10 Perfect Pop Albums Of The 1980s

There's no way you can go through the pop sounds of the '80s and not bring up the synthesizer. For all of the glorious dated sounds of this one instrument, the sound of synths ruled the airwaves for most of the early '80s, dominating the world of pop and even seeping its way into genres like art rock and hair metal every now and again. Though we had synth back in the '70s, it didn't grab the world by the throat until The Human League broke through.

Which is strange considering how primitive the sounds of DARE really are. Compared to the lush orchestration that you would get in the back half of the '80s, this is a much more ramshackle approach to synth music, with only Don't You Want Me sounding like the '80s that you know and love. That's because this wasn't even meant to be a pop record at first, and you can tell once you read into it a little bit.

Outside of their big single, every one of these songs feels a lot more dense than traditional pop music, almost having a sort of gothic sheen to it all, as Phil Oakey's baritone voice slides across songs like I Am the Law. Then again, that kind of approach was what made the '80s so good to begin with. Even if it wasn't sunshine and roses, you can go a long way just on the sheer drama behind your sound.