80's artists with new releases

2011 was one of the best years for 80s artists releasing brand new material. We saw new albums from the likes of Devo, Duran Duran, Roxette, R.E.M., John Waite, John Oates, The Cars, Journey, Beastie Boys, and of course Madonna & more.


2012 is looking good too. Below is a list of 80s artists who have, or intend to release an album in 2012. All of these releases can be found on Amazon.com

Bonnie Raitt

Madonna  Glenn Frey
The Cult
Van Halen
Dee Snider
Roxette

The Tubes 
Europe
Neneh Cherry & The Thing 
Lita Ford
Bruce Springsteen
Lionel Richie 
Slash

Aerosmith
Adam Ant
Bad Religion
Guns n Roses
Bret Michaels
Janet Jackson
U2

Know of any more? Message me and I'll add it to the list!

One Hit Wednesday

Big Country was a scottish rock band formed in 1981.
The band's music was most recognisable for the sounds it infused with Scottish folk styles. They acheived moderate success in the U.K. over the years, but only charted one hit in the U.S. 'In a Big Country' peaked at #17 in December of '83.
The band was dormant for many years, but recorded their first single in 11 years in August of 2011.

Dexy's Midnight Runners are a British pop group formed in 1978. With moderate success throughout the early to mid 80's, charting 12 hits in the U.K., the band only charted 1 song in the U.S. Top40. Come on Eileen hit #1 in the U.S. in April of '83.
The band is still together and is scheduled to release a new album in June of 2012.

Jack Wagner is an acomplished actor most notably for his roles in soap operas such as General Hospital, Santa Barbara, and the Bold and the Beautiful. He is also a seasoned musician and vocalist. His first single, All I Need peaked at #2 in January of '85. With 5 albums to his credit, he has yet to chart again. He is scheduled to release a new single in 2012. 






Thomas Dolby was born in 1958 in London, England. He is a singer/song writer, musician and producer. He has also done a lot of session work behind the scenes. Over the years he has released 5 full length albums and numerous singles. But only one single has worked its way into the U.S. Top40; She Blinded Me WIth Science was a #5 hit in May of 1983. Dolby is still very active today and released his 5th album in 2011.

John Schneider was most widely know for his acting and role as Bo Duke on the television show The Dukes of Hazzard and more recently on the show Smallville. John has also had a stellar career as a country music singer. He has numerous albums and singles over his career. One track found it's way to the Billboard pop charts. His rendition of Elvis' It's Now or Never reached #14 in the summer of '81. John has 10 Top10 Country Hits including 4 #1's. He is still active in music and television and released a new single in 2010.

One Hit Wednesday

After The Fire (or ATF) are a British rock band that started in the early 70's. By the late 70's they had changed from a progressive sound to more New Wave and their cover of Austrian musician Falco's track Der Kommissar hit #5 in the spring of '83. The band split up after the success of Der Kommissar but reformed in 2004 and perform on an annual mini-tour.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. Their debut single, Relax went to #1 in the UK and peaked at #10 here in the U.S. They had 2 follow up singles that also hit #1 in the UK, but they failed to chart again here. This is their only Top40 hit in the states. The band broke up in '87, reunited for a bit between 2004-2007 and then split again.

Honeymoon Suite is a Canadian rock band formed in 1981 in Niagara Falls, Ontario. And although their debut single New Girl Now is probably a more well known track today, the track Feel it Again is their only Top40 hit in the U.S. The power ballad hit #34 in the spring of '86. This is one of my "should've been bigger" bands of the 80's and is worth checking out their discography. The band is still together and performing today.

Ric Ocasek is most widely known as the lead vocalist and keyboardist for the Rock group "The Cars". He shared vocal duties with bandmate Benjamin Orr. Ocasek released several solo albums over his career and managed to hit #15 with the track Emotion in Motion. Ric continues to record and recently re-united with the Cars and released their first full album in years in May of 2011.

T'Pau was a 1980s British pop group led by singer Carol Decker. In the mid to late 80s the group amassed 8 Top40 singles in the U.K. and managed only one here in the states. The song Heart And Soul peaked at #4 in the summer of '87.

The group disolved in 1991 but Decker re-formed the band with a new line-up in 1998, and T'Pau have continued to perform live on a semi-regular basis in recent years.