According to the expansive notes in the booklet provided with Musik Music Musique 1979 – The Roots Of Synth Pop 1979 that year, 1979, was the precursor to the electronic music explosion that took place in 1980. The compilers present 60 tracks of the early experiments in this genre. Interestingly when I scan the names of the artists included on the 3CDs I can find none that have lasted the test of time. For example a sample of those included The Buggles, Tubeway Army And Gary Numan, The Human League, OMD, Giorgio Moroder, Yello, Caberet Voltaire, Devo, John Foxx, M, Visage, Suicide, Fad Gadget, Thomas Leer And Robert Rental, Jan Hammer, Steve Hillage, The Silicon Teens, and Japan. None of those names still carry much weight in the music universe that is now so diverse, and fractured that only really big mega-stars become household names.
That being said the music they created in the past is full of merit, and there are mighty examples of what they achieved around 47 years ago. The first CD opens up with a song that seems to sum up what the compilers have tried to present to us, The Buggles with Technopop. This is followed by Made In Munich from M. Great bouncy pop songs that set the tone, and make you keen to hear what else is coming.
Amongst the almost 4 hours of music you will definitely find tracks that you like and there will most certainly be some you dislike. There are also three other volumes in the Musik Music Musique series covering 1980 through to 1982 to check out.
You can hear some of the songs in The Groove Yard visit 200
And for a full track listing, and other information, go to the Cherry Red Records website.
The other three volumes: * Musik Music Musique - 1980: The Dawn Of Synth Pop * Musik Music Musique 2.0 - The Rise Of Synth Pop * Musik Music Musique 3.0 - 1982 Synthpop On The Air