Next time you find yourself at a fine establishment featuring one of AMI Entertainment’s digital jukeboxes, be sure to check out the “Best of ’80s College Rock” playlist the company asked Slicing Up Eyeballs to help compile, featuring dozens of great tracks from Kate Bush, Hüsker Dü, The Stone Roses, R.E.M., Violent Femmes, Galaxie 500 and many, many others.
AMI’s digital jukeboxes can be found in bars and restaurants in more than 30 countries around the world, and, according to the company, have access to more than 735,000 songs — and that includes the more than 100 listed in our “Best of ’80s College Rock” playlist below.
And if you’re wondering where to find one of these jukeboxes, look here: amientertainment.com/locator.
Slicing Up Eyeballs’ “Best of ’80s College Rock” AMI Entertainment jukebox playlist:
The Alarm, “Rain in the Summertime”
Marc Almond, “Tears Run Rings”
The B-52’s, “Planet Claire”
Bauhaus, “She’s in Parties”
Big Audio Dynamite, “The Bottom Line”
Black Flag, “Rise Above”
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
Kate Bush, “The Big Sky”
The Call, “Let the Day Begin”
Camper Van Beethoven, “Sweethearts”
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, “From Her to Eternity”
The Church, “The Unguarded Moment”
The Clash, “Police On My Back”
Cocteau Twins, “Lorelei”
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, “Perfect Skin”
Concrete Blonde, “Still in Hollywood”
Julian Cope, “Charlotte Anne”
Elvis Costello & The Attractions, “Accidents Will Happen”
The Cramps, “Goo Goo Muck”
The Creatures, “Standing There”
The Cult, “Love Removal Machine”
The Cure, “Close to Me”
The Damned, “Alone Again Or”
Dead Kennedys, “California Uber Alles”
The Dead Milkmen, “Bitchin’ Camaro”
De La Soul, “My Myself and I”
Depeche Mode, “A Question of Lust”
Dinosaur Jr, “Just Like Heaven”
The Divinyls, “Pleasure and Pain”
The Dream Syndicate, “Tell Me When It’s Over”
Echo & The Bunnymen, “Rescue”
Brian Eno/David Byrne, “America Is Waiting”
Erasure, “Chains of Love”
The Feelies, “Fa Cé-La”
The Fixx, “Red Skies”
Galaxie 500, “Tell Me”
Gang of Four, “I Love a Man in Uniform”
The Godfathers, “She Gives Me Love”
The Go-Betweens, “Love Goes On”
Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians, “Madonna of the Wasps”
Hoodoo Gurus, “Come Anytime”
The House of Love, “Destroy the Heart”
The Housemartins, “The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death”
Hüsker Dü, “Could You Be the One”
INXS, “Listen Like Thieves”
Joe Jackson, “I’m the Man”
Jane’s Addiction, “Mountain Song”
The Jam, “That’s Entertainment”
The Jesus and Mary Chain, “Head On”
Joy Division, “Dead Souls”
Killing Joke, “A New Day”
Kraftwerk, “Computer World”
The Lords of the New Church, “Dance With Me”
Love and Rockets, “All In My Mind”
Magazine, “A Song From Under the Floorboards”
M/A/R/R/S, “Pump Up the Volume”
Meat Puppets, “Lake of Fire”
Midnight Oil, “Best of Both Worlds”
The Mighty Lemon Drops, “Into the Heart of Love”
Ministry, “Thieves”
Minutemen, “Corona”
The Mission UK, “Tower of Strength”
Mission of Burma, “That’s When I Reach for My Revolver”
Morrissey, “November Spawned a Monster”
Bob Mould, “See a Little Light”
Peter Murphy, “Strange Kind of Love”
My Bloody Valentine, “Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)”
New Order, “Temptation”
NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”
The Ocean Blue, “Between Something and Nothing”
Oingo Boingo, “We Close Our Eyes”
Orange Juice, “Rip It Up”
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, “Tesla Girls”
Pet Shop Boys, “Rent”
Pixies, “Debaser”
The Pretenders, “Back on the Chain Gang”
The Primitives, “Crash”
Propaganda, “Dr. Mabuse”
The Psychedelic Furs, “All that Money Wants”
Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise”
Public Image Ltd., “Careering”
Ramones, “My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg)”
Lou Reed, “Dirty Blvd.”
R.E.M., “Begin the Begin”
The Replacements, “Left of the Dial”
Shriekback, “Nemesis”
Simple Minds, “Waterfront”
Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Happy House”
The Sisters of Mercy, “Lucretia My Reflection”
Skinny Puppy, “Assimilate”
The Smithereens, “Blood and Roses”
The Smiths, “Girlfriend in a Coma”
Sonic Youth, “Teen Age Riot”
Squeeze, “Hourglass”
The Stone Roses, “I Wanna Be Adored”
The Sugarcubes, “Birthday”
Talking Heads, “Listening Wind”
Talk Talk, “It’s My Life”
Tears For Fears, “Pale Shelter”
The The, “This Is the Day”
They Might Be Giants, “Ana Ng”
Throwing Muses, “Hate My Way”
Toy Dolls, “Fisticuffs on Frederick Street”
Violent Femmes, “Kiss Off”
Tom Waits, “Rain Dogs”
The Waterboys, “Fisherman’s Blues”
Wire, “Kidney Bingos”
World Party, “Ship of Fools”
X, “Johnny Hit and Run Pauline”
XTC, “Towers of London”
Congratulations S.U.E.!! You are definitely making your mark!
“The Listening Wind,” from Talking Heads, I’m impressed.
I wholeheartedly agree with this list. I think you hit all the major important bands there. :)
Awesome! Love seeing PE and De La–two staples on one of my college shows back in the day. Keep rockin’, Matt!
Rent is my favorite Pet Shop Boy’s song. Good choices there.
All great stuff, love the entire list. Do you think the casual listener in a bar know these tunes or wish for say “Can’t Hardly Wait by the Replacements vs. “Left of the Dial” (as an example)? Again great list.
Much as I love “Can’t Hardly Wait,” I think “Left of the Dial” is the perfection choice on thematic grounds — it’s the anthem for all this amazing left-field music that so few people were paying attention to at the time.
As usual, lotus, I’m with you all the way. The Rhino box set is a great example of what that title signifies–and the song isn’t even on it! I also think Matt’s choice of “Left of the Dial” is a very good omen that “Tim” is going to make some major noise in the ’85 Top 100. But ’84 results first, with “Let It Be” leading the pack. 2013–the Year of the ‘Mats! p.s. Sounds like “Love” will be making both of our ’85 lists, too. Absolutely ACE!
Right on, Andy. You know, I look at this list (and the recent polls on this site) and am each time blown away anew by what an amazingly fertile period this was for music. My nagging question is always this:
If in 2013, I was in the same age range I was during the 1980s (middle teens to middle 20s), would I be developing the same passionate relationship with “today’s” music that I did with the bands I grew up with then? Would I be forming bonds with bands, albums and songs that would still be as solid 25-30s years from now?
Or was music just “better” back then?
Obviously, we don’t know in this moment what the “story” of the current musical age will prove to be in hindsight, but I’m skeptical that there will be much worth celebrating or remembering critically or historically. What do you think?
Oh, man. Are we just sticking with college radio or the bigger picture? I’m biased, of course, so have to say, as a whole, music from then was far better and will have more importance in the future. But this is a HUGE topic, so it’s tough not to generalize here, and, again, it would also be tough for me to be objective–and I should also hold back on another rambler in fairness to other readers. (Maybe I can ask Matt for your email!) In a nutshell, I think today’s artists would have a younger 2013 version of you digging up music from the ’90s (early to mid, especially, but with lots of Radiohead thrown in), all of the ’80s, and earlier, and you’d clearly know that THAT’S the essential stuff.
And sticking with the ‘Mats as an example, I’m hoping the news about these reunion shows is major excitement for the generation that missed seeing them the first time around. I’ll never forget the first time I heard the Goo Goo Dolls and how bitter I was that they were clearly ripping off Paul (but almost with his blessing!) and taking it to the Top 40. But if that got people into the ‘Mats, and many of them have been waiting for this news ever since (and obviously realize that the ‘Mats came first, of course, as Paul has also said on record!), then I am happy for all parties.
And, hey, do you watch Jools? I’ve been watching the recent Beady Eye, Miguel, OMD episode again and again. I mention it because the episode encapsulates so much of what you wrote and asked about above. Miguel’s performance reminds me a lot of old Prince and TTD. Part of me is like, hey, I’ve seen it all before, but I am also excited that he seems to be carrying the torch and, for many of his (younger) fans, he may ultimately be one of those artists whose music they will always cherish because it, among other things, holds up–much like we are talking about here with us and our choices. And Beady Eye nearly recaptures the magic of old Oasis with “Flick of the Finger” (which the USC Marching Band and countless others should no doubt be performing on Saturdays this fall!). And then there’s OMD more than holding their own doing “Enola Gay,” which sounds not just relevant but timeless!!! Again, a great example that backs up what we both feel–and I’m sure most Eyeballers believe, too. Solid, groundbreaking, influential, inspirational, timeless music (I’m repeating myself!) and so much more…
Again, am so happy about Matt’s involvement in compiling these songs, assuring that this music is going to be heard even more from here on out!
you guys are talking about “modern” music, you should check out my stuff http://celofb.bandcamp.com it is very much influenced from this website/time period etc…the music is lo-fi, so don’t expect a great recording.
you left off jason and the scorchers
you left off jason and the scorchers,,
This is exciting! Yay for SUE!
Minor points off for selecting the most mawkish, contrived song Morrissey ever penned (which is saying something), but the playlist is otherwise excellent. So many great, great bands and songs!