Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music

After the release of their debut single, The B-52's quickly became known for their campy, high-energy party music with surreal lyrics and distinct retro 1960s fashion. This quirky group blended surf rock, punk, '60s pop, vintage soul, low-budget sci-fi and dance music, along with kitsch culture.
That debut single was the cult hit “Rock Lobster”, which was followed by the classic self-titled debut album in 1979. Along with other early songs such as "Private Idaho," and "Legal Tender", The B-52's crossed over from the underground to the mainstream becoming one of the pioneers of new wave. 
Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976 by Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson, and Keith Strickland, the band developed trademark sounds including a call-and-response singing style along with harmonic vocals; angular guitar riffs and unusual guitar tunings; and keyboard driven instrumentation. 
The B-52's are considered one of the more influential early alternative bands having toured for decades, inspiring others with their unique music and style. 
This episode will tell the story and tales of the band from their formation through the early days and albums of through the early 1980’s.

The Smiths defined UK indie rock on their way to becoming one of the pioneers of indie music and one of the most influential bands of not just of the early alternative music era, but of the history of rock music. 
After The Smiths formed in 1982, The Smiths would reject the synth-pop and new wave dominated UK music scene, focusing on guitar-based rock.  
The key to The Smiths was the songwriting collaboration between lead singer Morrissey, with his unique vocal and lyrical approach, and guitarist Johnny Marr, with his jangly guitar style, as they created a new direction of alternative music defined as jangle pop.
Over their short career of four studio albums, The Smiths achieved major commercial success while remaining on the independent record label, Rough Trade Records, before the team of Morrissey and Marr would break up in 1987.
This episode will tell the story of the early years and formation of The Smiths with a focus on their self-titled debut album of 1984 and the non-album singles from this same time period.

In 1982, ABC released their debut album, The Lexicon of Love, to critical acclaim as the album went straight to number 1 on the UK albums chart. The album is regarded as a masterpiece and a landmark album for the sophisticated and lush orchestral arrangements created by legendary producer Trevor Horn, as well as the emotional songwriting from the collective efforts of the band members. Horn’s production on this would be an influence to electronic music over the following years.
ABC formed in 1980, evolving from the Sheffield, England based band Vice Versa when lead vocalist Martin Fry was added to the group. With the addition of Fry, the band’s music became a new romantic synth-pop style with funk-inspired basslines and electronic textures. The Lexicon of Love well represented this as ABC became a key band to the "New Pop" and "Sophisti-Pop" movements of the early 80’s while the band created several catchy, synth-driven hits including "Poison Arrow" and "The Look of Love," both from The Lexicon of Love.
This episode will tell the story of ABC from their roots as Vice-Versa and the forming of ABC, along with the music of ABC focusing on the work with Trevor Horn and the debut album.

The band Swans formed in 1981 by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Micheal Gira and began as part of the New York City based no wave scene. Swans early years' music was known for a very intense and abrasive sound. 
Following the addition of vocalist and keyboardist Jarboe in 1986, Swans began to slowly incorporate melody into the music moving beyond the brutal music of the early years to a more diverse sound. The band's music would venture through a variety of styles and explore many different genres over the years including industrial, post-rock, drone, and neo-folk, among many others. 
Throughout their career, Swans become known for creating intense and experimental music that has often led to the band being referred to as "Uncompromising." 
This episode will tell the story of Swans from their beginning through the end of their initial run as a band in 1997.

Following their debut album of 1979, The Cure became one to the key post-punk bands as they developed a dark, gothic rock sound over the next three albums. 
Many refer to the The Cure's three consecutive early-80's releases as The Gothic Trilogy. These melancholic albums represent the band's transition from their debut album into the bleak, atmospheric sound that helped define the gothic genre. These three albums are Seventeen Seconds from 1980, 1981’s Faith, and the conclusion to the trilogy, Pornography of 1982.
At that time, the albums were not intended to form a trilogy nor have the impact that they did, but the music did establish The Cure and lead singer Robert Smith as seminal figures in both the post-punk movement and the emerging gothic rock subculture.
This episode tells the story of The Cure from formation from the debut album, Three Imaginary Boys, through 1982 and the "original" gothic trilogy.