Halloween Countdown: October 27 – I’m just a normal guy

Alfred Hitchcock goes new wave in today’s Halloween offering, Landscape’s “Norman Bates”, a minor UK hit from 1981. The music video got a lot of play in the early days of MTV, back when the limited pool of available material led to some very interesting programming choices.

Tilling the same musical field as fellow synth pioneers, Kraftwerk (although less prolific and with a far lower profile than their German counterparts), Landscape had a significant behind-the-scenes impact on the British new wave scene. Member Richard Burgess produced albums for a slew of new wave and indie acts in the early 80’s including Shriekback, Spandau Ballet, Kim Wilde, and Adam Ant. He’s also the man who (supposedly) coined the term “New Romantic” to describe the frilly-shirt and synthesizer crowd.

Landscape – Norman Bates (from From The Tea Rooms Of Mars...To The Hell Holes Of Uranus, 1981)