ROCK
VA - Music For New Romantics [2022] (3x CDs)
The New Romantic era didn’t begin with a manifesto. It began with a mood — a desire for glamour after years of grit, a hunger for colour after the monochrome of punk. Music For New Romantics captures that shift across three discs, tracing the path from early sparks of theatrical rock to the sleek, electronic pulse that defined clubs and charts in the early eighties. It’s a set that understands the movement not as a genre, but as a feeling: dramatic, stylish, and always reaching for something larger than life.
The first CD lays the foundation. Mott The Hoople, Roxy Music, Lou Reed, New York Dolls, Donna Summer, Grace Jones, Giorgio Moroder — artists who shaped attitude, image and rhythm long before “New Romantic” became a label. Their tracks carry swagger, art‑rock elegance, and the first hints of electronic sheen. You can hear the seeds of what would come: glamour, performance, and a fascination with the future.
The second CD steps directly into the movement’s core. Tubeway Army, The Human League, OMD, Visage, Simple Minds, Telex, Japan, Yello — the sound becomes colder, sharper, more synthetic. Drum machines click, synths shimmer, and vocals move between detachment and drama. This is the moment when clubs like the Blitz defined a new aesthetic: androgynous fashion, sculpted hair, and music that felt both modern and mysterious.
The third CD shows the movement expanding. Marianne Faithfull, The Associates, ABC, Tom Tom Club, A Certain Ratio, New Order, Chas Jankel, Kid Creole, Gina X, Sister Sledge, Lipps Inc. — the boundaries dissolve. Funk, disco, post‑punk, art‑pop and electronic dance intertwine, proving that New Romanticism was never a closed circle. It was a cultural shift that welcomed rhythm, experimentation and style from every direction.
What makes Music For New Romantics compelling is its sweep. It doesn’t isolate the movement. It shows the influences that fed it, the artists who defined it, and the sounds that carried it forward. For collectors, it’s a panoramic view of a scene built on imagination. For listeners, it’s a reminder that the New Romantic era wasn’t just about fashion — it was about creating a world where music felt like escape, transformation and possibility. (B)
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Track lists
CD1
01 Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes 3:31
02 Lounge Lizards - Harlem Nocturne 2:04
03 Alice Cooper - I’m Eighteen 2:57
04 New York Dolls - Personality Crisis 4:00
05 Zager & Evans - In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus) 3:16
06 Iggy Pop - Nightclubbing 4:14
07 Roxy Music - Do The Strand 3:48
08 Kim Fowley - Motorboat 2:10
09 Lou Reed - Vicious 2:57
10 Jayne County and The Electric Chairs - Berlin 4:53
11 Nina Hagen - TV-Glotzer (White Punks on Dope) 5:28
12 La Düsseldorf - Viva 2:36
13 Mick Ronson - Only After Dark 3:30
14 Rah Band - The Crunch 3:40
15 Fox - Single Bed 3:49
16 Warlord - The Ultimate Warlord 3:29
17 Donna Summer - Love to Love You Baby 4:58
18 Grace Jones - La Vie En Rose 7:27
19 Giorgio Moroder - Chase 3:41
20 Sweet - The Ballroon Blitz 4:03
21 Gary Miller - Stingray 1:57
CD2
01 Tubeway Army - Down in The Park 4:25
02 Cure - A Forest 4:55
03 Human League - Being Boiled 3:51
04 Normal - Warm Leatherette 3:23
05 Suicide - Ghost Rider 2:31
06 Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark - Electricity 3:32
07 John Foxx - Underpass 3:58
08 Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science 3:42
09 Visage - Visage 3:50
10 Simple Minds - Changeling 3:31
11 Landscape - Einstein A Go-Go 3:27
12 Flying Lizards - Money 2:31
13 Telex - Moskow Diskow 3:20
14 Throbbing Gristle - Hot on The Heels of Love 4:20
15 Japan - Life in Tokyo 3:32
16 Yello - Bostich 3:36
17 Nightmares in Wax - Black Leather 4:10
18 Heaven 17 - (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thing 4:19
19 Spandau Ballet - To Cut A Long Story Short 6:03
20 Magazine - Shot By Both Sides 3:59
21 Siouxsie and The Banshees - Hong Kong Garden 2:55
CD3
01 Marianne Faithfull - Broken English 5:49
02 Associates - Club Country 5:39
03 Abc - Tears Are Not Enough 3:36
04 M - M Factor 2:28
05 Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love 3:28
06 Blue Rondo A La Turk - Klactoveesedstein 3:49
07 A Certain Ratio - Shack Up 3:15
08 New Order - Everything’s Gone Green 5:32
09 Glaxo Babies - Shake (The Foundations) 3:56
10 Heat Exchange - Shake Down 4:00
11 Chas Jankel - Ai No Corrida 4:13
12 Don Armando’s Second Avenue Rhumba Band - I’m an Indian Too 3:22
13 Kid Creole and The Coconuts - Me No Pop I 4:21
14 Gina X Performance - No G.D.M (Dedicated to Quentin Crisp) 5:57
15 Sister Sledge - Lost in Music 4:49
16 Lipps, Inc. - Funky Town 7:50
17 Barry Gray Orchestra - Captain Scarlet 1:53
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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.
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Thank you Butterboy.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Done4it.
DeleteCheers.
I never really warmed up to the “New Romantic” movement, but this compilation is compellingly good and (also in terms of the timeline) put together with knowledge and sensitivity. - Plus, it’s a great dance tape, which isn’t the worst thing! Thanks, BB & Best: TC
ReplyDeleteHi The Chairman,
DeleteI get that, the New Romantic movement doesn’t connect with everyone, but I’m really glad this compilation worked for you. The timeline helps the story make sense, and once the pieces fall into place, the whole thing becomes surprisingly cohesive.
Cheers.
Never got the 'look' but the music was good - nice round-up of the influences (with the exception of Bowie) - thanks BB
ReplyDeleteHi Dr Robert,
DeleteThe look never quite landed for me too, but the music had real spark. Pulling the influences together shows how wide the roots actually were, even without Bowie in the mix.
Glad the round‑up worked for you.
Cheers.
Just a quick thank you for this 3 cd set and as usual a big THANK YOU for all your time and input on your wonderful blog , it is very much appreciated by us all…….many thanks Butterboy…….love & peace Stu
ReplyDeleteHi Stu,
DeleteThank you for the kind words. they’re always appreciated. I’m really glad this 3‑disc set hit the spot for you. It pulls together the strands that shaped the movement and gives it a proper, dance‑friendly sweep. Your ongoing support means a lot and keeps the whole place moving.
Cheers.
Mott the Hoople? Quirky or what.
ReplyDeleteHi Frank,
DeleteMott the Hoople definitely bring their own flavour, a bit quirky, a bit swaggering, but that’s exactly why they fit here. They carried the early spark of glamour and attitude long before the New Romantic look arrived, and that spirit threads straight into the movement’s foundations.
Cheers.
An intriguing selection, BB - at first, I thought that some of your choices were a bit off-centre for new Romanticism - Nina Hagen covering The Tubes, Landscape, Fox......turn it around, though, and I see how right you are. New Romanticism was never my "look" either (I didn't need that makeup on) and that instilled an automatic prejudice against any artist unfortunate enough to be attached to the label. Once again, though, you have helped me to step back and re-examine. Take away the categorisation and you have put together a fine mixtape. An amazing, entertaining, instructive setlist. Thank you for that, and for all your musical cornucopias.
ReplyDeleteNina Hagen.....I saw her on The Old grey Whistle Test and was blown away. Rock, Gospel, show tunes, Weimar Cabaret even Schlager. Honestly, she deserves a retrospective posting.
Hi twinsoulz,
DeleteI really appreciate your thoughtful take. Some of the choices do sit a little sideways to what people usually imagine when they hear “New Romantic,” but that’s exactly why they belong. Once you flip the perspective, as you did, the connections become clear. The movement drew from all sorts of places, and stepping back from the label lets the music breathe in its own space. I’m glad the set worked as a mixtape first and a history lesson second.
Thanks again for the generous words and for engaging so deeply with the music.
Cheers.