“The song ‘Dark Rooms’ really was an afterthought on those recordings," Smith recalls.
They did have a great, "super-young band" at that point, he says, with drummer Winston Watson, bassist Fred Cross, guitarist Robin Johnson, Smith on vocals and his brother Barry on assorted instruments.Īnd they had major-label interest after a People Magazine spread and the vinyl EP they recorded with Cooper and Wagner. "No record deal, no money, living out of each other’s pockets, playing clubs to survive, recording on someone else’s dime." Smith says they recorded the song in 1984 at Chaton Recorders in Scottsdale and released it on a five-song, cassette-only EP. More Gentlemen AfterDark: How 'Stranger Things' revived the career of an '80s band from Phoenix
Stranger things season 1 songs series#
Now, thanks again to Fervor Records, a Phoenix label that specializes in placing songs in films and television shows, another old record by Gentlemen AfterDark is streaming on another TV series.įervor has placed “Dark Rooms” on the Marvel series "Hit-Monkey," which began streaming on Wednesday, Nov. Overnight, their monthly listeners on Spotify shot from 12 to 180,000. Maybe Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know" or A-Ha's "Take On Me" (both of which were released in 1985). With the recent news that Season 3 has been pushed back to the summer of 2019, there is at least plenty of time to make some killer mid-80s playlists.It's been two years since Phoenix's Gentlemen AfterDark experienced an unexpected post-career revival when "Open the Door," a song produced in 1983 by Alice Cooper and the late Dick Wagner, landed the band on the season premiere of "Stranger Things."Īs singer Brian Smith wrote at the time on social media, the Netflix series introduced the New Wave veterans to an audience of 80 million. Perhaps something from The Cars or The Eurythmics. Also hugely popular that summer was "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News - featured, of course, in Back to the Future, which hit theaters in July of '85. Given that the Duffer Brothers have already acknowledged that Back to the Future will be referenced in Season 3, that song seems like a strong possibility.īut there will no doubt be many surprises. Or we might get more classic synth pop, drawing from two of the most ubiquitous albums of 1985: Phil Collins' No Jacket Required and Tears For Fears' Songs From the Big Chair. One song from the latter album - "Shout" - dominated the airwaves in the summer of '85, holding the #1 spot for three weeks. We might also hear some more hair metal and glam rock, which exploded in the mid-80s with acts like Def Leppard, Mötley Crue, and Billy Idol. Maybe even a college band (at the time) like R.E.M. Perhaps, in that vein, the show will opt for something from the Talking Heads or Kate Bush or The Cure.
Alternative and new wave bands - some well-known, others less so - populated the first two seasons, from David Bowie to Joy Division to Psychedelic Furs. But Stranger Things is also known for culling outside the mainstream box for song choices.