Rock music underwent a revolution in the late 1970s. A new generation of acts arrived, often stripping their sound back with basic songs and simple arrangements. Some of these bands failed to make a huge dent commercially, despite critical acclaim. Others like U2 and Blondie rode their stripped-down sound to international success.
Punk and new wave were a vehicle for a new generation of musicians to gain record deals, but a lot of the new generation turned out to be extremely sophisticated writers – ambitious composers like Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson and Andy Partridge didn’t stay punk for long, instead veering off into different genres.
Major acts that I’m planning to cover include Blondie, X, The Pretenders, and Joe Jackson. Some bands that are new-wave influenced but started their careers during the 1980s, like New Order and R.E.M., are covered on the 1980s Review page.
Boston quintet The Cars were arguably the quintessential New Wave band. They combined the back-to-basics approach of new wave, forward-thinking synthesiser textures, and bright power pop melodies. It’s not difficult...
Perhaps the most celebrated band to emerge from the 1970s punk movement, The Clash started as a straight-out punk band. But their music soon expanded, incorporating the reggae and dub...
Of all the musicians who emerged in the wake of punk in the late 1970s, Elvis Costello perhaps has the richest back-catalogue. Musically literate and stylistically restless, in some ways...
The members of The dB’s are all from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, also the birthplace of Mitch Easter (Let’s Active) and Ben Folds. As teens, future dB's Chris Stamey and Peter...
Echo & the Bunnymen vocalist Ian McCulloch started his career in the humbly named Crucial Three, alongside Julian Cope and Pete Wylie. As the Crucial Three morphed into The Teardrop...
It's difficult to explain the appeal of Australian indie band The Go-Betweens; Robert Forster and Grant McLennan are neither strikingly talented guitarists nor vocalists. But despite their limitations, they made...
Hüsker Dü started as a hardcore punk act in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979, with Bob Mould on guitar and vocals, Grant Hart on drums and vocals, and Greg Norton...
The Jam was formed by young teens in Woking, a town on the edge of London. Guitarist and songwriter Paul Weller was eventually joined by drummer Rick Buckler and bassist...
Joy Division were one of several prominent bands who were inspired by the Sex Pistols' famous 1976 gig in Manchester - members of The Buzzcocks, The Fall, The Smiths, and...
English trio The Police released their first album in 1978. Despite the timing, they weren't especially punk, something that's immediately apparent from their choice of band name. The Police were...
IntroductionThe RaincoatsThe RaincoatsOdyshapeMovingLooking in the Shadows10 Best Raincoats Songs Introduction The punk and new wave movements lowered the barriers to entry to a musical career, promising a more egalitarian future....
Yet another great musical act to come out of the state of Minnesota (see also Bob Dylan, Prince, Hüsker Dü, and The Hold Steady). The Impediments changed their name to...
IntroductionThe Soft Boys Album ReviewsA Can of BeesUnderwater MoonlightInvisible HitsNextdoorland10 Best Soft Boys Songs Introduction Robyn Hitchcock started his recording career with the psychedelic new wave band The Soft Boys....
The Talking Heads started out playing in legendary New York club CBGB, effectively the focal point for American New Wave; The Ramones, Television, Patti Smith Group, and Blondie also launched their careers...
There were a plethora of musical acts that originated from the CBGBs club in New York in the mid-1970s; The Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, and Blondie all went on...
U2 started as a post-punk band, emerging from Ireland with their 1980 debut Boy. Like a lot of bands from the DIY ethos of the punk era, they had limitations....
Formed in Swindon around songwriters Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, XTC started their career as a glam band. Their recording career started in 1978, with a pair of abrasive new...
These punk and new wave artists are covered briefly below:The B-52's | Buzzcocks The B-52's Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation 1998, 7/10Despite ubiquitous songs like ‘Love Shack’ and...
Aphoristic Album Reviews is almost entirely written by one person. It features album reviews and blog posts across a growing spectrum of popular music.
Graham Fyfe has been writing this website since his late teens. Now in his forties, he's been obsessively listening to albums for years. He works as a web editor and plays the piano.