What killed New Wave???

[davew]

"New Wave" is simply the medias version of punk with the nerve deadened and the heart not beating as strongly.

[Screen 13]

As a "Modern Music" term, it was seriously a wash - arguably started off with Sire hyping "New Wave" bands instead of Punk after finding out the resistance they met with trying to sell The Ramones (The term itself dates back Way longer than that). True, the Media did pick up on those words as an easy way to sell things with dyed hair and synths, but for a while (81-83) it also was the US term for what was called New Pop elsewhere (Pop a;ways being some "bubblegum" term that was avoided a lot even if the music was exactly Pop). It could have been a lot better, there were always moments that it could have inspired something more, but as trends usually go, it lasted quick enough to hit and run, causing some influence both good and bad to the pop industry.

I'm not the greatest Pop fan myself, but things had to change (Survived the crap of 1981 to at least welcome some change) even if it was on a too-slick level. At least some innovation happened, even if it was not noticed much beyond those who really listened or those who heard it way after the moment to hear the best of that time.

[Qbertqubes]

Hip Hop is not original, there is no singing, it all sounds the same & is geared toward the lower class...it seems like the music that should get boring real fast.

[quote][i]Originally posted by TragicMagic[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by zill[/i]
<br>Then when will hip hop die? Enough already.
[/quote]

yeah! It's not special so it may never die. Which sucks. Ahh well, thank god for on/off switches.


[/quote]

[toyah]

as mentioned earlier in the thread, Sire copped the use of the term from Miles Copeland in England, who started using it in 1977 to sell The Police and the rest of his stable(Illegal Records, Faulty,Deptford/Fun City) which he had intermingled with the NY downtown scene invasion of the UK..

[Data1000]

I have enjoyed reading this thead. While most music genres eventually must end, I think New Wave died an early, premature death. New Wave made use of synth technology to incorporate new mysterious sounds into a softening punk sound. The world was a mysterious place at that time with the iron curtain.

By 1985, mystery and idealism began to fade. The synth sounds that added a new rich sound to guitars began to replace guitars altogether. In my memory, New Wave was replaced on radio stations and MTV with groups like Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie, Madonna, and later Debbie Gibson.

Twenty five years later, New Wave is still remembered and missed, but the pop music which followed is not missed and has long been forgotten. New Wave music in the early 1980s was and is very special.

[hisoka866]

the new wave spirit has not died out but only those corporate idiots are the reasons why the movement lost its steam..they strangle the creative talents of those musician by forcing them to release materials that caters to the mainstream thereby destroying the individuality and independence of those talented musician who seek out different avenues of musical experimentation...new wave did not die but live as an ideal for people like me who grow up in the 80's..we dont know it will ressurected again in the next 10 years or so to be discovered by those babies who were born ten years ago..80's is a minefield full of bands that needs to be discovered/to be remembered..
thats the new wave legacy...i for one will be waiting until i die when the next phoenix of new wave movement will arrive....yeah![;)]

[geoffolehane]

This is my first posting to NW Outpost in several years.

I read this entire thread and found it to be incredibly insightful and interesting. There is much truth is what everyone has said. I think Seona85 hit on a number of viable points.

I suppose I could answer the question of why New Wave died with one word - Madonna.

Here is someone who took all the fun elements of New Wave like the catchy songs, dance beats, sexual innuendo, and lavish clothing (or lack thereof) and capitalized on it to become the darling of MTV, which in those days was about the best promotion a musical act could get. Her outlandish behavior (by 1980's standards) made news headlines, which resulted in more record sales. Think about it. Madonna rose to prominence about 1983 and was not long after that that New Wave started to slide.

Another nail in the coffin related to the musicians themselves. Many musicians put out these fabulous, inventive, off-the cuff, debut albums. Suddenly they were getting airplay and their records were beginning to sell. Sometimes they would follow it up with a halfway decent second album. But then they began to take themselves too serious. What started out as fun became a job with deadlines to meet, tours to take, and a business to run. I think it showed in their output.

Eventually the commercial radio stations picked out a few gems with their roots in New Wave such as the Police, Tears for Fears, the Cars, and U2 and started playing their music all the time essentially ignorning all the obscure acts that were still putting out some creative inventive stuff. Most of the classic New Wave acts (that stayed together) who had hits after about 1985 were sounding more mainstream. Compare OMD in 1981 to OMD in 1986 or the B-52's from 1980 to 1986. I reaffirm that it had become a job for them.

And a few people have mentioned Stock-Aitken-Waterman and I have to say there is definitely some truth to that. By 1988 I was buying albums by Kylie Minogue and thinking she was the greatest new pop act in the world. There is also something to be said about highly-produced electronic dance music of the day. By 1986 I was heavily into the Pet Shop Boys.

But I don't think New Wave really died. I think it evolved. The term "New Wave" became passe. I worked in radio broadcasting in the 1980's and around 1987 Radio & Records, which was the industry's number one trade magazine, had added a "Modern Rock" section including the Top 30 every week based on airplay. Radio stations all iver the US would send them their playlists and from that these Top 30 lists were developed. I have to think that most non-metro radio stations were influenced by that. If they saw a song on the "Modern Rock" charts, their tunnel vision attitudes about music would tell them that it was not a commercial success. So they'd ignore it and turn to the Popular Music, Album Rock, or Adult Contemporary sections.

But I think what started as New Wave in the 80's has led to modern day alternative rock and techno and I think that's a good thing.

[toyah]

also not mentioned here is something that siphoned off the mainstream audience that had been supporting new wave casually buut in large numbers until a new and different 'toy'' came along for them to play with, called RAP!!!(hip hop, whatever) and that was the end of that!..all that was eventually left were the 'hard core' base of new wave, not enough to keep it going at the same level..

[guyinsf]

I think just like any other music movement TIME killed new wave. The music industry operates in cycles and the public taste changes and things just change/progress (for better or worse) naturally with time. Looking back through hindsight I think for a music movement that stemmed from a "do it yourself" and counter establishment approach new wave actually lasted for a really good chunk of time, from 1978 to maybe 1986.

[guyinsf]

I think just like any other music movement TIME killed new wave. The music industry operates in cycles and the public taste changes and things just change/progress (for better or worse) naturally with time. Looking back through hindsight I think for a music movement that stemmed from a "do it yourself" and counter establishment approach new wave actually lasted for a really good chunk of time, from 1978 to maybe 1986.

[soundstory]

[quote][i]Originally posted by guyinsf[/i]
<br>I think just like any other music movement TIME killed new wave. The music industry operates in cycles and the public taste changes and things just change/progress (for better or worse) naturally with time. Looking back through hindsight I think for a music movement that stemmed from a "do it yourself" and counter establishment approach new wave actually lasted for a really good chunk of time, from 1978 to maybe 1986.
[/quote]

Very well summed up !

[Seona85]

After recently reading the full story of 'Images In Vogue', I'd like to add that the record companies were also culprits in the death of new wave. Some of the crap that went on behind the scenes with the bands was very underhand, disorganized and uncaring. Images In Vogue were pushed into releasing albums they weren't really happy with. White Door were screwed out of any promotion despite great reviews, not to mention incidents of company shakeups that condemned bands like Boom Boom Room and Eight Seconds to an agonizing death. I'm not saying that this was only applicable to the 80s, but it was probably the first decade where it is very, very evident. Other tragedies I would put down to producers, record companies and the like would be B-Movie, 3D and The Mood. There are probably countless others.

[bleek]

When I think of some of the albums by NW bands that started to come out around and after 1986, you could say that New Wave killed itself. I remember putting on Shriekback's Go Bang(?) album expecting great things and physically tossing that crap across the room, for example.
Psych Furs admitted to turning into swill. Simple Minds lost their Hi Ho and settled with Ho Hum, etc.
I recall being a DJ back then when The alt scene started to splinter off into subgenres. My friend Donald Glaude became a big time House DJ and I delved into darker, moodier stuff.
Music goes through phases and some really great things are happening today, really.

1600 KJET (the 'jet black box) 1982 - 1988
http://www.myspace.com/1600kjet
http://www.live365.com/stations/258693

[bleek]

I really dig what Seona and Screen have said about this topic though. Sums up a lot of how I look at it. Bravo.

1600 KJET (the 'jet black box) 1982 - 1988
http://www.myspace.com/1600kjet
http://www.live365.com/stations/258693

[AstroZon]

I think it simply ran its course as a musical movement. It was a fun ride.