I'm so bo-o-ored with the USA....

[bpdp3]

My fellow Americans (and everyone else, for that matter)...I have a confession to make. I was always much more passionate about British groups than the US new wave groups.

The Clash, the Jam, 2-Tone, Gang of 4, XTC, Synth-pop, the early-MTV groups. Even later in the '85-'86 era, I preferred the Cure, Smiths, Jesus and Mary Chain, etc etc - -

I'm not knocking US groups, there were loads of great ones. This site has introduced me to a lot of US groups I had no idea existed. But looking back, it's clear where my interests were...

How about the rest of you? And I'd love to hear a Brit's (or another country's) viewpoint; maybe they felt the opposite (the grass is always greener blah blah blah....)

[Dave]

Couldn't agree more! Again, part of the attraction for me was finding great bands and music that no one knew. To your list, I'd add the following bands from the British Isles (England, Scotland, N. Ireland, Wales, Ireland and Australia - why not?):

[Frau_Blucher]

It's amazing, they all seem so...American! But why such a dearth in the US? Is it the staid record and radio industries? Is music simply not as integral to the US lifestyle? The US certainly doesn't seem to have nearly as many sudden stars at the top of o

[Jason²]

B-Movie were about as English as you get.

[ekahob]

And sometime American bands had to go to England to make it big first. Like the Stray Cats & The Pretenders. I got their music on import vinyl before they were released here. Any others?

Can anybody think of U.K. bands that made it in America first?

[Frau_Blucher]

>>B-Movie were about as English as you get.<<

Hah! See? It's very hard to tell these infiltrators apart!! I almost said Kim Wilde too, but I find out that she's not an american kid, just a kid IN america! Very clever and devious these Brits. They speak

[MikeP]

As for Kim Wilde, I think she professed her ignorance of U.S. geography with the "New York to East California" line in "Kids in America". Maybe she expected us coastal Californians to have fallen into the ocean by then! [:D]

[marker 3]

This ain't new wave but I couldn't help comment about that awful Sade song where she sings "Coast to coast, L.A. to Chicago." As a geography major, this always annoyed me unless her two coasts were the Pacific Ocean and Lake Michigan.

[sirzap]

Had to jump in on this one with a another stupid top 40 lyrical nugget courtesy of Vanessa Williams, "Sometimes the Sun goes 'round the Moon".. ohh yeah, right on. Being an earth Science teacher, that one always makes me cringe.[xx(] At least the B-52's a

[stormkpr]

I must agree, I've always preferred the music from across the pond. Even after new wave, I was much more drawn to the UK indie scene of the late 80's, "Britpop" in the 90s rather than US grunge and alternative, and even now, I prefer bands like Supergras

[numan1234]

What about Big Star, Husker du, Belly, Pixies, Breeders, Throwing Muses, pretty damn cool bands to have blessed English waters.

America was as much as an influence over here, as much as the US favours British bands. Nowadays every other british singer

[Dave]

If you want to mention the Waterboys, then how about the lads from Leith, the Proclaimers!

Big Audio Dynamite, PIL, Altered Images, Blancmange, Shreikback, Madness, Boomtown Rats, Pogues, Bananarama, UB40, Thompson Twins, Eurythmics, Tourists, Annie Le

[numan1234]

BTW2 Red - I've heard Dave Matthews Band is barely known in the UK... is that true? And I wouldn't call AFOS the most respected new wave band here either, but still fun to listen

Can't say I have. Are they worth checking out?

[Frau_Blucher]

NOOOOO!!!!! Unless of course you want to bleed from your ears then have your head explode like those guys on total recall.

[harleytexas]

Being from Canada we had the best of both UK and US and our own bands. I was more partial to the UK bands and most people I know where too. They seemed a bit more all over the place than the mainstream new wave over in North America. Lots of good undergro