The Afghan Whigs - Congregation and Gentlemen

The Birthday Party - More than the Boys Next Door

The Birthday Party was an abrasive and chaotic band that mixed blues, free-jazz, and rockabilly to form a unique style of post-punk music. Initially named The Boys Next Door when formed in Australia in 1977, the band would relocate to London and rebrand themselves as The Birthday Party in 1980.  This band would provide the jump start to the career of their lead vocalist and frontman, the legendary Nick Cave. Driven by his vocals along with Rowland S. Howard's screeching guitar work, the band would create songs of unusual stories and violent tales behind unsettling and noisy soundscapes.  Before disbanding in 1983, the band only had limited commercial success, but was very influential to many other artists that followed.  The Birthday Party' s creative core was much more than the boys next door. Beyond Nick Cave as singer and primary songwriter, this included multi-instrumentalist and Mick Harvey, and guitarist Rowland S. Howard, all of which continued beyond to acclaimed careers.  This episode will tell the story of the forming of The Boys Next Door through The Birthday Party years, and all their music. (Photo by David Corio)

Eurythmics - Dark Synth Dreams

Following the break up of their previous band The Tourists at the end of 1980, Eurythmics were formed by the duo of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They released their debut studio album, In the Garden, in 1981 under the production of Conny Plank, but the album was not very successful.   Eurythmics decided on a new approach for their second album, altering their sound to minimal, cold, dark synthesizer-based pop with Annie Lennox's distinct soulful vocals and a very unique visual style.  With this came their second album, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), which achieved global acclaim along with the number 1 smash hit title track. The music of this January 1983 release featured a dark undercurrent, electro-soul sound built with synthesizers, pioneering drum machines, and unconventional percussion, along with Annie Lennox's emotive lyrics.  This was the start of a new era for Eurythmics that introduced Annie Lennox’s iconic, gender-bending visual style to the world and the MTV generation.  This episode tells the story of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart from their early days in The Tourists through the first two Eurythmics albums, as they rose to the top of the music world in 1983.

The Beat (The English Beat) - Socially Conscious Ska

The Beat, also known as The English Beat in the United States and Canada, formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England. The music of this post-punk act fused various styles including ska, soul, reggae, pop, and punk rock to become one of the key and most successful bands of the UK ska revival and the two-tone scene of the early '80s.   The Beat's songs would often include lyrics that took on socio-political themes, while the music and the danceable sound gave the band crossover appeal to go along with their message.   The band released multiple critically acclaimed studio albums starting with their debut album of 1980, I Just Can't StopIt, along with a number of hit singles including "Mirror in the Bathroom" and "Save It for Later".   The Beat broke up in 1983 after the third studio album before some members went on to form two other notable bands, General Public and Fine Young Cannibals. The Beat reformed in the 2000's and continues today with a new make-up behind original member and lead singer Dave Wakeling.    This episode tells the story of The Beat from their early days through the music of their three studio albums of the early 80’s.

Front 242 - To the EBM Front

During the 1980’s, Front 242 became a pioneer of Electronic Body Music (EBM) and a key artist in the development of the industrial and electronic music genres. Their music blended aggressive, relentless, danceable, electronic beats with driving basslines, commanding vocals, tense militaristic aesthetics, and innovative media sampling.  The Belgian based Front 242 formed in 1981 in an effort to create music and graphic design using emerging electronic technology. During their early albums and releases the band developed what would come to known as EBM. After signing with the the Wax Trax! Records label Front 242 achieved international success with their 1988 fourth studio album, Front by Front. This album spawned the iconic industrial club anthem "Headhunter", and the album and this song are considered among the greatest industrial music releases.  This episode will tell the story of the Front 242 from their beginnings as they rise to the front of the EBM and industrial music scenes by the 1990’s.

Altered Images - The Post-Punk Roots of Clare Grogan

Altered Images began in 1979 after forming from a group of five teenagers in Glasgow, Scotland. The band was fronted by singer Clare Grogan with her sweet and bubbly youthful vocals as the band would go from their post-punk roots onto new wave and synth pop in the early 80’s.   The first two singles by Altered Images as well the majority of the songs on the debut album were produced by Siouxsie and the Banshees co-founder Steven Severin, who had taken the band under his wing. This early work with Severin was dark and moody post-punk along with Grogan’s more upbeat vocals and melodies, creating a unique mixture and sound. Martin Rushent produced the title track of the debut album, Happy Birthday , which brought the band commercial success, but was more pop sounding than the Severin produced work of the album. Rushent would remain producing for Altered Images with album number two, which was another successful LP and included the hit song “I Could Be Happy”. This Scottish band would find success with six UK top-40 singles and three top-30 albums by 1983, before breaking up following the third album.  More recently, Altered Images reformed in 2021 and released a fourth studio album. Clare Grogan has been the one constant member from the original formation while also maintaining a successful acting career among her many ventures. This episode tells the story of this often overlooked band and the career of Clare Grogan, including the story of her connection to the song "True" by Spandau Ballet.