New Wave Music

[tacoflavored]

Starskin all your points there are valid, I think it comes down to how much you think New Wave is a musical style vs. an attitude, and I ultimately have no final answer to that question, I'm just having fun discussing it...

ETA:...and I need to think about something musical that's positive to counterbalance the fact that Peiress' "Starz R Blind" single is at #18 on the Billwhored Hott 100 Chart *seethes*

[starskin]

Aye, there's the rub, so to speak. I think in New Wave's case (as with Punk's) it's both about musical style and attitude. Though the question, as you've said, is how much of it is one and how much is the other. I definitely think it's both. Or at least it was in the begining.

To get off this subject before I veer into pedantic territory. 80's radio stations piss me off. Specifially the one at work. I love hearing early U2 and the like, but they play the same two songs for every artist on their playlist. All they play by the Police is "Message in a Bottle" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me". All they play for U2 is "With or Without You" and "New Year's Day". They play "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart" twice during every shift (which is only six hours long). How about some variety, people!

Man, I wish we could somehow comandeer an 80's radio station.
Our playlists would kick so much ass it's not even funny.

ETA that the fact that Paris Hilton has a single in the top 20 offends me on a moral and personal level. To think I've spent thousands of dollars and nearly a decade learning how to sing when all I needed to do was don trashy clothes and acquire Pro-Tools and VD.

[biondetta]

I'm so sorry I didn't see this thread earlier, because just about everything mentioned so far is in my vinyl/casette/CD stacks. Love a-ha (Scoundrel Days is my favorite album), Human League's "The Lebannon" should be mentioned, and Alphaville's albums Afternoons in Utopia and Breathtaking Blue are works of genius. Not mentioned so far is The Bolshoi, one of my favorites. Their album Friends remains to this day one of my top favorite albums.

I don't envy you having to try to define New Wave, starskin. For me, I have trouble with the term alternative being used for bands coming out these days, because for me, alternative is the same as all the lovely music I listened to on college radio in the '80s. It was alternative -- or a New Wave in music -- because college radio was the only place to hear stuff like that here in the US.

I'm losing my train of thought now, so I'll stop, but regardless of terminology, I love this thread and the music from this time. Ah, my youth!

As for current bands fitting the "genre", I would suggest Clor as an excellent example.

[dwanollah]

I've now decided that the best Japan song is "Adolescent Sex." *turns volume up louder*

To get off this subject before I veer into pedantic territory. 80's radio stations piss me off. Specifially the one at work. I love hearing early U2 and the like, but they play the same two songs for every artist on their playlist. All they play by the Police is "Message in a Bottle" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me". All they play for U2 is "With or Without You" and "New Year's Day". They play "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart" twice during every shift (which is only six hours long). How about some variety, people!

I feel ya, baby! I could happily never hear a number of New Wave classics ever again, including:

You Spin Me Round
99 Luftballoons
Our House
Whip It
Tainted Love
Melt With You

and

Hungry Like the Wolf (No, really!)

[tinyshoes]

To me, New Wave was more like a cleaned-up version of punk, something more radio friendly and with keyboards. What's your take starskin?

Is it just me, or has nobody mentioned early Elvis Costello? To me he straddles the line between punk and New Wave.

Not to dis you Dwan, but looking at your playlist, I can't agree that Ian Dury is NW. I am absolutely fanatical about him though. To me, he's more pub-rock with punk and disco thrown in for kicks.

[tacoflavored]

I'd like to add "Come On Eileen" to that list of list o' ridiculously overplayed songs.

[starskin]

They play "Our House" constantly at work. Strangely though, I think I've only heard "Come On, Eileen" once or twice.

That's an interesting take you have on New Wave being a "cleaned up" version of Punk, tinyshoes, and in some ways I think it's right on target. I mean, obviously it's more complex than that (both in musical and aesthetic differences), but since New Wave was considered another type of Punk music at the begining, it's a good analogy, I think. The thing that I like about New Wave's heavy use of synthesizers is that it really allowed people with no musical training to make music. Just as a lot of Punk bands prided themselves on being able to form bands and play music without much knowledge of their instruments or the songwriting process, New Wave bands did the same with synths. Plus, the mass production of synths in the 1980's really brought down the cost and allowed people without a lot of money to make music. So...yes. Now I've lost my train of thought. But I guess what I was trying to say is that the relationship between Punk and New Wave is very close.

Erm. I'll stop now.

For a bit more fun: Hottest New Wave artist?

For me the list looks like this (in no particular order)

Alan Wilder
Dave Gahan
Simon LeBon
Souxie Souix
Simon from the Cure
Debbie Harry
David Byrne

I'm sure there are more, but they're slipping my mind at the moment.

[iceblink]

I recently realized that Adam Ant back in the day was hot in miniature form. Such a pretty little man.

[starskin]

Oooh, yeah, Adam Ant! I can't believe I forgot about him. He was pretty damn hot back in the day. Shame he went off the deep end there a few years ago. "Bright Lights, Black Leather" is such a fun, dancey, sexy song.

I've always wanted to go as him one Halloween, but there's a surprising shortage of good quality replicas of Regency-era rifleman's jackets here in Florida. Pity.

[biondetta]

I've always wanted to go as him one Halloween, but there's a surprising shortage of good quality replicas of Regency-era rifleman's jackets here in Florida. Pity.

Wow! I'm not the only one who wants to go as Adam Ant for Halloween!

The boyfriend and I were listening to a bunch of early 80s stuff the other week and were reminded of Yello, so we pulled out a couple of their CDs and gave them a listen last night. Entertaining stuff.

While thinking about your lack of source material, starskin, I started wondering if any of the college radio stations might have any archived stuff. I'm originally from Florida myself, and used to listen to Rollins College radio all the time to hear alternative/New Wave stuff. Maybe you can find some college radio stations that published some sort of weekly/monthly paper, which might provide some primary sources to help you out. Just a thought. Count me in among those who would love to read your final work.