Synth Pop Saturday: Ministry of Sound's Electronic 80s [2009-2017]

While the definition of the musical genre Synth-pop is fairly known, there is little consistency on how to write it out or whether to use spaces, hyphens, and capital letters. To wit:

• synth-pop
• SynthPop
• synth pop
• Synth-pop
• synthpop
• Synth Pop

The dance club music authorities The Ministry of Sound couldn't reach a synth-pop spelling consensus in-house so they decided to zoom out on the genre using Electronic 80s on what turned out to be a subseries of their ambitious Anthems line of discs. The original hype sticker on the front of the first album stated that the contents were "The Birth of Electronic Dance Music." 

	track		title	artist	time		year
	1-1		Vienna	Ultravox	4:38		1980
	1-2		Cars	Gary Numan	3:34		1979
	1-3		Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go? (12" Mix)	Soft Cell	9:05		1981
	1-4		Fade To Grey	Visage	3:25		1980
	1-5		Don't Go	Yazoo	2:49		1982
	1-6		Enola Gay	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	3:29		1980
	1-7		Love Will Tear Us Apart	Joy Division	3:22		1980
	1-8		Quiet Life	Japan	4:49		1980
	1-9		Planet Earth	Duran Duran	3:55		1981
	1-10		Being Boiled	The Human League	3:40		1978
	1-11		Penthouse And Pavement	Heaven 17	3:38		1981
	1-12		Promised You A Miracle	Simple Minds	3:37		1982
	1-13		Kids In America	Kim Wilde	3:10		1981
	1-14		Don't Talk To Me About Love	Altered Images	3:47		1983
	1-15		(Feels Like) Heaven	Fiction Factory	3:30		1984
	1-16		Close (To The Edit)	Art Of Noise	3:39		1984
	1-17		Pop Musik	M	3:53		1979
	1-18		You'll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties	Jona Lewie	3:00		1980
	1-19		Are 'Friends' Electric?	Tubeway Army	4:16		1979
	1-20		Maid Of Orleans	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	3:56		1982
	2-1		Love Action (I Believe In Love)	The Human League	4:38		1981
	2-2		Temptation	Heaven 17	3:25		1983
	2-3		To Cut A Long Story Short	Spandau Ballet	3:19		1980
	2-4		Absolute	Scritti Politti	4:07		1985
	2-5		Living On The Ceiling	Blancmange	3:45		1982
	2-6		Love On Your Side	Thompson Twins	3:30		1983
	2-7		Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)	A Flock Of Seagulls	5:30		1982
	2-8		Black Man Ray	China Crisis	3:28		1985
	2-9		Hyperactive!	Thomas Dolby	4:47		1984
	2-10		Einstein A Go-Go	Landscape	3:00		1981
	2-11		New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)	Simple Minds	5:16		1982
	2-12		Groove Thang	British Electric Foundation	4:06		1981
	2-13		The First Picture Of You	The Lotus Eaters	3:38		1983
	2-14		Kiss Me	Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy	3:27		1985
	2-15		We Close Our Eyes	Go West	3:40		1985
	2-16		Too Shy	Kajagoogoo	3:43		1983
	2-17		Brilliant Mind	Furniture	3:41		1986
	2-18		Imagination	Belouis Some	3:34		1986
	2-19		Driving Away From Home (Jim's Tune)	It's Immaterial	3:50		1986
	2-20		Moments In Love	Art Of Noise	4:38		1983
	3-1		Mad World	Tears For Fears	3:31		1982
	3-2		West End Girls	Pet Shop Boys	3:59		1985
	3-3		Blue Monday	New Order	4:59		1983
	3-4		The Reflex	Duran Duran	4:22		1984
	3-5		Smalltown Boy	Bronski Beat	4:29		1984
	3-6		Situation	Yazoo	3:40		1982
	3-7		Sometimes	Erasure	3:36		1986
	3-8		Fashion (Radio Edit)	David Bowie	4:09		1980
	3-9		Rapture	Blondie	3:34		1980
	3-10		Together In Electric Dreams	Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder	3:49		1984
	3-11		Shattered Dreams	Johnny Hates Jazz	3:28		1987
	3-12		French Kissin' In The USA (Edit)	Deborah Harry	4:10		1986
	3-13		Is It A Dream	Classix Nouveaux	3:37		1982
	3-14		Love Missile F1-11	Sigue Sigue Sputnik	3:43		1986
	3-15		Whip It	Devo	2:38		1980
	3-16		Underpass	John Foxx	3:18		1980
	3-17		Beat The Clock	Sparks	4:22		1979
	3-18		Duel	Propaganda	4:14		1985
	3-19		19	Paul Hardcastle	3:31		1985
	3-20		Pump Up The Volume	M/A/R/R/S	4:01		1987

With sixty synth pop singles across three discs, the Anthems: Electronic 80s compilation from 2009 is a Synth Pop smorgasbord for n00bs covering the decade of the genre from 1978-1987 and may be the only synth-pop disc some fans ever need. The songs are mastered loud to give most systems that thumpin' clubbish sound.

	track		title	artist	time		year
	1-1		Don't You Want Me	The Human League	3:59		1981
	1-2		Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)	Eurythmics	3:35		1983
	1-3		The Model	Kraftwerk	3:40		1978
	1-4		Souvenir	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	3:31		1981
	1-5		Only You	Yazoo	3:10		1982
	1-6		It's My Life	Talk Talk	3:52		1984
	1-7		Girls On Film	Duran Duran	3:27		1981
	1-8		Instinction	Spandau Ballet	3:38		1982
	1-9		Ghosts	Japan	4:30		1982
	1-10		The Word Girl	Scritti Politti	4:24		1985
	1-11		Let Me Go	Heaven 17	4:18		1982
	1-12		Golden Brown	The Stranglers	3:28		1982
	1-13		Glittering Prize	Simple Minds	3:58		1982
	1-14		No Regrets	Midge Ure	4:01		1982
	1-15		Dr. Mabuse	Propaganda	4:55		1984
	1-16		Europe After The Rain	John Foxx	3:37		1981
	1-17		Forbidden Colours	David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto	4:38		1983
	1-18		We Are Glass	Gary Numan	4:46		1980
	1-19		Love On A Real Train	Tangerine Dream	3:51		1984
	1-20		Welcome To The Pleasuredome	Frankie Goes To Hollywood	3:41		1984
	2-1		Relax	Frankie Goes To Hollywood	3:58		1983
	2-2		Gold	Spandau Ballet	3:53		1983
	2-3		Pearl In The Shell	Howard Jones	4:00		1984
	2-4		A Little Respect	Erasure	3:28		1988
	2-5		I Could Be Happy	Altered Images	3:31		1981
	2-6		Don't Leave Me This Way	The Communards	4:49		1986
	2-7		Living In A Box	Living In A Box	3:03		1987
	2-8		Call Me	Go West	4:10		1985
	2-9		The Politics Of Dancing	Re-Flex	3:46		1983
	2-10		Hold Me Now	Thompson Twins	4:45		1984
	2-11		She Blinded Me With Science	Thomas Dolby	3:42		1982
	2-12		Open Your Heart	The Human League	3:56		1981
	2-13		King In A Catholic Style (Wake Up)	China Crisis	4:18		1985
	2-14		Living By Numbers	New Musik	3:26		1980
	2-15		Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)	Scritti Politti	3:34		1985
	2-16		Sunset Now	Heaven 17	3:40		1984
	2-17		The Number One Song In Heaven	Sparks	3:30		1979
	2-18		Dancing With Tears In My Eyes	Ultravox	4:05		1984
	2-19		Beat Box	Art Of Noise	3:58		1984
	2-20		Nobody's Diary	Yazoo	4:31		1983
	3-1		Let's Dance	David Bowie	4:08		1983
	3-2		Don't You (Forget About Me)	Simple Minds	4:20		1985
	3-3		Hungry Like The Wolf	Duran Duran	3:25		1982
	3-4		Everything She Wants	Wham!	5:04		1984
	3-5		And She Was	Talking Heads	3:39		1985
	3-6		Locomotion	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	3:44		1984
	3-7		You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)	Dead Or Alive	3:15		1985
	3-8		I.O.U.	Freeez	3:49		1983
	3-9		Atomic	Blondie	3:47		1979
	3-10		White Wedding	Billy Idol	4:12		1982
	3-11		Jerkin' Back 'N' Forth	Devo	3:04		1981
	3-12		I Ran	A Flock Of Seagulls	3:41		1982
	3-13		True Faith	New Order	5:53		1987
	3-14		Getting Away With It	Electronic	4:13		1989
	3-15		White Horse	Laid Back	3:55		1983
	3-16		When Love Breaks Down	Prefab Sprout	3:47		1985
	3-17		I Second That Emotion	Japan	3:44		1982
	3-18		Bette Davis Eyes	Kim Carnes	3:44		1981
	3-19		This Is Not America	David Bowie & The Pat Metheny Group	3:49		1985
	3-20		Avalon	Roxy Music	4:16		1982

Repeating the same format as the previous volume, 2010's Anthems: Electronic 80s 2 has twenty tracks on each of its three discs featuring nearly all of the artists from that first volume. The period covered stretches from 1979 (Sparks and Blondie) out to 1989 (Electronic) and for our money, the track selection here on the second volume makes for a better listen than the previous one.

track		title	artist	time		year
1-1		Two Tribes	Frankie Goes To Hollywood	3:23		1984
1-2		(Keep Feeling) Fascination	The Human League	3:41		1983
1-3		Why	Bronski Beat	4:03		1984
1-4		Say Hello, Wave Goodbye	Soft Cell	5:25		1981
1-5		Save A Prayer	Duran Duran	3:45		1982
1-6		The Look Of Love (Part 1)	ABC	3:28		1982
1-7		Chant No 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)	Spandau Ballet	4:07		1981
1-8		Take On Me	a-ha	3:45		1985
1-9		What Is Love	Howard Jones	3:37		1984
1-10		Big In Japan	Alphaville	3:50		1984
1-11		Don’t Tell Me	Blancmange	3:28		1984
1-12		Party Fears Two	The Associates	4:06		1982
1-13		Love & Pride	King	3:20		1985
1-14		Wouldn't It Be Good	Nik Kershaw	4:31		1983
1-15		You Take Me Up	Thompson Twins	4:07		1984
1-16		Come Live With Me	Heaven 17	3:33		1983
1-17		Who Needs Love (Like That)	Erasure	3:05		1985
1-18		Breakout	Swing Out Sister	3:46		1986
1-19		All Stood Still	Ultravox	3:41		1980
1-20		Mind Of A Toy	Visage	3:33		1980
2-1		Da Da Da (I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me...)	Trio	3:20		1982
2-2		Happy Birthday	Altered Images	2:59		1981
2-3		Axel F	Harold Faltermeyer	3:00		1985
2-4		Crockett's Theme	Jan Hammer	3:31		1986
2-5		Rockit	Herbie Hancock	3:39		1983
2-6		The Race	Yello	3:17		1988
2-7		Word Up!	Cameo	4:17		1986
2-8		I Can't Wait	Nu Shooz	3:39		1986
2-9		Obsession	Animotion	5:36		1984
2-10		Chains Of Love	Erasure	3:41		1988
2-11		Life's What You Make It	Talk Talk	4:26		1986
2-12		Steppin' Out	Joe Jackson	4:13		1982
2-13		Waiting For A Train	Flash & The Pan	3:43		1982
2-14		Life In A Northern Town	The Dream Academy	4:14		1985
2-15		Christian	China Crisis	4:43		1982
2-16		Messages	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	4:05		1980
2-17		E=MC²	Big Audio Dynamite	4:21		1986
2-18		Dance Hall Days	Wang Chung	3:58		1983
2-19		Don't Look Down	Go West	4:08		1985
2-20		War	Frankie Goes To Hollywood	4:15		1984
3-1		There Must Be An Angel	Eurythmics	4:29		1985
3-2		Need You Tonight	INXS	3:02		1987
3-3		Everybody Wants To Rule The World	Tears For Fears	3:58		1985
3-4		Joan Of Arc	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	3:45		1981
3-5		Human	The Human League	3:45		1986
3-6		China Girl	David Bowie	4:13		1983
3-7		Heart Of Glass	Blondie	3:39		1979
3-8		Sledgehammer	Peter Gabriel	5:11		1986
3-9		Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)	Kate Bush	4:56		1985
3-10		Eyes Without A Face	Billy Idol	4:06		1984
3-11		More Than This	Roxy Music	4:05		1982
3-12		Pull Up To The Bumper	Grace Jones	3:37		1981
3-13		Alive And Kicking	Simple Minds	4:29		1985
3-14		Dear Prudence	Siouxsie And The Banshees	3:38		1983
3-15		I'm In Love With A German Film Star	The Passions	3:57		1981
3-16		The Walk	The Cure	3:27		1983
3-17		Confusion	New Order	4:39		1983
3-18		Atmosphere	Joy Division	4:05		1980
3-19		Music For Chameleons	Gary Numan	3:37		1982
3-20		Yellow Pearl	Philip Lynott	2:52		1980

For 2012's Anthems: Electronic 80s 3, the Ministry of Sound and their partners EMI TV did not stray from the formula: sixty tracks, three discs covering 1979-1988, mixing the popular with the more esoteric tracks. For this listener, the three Anthems: Electronic 80s compilations need an accompanying playlist of extended versions, remixes, and club cuts.

	track		title	artist	time		year
2	1-1		Relax	Frankie Goes To Hollywood	3:53		1983
1	1-2		Blue Monday	New Order	7:25		1983
1	1-3		Tainted Love	Soft Cell	2:34		1981
1	1-4		Love Action (I Believe In Love)	The Human League	3:43		1981
1	1-5		Smalltown Boy	Bronski Beat	3:52		1984
1	1-6		Fade To Grey	Visage	3:41		1980
1	1-7		To Cut A Long Story Short	Spandau Ballet	3:18		1980
2	1-8		Dancing With Tears In My Eyes	Ultravox	4:00		1984
3	1-9		Big In Japan	Alphaville	3:42		1984
2	1-10		Everything She Wants	Wham!	5:00		1984
1	1-11		Living On The Ceiling	Blancmange	3:56		1982
3	1-12		Rockit	Herbie Hancock	3:20		1983
2	1-13		IOU	Freeez	3:46		1983
1	1-14		Imagination	Belouis Some	3:31		1986
3	1-15		I Can't Wait	Nu Shooz	3:35		1986
3	1-16		Party Fears Two	The Associates	4:04		1982
3	1-17		Dance Hall Days	Wang Chung	3:53		1983
1	1-18		Temptation	Heaven 17	3:31		1983
2	1-19		It's My Life	Talk Talk	3:49		1984
2	1-20		Don't Leave Me This Way	The Communards & Sarah Jane Morris	4:30		1986
1	2-1		Vienna	Ultravox	4:34		1980
2	2-2		Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)	Eurythmics	3:30		1983
2	2-3		Don't You Want Me	The Human League	3:54		1981
1	2-4		Cars	Gary Numan	3:49		1979
3	2-5		Chant No.1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)	Spandau Ballet	4:01		1981
2	2-6		Girls On Film	Duran Duran	3:24		1981
3	2-7		Take On Me	a-ha	3:40		1985
3	2-8		Wouldn't It Be Good	Nik Kershaw	4:25		1983
3	2-9		The Look Of Love (Pt.1)	ABC	3:27		1982
3	2-10		Love & Pride	King	3:19		1985
2	2-11		You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)	Dead Or Alive	3:11		1985
1	2-12		Too Shy	Kajagoogoo	3:40		1983
2	2-13		Pearl In The Shell	Howard Jones	3:54		1984
2	2-14		Hold Me Now	Thompson Twins	4:37		1984
1	2-15		We Close Our Eyes	Go West	3:39		1985
1	2-16		(Feels Like) Heaven	Fiction Factory	3:27		1984
1	2-17		Don't Talk To Me About Love	Altered Images	3:43		1983
1	2-18		Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)	A Flock Of Seagulls	4:08		1982
2	2-19		Wood Beez	Scritti Politti	4:44		1985
1	2-20		Kiss Me	Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy	3:31		1985
1	3-1		19	Paul Hardcastle	3:29		1985
3	3-2		Da Da Da (I Don't Love You...)	Trio	3:20		1982
1	3-3		Enola Gay	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	3:27		1980
1	3-4		Are 'Friends' Electric?	Tubeway Army	5:16		1979
3	3-5		Axel F	Harold Faltermeyer	2:58		1985
1	3-6		Einstein A Go-Go	Landscape	2:56		1981
3	3-7		The Race	Yello	3:13		1988
1	3-8		Close (To The Edit)	Art Of Noise	4:00		1984
3	3-9		Obsession	Animotion	5:15		1984
3	3-10		Crockett's Theme	Jan Hammer	3:26		1986
3	3-11		Waiting For A Train	Flash & The Pan	3:40		1982
2	3-12		Bette Davis Eyes	Kim Carnes	3:40		1981
3	3-13		Steppin' Out	Joe Jackson	3:43		1982
1	3-14		You'll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties	Jona Lewie	2:57		1980
*	3-15		The Safety Dance	Men Without Hats	2:42		1982
1	3-16		Hyperactive!	Thomas Dolby	4:05		1984
1	3-17		Duel	Propaganda	4:39		1985
2	3-18		The Politics Of Dancing	Re-Flex	3:43		1983
3	3-19		I'm In Love With A German Film Star	The Passions	3:54		1981
2	3-20		Avalon	Roxy Music	4:14		1982
2	4-1		Don't You (Forget About Me)	Simple Minds	4:18		1985
3	4-2		Everybody Wants To Rule The World	Tears For Fears	4:05		1985
1	4-3		Together In Electric Dreams	Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder	3:45		1984
2	4-4		Souvenir	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	3:26		1981
2	4-5		No Regrets	Midge Ure	3:54		1982
3	4-6		More Than This	Roxy Music	4:25		1982
1	4-7		Quiet Life	Japan	3:49		1980
*	4-8		Rio	Duran Duran	4:41		1982
2	4-9		True Faith	New Order	4:05		1987
3	4-10		E=MC2	Big Audio Dynamite	4:22		1986
3	4-11		Pull Up To The Bumper	Grace Jones	4:31		1981
2	4-12		Atomic	Blondie	3:44		1979
1	4-13		Love Will Tear Us Apart	Joy Division	3:21		1980
1	4-14		Love Missile F1-11	Sigue Sigue Sputnik	3:37		1986
3	4-15		The Walk	The Cure	3:25		1983
2	4-16		Golden Brown	The Stranglers	3:24		1982
1	4-17		Black Man Ray	China Crisis	3:23		1985
1	4-18		Kids In America	Kim Wilde	3:21		1981
3	4-19		Eyes Without A Face	Billy Idol	4:54		1984
3	4-20		Life In A Northern Town	The Dream Academy	4:07		1985

Five years after the release Anthems: Electronic 80s 3, Ministry of Sound teamed up with Sony Music to release Electronic 80s: The Collection celebrating "The Sound That Shaped The World" according to the hype sticker. Featuring 78 tracks previously heard on the Anthems: Electronic 80s compilations plus two tracks they had somehow missed the first time around: "The Safety Dance" and "Rio". They also righted a wrong by including the full-length version of "Blue Monday" this time. Several other tracks appear in different lengths than previously released.

track		title	artist	time		year
1-1		Wonderful Life	Black	4:47		1986
1-2		Love Comes Quickly	Pet Shop Boys	3:37		1986
1-3		Say Hello, Wave Goodbye	Soft Cell	4:44		1981
1-4		Souvenir	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	3:15		1981
1-5		Smalltown Boy	Bronski Beat	3:57		1984
1-6		Hey Little Girl	Icehouse	4:16		1982
1-7		Head Over Heels	Tears For Fears	4:13		1985
1-8		Fade To Grey	Visage	3:45		1980
1-9		Black Man Ray	China Crisis	3:02		1985
1-10		Strange Little Girl	The Stranglers	2:41		1982
1-11		Are 'Friends' Electric?	Tubeway Army	4:48		1979
1-12		Driving Away From Home (Jim's Tune)	It's Immaterial	3:41		1986
1-13		Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops	Cocteau Twins	3:53		1984
1-14		Time After Time	Cyndi Lauper	3:43		1984
1-15		Bette Davis Eyes	Kim Carnes	3:44		1981
1-16		Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)	Kate Bush	4:43		1985
1-17		Digging Your Scene	The Blow Monkeys	4:03		1986
1-18		You're The Best Thing	The Style Council	4:12		1984
1-19		Drive	The Cars	3:50		1984
1-20		Love Theme From Blade Runner	Vangelis	4:53		1982
2-1		This Is Not America	David Bowie & The Pat Metheny Group	3:46		1985
2-2		Crockett's Theme	Jan Hammer	3:23		1986
2-3		La Vie En Rose	Grace Jones	3:33		1985
2-4		Avalon	Roxy Music	4:07		1982
2-5		Waiting For A Train	Flash & The Pan	3:34		1982
2-6		Nobody's Diary	Yazoo	4:28		1983
2-7		What Is Love?	Howard Jones	3:38		1984
2-8		I'm Not The Man I Used To Be	Fine Young Cannibals	4:19		1989
2-9		Vienna	Ultravox	4:36		1980
2-10		Moments In Love	Art Of Noise	4:31		1983
2-11		All Cried Out	Alison Moyet	3:39		1984
2-12		Big In Japan	Alphaville	3:46		1984
2-13		The Captain Of Her Heart	Double	3:54		1985
2-14		The Word Girl	Scritti Politti	3:16		1985
2-15		I Go To Sleep	Pretenders	2:52		1981
2-16		Eyes Without A Face	Billy Idol	4:08		1984
2-17		Of Course I'm Lying	Yello	3:49		1988
2-18		Chase	Giorgio Moroder	3:38		1978
2-19		Ghosts	Japan	4:28		1982
2-20		Life In A Northern Town	The Dream Academy	4:05		1985
3-1		Lullaby	The Cure	4:07		1989
3-2		Life's What You Make It	Talk Talk	3:41		1986
3-3		Human	The Human League	3:46		1986
3-4		Save A Prayer	Duran Duran	3:44		1982
3-5		Hold Me Now	Thompson Twins	4:07		1984
3-6		I'm In Love With A German Film Star	The Passions	3:54		1981
3-7		Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)	A Flock Of Seagulls	3:21		1982
3-8		When Love Breaks Down	Prefab Sprout	3:44		1985
3-9		Come Live With Me	Heaven 17	3:31		1983
3-10		Nothing Has Been Proved	Dusty Springfield	4:00		1989
3-11		The Crying Game	Boy George	5:23		1992
3-12		True	Spandau Ballet	4:12		1983
3-13		This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)	Talking Heads	4:00		1983
3-14		Getting Away With It	Electronic	5:23		1989
3-15		Regret	New Order	4:12		1993
3-16		Slave To Love	Bryan Ferry	4:00		1985
3-17		Hunting High And Low	a-ha	3:41		1986
3-18		Blue Savannah	Erasure	4:17		1990
3-19		Love On A Real Train	Tangerine Dream	3:52		1984
3-20		The Power Of Love	Frankie Goes To Hollywood	5:28		1984

2015's Chilled Electronic 80s compilation has three discs and 60 tracks with 29 not included on another album on this page. With more than 200 tracks released on their series of Electronic 80s albums, Ministry of Sound's collections are a good starting point for a collector looking to begin their synth-pop library.