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New Wave Junkies

Eat your 80s... and then come back for more

This group is for:
~anyone who appreciates and listens to music from the NEW WAVE, PUNK or ALTERNATIVE MUSIC movements that began in the mid 70s and continued throughout the 1980s...
~anyone who enjoys the music of bands stretching the gamut from A Flock Of Seagulls all the way to Yazoo and everything in between...
~anyone who thinks that the musicians and bands from the late 70s/1980s avant-garde were true creative visionaries on the cutting edge of something that at the time was brand new and different...

I will be presenting biographical information, trivia, website links and video links for a wide range of musicians and bands that flourished from the mid 70s throughout the 80s. For ease of reference, I will put the names of the bands that I discuss in bold text and I ask that everyone else please refrain from using bold text so that when new people join the group they can easily find and access the musical information. Send me a message if there is any band or musician that you want me to spotlight and I'll see what I can do...

Please feel free to discuss your favorites, your thoughts and your experiences surrounding the music and the scene :-D





THE JAM were an English punk rock/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They had 18 straight top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their breakup in 1982, including four number 1 hits. THE JAM drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including 1960s beat music, soul, rhythm and blues and psychedelic rock, as well as 1970s punk rock and new wave. The trio was known for its melodic pop songs, its distinctly English flavour and its mod image. The band launched the career of Paul Weller, who went on to form The Style Council and later had a successful solo career. Weller wrote and sang most of THE JAM'S original compositions, and he played lead Rickenbacker guitar. Bruce Foxton provided backing vocals and played unusually prominent basslines, which were the foundation of many of the band's songs; including the hits "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", "The Eton Rifles" and "Town Called Malice".



Around 1976, Weller had a stylistic revelation after seeing the Sex Pistols. He recalled later, "The Pistols' noisy garage band racket and Rotten's youthful amphetamined arrogance. I loved it! It was so young and exciting, and of course, there were no flares - one of the most hideous fashion creations ever!" In the following two years, THE JAM gained a small following around London from playing minor gigs, becoming one of the new lights on the nascent punk scene. In many ways, however, they stood out from their punk peers. Though they shared a youthful outlook, short hair, crushing volume, and lightning-fast tempos, THE JAM wore neatly tailored suits where others wore ripped clothes, played professionally where others were defiantly amateurish, and portrayed clear influences in 1960s rock where others were disdainful (at least in public) of the past. Indeed, they were tagged by some journalists as revivalists. They were signed to Polydor Records in early 1977.



In 1979, "The Eton Rifles" became their most successful single to date, peaking at #3 on the UK charts, their first Top Ten hit. Sound Affects was released in 1980, and one of the albums most popular singles was the acoustic "That's Entertainment". Although it lacks the "distinctive" JAM electric sound, it is now arguably THE JAM'S most noted song. Despite the group's lack of commercial success in America, the song even made American magazine Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. The album went to #2 in the UK. The 1982 release The Gift -- the band's final LP -- was a massive commercial success, peaking at #1 on the UK charts and featuring the #1 hit "Town Called Malice."
-- excerpted from Wikipedia



Here are some YouTube video links from THE JAM:

THE JAM - IN THE CITY

THE JAM - TOWN CALLED MALICE

THE JAM - THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT

THE JAM - DOWN IN THE TUBE STATION AT MIDNIGHT

THE JAM - MODERN WORLD

THE JAM - GOING UNDERGROUND

THE JAM - ETON RIFLES

THE JAM - ALL AROUND THE WORLD

THE JAM - ART SCHOOL

THE JAM - FUNERAL PYRE

Here are some images and album covers from THE JAM:














































































































created by allisonberryart

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Shoutbox - 73 comments

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nathanielmurray says:

New Work on virb.com/nathanielmurray

posted Apr 18

alka says:

i grew up and thrived on new wave. a particular joy in life is discovering classic material that somehow escaped me in the 80's.. for example how did I live my life without Visage all these years! check out "damned don't cry"

posted Mar 29

the family vintage says:

thank you...xo

posted Feb 29

allisonberryart says:





DEVO is an American New Wave group, formed in Akron, Ohio in 1972. They are best known for their 1980 hit "Whip It", which made it to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their style has been variously classified as punk, art rock and post-punk, but they are most often remembered for their late 1970s and early 1980s New Wave sound which, along with others (such as Gary Numan, Joy Division, Peter Gabriel, and The B-52's) ushered in the synth pop sound of the 1980s.

DEVO'S music and stage show mingle kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and mordantly satirical social commentary via sometimes-discordant pop songs that often feature unusual synthetic instrumentation and time signatures, and their work has proved hugely influential on subsequent popular music, particularly New Wave and alternative rock artists. DEVO was also a pioneer of the music video, creating many memorable clips that were popular in the early days of MTV.

The name "Devo" comes "from their concept of 'de-evolution' - the idea that instead of evolving, mankind has actually regressed, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society. This idea was developed as a joke by early members of the band when they were art students at Kent State University in the late 1960s.


posted Jan 12

Comment replies (5)

allisonberryart says:


DEVO'S big break came in 1976 when their short film The Truth About De-Evolution won a prize at the Ann Arbor Film Festival; it was then seen by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, who championed them and enabled DEVO to secure a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. After Bowie backed out due to previous commitments, their first album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! was produced by Brian Eno and featured a radical cover of the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and the controversially titled "Mongoloid".

Although they started out with a mixture of traditional rock instruments and electronic effects, during the early 1980s DEVO adopted mostly or entirely synthetic instrumentation, becoming one of the first American acts to perform on stage using only synthesizers (except for Bob #1 on guitar); they were also one of the first groups in the world to regularly use radio microphones and microphone headsets on stage.

DEVO is probably as well known for their image as for their music, donning uniforms that mocked industrial culture and pop consumerism, such as the yellow chemical-protection suits during the early Q: Are We Not Men? period, and famously worn on their now-legendary Saturday Night Live appearance, which first aired on October 14, 1978.

posted Jan 12

allisonberryart says:

The band also wore matching JFK-esque plastic pompadours (marketed for sale as "The New Traditionalist Pomp"), masks and the signature red "flower pot" hats (marketed as "Energy Domes") for Freedom of Choice -- which were intended (according to the band) to channel their sexual energy into their voices. Mark Mothersbaugh also donned a baby mask to create his famous alter-ego, Booji Boy (pronounced "Boogie Boy"), said by some to symbolize the infantile regression that DEVO saw in American culture. The character featured in many stage performances and video clips, as did Booji Boy's father, General Boy (played by Mothersbaugh's father Robert Mothersbaugh, Sr.), who satirized American authority figures.

DEVO was a pioneer of the music video, thanks in part to their frequent early collaborator, director Chuck Statler. The video for "Whip It" became an early staple of MTV, and their many promotional films and video clips are important landmarks in the development of this genre. They also pioneered the use of long-form promotional video cassettes with releases such as The Complete Truth About De-Evolution and The Men Who Make the Music, which mixed self-produced conceptual video clips with live performance footage and mockumentary segments. In many videos, DEVO created a "plastic reality" with original characters, serving as parodies of real-life counterparts. DEVO created and directed many of their own videos, and the band has cited the video for the song "Beautiful World" as their favorite example of their video work.
-- excerpted from Devo - Wikipedia

posted Jan 12

allisonberryart says:































posted Jan 12

allisonberryart says:











posted Jan 12

Chris Real & the Others says:

What a super terrific happy hour idea for a group.

Killer that it's so popular too on here... gives me hope for the future. :-)

posted Dec 11

airaid says:

now, holy shite!
this has utterly added sparkle to what may well be the worst 2 weeks i've had.

i love this place... almost as much as i love Devo's 'beautiful world'...

which has the coldest, most cruel video i've ever seen.

and damn, kids... we ARE strong!


ps... many thanks for the Kate Bushitude!

damn, she lovely!

i love britain!

posted Nov 19

allisonberryart says:





I listened to KATE BUSH for the first time when I was 16 years old. Hounds Of Love was the name of the album and when I heard it, I felt as if I was being taken on a journey through a dreamy, nightmarish, pagan-like ritual. I instantly became a fan of her intensely dramatic conceptual imagery and began to explore her earlier work. One song that I've always been fond of is Army Dreamers from the album Never For Ever. It seems to be an unfortunately timeless message that is just as appropriate today as it ever was...

This is a review by Robert Webb about the song Army Dreamers for The Independent (a London daily)...
~~ A little like "Sons Of", Jacques Brel's morbid tale of boys going to war and not returning, the equally sombre "Army Dreamers" is about the senseless death of a soldier on manoeuvres. KATE BUSH assumes the role of a grieving mother who, through the waste of her son's life, questions her very motherhood: could she have prevented his death buy buying him a guitar or giving him a "proper education"?

It has a chilling second verse: "Mourning in the aerodrome / The weather warmer, he is colder / Four men in uniform / To carry home my little soldier." Although the lyrics hint at the Troubles, she denied that the song was directed at Northern Ireland. In fact, she intended it more as a comment on British forces posted in Germany. "I'm not slagging off the Army," KATE said. "It's just so sad that there are kids who have no O-levels and nothing to do but become soldiers, and it's not what they want."

posted Nov 12

Comment replies (1)

allisonberryart says:

KATE wrote the song in the studio, fitting her story around a rather unmilitary two-step. A waltz was chosen to emphasise the traditional subject matter. It was recorded in 1980 at Abbey Road for her third album Never For Ever, co-produced by KATE BUSH and Jon Kelly. For the video, she dressed in khaki, blinking in time to the click of a rifle reloading. It was her least successful single. -- Robert Webb - The London Independent, Feb 23, 2007

Here is the video: KATE BUSH - ARMY DREAMERS on YouTube

For more information about KATE BUSH, I highly recommend Wikipedia. The biography that has been written is top-notch with lots of notes on her songs - references to movies, books, etc...
KATE BUSH BIOGRAPHY on Wikipedia













posted Nov 12

allisonberryart says:

KATE BUSH has been a creative inspiration for me over the years. I respect Kate's unique approach to her art and her stretching of the boundaries of pop music, but, most of all, I appreciate her willingness and desire to take control of her artistic vision and make it happen according to her own ideals and standards. She is my role model for today's feminist...

Is there anyone else out there who admires KATE BUSH?

posted Oct 12

allisonberryart says:





Howard Devoto (born Howard Trafford 1955 in Manchester) is an English rock and roll singer/songwriter who began his career as the frontman for the punk band Buzzcocks, and who then formed several other groups, notably MAGAZINE. Inspired by the Sex Pistols, DeVoto co-formed Buzzcocks with singer/guitarist Pete Shelley in 1976. He left Buzzcocks after only one record (the Spiral Scratch E.P.) and a small number of performances. I promise that I will revisit The Buzzcocks in the near future and give them their due credit :-D

Devoto afterwards formed the legendary, genre-defying MAGAZINE in 1977. Their unique style was not easily categorized and they were more often than not described rather simplistically as "post-punk" or "new wave". They went on to release several ground-breaking albums, which met with only moderate commercial success, as well as minor hits such as "Shot By Both Sides" and "A Song From Under the Floorboards".

posted Oct 11

Comment replies (4)

allisonberryart says:

Of all the icons assembled in the pantheon of punk, Howard Devoto could most probably lay claim to being the most enigmatic and the most revered. He was described by Pete Frame (the creator of Rock Family Trees) as "the Orson Welles of punk", and pronounced in a tribute song by Momus to be the Most Important Man Alive. Morrissey stated that it was Devoto whom he had in mind when he wrote The Last of the Famous International Playboys, while Paul Morley claimed that Devoto introduced a "new literacy not just into punk, but into rock as a whole". He has also been cited as an influence by novelists as different in style as DJ Taylor and Jeff Noon.

Devoto formed MAGAZINE as a way of expanding the possibilities that had been opened by punk. As ever, Devoto's stance was one of disaffection and dissatisfaction - rejecting the early complacency into which punk rock so readily dropped, prior to becoming little more than a picture postcard parody of itself. With MAGAZINE, he explored the causes of this stance through lyrics and performance which were at once disturbing and playfully self-aware and endlessly self-questioning. "MAGAZINE was its own particular blend of trying to contain a certain sort of intelligence in that sort of music. One of my partners of those years, asking about a MAGAZINE lyric, said, 'Is that about you and me?' And I said, 'You'll never know because I swap them around.' But also in MAGAZINE there was the idea of me addressing the audience and making ambiguous pronouncements about our respective roles - your idea of me, and my idea of you. And I was really playing with that during the period of the first two MAGAZINE LPs, when I was in the prime of my ambition. I'm still proud of MAGAZINE. Half a lifetime of feeling went into it.

posted Oct 11

allisonberryart says:

"And I'm sure that I tried to rant on about the importance, to me, of paradox and contradiction. That there is some state of grace or point of ultimate knowledge in trying to come to an aesthetic understanding of these things. I'm trying to explain the song Shot By Both Sides, I suppose, and this is the area that I've explored in everything I've done since the Buzzcocks." --excerpted from Howard Devoto - Wikipedia and buzzcocks.com

Here are some MAGAZINE (HOWARD DEVOTO) video links from YouTube:
MAGAZINE - THE LIGHT POURS OUT OF ME

MAGAZINE - SHOT BY BOTH SIDES

MAGAZINE - CUT OUT SHAPES

MAGAZINE - MOTORCADE

MAGAZINE - FEED THE ENEMY

MAGAZINE - I'M A PARTY

MAGAZINE - PERMAFROST

This is from HOWARD DEVOTO'S solo album, Jerky Versions Of The Dream...
HOWARD DEVOTO - RAINY SEASON

posted Oct 11

allisonberryart says:

Here are some MAGAZINE images and album covers:






















posted Oct 11

allisonberryart says:





















posted Oct 11

allisonberryart says:





AZTEC CAMERA was a Scottish New Wave music band from Glasgow and for all intents and purposes, AZTEC CAMERA is, essentially, Roddy Frame. However, a "band" did exist in the early 1980s, although even then the line-up changed several times in its first few years. The constant member has been guitarist / vocalist / singer-songwriter Roddy Frame. Founding members included Campbell Owens (bass) and Dave Mulholland (drums). Craig Gannon was a member from 1983 through 1984. Guitarist Malcolm Ross (formerly of Josef K and Orange Juice) joined in 1984, and appeared on the Knife album.
Although generally considered to be born out of the post-punk movement, AZTEC CAMERA'S music is mostly acoustic oriented and might be better described as indie guitar music. The band's first UK 7" single was released by Glasgow-based indie label Postcard Records in March 1981, and contained the songs "Just Like Gold" and "We Could Send Letters". An acoustic version of the latter song appeared on the influential C81 compilation cassette, released by NME in early 1981. A second single, "Mattress Of Wire", was also the last Postcard Records release before the group signed for fellow independent record label, Rough Trade.

posted Jul 19

Comment replies (4)

allisonberryart says:


AZTEC CAMERA'S debut album, High Land, Hard Rain, was released in April 1983. The album was successful, gathering significant critical acclaim for its well-crafted, multi-layered pop. The band went on to release a total of six albums, although most of these were essentially written and played by Frame. The albums included Knife (1984), Love (1987), Stray (1990), Dreamland (1993) and Frestonia (1995).
After the release of AZTEC CAMERA'S sixth album, Frestonia, Frame finally decided to record under his own name, and left major record label WEA. In 1998 he recorded The North Star, followed by the acoustic efforts Surf (2002) and Western Skies (2006).
Popular songs by AZTEC CAMERA include "Oblivious", "Walk Out to Winter", "Somewhere in My Heart", and "Good Morning Britain" (a duet with former The Clash guitarist Mick Jones).

A 'Best of' collection was released in 1999 and an acoustic live album 'Live at Ronnie Scotts' in 2005.
--excerpted from Aztec Camera - Wikipedia

RODDY FRAME OFFICIAL WEBSITE

AZTEC CAMERA & RODDY FRAME FANSITE

Here are some AZTEC CAMERA videos links:
AZTEC CAMERA - WALK OUT TO WINTER (LIVE 1983)

AZTEC CAMERA - OBLIVIOUS (ORIGINAL PROMO VIDEO)

AZTEC CAMERA - ALL I NEED IS EVERYTHING

AZTEC CAMERA - STILL ON FIRE

posted Jul 19

allisonberryart says:

















posted Jul 19

allisonberryart says:









posted Jul 19

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