Which group best sums up .....

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...... the MTV-inspired British invasion of the US in the mid-80s ? I don't really mean the name bands such as Wham ! or Duran, nor the post-punkers who became Live Aid stadium rockers like Simple Minds and Tears For Fears. I thinking more about the strictly second and third division big-haired chancers who made it with one big hit by virtue of being English (? is that true ?) and/or having a good video. Nor "Pretty In Pink" indie heroes like the Bunnymen or New Order - that's way after the event. I'm thinking The Fixx, Wang Chung, A Flock of Seagulls, Naked Lives, ....

It really interests me. I was a nipper then and never truly understood just the impact it had - I grew up assuming that the UK-US influence thang was always a two-way spread. How much I didn't yet know ..

So, American friends, enlighten me please !

― Darren, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

.. not to mention as well, any direct influence on US bands - whether it be in the whole image and sound of bands like the Romantics, or in oddball ways like Rockwell's bizarre English accent on "Somebody's Watching Me" (mentioned on ILM before).

― Darren, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's Naked EYES, not Naked Lives, just so you know.

Moreover, The Bunnymen and New Order way predate the bands you mentioned like the Fixx, Flock of Seagulls etc.

― Alex in NYC, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Seek ye: ABC, Missing Persons, Kajagoogoo, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Thompson Twins, Dead or Alive, Spandau Ballet, Modern English, Re- Flex, Eurogliders, Kim Wilde, Human League (although they too are far more important than their one big Stateside hit would have the layperson believe)......

― Alex in NYC, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Wang Chung's "Dance Hall Days" is BRILLIANT.

Didn't Talk Talk have a one-off US hit with "It's My Life"? And, for that matter, Scritti Politti's "Perfect Way".

― Robin Carmody, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Spandeu Ballet obviously fits this description with true.

― MICHELINE, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Probably doesn't count but I want to mention it anyway: "You don't Own Me" by Blow Monkeys.

― Nathalie, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

dearest Alex in NYC - the Bunnymen and New Order I mention only because they appear on the ultimate post-MTV indie cool soundtrack , "Pretty In Pink". Their UK-based notoriety and genuine chart appeal obviously predates that. (nb I said I was a nipper, but what I meant was that I was still at the stage of basing things on teen mags and the top 40 then - I was already 15 and a big N.O. and Bunnymen fan.

As for the others, well I appreciate your choices, but what I really mean is the bands whose US success predated any success in the UK, or those who meant jack shit elsewhere - so the Human League, FGTH and KIm Wilde don't really count, while the Thompson Twins and Wang Chung obviously do.

And by the way, I liked 'Dance Hall Days' and adored "It's My Life".

― Darren, Sunday, 16 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

How about 'Lawnchairs' by 'Our Daughter's Wedding'wasn't that a US hit,might be wrong not even sure if they were English.Great track.

― Paul Richards, Sunday, 16 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Camouflage The Great Commandment
Camouflage Love Is A Shield

― Siegbran Hetteson, Monday, 17 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Whoever did the song "Take on Me", Great Video though.

― Dave Beckhouse, Monday, 17 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The fact that A-Ha were Norwegian proably disqualifies them, Dave.

― Dom Passantino, Monday, 17 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No, Our Daughter's Wedding were anglo-influenced Americans-- from San Francisco, I think.

I'm not sure about the English charts at the time, but did Thomas Dolby make much of a splash before he hit it big over here in America? That Mad Scientist video really did the trick.

How about After the Fire? Their one big hit being their "Der Kommisar" cover.

I think 3 of the bands Alex mentioned sum it up best for me: Re-flex, Modern Talking, and the Naked Eyes.

I'll bet Men Without Hats and Book of Love and Information Society were influenced by the sort of bands you're thinking about. Though they are probably just as influenced by the more revered-on-both-sides-of-the-Atlantic acts like Human League, Depeche Mode, New Order, etc.

― Arthur, Monday, 17 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

SIGUE SIGUE SPUTNIK!!!

no other answer comes close.

― http://gygax.pitas.com, Tuesday, 18 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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