agenschmitzNew mix for a suave Saturday night — a review of early 80's "sophisti-pop" with the likes of The Style Council, Prefab Sprout, Nick Heyward, The Blue Nile (Official), China Crisis, Squeeze, Joe Jackson, The Colourfield (with the late Terry Hall), and more!
It's not new wave, it's not jazz, it's not pure pop... it's sophisti-pop!
#80s #sophistipop #newwave #stylecouncil #thestylecouncil #prefabsprout #chinacrisis #azteccamera
https://www.mixcloud.com/agenschmitz/rfe-80s-sophisti-pop-80-85-mar-2023/
RFE: 80s Sophisti-Pop, '80-'85 (Mar. 2023)
I only recently discovered the retroactively named "sophisti-pop" genre name that encompasses some of my favorite music as a teen. It wasn't as synthy as new wave, it wasn't full-on pop, and it tended to blend in a bit of jazzy arrangement. Bands like Style Council, Prefab Sprout, Squeeze, China Crisis (whose album Flaunt the Imperfection was produced by Steely Dan's Walter Becker), Joe Jackson, The Blue Nile, The Colourfield (with the late Terry Hall), and the early 80s version of Elvis Costello. Here are some of my faves from that initial era, spanning 1980 to 1985, starting off with a Joe Jackson deep cut from the Mike's Murder soundtrack. For more on the genre, check out this blog post on Sweetwater: https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/sophisti-pop-the-most-elegant-genre/
Toby Benjamin