Folk of the 80's
Folk of the 80's is an EP released by Canadian synthpop group Men Without Hats. Recorded in the summer of 1980 at Studio A in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and released later that year, it was their first release.
| Folk of the 80's | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Genre | Synthpop | |||
| Length | 15:19 | |||
| Label | Trend | |||
| Producer | Marc Durand | |||
| Men Without Hats chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
The song "Antarctica" is featured here in its original length with an extra instrumental break and verse that does not appear in the edit used on the album Rhythm of Youth and future compilation albums. The song "Modern(e) Dancing" proved to be a minor club hit in the local Montreal alternative club scene at the time of the initial release of the EP.
The original 1984 UK CD release of Rhythm of Youth contained this EP and the extended club remix of "The Safety Dance" as bonus tracks, however the version of "Antarctica" used there was edited.
All four songs on the record later appeared on the band's Freeways EP in 1985. In 2014, the album was reissued as a digital download, however it used the single version of "Antarctica".[1]
This EP is not to be confused with Folk of the 80's (Part III), the band's second studio album.
Music videos were filmed for "Antarctica" and "Security". The former features Ivan and Arrobas playing the song against a white background, with Ivan on bass and Arrobas on synths.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Modern(e) Dancing" | 4:16 |
| 2. | "Utter Space" | 2:47 |
| 3. | "Antarctica" | 4:33 |
| 4. | "Security (Everybody Feels Better With)" | 4:00 |
Personnel
- Ivan Doroschuk - vocals, electronics
- Jeremie Arrobas - drums, electronics
with:
- Stefan Doroschuk - bass
- Roman Martyn - guitars
- Lysanne Thibodeau - backing vocals, electronics
Although Tracy Howe (later of Rational Youth fame) is credited with playing guitar on some pressings, this was a printing error. Original pressings did not contain this error. Howe was a member in 1980, but not until after Folk of the 80's was recorded. He played guitar on the song "Freeways", recorded in late 1980, however, so he appears on both the Freeways EP (1985) and earlier releases of that song (1982–1984).