Synth Pop mostly gets a bad rap. I wasn't a mad fan of the genre, but there are some bands I just love that only made this kind of music. Depeche Mode, Erasure and Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark are three that come to mind right away. There were some awful examples of this style of music, but I don't like to speak ill of the dead. Usually they swoop in for one great track, usually danceable, and then head off into the sunset never to be heard from again. It's no picnic trying to separate yourself from the Synth Pop pack. Either you are very, very good or you are ignored. There doesn't seem to be much in between. I guess that era has come and gone no?
Today I'm reaching back to 1985 for a favorite chestnut of mine called "Duel" by a German act called Propaganda. They were formed in 1982 in Dusseldorf. The only thing I know about Dusseldorf, unfortunately for me, is that Bob Crane used to mention it on Hogan's Heroes from time to time. World traveler I am not. Maybe some day. Propaganda, a fitting name for a band from Germany, was basically Ralph Dorper of the German band Die Krupps (who allegedly didn't play an instrument), singer Suzanne Freytag and a DJ named Andreas Thein in the beginning. Later on Thein left and was replaced by Michael Mertens. They also added another singer named Claudia Brucken and were signed to Trevor Horn's fledgling ZTT label. ZTT seemed to be all set to release Propaganda's debut album, A Secret Wish, when one the most overrated and over hyped bands of all time, label mates Frankie Goes To Hollywood, hit the big time in 1984 with their single "Relax" from Welcome To The Pleasuredome. I could never figure out what the big deal was, but "Relax" and "Two Tribes" were pretty big hits back then. I should post my pristine radio station promo copy on eBay huh?
The reason I mention Frankie is that ZTT had to back up the promotion of Propaganda's A Secret Wish to put it's full force behind the Frankie phenomenon. Finally in 1985 Propaganda released its debut album to relatively little fanfare. I hate to throw the one hit wonder tag at these artists as you know, but I'd never heard of Propaganda prior to the late 80's and I haven't heard a note from them since, but I'm sure they exist. I just listened to A Secret Wish end to end and I have an idea whey they faded into obscurity, but I don't want to offend the eight reviewers on Amazon.com that refer to it as "A True Synth Pop Masterpiece!" and "Visionary! One of My Favorite Albums Ever!" I'm not going to go down that road, but "Deul" is a great single and I wanted to post it for those who may have forgotten it. I'll say it again though; one great single is better than none every time. Props to Prop...
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