The Twelve Inch 207 : Don't You Want Me : Synth-Pop/Post-Punk/New Wave - 1982

Putting together an early ’80s synth-pop set feels like being a kid in a candy store. I want to take everything… and then some 😁

At the very least, you can say this week’s Twelve Inch set covers all the key names of UK synth-pop: ABC, Spandau Ballet, Fad Gadget, Tears For Fears, Blancmange, The Thompson Twins and Talk Talk.

I kick things off with the track at the heart of this week’s Substack: Don’t You Want Me Baby by The Human League. And as always, there’s plenty of room for deeper cuts, like Tik & Tok (not the Chinese app 😁) with their great take on Summer In The City, A Certain Ratio’s Knife Slits Water, Wide Boy Awake’s Slang Teacher, and one of those early ’80s bands that seemed destined for big things but never quite got there: Fashion with their debut single Move On.

Enjoy!