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Cheat Sheet: Prog Goes New Wave

by Justin Farrar

In the early 1980s, some of the best New Wave bands were actually progressive rock groups. This is a bit of an exaggeration, of course. But not totally untrue, when you think about the super-creative ways in which Yes, Rush, Phil Collins and Queen fused the two genres. Ignoring the fact that punk had declared war on the classic rock fossils of the previous decade, these musicians boldly explored synthesizers, funk-inspired dance grooves, drum machines, sound collage, wiry arrangements and icy production techniques. Some truly great music was produced in the process. The Trevor Horn-produced 90125, the wildly experimental The Game and the titanic Moving Pictures are all bona fide classics. Then there's Collins' Miami Vice masterpiece "In the Air Tonight," one of the most striking (and moodiest) pop songs of the 20th century.

Many progressive rockers embraced this brave new world so deftly because it didn't feel all that foreign to them. Though deeply inspired by punk's high energy, New Wave owes much of its sonic palette, particularly the earliest synthesizers, to mid-1970s prog and art rock (Krautrock, too). Spend time with Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom, Peter Hammill's PH7, Brian Eno's myriad productions, or the entire King Crimson discography, and you'll quickly detect the basic traits of New Wave (and, by extension, post-punk and synth-pop).

These connections can also be felt from the flip side of the coin. Talking Heads' Fear of Music (coproduced by Eno), most of The Police discography (drummer Stewart Copeland previously served time in Curved Air) and This Heat's uncompromisingly intense Deceit all contain some seriously proggy touches, particularly when it comes to the quirky rhythms these groups liked experimenting with.

And let's not forget: on August 1, 1981, at 12:01a.m. precisely, that bastion of New Wave indoctrination, MTV, came alive when it broadcasted "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. Little did most viewers know the duo were hardcore progheads who had joined Yes as full-time members a year prior.

The Game

Queen

Never mind that "Another One Bites the Dust" is one of the most ridiculously funky songs ever recorded -- Queen's 1980 effort proved that these leather-clad, mustached freaks could do whatever they wanted. Huge ballads, '50s rave-ups, colossal hard rock, triumphant power-synths and disco funk-rock. Have you listened to "Dragon Attack" lately? It's unbelievable.

Moving Pictures

Rush

Rush became an arena-rock staple in the 1970s, but the Canadian power trio reached entirely new commercial heights in the early 1980s when they started tinkering with, ironically enough, ideas nicked from new wave. Apparently, they were grooving hard to The Police before entering the studio and cranking-out Moving Pictures, an album many fans consider their best. The young upstarts' influence can be felt in Rush's complex ensemble interplay, which has gone from bombastic and muscular to wiry and tight. The record's centerpiece is "Tom Sawyer," of course. But the entire set is straight-up aces.

The Age Of Plastic

The Buggles

Don't overlook this '80s pop classic. Production deity Trevor Horn had more in him than just "Video Killed the Radio Star." His considerable songwriting prowess is also evident on "Plastic Age," "Elstree" (a tribute to the famed U.K. film studios) and "Clean Clean." Crisp and catchy, this LP is not so much a guilty pleasure as an essential point in electropop history.

Another Green World

Brian Eno

As unique as Eno's previous records were, this one raises the bar for the hybrid of pop and electronic music. Eno delves deep into the studio, melding rhythm, synthesized sound and melody into a surreal whole. The album's largely instrumental, but vocal tracks "St. Elmo's Fire" and "I'll Come Running" are pop songs unlike any other.

90125

Yes

Nobody -- and we mean nobody -- in the early '80s expected a dinosaur like Yes to release a killer slab of modern MTV pop. Yet that's exactly what the group accomplished. In terms of British art-rock mingling with new wave, 90125 is very nearly the equal of Queen's masterful The Game. Every single track, particularly the hook-laced "Owner of a Lonely Heart," is an intricately constructed collage full of sharp edges, jagged collisions and oddly funky grooves. The X factor is producer Trevor Horn, who expertly applies his knowledge of disco and club music to the proceedings.

Face Value

Phil Collins

Phil Collins opens his solo debut, 1981's Face Value, with one of the great pop songs of the 20th century: "In the Air Tonight" (its original video is totally avant-garde). The rest of the album, with its emphasis on funk and R&B, isn't too shabby either. The Genesis drummer turned frontman turned solo star must've taken copious notes when working with Brian Eno just a couple years prior; his use of drum machines, synthesizers and ambient textures (John Giblin's watery bass in particular) is smart and subtle. Face Value's other hit is "I Missed Again," but "I'm Not Moving" is even better.

PH7

Peter Hammill

For the most part Peter Hammill's solo work isn't as widely embraced as that of his band, the amazing Van Der Graaf Generator. Yet an album such as PH7, originally released in 1979, makes the case that Hammill on his own might be an even more potent artistic force. Without VDGG surrounding him, he ditches prog in favor of orchestral-laced confessionals, propulsive rockers and, most impressively, dystopian synth-ragers. The uncompromising "Porton Down" is just vicious and doesn't sound far removed from the industrial sounds Cabaret Voltaire and D.A.F. were producing around the same time.

Tin Drum

Japan

Japan's final LP, a foppish blend of dance-free funk, faux Oriental motifs and arty synth pop, was a big hit across Europe. Tracks such as "Ghosts" showcase David Sylvian's surreal narratives to good effect, but the whole affair is such a 1980s timepiece that it now offers unexpected joys -- kind of like leafing through an old magazine and seeing the ads in a new light.

Asia

"Heat of the Moment" was a major hit in the '80s, despite the fact that Asia were a prog rock supergroup made up of members of Yes, King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. They even had a follow-up hit, the ridiculous and great "Only Time Will Tell." These songs, and that band, could only have existed in those confused, insane times, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.