New Wave Outpost Forum

by **Spaz** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 5:17 pm

I'm sure that all of our LP/CD collections are filled with great music by bands that never quite hit the big time either here in the U.S. or elsewhere. I'd say that roughly 50% of the bands that I love neither had a huge hit here nor are they fondly remembered by the generally public (if remembered at all). Can you think of any bands and/or songs that should have made it but didn't? Perhaps they were played on college/alternative stations, but never entered the top 100? Here are a few of my picks:

BLANKET OF SECRECY-"Say You Will" (single)/"Walls Have Ears" LP. One of the great albums of the era, this is actually producer Roger Bechirian and a few musician friends creating a perfect pop album. You MUST hear this!

POSITIVE NOISE-"WHen Lightning Strikes" (single)/"Change Of Heart" and "DIstant Fire" LPs. A few songs were played on KROQ way back when, but this single and their 2nd and 3rd albums are nearly flawless slices of synth pop.

WIDE BOY AWAKE-"Bona Venture" single. Everyone knows "Chicken Outlaw" and "Slang Teacher", but this (their 2nd single) was just as good although it was a bit different. Great stuff.

QUINCY-"Quincy" album. Costello/Cars-ish new wave from New York. Fantastic album.

GREAT BUILDINGS-"HOld On To SOmething" single/"Apart From The Crowd" album. Great power pop from this LA quartet. Two of the members became the Rembrandts.

THE PLIMSOULS-"Now" single. One of the best singles of all time in my book. This should have put them on the map.

There are at least a hundered more that I could list, but I'll give someone else a chance to run with this idea....

And I think I'm going to compile a CD-R or two of songs that should have been HUGE!

by **pikeprof** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 12:36 am

The Sorrows-Us 80s variety not the 60s British ones-they were great-were doing the 60s revival thing before others were-Christabelle is a great tune.

by **devildog** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 12:45 am

Endgames-Building Beauty. How this album never made it big in the USA is beyond me. All catchy blue-eyed soul/synthpop. If ABC and Duran Duran made it, these guys should have too! This should have been huge.

The Tenants-"How Do You Sleep At Night".

by **unguarded moment** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 12:53 am

pikeprof, The Sorrows are on my list too. Great power pop, I wish someone would issue their two albums on one CD.

by **pikeprof** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 2:56 am

But isn't it the height of record geekiness that I know of two sorrows from two decades?

by **MikeP** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 3:02 am

You'll see some of these on my samples page and the Obscure80's series:

SINCEROS - "Disappearing" - fantastic pop song that never cracked the charts to my knowledge.

4 OUT OF 5 DOCTORS - "Anna with Antennae" - could have been a smash new wave/AOR cr

by **Sean** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 4:10 am

I love "Come Back Friday" from Wide Boy Awake. Does anyone have that video?

by **randy** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 5:30 am

Have to agree with Say You Will

A few other tunes include:

With Closed Eyes by The Expression
Numbers With Wings by The Bongos
Now You Know by The Real Kids
Open Your Eyes by Lords Of The New Church
I Want Some Fun by the Schemers (locals)
Disc

by **Otters Walk Among Us** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 8:48 am

Honestly, any song I really like that wasn't a hit is on this list. It wouldn't bother me a bit if everything I like was huge, which is why I'm rather glad that Franz Ferdinand is getting big. Something I like is popular? It's been awhile.

Anyway, th

by **bpdp3** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 10:25 am

See, I love this kind of thread - - it gives me a whole new bunch of groups to look for in the used vinyl bins....

How about "Love Cascade" by Leisure Process

"Hate to Run" by the Shoes (ANYTHING by these guys)

"Crazy" by Pylon

Oh, I've got t

by **phillyidol** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:14 am

The teardrop explodes! Even though the group members went on to bigger better things, this group was great.

Electronic-getting away with it,soviet...great stuff

I'll think of more![:D]

by **unguarded moment** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 1:37 pm

"I Walked Away" - CHOIR INVISIBLE

"Just Friends" - BEAT RODEO (ex-Suicide Commando Steve Almaas doing that jangly, rootsy pop thing)

"Too Late at 20" - THE ACT (future Dream Academy founder Nick Laird-Clowes' title track from their amazing on

by **Panorama** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 3:19 pm

Frazier Chorus is a great band. I would reccomend the cd's "Sue" and "Ray" -- both are great.

Also, Prima Volta has 4 songs that I love on their LP "MMWOPS"

by **romanticide** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 5:37 pm

Adding my voice to the chorus:

Headboys - "Shape of Things to Come"
Dial M - "Modern Day Love"
Trees - "Shock of the New" (and "11AM")
Bongos - "Numbers with Wings" (and "The Bulrushes")
Firetown - "Carry the Torch"
Swimming Pool Q's - "The Bells

by **DevoManiac101** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 5:50 pm

Here are a few

Horizontal Brian - Everybody Wants To Be American
New Math - They Walk Among You
Vivabeat - The House Is Burning
Silicon Teens - TV Playtime
Wazmo Nariz - Checking Out The Checkout Girl
Mo Dettes - White Mice
Crash Course In Scienc

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