Pal Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen, formerly of Bridges formed a-ha in the early '80s. Morten Harket joined the duo, and they left for the now 'legendary London flat' (so called because of its state of disrepair) to make it. By late 1983 they had achieved part of that goal by signing to WEA. "Take on Me" took three times to become a hit in the... [+] Read More

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The '80s pop group Breathe dropped and gained members along the way, but mainly it consisted of lead singer David Glasper, guitarist Marcus Lillington, drummer Ian "Spike" Spice, and bass guitarist Michael "Mick" Delahunty.

All the guys were childhood friends attending the Yately school in London, England, together. Before Breathe,... [+] Read More

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Top 40 radio developed a brief crush on Danny Wilson in the late '80s. Formed in Dundee, Scotland, Danny Wilson shared the same pop sensibilities as compatriots the Big Dish, the Blue Nile, and Deacon Blue. Singer Gary Clark's breathy, yearning vocals on 1987's "Mary's Prayer" earned the group its first -- and only -- hit stateside, but the band... [+] Read More

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When the Beat (known as the English Beat in the U.S. only) split in 1983, it came as a surprise to guitarist Dave Cox and bassist David Steele. The first time they realized that the group's vocalists, Ranking Roger and Dave Wakelin, had gone off to form a group without them was when their accountant phoned to finalize the divorce. While the... [+] Read More

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Guitarist Richard Drummie and vocalist Peter Cox formed the duo Go West. Backed by the likes of Austrian keyboardist/producer Peter Wolf and a cast of West Coast studio musicians, they've produced several albums of high energy dance pop. Although their 1985 debut was a polished set that produced two Top 40 singles ("We Close Our Eyes" and "Don't... [+] Read More

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The formation of Laid Back, the Denmark-based duo behind the underground dance classic "White Horse," was a happy accident. Tim Stahl and John Guldberg met up at a Danish studio in the late '70s with the intent to be joined by a third party who never arrived. The duo began playing together and kicking ideas around and they eventually decided to... [+] Read More

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As one of the leading New Romantic bands, Spandau Ballet racked up a number of British hits -- as well as one Top Ten American hit, "True" -- during the early '80s, becoming one of the most successful groups to emerge during new wave. The only other new romantic band to enjoy greater commercial success was Duran Duran, yet Spandau Ballet was... [+] Read More

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British pop/rock quartet the Blow Monkeys, led by singer/guitarist "Dr. Robert" (born Bruce Robert Howard, 1961 05 02, Norfolk, England) and featuring Tony Kiley (b.1962 02 16) (drums), Mick Anger (b.1957 07 02) (bass), and Neville Henry (saxophone), broke through with the U.K. and U.S. Top 40 hit "Digging Your Scene" in 1986 and went on to... [+] Read More

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One of the most enormously successful British bands of the 1980s and 1990s, Wet Wet Wet will mostly be remembered for the international success of the single "Love Is All Around" from the soundtrack to the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Wet Wet Wet formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1986 and took their name from a Scritti Politti... [+] Read More

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