•

British New Wave groups

•

had success in the United States

•

punk didn't happen in the United States in the same way as it happened in the UK

•

at least not in a commercial way

•

although it certainly happened in subcultures

•

Elvis Costello

•

came out of the punk scene in the UK

•

seen as one of the first UK artists to do New Wave, the safer version of punk

•

most rock fans' exposure to New Wave was in December in 1977 when Elvis Costello appeared on Saturday Night Live

•

the show you wanted to get on if you wanted to reach young America

•

an edgy show after 11:30 on Saturday nights so they could get away with things you couldn't say and show on prime time

•

the Sex Pistols were supposed to be on but had some kind of visa issue

•

so Elvis Costello substituted for them

•

he was supposed to play "Less Than Zero"

•

then told band to stop

•

then started the song "Radio Radio"

•

Lauren Michaels who produced show was very angry and banned him

•

1977 My Aim is True

•

Allison

•

1978 This Year's Model

•

Pump It Up

•

Radio Radio

•

The Police

•

the most influential group of the late 70s and early 80s

•

if you asked someone in 1984 who will be the band that will be remembered in rock history, the Police or U2, most people would say The Police

•

U2 has gone on to be the more popular band

•

Sting on base and vocals

•

intelligent

•

lyrics filled with literary references

•

Stewart Copland on drums

•

tricky and jazz influence

•

Andy Summers on guitar

•

atmospheric guitarscapes

•

Outlandos d'Amour (1979)

•

Roxanne

•

Reggae influence

•

Can't Stand Losing You

•

1980s

•

Synchronicity

•

New Wave

•

one of the first styles that makes strong references to rock's own past

•

in order to get the irony of New Wave, you have to know the repertoire they are referring to

•

you can't get what New Wave was doing in the the last 1970s if you don't know 60s or late 50s music

•

Elvis Costello comes out with horn-rimmed glasses

•

referencing Buddy Holly

•

an ironic collage

•

wasn't clear if New Wave was meant to embrace the past

•

e.g. this hippy rock music is not very good, let's go back to an early form

•

in the case of people like Tom Petty, that is actually what he is thinking

•

but he's in a minority

•

most New Wave bands were just using the 60s to make a critique on the present

•

adding a layer of observation at what is happening in the musical culture

•

it was hard to not recognize what this music was referring to

•

not hippy music

•

it took hippy music and rubbed its nose in its past

•

it was an act of rebellion but an act of aesthetic rebellion, not political rebellion

•

it was a life style choice

•

New Wave bands and Disco bands are in the same boat in rejecting music that had dominated rock music up to that point