New Wave: My Top Ten Singles

Selected here are artists from the 1977-79 period whose music was not punk but was associated with that period and often labelled "new wave". Punk in attitude maybe but not punk in sound. The music was not confrontational or aggressive, it was melodic, poppy and often sing-along. Perfect chart fare in many ways. For me, all these songs are permanently associated with that fertile period for young, exciting "new" music.

⑩ IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? - JOE JACKSON (1979)

Portsmouth's bug-eyed Mekon lookalike Joe Jackson is an interesting musical character. A most unlikely-looking "pop star", his beginnings were in the "new wave" of 1979 he progressed to dabbling in jazz, world music and classically-influenced stuff. He was/is a most underrated and creative artist. Initially, Jackson seemed to have found himself at the vanguard of the “new wave” by default, because he wore punk-era thin ties and drainpipe trousers and had the afore-mentioned anti-rock star oddball look. Therefore, it was almost as if he was under pressure to be “punky”, whereas, as would be shown in later years, his tastes were for jazz, big band and even classical music. But, 1978-79 was all about musical brevity, back to basics and a “new wave” which eschewed anything lengthy or too experimental. So, new wave it would be, at least for the first two albums. On his first “new wave” single, and big hit, Is She Really Going Out With Him? Jackson’s voice is a unique sneer, like Parker and Costello but in a far worse mood. Joe doesn't understand why all the girls he sees have chosen other, better-looking guys to go out with. Hmmmm. I wonder why?

⑨ 2-4-6-8 MOTORWAY - THE TOM ROBINSON BAND (1977)

The Tom Robinson Band produced only two albums, a few singles and an EP but boy what a glorious debut album they gave us. Power In The Darkness was, for me, up there with The Clash, In The City and Ramones as one of punk/new wave's greatest first statements. What a manifesto the politically-motivated bunch of schoolboy-looking lads gave us too. There weren't many issues they didn't protest about and I, issue-driven, greedily lapped it all up at eighteen/nineteen. Here, I shamelessly present to you the glorious rat-a-tat riffage of the groups big hit single - at their first attempt - in 2-4-6-8 Motorway. Sure, its fist-pumping chorus is pretty simplistic but I still love it. Just listening to the first notes gets me all nostalgic. 

⑧ RAT TRAP - THE BOOMTOWN RATS (1978)

Plastic punks? Maybe. To be fair, it has to be said that neither Geldof or the band ever claimed to be punk. Perfectly exemplifying that is the Tonic For The Troops album's tour de force, Rat Trap, the big number one that was hailed as the first "punk number one". That description is certainly stretching it a bit as the song is full of wailing saxophone, Springsteen-esque street rock drama and plenty of Phil Lynott-isms in both the lyrics and the vocals. For me, this is far more of a Thin Lizzy pastiche than the usually-quoted Springsteen one. Either way, it was a truly great single, wasn't it? Probably the group's finest song and it is miles ahead of anything else on its parent album. I loved it back then and I still do. I never tire of it. It certainly created a stir at the time, heralding, in many ways, the moment that punk turned into "new wave". "It's a rat trap - and you've been caught". Quite. A great line, expertly delivered at the right time in the song.

⑦ ROADRUNNER - THE MODERN LOVERS (1978)

This iconic, oddball single was released into the punk/new wave whirlpool in 1978 but it dated from 1972. Singer Jonathan Richman actually wrote it in 1970! The Modern Lovers' garage band-style rough enthusiasm lends it a freshness and vigour. Were there geeky anti-heroes in rock music in 1972? No sir. Jonathan Richman made the mould, paving the way for the Costellos, Byrnes, Ramones, Parkers, Jacksons, Shelleys, Devotos and Durys. Richman had that David Byrne college boy look five years before Talking Heads' first album. The pounding, minimalist yet intrinsically poppy and gloriously singalong song has an organ-driven magnificence. There are several versions of the song, all of which are great, but this original single 'a' side has a loose, rawness that is most appealing. Get hold of Roadrunner (Twice) if you can too, as that is equally wonderful. Did anyone really record stuff like this in 1972? Sure, these guys did. 

⑥ SWEET GENE VINCENT - IAN DURY (1977)

The Dickensian-looking Ian Dury cut an odd figure in the punk-new wave explosion. Firstly, he was already thirty-five and had been around the block, so to speak, secondly, his influences were far more soul, reggae, funk, traditional cockney music hall and even disco than rock or punk. Indeed, his attempts at breakneck punk haven't aged well and now sound somewhat clumsy and archaic. It is his funkier, witty numbers and this, the upbeat, joyous rock 'n' roll thump of Sweet Gene Vincent that still carry an appeal. This sort of material was an example of how punk's viscerality subsided almost before it had even begun, given that this album came out in 1977. However, it is as much a symbol of its age as Never Mind The Bollocks or The Clash.

⑤ SPANISH STROLL - MINK DE VILLE (1977)

My beloved Mink De Ville’s only chart hit here - the still popular and truly wonderful Spanish Stroll, with its great guitar intro and Lou Reed-style vocals. "Hey Johnny, they lookin' for you man...", indeed. The song was all over the radio in the late summer/autumn of 1977 and rightly so. It remains a great new wave hit, but one that is also retro-sounding. It still sounds great today, from the first moment when Willy hits that guitar intro followed by the Reed-esque first lines of "hey Mr. Jim, I can see the shape your'e in, finger on your eyebrow and left hand on your hip". That voice, man. It does it every time, even now. I loved the whole "West Side Story" image of Willy De Ville, the tough but tender image and the saxophone-driven, soulful rock that his excellent band played. Springsteen would be along in a few months for me to take that much further, but, first of all, it was Willy De Ville that filled that rôle. I thought he was impossibly cool and I let everyone know, also taking to wearing pencil-thin ties and a pair of turquoise winkle-picker style shoes myself. That was my punk image, as opposed to spiky hair and safety pins. There were a fair few who went down that road of "street cool" too. It worked and got me the girl.

④ MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL - THE CARS (1979)

I seriously loved My Best Friend’s Girl when it came out, with its handclappy backing, jangly guitar and sort of early Joe Jackson ambience. It became a true classic of the new wave. I played it endlessly on the student union jukebox while playing pool and using my cue as an air guitar. It went hand-in-hand with the afore-mentioned Jackson, Elvis Costello, Blondie, Graham Parker and Nick Lowe as very much the sound of 1978-79 for me. The group looked a bit like a geekier, studenty Ramones but without the genuine quirky menace. For many, though, including lots of music writers, bloggers and so on, The Cars are right at the top of the new wave sub-genre, rather like they all love Television’s Marquee Moon.

③ OLIVER'S ARMY - ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS (1979)

By 1979, Elvis Costello and The Attractions had made their organ and bass-dominated sound something of a trademark. This infectious and catchy song (strangely, about mercenaries) became their biggest hit to date and remains the one they are best known for. Costello surprised a fair few people at the time when he stated that he based the song's distinctive piano coda on the one used by ABBA on Dancing Queen. This showed, even in early 1979, just how far so-called "punks" were diversifying and all that supposed contempt for pre-existing rock and chart pop was all a sham. Costello knew his music, he knew a good piano riff when he heard one and he used it to his own benefit, big time.

② I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW - THE RUBINOOS (1977)

In the spring-summer of 1978, this was rarely off my turntable. The Rubinoos flourished somehow, briefly, while the flames of punk burned around them. These weren't no anarchists, no nihilists, no blank generation. They were clean-cut Southern Californian kids brought up on mom's cookies and ice cream while watching Saturday morning cartoons. They were the well-brought up children of The Monkees and The Beach Boys, cousins to The Archies and Tommy James And The Shondells. Strangely, they were accepted by a fair amount of the punk-new wave following and gigged regularly on the same circuit. I saw them play at my local club - Friars, Aylesbury - a couple of months after seeing The Clash and a couple of weeks before The Buzzcocks. They caught on with the "power pop" audience. Indeed, their version of Tommy James & The Shondells' I Think We're Alone Now was regularly played over the PA at Friars at the end of the evening after the main band had gone off stage as we all trooped out. Great memories. Great 45 too. 

① DENIS - BLONDIE (1978)

It was the poppy/new wave hit single Denis that earned singer Deborah Harry a legion of teenage male fans and girls who admired her chutzpah too. Blonde hairdos emerged all over the place. Regular girls found a way into punk via Blondie too, which previously had been difficult, unless they wanted to go down the Siouxsie Sioux route, which many didn’t. Here, by looking like Debbie Harry, they could get their punk kicks while not going the whole gothic hog. I remember seeing them perform Denis on Top Of The Pops. Everybody was talking about them/her the next day. That was when Blondie really arrived. February 1978. My goodness, though, all these years later and I still love the song. It was a cover version of a sixties doo-wop song by Randy & The Rainbows and was originally titled "Denise". Debbie decided to add a somewhat improvised verse in schoolgirl French, for some reason.

Bubbling under - I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass - Nick Lowe, So Lonely - The Police, Hold Back The Night - Graham Parker, Cool For Cats - Squeeze, Time For Action - Secret Affair, Turning Japanese - The Vapors