New Wave Bands – What Happened To The Stars Of The Golden Era?

The new wave was one of the significant, unique genres of music which is quite different from other genres of music. Though the new wave is unique, it shares some characteristics like diversity, electronic productions, stylings with other genres of music, the wave music has attracted so many people. The new wave music impacted the entire entertainment industry to a great extent. Many people belonging to the era of the 1970s can very well relate well with the characteristics of the new wave music. The tunes, lyrics of the new wave bands attract people who are interested in knowing the various aspects of music.

 

The Style Of New Wave Band Music

There has been plenty of wave music bands hits which brought a great new flavor to the music entertainment industry. There were many wave music bands in the early ’80s that had their own style of music, lyrics. Some of the creators of the new wave bands in the early ‘80s include Duran Duran, The Cure, INXS, The Smiths. These new wave bands were very popular during the ‘80s and can easily be considered as the new wave band start albums of the golden era. It is very important that people don’t forget the golden era of the new wave music, the new wave music band stars.

 

Popular Wave Band In The Early 70s And 80s

Members of Duran Duran are, from left: Simon Le Bon (vocals), John Taylor (bass), Andy Taylor (guitar), Nick Rhodes (keyboards), Rodger Taylor (drums)

The new wave band, Duran Duran contributed to the new wave band music big time in the period of ’80s. This band was based in England and the musicians in the Duran band included the great Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor as well as Roger Taylor. They were one of the very first new wave band music to become popular all over the world. The best part of this band is that they are known for offering excellent custom-made packages and was one of the very first bands to gain worldwide stardom. The fact is that in recent years, there is not much clue over the existence of the band and its members. It’s a must that people who love wave music must listen to the Duran Duran brand of music.

 

The Cure

Another very significantly popular wave music band belonging to the period of the 1970s was ‘The Cure’. This wave music band was started by the lead named Robert Smith in the England country. The significant characteristics of ‘The Cure’ band is that there was a lot of focus on dark music and also the melodic wave music. These were the genres that were focused initially by ‘The Cure’ wave music band. As years progressed, ‘The Cure’ band started to switch to the depressing lyrics and that attracted a wider range of audiences from all parts of the world. Some of their top albums include Close to Me, In Between Days, Boys Don; t Cry and the Caterpillar. People who love to listen to some wave music with a depressive tune must listen to the music of this band.

 

the smiths

The Smiths

‘The Smiths’ was one another popular wave music band that attracted a lot of music lovers. The best part of this wave music band was that there was an extensive focus on the lyrics, and this made them attract people of different ages especially the ones who value the lyrics in a song. One of their best albums is ‘The Smiths’ which helps their wave music band gain commercial success in the England country. This wave music band turned out to be a brilliant college sensation in the early ’80s in the United States. Some of their famous song albums that helped them gain attraction include The Charming Man, Ask, Cemetery Gates. These albums are a must to listen as the lyrics involved in these songs have a lot of meaning.

New Wave of Porn: Sis Loves Me

Step sister porn has been around for a few years only but it made as huge impact as the whole new wave genre in music. When it comes to step siblings playthings you need to be aware of its fantasy factor. Sis Loves Me is a perfect example of materialising the very best when it comes to step sisters. They are silly, they get convinced pretty quickly and they actually love to have sex.

Sis Loves Me

The new wave music has been more about the attitude and enthusiasm that prevails through the music tunes. The waveband starts of the golden era and their albums are always to be remembered and listened to. Now the wave music bands have switched in style to a music style that gives a lot of importance to humor. There are some very popular new wave artists in the New wave band music that is still in force and makes the people all over the world listen to and feel happy.

New Wave Music Hits From The 80’s

The term new wave is not that easy to pin down as it includes numerous artists from late 70s and early 80s. Later it started becoming a bit different from the mainstream, with a post-punk which was edgier and had more attitudes. The 80s new wave songs list includes some of the incredible hits which were anti-social but with great music and lyrics.

The new wave music included many influential bands of those times and a wide range of bands contributed to the genre. It was also an influence for lots of future projects, like the one that has been just launched in the end of 2017 – called YoungPerps, where young guys acting like old-school punks try their luck stealing objects from certain shops. Of course it won’t work, but their rock’n’roll approach to life will punish them pretty soon after being caught.

New wave music was all about attitude and an enthusiastic spirit which amalgamated both punk and pop with a planned production, striking and influential lyrics which was quite a common thing in 80’s playlist. While we are digging deep into new wave hits, it is impossible that we miss the creators of some of the amazing songs which were ruling the hearts of the audience in 80’s.

Duran Duran

The 80’s would have been incomplete without grooving to Duran Duran’s songs. They were based in England, and started gaining popularity in 1981 after working throughout the late 70’s on their brand image. Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor were the members of this band.  They managed to make custom-made packages for the video age, and then became the first band to gain stardom.

Top 5 song list/ albums: – The View to a Kill, Save a Prayer & the Chauffer, Girls on Film, Rio and Come Undone.

The Cure

Another popular band was “The Cure” which was started by band’s lead Robert Smith in England in the year 1976.

The Cure mainly focused on a dark as well as melodic sound which defined the band as the Goth genre.Later they switched from depressing lyrics 80s new wave song in 1982, to reach a wider audience.

Top 5 song list/ albums: – Close to Me, In Between Days, Fascination Street, BoysDon’t Cry and the Caterpillar.

INXS

INXS spent the early part of the 80’s consistently touring and releasing albums particularly for the Australian audience.

“The One Thing” which was released in 1982 was successful and it convinced many record companies to release all their further masterpieces.

Top 5 song list/ albums: – New Sensation, Devil Inside, Original Sin, Burn for You and The Loved One

The Smiths

The Smiths were active in the year 1982 to1987, and this was enough for this talented and creatively inclined band. They were largely lyrics-driven, and this made them a part of new-wave. They gained commercial success mainly in their native land, England with an album, “The Smiths”, which ranked second. This band was truly a college sensation in those days in the US, even though they never toured in this country unlike other new wave bands.

Top 5 song list/ albums: – The Charming Man, Half a Person, Ask, Cemetery Gates and Well I Wonder.

Top New Wave Music of All Time

Rock Lobster

“Rick Lobster”

This song was written by Ricky Wilson and Fred Schneider, both of whom were members of the larger B-52s. The song was released in two distinct versions. The longer version which was included in the debut album of the band was released by the internationally recognized DB Records. The shorter version of the song was produced and released by the well-known DB Records in the year 1978. Since the song was part of the tunes that the band used as signature tunes, it was very instrumental in launching the success of the band.

It is said that Rock Lobster was the first single hit song to be listed on Billboard Hot 100. In this list, the song managed to reach position 56 which was an incredible performance. Being a significant hit in Canada, the song rose to the top in the RPM rank of national singles. The song that followed it in the rank was Private Idaho. Critics received Rock Lobster well and they unanimously placed the song at position 147 as far as Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time was concerned.
The lyrics of the song include ludicrous lines that refer to a beach party as well as thrilling rants referring to real or imaginary marine mammals.

Such lines include, “There comes a sea robin, a dog-fish running from a dog-fish, here comes a narwhal, and there goes a bikini whale.” The lyrics are accompanied by pitched tunes which are relatively higher for the ordinary singer.

[Rock Lobster]

The song is done in C Minor Key while the chorus is partially raised. Some of the instruments that are played in the song are Mosrite electric guitar, drums, and Farfisa Combo Compact organ.

“Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)”

Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)

This song was played by the Icicle Works, a British band. The song had a title which was reversed as “Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly) and it first hit the airwaves in the year 1983. Ian McNabb who was leading the band in singing was the one who wrote the song. Hugh Jones is the brain behind its production.

The song was originally produced as a single in the year 1983 in Britain. At the United Kingdom independent charts, the song was ranked number 2. The next single of the band, Love is a Wonderful Color, was ranked number 15 on the same independent charts of the United Kingdom. Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream) was given a new lease of life when it was reproduced by the Beggars Banquet Records in the year 1984. The new release had a new B-side and a brand new cover.

Don’t You Want Me

“Don’t You Want Me”

The Human League (a British Synthpop group) released the song in the year 1981. It was the fourth single from the group. The songs were all in the album called Dare of 1981. This is the best song from the band and it has experienced immense commercial success. In the year 1981, the song was ranked as the best Christmas song. It has sold over 1.5 million copies making it to be ranked among the most successful singles in the history of the United Kingdom singles. Moreover, the song stayed at the top of Billboard Hot 100 for a record 21 days. Fast-forward to the year 2015, the song was voted as one of the most favorite songs in Britain. This poll was done by TV Network.

The brain behind the lyrics was none other than Philip Oakey. He thought and recorded the song as a male solo and his main inspiration was the movie A Star is Born.

Before the band released the dare album, they had already done three songs which included Open Your Heart, Love action, and the sound of the crowd. With the three singles already in the market, the chief executive officer of Virgin, Mr. Simon Draper, decided that it was time that Don’t You Want Me became the next big single. Oakey vehemently rejected this arguing that there were other singles in the market which were not doing well. Oakey was of the idea that releasing another single would a recipe for disaster. However, the song was released after agreement and it became an instant hit.

Popular Music Genres of 70s/80s Every Music Lover Must Know

The world has witnessed hundreds of music genres and new subgenres are cropping up every now and then. Some of these subgenres last for a few months before they eventually become obsolete. You cannot exhaust the genres of music that the world has witnessed not unless you are a writer of music or you have countless free minutes in your schedule. It is impossible to keep up with the pace of the genres since not all of them will be of interest to you. You are likely to know the ones that relate to your music comfort zone. This is the reason behind putting up a list of some of the popular genres. The list may not be comprehensive but it gives a fair view of how music has evolved over the years through an array of genres.

1. Pub Rock

“Ian Dury”

This genre was short-lived but it made an unforgettable impact giving it a place in the hearts of rock lovers. In case you are a starter, the genre was a significant predecessor of the original punk that was produced in the United Kingdom. A number of the famous players of punk rock later became the names to beat in the new version.

Some of them included Ian Dury who played Kilburn and the High Roads and Joe Strummer who played 101’ers.

Even though the genre was later swept away by famous songs such as Do Anything You Want to do and Eddie & the Hot Rods, the genre should not be forgotten.

2. Lovers Rock

“Gregory Isaacs”

Apocryphal musical history will tell you that the Jamaican summer heat was the developer of the rock steady development. Revelers found the dancehalls in Kingston to be too hot and they could not keep up with the tempo of the ska rhythms. As a result of this, the bands agreed to reduce the tempo of the songs so as to keep the revelers as well as ensure that the nights were longer. The late 1970s witnessed a change since reggae was introduced into the system. There were additional romantic lovers of rock. If we say that reggae is the progeny of Rastafarianism, lover rock is certainly is the sibling of reggae. It has smooth R&B rhythms and the lyrics are obsessed with love. Some of the famous artists who have performed renowned tracks of Lovers Rock include Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Dobby Dobson, Freddie McGregor, and Beres Hammond.

3. PC Music

It is difficult to understand where PC Music begins and where it culminates. The PC Music label is based in London and A.G.

Cook is the brain behind the label. Some of the famous personalities who are credited with performing famous songs of the genre are Kane West, SOPHIE, Hannah Diamond, GFOTY, and QT.

The sound of the music is surreally poppy. It is overcrowded with various samples while the vocals are unnecessarily high having some absurd melodies. The music certainly feels plastic and the fans find it hard to keep up with the melody.

Punk/New Wave Album Highlights

Elastica

The alternative rock band named Elastica performed Elastica as their debut song in the studio. The song hit the airwaves through the famous Deceptive Records in the year 1995. AS soon as it was released, elastica was nominated to be one of the songs to contest for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. This is an award that is given to the best album which is produced in Ireland and the United States. The award was established to be an alternative to the well-known Brit Awards. The award was a brain child of British Association of Record Dealers and British Phonographic industry in the year 1992.

Elastica was voted as the best on the UK Albums Chart, and it became one of the best songs that sold ever since the production of Definitely Maybe which was done by Oasis Band. When placed on Billboard 200, the song did well since it was ranked at position 66 and was given a certification of gold. It was received well across the nation and internationally as well.

All Music Guide said that elastica is an intoxicating record. This is not only in the way they play 16 songs in a record 40 minutes but also in the manner that they are almost near every other classic production. This certainly makes the band melodic and consistent.

[Elastica album]

BBC Music believes that elastica is not one of those albums that ranks high on the debut and sink later. The band is a rare gem that has hit the music industry with a bang. It is certainly one of the best new wave debut classics.

The same album was ranked as number 9 in Select’s ranking of fifty albums of every year. Later in the same year, the album was rated as position 4 meaning that it shot up. Other magazines that ranked the debut album as one of the best were The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, and the Los Angeles Times. Most of the tracks that elastica produced were written by the ever charming and intelligent Justine Frisch Mann.

Interpol – Turn on the bright lights

Interpol was an American rock band. The band released Turn on the Bright Lights as its debut album in the studio. The album was produced in the year 2002 at Tarquin Studios located in Connecticut. It was mixed, co-produced, engineered, and mixed by Gareth Jones and Peter Katis. The album first hit the airwaves under the autonomous record brand Matador Records. As soon as it was released, the album was ranked at an all-time high of 101 in the Album Chart of the United Kingdom. It is on record to have reached position 158 in the Billboard 200 of the United States. Moreover, it spent a record 73 weeks in the list of Billboard Independent Albums, and it finished at top 5. Some of the singles that were in the debut album were Say Hello to the Angels, Obstacle 1, NYC, and PDA. Each of these had their videos apart from ‘Say Hello to the Angels’.

Turn on the Bright Lights album was given a certification of gold by RIAA in the year 2011. This was due to the sole reason of shipping over 500,000 copies.

In order to commemorate the tenth anniversary, the album was reproduced and a new version was released in the year 2012. Some of the additional material in the new version were new tracks and other bonus songs of international standards.

The Interpol band is scheduled to hold a tour of meeting their fans so as to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the song as they play the album back to front.

Popular Artists from New Wave Era

Several artists have performed in the new wave era and more are expected to join. Various bands have also been performing since the inception of new wave era.

Duran Duran

This is an English band that was formed in the year 1978 – almost 8 years since new wave came into being. The band developed from alternate sensations in the year 1982 to conventional pop stars within the following two years. Within the period of a decade, the band underwent an array of challenges more so in music styles and membership. However, in spite of the said challenges, the band was able to stage a resurgence during the early ‘90s. The band was the best in Second British Invasion of the United States. It is said that the band has had over 13 singles among the best 10 UK Singles Chart. Moreover, the group has also had over 20 singles placed in the Billboard Hot 100. Duran Duran is in record of selling over 100 million records across the world.

The emergence of Duran Duran was seen to be synonymous with New Romantic scene along with other luminary bands which included Spandau Ballet. However, this image was later shed off and the band came up with a better, elegant, and sophisticated appearance through the use of marketing and fusion. The band is on record for having won a number of accolades throughout the time they have been performing. The awards include Brit Awards (2 of them), MTV video music award, and Grammy awards (2).

The band is so remarkable that the Hollywood Walk of Fame featured them.

When the video age came into being, the band was catapulted into main productions in MTV music channel. This was a remarkable achievement since the channel is a 24-hour music channel. Most of the videos done by the band were done through the use of 35 mm film. This enabled them to have a better outlook as compared to what other band were doing at the time.Duran Duran worked with other professional directors of the film industry so to improve on quality. The band is credited for being part of the early bands that used video technology during their live shows in stadiums.

The Human League

This band was formed in the year 1977 in Sheffield. The band released two instant albums after they were signed into Virgin Records in the year 1979. This was accompanied by an array of singles before the band shot to fame through the third album that they released in the year 1981 – Dare. Some of the singles that the album had included Open your heart, Love action (I believe in Love), and don’t you want me. In the year 1982, the band was awarded Brit Award which is given as a result of Best British Breakthrough Act. The band further produced other hits from 1980s to 1990s. Some of the hits included Fascination, tell me when, mirror man, and being boiled among others.

There has been a single member who has remained royal and constant in spite of the changing times. This is none other than the songwriter and vocalist Oakey Philip.

Ian Marsh Craig and Ware Martyn both left the human league in the year 1980 so that they could form their own – Heaven 17. Since Oakey took over the leadership of the band, it has evolved into a successful commercial league with new members such as Ann Susan Sulley and Catherall Joanne. The band has essentially been made up of three members since the 1990s.

It is worth noting that the band has release over 8 studio albums, over 30 singles, four EPS, and a host of other compilation albums. The United Kingdom’s top 10 has had 8 singles and 5 albums from the human league. The band is said to have sold close to over 20 million copies – a record that has not been achieved by such a small band.

Although the three members have been discussing about their retirement, no one seems to know when they will exit the scene.

Oakey, Catherall, and Sulley have said time and again that they enjoy performing together. They intend to hold together for longer than expected. Sulley even says that she does not know what to do besides doing music.

[The Human League]

They expect to continue being part of great live shows so long as their fans are happy to see them.

New Wave Music: Once A Rock Music Genre

Many people who were born in the 1970s can relate well with the new wave music genre. It was a real sensation and any concert that played new wave music songs attracted large crowds

“New wave was believed to follow punk rock.”

If a musician wanted to have an emphatic crowd in those years, he or she would definitely need to have some knowhow of new wave music. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw new wave have a new term for the music that was produced by then. New wave was believed to follow punk rock since the new wave genre disguised itself as punk rock. In retrospect, it was clear that the music which followed punk could be divided into two large categories which were named new wave and post-punk.

Post punk genre of music was difficult, arty, and thought-provoking whereas new wave was simple, pure, and pop music.

New wave remained with the fresh stamina of punk music in addition to having fascinating artistic moves, style, and electronics. It is therefore evident that new wave had a lot of diversity to itself and it pulled many people to watch and enjoys.

The very act of having new wave as part of the rock and roll genre made it possible for various other artists to compose songs with a lot of ease.

Rock Pile and Graham Parker were some of the synth rockers as well as Elvis Costello. Other rock bands who preferred new wave genre to be sand as rock music were Squeeze, the Police (who were lovers of pop reggae), the Pretenders (whose main interest was rock and roll), and Madness and Specials. Even though these bands were automatically famous, there were other hits that emerged in the early days of new wave. These groups were mainly credited with producing one-hit songs and they were loved for their diversity. They shared a love of amalgamated production, pop hooks, and an allure of being at the center of attraction.

“It is a definitive genre that came with such huge fame.”

New wave is different from other music movements since it has an array of characteristics that look similar to pop music – a trait that endears it to many people. New wave music is an incorporation of the ancient rock and roll music as well as the ethos that were used in production of rock music.

It is a definitive genre that came with such huge fame and the ability to attract large crowds whenever it was played. Be that as it may, it is note that the healthy relationship between new wave and other genres of music began to become blurry. This was not about to reduce the impact that new wave had as compared to other genres. In the 1990s, new wave began to realize a new level of resurgence after new artists arose who preferred to sing through the use of new wave.

It is said that the term new wave was used by Charles Shaar Murray when he commented about the Boomtown rats. It is also believed that new was the genre that replaced punk. In spite of this developments, new wave and punk were terms that were used in place of each other and no one ever thought that the world of music would survive without the two genres.

John Foxx observed that New York Dolls were the main galvanizers of the scene since they arrived. He further asserts that they proved that galvanizing the musical scene was a possible occurrence since they erased every person who was deemed to be desperate.

[John Foxx]

In the year 1976, a music historian named Vernon Joynson observed that many bands dissociated themselves from punk as new wave genre was entering the scene. From that time onwards, any music that was deemed to be following the garage band, it was named punk while the music that seemed to be largely complex, experimental, and polished in production was named new wave music. Hilly Kristal who owned CBGB is believed to have pioneered new wave in the Television band. Moreover, any other artist who was earlier termed as punk was now being referred to as a new wave artist.

New wave has since gone under intense evolution and it is believed that this will go on. The current generation seems to love rock music but new wave genre is not utterly dead.

History of New Wave Music: Then and Now

New wave music is a well-known category of rock music. It was mainly popular in the 1970s to the early 1980s. The genre was tied to the punk rock music of the 1970s

A remarkable difference of new wave music is that it moved away from the conventional rock and roll rhythms and blues to come up with pop music. The newly developed pop music was an incorporation of experimental music, electronic, disco and mod. New wave was seen to have close ties with punk rock but it later changed and became a standalone distinct genre. As a result of becoming a distinct genre, new wave music engendered fusions and subgenres which included gothic rock, college rock, and synthpop.

“New wave is different from other genres that are tied to the first-wave punk.”

New wave is different from other genres that are tied to the first-wave punk. New wave music has similar characteristics to pop music even though it has maintained the original ethos of punk rock sound. It however displays characteristics that are complex both in lyrics and music. New wave has common characteristics with other genres such as diversity, electronic productions, making use of synthesizers, and significance of styling among others. New wave is certainly a definitive genre of the early 1980s. The genre has enjoyed a huge following from all walks of life and it has continued to evolve more in the contemporary ages so as to benefit even more people. If you do not love the genre today, it will evolve in a way that you will love tomorrow. New wave artists are believed to be so attached to their music that they do not even think of setting up a band. New wave music is said to have borrowed its names from the French New Wave cinema that was shown in the 1950s.

There were many styles that new wave music worked with. Most of the styles were a major sense of humor and insouciance.

The broad spectrum of new wave music was part of the larger B-52 in the United States and was also incorporated in an upcoming music prospect in Athens, Georgia. The B-52 had a dance group that mixed vocal testing like the one of Yoko Ono and harmonies from the girl group. Other harmonies included were the vocals of Deborah Harry, Modern Lovers and Jonathan Richman tunes, and the talking heads and Devo’s avant-grades.

“It was agreed that punk be replaced by new wave.”

New wave catch-all nature has been a major source of controversy and confusion. It had originally been produced under the name punk in the United States. Since the new was seen as delivering little to no sales at all, it was agreed that punk be replaced by new wave. New wave music was however absorbed in the United Kingdom than it was absorbed in the United States. Punk began as a major phenomenon in London as compared to its reception in the United States. Punk was of little or no influence in the United States when it started gaining mileage. It was just a common theme in most of the rock clubs and various discos. After punk paved way for new wave music, the genre was considered as a major cultural event in Britain as well as London.

In order to make it more famous and acceptable across the world, the British music press pioneered a campaign that would see to it that New wave music was promoted. Some of the post-punk acts included the eclipsing of Elastica by Britpop. Moreover, there was Metric, Brainiac, No Doubt, and Six Finger Satellite. In the 1990 decade, trance and Euro disco dance were mainly influenced by some European and British new wave acts which were relatively heavy dance sounds.

In the 2000 decade, there were several acts that emerged which dwelt more on diversity of new wave as well as post-punk mechanisms. Some of the acts of the millennium decade included Interpol, the Bravery, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the Strokes. Strokes have won several accolades and nominations as well and they have continued to produce new songs which are adored by their fans. Strokes won the ASCAP College Vanguard Award.

During the presentation of the award, Strokes were hailed for their debut album, Is This It, after it achieved critical and substantial acclaim in the world over and the U.S. ASCAP said it was proud of the songwriting prowess displayed by the young group.

[ASCAP Award]

New wave genre has thus grown in strides and will evolve even more in the coming days.