Four forgotten 1980s bands that are still worth listening to

General Public

Another band that did not produce too many albums was General Public as they only released three, but they also may have created one of the top-five pieces of music in human history with their 1984 single, "Tenderness." Oddly, the highest chart position for the song was number 11 in Canada while the track peaked at just 95 in the UK and 27 in the U.S. The band and the song deserved better.

But while that song is an important cog, of course, in the overall excellence that is the band's debut record, All the Rage, every song on the album is brilliant. "Never You Done That" is just a notch below the fantastic "Tenderness" and both tracks feature the group's ska-pop sound. There likely has never been any musical artist who fused those two genres any better.

The group's second record, Hand to Mouth, unfortunately, was not as good as their debut but it has aged fairly well. If you love the band - and you will - then you will find quite a number of tracks to like from the second record. "Love Without the Fun" is ironic because the song is so enjoyable to hear. "Come Again" could have fit on the first album.

In later years, the band would record a cover of "I'll Take You There" for the film, Threesome. The track is decent but certainly does not do justice to the rest of General Public's catalog if one assumes "I'll Take You There" is all the band is. They aren't and their first album, at least, should be in your collection.

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