# Need some help with 80s punk and new wave

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-with-80s-punk-and-new-wave/264465>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 14, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-with-80s-punk-and-new-wave/264465 "2004-09-14T20:52:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-with-80s-punk-and-new-wave/264465/41 "2004-09-18T17:21:51Z")

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I was posting this when the hard drive crashed…  
A lot of the Punk will be hard on find on vinyl due to the fact that it was not pressed in anywhere near the numbers that even the New Wave albums were. Also, they were often owned by careless punk rockers, who threw up on them or used them as ashtrays. Most used record stores (that know what they are doing) will have the surviving albums priced pretty high. _But_ you could always get lucky. Or go with the CD repressings.

Since my last posting, I would also like to support **Wordman’s** recommendation of _Our Band Could Be Your Life_. If you want to know what was going on in American underground music during the 80’s, it’s a really good place to start.  
If you are Canadian, or interested in a Canadian version of the same story, you could check out the book [Have Not Been The Same](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1550224751/qid=1095398893/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-9378803-7255208?v=glance&s=books). Also good, but unfortunately, more industry oriented.

Watching the movie _Urgh, A Music War_ would also be educational/entertaining… but keep the fast forward button handy. _Decline of Western Civilization Pt. 1, Repo Man_ and _Suburbia_ are all worth your time too.

A lot of people seem to be recommending 70’s bands/albums, which opens a whole other Sex Pistols / Clash kettle of fish.  
I’m going to stick more strickly with your OP question and recommend (or second) a few more 80’s bands/albums I forgot the first time (not all of them _actual_ punk)…  
**Telephone Free Landslide Victory** - Camper Van Beethoven  
**Psychedelic Jungle** - The Cramps  
**Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables** - The Dead Kennedys  
**Bug** - Dinosaur Jr.  
**Songs To Learn and Sing** - Echo & The Bunnymen  
**Just Can’t Stop It** - The English Beat  
**Hexbreaker** - The Fleshtones  
**Solid Gold** - Gang of Four  
**II** - The Meat Puppets  
**10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1** - Midnight Oil  
**Wrong** - Nomeansno  
**Rum, Sodomy and The Lash** - The Pogues  
**Neurotica** - Redd Kross  
**Underwater Moonlight** - The Soft Boys  
**Hypnotized** - The Undertones  
**Call of the West** - Wall of Voodoo  
**More Fun In The New World** - X  
**The Men Who Loved Music** - The Young Fresh Fellows

Aside of a a couple of the DK’s songs, they are almost entirely broadcast safe.

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**Author:** ![lexi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lexi/32/6806_2.png) [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-with-80s-punk-and-new-wave/264465/42 "2004-09-20T00:06:30Z")

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I am not sure if most of the music in my libary would be considered radio safe - but I am wondering since when did college radio stations require radio safe material? The first time I heard half the music I know on college radio - even the DJ’s were not radio safe.

Regarding the Canadian book - “Have Not Been The Same”, the title of the book is from a song by one of my favorite Canadian punk bands - Slow.

More Canadian punk that will just rock your socks off:

Viletones  
Demics  
Personality Crisis  
NoMeansNo  
DOA  
Subhumans (the Canadian ones)  
SNFU  
Dayglo Abortions  
Young Canadians  
Unwanted  
Stretch Marks  
Riot .303  
Deja voodoo  
Jerry Jerry & The Sons of Rhythm Orchestra  
Mailbu Kens  
House of Commons  
The Action  
Death Sentence  
Cardboard Brains  
Some Weird Sin  
63 Monroe  
Or you just could look here[Punk History Canada Band Database](http://www.punkhistorycanada.ca/noise/bycity.php?cat_id=31)

I am one of the webmasters there - so :):):):):):)🙂 - but it is a cool site - even if I didn’t webmaster there.

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**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-with-80s-punk-and-new-wave/264465/43 "2004-09-20T20:50:57Z")

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> [@lexi](#):
>
> I am not sure if most of the music in my libary would be considered radio safe - but I am wondering since when did college radio stations require radio safe material? The first time I heard half the music I know on college radio - even the DJ’s were not radio safe.
> 
> Regarding the Canadian book - “Have Not Been The Same”, the title of the book is from a song by one of my favorite Canadian punk bands - Slow.
> 
> More Canadian punk that will just rock your socks off:
> 
> Viletones  
> Demics  
> Personality Crisis  
> NoMeansNo  
> DOA  
> Subhumans (the Canadian ones)  
> SNFU  
> Dayglo Abortions  
> Young Canadians  
> Unwanted  
> Stretch Marks  
> Riot .303  
> Deja voodoo  
> Jerry Jerry & The Sons of Rhythm Orchestra  
> Mailbu Kens  
> House of Commons  
> The Action  
> Death Sentence  
> Cardboard Brains  
> Some Weird Sin  
> 63 Monroe  
> Or you just could look here [Punk History Canada Band Database](http://www.punkhistorycanada.ca/noise/bycity.php?cat_id=31)
> 
> I am one of the webmasters there - so :):):):):):)🙂 - but it is a cool site - even if I didn’t webmaster there.

Cool… I already had your web site bookmarked.  
I was a huge Slow fan, and saw them several times. One of the best live bands, ever. Deja Voodoo also kicked serious ass. I wish all that OG records stuff would get re-released on CD. I’m not going to hold my breath, though.

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**Author:** ![lexi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lexi/32/6806_2.png) [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-with-80s-punk-and-new-wave/264465/44 "2004-09-21T16:32:35Z")

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> [@vl\_mungo](#):
>
> I wish all that OG records stuff would get re-released on CD. I’m not going to hold my breath, though.

I wish for it too - although there have been some great compilations that have come out though such as the Last Call CD.

Canadian punk on vinyl has almost instantly shot to insane prices on eBay for the past 3 or 4 years, because of the rarity outside of Canada - so if you are missing a certain album you once had, it is too costly to replace.

But - on topic again – in Canada most of the University radio stations are ran by the Student’s Union, and there aren’t really any rules about what to put on the air at all. In fact I remember listening to bands as crass as the Meatmen and the Mentors on the local University radio station in Calgary which is the most conservative city in Canada by all popular accounts.

Are things different stateside? The local university radio station has a funding drive, but still plays occasional commercials, without really being a commercial radio station.

MsRobyn - how are things ran down there?

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