ALBUMS

Here are Jimmy@Jive's picks of the best albums of the new wave era, obviously concentrating on the eighties. Some are probably on the edge of new wavism, but all are extremely influential to those that followed.


Duran Duran, Rio (May 1982)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 2, USA – 6, Australia – 1
Cool Singles: Save A Prayer, Hungry Like The Wolf



Rio is a wonderful snapshot of the time when new romanticism finally broke into America, and has a breadth of style and (dare I say it) song quality that was rarely bettered by Duran Duran or anyone else. Great variation in mood from slow Bowie’esque to ‘heavy’ pop, and clever mixing of synth and guitar. Simon Le Bon is cocky and pouting and a perfect hungry wolf. Like all the Jimmy Top 20, it can still be listened and danced to in 2002, beating most current pop easily.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Blondie, Parallel Lines (Sep 1978)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 6, Australia – 4
Cool Singles: Heart Of Glass, Picture This



This album is at the early edge of new wave, blending Deborah Harry’s glam/punk attitude with some great pop songs – she comes across as a female Bowie wannabe. "Heart Of Glass" was a great influence on many who would follow in the early 80s because of it’s powerful synth layer and dance beat (and it’s chart success). Many songs on the album have great lyrics and there is a balance between nice little love/life songs such as "Sunday Girl" and aggressive tracks with attitude like "One Way Or Another" and "Hanging On The Telephone".
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Adam & The Ants, Kings Of The Wild Frontier (Nov 1980)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 44, Australia – 2
Cool Singles: Antmusic, Physical (You’re So)



Just after Malcolm McLaren ‘stole’ all the Ants to form Bow Wow Wow, Adam hooked up with guitarist Marco Pirroni to create the songs for "Kings Of The Wild Frontier". The image they created with the songs, especially "Antmusic" and the title track, and the whole campy ‘arthouse indian’ clothes and accessories look, really set them aside from everyone else. It was OK to play dress-ups and prance around saying how ‘silly’ and fun you were. This album sounds like nothing else at the time, or since, which is why it’s in the Jimmy Top 20.
Go To: Jive Artist Page
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Human League, Dare (Oct 1981)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 3, Australia – 3
Cool Singles: Don't You Want Me, Love Action



"Dare" is art and fashion mating with synthesisers without producing a group of complete pratts. The sound makes great use of the technology many were playing with at the time, but adds a big layer of 'real' emotion that was often missing in synth/pop. From the first track "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of” Phil Oakley’s voice is almost pleading with us to listen. The whole atmosphere is quite dark and adrenalising; they experiment with layers of sound really well, producing some of the best singles – "Love Action" and "Don’t You Want Me" – of the era.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Simple Minds, New Gold Dream [81-82-83-84] (Sep 1982)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 3, USA – 64, Australia – 8
Cool Singles: Someone, Somewhere In Summertime, New Gold Dream



The best Scottish new wavers, Simple Minds are quite aspirational on this record. Jim Kerr and crew were becoming experts at adding heaps of electronic layers to create a very deep sound that complimented his voice. The title track and many others encourage us to think and dream, containing a certain unrequited hope; anyway, this is different and better and a real era erogenous zone.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Gary Numan, The Pleasure Principle (Sep 1979)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – x, Australia – 24
Cool Singles: Cars, Metal



This is the most popular Gary Numan album, from an absolute innovator whose influence on new wave, then techno, went largely unrecognised. He creates such harsh atmospheres, mockingly robotic; with great echoing beats and use of guitar. The harmonising between voice and synth is really clever, producing an effect that links him to the technology. Scary.
Go To: Jive Artist Page
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


David Bowie, Let’s Dance (Apr 1983)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 4, Australia – 1
Cool Singles: China Girl, Cat People



For a change Bowie is following others with "Lets Dance", but he did influence all the new romantics anyway. He merges funk and disco with a new wave edge; some of the songwriting is fantastic; like in "China Girl" when we are fooled into thinking its just a love/lust story until the end. There are many Bowie albums like "Scary Monsters" and "Ziggy Stardust" that are more innovative, but this album demonstrates the power of someone who created a genre and then said “OK, now it's my turn lads”.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Pete Gabriel, So (May 1986)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 2, Australia – 5
Cool Singles: Sledgehammer, Red Rain



So is one of the few (sort-of) happy records from Peter Gabriel, and one that let him amaze the masses with borderline crazy, creative, tongue-in-cheek videos. Apart from the anthems, a duet with Kate Bush, "Don’t Give Up", is excellent, as is the Ultravox’y "We Do What We’re Told". Gabriel uses base and drums very well with his layered crackling smoke of a voice; creating a funk/rock/pop mix that slides down the end of the new wave.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Welcome To The Pleasuredome (Nov 1984)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 33, Australia – 7
Cool Singles: Relax, The Power Of Love



These guys took overt sex talk to a new level, taunting the homophobes with one of the best touch-me dance tunes ever in "Relax". I also love how they picked a chest-beating American anthem from Bruce Springsteen - "Born To Run" - and made it even more over-the-top. Unfortunately with label hassles and internal problems this group was’nt around for long, but they left a unique take on society and politics that is lasting.
Go To: Jive Artist Page
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


New Order, Power Corruption And Lies (May 1983)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 4, USA – x, Australia – x
Cool Singles: Your Silent Face, Blue Monday (US release)



This is an emergence from the tragic end of Joy Division, into new wave electronica that can be tranced to. Apart from dance club hit "Blue Monday" (US release), still played today (even by disco-queen Kylie Minogue), "Your Silent Face" is brilliantly emotional and frustrated. The sound is uniquely New Order and Bernard Sumner’s voice is completely suited to their social conscience. Reminds me of Thom Yorke (Radiohead) sometimes, which is even better.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


The Police, Synchronicity (Jun 1983)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 1, Australia –1
Cool Singles: Tea In The Sahara, Every Breath You Take



This is The Police’s final album, and was the best songwriting in terms of sophistication. "Every Breath You Take" is an emotional smack on the bum, despite it’s simplicity; and I love the softness of "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and "Tea in the Sahara”. Sting is starting to look around him, alone from his bandmates, and you can see the beginnings of his social activism. A great album to listen to start to finish.
Go To: Jive Artist Page
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Soft Cell, Non Stop Erotic Cabaret (Dec 1981)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 5, USA – 22, Australia – x
Cool Singles: Tainted Love, Say Hello Wave Goodbye



Marc Almond is apparently obsessed with the darker side of sexuality and deviance, and this comes out pretty clearly here, with the definitely n-n-naughty "Tainted Love" cutting technology to an absolute minimum and still maintaining a huge danceable atmosphere. He has one of the great voices, not just suited to sleaze, but the album is pretty scary at times thanks to it’s preoccupations. This is an important album because of it’s exploration of another electronic mood, and Soft Cell held themselves up as pretentious in a nastier way than their new wave colleagues, which was sometimes a bit closer to the truth.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Madonna, True Blue (Jul 1986)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 1, Australia – 1
Cool Singles: Papa Don’t Preach, Live To Tell, True Blue



Madonna became a worldwide megastar with "True Blue". The album is manufactured by a master manipulator, but some songs test much ‘deeper’ subjects than almost all pop, supporting the theory of her fearsome intelligence and chipped shoulders. She has learned emotion layering from the new wavers, cuteness from traditional rock and roll and uses a good thumping echoing drum to penetrate ballads like "Live To Tell". Even though it feels like Madonna is trying out lots of styles and moods, hoping that at least one makes her millions, at least she is willing to experiment. And "True Blue" takes you on a great up and down ride; a classic album to listen to all at once.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Yazoo, Upstairs At Eric’s (May 1982)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 2, USA – 92, Australia – 10
Cool Singles: Don’t Go, Only You, Goodbye Seventies



In a time dominated by ‘beautiful boys’, Alison Moyet had just the right big mamma strength and pitch to differentiate Vince Clarke’s songs. Clarke is truly a founder of the electronic movement, having been in Depeche Mode for it’s first album, and continuing to this day with Erasure. Yazoo's music is very sparce, with minimal layers of synth ("Only You" is a perfect example), and a bit melancholy most of the time, but Moyet adds some aggro to the balance, which is OK, is’nt it? “Don’t Go” is a brilliant dance track that starts the whole album off with a grand bang, and yet again heaps better than much of the pop/dance work of today.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Tears For Fears, Songs From The Big Chair (Mar 1985)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 2, USA – 1, Australia – 5
Cool Singles: Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Shout



There is an amazing complexity to this album, both in terms of lyrics and in the influences it draws from. Tears For Fears were/are a new wave player, but they included soul or R&B here that was far more sincere than their contemporaries – they needed these sounds to deliver the message. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World” captures the excess of excess in the 80s, and could be used again today; have we learned anything? Even though Roland Orzabal can take himself too seriously, he and Curt Smith are very clever musicians; "The Hurting" is just as good, but just misses the top 20.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Roxy Music, Avalon (May 1982)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 53, Australia – 1
Cool Singles: More Than This, Avalon



Bryan Ferry is cited as an influence by most new wave acts, for his seduction and elegance; for the sound and style of his voice and movement. "Avalon" is definitely elegant. Waves of synth and guitar are used by Roxy Music to create a wonderful romance with the listener. Music to love and lust to, and everything so well textured and produced; there is a layer of cool world-weariness that no-one else has been able to emulate. Like Bowie, Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music can blow away the young upstart competition effortlessly.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


The Smiths, Hatful Of Hollow (Nov 1984)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 7, USA – x, Australia – x
Cool Singles: What Difference Does It Make?, This Charming Man, How Soon Is Now?



Morrissey talks to you when he sings; you can feel him putting himself and you down at the same time. This album is a semi-compilation, but includes tracks not present in "The Smiths" album from a few months earlier; and it is better. There are no weak songs here, many with great flushes of sound, ceaseless cymbals and a great Johnny Marr guitar. And even the line ‘Let me get my hands on your mammary glands’ just to bring some relief.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Depeche Mode, Violator (Mar 1990)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 2, USA – 7
Cool Singles: Personal Jesus, Policy Of Truth,



‘I’ll take you to the highest mountain’ – a line from the opening track and it is accurate; this is their best album, and maybe the best of it’s type ever, baby. It is emotional, dark, deep, shallow, danceable, simple, complex with brilliant echoing, sometimes twisted vocals from Dave Gahan. "Personal Jesus" is one of my favourite tracks of any era; it makes the hairs stand on necks everywhere and just reeks of right and wrong. “Policy Of Truth” just takes us into the lying room and shuts the door; it makes my head move all over the place. Martin Gore is an amazing songwriter and at the extreme end of new wave’s power in 1990, his lyrics are still challenging and ambiguous, compositions brilliant. Oops, I’m gushing too much, sorry.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Spandau Ballet, True (Jun 1983)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 19, Australia – 4
Cool Singles: True, Gold



"True" is white soul by new romantics, picking up a lot from Roxy Music; with a similar underlying world-weary sophisticate tone. The lyrics are completely meaningless most of the time but sound, well, poetic, when Tony Hadley sings them in such a smooth smothering voice. Spandau Ballet try and be true romantics, but the reason this album is so good is because of it’s contrived posing. Everything is supposedly cutting edge with these guys, but we know that it was more about making fashion statements, not social or political ones. The absolute antithesis of punk, but Malcolm Maclaren (creator of The Sex Pistols) could’nt have made something better.
Go To: Jive Artist Page
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


Ultravox, Vienna (Oct 1980)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 3, USA – x, Australia – 4
Cool Singles: Vienna, Sleepwalk



"Vienna" is like waking up feeling uneasy after a strange dream. Ultravox are another major influence on new wavers; one of the first to create dark synth moods, use lots of sound layers, and try and mix hard guitars with technology. This album is ground-breaking because it is 2-3 years before the peak of new wave, and these new instruments are sounding pretty slick. Midge Ure has an interesting fragility to his voice that seems to leave nice gaps for synths and effects to fill.
Go To: Jive Artist Page ; Buy @ Chaos Australia
Buy @ Amazon UK ; Buy @ Amazon USA


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SINGLES

Most of these singles do not come from the top 20 albums funnily enough, but if I had just one 20-track CD left for my trip to Big Brother or Survivor or Temptation Island, it would have these songs on it. Feel free to comment via the contact page.


Adam Ant, Antmusic (Sep 1980)
From: Kings Of The Wild Frontier (Nov 1980)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 2, USA – x, Australia – 1
Indians, sticks, stick-ups, tongue pierces cheek
Go To: Jive Artist Page


A-Ha, The Sun Always Shines On TV (May 1985)
From: Hunting High And Low (Aug 1985)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – x, Australia – x
Video art, viking jaws, touch my tellie
Go To: Jive Artist Page


Blondie, Atomic (Feb 1980)
From: Eat To The Beat (Oct 1979)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 39, Australia – 9
Post-Punk-Pre-Pop-Pout
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David Bowie, Fashion (Nov 1980)
From: Scary Monsters (Sep 1980)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 5, USA – 70, Australia – x
I was, am, will be fashion, monster, priest
Go To: Jive Artist Page


Depeche Mode, Just Can’t Get Enough (Jan 1982)
From: Speak & Spell (Oct 1981)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 8, USA – x, Australia – 4
Three legged pogo’ing darling
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Duran Duran, Planet Earth (May 1981)
From: Duran Duran [First] (May 1981)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 12, USA – x, Australia – 8
Earth girls are easy for Le Bon Bons
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Eurythmics, Sweet Dreams [Are Made Of This] (Jan 1983)
From: Sweet Dreams (Feb 1983)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 2, USA – 1, Australia - 6
Red spike, pale face, black heart
Go To: Jive Artist Page


Bryan Ferry, Slave To Love (May 1985)
From: Boys And Girls (Jun 1985)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 10, USA – x, Australia – x
Make me dribble, croon man
Go To: Jive Artist Page


Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Relax (Feb 1984)
From: Welcome To The Pleasuredome (Nov 1984)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 67, Australia – 5
Come all over the world's face
Go To: Jive Artist Page


Heaven 17, Temptation (Feb 1983)
From: The Luxury Gap (May 1983)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 2, USA – x, Australia – x
Pandora, panic, ware me out
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Human League, Don’t You Want Me (Feb 1982)
From: Dare (Oct 1981)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 1, Australia – 4
Flying butterflies and broken mirrors
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Joy Division, Love Will Tear Us Apart (Feb 1979)
From: Substance (Jul 1988)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 13, USA – x, Australia – x
Suicide, go away, come back another day
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New Order, Blue Monday (Mar 1983)
From: Substance [1980-1987] (Aug 1987)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 9, USA – x, Australia – 13
Close those eyes, don’t touch each other when you dance
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Police, Don’t Stand So Close To Me (Sep 1980)
From: Zenyatta Mondatta (Oct 1980)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – x, Australia – x
Learn, Teach, Pubic transport
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Psychedelic Furs, Pretty In Pink (Apr 1981)
From: Talk, Talk, Talk (Jun1981)
Peak Chart Positions (pre-soundtrack): UK – 18, USA – x, Australia – x
My teen spirit remembers
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Simple Minds, Waterfront (Nov 1983)
From: Sparkle In The Rain (Feb 1984)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 13, USA – x, Australia – x
Break those unions
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Soft Cell, Tainted Love (Oct 1981)
From: Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (Dec 1981)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 8, Australia – 1
Look, touch, eat, spit out
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Spandau Ballet, True (Jun 1983)
From: True (Jun 1983)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 1, USA – 4, Australia – 4
I have a surface whote soul
Go To: Jive Artist Page


Tears For Fears, Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Mar 1985)
From: Songs From The Big Chair (Mar 1985)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 2, USA – , Australia – 2
Politics of changing chains
Go To: Jive Artist Page


Ultravox, Vienna (Jan 1981)
From: Vienna (Oct 1980)
Peak Chart Positions: UK – 2, USA – x, Australia – 11
Wet dark foggy noisy organ
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