My Top 1000 Songs #604: Talking Loud And Clear

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

New wave-era UK synth-pop was a big part of my youth back in high school and college, hard to escape, but it wasn't a huge musical passion for me--I've always been more a guitar-bass-drums kinda guy. So I tended to be perfectly content with the stand-alone singles I'd hear at parties or on MTV, rarely diving into albums. 

One exception was Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark's 1984 LP Junk Culture, which I found an endlessly fascinating package. There were a number of great singles on the record, both "Locomotion" and "Tesla Girls" a little more frenetic and immediate; but the slower-paced, congenial "Talking Loud And Clear" is a personal fave. The percolating percussion and slightly askew synth-stabs get your attention, but at heart it's just a sweet, endearing little pop song with miles of smiles.

I'm a sucker for this fully orchestrated live version!

Live 2010: