Jump to content

Which new wave band is your favorite?

Pine Barrens Mafia
 Share

Which is the best new wave band, in your opinion?  

35 members have voted

  1. 1. What's the best new wave band, in your opinion?

    • B52s
      2
    • The Cure
      7
    • Depeche Mode
      4
    • Echo and the Bunnymen
      1
    • Siouxsie and the Banshees
      0
    • Other (please specify)
      21

Recommended Posts

snafu Veteran

snafu

Posted
Posted
49 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Talking Heads are totally New Wave.  They basically are the definition of New Wave.

 

Along with Devo, Blondie... They invented the genre.  I am bit confused, mystified by your statement they don't qualify.  Huh??

 

The American New Wave scene... Like CBGB... That's ground zero for American New Wave & Talking Heads built the genre.

 

I'm not too sure about that. Maybe it is just my perspective, but I thought new wave bands came in after disco died. That CBGB TH/Blondie thing pre-dates disco. But I really haven't taken the time to look it up. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ExiledInIllinois Hall of Famer

ExiledInIllinois

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, snafu said:

 

I'm not too sure about that. Maybe it is just my perspective, but I thought new wave bands came in after disco died. That CBGB TH/Blondie thing pre-dates disco. But I really haven't taken the time to look it up. 

 

No.  Origins of New Wave predate Disco.  The first wave... 1974-1975... 

 

https://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/287378.html

 

The First Wave

Origins of the First Wave: The CBGB Scene (1974-75)

A dank dive with a notorious bathroom in the seedy Bowery, CBGB's was an altogether unlikely site for a major cultural movement. If it had not been for the physical collapse in August 1973 of the Mercer Art Center, home to the New York Dolls and other alternative bands, CBGB's would probably not have left any trace on the city's cultural history. The various art organizations that had occupied the Mercer, like the Kitchen, had no trouble relocating. But unrecorded rock bands found themselves without options in a nightclub scene geared mainly to showcasing nationally recognized recorded acts....

 

 

EDIT: I consider 1st Wave the start of New Wave... Guys like Bowie too.

25 minutes ago, row_33 said:

New Order

 

I stated Joy Division.  It was a toss up for me.  I went with Yaz.

Edited by ExiledInIllinois
  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
row_33 Hall of Famer

row_33

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

No.  Origins of New Wave predate Disco.  The first wave... 1974-1975... 

 

https://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/287378.html

 

The First Wave

Origins of the First Wave: The CBGB Scene (1974-75)

A dank dive with a notorious bathroom in the seedy Bowery, CBGB's was an altogether unlikely site for a major cultural movement. If it had not been for the physical collapse in August 1973 of the Mercer Art Center, home to the New York Dolls and other alternative bands, CBGB's would probably not have left any trace on the city's cultural history. The various art organizations that had occupied the Mercer, like the Kitchen, had no trouble relocating. But unrecorded rock bands found themselves without options in a nightclub scene geared mainly to showcasing nationally recognized recorded acts....

I stated Joy Division.  It was a toss up for me.  I went with Yaz.

 

Excellent choices.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bdutton RFA

bdutton

Posted
Posted

Hands down the Cure for me.  Seen them live at least 7-8 times.  First time was at a festival in Roskilde Denmark during the Disintegration tour.  Last time was in Boston 2 years ago. Fantastic.

 

For the record... The Cars are not a new wave band.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ExiledInIllinois Hall of Famer

ExiledInIllinois

Posted
Posted
Just now, bdutton said:

Hands down the Cure for me.  Seen them live at least 7-8 times.  First time was at a festival in Roskilde Denmark during the Disintegration tour.  Last time was in Boston 2 years ago. Fantastic.

 

For the record... The Cars are not a new wave band.

You are blurring alternative.  Cars are definitely New Wave. American New Wave.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bdutton RFA

bdutton

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

You are blurring alternative.  Cars are definitely New Wave. American New Wave.

Its just an opinion but I consider the cars alt/pop along with Duran Duran.

 

Joy Division, New Order, Psychedelic Furs, Devo, etc... are New Wave.

 

The Cult are more Alt/Rock and Ramones punk.

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
row_33 Hall of Famer

row_33

Posted
Posted (edited)
23 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

You are blurring alternative.  Cars are definitely New Wave. American New Wave.

 

New Wave rarely got top ten singles, more of a cult fan base. A few times things slipped through to AM radio charts (remember those?)

 

CFNY brought a lot over from the UK that wasn’t going to make it big in North America

 

Canadian Content law gave new wave fans a ton of great tunes as well 

 

thank goodness, life would have been even more wretched and boring growing up in the 80s without 102.1

 

Depeche Mode 

Japan

Psychedelic Furs 

 

Edited by row_33
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ExiledInIllinois Hall of Famer

ExiledInIllinois

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

New Wave rarely got top ten singles, more of a cult fan base. A few times things slipped through to AM radio charts (remember those?)

 

CFNY brought a lot over from the UK that wasn’t going to make it big in North America

 

Canadian Content law gave new wave fans a ton of great tunes as well 

 

thank goodness, life would have been even more wretched and boring growing up in the 80s without 102.1

 

Depeche Mode 

Japan

Psychedelic Furs 

 

Nick Lowe?  The Knack?  Elvis Costello & The Attractions all new wave & had hits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bdutton RFA

bdutton

Posted
Posted
30 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

You are blurring alternative.  Cars are definitely New Wave. American New Wave.

 

Also.. I should add that the Cure are hard to pin down to one style of music.

 

They definitely had some New Wave style (Boys Don't Cry, Killing an Arab, 10:15, A Forest, Hanging Garden) but also some Alt Rock (Fascination Street, The Kiss, Cut) and even pop (Love Song, In Between Days, Just Like Heaven, Friday I'm in Love).

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
row_33 Hall of Famer

row_33

Posted
Posted (edited)
41 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Nick Lowe?  The Knack?  Elvis Costello & The Attractions all new wave & had hits.

 

Rarely was what I said.... the first two were one hit wonders....

 

they were half talent guitar acts with some synth.... Elvis was signed by Stiff and could experiment without trying for the charts, he liked it that way 

 

the best memories of the era was one extended 45 single flash in the pan

 

i can name over 100 acts for you pretty quick....

 

 

Slicingupeyeballs.com is a great blog for lists and shows of this era

 

 

Costello never had a hit in top 40, good

 

 

Edited by row_33
Link to comment
Share on other sites
row_33 Hall of Famer

row_33

Posted
Posted

In addition, the mass migration of UK families  to Canada meant that a shortwave radio was present and the BBC and pirate bands were giving us a much better pop chart than the US every week for years on end

 

The best memory is Rod Stewart crap was #1 in the US one week while the Beeb advised that this week’s highest riser was by the Sex Pistols and was not allowed to be played on the air.

 

chasing that single down was a great moment when 12 years old

 

The Cars...  !@#$ no.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lurker All Pro

Lurker

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, row_33 said:

 

New Wave rarely got top ten singles, more of a cult fan base. A few times things slipped through to AM radio charts (remember those?)

 

CFNY brought a lot over from the UK that wasn’t going to make it big in North America

 

Canadian Content law gave new wave fans a ton of great tunes as well 

 

thank goodness, life would have been even more wretched and boring growing up in the 80s without 102.1

 

Depeche Mode 

Japan

Psychedelic Furs 

 

 

CFNY was terrific.   The format, the on-air talent (Dave Marsden, Chris Sheppard).   They really were the Spirit of Radio in those days...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Happy Veteran

Happy

Posted
Posted
32 minutes ago, Lurker said:

 

Not New Wave by any stretch of the definition.   Great band, however...

 

Yeah, I was torn on that.  I listed it as new wave since they are played on 1st Wave on Sirius XM.  But I see your point since they are also on Ozzy's Boneyard.  Not one particular genre.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rico Hall of Famer

Rico

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Talking Heads are totally New Wave.  They basically are the definition of New Wave.

 

Along with Devo, Blondie... They invented the genre.  I am bit confused, mystified by your statement they don't qualify.  Huh??

 

The American New Wave scene... Like CBGB... That's ground zero for American New Wave & Talking Heads built the genre.

Agree 100% on Talking Heads being new wave, especially when the era began around 1977, and they are far & away the best, both for the music and the shows (UB 1983!)

 

From the poll, I’ve seen:

B-52s in their prime & then opening for the Stones at Radio City - fun times

 

Depeche Mode - incredibly lame opening for the great-in-their-prime Psychedelic Furs (Forever Now tour). Right up there with Steve Perry as the worst front man I’ve ever seen (and no, thankfully I’ve never seen Dave Matthews).

 

Echo - great show in some hall on Yonge St. in their prime.

 

 

  • Like (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Happy Veteran

Happy

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

Their "Love" album is their only album that I wouldn't consider pure rock-n-roll; and even "Love" wasn't even close to new wave. 

 

In the mid 80s to very early 90s when they released Love, Electric, Sonic Temple, and Ceremony, The Cult was defined more as alternative.  I wouldn't put them in the same category as The Rolling Stones, for example, or any of the hair/glam metal bands.  If you listen to Sirius XM, the 1st Wave channel (classic alternative) will play Cult songs.  Maybe a matter of semantics but new wave = classic alternative from today's perspective; most of the groups presented in these threads also are heard on 1st Wave.  The Cult can be a tough genre to nail down, and depends on who you ask.

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Gugny Hall of Famer

Gugny

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, Happy Gilmore said:

 

In the mid 80s to very early 90s when they released Love, Electric, Sonic Temple, and Ceremony, The Cult was defined more as alternative.  I wouldn't put them in the same category as The Rolling Stones, for example, or any of the hair/glam metal bands.  If you listen to Sirius XM, the 1st Wave channel (classic alternative) will play Cult songs.  Maybe a matter of semantics but new wave = classic alternative from today's perspective; most of the groups presented in these threads also are heard on 1st Wave.  The Cult can be a tough genre to nail down, and depends on who you ask.

 

I grew up on Love and Electric.  Two entirely different albums and the albums that followed Electric were more like it, than like Love.

 

The difference between Electric and any other Cult album was Rick Rubin.  He is an absolute genius and gets the best out of every artist he works with.

 

Electric, to me, is 100% rock and roll and there's nothing alternative about it.  Love was alternative.  Electric - pure !@#$ing rock and roll.

 

I was lucky enough to see them on the Electric tour, then again on April 2, 2016 in what is basically a big bar.  And they opened up with Wild Flower.

 

The Cult is an amazing band.  I just wouldn't put them in the new wave category, that's all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SinceThe70s Veteran

SinceThe70s

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

The difference between Electric and any other Cult album was Rick Rubin.  He is an absolute genius and gets the best out of every artist he works with.

 

 

Not sure who you had in mind but Adele's 21 sticks out as an example for me. 

 

WRT classifying the Cult as New Wave...that's a swing and a miss.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Gugny Hall of Famer

Gugny

Posted
Posted
55 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

Not sure who you had in mind but Adele's 21 sticks out as an example for me. 

 

WRT classifying the Cult as New Wave...that's a swing and a miss.

 

 

 

I am not an Adele fan, but there's no denying that he produced a stellar, successful album.

 

As far as who I had in mind, the repertoire is nothing short of ridiculous.  Some of these will blow your mind.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin_production_discography

 

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ExiledInIllinois Hall of Famer

ExiledInIllinois

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

I am not an Adele fan, but there's no denying that he produced a stellar, successful album.

 

As far as who I had in mind, the repertoire is nothing short of ridiculous.  Some of these will blow your mind.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin_production_discography

 

Speaking of producers, I never knew Mutt Lange was behind the Boomtown Rats (new wave?)

 

Hopefully, we aren't singing this too many times during the coming football season:

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SinceThe70s Veteran

SinceThe70s

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

I am not an Adele fan, but there's no denying that he produced a stellar, successful album.

 

As far as who I had in mind, the repertoire is nothing short of ridiculous.  Some of these will blow your mind.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin_production_discography

 

 

Hate to hijack the New Wave thread, but bocce balls, you're right, mind blown! Amazing cross section of genres. 

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...