#51. "Train in Vein" - The Clash (1980)

Proof that post-punk can produce pleasing pop, "Train in Vein" by The Clash is unbelievably catchy. (The Cure pulled the same trick in 1992 with the radio-friendly "Friday I'm in Love").

I'll argue this is the group's best-aged song; it still gets mucho airtime on my road trip playlist. 

The melody is perfect and the harmonica is a nice touch. The heartfelt vocals convincingly deliver the heartbreak. 

#52. "(Every Day is) Halloween" - Ministry (1985)

Although Ministry is more known as an industrial/metal sort of outfit, the group went through a synth phase in the mid-80s.

"(Every Day is) Halloween" is an underground dance floor anthem made for misfits.

The lyrics detail a rejection of those looking or acting differently from everyone else, “People seem to stop and stare they say/Why are you dressed like it’s Halloween/You look so absurd, you look so obscene.” 

Highlights include heavy beats, samples galore and a bouncing bass line. I love the "bop beep bop bop" that weaves in and out among the verses before the glorious chorus “Why can’t I live a life for me?/Why should I take the abuse that’s served?”

An instrumental bridge featuring deep scratching is a darker take on Herbie Hancock's "Rock It".

I've always wondered if Daft Punk got its inspiration for the innovative "Around the World" video from the cartoon characters from "Everyday is Halloween".

#53. "Fascinated" - Company B (1987)

I'm fascinated by how fresh this jam still sounds in 2019, making it 32 years since it was released in 1987.

Along with "Come Go With Me" by Exposé, Company B's "Fascinated" was an iconic Miami-based freestyle dance track that stormed the clubs in North America. 

The driving beat and relentless rhythm reels us in early and doesn't let go. 

It's also the sort of track I end up hitting repeat a few times.

The arrangement hints at 1984's "Axel F.", except "Fascinated" has those naughty lyrics. 

#54. "Thieves Like Us" - New Order (1984)

New Order does downtempo on the beautiful and epic "Thieves Like Us".

Recorded in New York with DJ Arthur Baker as a follow up to "Blue Monday", the song makes its mark with a sweeping cinematic opening, a full two minutes and twenty-five seconds of sonic bliss before the first vocal.

It's also New Order signature love song: the layered synths and Peter Hook's signature bass create captivating, dreamy melodies. Bernard Sumner often gets railed for his often out of tune vocals but his plaintiff style is especially fitting here. 

But that's part of the secret appeal of New Order, their imperfections make them perfectly human.

One of three New Order songs to be featured on the Pretty in Pink movie (although only "Shellshock" appears on the soundtrack), "Thieves Like Us" also appears on the Substance album that got me hooked on them back in 1986.

Fave lyrics: "I've studied the cracks and the wrinkles. You were always so vain"

#55. "Love on a Real Train" - Tangerine Dream (1984)

Fans of cinematic chill music will appreciate this one. So put on your headphones and be prepared to be transported to another world inside your mind.

I remember stumbling on "Love on a Real Train" after picking up a mixed chillout CD sometime in the early 2000s, and thinking I'd heard this sublime track before. 

Turns out it had been featured in the 1983 film Risky Business (during the love-making scene on the train between the Tom Cruise & Rebecca de Mornay). The tune has since been included on other film soundtracks and television series. 

Pioneers of early electronica, German artist Tangerine Dream has produced dozens of scores for soundtracks including more than 20 in the 1980s alone.

"Love on a Real Train" is an epic classic of the genre: a hypnotic song that demands replay. The track guarantees a magical entrancing ride of the mind through layers of synth that build, ebb and flow. Chills and goosebumps should follow.

In fact, it's been remixed several times, an obvious homage to its greatness. Check out this recent version that is equally mind-blowing: