Your first New Wave records...

[SuNomi]

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?

[deethelurker]

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.

[glokstadt]

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]

[SuNomi]

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!

[glokstadt]

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

[KYYX4ever]

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 !!!

[waldnorm]

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

[Mechi]

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

[highway1pch]

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>

[xtc-1957]

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

[beautifulmutant101]

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.

[DevoManiac101]

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

[egg-roger]

Missing Persons - Spring Session M

Plimsouls - Everywhere At Once

Talking Heads - Fear Of Music

[glokstadt]

[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. [:(]

[glokstadt]

[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]