Or, 80’s Synth T.V. themes redux! This is a total rehash of a electronic rumors post from about three years ago, but I wanted to redo it with a few more tracks and some better quality version of a couple of the tune we featured last time. Also, back in the day it was all MediaFire and zShare and shit, and no-one likes that!

So, here we have something a little different for this Sunday.  Back in the 80’s, 2011 seemed like the far, far, future and although we still have no jetpacks, flying cars or robot butlers we do have the internet so I can sit here and write to you about the 80’s. The 80’s was the first decade since the 50’s where the future seemed like it was just around the corner. The optimistic felling that any second now we would be living in a Sci-Fi world. That’s where the neon, the chrome and the shiny plastic so associated with the 80’s comes from, and, of course, the synthesizers!

So if your T.V. show had anything to do with optimism, or futuristic tinged action (which, let’s face it, pretty much every 80’s T.V. show did!) you had to have a synth based theme tune.

If you read electronic rumors, you’re probably aware that most of the music you like is highly influenced by synthesized T.V. and Movie themes from the 80’s. Whether it’s ElectroPop, Dreamwave, Electro-House, Dreamwave, Nu-Disco, Dreamwave, Minimal Synth, Dreamwave, or that Dreamwave stuff (which is particularly influenced). They all take, if not musical cues then thematic, cues from entertainment themes from the 80’s.

So here’s a small collection of some of the best to fuel your nostalgia.

Beginning with possibly my favourite TV theme of the 80’s, Tangerine Dream’s theme from ‘Streethawk’ (also on their own ‘Le Parc‘ album), taking in the classic arpeggio fuelled theme’s from ‘Airwolf’ and ‘Knight Rider’, the rockin’ aspirations of Miami Vice, the proto-Daft Punk-esque theme from the French/Japanese cartoon ‘Ulysses 31’, the electronic dread of V, the T.V and French single versions of Jayce & The Wheeled Warriors and some classic Doctor Who.

I’ve tried to source the best quality copies I can find but mof these are a bit crappy, as if some kid in the 80’s held a Tandy (that’s Radio Shack for you Americans) tape recorder to the T.V. speaker to tape the music….just like I used to do!

Enjoy!

♫ Tangerine Dream – Le Parc (L.A. – Streethawk)

♫ Midge Ure – Max Headroom T.V. Theme

♫ Jan Hammer – Airwolf Theme

♫ Glen A. Larson & J.A.C. Redford – Theme From Automan

♫ Dennis McCarthy – ‘V’ The Final Battle- Main Title (Version 1)

♫ Barry De Vorzon – ‘V’ The Final Battle (Version 2)

♫ Glen A. Larson & Stu Phillips – Knight Rider Theme Song

♫ Jan Hammer – Crockett’s Theme (Miami Vice)

♫ Jan Hammer – Original Miami Vice Theme

♫ Lionel – Ulysses 31 Theme

♫ Nick Carr – Jayce & The Wheeled Warriors

♫ Nick Carr – Jayce & The Wheeled Warriors (Jayce Et Les Conquérants De La Lumière) (Extended Version)

♫ Bernard Hoffer – SilverHawks Intro.

♫ Anne Bryant – TransFormers Season 2 & 3 Theme

♫ Shuki Levy & Haïm Saban – M.A.S.K. (Extended)

♫ Peter Howell – Doctor Who 1980 Theme (Tom Baker, Peter Davidson)

♫ Keff McCulloch – Doctor Who 1986 Theme (Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker)

♫ Stewart Copeland – The Equalizer (Extended) (via Mindscramble on Twitter)

♫ Lisa Lougheed – Run With Us (The Raccoons Theme Song)

♫ Shuki Levy & Haïm Saban – Pole Position Intro. & Closing Credits (via Mindscramble on Twitter)

♫ Al Jarreau – Moonlighting (Theme) (via Nicky Savage on Twitter)

♫ Sylvester Levay – Otherworld Intro. (via Jules Schimmer on Twitter)

We’re gonna’ keep this post open and sticky it somewhere (possible on the sidebar) so if you have any suggestions hit us up on Tiwtter (@electronicrumor).

Also, If I got any of the artists wrong, I apologize, whatever…

Some Information can be hard to track down, even with our futuristic internet!