It's my podcast and I'll cough if I want to! Actually, I manage to hold it together for this entire episode despite the Autumn sniffles as we dive into Autumn 1981. We kick things off with Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin's synthy rework of "It's My Party" before questioning whether Japan's "Quiet Life" may have been the inspiration for a lot of the new romantic sounds. "Just Can't Get Enough" is both the next song and an apt description of how the single kicked off Depeche Mode's meteoric rise. To cool off, we go "Walking In The Sunshine" with Bad Manners (one of my faves) before ripping into "Happy Birthday" by Altered Images. And we end the pod with yet more Madness and "Shut Up" proving that the ska revival wasn't quite over yet.    Links to Playlist 29 Spotify Apple Music In case the playlist hyperlinks don't work on your podcast platform of choice, the songs are: 8. Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin - It's My Party 9. Japan - Quiet Life 10. Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough 11. Bad Manners - Walking In The Sunshine 12. Altered Images - Happy Birthday 13. Madness - Shut Up