Is It New Wave?

[roc51]

Interested to read your thoughts about these bands and if you think they were "new wave":

Level 42
The Outfield
Cutting Crew
The Honeymoon Suite
Pat Benatar
Glass Tiger
Living In A Box
The Hooters
Matthew Wilder

Cheers!

[empyrean]

They are hip hop.

<a href="http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r72/din1081/?action=view¤t=215613201067hitmedawg.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r72/din1081/215613201067hitmedawg.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[InvisibleMan]

may I throw in Night Ranger and Loverboy?! [:D]

anyway, there's been separate topics about some of these...and sentiment mainly was that they're not NW...
I think it's more AOR and pop...and in case of Living In a Box and Level 42 some soul too. Though I think some of these did have a bit of NW feel as well...

[Max Murdoc]

No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
and No

[djcraig]

First off, anything your mother could have liked when it first came out is immediately suspect including Glass Tiger, Matthew Wilder, Level 42 and Living In A Box.

Level 42- Easy listening Adult Contemporary.

The Outfield- About as New Wave as REO Speedwagon

Cutting Crew- Ditto!

The Honeymoon Suite- Always liked "Love Changes Everything" but it's a Hair Metal band, why would you even ask?

Pat Benatar- elements of NW but like Tom Petty, a few sythns don't mean it aint mainstream rock.

Glass Tiger- Interchangeable with Level 42, I'm pretty sure it's the same band.

Living In A Box- More like blue eyed Smooth Jazz than Rock.

The Hooters- Yes it's New Wave. Non-conformist rockers with Christian elements and a DIY attitude, they can at least claim to be influenced by Punk/Power Pop.

Matthew Wilder- Cutting edge... compared to Leo Sayer. Doesn't get much more mainstreamer.




<a href="http://www.djcraig.net/los_angeles_dj">DJ Craig</a>

[InvisibleMan]

[quote][i]Originally posted by djcraig[/i]
<br>
Glass Tiger- Interchangeable with Level 42, I'm pretty sure it's the same band.

[/quote]

but don't you think a song like Thin Red Line sounded rather New Wave? I think it did....as well as a few other GT songs.

[NuWaveRx]

Usually I loath posting into these pissing matches about "what is new wave", but I have never quite understood the hatred of most of the Outposters have to Level 42. Yes everyone has their own taste, but to me Level 42 had a lot going for it: outstanding musicianship (which right there [let's face it] may exclude them from the "NW" label), decent lyrics, more hooks than a fishing shop, and a more than solid rhythm section.

Yes Mark Lindup's falsetto could be grating and yes a lot of their hits (US anyway) were of the AC variety, but to call them "easy listening"? Sorry, Craig I'd say they were really riding the Jazz pop wave that was all the rage (in the UK anyway) in the mid-80s. With quite a bit of funk thrown in for measure

Finally when it comes to musical chops there is no comparison. The whole original lineup was beyond talented but Mark King has more musicianship in his callused thumb then the rest of the original artist list of the op put together.

Exhibit A for the defense

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zTQtbrK7v0M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Exhibit B for the defense

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VN1EzdouMMA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


And he's still got it

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_TvNBeGbBg0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


NW? maybe not, but I still listen to them [^]

[roc51]

[quote][i]Originally posted by NuWaveRx[/i]
<br>Usually I loath posting into these pissing matches about "what is new wave", but I have never quite understood the hatred of most of the Outposters have to Level 42. Yes everyone has their own taste, but to me Level 42 had a lot going for it: outstanding musicianship (which right there [let's face it] may exclude them from the "NW" label), decent lyrics, more hooks than a fishing shop, and a more than solid rhythm section.

Yes Mark Lindup's falsetto could be grating and yes a lot of their hits (US anyway) were of the AC variety, but to call them "easy listening"? Sorry, Craig I'd say they were really riding the Jazz pop wave that was all the rage (in the UK anyway) in the mid-80s. With quite a bit of funk thrown in for measure

Finally when it comes to musical chops there is no comparison. The whole original lineup was beyond talented but Mark King has more musicianship in his callused thumb then the rest of the original artist list of the op put together.

Exhibit A for the defense

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zTQtbrK7v0M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Exhibit B for the defense

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VN1EzdouMMA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


And he's still got it

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_TvNBeGbBg0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


NW? maybe not, but I still listen to them [^]


[/quote]

Well said indeed! I've always enjoyed the music of Level 42 even to this day...even before I focused on the musicianship, their album covers were phenomenal, so they defintely had the visual factor going for them...granted, if you lived in the UK, their hit making status was confirmed and yes, in some quarters, they were lumped in with the "groove music", indie dance stuff that was big in the day - think A Certain Ratio, Shriekback, Quando Quango, ESG, etc - and were big on dancefloors in NYC & LA...they even got airplay on LA's KROQ!

[roc51]

[quote][i]Originally posted by djcraig[/i]
<br>First off, anything your mother could have liked when it first came out is immediately suspect including Glass Tiger, Matthew Wilder, Level 42 and Living In A Box.

Level 42- Easy listening Adult Contemporary.

The Outfield- About as New Wave as REO Speedwagon

Cutting Crew- Ditto!

The Honeymoon Suite- Always liked "Love Changes Everything" but it's a Hair Metal band, why would you even ask?

Pat Benatar- elements of NW but like Tom Petty, a few sythns don't mean it aint mainstream rock.

Glass Tiger- Interchangeable with Level 42, I'm pretty sure it's the same band.

Living In A Box- More like blue eyed Smooth Jazz than Rock.

The Hooters- Yes it's New Wave. Non-conformist rockers with Christian elements and a DIY attitude, they can at least claim to be influenced by Punk/Power Pop.

Matthew Wilder- Cutting edge... compared to Leo Sayer. Doesn't get much more mainstreamer.




<a href="http://www.djcraig.net/los_angeles_dj">DJ Craig</a>


[/quote]

Pretty funny but disagree on some points...Honeymoon Suite, especially "New Girl Now" & "Feel It Again" did get play on some NW stations of the day along with the emerging FM Rock stations of the time...Pat Benatar was a beneficiary of MTV for sure...I've always liked The Outfield and Cutting Crew's "Broadcast" LP...and Level 42 were and are still fantastic...

[Screen 13]

No. most of the list are just Pop performers who used elements of what was popular at the time, made to fit the radio and MTV of the day. Level 42 in their early days were more than just Pop, but fitted in with the rest with their Mid-Late 80's Pop hits. I caught some of their music before "Something About You" and thought it to be pleasant listening if not essential although the Bass work really was great.

Still, I do have to give some respect to Mark King. Like Nick Beggs, the music may not to be my taste, but he's a damn good Bass Guitarist for the music he plays.

[Frank_Chickens]

Level 42's early stuff wasn't bad at all but by the mid 80's it had turned into elevator musak.

Something that shows Mark King's superb bass skills:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vvuhir0-R-c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tP-Vhv6dBys" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[soundstory]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Max Murdoc[/i]
<br>No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
and No
[/quote]

and no [:D]

[InvisibleMan]

whatever anyone's "bass skills" might be, I just love Lessons in Love, good 80's tune, and imho good vocals too...I think I mentioned them in my "bands named with numbers" thread [:D]

[pellerman]

[quote]Originally posted by roc51
[br]Interested to read your thoughts about these bands and if you think they were "new wave":

Level 42
The Outfield
Cutting Crew
The Honeymoon Suite
Pat Benatar
Glass Tiger
Living In A Box
The Hooters
Matthew Wilder

Cheers!

[/quote]

Only Living in a Box is New Wave. Level 42 is almost new wave.

[InvisibleMan]

[quote][i]Originally posted by pellerman[/i]
<br>

Only Living in a Box is New Wave. Level 42 is almost new wave.
[/quote]

you must be mistaking LIB with some other band. I think LIB is probably the least NW of them all...

how about Men At Work, how much NW cred do you people think they had? Or The Police...?