I stumbled over these two 18 New Wave Classics compilations while working on organizing my books and CDs in the basement. The CDs were released in the mid-1990s so they’ve been buried in a box for about 20 years. Some of these songs were familiar, but many were not. I preferred the songs on Volume 2 over the songs on Volume 1.
On Volume 1 I remembered A Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran,” Pseudo Echo’s “Funkytown,” ABC’s “Poison Arrow,” and Howard Jones’ “New Song.” Many of the other songs I had either forgotten or were new to me.
On Volume 2, I had to laugh again at Frank Zappa’s biggest hit, “Valley Girl” with his daughter, Moon Unit, doing the narration. Loved The Smiths “Girlfriend in a Coma” and chuckled at a-ha’s ungrammatical “Take On Me.” I was always a fan of Aimee Mann’s vocal on “Voices Carry” with the group Til Tuesday. Frankie Goes To Hollywood (but only once) with “Relax.”
The best selling hit on these CDs might be The Knack’s “My Sharona.” It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks, and was number one on Billboard‘s 1979 Top Pop Singles year-end chart. “My Sharona” was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, representing a million copies sold, and was Capitol Records‘ fastest gold status debut single since the Beatles‘ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in 1964.
Once again, some strong songs mixed in with some weak songs. How many of these New Wave “classics” do you remember? Any favorites here? GRADE: B (for both)
Tracklist
| 1 | –The Smiths | How Soon Is Now? | 3:57 |
| 2 | –INXS | Original Sin | 3:49 |
| 3 | –Siouxsie & The Banshees | Kiss Them For Me | 4:31 |
| 4 | –Berlin | The Metro | 4:10 |
| 5 | –A Flock Of Seagulls | I Ran (7″) | 3:45 |
| 6 | –ABC | Poison Arrow | 3:26 |
| 7 | –Yazoo | Only You | 3:14 |
| 8 | –Pseudo Echo | Funkytown | 3:45 |
| 9 | –Boys Don’t Cry | I Wanna Be A Cowboy | 3:43 |
| 10 | –Missing Persons | Walking In L.A. | 3:40 |
| 11 | –Erasure | Chains Of Love | 3:36 |
| 12 | –Echo & The Bunnymen | Lips Like Sugar | 4:54 |
| 13 | –Howard Jones | New Song | 4:17 |
| 14 | –Lone Justice | Ways To Be Wicked | 3:27 |
| 15 | –Q-Feel | Dancing In Heaven | 3:10 |
| 16 | –The Flying Lizards | Money (7″) | 2:35 |
| 17 | –Devo | Jocko Homo | 3:41 |
| 18 | –The B-52’s | Rock Lobster | 4:53 |
Tracklist:
| 1 | –Frank Zappa | Valley Girl Narrator [Monologue] – Moon Zappa | 3:50 |
| 2 | –The Smiths | Girlfriend In A Coma | 2:03 |
| 3 | –INXS | Devil Inside | 5:11 |
| 4 | –Devo | Girl U Want | 2:57 |
| 5 | –Bryan Ferry | Kiss And Tell | 4:53 |
| 6 | –a-ha | Take On Me | 3:48 |
| 7 | –Culture Club | I’ll Tumble 4 Ya | 2:35 |
| 8 | –Romeo Void | A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing) | 4:17 |
| 9 | –The B-52’s | Roam | 4:06 |
| 10 | –‘Til Tuesday | Voices Carry | 4:20 |
| 11 | –Erasure | Who Needs Love (Like That) | 3:18 |
| 12 | –The Human League | (Keep Feeling) Fascination | 3:45 |
| 13 | –ABC | Be Near Me | 3:40 |
| 14 | –Oingo Boingo | Weird Science | 3:45 |
| 15 | –Marshall Crenshaw | Someday, Someway | 2:52 |
| 16 | –The Knack (3) | My Sharona | 4:01 |
| 17 | –EBN/OZN* | AEIOU Sometimes Y | 3:53 |
| 18 | –Frankie Goes To Hollywood | Relax | 3:57 |
I like a lot of stuff on here. Bryan Ferry, Frank Zappa, Marshall Crenshaw and Lone Justice I wouldn’t label as New Wave. My favorites would be Roam and Rock Lobster by B-52s, Marshall Crenshaws Soneday Someway, Devo’s Girl U Want, Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Bryan Ferry’s Kiss and Tell. Never liked Howard Jones, EBN/OZN, Oingo Boingo or A-Ha. I would give it a B+.
The leader of The Knack was the late Doug Fieger whose brother Geoff Fieger is a well known lawyer in Detroit who once made a bid for governor. Marshall Crenshaw is also local.
Steve, I’m with you on the “New Wave” categorizations of some of these songs. Plenty of variety on these two CDs.
If you know that in the early 1980s I segued from being a Disco Dolly to being a Reagan-era Go-Go Girl, you will have no trouble believing that I know every single song on these CDs and I like, even love, many of them. Favorites include, “A Girl in Trouble” (epic sax solo), “Kiss and Tell” (kiss-off to Jerry Hall), “Poison Arrow” (“I thought you loved me, but I can see you don’t care” “I care enough to know I could never love you”), and “Girlfriend in A Coma” (which, when you listen to the lyrics, leaves you with very little doubt as to who put the girlfriend into the coma). I could go on, but there are only so many hours in the day. It’s a great collection—happy listening!
Deb, I had a feeling you might be familiar with these songs. I love the way you analyze song lyrics!
The only song here that I remember because it was often played on German radio is “Relax”!
My taste was a bit different – Bluesrock …
Wolf, I’ll have to find some blues/rock CDs to feature in the weeks ahead. I know Eric Clapton tended in that direction.
I do remember a lot and I credit my kids still being around and playing music for that.
Patti, I remembered some of these songs. Others…not so much.
How many do I remember? 7 or 8 of 36, though if I heard it I’d probably know more. Favorites? Not really, though I’d pick “My Sharona” and “Take On Me” if I needed to pick. How can they take The Human League but not their biggest hit (“Don’t You Want Me”)?
I knew this would ring Deb’s bell.
Bell…rung!
Jeff, like you I knew 18 NEW WAVE CLASSICS would appeal to Steve and Deb.
I remember a fair number of these, and enjoyed a lot of them, but I didn’t like them enough to buy them. One I bought recently, as I picked up a Bryan Ferry collection. The only ones I got at the time were ABC’s The Lexicon of Love, with “Poison Arrow,” and Welcome to the Pleasuredome by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, with “Relax.” I was collecting records produced by Trevor Horn (of the Buggles), and these were two of my favorites.
15 years ago there was a 2-cd “best of” set called Produced by Trevor Horn that is outstanding, but it’s out of print and expensive. He did get a dozen of his acts (including Seal, Grace Jones, Pet Shop Boys) together for a one-night concert, Slaves to the Rhythm, and the dvd of that is still available for a nice, $10 price. Well worth it.
Of the other songs on this New Wave set, the one I still hear all the time is “Rock Lobster.” Heard it in the supermarket the other day. It can pop up anywhere, anytime.
Jeff, I’ll be alert for any PRODUCED BY TREVOR HORN sightings around here. Yes, “Rock Lobster” shows up on music in stores…when I used to shop in stores. Now, over 90% of my purchases are on-line.
So true. I heard it in the supermarket the other day too!
And I know we don’t shop in the same supermarket!
Just remembered:
British radio BBC banned “Relax” because they thought it too obscene.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_banned_by_the_BBC
I always thought that books and records only were banned in the USA.
Wolf, censorship is universal. I’m sure more than a few U.S. radio stations banned “Relax,” too.
I’m looking at the list Wolf linked to, and cannot fathom for what reason they would have banned “Come Monday” by Jimmy Buffett. Deb? Any ideas?
Others? Well, “The Battle of New Orleans” is obvious. The British kept a-running, down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
“Ebony Eyes”? She died in a plane crash. Huh? They also banned death on the highway songs – Tell Laura I Love Her” and “Leader of the Pack.”
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas”? Other than hating Bing Crosby (which I do), I don’t see it.
“Little Star” by The Elegants? Why?
Now I can understand “Lola” and “Sixty Minute Man” and “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” being banned.
And yet they didn’t ban “Come On Eileen” with lyrics including:
“Ah come on let’s
Take off everything
That pretty red dress
Eileen”
Jeff, if you write it as “cum Monday” … 🙂
Rather OT but funny:
I just read about the first Rolling Stones concert in Bejing many years ago. The Stones were told that they are not allowed to play “Let’s spend the night together”. The politicians thought/were afraid that this would invalidate their one-child-only politics.
Nope! It’s past my cutoff date for hearing new music!
I do know My Sharona only because of the recent parodies about the Carona virus. Otherwise, nada. Jesus, I’m old. Or, perhaps, I had a life when these were popular.