My radio show has undergone a format change. Instead of doing two hours of 80s music, we’re now doing three. I thought it would be a good thing if we devoted the last hour to punk and new wave, since I don’t really play that.
The reason I don’t play it is because it wasn’t really my thing back in the day. Consequently, I know absolutely squat about it.
Post suggestions for Must-Have albums (remember, they must be radio clean, which means no cussing) here, and why you like them.
Robin
82 was a great year for music. Three albums from that year appear on many critics’ “best of the nineties” lists:
Kate Bush:* The Dreaming*
Peter Gabriel:* Security*
XTC:* English Settlement*
Good places to start - Talking Heads, Siouxie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, the Stranglers, Morissey/Smiths, the Cure, Wire, Husker Du, Buzzcocks, Dickies.
I don’t know how “punk” your show is willing to go, but if you wanna dip into the meaty side of 80s punk rock, go after Minor Threat, Misfits, Dead Kennedys, Cockney Rejects, Blitz, the Business, Abrasive Wheels, the Clash.
The real heart of 80s punk is American Hardcore, but I doubt that’ll fit into your show.
Other DJs play Minor Threat, the Misfits and I’ve heard some Dead Kennedys.
As for the groups in the first paragraph, do you have any suggestions about albums?
Robin
Some more names:
Black Flag, Suicidial Tendencies, The Butthole Surfers, DOA, The Dickies, The Dead Milkmen, I could go on.
Does anyone know of anhy good books on 80’s Punk?
The Descendents were one of my favorite '80s punk bands. The album “Milo Goes To College” has a lot of the good stuff on it.
As for the Clash and the Ramones, you really can’t go wrong with anything by them. Any greatest hits compilations would serve you well, but “London Calling” by the Clash should be owned and heard by everyone. (It may have come out in the late '70s, though.)
With the Cure, “Disintegration” is one of the greatest albums EVER, PERIOD. And it’s especially good for making out to. Depeche Mode’s “Violator” fits into that category as well.
Any of the Smiths’ albums are good: “The Smiths,” “Louder Than Bombs,” “Meat Is Murder,” “The Queen Is Dead,” and “Strangeways, Here We Come.”
For Siouxsie and the Banshees, all I have is a compilation, “Twice Upon a Time: The Singles,” but it covers most of their better-known material and is quite good.
Another ‘80s favorite of mine: the Pogues’ album “Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash”–the finest moment of this band that combined Irish folk music with the energy and attitude of punk rock. It was produced by Elvis Costello, who is no slouch when it comes to fine '80s-era music either.
Please check those out, and just promise me you’ll play the B-52s’ “Rock Lobster” in your set somewhere!
Back in the day in Minneapolis there used to be a frickin’ wonderful music shop downtown called “Northern Lights”. It contained every import a boy dreamed about. That’s where I learn all about John Peel sessions. Here’s a snippet of songs from the 1980-1989 Peelenium.
On a different note, for more music, I looked to MTV’s “Post Modern MTV” and “120 Minutes”. It’s where I first heard of bands like “Trisomie 21”, “Cocteau Twins” and “That Petrol Emotion”. Here’s the archive from Sept 1986:
I also remember spending a lot of time looking for unheard of bands on Rough Trade and Sire labels. (I was, and am, a dork.)
With respect to punk and New Wave, the '80’s really began in 1977, with the releases of, to name a few:
The Clash: The Clash
The Dead Boys: Young, Loud & Snotty
The Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks
Kraftwerk: Trans-Europe Express [N.B.: their Autobahn came out in '74.]
XTC: White Music
Richard Hell & the Voidoids: Blank Generation
Talking Heads: Talking Heads '77
Elvis Costello: My Aim is True
Television: Marquee Moon
The Damned: Damned Damned Damned
Iggy Pop: The Idiot; Lust for Life
The Vibrators: Pure Mania
Suicide: Suicide
The Jam: In the City; This Is the Modern World
David Bowie: Low; Heroes
Wire: Pink Flag
1978 was no slouch, either:
The Clash: Give 'em Enough Rope
The Ramones: The Ramones Leave Home; Rocket to Russia [Ramones came out in '76.]
Devo: Are We Not Men? We Are Devo!
Blondie: Parallel Lines [Blondie came out in '76.]
XTC: Go 2
Pere Ubu: The Modern Dance
The Dead Boys: We Have Come for Your Children
The Police: Outlandos d’Amour
The Jam: All Mod Cons
Elvis Costello: Armed Forces
Patti Smith: Easter
Siouxsie & the Banshees: The Scream
Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings and Food
David Bowie: Lodger
Wire: Chairs Missing
1979:
The Clash: London Calling
The Ramones: Road to Ruin
XTC: Drums and Wires
The Buzzcocks: Singles Going Steady
The B-52’s: The B-52’s
Madness: One Step Beyond
Blondie: Eat to the Beat
The Specials: The Specials
The Police: Regatta de Blanc
Gang of Four: Entertainment!
The Jam: Setting Sons
The Fall: Live at the Witch Trials; Dragnet
Iggy Pop: New Values
Adam Ant: Dirk Wears White Sox
Talking Heads: Fear of Music
Pere Ubu: Dub Housing; New Picnic Time
Devo: Duty Now for the Future
Joe Jackson: Look Sharp!
The Mekons: The Quality of Mercy is Not Strained
The Merton Parkas: Face In the Crowd
Wire: 154
I trust this’ll get you started… 
I forgot the extremely crude-sounding Britpunk band, Sham 69: **Tell Us the Truth ** and **That’s Life ** both came out in '78, and **Hersham Boys ** in '79. For completists only, though; these guys managed to make The Sex Pistols sound almost smooth by comparison.
For some good 80’s punk, you should give a good listen to these albums…
New Day Rising - Husker Du
Double Nickels On The Dime - The Minutemen
Damaged - Black Flag
Living In Darkness - Agent Orange
The Adolescents - The Adolescents
Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash - The Replacements
This Ain’t Hollywood - Forgotten Rebels
…to start out with.
My favorite punk/new wave albums, 1980-1981:
Siouxsie and the Banshees: *Kaleidoscope * (1980) and Juju (1981)
Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980)
Circle Jerks: Group Sex (1980)
I find it astounding that the only mention of Joy Division was in one of stpauler’s quotes.
How about X? Los Angles is be a good tune, but it does contain the word shit. If that won’t fly try The Unheard Music- great song.
In addition to the three Talking Heads albums that The Scrivener mentioned, you could do worse than to pick up their next three, Remain In Light, Speaking In Tongues, and Little Creatures.
I don’t really do albums, but I have shedloads of individual songs I could suggest. I’m not sure of the years of all of them, and the best year for new wave IMO was 1979–hopefully songs from that year will get by:
1978
Blondie - Denis, Picture This, Sunday Girl, One Way Or Another
Devo - Mongoloid, Whip It, Jocko Homo
**Elvis Costello & The Attractions - (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea, Oliver’s Army, Accidents Will Happen
The Jam - Down In A Tube Station At Midnight, In The City
Magazine - Shot By Both Sides
The Motors - Airport
Nick Lowe - So It Goes, Cruel To Be Kind
Squeeze - Take Me I’m Yours
Wire - I Am The Fly
1979
**Adam & The Ants - Deutscher Girls
Boomtown Rats - I Don’t Like Mondays, Rat Trap
The Cars - Just What I Needed, My Best Friend’s Girl (NOT ‘Drive’!)
Dave Edmunds - Girls Talk
Gang Of Four - At Home He’s A Tourist
Gary Numan - Are ‘Friends’ Electric
Lene Lovich - Lucky Number
The Nips - Gabrielle
The Pretenders - Stop Your Sobbing
Squeeze - Up The Junction
XTC - Making Plans For Nigel
1980
Hazel O’Connor - Eighth Day
Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach
Siouxsie & The Banshees - Christine
Split Enz - I Got You
1981
Altered Images - Happy Birthday
Bow Wow Wow - C30, C60, C90 Go, Go Wild In The Country
Godley & Creme - Under Your Thumb
Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
1982
XTC - Senses Working Overtime
I’m a bit :dubious: about classing Joy Division or The Smiths as Punk and/or New Wave!
For radio-friendly New Wave and Punk, try the soundtracks to early John Hughes movies like The Breakfast Club or Pretty in Pink. Here are a couple others to check out:
Urrgh: A Music War (These are all live performaces by New Wave crossover acts)
Valley Girl soundtrack:
Tears For Fears: Songs From the Big Chair
Tears For Fears: The Seeds of Love
Peter Gabriel: So
I had a punk show for 4 years in university during the early 80’s
trying to remember some of the classic american hardcore compilations:
Decline and Fall of Western Civilization - this is THE classic
If punk is dead, what the hell is this? (maximum rock n roll)
There were a lot of good compilations like for the DC bands, Boston Bands, Phoenix bands, etc.
Bands at random that i remember and liked (I met most of 'em as well)
Dicks, DOA, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, minutemen, husker du, meat puppets, Dead Kennedys, Fear, Really Red, Seven Seconds, Subhumans (English and Canadian), Poisen Girls, Crucifucks, Tesco Vee, butthole surfers, TSOL, Naked Raygun
No one’s mentioned New Order??? Substance is the one you want.
All good recommendations.
MsRobyn, I strongly recommend you check out the book Our Band Could Be Your Life (link supplied is to Amazon). It is NOT a list of songs - heck, you are getting those here, right? 
Plus I think some Googling based on this thread - say, to find a playlist from 120 minutes or something - would help, too. This book is great because it profiles about 13 bands that were key to the indie movement before Nirvana broke and it gets you into the vibe of what things were like then. So you have a sense of what that world was like from there perspective.
I found I listen to music differently after reading it - in a very good way.