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Chapter 10
New Wave and Synth Pop (1977-1987)
Outline
I. New York
a. Bands
i. Blondie
ii. Television
iii. Talking Heads
b. Record labels
i. Sire Records
c. Clubs
i. CBGB
II. Musical directions
a. A break from blues
b. A break from punk simplicity
III. West Coast
a. Bands
i. X
ii. The Germs
iii. Oingo Boingo
IV. Cleveland
a. Bands
i. Pere Ubu
V. London
a. Bands
i. The Police
ii. Elvis Costello
iii. Buzzcocks
iv. XTC
v. Nick Lowe
b. Record labels
i. Stiff
VI. Punk holdouts
a. New York
i. The Dictators
b. Britain
i. The Stranglers
VII. Synth Pop
a. Artists
i. Brian Eno
ii. Kraftwerk
iii. Gary Numan
iv. Human League
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b. Technology
i. The Minimoog
ii. Solo artist projects
c. U.S. artists
i. Devo
d. New Romantics
i. Spandau Ballet
ii. Culture Club
iii. Dance Pop
iv. Pet Shop Boys
v. Adam and the Ants
vi. Depeche Mode
VIII. Radio in 1980
a. Slow to include new styles
IX. MTV
a. A home for the New Romantics
b. Changes in music
c. Changes in perception
X. A return to melodic guitar rock
a. The Smiths
i. Broke the New Wave cycle
ii. Influenced 1990s American alternative bands
Suggested Activities and Discussion Topics
1. Talking Heads. Look at their use of ordinary objects and themes, elevated to the level
of art. As with modern art, perhaps the best way to understand it or interpret it is to just
look at what is there. For example, a canvas painted a solid color of orange. What is the
object? The object is the color, orange. For the person who is accustomed to landscapes
and still life paintings, this approach might seem simplistic to the point of silliness.
In “Once in a Lifetime,” leader David Byrne acts as an evangelistic spokesperson
of sorts, (a ‘talking head’ TV newsman?). The music is a sort of new wave R&B. Byrne’s
quirky vocal performance lends a new slant. His lyrics point to familiar objects and ideas
with a child-like wonder. For example: “There is water at the bottom of the ocean,” he
notes.
2. The Police. Note how production values evolve from the sparse, early song,
“Roxanne,” to the studio overdubbing on “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.”
3. Elvis Costello. “Veronica” tells a story which is unexpected in a rock music context.
What is the story about? (It is a startlingly vivid portrait of an elderly woman as she
recalls the love of her life).
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4. Kraftwerk. The influence of this pioneering German group on everything from synth
pop to rap cannot be overstated. Their music is deliberately robotic and simplistic, yet
remarkably effective. Listen for the Kraftwerk influence in the songs by Gary Numan
and Depeche Mode. SEE: Suggested Listening.
Chapter 10 – Suggested Listening
Artist
Song/iTunes Preview
Representative Style
Blondie
“Rapture”
1st mainstream rap song
“Heart of Glass”
Disco fodder with subdued
punk elements
Talking Heads
“Psycho Killer”
Introduced at CBGBs
“Once in a Lifetime”
Quirky; elevates
commonplace objects to the
level of art
“Burning Down the House”
Their highest charting U.S.
single
The Germs
“What We Do is Secret”
From their only album; L.A.
punk; lead singer, Darby
Crash committed suicide
Pere Ubu
“Final Solution”
From Cleveland, Ohio;
post-punk experimental;
David Thomas’ distinctive
vocals
X
“Los Angeles”
Punk but with new wave
leanings; vocal harmony is
delightfully out of tune
Oingo Boingo
“Dead Man’s Party”
California New Wave band;
leader Danny Elfman
became a film composer
The Police
“Roxanne”
Early record; stripped bare
and over dub-free
“Spirits in the Material
World”
Overdubs and electronics;
pop and reggae collide
“Every Little Thing She
Does is Magic”
Well-crafted pop with
Caribbean elements
“Every Breath You Take”
Simple song; one of the
most successful records of
all time
Elvis Costello
“Allison”
Costello at his sardonic best
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“Watching the Detectives”
Reggae-influenced
“Veronica”
Remarkable character study
of an elderly woman
Buzzcocks
“What Do I Get”
Post-punk New Wave
XTC
“Dear God”
Lush, pretty pop/New
Wave; led by Andy
Partridge; controversial
song
“King For a Day”
Heavy play on MTV
Nick Lowe
“Cruel To Be Kind”
Hit single for the influential
producer
The Dictators
“Who Will Save Rock and
Roll”
Early New York punk band
The Stranglers
“No More Heroes”
English New Wave with
keyboards
Kraftwerk
“Numbers”
Robotic; inspired thousands
with their use of
synthesizer-only tracks
“Autobahn”
Gary Numan
“Cars”
Numan played synth instead
of guitar; an MTV hit
Human League
“Don’t You Want Me”
Popularized on MTC, it
became a #1 hit
Devo
“Whip It”
Idiosyncratic band from
Akron, Ohio; an MTV hit
Spandau Ballet
“True”
British New Romantic
sound
Culture Club
“Do You Really Want to
Hurt Me”
The irrepressible Boy
George; reggae-influenced
Pet Shop Boys
“West End Girls”
A hit on MTV; nice-
sounding pop
Adam and the Ants
“Stand and Deliver”
Pop silliness, #1 in the
U.K.; MTV video features
an early appearance by
actress Amanda Donohoe
Depeche Mode
“Personal Jesus”
Gloomy, monotone vocal;
The song was later covered
by Marilyn Manson and by
Johnny Cash; considered by
some to be the most
successful electronic music
pop group in history