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A bit too obvious at times? Sure, but this is some primo assemblage. Not only do we get hallowed icons of the genre like Chrissie Hynde, Annie Lennox, the Go-Go’s, but they’re jammed alongside some fun discoveries like Altered Images, the Belle Stars, and the Pandoras. Sure, there’s probably better/most interesting choices than Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy” or the Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian,” but it’s still a lot of fun to hear them back-to-back-to-back. The first half is loaded with the established giants and one-hit wonders, then things get progressively weird in the second half.
If there are any knocks against this compilation, they are: a series of glaring omissions and two inclusions. No one would argue against Joan Armatrading as a talented musician, but a folkie dabbling in a genre exercise isn’t exactly representative of the best of that movement’s output. Couldn’t drop that track for figures like Blondie, the Motels, or the B-52’s? Stranger even is Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman (For Massenet).” Not really a New Wave song so much as it is one of Anderson’s experimental spoken-word pieces weaved through with a vocoder and layered synths. I suppose if you squint at it right, it will qualify, but its eight-minutes take of time that could’ve been distributed elsewhere.
What’s fascinating about these choices is how many of them are laced with female sexual agency. From the Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket” where Chrissie Hynde begs for your attention, to Berlin’s “Sex (I’m A…)” where Teri Nunn plays dress-up in a series of kinky poses, to the Divinyls “I Touch Myself” which needs no explanation, to Animotion’s “Obsession” which asks the question about what is needed to have sex with the singer, New Wave Women finds that sisters are doing it for themselves. Just can’t get enough? Indeed.
A good enough reason for the collection to exist? I suppose so. Imperfect as it is, it is a really good way to spend an hour. Breakout the stripes, skinny ties, Vans, and buttons and dance the night away with some of the best songs from the distaff side of the genre.
Download: The Belle Stars’ “Sign of the Times,” Lene Lovich’s “New Toy,” Altered Images’ “I Could Be Happy”
