New Wave Outpost Forum

No, this is not when you lost your virginity. Do you remember the first time you heard some of your favourite New Wave songs? Do you remember what you thought when you heard B-Movie's "Nowhere Girl"? In my mind, I just didn't think music can get any better. How about stuff like OMD's "Souvenir" or Depeche Mode's "Shake The Disease"? I remember getting goosebumps hearing them. What songs can you remember that rock your world the first time you heard them?

I remember seeing DEVO on SNL and thinking they were really goofy. Then I saw them on Fridays (1980?) and they changed my world. I've been a DEVOted Spud ever since.

Got Parallel Lines for my 16th birthday and the first cut - Hanging on the Telephone blew me away - the vocals, the guitars - had never heard anything so cool in my life. The rest of the album was just as incredible. From then on Deb ruled my world.

B-52s on SNL - the second I saw them I was in love - the dances, offkey singing, Fred playing a toy piano, Cindy screaming "Why Won't You Dance With Me!?!?!" Just cathartic. It was everything music wasn't supposed to be, and thank God for it.

Patti Smith on SNL - "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine..." blew me away - had to hear more of her. Everytime I hear Gloria it takes me back there

Rachel Sweet's song Tonight from the Protect the Innocent - that poppy keyboard, new wave jangley guitars, her huge voice with the put-on southern accent - it was forceful, fun and made me want to pogo around my bedroom. Great first cut for any album & a perfect introduction to her & her sound.

I know I must have heard Nowhere Girl in the past, but must not have paid attention. It finally clicked that it was an incredible song when I heard it in the movie 200 Cigarettes. I jumped on audiogalaxy & downloaded the extended version - the girl laughing/screaming, that cool piano intro - it gave me chills then & still does. I can listen to that part over & over!

I remember being in my friends room and she had one of those record players in a box. She put the record player on her bed and put OMD Electricity on. I was hooked.

Discovering and listening to KYYX in the early spring of '82---as well as Seattle's KZAM the previous season, overlapping w/ KYYX--was what hooked me.

My 1st reaction was that this was just COOL QUIRKY music, just like me, and for some reason I just connected with it. I loved the way it sounded, how "happy" and melodic and "light" this music was. I can't really describe the effect it had on me. It just MEANT something. It was so unlike music that was currently on Top 40 ( I used to listen to Kasey Kasem's Top 40 often).

The very 1st songs I remember that affected me, songs that made me sit up and say [b]WOW[/b]:

Psychedelic Furs "LOve My Way"
Duran Duran "Planet Earth" and "Hungry Like the Wolf"
Flock of Seagulls "Space Age Love Song"
Missing Persons "Walking in LA" and "Words"

I still quite distinctly remember the feeling I got hearing these for the first time. I was so [i] excited[/i] !

[quote]Missing Persons "Walking in LA" and "Words"

I still quite distinctly remember the feeling I got hearing these for the first time. I was so excited ![/quote]
I remember that feeling, I was 14 year old boy and I witnessed Dale Bozzie from the front row of the Seattle arena [:D]

I remember seeing Talking Heads on SNL and thinking they were a bunch of dorks. When my friend played Gary Numan's "Cars" for me I wondered why he was abandoning the rock 'n' roll we loved for the weird keyboardy crap. I guess I was a little slow to come around.

I remember being in wrestling practice in 10th grade (1978) and the 1st Cars album was on -- don't remember if it was cassette or 8-track though. That is an awesome album, to this day still one of my favorites.

I remember riding along in my brothers Datsun B210 listening to Devo on 8-track thinking, this isn't so bad, really different.

I remember being in line to buy tickets for a Psychedelic Furs concert the first time I ever heard The Smiths 'How Soon is Now' and I was blown away.

And of course lots of early Mtv, exposing us to many great bands -- Duran Duran, Thomas Dolby, Blancmange...

I'm with KYYX4ever on the Duran Duran tracks. I had never heard anything so sleek and cool as that!

I remember being blown away by Billy Idol's White Wedding, One Thing Leads to Another by the Fixx, Good Girls Don't by the Knack and What I Like About You by the Romantics.

And now all you guys with 5 stars below your names will laugh at me, but can you believe it was only earlier this year that I first heard How Long Will It Take by the Plimsouls. Talk about being blown away, it seems to me to be one of the greatest new wave songs I never heard...

[quote][i]Originally posted by zill[/i]
And now all you guys with 5 stars below your names will laugh at me, but can you believe it was only earlier this year that I first heard How Long Will It Take by the Plimsouls. Talk about being blown away, it seems to me to be one of the greatest new wave songs I never heard...
[/quote]

I'm not laughing, I think we all have a few of those songs! There are too many great songs I've heard for the first time this year to mention!

Sparks''in outer space''changed my opinion, of how serious can be a ''funny'' band.It hit my world in 1999,and remember how i surprised of the album cover,seen nothing like that.And the songs,were all simple synth pop,but so different from what i had heard until then.Then i discovered all their early experimental/glam/power pop stuff and the melancholy was covering under their strange songs.Been my favourite band ever?Absolutely yes.

I'll always cherish those days back in 79-80 when I was fully licensed and driving my friends around in my 73 Cougar with my Craig stereo kickin out some great NW tunes through my Jensen Triaxials: Gary Numan, The Cars, Squeeze, David Bowie and the group that I introduced to so many of my friends.. The Police.

I'll always remember when I first heard 'Walking On The Moon'.
I had just strolled into the Dix Hills Radio Shack and was immediately captivated by what was playing on their top of the line demo system.
I stood in the middle of the soundfield, awash in the ethereal strains of bass, guitar, synth and drums, when Sting piped in.. "Giant Steps Are What You Take..Walking On the Moon..." That was a quintessential first time NW experience for me.

Started with Bowie (Let's Dance) and Howard Jones (Human's Lib). Two of my first cassetts were High Land, Hard Rain from Aztec Camera and My ever changing moods from Style Council. However, the first time I heard "Rusholme Ruffians" from the Smiths, I remember instantly identifying with the music and the singing (it took me many years before I knew or understood most of the Smiths' lyrics).