The Organisation of Pop – 30 Years of Zang Tuum Tumb

The Art of 12” Volume Three

Various Artists

Looking back at the 1980s music scene one tends to forget that for every Stock Aitken and Waterman release or the emergence of the latest new romantic there was the occasional interesting release to be found.

Trevor Horn’s ZTT label was responsible for many of these nuggets as The Organisation of Pop reveals.

Although Frankie Goes to Hollywood trail blazed much of ZTT’s limelight with their BBC banned chart topper Relax and subsequently Two Tribes and The Power of Love releases, it was artists such as Art of Noise, Seal and Propaganda that created the true pop classics that still sound as brilliant 30 years on.

This timeless double CD (one highlighting hits, the other airplay classics) is an essential must-have for anyone with an interest in the history of popular music. The release opens with Grace Jones magical Slave To The Rhythm, leads on to Seal’s anthemic Crazy, and takes in Propaganda’s wonderful Duel along the way, The Art of Noise’s Close To The Edit still sounds brilliantly innovative while the original single mixes of Frankie’s Two Tribes and 808 State’s In Yer face can be marvelled once again in pristine quality.

If you like your 80s a little shaken and stirred an accompanying double CD release The art of the 12” Volume Three takes in some of the decades best 12 inch releases by ZTT favourites as well as other 80s luminaries ABC, Madness and The Belle Stars.

The 80s never sounded so good…

Andy Howells