New wave and its ugly twin sister, post-punk, are two terms used and abused with abandon when describing the music that followed the punk rock explosion of the mid-70s. To some people, new wave was the music made by bands who were too traditionally melodic to be classed as punk; bands that believed in good ol’ songwriting, in craft and – shock horror – quite liked the idea of having a hit (step forward The Pretenders, Elvis Costello, The Police etc).
To others, new wave music was the futuristic, keyboard-based music made by people inspired as much by Berlin-era Bowie and Kraftwerk’s Trans-Europe Express as by punk itself (Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Ultravox, Gary Numan et al). Then there’s the ‘art-punks’ – Wire, Gang Of Four, Pere Ubu, Delta 5, The Raincoats – bands obsessed with the form of their music, of avoiding ‘rockist' clichés and aiming for something more avant-garde and challenging.
If these three camps are distinct enough, then consider that ska-punks like The Specials, The Beat and The Selecter are also considered part of the same movement/phenomenon and suddenly you’re faced with a musical genre that is futuristic-yet-retro, avant-garde-yet-traditional, populist-yet-obscure, solipsistic on one hand, political on the other.
Rather than describe a form of music, both 'new wave' and 'post-punk' are terms ascribed to a period in time – roughly from the split of the Sex Pistols and John Lydon’s formation of the very post-punk PiL, until around 1984/85 when the new indie of The Smiths and the Jesus And Mary Chain ushered in a different scene. It describes artists inspired by punk in some way – maybe by its ability to address issues, its flouting of convention, or just by its sheer energy.
(By this rationale, the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal – metal with a punk attitude and energy – could be described as new wave or post-punk, of course, but let’s sweep that one under the carpet before our heads explode…)
Our ‘new wave’ albums, therefore, have been chosen to fit exceptionally woolly criteria. There are some unusual choices worth justifying: if the ska-punk of the Two Tone bands is considered new wave (for taking a punk attitude to Jamaican ska), then it stands to reason that both Dexy’s Midnight Runners (punk attitude + soul music) and The Pogues (punk attitude + folk music) count too. That both bands were formed from the ashes of punk bands make them as ‘post-punk’ as you can get.
Of the others, the Skids are just woefully underrated, falling between two camps (not punk enough for punks, not arty enough for the futurists), and The Jam make it because, while it can be argued that they qualify as a genuine first generation punk band, thousands don’t agree. Plus, they ruled the early 80s.
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense (EMI, 1999)
New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies (Factory, 1983)
The Jam - Sound Affects (Polydor, 1980)
Skids - The Absolute Game (Virgin, 1980)
Dexys Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay (Mercury, 1982)
Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain (WEA, 1984)
Simple Minds - Early Gold (Virgin, 2003)
Elvis Costello And The Attractions - Blood And Chocolate (Demon, 2002)
Japan - Oil On Canvas (Virgin, 1983)
The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy And The Lash (WEA, 1985)
