"Now That's What I Call New Wave" CD

[guyinsf]

You guys all know the "Now That's What I call Music" series where I put like a dozen of the most popular songs of the airwaves on one CD. What collection of songs would you put together on a CD called "Now That's What I call New Wave" so a 16 yr old kid can get a good and fair represention of the best of NW?

[Panorama]

Here we go... too many to list, but here are a few that must be included...

Blanket of Secrecy - Say You Will
Industry - State of the Nation
OMD - Souvenir
Ministry - Revenge
Talk Talk - Talk Talk
B-Movie - Nowhere Girl
Visage - Fade to Grey
The Church - The Unguarded Moment
Robert Marlow - The Face of Dorian Gray
The The - Uncertain Smile
Joy Division - Love will Tear Us Apart
Soft Cell - Tainted Love
Human League - Don't You Want Me
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (are made of this)
Lords of the New Church - Open Your Eyes
Our Daughters Wedding - Lawnchairs
Tears For Fears - Mad World/Pale Shelter
Boys Brigade - Passion of Love
Split Endz - I Got You
Duran Duran - Save a Prayer
Ice House - We Can Get Together
Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough

[tiger_mn]

Dan's list is very good. A few additions:

Haircut 100 - Love Plus One
Alphaville - Big In Japan
Jon Astley - Jane's Getting Serious
Kajagoogoo - Turn Your Back On Me
The Bolshoi - Away

[rewind]

Rhino's "Just Can't Get Enough" series covers the basics. And EMI's "Living In Oblivion" series fills in some of the missing cuts.

[knowitallrecs]

"Everything Counts" - Depeche Mode
"The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen
"Love Moves in Strange Ways" - Blue Zoo
"The First Picture of You" - the Lotus Eaters
"State of Art" - Friends Again
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" - Joy Division
"Fire In Cairo" - the Cure
"Wishful Thinking" - China Crisis
"Upside Down" - Two Minds Crack
"Love Vigilantes" - New Order
"The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death" - the Housemartins
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" - the Smiths
"Under the Milky Way" - the Church
"Cities in Dust" - Siouxsie & the Banshees
"The Distance Between Us" - Fra Lippo Lippi
"Absolute Reality" - the Alarm
"More to Lose" - Seona Dancing
"Sunday Morning" - the Bolshoi
"Jennifer She Said" - Lloyd Cole & the Commotions
"Harborcoat" - R.E.M.
"Two Rivers" - the Adventures
"Whatever Possessed You" - Care
"Big New Beginning" - the Big Dish
"Secrets" - Fiat Lux
"Kitchen Sink Drama" - Soft Cell
"Every Beat of the Heart" - the Railway Children
"When All's Well" - Everything But the Girl
"Send Me An Angel" - Real Life
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" - Simple Minds
"Planet Earth" - Duran Duran
"Damaged Goods" - Gang of Four
"Walk Away" - the Sisters of Mercy
"Feels Like Heaven" - Fiction Factory
"Bitterness" - the Wild Swans
"Walk Out to Winter" - Aztec Camera

[quote]Originally posted by guyinsf
[br]You guys all know the "Now That's What I call Music" series where I put like a dozen of the most popular songs of the airwaves on one CD. What collection of songs would you put together on a CD called "Now That's What I call New Wave" so a 16 yr old kid can get a good and fair represention of the best of NW?
[/quote]

[knowitallrecs]

Both were big letdowns for me, especially the Rhino series. Richard Blade's comps were better and the "Hardest Hits" CDs from Canada were great. The best New Wave CD collections are the ones from the Philippines, in my opinion.

[quote][i]Originally posted by rewind[/i]
<br>Rhino's "Just Can't Get Enough" series covers the basics. And EMI's "Living In Oblivion" series fills in some of the missing cuts.
[/quote]

[SwampThing]

[quote]The best New Wave CD collections are the ones from the Philippines, in my opinion.[/quote] Yes, but were they licensed recordings? I remember seeing some comps from the Philippines for sale on EBAY a few years ago, and they looked to be bootlegged, or at the very least had some very poor packaging. The track list were quite good although they seemed to lean towards the more "poppier" side of new wave, and even included what looked to be some *gasp* "love" songs.

[zill]

guysinf asked for a songs that a 16 yr old kid could get into, so my choices are deliberately on the lighter, commercial, pop side of things...

A Flock of Seagulls – I Ran
ABC – The Look of Love
Adam Ant – Goodie Two Shoes
Boomtown Rats – I Don’t Like Mondays
Captain Sensible – Wot
China Crisis – Working With Fire and Steel
Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough
Devo – Whip It
Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen
Duran Duran – Girls On Film
Echo and the Bunnymen – Never Stop
Elvis Costello – Pump It Up
English Beat – Save It For Later
Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams
Falco – Der Kommisar
Gary Numan – Cars
Haircut 100 – Fantastic Day
Human League – Don’t You Want Me
Madness – Our House
Men Without Hats – Safety Dance
Naked Eyes – Promises Promises
OMD – Electricity
Soft Cell – Tainted Love
Stephen Duffy – Kiss Me
The Fixx – One Thing Leads To Another
The Monks – Drugs In My Pocket
The Plimsouls – How Long Will It Take
The Vapous – Turning Japanese
Visage – Fade To Grey
Yaz – Only You

[onlytranslating]

i have too many to name but that would be an awesome concept for a cd lol

[guyinsf]

I was thinking, when I posted this, that the best representation meant something that was very complete, as in the actual lifespan of NW (like 79-86?), the different styles of NW (punk to dance and everything in between) and both sides of the Atlantic (mainly the US and UK). What I see so far from the lists is mostly dance-oriented and a focus on early to mid 80's and quite a few very obscure bands (2 Minds Crack, Blanket of Secrecy) which I think would be more fitting on series of anthologoy CDs of NW, but not sure ideal for a one-time CD with maybe 16-20 songs at the most. It's still very fascinating though to read what everyone would put on their definitive NW compilation to introduce to the younger generation of today.

I think my list would be more safe and predictable because the record company that's going to release this CD (let's say it's Rhino) would still want it to sell.

Joy Division - love will tear us apart
B-52s - rock lobster
blondie- one way or another or dreaming
devo - whip it
pretenders - brass in pocket
gary numan - cars
new order - blue monday
eurythmics - sweet dreams
human league - don't you want me
depeche mode - people are people
soft cell - tainted love
duran duran - planet earth
talk talk - it's my life
spandau ballet - true
bow wow wow - I want candy
dexy's midnight runners - come on eileen
berlin - sex or no more words
tears for fear - shout
madness - our house
the fixx - one thing leads to another
echo the bunnymen - lips like sugar

[knowitallrecs]

Of course, New Wave love songs are the best [:I] I got into New Wave not because of Elvis Costello, the Cars, or the Knack but through the Colourfield's "Thinking of You," Vitamin Z's "Burning Flame," and Icehouse's "No Promises." I don't think there's better music for courting than New Wave. I'm sure they are bootlegged. Even if they were licensed recordings, the original artists wouldn't make a profit from their Philippine sales anyway because of the exchange rates. Much of what is included on there is stuff we grew up hearing on three different New Wave FM stations (XB, BM, and NU). It's a shame that American radio never discovered gems such as April Showers' "Abandon Ship," Fruits of Passion's "Kiss Me Now," or the Roaring Boys' "House of Stone." Instead on the rare instances I sit through Retro-Active I have to suffer through Taco, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Producers [:(!]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SwampThing[/i]
<br>[quote]The best New Wave CD collections are the ones from the Philippines, in my opinion.[/quote] Yes, but were they licensed recordings? I remember seeing some comps from the Philippines for sale on EBAY a few years ago, and they looked to be bootlegged, or at the very least had some very poor packaging. The track list were quite good although they seemed to lean towards the more "poppier" side of new wave, and even included what looked to be some *gasp* "love" songs.
[/quote]

[WolverineSyr]

I like your list guyinsf - it's probably what I would have gone for too. I understand what you mean by packing it with familiar songs.

I think the best comps do have some of the more familiar stuff, but also throw in a good amount of second tier hits and a few obscure tracks. Anyone can buy most of these tracks on other comps - so the hook would be those less comp'd songs along with some sure-fire hits.

So, working from your list I've substituted and added some tracks.
Joy Division - love will tear us apart
B-52s - rock lobster
blondie- Dreaming
devo - Gates of Steel
pretenders - tattooed Love Boys
gary numan - cars or Are Friends Electric
new order - blue monday
eurythmics - Love is a Stranger
human league - don't you want me
depeche mode - people are people
duran duran - planet earth
talk talk - it's my life
bow wow wow - Baby Oh No
berlin - no more words
tears for fears - shout
the fixx - one thing leads to another
echo the bunnymen - Killing Moon
Freur - Doot Doot
4 Out of 5 Doctors - Anna With Antenna
Motels - Mission of Mercy or Whose Problem
Lene Lovich - Lucky Number,
Thomas Dolby - Europa
Heartbreakers - Born to Lose
Misfits - Hollywood Babylon

[zill]

yes, i agree guyinsf your list is a pretty solid, marketable CD - also i agree wolverinesyr it could use a few more obscure tunes to give it some punch

if you substituted a few earlier tracks from tears for fears and the bunnymen, replace the berlin track with the plimsouls and maybe use "precious" by the pretenders, i would buy it!!!

i was just listening to joboxers "just got lucky" and that would be a great bonus track!

[zill]

and geez, what about canadian content, eh?

you gotta have the spoons "nova heart" on there too.

[guyinsf]

Glad you guys liked my list, as safe as it is. I do agree that WolverineSyr and zill that record companies tend to play it safe but at times throw in a couple of obscure bands or obscure tracks by well known bands and I do like the substitutions and added tracks to my list too. I would probably get rid of Bow Wow Wow's I Want Candy (too overplayed) and replace with their second biggest hit "do you want to hold me", "baby oh no" is a wonderful choice too. I forgot about Joboxers' Just got lucky, that is a wonderful upbeat pop dance song, I have it on my ipod!