New Wave music has been described by some as "the illegitimate offspring of punk mixed with disco". An interesting definition and not an inaccurate one. But "New Wave" was also much more. Much of the music of the early eighties was actually influenced by 70's glam, early garage, 60's psychedelia, disco and even 50's rock. The 70's Punk revolution that led to the New Wave explosion of the early 1980s was itself influenced by early 70's bands like The Stooges and The New York Dolls. The New Wave movement contained many sub strains including Ska, New Romance, Rockabilly, Gothic, Mod, Synthpop, Alternative and Punk.

Are You Mod Or Ska?

Ska bands like The English Beat, The Specials and Madness mixed a punk attitude and a sped up reggae beat. The mascara clad New Romantics included bands like Ultravox, Visage and Duran Duran. They took their cue from androgynous predecessors Roxy Music, David Bowie and Queen. The Rockabilly camp included The Stray Cats, The Blasters and The Violent Femmes. Against the grain of the supposed progressive new music, they brought back the raw rock sound begun by innovators Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis in the 1950's. The Goths, represented by Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Cure and Soft Cell, added their brooding, dark sound to a disco beat. REM, The Church and The Bangles began a Neo Psychedelic/Folk movement based partially on 60's bands like The Byrds and The Beatles. The Mods rode their scooters and listened to The Jam. Electronic Synthpop groups included OMD, New Order and Yaz. The Dance beat was still there but the lyrics were about alienation, conflict and angst. Straight on Punk included Social Distortion, The Clash and Billy Idol. The Police, Pretenders, Elvis Costello, U2, Psychedelic Furs, The B-52s, Blondie, The Smiths and others combined many influences to create their sound. A sound that would also carry on in the form of countless future alternative bands.

These diverse musical elements came together at a time when the music world desperately needed something new. The studio produced pop tripe of the mid to late 70's and the oversaturation of mindless disco was taking it's toll. People were tired of formulaic, corporate music being force fed to them and began taking things into their own hands.

Punk Paves The Way

The resulting reaction was the late 70's Punk revolution. These spike haired kids with snotty attitudes towards all things "establishment" paved the way, buying guitars and learning to play as they went. Bands like The Ramones, The Clash and The Sex Pistols provided a rebellious mentality and a raw energy that had been missing from the music scene. They were an inspiration to countless numbers of people who then also started their own bands.

Finally, by the early 80's, an explosion of new sounds and new groups broke through, challenging the status quo. Even their names were different. Oingo Boingo, Human League, Adam And The Ants, The Motels, Romeo Void, ABC, Sparks, Altered Images, Echo & The Bunnymen, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, X, A Flock Of Seagulls, Missing Persons, Talking Heads, Culture Club, Berlin, Split Enz, INXS, B-52s and the list goes on. They took the music in a fresh new direction. The simultaneous revolution of new sound technologies such as synthesizers and drum machines, changed the way music could sound. It also made it easy for just about anyone to play. Many New Wave/Punk bands ran the speed of their songs up to a brisk 160 to 190 beats per minute. These were no disco dance club anthems. This was fast, 3 chord rock music you could pogo, mosh and slam dance to.

It's no wonder that many New Wavers created songs reflecting the dark realities of life. Themes of isolation and repression resonated with many who grew up in the 70's. Disenchantment grew as the promise of the 60's Peace and Love movement faded into the malaise of the 70's. This was also the first generation of "latch key" children. Divorce rates skyrocketed in the 70's. As did the need for those still married to earn two incomes. The offspring of these parents were without adult supervision for much of the time. Many had to fend for themselves, reaching maturity without the advantage of full time role models. When these kids grew up and started bands, their detachment was expressed in their music. It was sometimes stark, sometimes angry but usually played with a desperate urgency. Quite a contrast to the lightweight pop and disco that had dominated the airwaves.

Many sang about injustice and the need for change as awareness grew about growing political corruption. Personal responsibility and integrity became a mantra for others. And some encouraged living life on your own terms. The energetic music of bands like The Go-Go's, The Bangles, Blondie and Pretenders represented a rise in the female influence in music that hadn't been seen since the "girl groups" of the early 60's.

Music lovers now had an abundance of groundbreaking, exciting bands to choose from. People were glued to their radios, wondering what new sound they would hear next. The diversity of breakout sounds hadn't been heard like this since the late 60's. For a brief moment in time, the music took precedence over the business of selling records. The New Wave 80's was a golden age of experimentation and was, as it turns out, the last great era of Rock and Roll.

Just Can't Get Enough

Eighties music is still as popular as ever as a whole new generation discovers the New Wave sound. Many radio stations feature "Flashback Eighties" as part of their programming.

91X (XTRA 91.1 FM) out of San Diego has a Sunday morning flashback show called "Sunday Resurrection" from 6a.m. to 12p.m. They also feature "Resurrection Lunch", a weekday lunchtime flashback show from 12p.m. to 1p.m.

KYSR (98.7 FM) "Star 98.7" offers "Totally '80s Friday Night" with former MTV jock, Mark Goodman, from 7p.m. to 2a.m. And Totally 80s At Noon! is on Weekdays from 12-1p.m. with Lara Scott.

On KROQ (106.7 FM)"Richard Blade's Flashback Sunday" is on Sundays, 5-8p.m. and "Richard Blade's Flashback Lunch Hour" is weekdays from 1-2p.m.

The latest addition to this trend is "Jonesy's Jukebox", weekdays from noon to 2p.m. on the new Indie FM (103.1 FM). Ex-Sex Pistol guitarist Steve Jones turns DJ and plays his favorites. Not strictly just a flashback 80's show, Jones has a strict criteria for his playlist- "If I like it, I'll play it", he says.

"Eighties Night" has become a popular dance club promotion. Club Bang and Club Beat It in Los Angeles and Club Thriller in Orange County have become busy party scenes.

On cable tv, VH1 has two hit series with eighties themes. "I Love The 80's" takes a humorous look at 80's fads and trivia. Their other offering, "Bands Reunited", is a reality based show where the challenge is to reunite former members of great 80's bands for a one time concert. One of the reunited bands from last season, Berlin, was jetted to Los Angeles for a one-night sold out gig at the Roxy. This was the first venue they played after signing with Geffen Records over two decades ago. Berlin has since continued to tour and is planning a new album.


For more information about Flashback 80s New Wave Punk Music, see the links on the left of this page.