According to an article in a UK newspaper, yes!

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/entertainmentnews/Britpop-grunge-nah-80s-better/article-1274263-detail/article.htmll

Let the debate, begin!

Nothing beats 80s New Wave 8)

Having never been a fan of grunge, I won't comment on my dislike for it.

  Where's the article..?

   Where's the article..?


I went to the "thisisnottingham" and searched the site for new wave.  It was about the 6th article found.

I went to the "thisisnottingham" and searched the site for new wave.  It was about the 6th article found.


  Got it, thanks...

I'm gonna have to agree also. Grunge was alright, but as a kid new wave was cool to me. I even like slow hair metal a little better than grunge.

I like both New Wave and Grunge, but I simply enjoy New Wave a lot more.  :)

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Britpop-grunge-nah-80s-better/article-1274263-detail/article.html

I have to admit, New Wave wins hands down.

New Wave was more then a type of music, it was a rapidly changing genre, that covered almost all continents, all races, and all styles.

Blondie did New Wave, as well as Olivia Newton-John and Madonna.  Men Without Hats, Thomas Dolby, even such groups as DeBarge and The Cars.  And it was not always in English, as Nana can testify.  It could even be an insturmental, as Vangelis, Paul Hardcastle, and Harold Faultermeyer showed.

And even older artists like Donna Summer, the Pointer Sisters, and Tina Turner could get into the act.

And it could be fast, slow, or absolutely bizarre (like Devo).

The 90's (and 00's) have had nothing even close.

Oh not even close!  New wave music was so much better than grunge..  even the word grunge is perfect for that style of music  "boring"

New Wave had very catchy melodies and hooks, very well-written tunes...grunge did not.  Grunge focussed on profound lyrics but the actual music suffered for the emphasis on the lyrics.  New Wave artists gave an actual SHOW when they performed live on stage.  They dressed up with colorful clothes and make-up and had fun light shows and stage props.  Grunge artists were lazy when it came to stagewear.. they dragged themselves onstage in torn jeans, thermal underwear, dirty baseball caps and flannel shirts.. How boring can ya get??  So, in my opinion, new wave EASILY wins over grunge!  Long live the awesome 80s!!

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Britpop-grunge-nah-80s-better/article-1274263-detail/article.html

I have to admit, New Wave wins hands down.

New Wave was more then a type of music, it was a rapidly changing genre, that covered almost all continents, all races, and all styles.

Blondie did New Wave, as well as Olivia Newton-John and Madonna.  Men Without Hats, Thomas Dolby, even such groups as DeBarge and The Cars.  And it was not always in English, as Nana can testify.  It could even be an insturmental, as Vangelis, Paul Hardcastle, and Harold Faultermeyer showed.

And even older artists like Donna Summer, the Pointer Sisters, and Tina Turner could get into the act.

And it could be fast, slow, or absolutely bizarre (like Devo).

The 90's (and 00's) have had nothing even close.


Even those who you would never think of as New Wave took a crack at it.

♦ Gino Vannelli with 'Black Cars'
♦ Barry Manilow with 'Some Kind of Friend'
♦ Robin Gibb with 'Boys Do Fall in Love'
♦ Barry Gibb with 'Shine Shine'
♦ Neil Diamond with 'Headed For the Future'

Though between the US and Canada, Neil Diamond's 'Headed For the Future' was the only one that didn't make the Top 40.  It did still chart though

Even as a teen in the 90's, while everyone was into grunge, I was starting to get into New Wave.

New Wave has a kind of a sound, which is kind of outdated, but still is very fun to listen to, and upbeat.

It's also creative, especially with synthesizers, and keyboards.

Grunge, however pretty much is a bit grimier, gritter, but however not as enventive, as New Wave.

As much as I like REM, Soundgarden, and Foo Fighters, I like Devo, Depeche Mode, and Duran Duran, a bit more.

I always found Grunge to be boring music.  Guys with deep voices all singing like they were on suicide row or something.

no debate need!  abosolutely yes!  :D :)

I always found Grunge to be boring music.  Guys with deep voices all singing like they were on suicide row or something.


As asposed to Emo, with whiny kids  all singing like they were on anti suciide medication.

Heck, Ska is better than fraking Grunge!!!!!

I concer, it's miles away better than Grunge.

Does not compare much the 80s/90s, but I really like this archive article and 90s chronology:

Subject: Re: Which Had a Stronger 'Zeitgeist' - the early 90s or the late 90s?
Written By: Trimac20 on 06/22/06 at 1:54 pm
IMO, the mid '90s had some what of a more early '90s feel than a late '90s feel. That's only for 1994 and 1995.
Yes. According to me...
1990-1992: Psuedo-80s/Video Arcade, very early 90s, early Grunge era
1992-1994: Peak Grunge era, Classic early 90s
1994-1995: Britpop/Baywatch/Melrose Place era
1996-1998: Very classic late 90s - 1996 is definitely more late 90s. A/C, Teen pop, Goth rock.etc
1999-2000: Millenial cusp

http://www.inthe00s.com/archive/inthe90s/smf/1150995185.shtml

Graduated high school in '95, so I was around for the decades' transition & was out before everything went to blecch...

I like some of both, though more new wave

I always found Grunge to be boring music.  Guys with deep voices all singing like they were on suicide row or something.

I almost can't add anything to that, except that I'm glad the genre basically died with its founder Kurt Cobain. The fact that it remained on life support for a few years after(while a few more of its stars killed themselves with heroin/cocaine/ecstasy) will forever mark him and his invention as a tragic stain on the history of popular music.

Your Pal,
Doc
8)

I always found Grunge to be boring music.  Guys with deep voices all singing like they were on suicide row or something.

;D

I never liked any grunge music. I'm sure that if I made up a list of my favorite 10000 songs, no grunge song would be on that list.

  Oh man ::) ...you guys should watch Hype...

  Kurt Cobain the founder of grunge?  Not even close...

Grunge is good stuff but overall New Wave is better.

There's only one grunge group I sort of liked, and they were a Canadian group known as Artificial Joy Club.  The core members of that group were Leslie Howe and Louise Reny, who were previously a duo known as One to One, an 80s pop group that I grew up listening to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_to_One

New Wave hands down. . . A much happier form of music than grunge.  Grunge was, IMHO, too depressing and angsty.  New Wave seemed to be more optimistic, or even fun.  Gimmie a song like "Walking on Sunshine" over "Smells like Teen Spirit anyday. . . at least you can understand what Katrina Leskanich was singing.  And New Wave fashion was more dressed up than grunge. . . in retrospect, grunge "fashion" looks like one slept in their clothes

They're both good and innovative in different ways, but I'm more a new waver too. So many of those songs remind me of being a kid.. like "Take on Me", Culture Club, The Police and Tears for Fears. The synthesizer sound really modernized music in general I think too.

I'd probably like grunge alot more if it weren't for all the lousy *ss post-grunge copycat bands like Nickelback. I basically only like some of the popular songs by the original bands around 1991-95. I loved "Under the Bridge" and "Come As You Are" back in the day, though.

80s New Wave is better, in my opinion, but then I missed Grunge completely as I was high on a happy cloud as a raver!

of course new wave is better than grunge... that had to be a trick question, right? :)

Jimminy Christmas, am I the only one here that has *any* appreciation for grunge? There were plenty of worthy songs found in the Alice in Chains catalog. I was more into punk/new wave/post-punk during my high school days, but was also partial to a few bands lumped in with the Seattle sound. It's not all bad.
I'd suggest checking out some of the below-the-radar stuff, such as Mudhoney's early releases. :-)

I think the secret is that New Wave was more universally popular than grunge, hence it has had more lasting appeal .  In addition, it has proven to be more radio/tv friendly and with so many bands being labelled as 'New Wave', with the resurgence of VH1 Classic it has become a popular choice in clubs again.

80s new wave has to be better.

80s new wave and synthpop was typically upbeat.  There were ALOT of really popular new wave bands - probably 10 times more than Grunge.

Grunge was typically sad or "cold."  I think there were only a handful of really popular grunge bands - Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots.

80s new wave has to be better.

80s new wave and synthpop was typically upbeat.  There were ALOT of really popular new wave bands - probably 10 times more than Grunge.

Grunge was typically sad or "cold."  I think there were only a handful of really popular grunge bands - Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots.




Right. And those New Wave bands had a certain charm and character the Grunge bands did not.

80s new wave has to be better.

80s new wave and synthpop was typically upbeat.  There were ALOT of really popular new wave bands - probably 10 times more than Grunge.

Grunge was typically sad or "cold."  I think there were only a handful of really popular grunge bands - Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots.


New Wave Bands that were popular in the 80's: Duran Duran, New Order, Depeche Mode, ABC, The Pretenders, Culture Club, REM, Flock Of Seagulls. Tears For Fears and INXs fit 1980's Alternative Rock in my opinion than New Wave. There were like New Wave  Bands that had like 1 hit and you never heard from them again after: bands like "The Motels". Level 42, and Thomas Dolby, and "Talk Talk". I mean there were more polished acts that used the synth-pop/ new wave sound in the late 80's like "Go West", Johnny Hates Jazz, and Breathe.

I don't think New Wave had 10* more bands that were popular than grunge did. I admit New Wave had more universal  appeal than grunge like said in an earlier post on this thread because Donna Summer used the 80's new wave sound in her music in the early 80's.

80s new wave has to be better.

80s new wave and synthpop was typically upbeat.  There were ALOT of really popular new wave bands - probably 10 times more than Grunge.

Grunge was typically sad or "cold."  I think there were only a handful of really popular grunge bands - Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots.


Hmm, maybe that was the problem with Grunge.  It wasn't cold enough.

If I wanted coldness in the '90s, there was industrial, coldwave, and a few variants of techno.
If I wanted hard/edgy in the '90s, there was thrash and a few fringe branches of metal.  Some of the old punk bands never really died out nor changed their style.
If I wanted warm/happy in the '90s, there were enough remixes of 80s synthpop to keep me interested.
If I wanted cute/poppy/upbeat in the 90s, there were the raver/dance/trance variants of techno.

For me, Grunge wasn't something I actively avoided... I just didn't actively seek it out.  It sorta fell through the cracks for me. 

gmann: Cool, we've got someone standing up for grunge.  I'm probably the textbook example of a guy who missed the point of grunge -- so what'd I miss?  It sounds like grunge was to the 90s, what punk was to the 70s: raw, un(der)produced, and the sort of thing a bunch of friends could do in a garage.

Upon reflection, I can relate pretty to that -- and maybe that's why I missed grunge.  The same time period was about when the "gazillions of dollars worth of synthesizers and keyboards" required for techno and/or industrial was getting to the point that a guy could do it in his basement with the MIDI gear built into a Mac.  Maybe the only reason I skipped over the grunge era was because I spent the 90s in a basement instead of a garage...

Foobar, good point.  In the early 90s, when Grunge came about, there seemed to be alot more accessible "types" of music.  There were many varieties of rock (alternative, hard rock, metal, soft rock, etc) available in mainstream then I believe were mainstream in the early 80s.

And yes, it seemed like grunge (and alternative) were less focused on commercial success (well originally) and more focused on a particular sound or music.  It was a rebellion against corporate mainstream music, like punk in the 70s as you mention.  Of course, when the rebellion becomes popular, it becomes oversaturated and goes away.

  I've brought this up a few times before but if you're looking for the definitive story of grunge, and have a desire to be let-in on "the joke", the documentary "Hype" is where it's at.  Put it on your Netflix queue...



 

New Wave, no question.  I was a New Waver.  Then the stations I listened to Boston's WFNX and college stations such as WERS and WZBC started leaking this really boring gee-tar rock from the Northwest.  The band's had names such as Green River, Sound Garden, The Melvins, and Skinyard.  I mentioned this on a Depeche Mode thread long ago.  In 1987, my older sister, going to Evergreen State in Olympia, sent me a cassette called "Let's Sea" (1986) from K Records, featuring the Cannanes, Beat Happening, The Fastbacks, and Mecca Normal, among others.  She said in her letter it would be the pop music of the future.  I hated it from start to finish.  Unfortunately, sis was right.  As for "Let's Sea," you might find it on eBay, but it might cost you $200.  Ironically, one the producer's of "Let's Sea," Steve Fisk was deep into New Wave (and later Electronica) and as a low-budge tape music guy in the '80s recorded a short track using A Flock of Seagull's "Space Age Love Song" riff.  All this stuff was was released on Fisk's "Over and Thru the Night," still one of a few releases I like in the K Records catalog.  

Another poster disputed me a while back, saying Grunge wasn't around in the '80s.  This is not true.  As stated above, it took hold in the alternative scene in the late '80s and was definitely all over MTV's "120 Minutes" in 1989.  

The release of New Order's "Technique" and The Cure's "Disintegration" heralded the last of my love affair with current pop music, which started a mere seven years earlier with bands such as AFOS, The Fixx, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, Nina Hagen, Duran Duran, Elvis Costello, Human League, Heaven 17, and the like.  

After 1988, I was adrift listening to old Brian Eno records and searching for something...which I found in a bifurcated fashion.  On the one hand, I was introduced in a music appreciation class to composers such as John Cage, Milton Babbitt, Harry Partch, and Iannis Xenakis while I was also listening to Prokofiev and Mahler.  On the other hand, by becoming a university radio jock myself in the early '90s (which I still am), I discovered Electronica, such as The Orb, Aphex Twin, Muslimgauze, Autechre, and Kim Cascone.  I also had a wicked passion for so-called Industrial music, such as Einsturzende Neubauten, Cabaret Voltaire, Severed Heads, Controlled Bleeding, Un Drame Musicale Instanane, and the like.  Mix it all up, and you've got my current tastes...

Anyway, I have since learned an appreciation for good Grunge, such as Sonic Youth, The Fastbacks, and Screaming Trees, and crap corporate Grunge (sorry to offend fans of the following) Alice In Chains, Nirvana (post-Bleach), Stone Temple Pilots, and Pearl Jam.  I also like Thurston Moore because he gave me an enthusiastic smile of approval for playing early CabVolt, and Sonic Youth knows something of contemporary music, as Moore started in Glenn Branca's avant-garde electric guitar consort.  Sonic Youth also released "End of the 20th Century" featuring works by some of my favorite composers: Cage, Wolff, Oliveros, Tenney, Reich, and Cardew.  If one in a hundred Sonic Youth fans took a liking to any of those composers, then the band has done a great service to contemporary classical.

Anyway,  if I want something fun and familiar to listen to, I'll reach my New Wave collection, never Grunge.  That makes all the difference.  

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/11/blob3.gif