You're not going out dressed like that
I've had mates who were Punks, Mods, Soul Boys, Skinheads and Rude Boys but I've never known anyone who called themselves a New Romantic, and not because I have anything against blokes in frilly shirts and eyeliner either. I used to work with a girl who was a regular at Blitz and knew Boy George before he was famous but she'd laugh if you applied that label to her, the scene was far too individualistic to be pigeonholed in that way which is why for a while they were called The Cult With No Name.
Yes, New Romantics looked a bit ridiculous at times (Exhibit A above) and were often better at dressing up than they were at making records, but given the choice between their flamboyant silliness and the plodding denim rockism of an Oasis I think I know who I prefer, especially when they made such cracking 12" mixes as these.
Download: Night Train (Dance Mix) - Visage (mp3)
Download: Planet Earth (Night Mix) - Duran Duran (mp3)
Download: The Art of Parties (12" version) - Japan (mp3)
Read: Spandau Ballet, the Blitz kids and the birth of the New Romantics (excellent article)
5 Comments:
Excellent article and pretty damn good post and song choices too.
funny how the 1980s is one of the best examples of a revival of modern surrealism in fashion but done so badly. As I wonder about it now & then, I figure it's all to do with a shade of plastic purple.
Visage did a couple of great tracks (Fade to Grey - the 12" is great), mainly because the musicians were from the post-punk demi-gods Magazine. Even though Duran were one long embarrassment, The Chauffeur is a great track worth checking out as well.
I think that era often had ambitions above ability but you are so right in terms of the dullness of oasis etc at one extreme and talent show naffness at the other, at least this lot had some imagination. This was a time when it wasnt a crime to be in a pop band and trying to appear cultured and intelligent.
Re Visage - may have had some magazine in but the main songwriters were 2 members of Ultravox!
Pop Trivia: If i'm not mistaken, I think that magazine cover features Martin Degville and Yana Yaya later of Sigue Sigue Sputnik. Martin used to share a squat with Boy George, and ran a clothes stall in Kensington Market with Yana.
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