Sophistic-eighties

The more refined side of 80s pop

by Claudio Fabretti

Dandy, new cool, soul-pop e dintorni: gli anni 80 più sofisticati al centro della nuova puntata di Rock in Onda, il programma condotto da Claudio Fabretti tutti i mercoledì dalle 12 alle 14 sulle web-frequenze di Radio Città Aperta (www.radiocittaperta.it). Da Bryan Ferry agli Style Council, dai Prefab Sprout ai China Crisis, da Sade agli Everything But The Girl, dai Deacon Blue agli Aztec Camera e ai Blue Nile: panoramica sul sophisti-pop 80. Ascolta online.

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Sophistic-eighties – Il lato più raffinato del pop anni 80

In principio, furono padri nobili come Bryan Ferry, Donald Fagen e Joe Jackson. Ma poi il seme del pop più raffinato ed elegante si insinuò in un intero decennio. In primis attraverso la generazione “new cool” di Style Council, Sade, Dee C. Lee, Matt Bianco, Working Week, Everything But The Girl, Blow Monkeys. Ma anche con i primi embrioni dell’indie-pop, grazie a pionieri come China Crisis, Orange Juice, Blue Nile, Church, Aztec Camera. Oppure con la sofisticata scuola jangle-pop di Prefab Sprout, Deacon Blue e Lloyd Cole & The Commotions.

Ma vi fu anche chi seppe raccogliere quell’aroma di eleganza purissima per dare corpo a bestseller del decennio (Spandau Ballet, Wham!, Simply Red, Abc). E la sfida verso la perfetta pop-song coinvolse anche anime ex-punk (Scritti Politti), marpioni funk (Level 42) e magnifiche meteore (Rosie Vela, Double, Lotus Eaters, Johnny Hates Jazz & C.). Tutti uniti da una concezione levigata, sofisticata (e spesso un filo malinconica) della canzone popular.

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Feel free to send us comments, suggestions and ideas for future episodes, via Facebook or by email at: rockinonda@ondarock.it We'd be glad to build future tracklists with your input too.

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07/12/2025

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This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Claudio Fabretti, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.

Read the original in Italian · About the English edition

Sophisti-pop on OndaRock

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Miscellaneous

40 years of sophisti-pop

Digging Your Scene – The sophisti-pop jewels of the 80s

Discography

Show tracklist

1. Bryan Ferry - Don’t Stop The Dance
2. Bryan Ferry - Bête Noire
3. Style Council - Paris Match
4. Style Council - Boy Who Cried Wolf
5. Dee C. Lee - See The Day
6. Everything But The Girl - Each And Every One
7. Sade - Smooth Operator
8. Rosie Vela - Interlude
9. Donald Fagen - I.G.Y. (What A Beautiful World)
10. Joe Jackson - Steppin’ Out
11. Haircut 100 - Love Plus One
12. Orange Juice - Falling And Laughing
13. China Crisis - Bigger The Punch I'm Feeling
14. Prefab Sprout - Appetite
15. Deacon Blue - Loaded
16. Aztec Camera - Walk Out To Winter
17. Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Forest Fire
18. Lotus Eaters - The First Picture Of You
19. Level 42 - Love Games
20. Scritti Politti - The World Girl
21. ABC - The Look Of Love
22. Spandau Ballet - Gold
23. Wham! - Careless Whisper
24. The Blow Monkeys - Digging Your Scene
25. Simply Red - Picture Book
26. Working Week - Sweet Nothing
27. Swing Out Sister - Breakout
28. Matt Bianco - Whose Side Are You On?
29. Blue Nile - The Downtown Lights
30. The Church - Under The Milky Way
31. Tanita Tikaram - Twist In My Sobriety
32. Alison Moyet - For You Only
33. Double - The Captain Of Her Heart
34. Johnny Hates Jazz - Shattered Dreams

Base strumentale: Style Council - Blue Café