80s | Musicosity

80s

Pel Mel

Pel Mel were an Australian post-punk music band. They formed in Newcastle, Australia in mid 1979 and moved to Sydney, Australia in late 1980. They toured and recorded until 1984. They had some success in Sydney's inner-city music scene and released their debut single <a title="Pel Mel &ndash; No Word From China" href="http://www.last.fm/music/Pel+Mel/_/No+Word+From+China" class="bbcode_track">No Word From China</a> in 1980. By the time they released their 1983 album <a title="Pel Mel - Persuasion" href="http://www.last.fm/music/Pel+Mel/Persuasion" class="bbcode_album">Persuasion</a>, they had developed a light indie pop sound. The album had limited commercial success and Pel Mel disbanded shortly afterwards. Some of the members played in the the band The Limp.

Bananarama

Bananarama is a British Pop/Hi-NRG/Dance duo of singer-songwriters, formerly a trio, that formed in London, United Kingdom in 1981. Originally formed by members are Sarah Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Early successful singles were collaborations with Fun Boy Three. Guiness Book of World Records listed Bananarama as the most successful British girl group in history (they have since been eclipsed by Spice Girls).

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Howard Jones

There are three persons with this name. 1. Howard Jones (born John Howard Jones on February 23, 1955) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the eldest of three boys. His birthplace is Southampton, England, and he spent his early years in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, and attended the Royal Grammar School. He now lives with his family in Somerset, England. When he was young, he used to give piano lessons. One of his clients was a girl named Jan Smith, who he later married. Whilst working with her, a vehicle crashed into their van, injuring Jan.

Sunnyboys

Sydney band Sunnyboys remain one of the most highly regarded and best-loved bands of the Australian post-punk era. Fronted by the enigmatic and youthful singer/songwriter and guitarist Jeremy Oxley, the band breathed some freshness and vitality into the Sydney music scene in the early 80s.

Essentially Sunnyboys wore their influences on their sleeve - The Remains, The Flamin' Groovies, The Kinks and The Beatles with a dash of Detroit muscle thrown in for good measure. They produced melodic power pop classics and were rewarded with an immediate positive response.

Between 1980 and 1984 they released their self-titled EP (1980) and 3 albums: "Sunnyboys" (1981), "Individuals" (1982) and "Get Some Fun" (1984).

However, Jeremy Oxley's battle with schizophrenia plagued the band and Sunnyboys announced their break-up in June 1984. Their farewell tour produced the album "Real Live" which was recorded over two nights in Sydney (29th and 30th June).

In 1985, the French label Closer combined The Sunnyboys' first two albums as a double set entitled "Days Are Gone" for the European market.

In late 1987, Jeremy Oxley attempted to revive Sunnyboys with a new line-up. The new band signed a deal with RCA and released an album entitled "Wildcat" (produced by ex-Sherbet keyboard player, Garth Porter). The album failed to convince old Sunnyboys fans and the band broke up again in 1990.

In July 1991, Mushroom released the compilation album "Plays The Best" and the original line-up reunited for a national tour.

Also "Shakin' - Live 1991" (1993, live cd + "Sunnyboys" EP) has been released by Phantom and "This Is Real" (2004, double-CD, Singles/Live/Rare) by Feel Presents.

The band:
Jeremy Oxley - Guitar, vocals
Peter Oxley - Bass
Richard Burgman - Guitar
Bill Bilson - Drums

For more info see the band's MySpace profile and this. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

The Damned

The Damned are a punk rock group originally from Croydon, England, a suburb of London, who were formed in 1976. Despite being one of the definitive early punk bands they were also one of the most ambitious; with their later albums moving away from the breakneck garage sound of their debut and taking in elements from goth and psychedelia to prog and metal. They are notable for being the first of the British punk bands to release a single, put out an album, and tour the United States.

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New Kids On The Block

New Kids On The Block (later NKOTB) is a successful boy band of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Assembled in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr; the members consist of brothers Jordan Knight and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood. The group went on to sell over 70 million albums worldwide, generated hundreds of million of dollars of concert revenues, and roughly paved the way for acts like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC.

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Slash

Saul Hudson (born July 23, 1965), more widely known as Slash, is a guitarist best known as a former member of Guns N' Roses.
Slash was born in Hampstead, England to a English father, Anthony Hudson, and a black American mother, Ola, both of whom were involved with show business. Slash's mother designed David Bowie's costumes from The Man Who Fell to Earth, and his father was an artist who designed album covers for artists including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Hudson was raised in Stoke-on-Trent until the age of 11, when he and his mother moved to Los Angeles, California.

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Pat Benatar

Pat Benatar, considered a certified rock 'n' roll superstar, is a four-time Grammy winner with six platinum and four gold albums to her credit as well as such hit singles as "I Need a Lover", "Heartbreaker", "Fire and Ice", "Treat Me Right", "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", "Hell Is For Children", "Shadows of the Night", and "Love Is a Battlefield". Benatar is acknowledged as one of the leading female rock vocalists in the industry.

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The English Beat

The Beat, known in the United States as The English Beat (and the British Beat in Australia and New Zealand) in order to avoid confusion with Paul Collins' band of the same name, was a popular Two Tone ska and pop music group. Formed in the English city of Birmingham in 1978, The Beat disbanded in 1983, but has reformed in the early 2000s with some of the original line-up.
One of the more popular and enduring groups of a short-lived trend...

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L.A. Guns

L.A. Guns is the name of two glam metal groups from Los Angeles, California. One group is led by Guitarist Tracii Guns while the other version is led by Vocalist Phil Lewis & Drummer Steve Riley. The group was initially formed in 1983 and was composed of guitarist Tracii Guns, singer Axl Rose (who left to form Hollywood Rose and was replaced by Michael Jagosz), bassist Ole Beich and drummer Rob Gardner. The group disbanded in 1984 when Tracii Guns and Axl Rose decided to merge both L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose to form the first lineup of Guns N' Roses.

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