80's Fun
The soundtrack to the BBC's 'Ashes To Ashes' is a flash of 80's classics filled with as much charisma as the show's vibrant characters. Kicking off predictably with the eerie sliding synths of Bowie's 'Ashes To Ashes', this album whisks us through all the hits of its time from icey electro in the form of Visage's 'Fade To Grey' through The Human League, Duran Duran, The Clash, Ultravox and more.
Of course, being an authentic 80's experience, there's a good deal of cheesy music that you'd find lurking in your parents' record collections; you could be driven to distraction by the slightly irritating synthpop riff of The Human League's 'Love Action', or repetitive brass lick of 'Geno' by Dexy's Midnight Runners. There was undoubtedly far better music around at the time than this, but the soundtrack is probably a fair representation of the general 80's vibe. Tracks that any good music fan should pay attention to include The Stranglers over exaggerated rock tune, 'No More Heroes', which despites its overreliance on tinny keyboard riffs, has a pretty sturdy tune and of course The Clash's catchy handclap-tastic, 'I Fought The Law' and The Ruts punk rocker, 'Staring At The Rude Boys'. On the more ethereal synth rock side there's Edmund Butt's 'In Love With A German Film Star' and Altered Image's trippy 'Happy Birthday' with its glassy, chiming backing and floating vocals.
There's soft rock in the form of Joe Jackson's, 'Different For Girls' and jazzy warblings from The Beat, while if you're looking for a sing-a-long, Tenpole Tudor's 'Swords of a Thousand Men' will probably do nicely of a drunken evening. Just like the TV series, the soundtrack to Ashes to Ashes will remind you of the good and bad points of the 80's, but ultimately give you a lot of fun.