Fritz's New Wave Relics

[Fritz]

Quincy "Turn The Other Way Around" from Quincy (1980)




New Jersey-based Quincy was another Philly club fave. The sexual innuendo of "Turn The Other Way Around" was probably not lost on the club patrons.

As I understand it, Quincy Jones' lawyers forced them to change their name - they became Smash Palace and went on to find short-lived success with "Living On The Borderline" in 1985, which got some play on radio and MTV.

[Fritz]

Iam Siam "She Went Pop" - Single (1985)




The New York-based synthpop trio Iam Siam only released one LP.

Trivia: A collaborator for the record was renowned synthesizer pioneer Larry Fast of Synergy fame.

[Fritz]

Shoes "This Christmas" from Yuletunes compilation (1991)




The Shoes are a power pop band hailing from Zion, Illinois, founded by a group of high school friends in the mid-70s. Despite releasing an endless stream of infectiously catchy pop tunes, major commercial success always eluded them. Almost 40 years later, they still are putting out records on their own indie label, Black Vinyl Records. "This Christmas" comes from a hard-to-find various artists compilation of Christmas songs, many produced by Shoe's Jeff Murphy.

[montana]

I don't know why some absolute shit becomes commercial successful and quality doesn't ?

[Fritz]

Sadly, it's all about promotion. The best record in the world will never be a hit if no one ever hears it.

On the flip side, I can't count the number of times I've thought to myself while listening to some forgettable record from a big name act, "If this wasn't by {big name act}, would anyone even be listening to this crappy record?" The answer, of course, is no.

[Fritz]

B-Movie "Nowhere Girl" - Single (1982)




Originally formed in 1980, this British New Wave/Synthpop band released a number of singles in the UK with little success. When they finally put out the full-length LP Forever Running in 1985, it flopped and they soon broke up. But they did produce some great synthpop, like this the early version of probably their best-known song, "Nowhere Girl" from 1982.

[Fritz]

The Hawaiian Pups "Baby Judy" from Split Second Precision (1983)




I really don't know a lot about this NYC-based synthpop act, but this spoof of the Dick and Jane children's books is pretty amusing.

[mrbluesky]

Great stuff! Where do you keep finding these bands?! Great to have these back

[MissChromeNun]

So - I haven't listened to much new wave at all. I know so little about it. To change that, I was thinking of just listening to all the material you've posted to this thread thus far. Would that serve as an appropriate introduction?

[Fritz]

Sept 29, 2019 14:33:34 GMT -6 MissChromeNun said:

So - I haven't listened to much new wave at all. I know so little about it. To change that, I was thinking of just listening to all the material you've posted to this thread thus far. Would that serve as an appropriate introduction?

Well, I'm not sure how representative of the genre these tracks are.  The stuff I've posted here are all pretty "deep catalog" -obscure groups and tracks that even most people who lived through the era wouldn't know. 

Given that most visitors here are not New Wave aficionados like me, I suppose I should widen the scope to include some of the better known groups and songs as well.

[MissChromeNun]

Sept 29, 2019 16:22:04 GMT -6 Fritz said:

Sept 29, 2019 14:33:34 GMT -6 MissChromeNun said:

So - I haven't listened to much new wave at all. I know so little about it. To change that, I was thinking of just listening to all the material you've posted to this thread thus far. Would that serve as an appropriate introduction?

Well, I'm not sure how representative of the genre these tracks are.  The stuff I've posted here are all pretty "deep catalog" -obscure groups and tracks that even most people who lived through the era wouldn't know. 

Given that most visitors here are not New Wave aficionados like me, I suppose I should widen the scope to include some of the better known groups and songs as well.

Hm, alrighty then. Looking forward to your future posts, and I'll be giving some of these a listen.

[acidtripper666]

Sept 29, 2019 16:22:04 GMT -6 Fritz said:

Sept 29, 2019 14:33:34 GMT -6 MissChromeNun said:

So - I haven't listened to much new wave at all. I know so little about it. To change that, I was thinking of just listening to all the material you've posted to this thread thus far. Would that serve as an appropriate introduction?

Well, I'm not sure how representative of the genre these tracks are.  The stuff I've posted here are all pretty "deep catalog" -obscure groups and tracks that even most people who lived through the era wouldn't know. 

Given that most visitors here are not New Wave aficionados like me, I suppose I should widen the scope to include some of the better known groups and songs as well.

Do you prefer post punk or new wave

[Fritz]

Sept 29, 2019 20:41:13 GMT -6 acidtripper666 said:

Do you prefer post punk or new wave

Oh, I'm definitely in the New Wave camp, though there are certainly Post-Punk groups and songs I enjoy.  

[acidtripper666]

Sept 30, 2019 6:26:37 GMT -6 Fritz said:

Sept 29, 2019 20:41:13 GMT -6 acidtripper666 said:

Do you prefer post punk or new wave

Oh, I'm definitely in the New Wave camp, though there are certainly Post-Punk groups and songs I enjoy.  

I like both but slightly prefer post-punk

[Fritz]

Okay, here's one that's not rare or obscure...

The B-52's "Rock Lobster" from The B-52's (1979)



Hailing from Athens, Georgia, perhaps no other group typified American New Wave music more than The B-52's.  Their quite intentionally kitschy throw-back dance surf music style, complete with bee-hive hairdoos, and unusual guitar tuning made them a natural for parties and this tune in particular was a staple at college fraternity parties in the early 80s.  Hell, they were just fun!