New Wave music reviews

This CD is like a timeline that documents all of the styles Nina experimented with in her 30 year career. Because of this, this CD has a large variety of tracks with unique and unusual style. The style of music on this CD spans from old fashioned German Cabaret to funky Reggae with New Wave and Punk in between. All the songs are in chronological order, so you can see all the improvements and changes Nina's made over the years. The songs themselves are all masterpieces that make most of the pop of today look like the trash it is. All of Nina's songs, not only the ones included on this album, are well thought out, clever, and artistic.In edition to being one of the most creative musicians of her time, Nina has an amazing vocal range to complement her creativity. This CD is an incarnation of all that creativity. If you are a collector of Nina's music, this CD is really fantastic because it contains her early work that is incredibly hard to come by.

Was Denn is a fantastic collection of very early Nina w/ her group Automobil(74),right up to the her latest single at the time "Tiere"(95). What amazed me about the early tracks on here is that many of them sound as if she could have recorded them today, they don't all sound "dated". MAMA and WAS DENN are rock oriented tracks, HATSCI-WALDERA (she sneezes througout) and the bouncy WIR TANZEN TANGO are quite quirky. DU HASTDEN FARBFILM VERGESSEN sounds like an oompah band complete w/tuba and Nina's strong voice. They are all in German but the distinct Nina singing is there, even operatic at some points. The sound quality is also very good from start to finish.

This is a great way to get early Nina without having to find the old recordings. Almost everything from Rock Aus Deutchland is here on this album. Classic Nina from the early days including songs from the 80's and 90's. A wonderful mix of old and new Nina!

China Crisis are melody perfectionists. This CD is chock full of memorable, well executed, clockwork songs, with lots of jazz rock influence. I believe Walter Becker of Steely Dan either produced, or was somehow instrumental in releasing this CD. The songs are as tight as any Steely Dan CD (as a previous poster said), and the grooves tight with lots of snappy drum kicks and sax! One of the most musical and classiest alt bands ever!

What Price Paradise is the consumate China Crisis album. There isn't a bad song in the bunch. "The Understudy" is as smooth as any Steely Dan number. The horn arrangements for "June Bride" are exceptional and so catchy, though intricate, that one can't help but hit the repeat button. "It's Everything" is such a listenable track that I am perplexed that it never hit mainstream U.S. radio. Even "Arizona Sky" is should have rocketed to the top of the charts. Obviously other forces may have been less appreciative of the beauty of this work. Simply put: this is an outstanding record. And anyone who likes Steely Dan's "Katy Lied" or "Aja" will find it hard to avaoid comparisons.

WPP is filled with brass and exotic percussions, unlike the Steely Dan-esque 'Flaunt the Imperfection.' Many fans were disappointed and as a result, the album did not sell. However, this is a great album despite the commercial failure.
Stand out tracks include "Arizona Sky," inspired by their tour of the U.S. the year before, "June Bride," a happy-happy melody with strong brass accompaniment coupled with lyrics that are innocent yet ironic ("I'm struggling under the strain of bliss/ happy man, I've got all of this") and "Best Kept Secret," a great pop song that never really caught on.
Unlike their other albums, where some of the songs dragged, there are no clunkers.

I first found out about the AKA's on the Hellfest 3 dvd, and then again on Melissa Cross's "Zen of Screaming" dvd. They gave a very energetic performance of "Gotta Get Outta Here" on the Hellfest dvd, and I was curious to how their other songs sounded. I finally ended up seeing them for the first time on the Anti-Flag tour during March of 2006. Very fun show. I wish they would play in CA more often though.

But I digress.. the record "White Doves..." starts off with "Shout Out Loud", "Every Great Western", and "Always On", which kicks the listener in the face, and then moves onto "Gotta Get Outta Here" and "Generation Vexed", which flips the scrip and makes sweet love to you. As described elsewhere, the record is a perfect soundtrack to a dance-hall bar fight. Buy it.

I went to a concert with the AKA's, who I had never heard before, and bought their CD there. It has it's own original sound that you can really get to know. A mix with punk and a hint of techno will get you listening for hours.

This album just plain owns. The lyrics are tongue in cheek and they make you think. The instrumentals are awesome. It's just an album that'll make you want to get up and do something about all of the crap going on in the world. And after you buy the album and listen to it a couple of times, seeing the greatness that is The AKAs, go check them out live. They're so energetic that you won't stop moving until long after the music has stopped.

I listened to this album for the first time today and at first I was a bit unsure, but I gave it five minutes and I swear this is as good as their original work.

I thought this was a really fun album to have in your collection and I will go on all day recommending this to everyone I meet.

The title says it all!!! I waited two weeks for the CD and the wait was worth every second. Madness does it again bringing back their classic tunes and thrilling me once more. The is one CD you can play over and over again in you car and never get tired of it! A+++

We have waited a great deal of time for this release, a long wait. And, yes, it is a wonderful album. Madness' avid fans would surely recognize the Madness sound. Moreover, it seems that this album was composed with a nostalgic end, a hidden tribute to Madness' earlier albums. Johnny the Horse may remind you of Michael Caine; Elysium has the Give Me a Reason sound, 4am has something of Victoria Gardens and Turning Blue, and If I Didn't Care also joins the predominant Keep on Moving theme.
A tribute to Madness' Rise and Fall can be easily detected in Lovestruck and The Wizard. Fans would surely recognize Benny Bullfrog of Madness 7 in Going to the Top.
However, the one and only song that keeps to the real sound and beat of British two tone ska is The Communicator; a hit that could have been easily performed by, for instance, Bad Manners.

Bitter nostalgia is also the theme of Saturday night... that faces the death of the 80s when the world had less time for war and global terrorism and more time for great music, discos at the weekends and incredible video clips.

A fine collection of the first two solo albums from this talented songwriter that show an evolution in style and production without losing the elements of greatness. The first album, "Totem Poles and Glory Holes" has a heavy garage rock meets alt. country sound with a touch of 60's psychedelia. The lead off track, "Looking For An Angel" remains among one of Tolman's best (he's made 6 albums total, 3 of which have only been released in Europe thus far). Perhaps if Bob Dylan had used Roky Erikson and the 13th Floor Elevators while making "Highway 61 Revisted" it would have sounded something like this "Down In Earthquake Town" is quite different in that it finds Tolman sounding somewhere between Exile on Mainstreet era Rolling Stones and Leonard Cohen. Here he's got some spicy soulful backing vocalists and an excellent keyboardist in Chris Cacavas (Green On Red). Jeff Kane, bassist on the first album, has switched to lead guitar where he shines on a number of solos. Lots of great songs here, but my favorites would have to "Domino", "Planes Trains & Automobiles" and "Midnight." Also check out the fine cover of Nilsson's "Jump Into The Fire."

In the mid-80s, Russ Tolman was trailboss of the psychedelic cow-punks True West. One half of the legendary lead guitar duo with stringsmith Richard McGrath, Tolman was also True West's principal songwriter and visionary. When the band split after too many failed attempts to grasp to the brass ring, Tolman recorded two solo albums for Elvis Costello's Demon Records in the UK. These two discs "Totem Poles and Glory Holes" and "Down in Earthquake Town" are brought together for the first time on CD. "Totem Poles" was characterized by Tolman as "a great ball of noise" and he was not too far off the mark. This are raw, garagy treatments of his great tunes. "Earthquake Town" was recorded after a move to LA from the Northern California college town that spawned True West. This album is a bittersweet look at the City of Angels, which contains such classic songs as "Palm Tree Land" and "Vegas." Tolman definitely presages the "Swingers" scene. All and all, a must-have double set from Russ.

"The Best of Joe Jackson" is prime evidence that the '80s weren't as junky a time for popular music as some people would have it. As clear-eyed and worldly as Elvis Costello (though far less angry), as polished and capable as Billy Joel (though far less calculating), Jackson is a master of pop styles ranging from New Wave punk to Big Band. In his '80s heyday, he graced the radio with some of the most tuneful and musically accomplished hits of the decade. (Would he make the Top 40 if he were starting out now? I fear his current low profile against all the Backstreet Boys and 'N Syncs of the world gives us our answer.) While you really need to go back to his original albums--Look Sharp, Night and Day, Body and Soul--to get the full flavor of this versatile singer-songwriter-arranger, "The Best of Joe Jackson" makes a worthy introduction. One CD can't contain all his best work, but any that contains "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" "Different for Girls," "Jumpin' Jive," "Steppin' Out" and "You Can't Get What You Want"--as this one does--at least covers all the important bases.

this cd has got to be, by far, the best $9.99 impulse purchase i've made at a border's bookshop sale bin in a long time. i bought it because i remembered the hit singles jj had during my youth back in the early 1980's ('steppin' out', 'breaking us in two'), and figured i'd get them on cd and enjoy them for a bit of nostalgia. now that i've given the entire disc a few listens, though, it's really hard for me to remove it from my cd player! jj is a superb technical musician as well as a brilliant tunesmith and lyricist, which all of the songs here plainly show, but taken together as a compilation they also show that the primary aspect of his musical genius lies in his versatility. from post-punk, angst-ridden rock/pop ('is she really going out with him?', 'sunday papers') to soft rock/pop ('it's different for girls', 'steppin' out', 'you can't get what you want') to uk reggae/ska ('beat crazy') to big band/swing ('jumpin' jive') to piano pop ballads ('breaking us in two', 'be my number two') to modern adult alternative ('right and wrong', 'nineteen forever'), it's all jj, it's all here on the same cd, and it's all very, very good. i'm definitely interested in listening to more of his work now as a result. thank you, 20th century masters!

Customers pondering whether to purchase this album or The Waitresses' 1990 compilation "The Best Of The Waitresses" need only ask themselves which they prefer, more songs or improved sound quality. "The Best Of The Waitresses" contains three additional songs, "Jimmy Tomorrow," "The Smartest Person I Know," and "They're All Out Of Liquor, Let's Find Another Party." As I have never heard these songs, I do not miss them. For me, the improved sound quality of this remastered edition beats out the inclusion of more songs on the other version, but to each his own. The three big Waitresses hits that most people know, "I Know What Boys Like," "Christmas Wrapping," and "Square Pegs" are all included on this CD, plus most of the songs on the 1990 compilation. For a band that put out such a small amount of recorded material, you really can't go wrong with this CD. Overall, this is a great CD that really captures the essence of The Waitresses, an infectious, idiosyncratic band that came and went too soon.

i love this alubm.
i will buy this alubm.
tracks i love are:
Christmas Wrapping and I know what boys like
i recommand that you go out and buy this alubm.

The Waitresses were a very unique and talented pop band that, unfortunately, have never really been given the attention they deserve. Their music is fun, upbeat, and makes you want to get up and dance more than any other group out there. Most people are familiar with the hits, "I Know What Boys Like," "Square Pegs," and the pop Christmas classic, "Christmas Wrapping." This CD has those hits as well as other lesser known, but even better songs. "Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?," "A Girl's Gotta Do" and "Thinking About Sex Again" are especially infectious tunes that are hard to get out of your head. "Bruiseology" will whip you into a mental frenzy. It's a tragedy that this group only released two albums ("Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?" -1982 and "Bruiseology" -1983), neither of which is available on CD. With lead singer Patty Donahue's death in 1996, this group will never be able to reunite. Their two greatest hits CDs (including this one) and their Live: King Biscuit Flower hour CD are the only lasting archives for this great band. I highly recommend this CD (and the live CD) for any fan of the 80s or anybody who just wants to hear a very unique, fun group of songs that make you want to get up and dance.

(...) Japanese Whispers is NOT in this collection. It is Faith, Pornography, and The Top. The Top is another Cure album from 1984? that I'm pretty sure is out of print. I found in downtown chicago new for 40 dollars once, and i had looked for it for about 2 years. Anyway I'm just pointing this out so people who might not know a whole lot about The Cure get mistakenly misled

I love the cure and to get 3 of their CD's in one package is a great deal! Japanese Wispers is a hard album to find. Its worth paying for just Japanese Wispers! Long live the cure!

I have nothing witty to say here in this review. I was listening to my copy of TVP's cd and chanced a look-up on Amazon to see what others had said of the band. Nice to see that there were 2 of 2 good reviews! With the exception of maybe 2 tracks on this release, TVP proves themselves an underated band from the past who deserve a second listen. Ditto what the previous reviews have said.

Dan Treacy of the Television Personalities' unique musical vision filled with twisted humour, innocence, truth, beautiful melodies and a contradictions changed my life. Jonathan Richman made me want to be musician but hearing the TVPs made me take action. This was my punk rock, my self empowering revolution. It wasn't just me and my own band, BMX Bandits, their music and being had a massive affect on many of my Scottish peers including The Pastels, Teenage Fanclub, The Vaselines, Soup Dragons have admitted their debt to them. Alan McGee admits his Creation records, who brought the world My Bloody Valentine, Jesus & Mary Chain and Oasis, was him trying to emulate his hero Dan's small but individual label Whaaam! Kurt from Nirvana personally sought them out to support them at a London show, where they confused the audience of mostly young grungeophilles. What was the magic? Well you can find the answer here. It was the first album they released and the first I got by them. It's beautifully simple amateur pop art cover is the perfect package for what's inside; pop rewrites of Dan's favourite movies, television, books and personal experiences growing up, his world. On this album less is definetly more and it's rough edges sound even more vital to me now than back then. Geoffrey Ingram and Silly Girl are up there as all time mod classics with the best of Townsend or Davis; I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives has become part of Syd's legend and A Picture of Dorian Gray is so GREAT and so BEAUTIFUL. Don't the kids love it...they should.

This album is absolutely great in every way. The songs are incredibly charming. It's one of those records you discover and it's an epiphany. "And Don't The Kids Just Love It" has inspired me as an artist. I love it in every way. If you love 60s AM pop and super catchy new wave music, you won't be disappointed. You'll play this record over and over and wish it never ended. Genius!