Marty Stuart on Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers:

I heard Jourard when he was in The Motels, who were pretty big in L.A. in the early-80's. At that time I was playing with a real fine songwriter-singer who loved them, but they didn't ring my bells; too New Wave for me (the same reason I don't like The Attractions. Listen to how they perform Soul music---on Costello's Get Happy!!, then listen to how The Funk Brothers---the Motown house band---and The Swampers---the great Muscle Shoals recording band---do it. No comparison imo).

Speaking of The Funk Brothers: has everybody heard Joan Osborne singing "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" backed by the bros? It’s in the documentary on that outstanding band, and is astoundingly great, the equal imo of the original (which features the bass playing of James Jamerson), which is one of my three all-time favorite songs (the other two being Brian Wilson’s "God Only Knows" and a 3-way tie between The Band’s "The Weight", Iris DeMent’s "No Time To Cry", and Procol Harum’s "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". What, no Beatles or Stones?

And speaking of The Band: I am currently reading Levon Helm: Rock, Roll, Ramble; The Inside Story Of The Man, The Music, And The Midnight Ramble by John W. Barry (with a foreword by Ringo Starr), from which I have learned much. A very welcome addition to my music book library.

One New Wave band I did and do like is Squeeze. Excellent songwriting, acceptable singing, and good live (I saw them in London in 1982). Are The Pretenders considered New Wave? Yeah, I know: what’s in a name? ;-)

@bdp24 

"...has everybody heard Joan Osborne singing "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" backed by the bros?"

Yes, indeed. Stand-out performance !