At the peak of punk mania in June 1977, Phonogram Records issued New Wave, a compilation album featuring the likes of The Dead Boys, The Ramones, The Runaways and The Boomtown Rats ‘Lookin’ After No 1’. It was the first time the term had been used to reference music and heralded the start of a genre that would come to dominate the charts, radio and Top Of The Pops for the next four years.
Of course, genres can be fuzzy things, particularly when what fits where is uncertain, but contrary to most lines of thought (in America new wave is used to describe everything from The Pretenders to Depeche Mode), new wave had absolutely no connection to post punk or new pop. OK, so it may have been inspired by punk, but it was always easily identifiable as something quite separate, full as it was of older groups too steeped in the musical values of the sixties to ever be regarded as experimental or modern.
In fact, at its narrowest and most disparaging, new wave came to represent something very particular; four geeky dweebs with short hair, plastic shades and blank expressions who musically weren’t very new at all. But punk’s principle problem with most of the groups here was that they were bandwagon jumpers of the most cynical kind; considerably older, opportunist ex pub or prog rockers who had cut their hair and reinvented themselves as soon as punk began hoovering up the column inches and record sales.
Having said that, some tagged as new wave like the Buzzcocks, The Stranglers, The Boys, Generation X and The Vibrators had originally emerged during the first days of punk, long before their less abrasive, more pop sensibility came to the fore. And then there were others like XTC, a permanent fixture at Readings Target pub throughout 1977, The Only Ones, The Cure and The Psychedelic Furs who were only thrown into the mix because they didn’t fit in anywhere else.
I must admit that in the end new wave became so insanely catchy even I was seduced by its charms. With my obsession for seven inch singles at an all time high, I ended up buying almost as many nerdy new wave records as scroaty punk ones. They were certainly more tuneful and some of them remain as favourites to this day. In the late seventies there can be no doubt that new wave’s endless energy, pop precision and stripped down dynamics contributed to the excitement of the era as much as anything.
Ultimately, I guess it was the emergence of Japan, Scritti Politti, ABC, The Associates and the like that did for new wave. Trapped in a trad pop and rock cul-de-sac, it was usurped by the shiny surfaces and sonic luxury of the new pop terrorists. All of a sudden it felt outdated, outmoded and ridiculous. Why listen to The Pretenders when you could listen to the Human League? Why bother with the sound of the past when the sound of the future was so enticing?
01. BOOMTOWN RATS ‘Lookin’ After No 1’ (New Wave Compilation LP June 1977)
02. MINK DEVILLE ‘Spanish Stroll’ (A Side June 1977)
03. EDDIE & THE HOT RODS ‘Do Anything You Wanna Do’ (A Side July 1977)
04. IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS ‘Sex And Drugs And Rock’n’Roll’ (A Side August 1977)
05. THE YACHTS ‘Suffice To Say’ (A Side September 1977)
06. THE STRANGLERS ‘No More Heroes’ (A Side September 1977)
07. ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS ‘Watching The Detectives’ (A Side October 1977)
08. REZILLOS ‘(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures’ (A Side November 1977)
09. RICH KIDS ‘Rich Kids’ (A Side January 1978)
10. XTC ‘Statue Of Liberty’ (A Side January 1978)
11. NICK LOWE ‘I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass’ (A Side February 1978)
12. THE BOYS ‘Brickfield Nights’ (A Side February 1978)
13. THE SAINTS ‘Know Your Product’ (A Side February 1978)
14. GENERATION X ‘Ready Steady Go’ (A Side March 1978)
15. THE VIBRATORS ‘Automatic Lover’ (A Side March 1978)
16. ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS ‘(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea’ (A Side March 1978)
17. THE ONLY ONES ‘Another Girl Another Planet’ (A Side April 1978)
18. DEVO (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ (A Side April 1978)
19. X RAY SPEX ‘Germ Free Adolescence’ (A Side July 1978)
20. BLONDIE ‘Picture This’ (A Side August 1978)
21. THE POLICE ‘Can’t Stand Losing You’ (A Side August 1978)
22. THE UNDERTONES ‘Teenage Kicks’ (Teenage Kicks EP September 1978)
23. WRECKLESS ERIC ‘Whole Wide World’ (A Side September 1978)
24. SKIDS ‘Into The Valley’ (A Side January 1979)
25. THE MEMBERS ‘Sound Of The Suburbs’ (A Side January 1979)
26. LENE LOVICH ‘Lucky Number’ (A Side February 1979)
27. THE ROMANTICS ‘What I Like About You’ (A Side March 1979)
28. BUZZCOCKS ‘Everybody’s Happy Nowadays’ (A Side March 1979)
29. THE CURE ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ (A Side May 1979)
30. THE PRETENDERS ‘Kid’ (A Side June 1979)
31. JOE JACKSON ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him?’ (A Side July 1979)
32. XTC ‘Making Plans For Nigel’ (A Side September 1979)
33. THE PASSIONS ‘Oh No It’s You’ (B Side November 1979)
34. HOLLY & THE ITALIANS ‘Tell That Girl To Shut Up’ (A Side January 1980)
35. THE PLIMSOULS ‘Everyday Things’ (The Plimsouls LP June 1980)
36. THE B-52’s ‘Give Me Back My Man’ (A Side July 1980)
37. GENERATION X ‘Dancing With Myself’ (A Side September 1980)
38. DEPARTMENT S ‘Is Vic There?’ (A Side April 1981)
39. THE GO-GO’S ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’ (A Side May 1981)
40. THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS ‘Pretty In Pink’ (A Side June 1981)