New Wave Outpost Forum

Which new wave artist lost it in most spectacular fasion.
I'm talking the most dramatic and quick change from brilliance to mediocrity.

For me it has to be Simple Minds.

Who could have predicted that the atrists who produced the brilliant fluid euro dance/electro of I travel, Love Song/ Promised you a miricle etc would so quickly turn into the dull plodding pomp/stadium rock of Belast Child etc.

And don't even get me started on the clothes Jim Kerr wore!

Has anybody got any others?

That's the first band that came to mind for me as well, reading your topic headline. Once thinking they could be as huge as U2 is today, but it didn't work out. Guess they ran out of creativity.
Same goed for the Cure.

The first artist to pop into my mind was Billy Idol. Brilliant in Generation X, the first solo LP wasn't bad, but "rebel Yell" and beyond he just became a staple of the cut-out bin in my mind.

More recently I'd have to say The Sex Pistols. Where once they stood against corporate rock and career musicians, they now tour toe festival circuit pumping out the samy tired message of "rebellion" to kids too young to realise they're being swindled.

Simple Minds definitely.
XTC after Black Sea.
U2 after War.
Lemonheads after Lick.

I've always thought that both the Cars and the Talking Heads went from great bands to utter crap. In both cases it was "band leader ego" getting in the way. In the case of the Cars, Ric Ocasek should never have been allowed to sing more than the occasional novelty song, such as "My Best Friend's Girl." Ben Orr had a great voice, and should have continued doing most of the singing. Plus Ocasek started writing such drivel as "Shake it Up" and "You Might Think." Same is true of the Heads, which I loved up until Remain in Light. After that they lost it IMHO, and started doing stuff like "Stay Up Late," "Wild Wild Life." and "Road To Nowhere."

I never liked Simple Minds too much.. I even went to one of their concerts with some girl who was a big fan. The Cure is one of my faves, and I really like the "Let's Go to Bed" period. They did get a bit too happy sounding after a while, but then I think they bounced back. And anything by Billy Idol after Steve Stevens left isn't worth listening to!

I quite like every XTC record, with the exception of Sky Larking, which I never picked up on CD. While my favorites are Drums and Wires and Black Sea, the double version of English Settlement is a great record, as is Mummer and Big Express. The two Apple Venus disks are very good also.

U2, Madonna, Gene Loves Jezebel, and Prince

No energy, no life in their music[V]

U2 = Ugh!
Dead Or Alive used to sound fun, but they're so very, very sad now. Mediocrity has embraced them well. I whole-heartedly agree with the Simple Minds stuff: bo-ring!

[quote]but "rebel Yell" and beyond he just became a staple of the cut-out bin in my mind[/quote] I'd have to disagree about "Rebel Yell." With Steve Stephens on guitar they created one of the best fusions of Rock Guitar and New Wave of the 80's.

[quote][i]Originally posted by DavidRavenMoon[/i]
<br>I've always thought that both the Cars and the Talking Heads went from great bands to utter crap. In both cases it was "band leader ego" getting in the way. In the case of the Cars, Ric Ocasek should never have been allowed to sing more than the occasional novelty song, such as "My Best Friend's Girl." Ben Orr had a great voice, and should have continued doing most of the singing. Plus Ocasek started writing such drivel as "Shake it Up" and "You Might Think." Same is true of the Heads, which I loved up until Remain in Light. After that they lost it IMHO, and started doing stuff like "Stay Up Late," "Wild Wild Life." and "Road To Nowhere."

I never liked Simple Minds too much.. I even went to one of their concerts with some girl who was a big fan. The Cure is one of my faves, and I really like the "Let's Go to Bed" period. They did get a bit too happy sounding after a while, but then I think they bounced back. And anything by Billy Idol after Steve Stevens left isn't worth listening to!

I quite like every XTC record, with the exception of Sky Larking, which I never picked up on CD. While my favorites are Drums and Wires and Black Sea, the double version of English Settlement is a great record, as is Mummer and Big Express. The two Apple Venus disks are very good also.
[/quote]
Well, The Cars have always been one of my favorite bands. Ric Ocasek's first solo album Beatitude is one of my favorites (except fot the last song -- Time Bomb -- on the album/cd, )

I like most of the Talking Heads music, though most of David Byrne's solo work I do not care for, but his cd Feelings has 5 really good songs: A Soft Seduction, Dance on Vaseline, Amnesia, Finite - Alright, They Are In Love.

XTC's Skylarking is a great cd. The songs Summer's Cauldron and Grass are fantastic.

XTC can really do no wrong in my eyes (except for NOT putting out albums on a timely basis). I don't begrudge them for changing their style with Skylarking. It would've been stupid not to. They would've been regarded as relics by 86 if they had'nt. It seems to me that the acts who continued to churn out music like it was 1982 faded away into obscurity while artists like The Cure, Siouxsie And The Banshees and XTC were smart enough to keep it relevant.

I like U2's pre-"Unforgettable Fire" material (a favorite around here). Musically exciting. Lyrically awful.
IMHO: It was Pop in 1997 that did them in. At least with "Rattle And Hum" (generally their most hated period) they were TRYING something different. 2001's "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and 2004's "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" is where the rot REALLY sets in. Shamelessly rewriting their old records. Woefully uninspired music (but catchy).

Surprised no one mentioned Sting. Talk about losing it. Talk about losing it so badly you could never hope to find it again!

Tom Robinson Band...'Power in the Darkness' was brilliant but then they got hooked up with stinking flaccid Todd Rundgren and it was pretty much over...he got them to change the rythm section, horribly over produced it and TRB II was an abomination, save one or two tracks.

These guys were my favorite band in 78 and I was crushed when I heard that second record...

Billy Idol's losing it was actually Simple Minds' gain. When Mr. Idol turned down Keith Forsey's pitch of "Don't You Forget About Me," he unwittingly gave Simple Minds' career a boost. And, of course, Jim Kerr's paramours--Chrissie Hynde and Patsy Kensit--then took care of Simple Minds, The Kinks and Oasis.

I've gotta agree with most of the posts so far, especially Billy Idol. Some of my choices would be:
Mick Jones-from the Clash to B.A.D. UGH!
Adam Ant-anything after the Kings of The Wild Frontier record
Wall Of Voodoo after Stan Ridgway left
B 52s after the 2nd LP
Squeeze -from a great first record to Phil Collins soundalikes
Sting- from the Police to dance of the Blue Turtles YECH!

One of the first acts come in my mind, are Tubes.They started as a strange amagalm of theatrical-shock rock and a kind of progressive-punk through their first three albums,passed into pomp rock with ''Remote control''and transformed into a macho hard rock band in early eightees.The make-up started to fade,their incredible shows stopped to shock and Fee Waybill made company with Richard Marx.I must say that i'm a big fan of their early days, but i can't stand the 80s decadence.

Let's see...... How about......

REM after Green

U2 after Unforgettable Fire

ABC after Beauty Stab

Wall of Voodoo after Call of the West

Bangles after All Over the Place

Missing Persons after Spring Session M

Duran Duran after Rio

Graham Parker after The Up Escalator

The Bus Boys - after Minimum Wage Rock and Roll

The Pretenders after Pretenders 2