Most people know Simple Minds chiefly as purveyors of arena-sized 1980s pop/rock grandeur a la "Don't You Forget About Me" and "Sanctify Yourself." By the time these Scots broke through with a wide-screen U2-ish approach, there'd already been plenty of water under the bridge. They started out firmly in edgy post-punk mode in the late '70s, and by the time of their third album, EMPIRES AND DANCE, they'd reached a crucial turning point. Though they'd begun the process on their preceding record, here they perfected their mix of post-punk/New Wave rock, colorful synthesizers, and dance beats, effectively creating the template for what would soon become known as the New Romantic sound (Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, etc).

This is one of the rare instances where the Back 2 Back Hits concept fulfills its potential. Not only did EMF and Jesus Jones explore a watered-down Madchester and dance-pop hybrid, but they both only had one true hit single, followed by a couple of near-hits that made a slight impression on the charts and in the pre-Nirvana alt-rock consciousness.

The Pale Saints' 1991 Flesh Balloon was the first single the band released after its excellent and experimental debut album. The band scaled back its ambition and noise levels for the EP but dialed up the emotion.

Roxette were one of the biggest global pop acts of the 1980s, selling over 75 million records around the world and dominating the charts with songs like "The Look," "Listen to Your Heart," "Joyride," and "It Must Have Been Love." Hailing from Halmstad, Sweden, Roxette were a duo featuring vocalist Marie Fredriksson and songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Per Gessle. Fredriksson and Gessle first met in the late '70s, when she was a member of the pop combo Strul & Ma Mas Barn and he played with Gyllene Tider, one of Sweden's biggest groups of the late '70s and early '80s.