Electronic

In the late 1980s Bernard Sumner of New Order formed this new group with Johnny Marr of The Smiths, the Pet Shop Boys also coming along to help out. How could the result be anything else but awesome? Well it could easily have been a mish-mash disaster of course or bland like supergroups so often are but Electronic rocked. Electronic gave Sumner and Marr a chance to do something different from their "day job" bands though the result is maybe more like New Order, especially as that group was to progress in the 1990s.

Electronic mixed some lovely 80s guitar work with luscious electronic pop and its definitely a pop album with a number of hit (or should have been) singles such as Getting Away With It which featured Neil Tennant on backing vocals. Overall the album slots neatly into the latter stages of 80s synth-pop. The guitar work and songwriting elevating the album beyond its peers. Sumner even tries to rap on a couple of tracks. Not very well to be honest but it does work, especially on Feel Every Beat. The album is a triumph on all levels without a single bad track.

• Electronic (Amazon)