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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)
bluorion
gunners01
42 posts
 
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:
  • The Chameleons - brilliant one of my favorites
  • Bill Nelson
  • Prefab Sprout - acoustic version of Faron Young is one of my favorites.
  • China Crisis - baselines are awesome throughout
  • Echo & the Bunneymen
  • Sisters of Mercy, The Mission all that goth stuff.
  • The Cult - Dreamtime Live at the Lyceum is one of my top 5 of all time
  • Blancmange
  • The Wedding Present
  • Men without Hats - underrated because everyone just thinks safety dance
  • The THE -
Some other goodies that perhaps I overlooked
  • Abecedarians - hugely underrated and less well known band from Los Angeles.  Released on EP on Factory Records.....but others on Caroline Records.   Seriously one of the best.
  • For Against - Great indy band from Lincoln Nebraska!!!
  • The Drowning Pool
  • Lowlife
  • Ride, Slowdive My Bloody Valentine...all the shoegaze stuff.
  • House of Love
  • Tones on Tail
  • Pale Fountains - Michael Head is a genius
  • Shriekback
  • Modern English - all of their stuff up to and including Ricochet Days is pure genius
  • The Wake - on Factory records
  • The Colourfield (and Fun Boy Three)
  • Prince - 1999 and and before
  • The dB's
  • Monochrome Set
  • Orange Juice - think someone said them....great call!
  • The Sound
  • A Certain Ratio

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.

bluorion OP
479 posts
 
@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! 
gunners01
42 posts
 
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
42 posts
 
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. 
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,873 posts
 

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.

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