New Wave Outpost Forum

If you were like me back in the day (early 80's) there was that epochal moment in your life when you decided to shrug off that tired, musty, sepia-toned MOR that smothered popular culture like a heavy macrame blanket and immersed yourself into the wild and diverse sounds of the burgeoning New Wave movement. Do you remember that awakening? Your first few purchases?

I was 14 and a friend took me to see Urgh! A Music War
at the Balboa Cinema in 1981. I was hooked. Two days later I took what little cash I had and bought my first New Wave records: Wall Of Voodoo's "Dark Continent", Oingo Boingo's "Only A Lad", The Police's "Zenyatta Mondatta" & The Go-Go's "Beauty & The Beat".

Of course, it took a while to break me of my Yes & Fleetwood Mac records (yikes! I even owned a Styx album!) but the seeds were planted (and thank god.)

What's your story?

Ooh, easy answer: Duran Duran, [i]Rio[/i]. First '80s New Wave record, first New Wave record period, and heck, first real '80s record I ever owned. This was back in 1991 and I remember picking up the cassette at a second hand music store. This was the beginning of everything for me. [i]Rio[/i] opened the floodgates. No longer was I the little girl with no idea of what happened musically during the '80s because she was too busy listening to '60s music then. [i]Rio[/i] was my introduction to the world of popular music post-1979 and I fell head over heels in love with it. It is because of that album, and my subsequent Duran Duran fanhood, that I became interested in anything '80s I could get my hands on. I'd even credit it for my being here on this board talking about very non-Duran Duran artists that I'm an enthused fan of. The day I bought [i]Rio[/i] was the day I became reborn as a music enthusiast. And I haven't looked back.

Hey SuNomi, did you shop at music Market in Costa Mesa, CA? I bought many of my recods there, low prices (like $4.98 per LP) and loads of imports, cheap!

I remember the Balboa... used to see Quadraphenia there every weekend! [:D] A little scooter rally to the event, a few 40-ouncers, and presto... magic!

The first New Wave (and maybe these artists may not be classified as so NW) records I bought in 1979 were: The Jam - In The City and The Ramones - Rocket To Russia, I believe, and maybe the first Psy. Furs LP (I played "India" over and over again, loved the slow intro/build up! [8D], but drove my parents nuts [:0], probally because I went straight from Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, et al to New Wave, overnight! [:p]

I mourned the loss of Music Market. It was so huge and seemed to have everything under the sun, especially imports. Practically every piece of vinyl I still have came from there. I remember going to those scooter rallies at the Balboa. A very cool time indeed. You don't have revival theaters in OC anymore. No more Rocky Horror, no
Quadrophenia or Dance Craze. That place was the bomb!

That place was the Bomb alright... Dance Craz nights were a total brawl! [:p] [:D]

We've spoken at length about our first awakening to NW before (I'll see if I can dig up the threads), but such exciting times those were ! Like glokstadt said, I nearly converted overnight.
My 1st NW tape purchases:
Go Gos - [i]Beauty and the Beat[/i]
Police - [i]Ghost in the Machine[/i]
OMD - [i]Junk Culture[/i]
Big Country - [i]The Crossing[/i]

....back when new tapes were $5.99 at stores !!!

My first I got as a present from my school (for having the highest GPA in a particular course period). I could pick the tape and I chose AutoAmerican by Blondie. I may be forgetting one of the 45s we picked up during 1978 and 1979--but they were mostly top 40/Disco hits (like "Baby Come Back" by Player and "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer and "Heroes" by David Bowie--that probably comes closest--otherwise it's AutoAmerican by Blondie, in early 1980 ).

Norman

I started with a The Police singles album (already have some U2 records but I didn't know even what Nw was).

http://spaces.msn.com/members/mechigc
http://sicksadworldwelivein.blogspot.com
http://devotionanddivision.blogspot.com

Music Market rules! I still have plenty of CDs I bought from there. My first New Wave CD:

Thomas Dolby [i]The Golden Age Of Wireless[/i]

<a href="http://www.ocnewwave.blogspot.com/"><font color="#ff6600"><font size=+1.5>OC New Wave Blog</font></a>
<font color="#00ff00"><font="westminster">Music videos, Orange County concerts, and more.</font>

Damn Su! Now you're going to make run down the basement to get the album - it was a compilation New Wave album (1980)

1. Devo-Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
2. XTC-Drums and Wires
3. Gary Numan-The Pleasure Principle
4. The Police-Outlandos d'Amour
5. The Boomtown Rats-A Tonic For The Troops

You can see why I don't consider Culture Club new wave.

Hm, if memory serves me right the first new wave LP I owned was Flying Lizards - S/T

I would buy in bulk a lot after buying a few select records here and there, a few of my other firsts include Human League - Hysteria, Lene Lovich - Stateless, and Steel Breeze - S/T

Missing Persons - Spring Session M

Plimsouls - Everywhere At Once

Talking Heads - Fear Of Music

[quote][i]Originally posted by highway1pch[/i]
<br>Music Market rules! I still have plenty of CDs I bought from there. My first New Wave CD:

Thomas Dolby [i]The Golden Age Of Wireless[/i]

<a href="http://www.ocnewwave.blogspot.com/"><font color="#ff6600"><font size=+1.5>OC New Wave Blog</font></a>
<font color="#00ff00"><font="westminster">Music videos, Orange County concerts, and more.</font>
[/quote]

I never got to shop there when they had CDs for sale. [:(]

[quote][i]Originally posted by KYYX4ever[/i]
<br>Like glokstadt said, I nearly converted overnight.

....back when new tapes were $5.99 at stores !!!

[/quote]

I'm guessing most folks switched overnight because you either loved New Wave, or you hate New Wave music.

$3.99 LPs when I started buying... you got tapes at $5.99... now inflation... prices have soared, can't buy most of what I have on vinyl! [:0] CD prices never came down, like the industry promised! [:(!]

I would love for you to search for the old thread... it makes for some cool reading. [:D] Since having joined here at NWO, I have listed to more music I haven't been listining to in the recent past, and have made some cool CD-Rs for the car to jam down the highway to, sounds like a thread needs to start! [;)] [:D]