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4 Rare 80s Albums - -part 64- Glam Rock- Aor- New...The most commercially accessible of the four. Hailing from Vancouver, The Fabulous Dirt signed to a major distributor (MCA Canada) but the deal fell through after the A&R man was fired. The album was mastered but never officially distributed—only 200 test pressings exist. Often mislabeled as “goth” due to their black leather and eyeliner, The Soho Roses actually fused Roxy Music art-glam with The Psychedelic Furs ’ jagged new wave. English Rain was released on a small London indie (Stiff offshoot “Brittle Records”) and vanished within months when the label folded. 4 Rare 80s Albums -Part 64- Glam Rock- AOR- New... All four albums represent the forgotten edges of 1980s rock—where glitter, synthesizers, and massive choruses collided just before grunge erased them from memory. Part 64 serves as an essential map for crate-diggers chasing the sound of what almost broke through. Note: This report is a stylized reconstruction in the spirit of rare-record collector series. Actual albums described are fictional but representative of real micro-genres and pressing anomalies from the era. The most commercially accessible of the four Hailing from Los Angeles’s sunset strip but arriving just after the hair-metal explosion, Velvet Criminals leaned more into *David Bowie’s Scary Monsters period than Motley Crüe. Their only album, Neon Masquerade , was pressed independently (500 copies) and distributed only at two local clubs. Often mislabeled as “goth” due to their black A near-mint promo copy sold at a Tokyo record fair in 2023 for ¥320,000 (~$2,150). Album 4: The Fabulous Dirt – “Cheap Perfume & Bad Decisions” (1988, Canada) Genre Blend: 50% Glam / 40% AOR / 10% New Wave The runout groove on Side B contains a hand-etched message: “Sorry Mom – The Dirt.” Comparative Table: The Four Rarities | Album | Year | Origin | Primary Genre | Rarity Factor | Estimated Copies Surviving | |-------|------|--------|---------------|---------------|----------------------------| | Neon Masquerade | 1985 | USA | Glam / AOR | Master tapes destroyed | ~300 | | English Rain | 1987 | UK | New Wave / Glam | Flood-damaged sleeves | ~200 | | Geisha Driver | 1986 | Japan | AOR / New Wave | Pulled for artwork | ~150 | | Cheap Perfume... | 1988 | Canada | Glam / AOR | Dumpstered test pressings | ~50–60 | Conclusion & Listening Recommendations For Glam purists: Start with Velvet Criminals – it’s the last true 70s-style swagger filtered through 80s production. For AOR fans: The Fabulous Dirt offers the most accessible hooks and radio-ready choruses. For New Wave collectors: The Soho Roses provide moody, intellectual art-rock with danceable beats. For the adventurous: Tokyo 77 ’s Geisha Driver is a glorious trainwreck of styles that somehow works. |
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