CD REVIEW: "Senses Working Overtime"...

"The 1980s gave birth to a new generation of musicians who brought fresh energy to rock 'n' roll. It was also a liberating time for more seasoned artists who shared the new wave's outsider aesthetic. Boiling rock down to the essentials - a catchy melody, a clever turn of phrase and a memorable refrain - they made music fun and exciting again."

- Back-of-jacket text, "Senses Working Overtime" by HearMusic (produced and manufactured for Starbucks by Rhino Special Products, a Warner Music Group Company), 2006

I'm not a Starbucks pusher and I rarely pay full price for any CD. In this case, I'm glad I made an exception. "Senses Working Overtime" pulls together the best collection of early new wave music I've ever seen on one disc.

Despite the fact that it shamelessly falls back on stock favorites like Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey" and The Pretenders' "Kid," it pulls together a list of highly commendable tracks any 80s new wave lover and collector would covet.

If you've never sampled tunes by Roxy Music, Bauhaus or Echo and the Bunnymen, now's the time. The tracks featured on "Senses Working Overtime" remind me of the true outsider days (mentioned above) - a time when creative types seeking a respite from Pop Hell seemingly raised college-based radio station listener numbers overnight.

Though testosterone heavy (with Pretenders' front woman Chrissy Hynde and Kate Bush making the only female appearances), the tunes on this CD work together to deliver a smooth, auditory treat that's complemented by new wave's trademark taste for the bittersweet.

- Christine G. Adamo, Sept. 6, 2006

Playlist:

1. New Order - Age of Consent

2. Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime

3. David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes

4. The Pretenders - Kid

5. The Cure - All Cats are Grey

6. Roxy Music - Oh Yeah!

7. The Smiths - William, It Was Really Nothing

8. Elvis Costello - New Amsterdam

9. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love

10. XTC - Senses Working Overtime

11. Bauhaus - All We Ever Wanted Was Everything

12. Peter Gabriel - Shock the Monkey

13. Echo and the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon

14. The Sound - Sense of Purpose

15. Split Enz - One Step Ahead

16. English Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom

17. Robyn Hitchcock - Trams of Old London

18. The Jam - That's Entertainment

Comments: 8

Sean McCarthy Sep 6, 2006, 1:40pm EDT

Thanks for the heads up about this album. I think that now, thanks in part to bands like The Killers, The Strokes, and Franz Ferdinand, that people are realizing there were some fantastic bands who wrote great songs during that period. Would be cool if they had some Cars songs on there. They're one of my favorite new wave groups.

reply to this comment

Richard Melendez Sep 30, 2006, 10:16am EDT

Could have included so much more. The music was fresh and exciting. The " new wave scene " was the tsunami the music scene needed at the time to flood our senses with something different!

reply to this comment

Christine Adamo Oct 2, 2006, 1:21pm EDT

Replying to Richard's post, then, isn't this disc aptly named?

reply to this comment

amanda wallin Oct 10, 2006, 10:16pm EDT

KROQ was our alternative for sampling the new wave genre. Yes. the title is right on as oiur senses were evoked by something other than manufactured boppy crap. Thanks, I'll keep my eye out for it!

reply to this comment