When Ryuichi Sakamoto of Yellow Magic Orchestra and Thomas Dolby got together in 1985, pooling their Atari computers, the result was a sparking piece of synthpop called Field Work. Who knew that there was a mini-film to go with the 12″ single?
Rare Video of the Week
One of the risks of taking your name from an Anthony Burgess novel is that others have the same idea. There were several Heaven 17s, for example, and at least two Johnny Zhivagos. This Johnny Zhivago might have been the first: a new wave band from Canada that put out a four-track 7″ EP in the early 1980s. This video has been rescued from an old home recording, so the quality isn’t the greatest, but the songwriting and performance are both well worth a belated look.
Three young guys from a small city in Canada got together in the early 1980s, inspired by their love of Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, The Normal and Fad Gadget, to create original synthpop. The results were amazing, but there are few recordings (and none made available commercially). This video is taken from a 1984 appearance on the Technomode television programme.
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