Rock Clip(s) of the Week - Just Under the 80s Mainstream Radar

I was thinking of a few of my NYC pals Kevin & Cindy, who spearhead an '80s cover band called The Fades that played a gig at LES' Fontanas on Thursday. It got me to remembering mainstream 80s music, much of which I have not listened to in a while (exception Billy Idol - never out of style on my record player).

In the mid 80s, I was mostly listening to American indie/alt/college rock (REM, dBs, Replacements, Husker Du, Soul Asylum, Talking Heads) or British wave (Bauhaus, New Order, Cure, Smiths, U2, Echo & the Bunnymen). So I never really took to this whole 80s revival that's been around a few years (we're already into the 90s revival actually).

Which is a roundabout way of saying - I searched YouTube tonight for the coolest '80s non-mainstream 'hit' song I could remember. By 'hit' I mean that is was at least played on radio or early MTV action, and might've gone mainstream with more support, but never really made it.

And I picked one from each side of the Atlantic pond:
US - Translator "Everywhere that I'm Not" (close second - Three O Clock)
UK - Lightning Seeds "Pure" (close second - Ned's Atomic Dustbin)

Here's a reunited Translator playing "Everywhere that I'm Not" from a few months ago in San Francisco:


And here's a live clip of Lightning Seeds playing 'Pure" from an undated clip


Both of these tunes had some sales and success, but really, both should have been way more massive than they were. Too bad they weren't. Great songs, each of 'em. Enjoy.