Blue Plate Special: Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive was an English synth-pop band that emerged from the post-punk and New Romantic scenes of early-1980s Liverpool, eventually crafting a flamboyant, high-energy sound that helped define the decade’s dance music. Led by the androgynous and charismatic Pete Burns, the band fused gothic glam, Hi-NRG synthpop, and Euro-disco into a signature style that was as visually provocative as it was sonically infectious. With sharp cheekbones, towering hair, eyepatches, and gender-fluid fashion, Burns became the band’s unmistakable face—a fierce mix of club kid defiance and theatrical rock star presence.
Under the name Nightmares in Wax, Burns and crew released a couple gothic / post-punk singles before making the familiar name change. Musically, Dead or Alive hit their commercial peak in 1985 with the release of Youthquake, produced by the hit-making trio Stock Aitken Waterman. The album’s lead single, “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record),” became a global sensation and remains an iconic track in pop and dance history. The band charted consistently in the UK and internationally through the late ’80s and early ’90s, particularly in Japan, where albums like Nude and Fragile solidified their enduring appeal. Their sound combined driving electronic beats, pulsing synths, and melodramatic vocals that made them club staples across continents.
Though lineups changed over the years, the creative core of Burns and drummer-producer Steve Coy sustained the band’s vision well into the 2000s. Their legacy is not only defined by chart hits and dazzling videos, but also by a fearless embrace of individuality and reinvention. Dead or Alive blurred the lines between genres and genders, leaving behind a glam-soaked, beat-driven catalog that continues to influence fashion, club culture, and LGBTQ+ expression in music. The deaths of Burns in 2016 and Coy in 2018 brought the band’s journey to a close, but their imprint on pop culture remains unmistakable.
Some favorites from their catalog:
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) – from the album Youthquake (1985)
Brand New Lover – from the album Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know (1986)
That’s the Way (I Like It) – from the album Sophisticated Boom Boom (1984)
Nukleopatra – from the album Nukleopatra (1995)
My Heart Goes Bang (Get Me to the Doctor) – from the album Youthquake (1985)
Shangri-La – Nightmares in Wax single from the EP Birth of a Nation (1980)
Something in My House – from the album Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know (1986)
Misty Circles – from the album Sophisticated Boom Boom (1984)
Number Eleven – from the single Number Eleven (1981)
Lover Come Back to Me – from the album Youthquake (1985)
Turn Around and Count 2 Ten – from the album Nude (1989)
