[Exit Pupil]

New Gold Dream for me - Simple Minds.

I need some more New Romantic material.

 

[bong]

New Romantic is such a weird term, people tend to use this genre of music in the same context with New Wave, Synth Pop, and Post Punk. if one asked all the bands that were classified as New Romantic, half of them would not approve of the term. I've read Jim Kerr doesn't like it when Simple Minds gets classified as new Romantic. Andy McCluskey was absolutely livid when people called OMD New Romantic.

Granted, there's handful of bands that can be correctly classified as New Romantic, where elaborate costumes and fashion style merged with music. Adam and the Ants, Visage, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Culture Club, The Human League (Dare! era onwards), A Flock of Seagulls, Japan, Kajagoogoo, ABC, Ultravox (Post John Foxx), Soft Cell and others were arguably New Romantic.

bands like OMD, Simple Minds, New Order, The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, etc. were arguably not New Romantic.

then you had a sub-genre called Futurists, which for a time bands like Depeche Mode, Ultravox (John Foxx era), The Human League (pre Dare!), Tubeway Army/Gary Numan, The Normal, and others were classified.

granted, it all gets VERY confusing, but that's why people lump them all into New Romantic / New Wave in the first place!

that said... Dare! by The Human League is the best New Romantic record, period!

 

[soundboy]

 

[omegaman]

Another vote for Dare by the Human League. This is the best new romantic song ever :-

YouTube - Human League - Don't You Want Me Baby

 

[DarkAngel]

Alphaville, Ultravox, OMD

Bong
Early OMD not new romantic, but the stellar Architecture & Morality is a new romantic blueprint with sweeping lush synth melodies.......she's leaving, joan of arc etc

 

[Sordel]

Arcadia, So Red The Rose
Japan, Tin Drum
David Sylvian, Brilliant Trees

A lot of the other groups mentioned (e.g. Human League, Adam and the Ants, Simple Minds) I like, but I don't count them as New Romantic.

 

[mercbuggy]

My vote goes with:

Duran Duran - Rio (especially for the final track - The Chauffeur)

Of course, ask me on another day....Japan - Tin Drum.

 

[IceClass]

I'm surprised *anyone* tolerates being called a New Romantic!

That was a short period in my life where my slightly befuddled mum would tell her friends:

"I'm not saying I like his haircut but he's a good boy really and he always brings his own mascara when he stays over".

My vote goes for New Gold Dream. It was a slick departure from earlier Simple Minds work and to some extent defines the period.

Jim Kerr *wishes* they weren't labeled as New Romantic but all that prancing about in D'artagnan shirts and berets kinda gave it away if you ask me.

 

[Exit Pupil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IceClass /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm surprised *anyone* tolerates being called a New Romantic! Jim Kerr *wishes* they weren't labeled as New Romantic but all that prancing about in D'artagnan shirts and berets kinda gave it away if you ask me.

I plead guilty to slotting genre/groups into a pigeon hole, but it kind of serves its purpose for the thread. I was initially going to add New Wave also...

 

[FalconP]

I always think the term "New Romantics" refers to the way the bands dress (suits with wasp-waist cutting; thin ties; lipsticks) rather than what music they play.

 

[Sordel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FalconP /img/forum/go_quote.gif I always think the term "New Romantics" refers to the way the bands dress (suits with wasp-waist cutting; thin ties; lipsticks) rather than what music they play.

Not really ... New Romantic was a term used to identify the backlash against punk rock. While it's true that this backlash was characterised by men in bands attempting to look "beautiful", it's all there in the music, which is one reason why I'd avoid including a band such as Soft Cell. Soft Cell were definitely electropop, which can be regarded as an extension of Punk's "anyone can play" aesthetic. The same could be said of Gary Numan.

New Romantics were drawn to synth sounds that imitated real instruments, and many bands that initially used synths tended in that direction. Ultravox, for example, ended up with violin and piano sounds; Marc Almond graduated to piano and chamber strings. This was the "Romantic" impulse coming out in a much clearer sense than whether someone wore a baggy white shirt and lipstick or not.

As always, once the "look" was established, then a lot of people employed it who weren't really of that genre. Simple Minds came from an electronic background and shifted into stadium rock: they never really had a New Romantic phase, but Jim Kerr was for sure influenced by the fashions of his day.