1980s 473 Items

More than four decades after it first appeared on their Hot Space album - Queen are releasing 1982’s “Cool Cat” on limited edition 7″ pink vinyl. Making its debut as an A-side - this marks the seventh single to be taken from the album. The B-side will be a brand-new previously-unreleased instrumental mix of the song.

Regular black version of this timeless masterpiece!

SOURCED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES AND LIMITED TO 4,000 NUMBERED COPIES:

MOBILE FIDELITY'S 180G SUPERVINYL LP PRESENTS 1985 BLOCKBUSTER IN AUDIOPHILE SOUND, PLAYS WITH EXCEPTIONAL CLARITY
PCM digital master to analogue console to lathe



Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut album has few parallels. Viewed solely through the lens of sales numbers, Whitney Houston is a watershed statement on par with the most commercially successful and culturally dominant LPs ever released. Having sold more than 14 million copies in the U.S. and upwards of 25 million units worldwide, the 1985 LP became the equivalent of the television show or blockbuster film that everyone collectively experiences and discusses. Nearly four decades later, it’s lost none of its appeal or magnetism — and its artistic significance and historical import have only grown.

Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at RTI on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's 180g SuperVinyl LP of Whitney Houston presents the breakthrough in audiophile sound for the first time. The signature traits Houston exhibits on every song — her three-octave range, radiant warmth, personal conviction, impossibly controlled register — come across with exceptional clarity, focus, and presence. Free of artificial ceilings and constricted dynamics, this reissue plays with an openness, airiness, and balance that put the singer’s once-in-a-lifetime instrument and immortal artistry into proper perspective.

It does the same for the songs’ cascading melodies and captivating arrangements. Individually produced by one of four renowned industry veterans — Kashif, Micheal Masser, Jermaine Jackson, and Narada Michael Walden — each composition feels grander, closer, more genuine. A vocal spectacular, Whitney Houston benefits from the high-end characteristics of SuperVinyl, which include a nearly inaudible noise floor, superb groove definition, and dead-quiet surfaces. This is how an album that changed the direction of popular music — opening previously inaccessible doors for Black artists; bringing smooth-singing vocalists back into the mainstream; kickstarting a movement that soon included several “divas” who would command the charts through the early 21st century — should look and sound.

Though Houston’s seemingly effortless performances suggest otherwise, creating the record Rolling Stone ranks as the 257th Greatest Album of All Time wasn’t easy. Nearly 18 months were required to identify songs suitable for a still-unknown singer who did not fit into the conventional frameworks of the mid ‘80s. Confident, powerful, and prodigiously talented, Houston would forge her own parameters with Whitney Houston. In the process, she obliterated the stubborn lines between R&B and pop, Black and white radio. She dared to reimagine who could be a superstar and then went out and defined the role. Recorded for nearly $400,000 and released on Valentine’s Day, the LP exceeded the wildest expectations of those most closely associated with it — save for Houston and her family.

Having made her first public appearance at the age of 11 singing at a Baptist church, Houston understood pressure and knew her way around, inside, and through a song. The invaluable guidance and support she received from her mother, Cissy, an accomplished gospel vocalist who backed Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley, are on display throughout Whitney Houston. They arrive in the types of authoritativeness, discipline, and diction rare for even most seasoned veterans — and unheard-of for a 21-year-old newcomer. Houston brings a soulful elegance, understated glamour, and in-the-moment rapture to every note. Moving up, down, or staying in the middle of the vocal ladder; channelling softness or sweetness; showing restraint or increasing the volume, she is a marvel of emotionalism, a dynamo who can seamlessly transition from one mood to another within a verse.

Though the 10-track LP largely concerns itself with the ballad tradition, Houston covers the bases, getting into an R&B groove on the fleet “Thinking About You,” turning up the heat on the duet “Take Good Care of My Heart,” and investing the contagious dance-pop confection “How Will I Know” with all the anxiety, hope, energy, and enthusiasm its lyrics demand. Featuring her mom on background vocals and Houston’s pitch-perfect tone, uncanny precision, and skyscraper highs (no AutoTune here, friends), the synth-based anthem propelled Whitney Houston into the stratosphere, the vocalist into regular MTV rotation, and the term “crossover” into popular parlance. The double-platinum single reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, Hot R&B, and Adult Contemporary charts — a trifecta that foreshadowed accomplishments that would ultimately crown Houston as the most-awarded female artist of all time.

Whitney Houston became the first album by a Black female performer to top the Billboard charts. It remained there for 14 non-consecutive weeks en route to claiming the title of the best-selling LP of 1986. It stands as the first debut and first album by a solo female artist to spawn three No. Hits, as well as the first album by a Black female artist to top the year-end charts in Australia and Canada. These are just a handful of the accolades — along with four Grammy nominations — that surround a set that also contains the unforgettable ballad “Saving All My Love,” string-accompanied “Greatest Love of All,” and sensual “You Give Good Love.”

As TIME observed in an article written two years after the album took the world by storm: “This is infectious, can't-sit-down music, and her performance dares the listener not to smile right back.” We’re still smiling.

SACD

Sourced from the original master tapes and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's hybrid SACD of Whitney Houston presents the breakthrough in audiophile sound for the first time. The signature traits Houston exhibits on every song — her three-octave range, radiant warmth, personal conviction, impossibly controlled register — come across with exceptional clarity, focus, and presence. Free of artificial ceilings and constricted dynamics, this reissue plays with an openness, airiness, and balance that put the singer’s once-in-a-lifetime instrument and immortal artistry into proper perspective.

Eighteen years ago, Oppenheimer Analysis made its indelible mark with the iconic track ‘The Devil’s Dancers,’ heralding the birth of the Minimal Wave label. Founded with a singular mission, the label set out to share this musical gem with the world. The inaugural release was the self-titled Oppenheimer Analysis EP, meticulously pressed onto high-quality 180-gram black vinyl, accompanied by a striking 18” x 24” poster adorned with captivating photos and lyrics. This historic release graced the world on December 6th, 2005. Remarkably, this EP has been elusive for a decade now.

In an exciting development, the fifth edition of the Oppenheimer Analysis self-titled EP is set to debut in December, featuring the original remastered version of ‘The Devil’s Dancers.’ This EP is presented as a loving tribute to Martin Lloyd (1950-2013 R.I.P.), one half of Oppenheimer Analysis. The EP showcases select tracks from the 1982 Oppenheimer Analysis cassette titled “New Mexico,” along with two previously unreleased gems. The story behind Oppenheimer Analysis began when Andy Oppenheimer, a nuclear weapons consultant, and Martin Lloyd, also known for his work with the Survival Label and the project “Analysis,” crossed paths at a Science Fiction Convention in London in 1979. They shared the stage with notable bands like Hawkwind and Spizz Energi and garnered attention in the pages of Melody Maker.

This fifth edition release consists of 999 meticulously hand-numbered 180-gram black vinyl copies, each accompanied by the first edition poster insert. Notably, the spot color on the sleeve distinguishes each edition: green for the first, deep blue-green for the second, light powder blue for the third, mint green for the fourth, and a brighter aqua mint for this current fifth edition. Stay tuned for an upcoming interview with Andy Oppenheimer, promising deeper insights into the band’s rich history and music.

THE First Ever International Release OF Ryuichi Sakamoto's Landmark 1984 Album "ongaku Zukan" IN ITS TWO Rare Japanese Versions (normal AND Limited Edition).
Featuring Remastered Audio With Bonus Tracks, Original Gatefold Artwork AND NEW Liner Notes BY Andy Beta.

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of Ryuichi Sakamoto's classic LP "Ongaku Zukan", originally issued in Japan on his own School label in 1984.
The reissue will replicate the original Japanese release which offered two versions: a normal edition featuring the LP with a bonus 2-track 7" EP (wwslp71), and a limited edition which includes a 3-track 12" EP in place of the 7" (wwslp72)
Remastered by Saidera Mastering in Tokyo the reissue boasts the original gatefold artwork plus an extra 2-page insert with new liner notes by Andy Beta

The early '80s were a turning point for Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. As a solo artist, the smash hit soundtrack he had composed for 1983's "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" (a film in which he had also acted), had put him on the verge of becoming a global superstar. Meanwhile he had called a halt to his work with Yellow Magic Orchestra; the influential, globally successful pop trio calling it quits after the release of their 1983 album "Naughty Boys".
Against this backdrop, Sakamoto descended on Tokyo's Onkyo Haus Studio to record his fourth solo album, "Ongaku Zukan" ("Musical Encyclopedia") accompanied by a handful of musicians including his ex-YMO partners Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, and the prolifically talented Yasuaki Shimizu, Tatsuro Yamashita and Toshinori Kondo. Sakamoto began with no particular plan in mind, recording 30 basic tracks over the best part of 1983. It was on his return to the studio the following year that the album truly began to take shape. Accompanied by a newly acquired Fairlight CMI sampler, the musician made extensive use of the revolutionary equipment to create a wide palette of sound textures which he added to the tracks, a creatively fertile process that was captured on film for the French documentary "Tokyo Melody, A Film about Ryuichi Sakamoto".)
Released in August 1984 the album "Ongaku Zukan" proved a huge success, providing Sakamoto with his first top 5 hit in Japan. Filled with inspired melodies that showcase his unique gift as a composer, it offers up a fascinating mix of styles. Asiatic electro pop nuggets ("Tibetan Dance") share space with futuristic ambient pieces ("Hane no Hayashi de"), and brilliantly creative fusions of jazz, funk, techno and reggae ("Etude" and "Tabi no Kyokuhoki.")
Two simultaneous editions of the album were released in Japan: the regular one featuring a bonus 7" EP with two extra tracks: "Replica" and "Ma Mère l'Oye" while a limited edition added a 12" EP (in lieu of the 7") which included a third track, "Tibetan Dance (Version)." An international version was released two years later in 1986 by 10 Records/Virgin under the title "Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia," but with a very different track list. Five tracks from "Ongaku Zukan" were dropped, namely "Self Portrait," "Tabi no kyokuhoku," "Mori no Hito," "A Tribute to N.J.P" and "Tibetan Dance (Version)", to be replaced by two non-album singles from 1985, "Stepping Into Asia" and "Field Work."
This is the very first time that the two 1984 Japanese editions of Ryuichi Sakamoto's classic album have been released internationally in collaboration with the artist's management and Midi Inc., with remastered audio and the original artwork faithfully reproduced, paying tribute to one of contemporary music's undisputed geniuses.

Originally released in 1980 Limited edition 180g vinyl Pressed on black vinyl Ride on Time is the fifth studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita, released by Air/rvc in 1980. This record includes everything from up-tempo songs to ballads, making it an absolute masterpiece beloved by many.

An essential part of the European disco history... "Livin' Up" and "Stop" by B.W.H., these two tracks are true 'milestones' and Italo-Disco in the purest form. The sound that only the most virtuous and innovative young Italian DJs and arrangers were able to create in the early 80s. B.W.H is Stefano Zito (aka Black Way), Stefano Galante, and the late Carlo Favilli, "Stop" is dubbed "the best B-side ever!", but "Livin' Up" is also incredible, making this vinyl the hottest 12" ever assembled in the Italo Domain and for decades incredibly underrated. It was I-f's Mixed Up The Hague mix that brought this to the attention of a wider audience and have been considered one of the holy grails of Italo ever since. Here the 2 original versions from 1983 remastered with care and passion by Dom Scuteri and Claudio Casalini (Best Record) in two different editions: the classic one in black vinyl and the strictly limited one in gray vinyl. Two essential tracks available in a high quality edition. (Limited Grey vinyl)

A 2-disc set of the best albums released in 1983, including songs that appeared for the first time and were released on an album for the first time, such as "Love is Magic", a duet with Yoshinori Monta, and "A Love Affair", which was released as a commercial song for Clarion. Limited re-release on vinyl!

This classic Queen album is pressed on 180gram. Queen Greatest Hits (and Greatest Hits II separately) is released on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl. Both titles will use their original artwork, and for the first time, Greatest Hits will be released as a 2LP set. 'Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Queen, originally released in the UK on 26 October 1981. The album consisted of Queen's best-selling singles since their first chart appearance in 1974 with "Seven Seas of Rhye", up to their 1980 hit "Flash". Queen's Greatest Hits was an instant success, peaking at number one on the UK Album Chart for four weeks. It has spent over 700 weeks in the UK Charts, and is the best-selling album of all time in the UK, selling over 6 million copies there. It is certified 8x Platinum in the United States, and is Queen's most commercially successful album worldwide with over 25 million copies sold, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Bronski Beat ‘s 1984 cult debut album “The Age of Consent” - remastered edititons celebrating the band’s 35th anniversary – is back on Vinyl & CD

1980, Friday evening in the Munich suburban pub »Panoptikum«. My girlfriend draws my attention to the fact that behind me two guys are talking about looking for a new guitarist for their band. I turn around, chat them up (Jochen and Thomas) and praise my skills to the skies. A few days later I’m standing in Thomas‘ perfectly equipped practice room with my Ibanez Les Paul copy. We jam a little while – jazz rock, to which I can contribute very little due to my lack of skills. We quickly agree on a new style: minimalist, no drums, just a drum machine, Moog and organ, less guitar, dry bass. And German lyrics! We don’t really know or want that this should be ”ndw”. But of course we listen to DAF, Ideal, FSK, Fehlfarben and – yes, Spliff too. These influences are undeniable. So we found the ”piss OFF Orkesstr”, which very quickly becomes ”p’off Orkesstr” and then finally ”P!OFF?”. Ambitious and inspired, we produce a demo cassette that already contains ”Das dicke Kind”, ”Großer Bruder”, ”Pass Auf!” and ”Walkman” and send it to various record companies – including Munich‘s ”Ariola”, which is desperately looking for NDW acts because the Ariola empire has missed this trend. Therefore, they ”buy” about 25 bands at the drop of a hat – and P!OFF? is supposed to be one of them, because they expect some good airplay mainly from ”Walkman”. Producer god Anthony Monn (Amanda Lear, Relax, Saragossa Band, Fancy et al.) takes us under his wing and manages to keep the original demo sound, but to improve it considerably. ”Mein Walkman ist kaputt” didn‘t make it into the charts, but it was played more often on the radio and the Album didn‘t sell badly. In 1982, however, NDW is now commercialised to death and that ship had sailed. But we stay together (under different band names) and over the decades become first New Romantics, then Indie Rockers, then Grunge Noise Makers and finally Electronic Freaks. In 2009, for my fiftieth birthday, we decide to play a few songs from the old 82 record live, which becomes a huge success. And so we are – again as P!OFF? – still on the road with our old songs. The ’82 Album has become a sought-after collector‘s item and cult object – so we are very happy that Bureau B is presenting a lovingly remastered reissue after almost 40 years.

The biggest selling 12” single of all time in the UK, reissued and remastered from the original master tapes at Abbey Road Studios. Originally released on Factory Records in March 1983, the single has become the band’s most recognisable track

An essential part of the European disco history... "Livin' Up" and "Stop" by B.W.H., these two tracks are true 'milestones' and Italo-Disco in the purest form. The sound that only the most virtuous and innovative young Italian DJs and arrangers were able to create in the early 80s. B.W.H is Stefano Zito (aka Black Way), Stefano Galante, and the late Carlo Favilli, "Stop" is dubbed "the best B-side ever!", but "Livin' Up" is also incredible, making this vinyl the hottest 12" ever assembled in the Italo Domain and for decades incredibly underrated. It was I-f's Mixed Up The Hague mix that brought this to the attention of a wider audience and have been considered one of the holy grails of Italo ever since. Here the 2 original versions from 1983 remastered with care and passion by Dom Scuteri and Claudio Casalini (Best Record) in two different editions: the classic one in black vinyl and the strictly limited one in gray vinyl. Two essential tracks available in a high quality edition. (Limited Grey vinyl)

Originally released in 1983
Finally available in vinyl format! This record includes 'cat's Eye' and 'Kanashimi ga Tomaranai (Sadness Can't Stop)', both of which were produced by Toshiki Kadomatsu.

A milestone in electronic music, is finally receiving its well-deserved re-release: Liaisons Dangereuses’ legendary self-titled debut album still fascinates today, through its innovative sound and the mystery encompassing it. Since its release in 1981, it has become a classic in electronic music. The 10 electrifying songs produced by Chrislo Haas (daf) and Beate Bartel (Mania D. / Matador) – reinforced by Krishna Goineau’s French and Spanish Speech-Attack-Lyrics – created a unique style. The album – anything other than a Berlin or Düsseldorf ‘thing’ – was propelled to an international favourite. Songs such as “Peut Être... Pas” and “Los Niños Del Parque” played a decisive role in the development of Detroit and Chicago’s house sound, as well as various forms of European techno.

Floating Into The Night is the debut album by the American dream pop musician Julee Cruise, released in 1989. The album was produced, and all songs were written by, composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch. Two singles were released from the album: "Falling" and "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart", both of which are featured in Lynch's television series, Twin Peaks. An instrumental version of "Falling" is used as the theme song to the series.

180g vinyl.

Features a second bonus disc packed with singles and b-sides from the
Freaks era. Pulp had changed significantly since their debut 'It'. By this time every member bar Jarvis had moved on but the addition of
Russell Senior proved to be a pivotal turning point for the band. No longer did Pulp sound pastoral, easy-natured; now they were darkly
romantic, brooding, noisy and a little bit Gothic, in the way young folk who brush their hair a certain way are always a little bit Gothic.
Pulp were out-of-tune with the times: but the times didn't satisfy Pulp. The album is quite marvellous. Most of these songs stand the
distance of time: it was here, possibly even more than 1992's Separations, that Pulp started coming into their own as a band with a fullyrealised aesthetic. The first disc is the original album, unaltered and in its entirety. The second is a bonus disc comprising of tracks from
the two big non-album singles from the same era, 'Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)' and 'Dogs are Everywhere'. Two further b-sides 'Tunnel'
and 'Manon' complete the second disc for the definitive 'Freaks' period release. Pulp's 'It' and 'Separations' will be repressed at the
same time for the complete Pulp on Fire collection.

Pulp’s debut and one of their most honest recordings - capturing a band at
the beginning of their startling career. ‘It’ is a gentle, mainly acoustic album that hints at the musical directions Pulp would later pursue.
The album touches on the majestic, theatrical ballads of Scott Walker, as well as the stark, folky song poems of Leonard Cohen.
Certainly an album by a young band trying to pinpoint their direction, and absorbing many an influence from all around, ‘It’ has aged
beautifully into a charming collection. Fire are to reissue Pulp’s 1983 debut album ‘It’ as part of the Fire reissue series with bonus
material. Liner notes by Everett True. Featuring 4 Bonus tracks including single version of ‘My Lighthouse’ and alternative mix of ‘Blue
Girls’, ‘Sink Or Swim’ and ‘Please Don’t Worry’ from Pulp’s John Peel session in 1981.

‘Make It Big’ is exactly what Wham! had done by the time they released their second album in 1984. Featuring the hit singles ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’, ‘Everything She Wants’ ‘Freedom and ‘Careless Whisper’, the album cemented their place as pop icons. Now on vinyl for the first time in over 30 years, ‘Make It Big’ is available in limited edition white vinyl and black vinyl.

The original single from Escape From New York finally gets an official reissue. Originally released in 1983 ‘Save Our Love’ was released a year before ‘Fire in My Heart’ and sets out their highly effective fusion of New Wave, Disco, Italo and Post Punk. Featuring Jaki Graham and D.C Lee on backing vocals, the 12” also includes an instrumental mix and cult classic ‘Slow Beat’ (Dance Mix). Escape From New York were short lived and disbanded in 1984 following the release of ‘Fire in My Heart’, ultimately buckling under the pressure of commercial expectations for their innovative brand of pop music. Fast forward to 2023 and history has been kind and these singles are now regarded as being pioneering classics.

Nervous Gender’s legendary synthpunk LP Music From Hell burbles up from infernal depths to resurface on Dark Entries! Confrontational, unhinged, and unabashedly queer, Music from Hell is an unholy grail for fans of the strangest underbellies of post-punk, minimal synth, and early industrial music, and is presented here newly remastered and on expanded double LP. Nervous Gender (de)formed in LA in 1978 at the hands of Phranc, Gerardo Velaquez, Edward Stapleton, and Michael Ochoa. Phranc, the androgynous embodiment of the band’s name, left in 1980. Following her departure, a wide cast of LA freaks would find themselves drawn into the band’s orbit, including Alice Bag of the Bags, Paul Roessler of the Screamers, the Germs’ Don Bolles, and an 8-year old drummer named Sven Pfeiffer. In 1980, Nervous Gender appeared on the seminal Live at Target compilation alongside Factrix, uns, and Flipper. With the band’s notoriety cemented, Music from Hell followed in 1981 on Subterranean Records (as no LA label would touch this material). Side A, dubbed “Martyr Complex”, presents a more punk-forward sound with live drum salvos and slabs of aggressive synth. These twitchy, unsettling shockers ooze with the kind of snotty misanthropy that will endear them to fans of the Screamers or Crass. Side B, known as “Beelzebub Youth”, is a live performance the band labeled "an electronic bruto-canto dissertation on the banality of spiritual transcendence." Mutant melodies cede way to synthesized clangs, whirs, bleeps, manipulated tapes, and howls of despair. In addition to all the material from the original LP, we’re treated to a full disc of the band’s demos, the material from the Live at Target compilation, and early live recordings. Included are unrecognizable covers of Carly Simon and Lou Reed, and the Sex Pistols that are so despairingly skewed they fall into the void. This reissue of Music From Hell includes a 36 page lyric booklet, foldout poster, and gatefold sleeve with photos, flyers, and news-clippings designed by Eloise Leigh. Tackling taboo issues like sexual kinks, mental illness, drug use, and childhood molestation, Music From Hell is still surprising – even shocking - over 40 years after the album’s release. Nervous Gender stand as one of the most genuinely anti-establishment outfits in underground music, a colossal fuck you to social norms from religious strictures to gender essentialism.

Kazuo Shiina, Hiroyuki Namba, Yoshihiro Naruse, Akira Inoue and other skilled musicians participated in Takako Mamiya's only album released in 1982, a masterpiece representing 80's city pop, on clear sky blue vinyl. Limited re-release!

Recorded in 1989, Neapolis saw the band going back to their early electronic sound, this is the first time that it has been available on vinyl and comes with full approval from the band.

Talk Talk were one of the most influential bands of 80's pop music.

Limited 180 gram vinyl LP pressing of this album from the classic rock band. Pump is the tenth studio album by Aerosmith, released on September 12, 1989. Pump incorporates the use of keyboards and a horn section on many of the singles ("Love in an Elevator", "The Other Side"), and contains straightforward rockers ("F.I.N.E.", "Young Lust"), the ballad "What It Takes", songs about issues such as incest and murder ("Janie's Got a Gun") and drug and alcohol abuse ("Monkey on My Back"), [4] as well as a variety of instrumental interludes such as "Hoodoo" and "Dulcimer Stomp." The album has certified sales of seven million copies in the U.S. and is tied with it's successor Get a Grip as Aerosmith's second best-selling studio album in the U.S. (Toys in the Attic leads with eight million).

Limited edition of 100 copies on blue wax. Only available at HHV.

Disco Segreta sets your summer on fire with the official reissue of two killer obscure italo-disco masterpieces! Out of the catalog of the no longer active cult Savona-based label Disco In, this 7” released in 1985 in 1000 copies sung by the mysterious Laura Angel, is probably one of the most elusive, with original copies hardly ever showing up ! “Summer Time” carries all the fascinating stylistic elements of italo-disco: romantic struggle, summer-inspired ital-english lyrics sung by a catchy female voice, over minimal 80s drums and arpeggiated basslines; while “If You Want” is possibly one of the finest examples of that all-Italian peculiar mixture of darkwave, synth-pop and italo-disco. Two superb melanchol-italo tearjerkers, with a masterful use of three classic italo disco fetish synths: E-mu Drumulator, Juno 106, Korg Poly 61. As usual with us, the first ever 12” reissue of this 45 - in a limited edition on 180g. high-quality vinyl - will be lovingly remastered, respectful of the actual tracks’ 80s lo-fi vibe, and will feature the original 45 versions.