’s Day Off, it’s the year of Rodney Dangerfield’s Triple Lundy in Back to School, it’s the year of Sigourney Weaver being positively badass in Aliens. It’s an eclectic year, it’s a nuanced year, it’s a year with a monster lurking in your closet and your spaceship.

In the latest instalment of my deep dive into the music of the 80s we travel the globe searching and finding the sonically sublime. Portugal provides us with Ira!, Japan supplies Motohiko Hamase, Nigeria offers Hotline, Australia provides The Church, from Canada, 54-40, Germany, Tangerine Dream, France, Isabelle Antenna, South Africa, High Tide.

Let’s travel friends! Remember, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Just press play.