@gunner01I don't find the Catherine Wheel recording quality to be too bad, but I agree that it is not as good as the recent Ride releases. Wishful thinking, but I would love to see CW remaster their catalogue and release a box set with some live recordings and B sides. I also wish I had $500k sitting around so I could buy a rebuilt Dickinson 911! Tis the season for wishful thinking I suppose.
Best 80s New Wave
I haven't seen too many posts on here regarding the '80s new wave/new romantic music scene. A lot of folks (including myself) have original vinyl copies of these artists, then bought the CD when they came out and are now buying the re-releases on 180g vinyl. What are some of your favorites?
My favs are:
1. Pet Shop Boys - (Please, Actually, Introspective, Behaviour and Very)--CD and vinyl
2. New Order - Low Life, is this on vinyl? Technique is great on vinyl
3. Depeche Mode - Violator
4. The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
5. Propaganda - Secret Wish (Vinyl and CD)
My favs are:
1. Pet Shop Boys - (Please, Actually, Introspective, Behaviour and Very)--CD and vinyl
2. New Order - Low Life, is this on vinyl? Technique is great on vinyl
3. Depeche Mode - Violator
4. The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
5. Propaganda - Secret Wish (Vinyl and CD)
81 responses Add your response
I had tickets to see Pet Shop Boys/New Order on the Unity Tour in September in DC but of course it was rescheduled until 2021. I had a chance to see NO back around '87-88 on one of the first Lollapalooza tours. Siouxsie and the Banshees and Psychedelic Furs were also on the ticket I believe. But I got sick and never made it to the concert. So NO comes back to the states after 30+ years and they reschedule. I've never been able to see them on some of the smaller US tours. If I don't get to see them next year with PSB, I figure it wasn't meant to be. |
@maxnewid Big Catherine Wheel fan. Saw a Fontana triple billing at First Ave in Minneapolis with Ocean Color Scene, Catherine Wheel and House of Love. HoL one of my favorites as well. What I’m finding, sadly, with the Catherine Wheel is they just weren’t recorded well. Correct me if you think I’m wrong, and I get the “wall of sound” comment, but I never feel like I’m getting the full effect of the “wall”. I don’t have that problem with similar bands like Ride or My Bloody Valentine. Not sure if you are a Porsche fan, but if you are, I assume you know Dickinson from CW started “Singer” porsches. Completely rebuilds old 911’s and sells them for $250-$500k. |
@maxnewid just reading through this thread again as it seems to have regained some life. If you like Chameleons, its probable you’ve also heard Abecedarians. However, in the event you haven’t heard them I wanted to bring them to your attention. LA band with similar sound (haunting guitars). Another one of my all-time favorites. You can download one or two EP or LPs on i-tunes or Spotify, but their vinyl (or cd) catalog is a bit more comprehensive and well worth getting. Similar, but not as ‘accessible’ is Drowning Pool. Song writers from Abecedarians and Downing Pool did some writing together and released a few cassettes. |
I think technically Violator was 90’s? Talking Heads - what a great band Howard Jones - still plays great live OMD - sounded great on last tour Devo - Did we forget Devo Thompson Twins - A single "twin" still tours ABC - still playing live Spoons - still play live Psychedelic Furs - saw live. 4 great songs, 90 minutes of misery Boy George Cyndi Lauper Berlin English Beat Yaz Cure Cult (sort of Rock new wave) New Order - possibly the worse live act ever, but great music TransX Talk Talk Split Enz Crowded House A-ha The Fixx Flock of Seagulls Falco Nina Dexy’s Midnight Runners Could go on and on. It was a happy time for music. |
Lowrider57 said: 05-02-2019 3:20pmPropaganda "A Secret Wish," the 12" remixes, and live. Depeche Mode Psych Furs Love and Rockets Sisters of Mercy The Mission UK Siouxsie & the Banshees Peter Murphy/ Bauhaus OMD Dead Can Dance The Cure Cocteau Twins The Chameleons New Order Some of these bands were a sub-genre of New Wave. Good Choices |
I believe that he played on the first 2 or 3 albums. You can check on the www.blackswanlane.com band history tab. My favorites are the most recent "Under My Fallen Sky" and "The Last Time in Your light". BSL has a deal on their website where you can buy all 7 BSL albums (the entire catalogue) and some bonus discs for $50.BSL has a new one coming out this Fall.If you haven't heard The sun and Moon, you would enjoy them as well, although their discs are getting hard to find. |
@maxnewid thanks for the Black Swan Lane recommendation and link. The song in the link you sent was really, really good. I downloaded several other tracks. I'm not as keen on some of the acoustic numbers, but overall a really good find. Thanks! I have really liked the Chameleons since late middle school/early HS. I spent much of my time listening to "Scrip" and "What Does Anything", and then payed more attention to some of the subsequent albums. Actually in the last year or so I found the "Tony Walker" EP and really dig the song The Healer. Curious, what tracks, LPs did Burgess play on BSL? Again, thanks! |
I do not think REM was ever new wave in any way except that they were different from pretty much anything else. Always been a big REM fan. Saw them in a small venue right after their fourth album. One of the best concerts I've ever seen. Of course their career skyrocketed after that. I've scanned the list and have not seen INXS. Where they new wave? Maybe early on? Recently bought their best of CD. A whole CD of great hits. |
The 1980s included the original Gothic movement. Emerging from post-punk, it was inspired by art, music, literature, religion, spirituality. Sisters of Mercy The Mission UK The March Violets All About Eve Red Lorry Yellow Lorry Bauhaus Tones On Tail Joy Division (late 70s) Siouxsie & The Banshees The Cure The Virgin Prunes Lords of the New Church Southern Death Cult/ The Cult Specimen Fields of the Nephilim Rosetta Stone Inkubus Sukkubus The Damned Xmal Deutschland Christian Death Alien Sex Fiend Nick Cave The Birthday Party Clan of Xymox Nico and The Velvet Underground (a major influence for the genre). |
@gunners01 here you go:https://youtu.be/my3N2vK-kh8 |
@gunners01 If you like the Chameleons, you should check out Black Swan Lane. Mark Burgess and Yves Altana used to play with them. They moved from Manchester to Atlanta several years ago and have 7 or 8 albums out. I think that they sound like a mix of the Chameleons and the Church. www.blackswanlane.com Very high recording quality. |
The debut album of The Beat (not the UK band, but the U.S. band lead by Paul Collins) was released in October of ’79, close to 1980. I think they are considered part of the New Wave, but what they were was a Power Pop Band, as were The Plimsouls. And that is funny, as both Paul Collins and The Plimsouls’ Peter Case were in a Group prior to those two Bands named The Nerves. The Nerves were a trio, the third member being Jack Lee, the writer of Blondie’s hit "Hanging On The Telephone" (which was included on the Nerves 7" EP). Anyway, The Plimsouls were a good live band, The Beat a great one. And I mean great! I saw them at The Whiskey A Go Go on Sunset Blvd. a few times, and my God did they rock! They were like Cheap Trick on steroids, or like The Beatles as played by The Who. One of the most exciting live Bands I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, they were also a Band with only one great album in them. The second one wasn't nearly as good as the first, and it was downhill from there. Original guitarist Larry Whitman committed suicide in '97. |
mitchagain - yes the Reivers (Zeitgeist) are awesome!!!! Color me impressed with some of the name dropping here. I saw the Reivers in college a couple of times and then again shortly after we moved to Dallas. It was our anniversary dinner and we took the kids, and i just happened to see they were playing. My wife and daughter loved them, my son was a pain in the arse all night long. This would have been about 3 years ago. They did Legendary Man, Freight Train Rain, and Ragamuffin Man. Classic. |
Will have to check out some of these as I hadn't heard the first two. Not a huge Go West fan, but the others are golden. Thanks! I have several original pressing of the first several Xtc LPs. They sound great. We listen to First Wave a fair bit. They play the Pretenders way too much for my liking....but it seems they are played on all of the Sirius stations. Certain hours play 'deeper cuts' of New Wave, which I prefer. I may have to go upstairs now, G&T in hand, and put a few on the turntable. |
@gunners01 Great lists!! Several people have listed groups I totally forgot about. New wave was so much fun and so many young people are into the music. My cousin (in her early 20s) loves Joy Division, PSB and many others. Here are a few I remembered: Belouis Some King Go West Talk Talk Communards/Bronski Beat Bangles PIL XTC Siouxsie and the Banshees The English Beat Billy Idol First Wave (channel 33 on SiriusXM) plays a lot of this stuff. They have a good new wave dance show on Saturday nights. Thanks for joining the discussion! |
have to say there are some mighty good lists here, and wonder if any of you live in Dallas as I've yet to meet anyone here who has a passing knowledge of "good" music. Only will repeat a few that I was pleasantly surprised some people picked up on:
Love this thread. I have one going with my closest friends who dig this music whereby every Friday we send each other a link to an 80's band (or one influenced by the 80's) that we are currently into. Fun to be reminded of some old goodies. |
Here's a few more 70's - 90's bands of note. Rhythm Corps: A Detroit band who only released 2 albums and a local EP. They were originally called Rhythm Method; but, they lost a legal challenge for that name (which is a shame because if that is not a rock n' roll name, I don't know what is!). The Reivers: An Austin based band that was originally called Zeitgeist; but, they also lost a legal challenge to keep that name. The Shoes. I thought these guys were better than The Cars; who they were often compared to. I preferred the Shoes darker and heavier sound (more guitars, less keyboards). |
Got me thinking of others to mention: Kissing The Pink - Naked B-Movie - Remembrance Day Lene Lovich Phil Manzanara - K Scope, Listen Now, 801Live Brian Eno- Before And After Science Bill Nelson - Quit Dreaming and Get On the Beam, The Love That Whirls U.K. (New Wave or prog rock?) A compilation cd set called Hardest Hits Modern Rock of the 80's has a very good set of songs. Also a box set called Left Of The Dial is very good. |
First off: I'm really impressed that both of my favorite Canadian bands (Martha & Muffins and The Spoons) were mentioned. Also, big props for the multiple mentions of Propaganda. Secondly: It's hard to believe that no one has mentioned the following well known acts: Concrete Blonde, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The Jam, Midnight Oil, Pretenders, REM, The Replacements, Smithereens and X. But, here's some lesser known acts worth mentioning: Bongos Lloyd Cole & The Commotions The Church Dada Divinyls Everything But The Girl Fetchin' Bones Gene Gene Loves Jezebel Go Betweens Grapes of Wrath PJ Harvey Robyn Hitchcock Hoodoo Gurus House of Love Housemartins Hunters & Collectors Icehouse Robin Lane & The Chartbusters Ocean Blue Pixies Prefab Sprout Pylon Railway Children Romeo Void Sidewinders Talk Talk Throwing Muses Translator Vigil Lastly, for you China Crisis fans, you should seek out their live "Acoustically Yours" CD that was released in 2014. |
