Greg Kihn vs. The Tubes (On the Fence of New Wave)

[Quite Life]

Who of these on the fence of new wave bands is better and more new wave??? Greg Kihn, who back in the day was a great live show. I have a 1980 live tape from either Winterland or the Old Wardorf.

Greg Kihn with classic hits like: The Break Up Song, Jeopordy, and KihnVersion of Roadrunner. Love those LP titles also RocKihnRoll and KihnSpiracy.

or

The Tubes with the crazy character of Fee Waybill in his many personalities with classics like: White Punks on Dope, Talk to Ya Later, Don't want to wait Anymore, and She's a Beuaty.




hmmmmm?

[hutter]

Greg Kihn. Not very new wave, but at least his songs weren't annoying as hell (unlike the Tubes. God, I F-N hate their "music").

[earthloop]

I like just one song out of either of the above artists repertoirs...The Tubes 'Prime Time'!

Genuine new wave synth pop! [:D]

[firefall]

Tubes,definitely!Areally strange band of well-trained musicians in late sixtees and seventees,who didn't care a lot about mass recognition and played a variety of styles(experimenting),from art rock and glam to''somehow punk''-new wave and AOR.Early Tubes,were a difficult band who didn't manage to carry the incredible craziness of their stage shows in vinyl.So,it could be better for someone to start from their live videotapes.Greg Kihn,i could tell he was a mainstream-mainly- musician with some good songs and part of the amazing Beserkley Records.Nothing more...

[scramjet]

"Talk To Ya Later" sports some very new wave sounding synth work (along with the standard for the time AOR sounding guitars). I think the synths in that song alone give the Tubes the edge in new waviness over Greg Kihn.

[highway1pch]

Greg Kihn Band!

[i]They don't write 'em like that any more![/i]

<a href="http://www.ocnewwave.blogspot.com/"><font color="#ff6600"><font size=+1.5>OC New Wave Blog</font></a>
<font color="#00ff00"><font="westminster">Music videos, Orange County concerts, and more.</font>

[Rokkr]

I'd call Greg Kihn power pop and I consider power pop a niche of new wave.
I've never considered "new wave" to include only synth pop bands.

As for the Tubes, they always had one of the best live shows of any band around. I saw them 3 or 4 times and loved every show.
But I'd put them pretty much in the straight ahead rock category.

Truth be told though I REALLY hate freaking labels anyway. Good music is good music is good music, I don't care what genre people try to pigeonhole stuff in. And good music is whatever YOU like.
I rarely slam others taste in music as I've spent decades hearing remarks like, "I can't believe you like that shit!"
I've had people accuse me of liking different things just to be cool or different. Fact is I like what I like and if you don't like it, don't listen to it. But don't try telling me what I should or shouldn't like.

I use a music torrent site where people argue incessantly over whether something is "indie" or "ambient" or "experimental."

Screw that.

[Grunch]

Like both a great deal, though Greg Kihn has always been a favorite. My favorite release by him is Next of Kihn, with that great track Remember.

For me, they are both essential to have.

[SomebodySomewhere]

Greg Kihn is a nice guy. Fee Waybill is a roaring asshole. Thus, I must give the nod to Kihn, whose "Lucky," "The Breakup Song" and "Valerie" were "kihntagious."

The Tubes are more new wave, of course, and I like several tracks from their latter-day period, but I still get annoyed whenever I think of some of the things Fee spewed in interviews. The phrase "Physician, heal thyself" comes to mind...

[raserx]

Were any New Yorkers at WLIR's Party-in-the-park concerts with Greg Kihn and Joan Jett?? These were free outdoor shows about 1981 or so.Great shows!

<a href=http://><img src="http://images5.theimagehosting.com/raserx.051.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by The Image Hosting" /></a>

[djcraig]

I think of The Tubes as more of an old school, pre-new wave rock band that changed their sound as time went on and were then put in the "psuedo New Wave" category.

As I remember, Kihn came to prominence during the heyday of New Wave and will always be linked, in my mind, to that movement a bit more. Although he's just pretty much a mainstream rocker.

Kihn's cover of "Thunder Road", put out a few years ago, is excellent.

Yep, he's still releasing new music.

[hutter]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Rokkr[/i]
<br>I'd call Greg Kihn power pop and I consider power pop a niche of new wave.
I've never considered "new wave" to include only synth pop bands.

As for the Tubes, they always had one of the best live shows of any band around. I saw them 3 or 4 times and loved every show.
But I'd put them pretty much in the straight ahead rock category.

Truth be told though I REALLY hate freaking labels anyway. Good music is good music is good music, I don't care what genre people try to pigeonhole stuff in. And good music is whatever YOU like.
I rarely slam others taste in music as I've spent decades hearing remarks like, "I can't believe you like that shit!"
I've had people accuse me of liking different things just to be cool or different. Fact is I like what I like and if you don't like it, don't listen to it. But don't try telling me what I should or shouldn't like.

I use a music torrent site where people argue incessantly over whether something is "indie" or "ambient" or "experimental."

Screw that.

[/quote]
Amen.

[profpike]

Ya know kind of OT: but someone did mention Joan Jett-where does she fit on the "new wave" continuum. She was in Urgh! after all.

www.blogomonster.com/profpike

[InvisibleMan]

hey just watched this flick Let Me In, and Break Up Song is prominently featured in there... along with Blue Oyster Cult, Freur, Culture Club and some other early 80's artists.

that made me youtube Kihn, I don't think I've ever seen the video for Jeopardy, a fun clip [:D]

[budaniel]

Personally, my favorite Tubes song is "Dancin'", their duet with Olivia Newton-John from Xanadu. That's right. I said it...